Articles

NEW FOR THURSDAY EVENING: Next City Manager Spotlighted; Ft. Pierce Officials Weigh In On City Pick

OCEAN CITY -- The resort’s next city manager’s experience working with a divided council in Ft. Pierce, Fla. could suit him well in Ocean City where division and tension are the new norm at City Hall. With contract negotiations reportedly nearly complete, David Recor is expected to become Ocean City’s fourth city manager, following Tony Barrett, Joe Braun and Dennis Dare, whose 21-year tenure as the city’s chief executive officer ended last September when the City Council...READ MORE

NEW FOR THURSDAY: Fatal Fall From Boardwalk Hotel Balcony

OCEAN CITY -- Ocean City Police this week are investigating a fatal fall from a Boardwalk hotel balcony late Wednesday afternoon. Around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Ocean City Police and Paramedics responded to the Holiday Inn on the Boardwalk at 17th Street for a report of an individual that had fallen onto the pool deck below on the ocean side of the facility. Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and located an unresponsive individual who appeared to have fallen from a hotel balcony. A source at...READ MORE

NEW FOR THURSDAY MORNING: As Contract Talks Enter Final Phase, City Manager Candidate Officially Resigns From Fla. Post

OCEAN CITY -- Forty-eight hours after stating his intentions to stay in Ft. Pierce, Fla., David Recor resigned as city manager of the coastal town last night and is currently finalizing  an employment contract with Ocean City. As of this morning, it does not appear an accord is official, but all sides are indicating they are close to reaching terms, which includes a reported annual salary of $147,000, three weeks paid vacation, a city vehicle and $10,000 in moving expenses. Recor was making...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: City Manager Candidate To Resign From Fla. Post?

OCEAN CITY -- Although city officials are mum on where the process is currently, negotiations are continuing between Ocean City and David Recor, who could officially become the resort’s next city manager by the end of the week. In a letter to the Mayor and Commissioners dated today at 10 a.m., Ft. Pierce, Fla. City Clerk Cassandra Steele announced there will be a special meeting at 5 p.m. today for the “consideration of offer to accept City Manager’s resignation” and...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: OC Council Votes 4-3 To Knock Penny Off Proposed Tax Rate; Average Taxpayer Will Save $20/Year

OCEAN CITY – Property owners may receive a little relief this year as a last-minute amendment was made this week to the proposed fiscal year 2013 budget to decrease property tax by a penny. The proposed budget reached the Mayor and City Council on Monday night on first reading, setting the tax rate in Ocean City at the constant yield, which is $0.4685 per $100 of assessed valuation of real property. Before the council could reach a vote to approve the budget as is, Councilman Joe Hall...READ MORE

NEW FOR TUESDAY: With OC Council Setting Deadline, City Manager Candidate Says ‘My Future Is In St. Pierce’

OCEAN CITY -- Although contract negotiations have not officially been halted, the chosen candidate to fill the resort’s city manager post said last night his future is in Florida, but he stopped short of saying he formally has withdrawn from the Ocean City process. The specific points of contention that have stalled the negotiation process between the Ocean City Mayor and Council and Ft. Pierce, Fla. City Manager David Recor have not been verified, but Recor made it clear at his city...READ MORE

NEW FOR MONDAY: Route 589 Property Rezoning Moves Ahead

SNOW HILL -- A requested change to zoning for an Ocean Pines property from agricultural to commercial received a favorable recommendation from the Worcester County Planning Commission last week. The ruling was hard won, however, with the usually unanimous commission split 4-3 on the vote. First appearing before the commissioners in April, the petition for property re-zoning an A-1 Ocean Pines’ lot located near Route 589 was delayed to give the body time to mull over the case. At the time,...READ MORE

Berlin Burglary Spree Continues

BERLIN -- The ongoing rash of residential burglaries in Berlin continued unabated last week with two more cases reported, but local law enforcement officials believe they are closing in on the perpetrators. The spree began with four residential burglaries in a span of eight days in late March and continued last week with two more reported cases. In each case, the victims were either out of town when the break-ins occurred, or, in the case of one last week, the victims were just out for the...READ MORE

