Memorial Day Ceremony Planned

SALISBURY -- Area residents are invited to honor those men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving at a Memorial Day Ceremony to be held on Monday, May 30, at 10 a.m. 

The ceremony will take place at the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial in front of the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. All are welcome and encouraged to attend this free event, which is organized by members of the Wicomico War Veterans Memorial Committee.  In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved inside to the Midway Room.

As part of the ceremony, there will be a lowering of the colors by the Wicomico County Jr. ROTC, ringing of the Red Knights Memorial Bell, branch prayers, and a volley of arms by the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Department.  Veterans, as well as their families, will be recognized during the ceremony including a special family tribute to Gold Star Mothers.  War Memorial Committee Member Sgt. Ed Tattersall, US Army, will perform the Reading of Veterans Names, which recognizes those Wicomico County residents who have fallen in the line of service.

In 2002, a group of veterans from all branches of the military came together to honor and preserve the memory of Wicomico County’s fallen heroes.  As a result, the Wicomico County War Veterans Memorial was erected at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, which is itself a living war memorial to all veterans.  Flags from each service branch, along with a United States, Maryland, Wicomico County and the POW-MIA flag, now proudly fly over a brick wall displaying bronze plaques with the names of Wicomico County’s fallen veterans beginning with World War I.

BERLIN -- Delmarva Power customers this week will begin to receive a new energy bill that is easier to read, more environmentally-friendly and has more individualized energy use information, the utility says.

The multi-year effort to re-design the customer’s monthly bill, which included extensive customer input, will launch Friday in Maryland, said John Allen, Vice President, Delmarva Power Region. Delaware customers are scheduled to receive the new bill in early June, he added.

“We’re excited to offer our customers a new bill that is easier to read, understand and has more information on their energy use so they can take better control of it,” Allen said. “We’re committed to improving customer service and this re-designed bill is an example of that commitment.”

Some of the highlights of the new bill include expanding the energy use bar graph from 13 months to 24 months; enhancing readability by changing the bill format from a top to bottom design to a side to side; switching to duplex (front and back) printing to save paper); moving the payment coupon from the top of the page to the bottom; and adding language that better defines supply and delivery charges.

SALISBURY -- Salisbury officials announced this week the towns of Salisbury and Fruitland shared a significant award for a recent water connection project.

Salisbury Mayor James Ireton Jr. this week said the Salisbury and Fruitland were honored with Source Water Protection Project of the Year Award from the Maryland Rural Water Association for a Salisbury/Fruitland water connection project. The award was presented during the association’s annual conference in Ocean City on Tuesday.

The project, which includes the installation of piping for the connection, a water meter vault equipped with a bi-directional 8-inch meter and valves allows Salisbury and Fruitland to share water during emergencies. A water supply agreement between the two cities governs how the connection is used and how costs are shared.

PRINCESS ANNE -- Walgreens recently presented the University of Maryland Eastern Shore School of Pharmacy and Health Professions with a $10,000 gift.

A portion of the funds will provide a Walgreens Diversity Scholarship to a student whose efforts “raised awareness in diversity and community outreach,” Walgreens Delaware South Pharmacy Supervisor Don Holst said.  Remaining funds will support programs at the university to positively impact enrollment and retention of students of diverse talents and backgrounds.

“We recognize the significant contribution the university makes in fostering the educational development of future pharmacy leaders,” Holst said. 

UMES’ School of Pharmacy is among some 110 pharmacy schools across the country receiving the funds — part of a $1 million annual commitment from Walgreens.

The unique three-year Doctor of Pharmacy Program began last August with an initial enrollment of 63 students, Dr. Nicholas Blanchard, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions at UMES, said. The program is expected to grow to 180 students by the third year.