Articles

NEW FOR THURSDAY: Ocean City Man's Death Ruled A Homicide

OCEAN CITY -- One local man is dead and another behind bars today on manslaughter and other charges after an altercation last weekend outside a downtown Ocean City bar. Around 1:30 a.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police and paramedics responded to the area of Somerset Street in reference to a male individual who was found unconscious on the street outside the Harbor Inn bar. The male individual was taken to AGH where he was pronounced dead. He was identified as Michael Eric Post, 39, of Ocean...READ MORE

NEW FOR THURSDAY: Great White Shark’s Online Track Captivating Many

OCEAN CITY -- The public’s long fascination with great white sharks has reached a crescendo in recent weeks with the appearance of a massive 16-footer cruising along the coast including a pass by Assateague and Ocean City last weekend. OCEARCH Shark Trackers, a group of scientists dedicated to tagging and tracking sharks and researching their often misunderstood migration patterns, has been tracking the suddenly famous “Mary Lee,” an estimated 3,500 pounder. “Mary...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: Nightclub Cleared In $1M Civil Lawsuit

OCEAN CITY -- A popular Ocean City nightclub this week was cleared in a $1 million civil lawsuit by a plaintiff who was brutally raped on a private parking area away from the establishment in 2008. After a two-week trial in U.S. District Court ended on Monday, a federal jury found in favor of Seacrets in a case brought by a plaintiff known only as Jane Doe, who was brutally beaten and raped on a private condominium parking lot adjacent to the night club in the early morning hours of Saturday,...READ MORE

NEW FOR TUESDAY: Berlin Looks Past Objections, Approves Stormwater Utility Fees

BERLIN -- A last-minute pushback from town residents, businesses and non-profits worried about annual fees did not halt the Berlin Mayor and Council’s decision to establish a new stormwater utility department. During last night’s public hearing, people in the town were not unanimously against the idea, however, with some encouraging and praising the council for finally making a move to combat stormwater and flooding, a decades-old issue in Berlin. With a few exceptions, battle lines...READ MORE

NEW FOR TUESDAY: UPDATE Homicide Investigation Reportedly Underway

OCEAN CITY -- Although no official confirmation has been received, multiple sources close to the ongoing investigation are confirming today authorities now believe a local man’s death on Saturday was the result of a homicide. Over the weekend, the Ocean City Police Department announced it was investigating an unattended death after a local man was found unresponsive outside a downtown bar early Saturday morning and was later declared deceased at Atlantic General Hospital. Around 1:30 a.m....READ MORE

NEW FOR MONDAY: OC Convention Center’s New Space Celebrated

OCEAN CITY – The curtains were drawn on the Roland E. Powell Convention Center’s new ballroom and exhibit space last week as city officials and guests gathered to take in the space and its beautiful view. Last Thursday the Town of Ocean City celebrated the completion of the first phase of the convention center’s renovation project exhibiting the new Bay Front Ballroom and Trimper Dockside Exhibit Hall with a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony. The Bay Front Ballroom is on the...READ MORE

NEW FOR MONDAY: OCPD Investigating Unattended Death Near Downtown Bar

OCEAN CITY -- The Ocean City Police Department is investigating an unattended death after a local man was found unresponsive outside a downtown bar early Saturday morning and was later declared deceased at Atlantic General Hospital. Around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday, police and paramedics responded to the area of Somerset Street in reference to a male individual who was found unconscious on the street outside the Harbor Inn bar. Police and EMS arrived at the scene and located an unresponsive male....READ MORE

Salisbury Weighs Capital Projects

SALISBURY -- Discussion on the direction of Salisbury’s five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) continued this week with the City Council touching on department vehicle replacement and maintenance schedules, potential building activity, the status of the Poplar Hill Mansion, and where the city stands with the possibility of a stormwater utility and in developing a Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP). Acting Chief Rick Hoppes of the Salisbury Fire Department began by briefing the council...READ MORE

Resort Employee Thanks Officials For Leadership

OCEAN CITY – Gregory DeMarco, a city parks employee and a representative of the Ocean City Employee Coalition, came before the Mayor and City Council to thank those who led get the community through what he called “dark times”. “The former council majority governed against the will of the people and the citizens constantly voiced their objections against the direction to which they were moving but their pleas were constrained or were continuously ignored,” DeMarco...READ MORE

OC Council Tweaks Resident Agent Rules

OCEAN CITY – The City Code was amended this week allowing resident agents of rental properties to reside within 30 miles of Ocean City as long as they are in the state. The Mayor and City Council voted unanimously to approve an amendment to resident agent requirements within a section of the code on first reading at Tuesday’s meeting. Under required information to be issued a rental license, the ordinance will now read, “Name, address and telephone number of a resident agent,...READ MORE

Legislators Will Consider Minimum Wage Hike

BERLIN -- A pair of state lawmakers and a grassroots organization this week announced proposed legislation to increase the minimum wage in Maryland, but the jury is still out on what the proposal could mean on the local front. On Tuesday, Senator Robert Gariagiola (D-Montgomery) and Delegate Aisha Braveboy (D-Prince George’s) joined the advocacy group Raise Maryland for a rally in Annapolis announcing proposed legislation aimed at increasing Maryland’s current minimum wage from the...READ MORE

