July 15, 2011

What's Your Sign

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): You're not Sheepish when it comes to asserting your opinions on what you think is right or wrong. Be assured that you're being heard, and something positive will follow. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): Your sense of justice makes it difficult not to speak up about a recurring matter involving a co-worker. But, once again, you need facts to back you up before you can act. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Romance is still dominant, and if Cupid misfired before, don't worry....READ MORE

MD Agricutural Education Foundation Mobile Science Lab Brought To Berlin Itermediate School

The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc. recently brought its Science Mobile Lab to Berlin Intermediate School for the Summer Academy fourth and fifth graders. Students performed aquatic experiments with the help of their teacher and MAEF instructor Norman Francis. Students performed five different science experiments including an Aqua Terra Column, Integrated Pest Management, and Measuring Water Quality. Above, Linda Kerton and Anna Putsch are creating an Aqua Terra...READ MORE

Tammera Ward Wins $1,000 In Gas Cards

Tammera Ward, a United Way Campaign Coordinator with Perdue Farms for over 25 years, recently won $1,000 in gas cards at the United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore’s annual Leadership Luau. Perdue Farms is the perennial top United Way campaign on the Lower Shore with a total campaign last year alone of over $317,000. The gas cards were made possible through First Shore Federal Savings and Loan’s generous sponsorship of the Luau as a special way to recognize United Way’s leaders...READ MORE

Maddie Shirk Raised More Than $200 For Children's House By The Sea

In lieu of gifts for her fifth birthday, local resident Maddie Shirk requested donations to the Children's House by the Sea. As a result, she raised more than $200 for the organization. She is pictured above making her donation to Children’s House by the Sea Executive Director Wayne Littleton.  ...READ MORE

Michelle Galello Awarded Art League Of OC Annual Scholarship

Michelle Galello was awarded the Art League of Ocean City's annual scholarship. She will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University and will be majoring in art education. She is pictured with ALOC President Margaret Spurlock.  ...READ MORE

Ocean Pines, Berlin & Snow Hill Police Departments Receive Ballistic Grade Clipboards

The Ocean Pines, Berlin and Snow Hill police departments were the most recent recipients of ballistic grade clipboards donated from Hardwire LLC. Above, Skip Ebaugh, vice president at Hardwire, LLC presents Ocean Pines Police Chief Dave Massey with one of the bulletproof clipboards featuring the Ocean Pines logo on the back. ...READ MORE

The Right Way To Hold More Cash

OCEAN CITY -- After markets plunged in 2008 and early 2009, nearly half of respondents ages 51 to 64 surveyed in Merrill Lynch Wealth Management's Affluent Insights Quarterly said they were most worried about accessing the cash they needed to cover monthly living expenses. As investment income declined sharply, anxiety about losing jobs or business revenue shot up, pushing concerns about security and liquidity to the fore. While liquidity is a crucial component of any big-picture financial...READ MORE

Things I Like

A pool after a day at the beach Berlin’s bathtub races Feature stories in the Sunday paper An Orange Crush on a hot day Stow-and-Go seats People watching at Seacrets Friendly cops Assateague at dusk Spontaneity A day at Frontier Town’s water park My son’s love of Smores and a bonfire ...READ MORE

Medical Staff Appointments

BERLIN – Atlantic General Hospital recently announced two appointments to its medical staff. Wendy Subasic, PA-C, graduated from the College of Notre Dame in Maryland with her bachelor of arts degree in biology and obtained her masters in physician’s assistant’s studies from Townsend University She is a member of the American Academy of Physician Assistants and board certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. Christine Martindale, PA-C,...READ MORE

Fish N' OC

I can picture it just like it was yesterday. Midnight came and went and I was still standing atop the Channel 2 Bridge in the Florida Keys. The current was slowly running east as the new tide was just starting to pick up. Below me was a large pod of tarpon, and I was watching them move in and out of the dark shadows between the footbridge I was standing on and the traffic bridge to the east. I had been fishing for a few hours and had spent a fair amount of time targeting this pod of fish with no...READ MORE

Obituaries

Merle Hall Dennison BERLIN -- Merle Hall Dennison, 80, of Ashton, died Saturday, July 9, 2011 at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin. Mrs. Dennison was born in Fayetteville, N.C. and was the daughter of the late William and Annie (Johnson) Hall. She had been a nurse for many years and was a member of the Nurses Club with Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park, Md. She was a member of St. Matthews By-The-Sea United Methodist Church in Fenwick Island, Del. She is survived by three daughters,...READ MORE