Council Moves To Simplify Booking Process On Website

OCEAN CITY – It was decided during this week’s City Council meeting that potential visitors will be welcomed with a more user-friendly accommodations page on the city’s website to enhance their experience in Ocean City. Last month, Ann Hillyer of OceanCity.com, proposed RezEZ, a central reservations system for booking hotels to be used from the town’s website, OCocean.com, and Ocean City’s Facebook page. The system would cost nothing to the town and is ready to be...READ MORE

OC Eyes Dock For Fire Boat

OCEAN CITY -- Ocean City Fire Chief Chris Larmore presented the department’s quarterly report this week, including a proposed ambulance replacement schedule and a request to use 13th Street and the bay as the berth facility for Ocean City Fire Department’s Fireboat. The ambulance replacement schedule sets a time line to replace ambulances and allow planned purchases to be budgeted as well as maximize the use of the vehicle fleet. Larmore explained the ambulance replacement schedule...READ MORE

After-Prom Event Includes Open House

BERLIN -- With Stephen Decatur High School’s prom set for next weekend, an important program is planned to keep teens safe and under supervision after the big event as opposed to the often deadly alternatives. Stephen Decatur’s senior prom is set for next Saturday at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City and revelers will have a safe post-prom alternative to parties and other activities that often meet with dangerous and sometimes deadly results. Shortly after the...READ MORE

Hearing Speakers Seek Tax Hike To Boost Schools

SNOW HILL -- With a few vocal exceptions, Worcester County residents told the County Commission Tuesday that they would be willing to take a tax increase as long as the money went towards education. The County Commissioners took this with a grain of salt, however, especially since there are still a number of potential budget pitfalls in the road ahead, including the continued uncertainty of state mandates and the fact 44 commercial properties in Ocean City are currently appealing their...READ MORE

Planning Commission Approves Goose Creek’s Revised Project

OCEAN CITY – A new Goose Creek convenience store and Subway restaurant moved closer this week to taking over a property located on 52nd Street and Coastal Highway. In March, the Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed a proposed site plan and conducted a public hearing regarding conditional uses for a new convenience store and expansion of existing fuel service facilities located on 52nd Street. The site is currently known as Andersons Exxon Service Station and Towing. The property is...READ MORE

$6M Legionnaire’s Suit Filed Against Hotel

OCEAN CITY -- Five months after the presence of Legionnaire’s Disease was confirmed at a historic Boardwalk hotel, one of the six victims late last month filed a $6 million lawsuit against the facility and its ownership group. In October, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Worcester County Health Department confirmed the presence of legionellosis, more commonly known as Legionnaire’s Disease, in the water system at the Plim Plaza Hotel on the Boardwalk after...READ MORE

OCDC Provides Downtown Update At Annual Meeting

OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC) celebrated its 12th year this week and an overview of the organization’s accomplishments in the past year were presented, along with a number of awards. “In the past year, we have had many successes,” OCDC President Todd Ferrante said during the OCDC’s annual meeting at Shenanigan’s Wednesday night. In August 2011, the OCDC celebrated the completion of its 100th façade project of Buckingham Hotel...READ MORE

Northside Park Soccer Tourneys Still Growing

OCEAN CITY – The Recreation and Parks Department is prepared for Springfest this weekend as concerts are selling out and new activities are planned for the event. Ocean City’s annual Springfest kicked off yesterday with a parade and a ribbon cutting ceremony. “We are going to have good weather and it will be an excellent place to get four days of sun in Ocean City at the Inlet,” Recreation and Parks Department Head Tom Shuster said. The event contains 146 arts and crafts...READ MORE

Missing N.Y. Man’s Body Recovered In Bay

OCEAN CITY -- A missing person search in the resort over the last two weeks took a tragic turn Tuesday evening when the remains of the upstate New York man were recovered from the bay near 32nd Street. Around 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Ocean City police responded to the area of 32nd Street for a report of a possible deceased body in the bay. The remains, which were recovered by the U.S Coast Guard, were later confirmed to be Lance Corey Gaines, 22, of Groton, N.Y., who was reported missing back on...READ MORE