Governor Hopes Third Time A Charm For Offshore Wind Farm

OCEAN CITY -- As expected, Governor Martin O’Malley this week introduced legislation that would, if successful after two failed attempts, establish the framework for the development of an offshore wind farm as close as 10 miles off the coast of Ocean City. The O’Malley Administration on Tuesday introduced the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013, another attempt to diversify the state’s energy portfolio. Similar legislation has been introduced in each of the last two...READ MORE

DP&L Substation Site Plan Approved

OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Planning and Zoning Commission gave final site plan approval this week to the proposed Delmarva Power and Light (DP&L) substation in north Ocean City. According to Zoning Administrator Blaine Smith, the construction of a surrounding 15-foot decorative wall and irrigated landscaping plan will be the first phase of the project to begin this spring. The projected completion date for the entire project is by December of this year. Commission member Peck Miller...READ MORE

Downtown Mini-Golf Endorsed

OCEAN CITY – The Planning and Zoning Commission found the request to build a miniature golf course in the Downtown Mixed Use Zoning District to be consistent with the surrounding amusements in the area and will pass on a favorable recommendation to the Mayor and City Council. On Wednesday, the Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing to consider amending a section of the town code to include miniature golf as a use permitted conditional in the Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) Zoning...READ MORE

Delegate Named To Committee On Gun Control

BERLIN -- Delegate Mike McDermott (R-38B) this week was named to a special House committee put together to analyze and craft legislation to address Maryland’s gun control laws. McDermott was asked this week to serve on the committee that will consider the vast number of proposed gun control bills filed or expected to be filed in the General Assembly during the current session in the wake of the tragic school shootings in Connecticut last month. McDermott, a career law enforcement officer,...READ MORE

Compromise Sought Over Proposed Shark Restrictions

OCEAN CITY -- The public will have a chance next week to weigh in on a drastic rule change proposed last fall by a federal fisheries management agency aimed at protecting one type of shark with a blanket size limit increase for all species. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in November published a rather dubious “Amendment 5” to the Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan that would, if adopted, create a new 96-inch, or eight-foot, minimum keeper size limit for...READ MORE

Coast Guard Rescues Man In Ocean

OCEAN CITY -- An unidentified man was rescued from the chilly water near the Ocean City Inlet wearing only his underwear last Sunday afternoon, according to U.S. Coast Guard officials. Shortly after 3 p.m. last Sunday, Coast Guard Station Ocean City received a forwarded call from the local 911 operator reporting an unidentified man had been observed in the water about 100 yards or so from the north jetty at the Inlet. The Coast Guard Station immediately launched a 25-foot rescue boat and found...READ MORE

Bill Would Protect State Transportation Fund

BERLIN -- With the dualization of Route 113 still incomplete and highway user funds that should have been dedicated to roadway improvements diverted to other general fund uses, most lower shore lawmakers have signed on as co-sponsors of legislation aimed at preventing further raids on the state’s Transportation Trust Fund. The fund was set up years ago to collect highway user fees and dedicate the revenue to the roadway improvement projects across the state. In a perfect world, the highway...READ MORE

Berlin Brewery Scores Prominent Invitation

BERLIN -- Small-town brewery Burley Oak has been invited to next month’s Beer Advocate’s Extreme Beerfest in Boston, confirming for owner Bryan Brushmiller his brewery’s outside-the-box approach to crafting beer is on the right track. With half a dozen beers being showcased at the festival, Brushmiller said that he’s excited for people outside of Delmarva to taste what’s being brewed in Berlin. “It feels like someone is paying attention to us and it is...READ MORE

Assateague Ruled Out As Possible Wind Energy Connection Site

ASSATEAGUE -- With Gov. Martin O’Malley this week introducing his latest attempt at offshore wind energy turbines off the Maryland’s Atlantic coast, it remains uncertain where the eventual transmission line will connect to the mainland, but it will not come across Assateague as was feared earlier. Governor Martin O’Malley this week introduced his Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013, perhaps moving a future offshore wind energy farm as close as 10 miles off the coast of...READ MORE

Alliance Decides Against Appealing Hudson Case Ruling

BERLIN -- The deadline to appeal the decision in a landmark civil suit filed against a Berlin farm family and Perdue passed quietly this week with no further action taken. In March 2010, the New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance, along with the Assateague Coastal Trust and the Assateague Coastkeeper, filed suit in U.S. District Court against Perdue and Berlin’s Hudson Farm, a contract factory farm operation of about 80,000 birds. The suit was filed after sampling in ditches adjacent to the...READ MORE

Stalled Talks Could Lead To Airport Work ‘Chaos’

