April 3, 2009

People in Society

Neighbors Helping One Another Throughout the Community ...READ MORE

Faces in Places

A Spotlight on the Parrothead Mardi Gras Carnival ...READ MORE

Who's Playing When and Where Musically Speaking

Back of the bag 410-250-3337 130 St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, April 3: TBA Saturday, April 4: TBA Every Wednesday: Open Mic Hosted By Tungsten Groove Buxy's Salty Dog 410-289-0973 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, April 3: TBA Saturday, April 4: TBA Carousel Resort Hotel & Condominiums 410-524-1000 On the beach, 118th St. Friday, April 3: DJ Rupe Castaway's 64th St. On The Bay , 410-524-9090 Friday, April 3: DJ Mike C Saturday, April 4: Coastal Vibrations & Can't Hang Thursday,...READ MORE

Assault Charges Filed

OCEAN CITY - A College Park, Md. man was arrested on assault and disturbing the peace charges last weekend after allegedly hitting a girl in the parking lot of a mid-town nightclub. Around 1:45 a.m. last Sunday, Ocean City Police officers were on routine patrol in the area of 60th Street when they observed a Fager's Island security staff member escort a man, later identified as David Devaney Brantley, 27, of College Park, down the entry ramp and into the parking lot. The officers reportedly...READ MORE

We Remember Those We Have Lost

Ruth Imogene Bryan BERLIN - Ruth Imogene Bryan, 72, died Friday, March 27, 2009, at The Peninsula Regional Medical Center. Born in West Virginia, she was the daughter of the late Ralph H. Linkous and Clara Doyle Linkous. She is survived by her son, William Grauling, Jr. and his wife, Sharon, of Baltimore; her daughters, Bette Mae Grauling of Salisbury, Terri French and her husband, Lenny, of Berlin, and Tina Majeski of Berlin; seven grandchildren, William Grauling III, Rebecca Grauling, Tiffany...READ MORE

Decatur Softball Off to Fast Start

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's girls' varsity softball team stayed on a big roll this week, beating county rival Snow Hill, 17-1, on Monday to improve to 3-0 on the young season. The Seahawks have dominated each of their first three games thus far in 2009, riding the hot arm of sophomore pitcher Maddie Justice and getting production from up and down the line-up to rout each of their first three opponents. It started with a 22-0 rout of Crisfield last Tuesday in the season opener and continued last...READ MORE

Mallards Snuff Out Dragons, 11-5

BERLIN- Worcester Prep's boys' varsity lacrosse team got by a pesky Salisbury School, 11-5, on the road on Tuesday, but it wasn't always pretty. The Mallards used a three-goal surge late in the first quarter to gain some separation from the Dragon and pretty much played Salisbury School even the rest of the way to earn a tough 11-5 win. Worcester took a one-goal lead early in the first quarter but struggled to find the back of the net for much of the rest of the period before a quick...READ MORE

Seahawks Rout Eagles to Improve to 3-0

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's varsity baseball team improved the 3-0 this week after beating Cambridge-South Dorchester, 13-1, last Friday and following that up with a 17-5 pasting of Worcester County rival Snow Hill on Monday. The two victories in four days came after the Seahawks pounded visiting Crisfield, 14-2, in the season opener last Tuesday. Against Cambridge-South Dorchester last Friday, Decatur's Troy Bennett pitched a no-hitter while striking out eight. Bennett helped his own cause at the...READ MORE

Seahawks, Mallards Renew Rivalries

BERLIN- Area lacrosse fans will be treated to a special double feature this afternoon when the Worcester Prep girls' varsity team takes on cross-town rival Stephen Decatur at home and the Mallards' boys' varsity team takes on Decatur over at Seahawk Stadium. More than a few fans of both schools will take in the first half of the double header at Worcester Prep where the men's varsity teams face off at 4 p.m., then scurry over to Decatur for the women's varsity game which begins at 5:30 p.m. It's...READ MORE