Salisbury DNA Case Could Be Headed To Supreme Court

SALISBURY -- One week after the Maryland Court of Appeals reversed the conviction of a Salisbury man sentenced to life in prison for a brutal 2003 rape over an alleged “illegal” DNA sample, the case could be headed for a review by the U.S. Supreme Court for what could be a landmark decision. In 2008, the Maryland General Assembly amended the state’s DNA Collection Act to allow law enforcement officials to collect DNA samples from individuals arrested for certain violent crimes...READ MORE

Berlin’s Main Street Corridor All Filled Up

BERLIN -- With the addition of three new businesses this spring, Berlin’s Main St. is officially full. Town representatives were enthusiastic about what having a Main St. without any commercial vacancies means for Berlin. “Now we begin what I call the ‘Early Years of the Berlin Renaissance,’” said Mayor Gee Williams. The last four years have seen a surge of businesses setting up shop in Berlin. According to Economic and Community Development Director Michael Day,...READ MORE

Route 90 Shootings Investigated

BERLIN -- Local law enforcement officials yesterday were looking for the suspect or suspects who shot out windows of moving vehicles with a pellet gun along Route 90 near Ocean Pines on Wednesday night. Around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to two separate cases of windows of vehicles traveling east on Route 90 being shot out with an apparent pellet gun. In both cases, the motorists were traveling east on Route 90 near the Route 589 ramp. In one case, a victim was...READ MORE

Dealer Caught In OC Tipsy Taxi Probe Gets 8 Years

SNOW HILL -- More cases were heard in Worcester County Circuit Court this week stemming from arrests made this winter during Operation Sand Dollar, including one repeat offender who was sentenced to eight years just one month after being sentenced to two years on a prior conviction. Three months after the Ocean City Police Department (OCOD) announced the results of a major, two-year sting operation involving an undercover officer posing as the owner and operator of a taxi cab, the latest batch...READ MORE

Council Selects New City Manager, Contract Negotiations Underway

OCEAN CITY -- The choice of the next city manager has been made in Ocean City, leaving a government in Florida in a confused state and awaiting word on whether its chief executive is heading north or not. After a 90-minute closed session meeting on Tuesday, Council President Jim Hall reported the council voted 4-3 --  Brent Ashley, Jim Hall, Joe Hall and Margaret Pillas in support and Doug Cymek, Mary Knight and Lloyd Martin in opposition -- to instruct Springsted Inc., its hired consulting...READ MORE

Roots Raising Highway Medians

OCEAN CITY – The Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA) returned to City Hall this week for its annual spring meeting with the Mayor and City Council, addressing a few areas of concern along Coastal Highway. District Engineer Donnie Drewer began with reviewing the sidewalk construction from 71st to 141st streets. The sidewalks are in the works of becoming ADA (Americans with Disability Act) compliant. Drewer said sidewalk work from 71st to 82nd streets and 123rd to 131st streets is...READ MORE

Tourney To Benefit Cricket Center

BERLIN -- A golf tournament benefitting the local Child Advocacy Center of Worcester County, or Cricket Center, is scheduled for next Friday, May 11, at the Links at Lighthouse Sound. The tournament begins with a shotgun start at 2 p.m. and will be played in a scramble format. The cost is $100 per person or $400 per team and includes the round of golf, a cart and dinner at Lighthouse Sound. Registration is at 1 p.m. Following the tournament, there will be an awards ceremony and silent auction....READ MORE

SD Middle Teacher Wins History Award

BERLIN -- Stephen Decatur Middle School teacher Leah Olsen last week was recognized as the History Day Teacher of the Year for Worcester County by the Maryland Humanities Council. Over 600 talented middle and high school students, along with their proud parents and teachers, converged on the campus of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County last Saturday for the annual awards. A program of the Maryland Humanities Council, Maryland History Day involved over 18,000 students representing 17...READ MORE

Bond Sale Results In $850K Savings For Ocean City

OCEAN CITY – This week’s bond sale  will result in Ocean City saving over $850,000 in debt service over the next five years. On Tuesday morning at the bond market, Ocean City sold $33.56 million of General Obligation Municipal Purpose and Refunding Bonds, which will result in a savings of $858,377 in future debt service for the town’s wastewater and general funds. During Tuesday afternoon’s Mayor and City Council work session, Finance Administrator Martha Bennett...READ MORE

