Articles

NEW FOR THURSDAY: Town Officials, Berlin Fire Company Seek Fatal Accident Probe

BERLIN -- Reports of a Berlin Police Department (BPD) officer driving an ambulance transporting a victim in a fatal accident in December to the hospital have prompted a request for an investigation by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Service Systems (MIEMSS). The Berlin Mayor and Council and the Berlin Fire Company (BFC), which responded to the accident and would typically handle all medical transport, have asked MIEMSS to investigate, acknowledging that having a police officer...READ MORE

NEW FOR THURSDAY: Perdue, Family Seeking $3M In Attorney Fees

BERLIN -- Three weeks after a U.S. District Court judge issued a ruling in the landmark civil suit filed against a Berlin farm family and Perdue over alleged pollution violations dating back to 2009, the victorious defendants in the case this week filed separate motions seeking a combined $3 million in attorney fees and other associated costs. In March 2010, the New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance, along with the Assateague Coastal Trust and the Assateague Coastkeeper, filed suit in U.S....READ MORE

NEW FOR THURSDAY: Council Plans To Revisit Decision Abolishing Committees

OCEAN CITY – Councilman Joe Mitrecic followed his campaign pledge this week when he suggested the city hold a future discussion on re-establishing subcommittees dissolved by the former council majority over two years ago. At the end of this week’s Mayor and City Council meeting, Mitrecic took the opportunity to share some thoughts with his colleagues and the public as he proposed a future discussion to re-establish a few council committees if not all of them. Mitrecic rejoined the...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: OC Council Approves Utility’s Substation Expansion With Conditions

OCEAN CITY – Delmarva Power and Light (DP&L) received the Mayor and City Council’s approval to expand its substation in north Ocean City with fair warning not to exceed safe electromagnetic field (EMF) and noise levels. On Monday evening, for the second time, the Mayor and City Council was presented with a conditional use request to expand the existing DP&L substation between 137th and 138th Streets in the neighborhood of Caine Woods. Last August the Planning and Zoning...READ MORE

NEW FOR TUESDAY: Town Seeking Fire Company’s ‘Actual Financial Status’

BERLIN -- In what could be the first tentative step towards what many in town will hope will be a peaceful reconciliation, the Mayor and Council recently directed Town Attorney Dave Gaskill to begin a dialogue with the Berlin Fire Company’s (BFC) legal representation. However, Gaskill’s job, according to Mayor Gee Williams, is only to request “specific financial documents” from the BFC so that the town can determine where the institution stands financially. Whether or...READ MORE

NEW FOR FRIDAY: 350-Plus Pounds Of Pot Seized After Traffic Stop

BERLIN -- Local law enforcement officials this afternoon announced the arrest of a New Jersey man last week and the seizure of over 350 pounds of marijuana after a routine traffic stop evoking a seldom utilized Maryland law on Route 113 near Berlin. Around 4:30 p.m. last Sunday, a Maryland State Police trooper in an unmarked car with its red and blue lights flashing was stopped on the shoulder along Route 113 just north of Germantown Rd. in Berlin. A Toyota Sienna, driven by Donald P. Gayle, 54,...READ MORE

NEW FOR FRIDAY: Turtle Hatchling Survivor ‘Doing Great’, Moving To NC

ASSATEAGUE -- The loggerhead turtle hatchling rescued from the beach at Assateague in advance of Hurricane Sandy in late October continues to progress and has been moved to rehabilitation facility in North Carolina in what will likely be a final stop before a return to the wild in the near future. On Oct. 26, 2012, just about two days before Hurricane Sandy arrived in the mid-Atlantic area, biological technicians and other staff from the Marine Animal Rescue Program (MARP) of the National...READ MORE

County Ignores Travel Freeze For Vegas Convention

SNOW HILL -- Hoping to attract new business to Worcester County, Economic Development Director Bill Badger will be heading to Las Vegas to attend the International Council for Shopping Centers (ICSC), Global Retail Real Estate Convention (RECON) this spring. While the event should offer opportunities to promote Worcester to new retail, according to Badger, County Commissioner Jim Bunting voted against the excursion after noting Worcester still has a freeze on out-of-state travel due to the...READ MORE

Local Scores Veterans Designation

OCEAN CITY -- A new policy adding an armed forces veteran’s designation on Maryland driver’s licenses went into effect this week and an Ocean City resident was likely the first in the state to acquire the honor. Last year, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation allowing for the addition of a veteran’s designation on the state’s driver’s license for those who are serving or have served in the past. Among other things, the designation creates a viable...READ MORE

Salisbury Reviews Capital Plan

SALISBURY -- The Salisbury City Council reviewed its current five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) last month, and some of the biggest concerns were vehicle and road maintenance and putting in place a nearly $80 million Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP) that will be able to satisfy the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). “This CIP for this five-year period is really dominated by two programs,” said City Administrator John Pick. “One is the Watershed...READ MORE

SBA Issues Storm Relief Reminder; Disaster Center To Open At OP Library

SNOW HILL -- Residents still aching from Hurricane Sandy-related damage are being urged to look into loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). SBA representative Karen Knapik went before the Worcester County Commissioners on Wednesday requesting help in getting the word out about the loans, which she said have been under-applied for so far. Worcester avoided some of the epic damage seen in areas like New Jersey and New York, but there were still cases of substantial flooding and...READ MORE

