Articles

Twinings’ Mark Shanty’s One-Year Birthday

OCEAN CITY – Twining’s Lobster Shanty, located bayside on Route 54, is celebrating its first anniversary this weekend and it hasn’t skipped a beat since the day it opened. Owners David and Janet Twining opened the Lobster Shanty around the same time they were celebrating the 20th anniversary of their first restaurant, Nantuckets, which is located on Route 1. “We opened the shanty a year ago on July 2,” Janet Twining said. “My husband and I both have New...READ MORE

At HaHa’s, Make It As You Wish

FENWICK ISLAND -- While it is becoming popular in other parts of the nation, there’s a noticeable lack of self-serve frozen yogurt shops on the Eastern Shore. One Fenwick couple has decided to change that. “When we started, no one was doing it,” said Mike Robel, who along with his wife Karen, owns HaHa’s frozen yogurt in Fenwick Island, Del. The restaurant, which held its grand opening festivities last Thursday, features five self-serve stations, each with two flavors,...READ MORE

Water Suit Transferred To U.S. District Court

BERLIN -- The $20 million plus civil suit filed by Worcester County, the town of Berlin, the city of Salisbury and seven other jurisdictions in Maryland against the nation’s major oil companies will heard by a U.S. District Court judge who has years of experience in adjudicating similar cases. The suit, filed in the Circuit Court in Baltimore City in January, was transferred in April to the U.S. District Court in Maryland. This week, the suit was moved again, this time to the U.S. District...READ MORE

Volunteers Sought For Flounder Surveys

OCEAN CITY -- The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has partnered with the Atlantic Coast Chapter of the Maryland Saltwater Sportsmen’s Association (MSSA) to conduct a survey to assess the recreational flounder catch rate. Beginning in July, MSSA members will take to the water to distribute the survey to anglers in Maryland’s coastal bays as part of the innovative program. “This cooperative effort between MSSA and DNR is designed to test the assumptions made by the...READ MORE

Berlin Drainage Study Planned

BERLIN -- In an effort to manage both localized flooding and increasing state restrictions, the Berlin Mayor and Council agreed to a University of Maryland led stormwater feasibility study Monday. “We have to have a plan customized for the needs of Berlin,” said Mayor Gee Williams. Hoping to achieve that, University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center Director Joanne Throwe approached the council with the possibility of adding Berlin to a stormwater pilot program. “The...READ MORE

Shore Hospital Receives $6.1M Maryland Grant

SALISBURY -- A lower shore hospital got a much needed fiscal shot in the arm this week with the award of a $6.1 million state grant for a new kidney dialysis unit. On Tuesday, Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown presented Deer’s Head Hospital officials with a $6.1 million state grant for the construction of a new kidney dialysis unit for the Salisbury facility. Brown presented a ceremonial check to hospital officials after touring the facility’s current dialysis unit and hearing from...READ MORE

Boardwalk Counterfeit Suits Closed

OCEAN CITY -- The last of the multi-million civil suits filed against a dozen individual Boardwalk businesses for selling counterfeit Coach merchandize was settled out of court this week after each of the other 11 defendants defaulted last month and were ordered to pay $10,000 each in damages to the company. Coach Inc. and Coach Services, Inc., last August filed suits in U.S. District Court against a dozen individual Boardwalk stores for allegedly marketing and selling counterfeit knock-offs of...READ MORE

Wicomico Education Budget Passed Amid Fears

SALISBURY -- The Wicomico County Board of Education this week reluctantly passed consolidated fiscal year 2012 budget, which includes cuts of nearly $5 million less than the current year’s spending plan, but not before issuing some stern comments about the future of the county’s schools if the trend continues. At a special meeting on Tuesday, the Wicomico Board of Education approved the fiscal year 2012 consolidated budget of $168.6 million, which is $4.9 million less than the public...READ MORE

Md. Officials Get Close-Up Look At Island Restoration

OCEAN CITY – Maryland elected officials visited Skimmer Island this week to get an update on the efforts being made to replenish the eroding island that is a breeding ground for endangered wildlife. Gov. Martin O’Malley visited Skimmer Island on Wednesday morning by kayak and was informed by Maryland Coastal Bays Program representatives, Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) staff, and Coastal Stewards, members of a summer youth employment program, on the efforts that have...READ MORE

Berlin Planning To Hold First Octoberfest Celebration

BERLIN -- While Octoberfest is a tradition in many parts of the world, it’s not a celebration that Berlin has ever officially participated in. The Chamber of Commerce has decided to change that this year and in a big way. “This is a new event,” Economic Development Director Mike Day told the Mayor and Council at their meeting Monday night. Though the event is months away, town and business officials are already starting to lay the groundwork for a big...READ MORE

Three Rescued Off Resort Coast

OCEAN CITY -- A potential tragedy was averted this week when a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was able to pull two adults and a child from their 22-foot recreational boat early Tuesday morning. Around 8:26 a.m. on Tuesday, watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay received a distress call from a crewmember aboard the “Real Deal,” a 22-foot recreational boat based in Ocean City, reporting the vessel was taking on water and starting to sink about 60 miles offshore. An MH-65 Dolphin...READ MORE