Worcester Girls Outlast St. Andrew's, 10-7

BERLIN- Worcester Prep's girls' varsity lacrosse team built a big early lead over St. Andrew's at home on Tuesday and withstood a comeback effort in the middle that saw their lead cut to just one goal before closing the deal with a couple of goals early in the second half to pull away for a 10-7 win. The Mallards scored first just 45 seconds into the game on a goal by Molly Dickerson to take a quick 1-0 lead, but St. Andrew's retaliated just 10 seconds later to tie the score at 1-1 before even...READ MORE

Resort May Extend Boardwalk Bike Hours

OCEAN CITY - As City Council members raised their hands unanimously in hopes to increase a Boardwalk amenity, they also seemingly raised some concerns about the overall safety on the Boardwalk itself. The council voted 6-0, with President Joe Mitrecic absent, to extend the hours that bike riders can be on the Boardwalk in the summer season to 11 a.m., but also opted for the tram to continue its current start-time of 10 a.m. Mayor Rick Meehan, who is an avid Boardwalk biker, cautioned the council...READ MORE

Friday, April 3--Comcast Sues Over Pirated Web Service

OCEAN CITY - Comcast of Eastern Shore last week filed suit in U.S. District Court seeking thousands of dollars in lost compensation and other damages against a Gambrills, Md. man accused of pirating Internet service for several condominium buildings in Ocean City. Listed in the suit are Frank Clark and his fictitious company OceanNet for unauthorized use of the company's high-speed Internet service for personal gain. The suit alleges Clark purchased service for an individual account, then used a...READ MORE

Friday, April 3--Early North-End Assessments Mirror Ocean City Declines

OCEAN CITY - It will be nearly a year before residents in northern Worcester County find out just how much their property values will decrease in the during the current re-assessment phase, but early indications are they will likely mirror the declines seen in Ocean City in the last cycle. State Department of Assessment and Taxation (SDAT) Director for Worcester County Robert Smith this week briefed resort business leaders on a variety of issues related to property value assessments during...READ MORE

Friday, April 3--Resort Looks To Go Green With Trash

OCEAN CITY - Richard Malone apparently likes to talk trash, as he is the senior project manager for the Solid Waste Department in Ocean City. Yet, when he talked trash with the council this week, he proposed a way of making the disposal of waste and the town's pockets a bit more green. The City Council unanimously, with President Joe Mitrecic absent, passed through a proposal to bid out the removal of the town's trash to a private company this week, and the move will save the town a minimum of...READ MORE

Snow Hill Teacher Wins Honor

BERLIN - In the company of 320 educators and community leaders at the 22nd Worcester County Teacher of the Year Banquet in Ocean City, Grade 7 Integrated Language Arts Teacher Alison Giska of Snow Hill Middle School sprang from her chair, as she heard her name announced as the 2009 Worcester County Teacher of the Year.  'I am humbled,' she announced at the podium, giving credit to her school's master teachers who helped guide her to teaching excellence. Giska is in her fifth year at Snow...READ MORE

Thoughts from the Publisher's Desk

Captain Craig died this week. Like most locals, I have a few fond memories of him. Over the years, I most often came in contact with him at the Phillips Beach Plaza with his wife, Virginia, and daughter, Mary Dale, but my most recent personal contact with the captain came after one of the Ocean City Beach Patrol's memorial races held in his honor. I was on the beach taking pictures and spoke with him briefly, enough to get a quote from him about the event and his years of service on the beach....READ MORE

Boardwalk Bike Change A Bad Idea

The Ocean City Mayor and Council heard a proposal this week to expand the hours bikes can legally be on the Boardwalk. In a shocking 6-0 vote, the council voted to approve the change. That was a mistake. The key issue here is whether it's okay for bikers to legally be on the boards till 11 a.m. daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day, rather than 10 a.m. currently. Currently, bikes are allowed on the Boardwalk from 2-10 a.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day. From May 1-Memorial Day and Labor...READ MORE