Best Bites

West Ocean City- Berlin Ocean Pines-Fruitland Assateague crab house & Carryout Rte. 611, Assateague Island • 410-641-4330 On the way to visit the ponies of Assateague, stop by this rustic crab house. Enjoy Maryland crabs by the dozen or try the all-you-can-eat specials including snow crab legs. Their extensive menu features various appetizers, fresh fish, seafood, steaks, chicken and ribs. The kids can enjoy their own menu along with the great game room. Great for casual dining or...READ MORE

Best Beats

Angler, the 410-289-7424 • 2312 Talbot St. On The Bay Friday, July 15: Time Police, 4-7 p.m. Saturday, July 16 & Sunday, July 17: Troy Mawyer, 4-7 p.m. Every Sunday: Locals’ Social With DJ Deogee, 10 p.m. Burgers’s Surf’s Up Cafe 410-723-2007 • 5401 Coastal Hwy. Thursday, July 21: Colossal Fossil Sauce, 8 p.m.-midnight Buxy’s Salty Dog 410-289-0973 • 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, July 15: Aaron Howell Band Saturday, July 16: Reedo Sunday, July...READ MORE

Things To Do

July 15: Holy Savior/KC Bingo Doors open 5 p.m.; games begin, 6:30 p.m.; 9901 Coastal Hwy., O.C. Refreshments will be on sale. For more information, 410-524-7994. July 16: Building Materials Sale 8 a.m.-noon, Habitat for Humanity, Worcester Co., 301 E. Market St., Snow Hill. Every first and third Saturday. Building materials, appliances, doors, windows, cabinets, vanities, fixtures and more.  Habitat is also looking for gently used items for future sales. Please contact,...READ MORE

Adventures Of Fatherhood

I often find myself wondering what my kids will be into as they grow up. At their ages, Beckett, 3, and Carson, 20 months, it’s a huge unknown, obviously, what they want to do later in life. That’s not what I think about, it’s more along the lines of what will they like and enjoy growing up. Will it be sports, art, music, reading, surfing, skating, etc.? With Beckett, some obvious early signs indicate he’s going to be a performer of some sort. Not only because he’s...READ MORE

Resort Commits Funding To Arts Building

OCEAN CITY – Council chambers was packed to capacity on Tuesday afternoon when the Art League of Ocean City’s long battle with the city for a new cultural headquarters in the resort finally came to an end. The Art League of Ocean City (ALOC) originated in the 1960’s and has been working out of the same building located on 94th Street for 27 years. With 400 paid members, the ALOC mission is to promote the visual arts in Ocean City through education, exhibits, scholarship...READ MORE

Passion, Consistency Key At The Place For Ribs

OCEAN CITY – J/R’s Ribs is celebrating its 32nd year anniversary as well as the return of its creator, Jack Hubberman, to the restaurant’s uptown Ocean City location. In 1980, Hubberman opened J/R’s Ribs on 62nd Street and four years later opened its second location on 131st Street. “After a lot of research and a strong feeling that rib restaurants are needed in Ocean City, we decided to open,” Hubberman said. “We were the first. None of the restaurants...READ MORE

‘Buy Local’ Challenge Aims To Educate

BERLIN -- Members of the community from several walks of life will be coming together next month in an attempt to take on the “Buy Local” challenge. For the month of August, they encourage everyone to try to buy fresh food from local farmers and growers. “We’re very passionate about it,” said Bryan Brushmiller of Burley Oak Brewery, which is expected to be open within the next couple weeks. Brushmiller is partnering with many residents of Worcester County for the...READ MORE

Worcester Summer Academy Focuses On Rockets

BERLIN -- Students in Worcester County are being encouraged to aim for the stars this summer, both figuratively and literally. The county’s Board of Education is partnering with NASA once again this year to offer a month-long Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) summer academy focused on students, grades 6-8. The camp culminates with a large final project, which involves the designing, construction and testing of a scientific device. “They focused on rocketry this...READ MORE