Fatal Balcony Fall Reported In OC

OCEAN CITY -- Ocean City Police are investigating a fatal fall yesterday morning from a balcony at a north-end high rise condominium. Around 9 a.m. on Thursday, Ocean City Police responded to a reported fatal fall from a balcony at the Golden Sands Condominium around the 110th Street area. OCPD spokesman Mike Levy said on Thursday morning a male individual was discovered deceased and detectives are currently handling the case as a fatal balcony fall although no foul play is suspected. The...READ MORE

Route 90 Pavement Void Fixed

OCEAN CITY -- An eight-foot hole, or pavement void, in the eastbound lane of the Route 90 bridge discovered last Thursday has been repaired and was likely caused by excessive erosion under the span, according to State Highway Administration (SHA) officials this week. Late last Thursday, SHA officials reported a pavement void, estimated at around eight feet deep, was discovered in the eastbound lane of the Route 90 bridge closest to the approach to Ocean City. While the hole was estimated at...READ MORE

Delegate Plans To Introduce School Safety Initiatives

BERLIN -- With the Maryland General Assembly set to convene next week, the debate over stronger gun laws and school safety will likely dominate, and the lower shore’s representative in the House could be in the center of the action. In an opinion piece printed last week, Delegate Mike McDermott (R-38B), who represents all of Worcester County and much of Wicomico, promised to introduce a variety of bills aimed at improving school safety when the session commences next week. Among the pieces...READ MORE

Sea Level Initiative Inked

OCEAN CITY -- Gov. Martin O’Malley late last week signed a landmark executive order aimed at increasing the state’s long-term resiliency to storm-related flooding and sea level rise along the Atlantic coast and the Chesapeake Bay. The Climate Change and Coast Smart Construction executive order directs, among other things, that all new and reconstructed state facilities and infrastructure be planned and constructed to avoid or at least minimize future flood damage. The executive order...READ MORE

Route 113, Offshore Wind, Health Care Issues Top Senator’s Agenda

BERLIN -- When state lawmakers return to Annapolis for the 2012 General Assembly session next week, they will have much on their plate from continued budget and fiscal concerns to societal issues, and a suddenly veteran Senator Jim Mathias is ready for the battle. Mathias is hardly a rookie on the eve of what will likely be another tumultuous assembly session. He said this week he will draw from his strong relationships with his constituents, the counties he represents and his colleagues in...READ MORE

Winterfest Of Lights Enjoys ‘Second Best Year Ever’; More New Year’s Eve Fireworks Possible

OCEAN CITY – A near record-setting year of attendance at Ocean City’s Winterfest of Lights ended with a bang to bring in the new year, and because the inaugural New Years’ Eve fireworks show was such a success, the city will be looking to have it again next year. The 20th Annual Winterfest of Lights at Northside Park kicked off on Nov. 15 this year and as of its conclusion on Tuesday, Jan. 1, there were 95,599 attendees, ranking the year of 2012 with the second highest...READ MORE

County To Seek Waiver For Traffic Light At Troubled Spot

SNOW HILL -- Following a heated meeting between the State Highway Administration (SHA) and residents of Snow Hill last month, the Worcester County Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to write a letter to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) requesting that a traffic light be installed at the intersection of Routes 12 and 113, despite the site not meeting the requirements for a light. Commissioner Virgil Shockley, who represents the Snow Hill district, briefed the rest of the...READ MORE

Social Services Honors Local Adoptive Parents

SNOW HILL -- The Lower Shore Departments of Social Services last week recognized the 2012 Adoptive Parents of the Year during the 5th Annual Adoption Day Celebration at the Snow Hill Fire Department.Each year for the last five years, the combined Social Services departments of the three lower shore counties, Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset, recognized sets of parents who have made the ultimate gift of adoption to a child or children without a family. The event is held in conjunction with...READ MORE

Man’s 3,000-Mile Benefit Run To End In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY – Landon Cooper plans to cross the finish line in Ocean City this summer after running 3,000 miles to raise money for Sarcoma Cancer research.Cooper, 33, is the founder of Miles 2 Give and is from Birmingham, Ala. but is currently training in Orem, Utah. He will begin his adventure on Feb. 14, 2013 at the Golden Gate Bridge and run 150 days straight, averaging about 21 miles a day, to reach the White House in Washington D.C. on July 4.Once Cooper reaches Washington D.C., a...READ MORE

Company Confirms Plans To Shutter Berlin Operation

BERLIN -- Merial Select confirmed this week it will be closing its Berlin doors effective next year. Though the majority of Merial’s approximately 45 employees are expected to lose their positions, town officials are optimistic that the facilities closing will not adversely affect Berlin. Mayor Gee Williams compared Merial’s shutting down to when the Tyson plant likewise left Berlin in 2003. That departure meant the termination of about 600 jobs. However, the town was able to weather...READ MORE

Commissioners Support Farmers In Clean Water Case

SNOW HILL -- In the wake of last month’s ruling in favor of a local farm family in its case with the Waterkeeper Alliance last month, several Worcester County Commissioners came out in favor of the judgment and discussed the future of the poultry industry on the Eastern Shore. “This case seems to have losers all the way around and I hope that we can go forward,” Environmental Programs Director Bob Mitchell told the commissioners Wednesday. The case, which also included Hudson...READ MORE

650-Plus Turn Out For AGH’s Annual Penguin Swim

OCEAN CITY – Although the official count is still being tabulated, as of Wednesday, the 19th Annual Penguin Swim raised over $80,000 to go toward Atlantic General Hospital. On New Year’s Day, the Penguin Swim was held in front of the Princess Royale Hotel. Atlantic General Hospital (AGH) Director of Development Donna Pellinger said attendance was down compared to prior years, but the weather was better than what was forecasted. “Since its inception, the Penguin Swim has raised...READ MORE