SALISBURY -- Unless negotiations are resolved this winter, Piedmont Airlines flight attendants say they are drawing a line in the sand and willing to strike for a better contract. Headquartered in Salisbury, Piedmont Airlines is a subsidiary of US Airways and conducts roughly 440 daily departures to 55 cities. It is the only carrier at the Salisbury-Ocean City-Wicomico Regional Airport to offer daily services. If a new contract isn’t forthcoming in the immediate future, flight attendants...READ MORE

Salisbury Council Moves Forward With Pay Study

SALISBURY -- After asking for employee benefits to be included in a planned salary study, the Salisbury City Council has decided to move forward with authorizing the originally recommended group, Evergreen Solutions, to conduct the evaluation. Despite the qualification process to select an agency for the study being extremely close, City Administrator John Pick told the council Tuesday that the administration still believes that Evergreen presents the best return for the expense. Once asked to...READ MORE

OC Fire Department Offers Winter Freeze Safety Measures

OCEAN CITY -- Due to the recent drop in temperatures, the Ocean City Fire Department would like to offer property owners simple maintenance tips to ensure that fire sprinkler and domestic pipes do not freeze and break, causing thousands of dollars in water damage as well as rendering fire sprinkler systems inoperable.   Maintaining wet pipes above freezing is a key concern.  Domestic water pipes can be insulated or wrapped with an approved UL listed heat tape.  In the event that a...READ MORE

Local Named Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalist

BERLIN -- Skylar Nash Quelland of Snow Hill High School has been named a semifinalist in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program, which honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.  No other student in the Worcester County Public School system was named a Semifinalist for 2013. The qualifying score for Maryland was 219 (out of 240). Quelland had a score of 234. He has the opportunity to continue in the...READ MORE

Hospital Briefs OC Officials On Current Initiatives

OCEAN CITY – The Mayor and Council heard an update from Atlantic General Hospital (AGH) this week on current finances and strategic initiatives aimed at keeping the health system ahead of the industry curve. In fiscal year 2012, AGH’s revenue topped $87.5 million with a cost of about $87 million to render services. The hospital did receive a little over $1 million in non-operating revenue, such as generous philanthropic and endowment support from the community, resulting in net...READ MORE

Hardwire Supplies WPS With High-Tech Safety Gear

BERLIN -- With security in schools a hot topic everywhere, Hardwire LLC has made a sizeable donation of high-tech, polyethylene ballistic protection gear to Worcester Preparatory School. The goal, explained headmaster Dr. Barry Tull, is to add “another layer of protection” to Worcester Prep’s emergency security system. “Basically, it just provides one additional layer of protection to what we have been currently doing with all of the perimeter protection,” he said....READ MORE

Delegate Aware Septic Bill Repeal Unlikely

BERLIN -- While acknowledging its passage is likely a long shot, Delegate Mike McDermott (D-38B) last week introduced legislation that would repeal the Sustainable Growth and Agricultural Act of 2012, or “septic bill”, passed by the General Assembly last year. After considerable debate during the 2012 session, state lawmakers passed legislation the came to be known as the “septic bill,” which, among other things would require the counties to submit plans for a four-tier...READ MORE

County Planners Support Proposed Subdivision Change Sparked By Septic Legislation

SNOW Hill -- Since September, Senate Bill 236, also known as the “septic bill,” has been hotly debated across the shore, with opponents arguing that it would be a noose around the neck of development while proponents assert that it is a necessary antidote to sprawling growth. The debate came closer to a conclusion last week when the Worcester County Planning Commission voted 5-2 in favor of recommending that the County Commissioners adopt Senate Bill 236 as well as Bill 12-6, a text...READ MORE

Council Votes 5-2 To Add Decorative Lights To St. Louis Ave.

OCEAN CITY – Decorative street lighting was approved Tuesday for the first reconstruction phase of St. Louis Ave. Last week a discussion over installing ornamental lighting along St. Louis Ave. began while the reconstruction is currently in its first phase from 17th to 10th streets. The project is being funded through bonds the city acquired last year to complete several capital projects. St. Louis Ave. runs north and south in Ocean City and is a frequently used corridor on the western...READ MORE

Council Approves Bid For New Inlet Parking Lot System

OCEAN CITY – The city is moving forward with repairs to the Inlet and bayside boardwalk as well as a new and more efficient control system for the Inlet Parking Lot. There are a number of upcoming projects planned in Ocean City. This week City Engineer Terry McGean returned with bid award recommendations for the Inlet and bayside boardwalk repairs and lumber and the Inlet Parking Lot controls. According to McGean, the Boardwalk at the Inlet and Chicago Avenue were destroyed by Hurricane...READ MORE

Boardwalk Business Owners Open New Location In Fenwick

FENWICK ISLAND – Bella Pizzeria opened this month on Route 54 in Delaware, bringing specialties from its sister store on Ocean City’s Boardwalk to southern Delaware. Bella Pizzeria, located on Route 54 in West Fenwick Station near Harris Teeter, opened its doors on Jan. 5. Sean and Laura King co-own the restaurant with Hungry Surfer owner Jim Rawls. “It is good and steadily getting better each day…with the local crowd here the word to mouth has been getting out,”...READ MORE