Worcester Plans Rabies Clinics

SNOW HILL -- The Worcester County Health Department this week issued a reminder to county residents about the dangers of rabies and announced a series of upcoming clinics. According to the health department, rabid animals continue to be found in all areas of Worcester County, even within town limits. There have been seven confirmed rabid raccoons thus far in 2012 and two of them were found in the town limits of Snow Hill and Pocomoke. Raccoons are the most frequently identified carriers of...READ MORE

Fine, Probation For Harassing Calls To Councilmen

OCEAN CITY -- An Ocean City woman, charged last year with three counts of telephone misuse-repeated calls after a spree of threatening or harassing calls to three resort Councilmembers in October, was found guilty last week in District Court on one count and was fined and placed on probation. The Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office in October formally charged Amy Lee Durham, 39, of Ocean City, on three counts of telephone misuse-repeated calls to three Ocean City Council...READ MORE

In 4-3 Vote, County, Seacrets Ink Deputy Deal

SNOW HILL -- After being delayed for two weeks, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Worcester County and Seacrets, an entertainment and restaurant complex in Ocean City, for the use of Sheriff’s deputies was approved 4-3 by the County Commission. The vote was split for a number of reasons, including the commission’s eventual decision to keep deputies at Seacrets in plain clothes as per suggestion of the Sheriff’s Office. Some on the commission felt that having officers...READ MORE

Ethics Charge Filed, Dropped Against Joe Hall

OCEAN CITY -- A few days after being initially filed, an ethics complaint against the resort councilman who called a leading candidate for the city manager post was abruptly dropped on Monday. Details of the private Ethics Committee meeting at City Hall are unclear as all parties have been instructed to refrain from discussing the personnel matters. However, what is known is the complaint was withdrawn. Last Friday morning, Joe Groves, spokesman for the Citizens For Ocean City group, which was...READ MORE

22nd Annual Springfest Underway In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY -- Springfest celebrates spring and the upcoming summer season through Sunday, May 5, with delicious food, live entertainment, and unique arts and crafts in and around four big top tents located in the Inlet Lot at the south end of Ocean City’s famous Boardwalk. Ocean City’s 22nd Annual Springfest will serve up a continuous variety of musical performances on two stages throughout the event. Admission to the four-day event is free. All entertainment is free with the...READ MORE

Worcester Becoming Unattractive To Teachers, Hearing Speakers Say

SNOW HILL -- Worcester County could begin to see educators and school support staff jumping ship for greener pastures if salaries remain frozen for a fourth year, according to teachers who spoke at this week’s public hearing on the budget. Though the County Commissioners admitted that was possible, several commissioners pointed out that Worcester offers a lot more to school employees than just a salary. ‘There are huge advantages to teaching in Worcester County,” said...READ MORE

Native Plant Fest Features Artists, Kids’ Activities

BERLIN -- The Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT) this Saturday, May 5 will host the 13th Annual Native and Heirloom Plant Festival. The festival begins at 8 a.m. and will be held in ACT’s large back yard, steps from the corner of Old Ocean City Boulevard and North Main Street in Berlin. From Amsonia to Stokesia, ACT has something wild and beautiful for your yard or business. If you can't choose on your own, the Maryland Master Gardeners will be there to help. Heirloom tomato varieties include...READ MORE

Downtown Winter Celebration Effort Moves Ahead

OCEAN CITY – Local organizations have partnered to bring life back to the downtown area during the holiday season. At Tuesday’s Mayor and Council work session, Brian McCarthy of the Downtown Association and Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC) Executive Director Glenn Irwin presented a concept called Light-Up-Downtown Winter Celebration. According to McCarthy, the Downtown Association, OCDC, OC Chamber of Commerce and the Holiday Lights Committee are partnering with the intent...READ MORE

Mayor Seeks Improved University Relations

SALISBURY -- All was relatively calm on the Salisbury University campus last weekend, one week after over 1,500 college-age individuals rioted and threw bottles and cans at law enforcement officers resulting in the use of pepper spray on the crowd, but Mayor Jim Ireton continued to work this week on improving the relationship between the city and the school. On April 21, four Salisbury University students were arrested on various charges following the donnybrook at an off-campus housing complex....READ MORE