Rocket Launch Brightens Area Sky

OCEAN CITY -- Local residents and visitors got a rare Fourth of July fireworks preview this week when NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility made a significant rocket launch visible over the resort area and much of the Eastern seaboard. Shortly after 11 p.m. on Wednesday, a U.S. Air Force Minotaur 1 rocket trailing bright orange and red flames and a plume of smoke arched its way across the dark sky to the south of the resort area and dissipated to a small white light before disappearing...READ MORE

Ohio Family Gets Free Gas Before Leaving OC

OCEAN CITY – Whether pulling into a gas station, eating dinner with your family or enjoying a day on the beach, keep an eye out because you may be approached by Councilman Brent Ashley giving away free gas in appreciation of vacationing in Ocean City. At the Shell gas station on the corner of Coastal Highway and the Route 50 Bridge on Wednesday, husband and wife, Bob and Trish Disabato, along with their children Christine and Robert, were surprised with a free tank gas to say thank you for...READ MORE

Local Man Dies In Vehicle Fire Near Home

BERLIN -- A local man perished this week when his vehicle caught fire and became engulfed in flames near his residence on Racetrack Rd. early Sunday morning. Around 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, the Ocean Pines Fire Department was dispatched to a reported vehicle fire with entrapment on Racetrack Rd. Upon arrival, firefighters observed the vehicle was completely involved in flames and the blaze had spread to the residence nearby. The Ocean Pines Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire, with support...READ MORE

Berlin Filing To Lower Business Electric Rates

BERLIN -- As part of a long-running strategy to attract business to Berlin, the Mayor and Council voted Monday to fund a rate case with the goal of lowering commercial electricity rates. “If we can get them in line … I think it would just be another major incentive for people to establish businesses in Berlin,” said Mayor Gee Williams of commercial electric rates. Currently, there’s anywhere from a 15 to 20 percent disparity between residential rates and different levels...READ MORE

Worcester Test Scores Among State’s Highest

NEWARK -- Once again, Worcester County is at the top of its class. Results for the 2011 Maryland State Assessment (MSA) for grades 3-8 were released this week and confirm that Worcester students are almost at a combined 100 percent proficiency on the test. The MSA is broken into two categories -- reading and math. In the reading category, Worcester achieved first, second or third place in five of the six grades tested. They repeated the performance in the math category as well. Of the 12...READ MORE

Local Crab Supply, Size Looking Solid For Long Weekend

OCEAN CITY – Get your crab fix while they are hot this weekend, even though local crab houses are optimistic the quantity will hold out over through the 4th of July. Crab Bag Assistant Manager Chuck Sheubrooks, has no concerns over running out of crabs over this weekend. He said on a normal summer weekend the restaurant sells at least 70 to 80 bushels of crabs a night, or around 300 bushels a weekend, but this weekend he expects to sell at least 500 bushels. “We sell most of our big...READ MORE

County Officially Absorbs LCB; Cowger Named Executive Director

SNOW HILL -- Control over the sale of liquor in Worcester has officially been passed on to the County Commissioners. As of today, the Liquor Control Board (LCB) has become the Department of Liquor Control (DLC). Along with the name change comes a new director, though a familiar one for liquor licensees. Bobby Cowger, who has been serving as a consultant to the commissioners on liquor control matters, has been confirmed as the man taking over the role of executive director. “Having Mr....READ MORE

Beaches Earn Top Water Quality Ratings

OCEAN CITY -- Ocean City and Assateague each earned five-star ratings in an annual report released this week on water quality at beaches around the country, and two neighbors to the north were awarded “Superstar” status, but the news for many resorts around the rest of the nation were not as glowing. According to “Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches,” an independent report released this week each year by the Natural Resources Defense Council...READ MORE

Foreign Students Welcomed With Dinner

OCEAN CITY – Students from around the world came together to eat dinner at the Holy Savior Church parish center on Tuesday evening all made possible through the Council for Educational Travel, U.S.A. (CETUSA) of Ocean City. Anne Marie Conestabile is CETUSA’s Ocean City regional manager and said she expected at least 300 students to the dinner out of the around 3,000 students in Ocean City this summer. CETUSA of Ocean City receives many volunteers from many churches in the area. The...READ MORE

Alcohol Tax Hike Takes Effect Today

OCEAN CITY – Local businesses expressed frustration this week as they prepared to implement the alcohol tax increase approved by the legislature earlier this year. In April, the Maryland General Assembly approved a 50-percent increase in the sales tax on alcohol in the state. The legislation will increase the sales tax rate on alcohol in Maryland from 6 percent to 9 percent. The tax hike projects around an $85 million increase for the state’s general fund, portions of which will be...READ MORE

Athletes Announced For Dew Tour Stop In OC

OCEAN CITY – The Dew Tour announced yesterday the line-up of athletes who are to hit Ocean City during the tour’s first stop in Ocean City, July 21-24. AlliSports, owned by NBS Sports, is an action sports lifestyle brand that conducts events like the Dew Tour to connect fans with athletes and brands. Alli has announced the biggest names in skate and BMX that will be coming to Ocean City for the first time in the tour’s six-year history, participating in Skate and BMX Vert, BMX...READ MORE

Street Performer Files Civil Suit Against Resort

OCEAN CITY -- Exactly one week to the day from when he was allegedly bounced from the Boardwalk by an emergency order banning him from setting up shop at North Division Street, an Ocean City street performer filed suit in U.S. District Court, claiming the action violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and expression in a public forum. Last Tuesday, the Ocean City Mayor and Council unanimously passed an emergency ordinance banning street performers from practicing or exercising their...READ MORE