Voices From The Readers

Absurdities Cloud Booze Beach Debate Editor: You just can't make up stuff like this. Councilman Jim Hall needs to ask, 'What's the difference between sitting on your deck having a burger and a beer and sitting under your umbrella on the beach having a burger and a beer?' Well, one difference that comes to mind is that in the latter circumstance one does not have the ability to have three or four beers and ruin my and my family's day at the beach through obnoxious behavior. Of course, the upside...READ MORE

A Berlin Landmark's New Focus

OCEAN CITY - In staying true to its old-fashioned roots, restaurateur John Fager has restored Berlin's greatest landmark into something that can be truly deemed as both new and improved. The town of Berlin has been on the cusp of some sort of renaissance for several years, and its re-emergence into the forefront of nostalgic tourism on the Eastern Shore could be kick started once again with the rebirth of the Atlantic Hotel into Fager's new presentation and direction of the historic...READ MORE

Council Okays Boardwalk Display Law

OCEAN CITY - As level of a playing field as ever has been laid out by the City Council in regards to outdoor displays on the Boardwalk this week, but all the merchants might not welcome the change with open arms. Stricter guidelines were set in place by the council in a 4-1-1 vote, Joe Hall in opposition and Margaret Pillas abstaining, stressing enforcement, prohibiting explicit content and limiting the quantity of outdoor displays on each merchant's property. Although the numbers and...READ MORE

Mayor Adamant About Slots Council Appointment Power

OCEAN CITY - Unsatisfied with simply being appointed to the county's local development council on slots, which will ultimately oversee many aspects of the impacts of the gaming machines at Ocean Downs, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan this week re-asserted his belief the resort's top elected official should remain an appointer and not an appointee. Three weeks ago, Delegates Norm Conway, James Mathias and Page Elmore introduced a bill that would make local alterations to the slots bill approved by...READ MORE

Pa. Family Satisfied With CO Lawsuit Settlement

OCEAN CITY - Although the terms remain strictly confidential and may never be known, a settlement was reached late last week in the $30 million wrongful death lawsuit filed last February by the family of two Pennsylvania tourists who perished from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in the Boardwalk motel room in June 2006. The original suit filed in U.S. District Court in February 2008 named as defendants the Bay Shore Development Corporation, owner of the Days Inn on 22nd Street where the tragic...READ MORE

Schools Oppose County Reduction Request

NEWARK - The Worcester County Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose a request to the state by the County Commissioners to allocate less funding to the local school system. 'I thought that they might have a change of heart,' said County Commission President Louise Gulyas. 'I thought they might see the economic strain on our county and support us, but that's not going to happen.' Worcester County is facing at least a $12.5 million shortfall in fiscal year 2010. 'Last Friday we...READ MORE

Joe Hall, Pillas Question Special Events

OCEAN CITY - Ocean City Recreation and Parks Director Tom Shuster thought he was coming in front of the City Council on Tuesday for a routine report outlining the town's free events for the summer season, but, in reality, a few officials thought that a couple of those events needed to be placed under the budgetary microscope for further review. At the root of it, the council voted 4-1-1, with Joe Hall in opposition and Margaret Pillas abstaining, to approve the existing and new events on the...READ MORE

New Lending Rules Add Challenges For Prospective Buyers

OCEAN CITY - Ocean City's Economic Development Committee (EDC) met this week to discuss a wide variety of important local issues, from the status of the real estate market and major cuts in the state tourism budget to golf package bookings to summer events. The following is a quick look at some of the highlights from Wednesday's meeting: Real Estate: Coastal Association of Realtors President Gregg Holland of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage told EDC members the area's real estate market...READ MORE

New School Budget Nothing To Celebrate, Board Says

NEWARK - A Maintenance of Effort (MOE) budget for the Worcester County school system would mean no teacher layoffs, no furlough days and restored field trips, if county elected officials are unsuccessful in their bid to get those minimum funding requirements waived by the state. The Worcester County school board approved a MOE level budget Tuesday morning in a special meeting. MOE is a Maryland state regulation mandating that local jurisdictions fund the same amount per student as the previous...READ MORE