Scooter Operator Makes Late Plea Against Practice Space Reg

OCEAN CITY – A scooter rental business expressed concerns this week over looming regulations scheduled to be placed on the industry and how it will put rental operations out of business. “The Ocean City Council wants to put the scooter businesses out of business, mainly because of safety concerns,” General Manager of Scooters by the Beach Sal Kraien said. “It just doesn’t make any sense that they are passing all of these new ordinances overnight just to take the...READ MORE

Restaurant Week Returns On Sunday

OCEAN CITY -- In what has become an annual spring tradition, the Ocean City Restaurant Week promotion begins Sunday, May 6 and runs through Sunday, May 20. Last fall, to celebrate the burgeoning culinary scene, the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association added a new twist to Restaurant Week. Because the association has a wide variety of restaurant members, Restaurant Week now includes four price points, as opposed to only two. According to organizers, the price points are $10, $20, $30 and...READ MORE

Operation Medicine Drop Nets 218 Pounds

BERLIN -- The third bi-annual Operation Medicine Drop event, part of the Drug Enforcement Agency National Drug Take Back Day program, held last weekend resulted in a total of 218 pounds of unused or expired medications being turned in by residents for proper and environmentally safe disposal. This was a slight increase over the Fall 2011 Worcester County Operation Medicine Drop. Once again, the Ocean Pines Food Lion drop off location was the busiest, netting a whopping 109.5 pounds of pills....READ MORE

Berlin Jazz, Blues Bash Returns With New Acts, Offerings

BERLIN – The Berlin Chamber of Commerce and WESM 91.3 FM are once again proud to present the 5th Annual Berlin Jazz & Blues Bash, to be held in downtown Berlin Saturday, May 5, from noon-8 p.m. Non-stop Jazz and Blues music will be heard all day in Berlin, featuring six acts on two stages, artwork for sale by local artists, selected food vendors, amazing restaurants, shops and galleries. New this year is a Beer and Wine tent to heighten the festival’s atmosphere. “The...READ MORE

‘Remembering Our Babies’ Vigil Planned On May 7

BERLIN -- While Mother’s Day is usually a time to give thanks for family bonds, it can also be a “bittersweet” holiday for those who have lost children, according to Shirley Grace Pregnancy Center (SGPC) representative Mari Quillen. Consequently, the SGPC will be having a “Remembering Our Babies” candle lighting ceremony the week before Mother’s Day. “Mother’s Day is not always the happiest holiday for some moms,” said Quillen. “We just...READ MORE

Horseshoe Crab Survey Planned

OCEAN CITY -- The Maryland Coastal Bay Program (MCBP) this week announced it’s set to begin its annual survey of horseshoe crabs in and around the coastal bays. Each year, the MCBP conducts a local horseshoe crab spawning survey from May through July. The work helps determine horseshoe crab abundance and increase knowledge of where spawning areas are located. The biggest threat to horseshoe crabs in the coastal bays is habitat loss. As with the Maryland terrapin, the sandy bayside beaches...READ MORE

Ocean Pines Residents Likely To See New Bay Fee

SNOW HILL -- After the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) denied Worcester County’s request for a Bay Restoration Fund (BRF) fee exemption, the County Commission agreed this week it has no choice but to bill Ocean Pines residents for the time that would have been exempted. However, the commissioners promised to hold the money collected in escrow in the hopes that an appeal to state officials will see MDE’s denial overturned. “It is very unfair,” said...READ MORE

SU Students Develop Audio Apps For Nature Conservancy

SALISBURY -- Anyone exploring Nature Conservancy preserves across Maryland and the Washington D.C. metropolitan area will soon be able to download audio tour apps created by Salisbury University students. The Conservancy’s “Put a Naturalist in Your Pocket” initiative was the first project tackled by SU’s new interdisciplinary GNAppWorks program. Following a final review by the international conservation group, the apps will be available in the Apple iTunes...READ MORE

Summer Song Contest Approved

OCEAN CITY – With the process and official rules outlined this week, the Ocean City Song of the Summer Contest will be gearing up soon.The contest details were released this week and received permission from the Mayor and City Council to move ahead.According to the official rules, participants are to write and record an original song that shares their passion for Ocean City. The song will become the official song of the 2012 summer in Ocean City.Once the contest is set up, song submissions...READ MORE