New Worship Center Plans Move Forward

SNOW HILL -- Plans for a new Ocean City Worship Center received a favorable recommendation last Thursday from the Worcester County Planning Commission. Though unable to convince the commission that a place of worship shouldn’t have to meet commercial standards, representatives from the center did manage to get a number of restrictions waived. Attorney Mark Cropper appeared in front of the board to speak for the center. He argued that the new commercial regulations in place should not apply...READ MORE

Berlin Man Faces Life In Prison After Plea

SNOW HILL -- A Berlin man, shot by Ocean City police last December during a stabbing attack on his estranged wife, faces life in prison today after essentially admitting to attempted first-degree murder during a hearing last week. Marvin Jefferson Mitchell, 28, appeared in court last Friday for a motions hearing in advance of his trial on first-degree murder and other charges related to the Dec. 20 incident. During the motions hearing, Mitchell entered an Alford Plea to attempted first-degree...READ MORE

Amped Riders Camp Starts Sunday

BERLIN -- When Garry Moore lost half of his foot during a marine construction accident in 1997, he feared that he would never be able to skate again. After two years of trying to skate with a rolled up sneaker, Moore made a bold decision. He would undergo a trans-tibial (below the knee) amputation and wear a prosthetic leg for the rest of his life. "Part of the reason for going higher with the amputation was I knew I would be able to get a prosthesis that had a functioning ankle that...READ MORE

Del. Building Fraud Nets 4 Years

BERLIN- Following a conviction on fraud charges in June, a local man was sentenced last week to four years in jail and ordered to pay over $100,000 in restitution to a South Bethany family in connection with a project to renovate and expand their home. Theodore Barrett, Jr., 39, of Selbyville was sentenced in Delaware Superior Court last Friday to four years in jail for convictions on several charges after he first attracted a South Bethany couple by taking them on a phony tour of a lavish home...READ MORE

Fenwick Public Safety Building Approved

FENWICK -- Fenwick Island officials last week approved the construction of a new public safety building after months of debate about the size of the structure. The new 3,500-square foot facility will be built on a town-owned property adjacent to the public works garage. The town has contracted with Bunting Construction to build the facility, which came in with a price tag of just over $603,000. The building will include a reception area, office space and lockers for the town’s police...READ MORE

Tenants’ Rights Issue Still Murky

SALISBURY -- With several months of work already invested into the Tenants’ Rights Addendum, disagreement over details amongst the Salisbury City Council and scheduling issues could hold up publication of the ordinance for several weeks. “I’d like to get along as far as we can,” said Council President Terry Cohen at a work session last Thursday. Tenants’ rights have been a hot-button issue in Salisbury for more than a decade. The addendum is meant to provide...READ MORE

Salisbury Council Will Continue With Pledge

SALISBURY – The Salisbury City Council amended its own Regulations and Rules of Order this week regarding reciting the Lord’s Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance. The amendment scratches out the language “and the Lord’s Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance has been recited” following the meeting being called to order and prior to the adoption of the agenda. The council has compromised on the amendment through the suggestion of inviting ministries of different faiths to...READ MORE

Berlin Youth Program Off To Strong Start

BERLIN -- Representatives from Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services (WYFCS) gave the Berlin Mayor and Council an update on the town’s new summer camp initiative Monday night. According to WYFCS, the program started strong and is quickly gaining even more momentum. “We have been doing a lot,” said Stefanie Gordy, director of Development and Donor Relations at WYFCS. Gordy has taken the helm on the agency’s summer camp. The idea to have WYFCS, a 36-year-old agency...READ MORE

OCPD Seeks Missing Teen

OCEAN CITY -- The Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) is asking for the public’s help in locating a California teen reported missing in the resort in late June. Tabitha Williams, 15, was reported missing to authorities on June 28. She resides in California, but was in Ocean City for a vacation. Police believe she may be attempting to travel back to California. Williams was reported missing by her foster mother. She has black, shoulder-length hair, hazel eyes and was last seen wearing a...READ MORE

Open Houses

WEST OCEAN CITY Bay Point Plantation Rt589/Gum Point Rd Daily 10-5 Waterfront Estate Lots in 142 Acre Preserve Kevin Decker The Fritschle Group/ Condominium Realty 443-235-6552 BERLIN Glen Riddle Open Daily 11-6 Single Family Homes In New Community 2 Golf Courses Owners Clubhouse Private Marina Pulte Homes 410-213-1386 OCEAN CITY Makai Condominiums 42nd St. Bayside Daily 10-4 New Construction 2BR & Studio Condos Ben Dawson The Fritschle Group/ Condominium Realty 410-603-2205 WEST OCEAN...READ MORE