OC Beach Patrol Icon Remembered

OCEAN CITY - Ocean City lost a treasured icon this week when Captain Robert S. Craig, who shepherded the Beach Patrol through decades of change and inspired his young charges for half a century passed away at the age of 90. Captain Craig, as he was known for decades not only by the thousands of lifeguards who worked with him and for him but also by the countless millions of local residents and visitors to the resort area, passed away last Saturday at the Coastal Hospice in Salisbury at the age...READ MORE

OC Council News In Brief

OCEAN CITY - In 'the brief' this week, we are talking transportation, stimulus money recently granted to Ocean City to enhance transportation as a whole, some of the particular projects that will help improve said transportation, and even about a committee that will be created to repair an inefficiency in one service offered in the realm of transportation. Committee To Study Transit Ninety-year-old Bob Melvin has been pleading in one way or another for the better part of two years to town...READ MORE

Ocean City OK With 3% Funding Cut

OCEAN CITY - It's been said that you never know how much you will receive unless you ask nicely, and even in dire economic times, Mayor Rick Meehan gave that notion 'a go'. Worries about funding cuts may have prompted Meehan to send a letter to the County Commissioners just weeks before they meet to discuss how much grant money Ocean City will receive this year. The commissioners asked all departments to cut their budgets by 3 percent and it is expected that the annual money granted to the local...READ MORE

Opinions Mixed On County Rezoning

BERLIN - The draft rezoning code and maps released last month by Worcester County are getting mixed reviews from local environmentalists, who say that some changes are just right, but others need to be altered. 'It's 50-50. It has retained a lot of A-1 and has retained the resource protection areas,' said Coastkeeper Kathy Phillips. 'There's isn't any language in there about TDRs (transfer development rights). I don't see language allowing us to meet our TMDLs (total maximum daily loads)....READ MORE

Most Blessed Sacrament 3rd Graders Win Creative Expression Contest

Sponsored by the General Levin Winder Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Most Blessed Sacrament School students Alexandra March and Patrick Wojcik placed first in the statewide Junior American Citizens creative expression contests. March was the third grade winner for stamp design and Wojcik was the seventh graade poster winner. Above, from left, are teacher Frances Pilarski, March, Wojcik and teacher Denise Santa Barbara. ...READ MORE

Outreach Ministry Delivers Hundreds of Boxes of Food

The Angel Food program at Community Church delivered 277 boxes of food as part of the food outreach ministry last month. The program is staffed by an all volunteer group, including local high school students, that takes the orders, picks up the food at a drop site, sorts the food into boxes and distributes the food. Above, student Garrett Neville helps Mary Ann and Christian Jensen take Angel Food to their vehicle. ...READ MORE

AGH Foundation Chair Honored For Five Years of Service

Gail Whaley, pictured with Todd Hershey, Atlantic General Hospital Foundation Chair, was recently honored for her five years of service on the foundation board at the March general membership meeting. Along with her service to the foundation, Whaley also served as the special events chair from 2002-2008 and helped shape the foundation's special events into some of the most successful and profitable fundraising endeavors for AGH. ...READ MORE

Fatherhood Adventures

Our son is a table biter. This is a strange new hobby he has picked up within the last month, and it's only when we eat out. When he's in his high chair at home, it doesn't happen. For whatever reason, as soon as we get out to eat, he goes right for the edge of the table. No matter how we position him, he always manages to get a good lock on the table. More than likely, it's a teething thing, but it could just be another unexplainable habit he has developed. Sort of in the same category as those...READ MORE

My Thoughts

When Insider was a kid he used to occasionally sit in the kitchen and watch his grandmother toast flour. To this day he doesn't know shy she did that. She did it in a cast iron frying pan, slowly and carefully. Constantly stirring with a spatula, she toasted the flour until it was a dark golden brown, then emptied the results into a Mason jar and placed it atop the stove. Her kitchen stove was never without that jar of gold. What was it for? What did she do with it? Does anyone know? So we had a...READ MORE

