May 15, 2009

Faces in Places

A spotlight on the local and regional bar and restaurant scene ...READ MORE

Council's Tax Rate Comes With Uncertainty

Risky is an appropriate way to describe the Ocean City Mayor and Council's unanimous decision to set the town's property tax rate at 39.5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Last month, after a number of significant rounds of cuts, City Manager Dennis Dare presented a roughly $80 million budget, suggesting the council increase the town's property tax rate from the current 38 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 41 cents, considerably below the constant yield level. Thanks to pulling...READ MORE

Voices From The Readers

More On Ad Budget Editor: As a follow-up to last week's article, entitled 'Resort Unfazed By Ad Critic' Infoworkz is providing a link (http://www.infoworkz.com/oceancity) for the newspaper readership about the original press release that led to your swift reporting. It may interest others to learn the conclusion of the independent 70-page document about the town's ad budget, in terms of: (a) an evident lack of a competitive branding identification, and (b) the more profitable...READ MORE

Business Community Seeks Role In Filling Vacant Post

OCEAN CITY - In the month since Tourism Director Mike Noah's resignation, the process to fill his position has entertained more people who want to be a part of the process to pick a candidate, than actual candidates. At last week's Tourism Commission meeting, Ruth Waters, who serves as vice president of the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce, said the business community would like to have an influential role in choosing Noah's replacement. When Noah was hired in 1996, City Manager Dennis...READ MORE

Chamber Seeks $500K From Ex-Director

SNOW HILL - Just weeks after a Worcester County jury returned a verdict in favor of a former Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce executive director forcing his former employer to pay $60,000 in damages, the organization filed a counter-claim against the plaintiff seeking $500,000 in damages. At the close of a three-day trial in Circuit Court in April, a Worcester County jury awarded former Ocean City Chamber executive director Dan Barufaldi $60,000 in damages in the suit filed against his...READ MORE

OC Looking to Extend Ad Firm Contract 15 Months

OCEAN CITY - Though their contract expires at the end of June, the Tourism Commission will recommend to the Mayor and City Council that MGH Advertising be granted a 15-month contract extension prior to that review. After a 4-3 vote in October that granted MGH Advertising the task of creating the town's new $178,000 website, Councilman Joe Hall motioned to put the advertising firm's contract out to the open market and have other advertising agencies compete to be the town's agency. The council...READ MORE

Officials Tout Resort's Improved Web Presence

OCEAN CITY - Only a week since it was launched into cyberspace, Ocean City's much anticipated and heavily debated new website has received early praise and a surprising number of 'unique' users. The new and improved www.ococean.com was officially launched on Monday to coincide with the commencement of the town's new advertising campaign, and as television viewers in metropolitan areas were being introduced to Rodney the Lifeguard for the first time, everyone from potential visitors to Ocean City...READ MORE

Rodney The Lifeguard Taking Resort's Message On The Road

OCEAN CITY - Rodney the Lifeguard is going on tour, and he's headed for the big city. One could call MGH's new advertising idea a shameless publicity stunt or just call it a fun gimmick to create a buzz in some of Ocean City's metropolitan target markets, but in late June, Rodney the Lifeguard will literally set up his lifeguard chair in the heart of Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. to help promote the town as a vacation destination. Chris McMurray of MGH Advertising, the town's...READ MORE

'Big' Alzheimer's Gala A Rite Of Spring

Frederick Clifford Cropper Special To The Dispatch OCEAN CITY - With the first rite of the new season, Springfest, behind us, Ocean City's second official tradition unfolds Sunday afternoon, May 17. The 12th Annual Alzheimer's Gala is itself a passionate passage into spring. Hosted this year in the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel's Crystal Ballroom, the event promises to be Star Charities' largest ever. Billed as 'The Vegas Escape,' the annual dress-up affair is being hailed as 'big,'...READ MORE