Between The Lines

The Dew Tour kicks off Thursday, and it’s worth putting this event into perspective. There’s no records kept around here to gauge magnitudes of events, but I feel confident saying this is the largest and most extensive event Ocean City has ever hosted. The resort, particularly the downtown area, is going to be mobbed next weekend, which holds the potential for being among the largest ever for the resort area. While huge crowds are expected, they would more than likely already be here...READ MORE

Perception Turning Positive In Ocean City

Maybe it’s just the hot and dry weather, which naturally attracts people to the beach, that’s instilling excitement and optimism in the Ocean City area, but no matter the cause this new enthusiasm for a solid summer and forecast for better times ahead is tangible. The line between perception and reality can be difficult to see at times, but crowd comparisons confirm more people are coming to Ocean City this summer, at least on the weekends, and just about every business around these...READ MORE

Letters To The Editor

Bay Fund Not Raided Editor: Thanks to Maryland residents’ desire to protect our drinking water and waterways, demand is high across the state for money to upgrade septic systems through the Bay Restoration Fund. Together, we are keeping literally tons of pollution out of our waters and the Chesapeake Bay through this hugely successful program. Through the Bay Restoration Fund, more than 2,600 septic systems have been installed or upgraded with nutrient-removal technology since 2007. That...READ MORE

Countdown On In Ocean City For Dew Tour

OCEAN CITY – With the Dew Tour less than a week away, the town is in preparation mode for the event, while organizers announce the headliner for the free concert on the beach next Saturday night. The Pantech Open, the first stop of four stops of the 2011 Dew Tour, opens in Ocean City this Thursday with qualifying competitions. The event runs through Sunday, July 24. Hip Hop artist Kid Cudi will perform on the beach during the Dew Tour’s free concert on Saturday night. His first album...READ MORE

Boardwalk Bids Reveal Savings

OCEAN CITY – Bids to reconstruct phase one and supply the lumber for the reconstruction of the Boardwalk came in below estimates this week. “Preliminary results are bids were significantly less than the estimate,” City Engineer Terry McGean told the Mayor and Council Tuesday. According to McGean, the budget for the construction of the new project is $7 million. The budget for phase one, which includes demolition, carpentry on the north and south end and electrical, is $3.3...READ MORE

Major Shipwreck Survey Off Coast Underway

OCEAN CITY -- A major effort is underway to identify and catalogue thousands of vessels shipwrecked off the U.S. coastline decades ago, including a vast area off Maryland’s coast, to determine which pose significant threats of breaking apart. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) this summer is undertaking an ambitious project to identify and catalogue as many as 30,000 vessels shipwrecked off the nation’s coast, many of which were sunk by German U-boats during...READ MORE

New OP Polling Site On Table

OCEAN PINES -- The polling location in Ocean Pines for next year’s Presidential Election has likely found a new location, though not in a different district as some feared. The Worcester County Board of Elections confirmed this week that the agency is considering moving the polling location from the Ocean Pines Fire Station to the nearby country club. However, the club might go through renovations in the near future, so nothing is set in stone as of yet. “That [the move] is pending...READ MORE

Assateague’s New Regulations Aim To Limit Horse Contact

ASSATEAGUE -- In an effort to reduce often dangerous and sometimes tragic interactions between visitors to Assateague and the wild horses that inhabit the barrier island, National Park Service officials this week announced two new regulations in the hopes of improving safety. Superintendent Trish Kicklighter this week outlined several new initiatives aimed at preventing harmful interactions between Assateague’s wild horses and the visiting public. The initiatives include a renewed effort...READ MORE

Ocean City Eyes Unique Ways To Thank Visitors

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City bracelets may be the next style trend around town as the resort explores other ways to thank its visitors. Communications Manager Donna Abbott presented the Mayor and City Council with an update of the town’s “Thank You Campaign”. “Everybody wants to be thanked for their business and their visit,” Abbott said. “Welcome to Ocean City Maryland” and “Thank You for Visiting” is posted all around town, according to...READ MORE