OC Elementary Students Dress Up as Famous Americans

Monica Piern's second grade class at Ocean City Elementary School enjoyed sharing their 'Famous American Biographies' with classmates this month. Pictured in costume are Erica Hicks as Pocahontas, Chasyn Beachley as General George S. Patton, Gavin Bunting as Johnny Appleseed and Nicole Cohen as Betsy Ross. ...READ MORE

SDHS Journalism Students attend "Press" conference in NYC

Stephen Decatur High School's newspaper and journalism classes took a bite out of the big apple this month when they traveled to New York City to attend the Columbia University Scholastic Press Association conference. Above, from left, sophomores Holly Thiel and Melissa Schworn and junior Kristen Hawkins browse the program. ...READ MORE

Buckingham Elementary Students of the Month for March Announced

Buckingham Elementary School has announced its "Students of the Month" for March. Above, from left, are fourth grade honorees Lily Ricks, Deven Scott, Fernando Garcia and Travis Tull. Fourth-grader Tabitha Edwards, not pictured, was also recognized. Others students not pictured but honored were first graders, Tristin Morton, Jimmy Barrios, Selina McCargo and Zaida Jefferson; second graders, Chase Cropper, Kelle Grau, Emmanuel Nava-Gusman, Lauren Barrett and Mahreen Ishfaq; and...READ MORE

SDHS National Honor Society host Parent Teacher Conferences

Stephen Decatur High School's National Honor Society hosted Parent Teacher Conferences last month. Members checked parents in and guided them around the school. Above, seniors Eric Sichau and Danielle Sampson hand out a student schedule to a parent ...READ MORE

Buckingham Elementary Students Celebrate Positive Behavior

Buckingham Elementary School recently held a Positive Behavior Celebration. Above, third graders Diamond Rounds and Montajha Bowen celebrate their positive behavior with a bowl of ice cream ...READ MORE

Worcester Prep Upper and Middle School National Art Honor Society Inductees

Worcester Prep Middle and Upper School Art Instructor George Zaiser stands with students inducted into the National Art Honor Society. First row, from left, are Elizabeth Twilley, Sami Taraila, Haylea Reiner, Erin Timmons, Skylar Wilson, Jillian Smart, Dominique Kunciw, Elizabeth Hudson and Matt Meinhardt; second row, Sarah Anne Showell, Bethany Frick, Casey Reiner, Lauren Price, Zach Harman, Mary Hudson, Alex Hoshino, Courtney Spieker, Molly Simons and Zach Schroeder; third row, Michael...READ MORE

BIS Students Read Biographies and Dress Up as Famous Americans

As part of a reading unit on heroes, students in Mrs. Lovell's fourth grade class at Berlin Intermediate School read biographies of inspiring individuals and performed a skit for their classmates. Students dressed up as the person they read about and displayed the character's traits while they performed. Pictured, from left, are Tucker Cordial as Christopher Columbus, Todd Phillips as Amelia Earhart and Chance Coley as Abraham Lincoln. ...READ MORE

Protecting Your Portfolio From Deflation

OCEAN CITY - The national debt is rising, but prices are falling •€' and that combination could put a further damper on investors' profits. That's why it's important to choose assets that are likely to resist deflation's downward pull. The government's ambitious rescue plans for the economy have printing presses working overtime at the Treasury Department. Normally, a flood of new dollars would raise the threat of imminent inflation. Although that possibility worries investors, many...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): A suggestion from a colleague on how to work out a problem might not sit too well with you. But before you suspect his or her motives, why not just accept it as a friendly gesture? TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): An associate might seek your counsel on a workplace dispute with another co-worker. Listen to what she or he has to say, but withhold advice until you\'ve heard the other side of the story. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Use your Twin gifts for creativity and...READ MORE

Things I Like

Riding on bike tires full of air Allergy medicine that brings relief Neighbors in their yards on a warm day The Parrotheads' fundraising efforts 'Cold Case' on Sunday nights The trail at Decatur Park A glass of Macallans and a big chair All the dogs on the beach on a warm day Angelina Jolie in 'Changling' Hummus and crackers Making my son laugh ...READ MORE