Berlin Eyes $600K In Budget Cuts

BERLIN - Although it is far from finalized, Berlin officials this week had high praise for the first draft of their fiscal year 2010 budget, which appears to come in at around $600,000 less than the current spending plan. The Berlin Mayor and Council continued to work on the town's proposed $13.7 million budget during a special work session before the regularly scheduled meeting on Monday. While there are still a few variables, including the amount of grant funding Berlin will receive from...READ MORE

Berlin Makes Plea For State Grants

BERLIN -- Town officials this week approved an application for state Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for a portion of the estimated $2.1 million repair of the town's spray effluent storage lagoon, but getting all or any portion of the available funds could prove to be difficult. Each year the state makes available millions of dollars in federal CDBG funds to towns and counties across Maryland for a wide variety of uses including prioritized public works projects. This year, with...READ MORE

Brother Convicted Of OC Burglaries

SNOW HILL - The second of two brothers arrested last October after resort police connected them to a series of marina burglaries in the downtown area pleaded guilty this week to second-degree burglary and was sentenced to seven years in jail, all of which was suspended by 18 months, and was fined and forced to pay restitution to one of the victims. Frank William Sickler, 35, of Prince William County, Va., appeared in Circuit Court on Tuesday to face burglary, theft and malicious destruction of...READ MORE

Commissioners Claim Municipal Cuts Not Official

OCEAN CITY - Although the reaction may have been a bit preemptive, the end result could stimulate the same kind of bad news for local municipalities and their shrinking budgets. In Ocean City this week, as per a 'heads up' email sent in response to the town's request to find out how much Worcester County was going to trim the grant money provided to municipalities this year, both City Manager Dennis Dare, Mayor Rick Meehan and several members of the City Council were proverbially licking their...READ MORE

Governor Signs New Fishing Laws

OCEAN CITY - Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley last week signed into law several bills approved during the General Assembly session that will add more bite to fishing laws enforced throughout the state including Worcester County and Ocean City. Last Friday, O'Malley officially enacted three pieces of legislation that will impose more serious penalties for fishing law violations in Maryland. Most of the new laws were borne out of recommendations from the governor's Task Force on Fisheries...READ MORE

Grass Issue Sparks Foreclosure Debate

BERLIN - A discussion during the Berlin Mayor and Council meeting this week about the growing number of complaints about high grass and unkempt yards eventually came around to a debate about how to handle the vast number of foreclosed properties in the town. The recent wet weather followed by days of clear skies and sunshine have caused yards all over to sprout up with overgrown grass and weeds, but the same conditions have also kept many property owners from addressing the problem. Planning and...READ MORE

Hotelier Takes Over EDC Post

OCEAN CITY - There's a new, although familiar, face at the helm of Ocean City's Economic Development Committee this week as Carousel Hotel and Resort Managing Partner Michael James takes over for long-time EDC President Dr. Leonard Berger. James was elected president of the EDC this week by the organization's Board of Directors. He replaces fellow Ocean City hotelier Berger, who was instrumental in the formation of the EDC several years ago at the urging of then-Governor William Donald Schaefer....READ MORE

Map Snafu Adds $7K To Berlin Street Project

BERLIN - Officials learned this week a small section of roadway in the current three-street rehabilitation project was left out of the original plan, forcing engineers to go back to the drawing board for the missing section. Town Administrator Tony Carson told the Mayor and Council on Monday a closer inspection of the $1.4 million project to rehabilitate Vine Street, Grice Street and Graham Avenue revealed a no man's land of sort on Vine Street near its intersection with Pitts Street that was...READ MORE

National Bailout Tour Eyes Resort Stop

OCEAN CITY - Tickets are now on sale for a country music blowout concert next weekend at an uptown smokehouse saloon catering to all things western. As part of this year's Bailout Tour, appearing live on Sunday, May 24 at Johnny B's Cowboyz Smokehouse and Saloon on 114th Street will be nationally-known Cledus Judd, Flynnville Train and Cody McCarver. An appearance by former local resident Richie Fields will also be featured along with DJ Longhorn in between sets. Owner Johnny Brooks is excited...READ MORE