County, Teacher Settle Civil Suit

BERLIN -- A civil suit filed in 2009 by a former Ocean City Elementary School teacher against the Board of Education, the principal and vice principal, alleging a pattern of discrimination and retaliation that ultimately led to her termination, was formally dismissed this week after the parties reached an undisclosed settlement in the case. In July 2009, former Ocean City Elementary School (OCES) teacher Lindsay Greenan filed suit in U.S. District Court against the Worcester County Board of...READ MORE

Salisbury Drops Proposed Towing Changes

SALISBURY -- The Salisbury City Council scraped proposed changes to police towing fees last Thursday after learning some of the alterations would technically be illegal. “This should be allowed to die and then start over again,” said Councilwoman Laura Mitchell of the towing ordinance. Richard Parsons, owner of 56th St. Towing, agreed. “It’s against free enterprise,” he said of the current plan. Parsons felt that the direction the council was headed with...READ MORE

Panel Rejects Sifrit’s Latest Appeal

OCEAN CITY -- Convicted killer Benjamin Sifrit, who, along with his wife Erika, brutally murdered and dismembered a Virginia couple vacationing in Ocean City in 2002, had his latest bid for a new trial rejected last week. After exhausting an initial appeal process based on the claim his defense counsel was ineffective during his 2003 trial, Benjamin Sifrit embarked on a different tack in an attempt to get his conviction reversed and gain a new trial when he filed a petition in the Maryland Court...READ MORE

Surf Angler Hooks Unique Find

FENWICK -- A surf angler enjoying a late afternoon on the beach just north of Fenwick Island last Friday made a grim discovery when he reeled in a large clump of hair, sunglasses and some jewelry. The surf fisherman was on the beach just north of Fenwick around 4 p.m. last Friday when his line became entangled with debris. The 67-year-old surf angler from Graysonville reeled in his tackle and inspected more closely the items that turned out to be a quantity of hair about the size of one’s...READ MORE

Offshore Wind Farm Area Cut In Half By Feds

OCEAN CITY -- A federal report released outlining the future of offshore wind farms off the mid-Atlantic slashed the original area off the coast by half, citing concerns about the impact on shipping traffic, but the jury is still out on what the reduction might mean for Maryland’s project. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), an arm of the Department of the Interior charged with identifying and leasing areas off the mid-Atlantic coast for the...READ MORE

Berlin All-Stars Win District 8 Title

BERLIN- The Berlin Little League 9-10 All-Stars completed a magic run to a Maryland District 8 championship on Wednesday, beating visiting Fruitland, 4-0, in a steady rain to advance to the state tournament. Throughout the District 8 tournament, Berlin utilized the perfect combination of stingy pitching, timely hitting and stellar defense to roll to a 5-0 record and advance out of pool play to face Fruitland in the title game. On Monday, Berlin routed West Salisbury, 11-0, to reach the district...READ MORE

McDonough Leds Berlin's Team Offense

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Berlin Brings Home District 8 Championship Banner

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Decatur Wrestling Coach Moving On

BERLIN- After building a budding dynasty for the last dozen years or so, Stephen Decatur wrestling coach Kevin Gilligan last week announced he was resigning from the Berlin school to take a teaching job at a public high school in Calvert County. Gilligan took a fledgling wrestling program of just a handful of kids 12 years ago and created an Eastern Shore and regional powerhouse. Under his watchful eye, the Seahawks have won eight straight Bayside Conference championships, finished at or near...READ MORE

7th Kids Classic Set for Next Week

OCEAN CITY- Young anglers will get their moment in the spotlight next weekend when the Ocean City Marlin Club hosts its 7th Annual Kids Classic Tournament. Throughout the summer, the big boys and girls get to show off their fishing skills practically every weekend with one tournament or another, but the focus during this weekend’s 6th Annual Kid’s Classic will clearly be on the younger anglers. The event is open to all anglers age 19 or younger and will take place in the waters in...READ MORE

24th OC Tuna Tournament Underway

OCEAN CITY- The 24th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament officially got underway this morning, turning the host Ocean City Fishing Center into ground zero of the resort fishing community for the next three days. The tuna bite has been red hot thus far this season with Ocean City’s sportfishing fleet returning to the docks nearly every single day with flags flying high and fish boxes full of tuna, setting up would should be a memorable 2011 Ocean City Tuna Tournament. The event got underway...READ MORE