Pa. Teen Writes Book About Tragic 113 Accident

OCEAN CITY - A little shy of seven years since the terrible single-vehicle crash on Route 113 just south of Berlin that claimed the life of his mother and changed him forever, a Pennsylvania teen has just completed a book about his long road to recovery and the journey he has taken since that fateful afternoon in June 2002. Nicholas Schaeffer, now 18, was just 12 years old when his family's SUV left the roadway on Route 113 near Cropper's Island Rd., first went into a five-foot ditch on the side...READ MORE

Town Talks Trash, Hedges, Customer Service

BERLIN - The Berlin Mayor and Council covered a wide variety of issues in their bi-weekly meeting, from a new policy on trash receptacles to allowable heights for hedges, walls and fences near intersections to the need for good customer service in town offices. The following is a quick glance at some of the topics discussed: ***The council unanimously approved an ordinance essentially revoking the section of the town's existing code regarding garbage, rubbish and refuse and replacing it with an...READ MORE

People in Society

Neighbors Lending a Helping Hand Throughout the Community ...READ MORE

Year-Long Investigation Nets Three Drug Arrests

OCEAN CITY - Ocean City police narcotics agents this week made a significant drug bust in the resort after a year-long investigation into three individuals. The primary subject of the investigation was Claiton Pacheco, 38, of Ocean City, whom detectives had suspected of distributing narcotics for the last 12 months. This week, OCPD narcotics detectives executed a search and seizure warrant at Pacheco's residence on 43rd Street. Once inside, police located Pacheco along with two other suspects...READ MORE

Fatherhood Adventures

A child's first birthday is something special to celebrate. We marked this first occasion for my son last weekend with a family party at our house. Did we go overboard? Absolutely. Did we stress out and put way too much thought into it? Probably. However, now that it has come and gone, I can say honestly I wouldn't have wanted to do it any other way. In the past, while attending birthday parties for little ones, I have always wondered to myself why the parents go to such great lengths to...READ MORE

My Thoughts

Whatever happened to the good-old fashioned names that Insider often used when he called out for friends. When the old guy reads the obituary section of this newspaper, all the names of the dead people are familiar to him. There's a Walter, a, a Patrick, Josephine, a Charles, an Anna, a Frederick, a Susan, Carol, a Kenneth, a Kitty, a William, a James, a Frank, Sally, a Dorothy, a Helen, a Mabel, a George, a Cindy, a Mary, a Louise, a Joanne, a Jason, a Nicholas, a Thomas, a Michael, a Wayne and...READ MORE

We Remember Those We Have Lost

E. Robert Stevens FENWICK ISLAND, Del. - E. Robert Stevens 'Bob', 62, of Fenwick Island, died Sunday, May 10, 2009 at Atlantic General Hospital at Berlin. Born in Baltimore, he was the son of Doris Curlee Stevens of Towson and the late Emory Stevens. He was the Assistant Superintendent of the Water Department for the Town of Ocean City. He was preceded in death by his brother, John Stevens. Besides his mother, he is survived by his wife of 39 years, Mary 'Web' Stevens of Fenwick Island; a son,...READ MORE

OC Elementary Students Participate in Handwriting Contest

Ocean City Elementary School students entered the Zaner Bloser Handwriting Contest. There were grade level winners for the grades of first, second, third and fourth. First grade winner was Abby Yesko from Barbara Porter's class. Second grade winner was Grace Beres from Bess Cropper's class. Third grade winner was Samantha Workman from Robyn Rincavage's class, and fourth grade winner was Claire Porter from Sarah Tilghman's class. Two winners, Yesko, above with teacher Barbara Porter, and Porter,...READ MORE

Worcester Prep Student Awarded For Outstanding Project

Clarence J. Snuggs, Deputy Secretary, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, left, honors Worcester Prep fifth grade student Julia D'Antonio for her outstanding poster about fair housing in Maryland. Her drawing will be published in the Realtors' 2010 calendar, which will be distributed to realtors throughout the state. Snuggs and D'Antonio are pictured with Linda Simpson, chairperson MAR Equal Opportunity and Cultural Diversity Committee; Mona Harrison, president of Maryland...READ MORE

OC Elementary Students Monitor Metamorphosis

Third grader Rachel Gillin helps Melanie Biscoe's first grade class at Ocean City Elementary School release their butterflies that they watched develop from caterpillars. ...READ MORE

Buckingham Elementary Students of the Month

Buckingham Elementary School honored the "Students of the Month" for April. Above second grade winners are Sha'Kayla Fooks, Khazra Fatima, Emma Moore, Amjad Awadallah  and Sa'Cora Thomas. Others winners not pictured included first graders Branden Manuel, Sarah Burke, Andrew Spence and Joshua Layfield; third graders Nathan Ewell, Jessie Lupiwok, Aleyah Lewis, Montajha Bownen and Sierra Parker; and fourth graders Keve Aluma, Joshua Lawson, Brittany Baker, Malak Qibaa and Mikaya...READ MORE

Students Participate in Oratorical Competition

Students under the age of 16 as of Dec. 31, 2008 were invited to participate in the Optimist Oratorical Competition sponsored by the Ocean City/Berlin Optimists. Winners of the competition were, from left, Hannah Esham, third place, girls division; Elise Harmon, second place, girls division; Claire Dorey, first place, girls division; Daniel Rosa, third place, boys division; Lorenzo DeJesus, second place, boys division; and Razaak Eniola, first place, boys division. ...READ MORE

Scenes from Most Blessed Sacrament's Alice in Wonderland Show

Most Blessed Sacrament School recently performed Alice in Wonderland. Above, the three Alices, small Alice played by Rylie Doyle, Alice played by Delaney McMullen, and Cassidy Baker as Tall Alice, are pictured. ...READ MORE

Worcester Boys Reclaim ESIAC Title

BERLIN- Worcester Prep's boys' varsity lacrosse team jumped out to an early lead and cruised to the Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference (ESIAC) tournament championship last week, beating visiting Gunston, 15-4, to win the title after taking a one-year hiatus from the conference. The Mallards jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first quarter before the Herons got in the board with just under six minutes left in the period to cut the lead to 3-1. That was as close as Gunston would get,...READ MORE

Decatur Softball Team Comes Up One Run Short in States

BERLIN- Decatur's varsity softball team ran into a buzz saw on Monday, falling to visiting Fallston, 2-1, in a tight, well-pitched game to bow out of the state Class 3A East region playoffs. Decatur entered the tournament as the number-two seed and a first-round bye after compiling an impressive 13-4 mark in the regular season. Fallston, meanwhile, came in as the 10th-seeded team in the field, but beat North Harford in its opening round game to earn a trip to the Eastern Shore to face the...READ MORE

Golf Fundraiser a Huge Success

BERLIN- The 2nd Annual Terri Ford Cancer Awareness Golf Tournament was held this week at the Links at Lighthouse Sound with thousands of dollars raised benefiting a cause near and dear to the resort community. Roughly 30 teams turned out for the second annual event on Monday and opened their wallets and their hearts for the cause. Much of the proceeds from Monday's tournament will go directly to the family of popular local Rob Chandler, also known as DJ Wax, whose now 16-year-old son Kameron...READ MORE

Mallards Win 30T Thriller for Title

BERLIN- It took almost every bit of three overtime periods, but Worcester Prep's girls' varsity lacrosse team outlast old rival Saints Peter and Paul, 13-12, to claim the 2009 Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference (ESIAC) tournament championship. It looked like to might be a long day for the Mallards last Friday as the Sabres jumped out to an early 5-1 lead. Worcester cut the lead to 5-3 at the half, setting up the see-saw second half that saw the Mallards open up a three-goal lead only...READ MORE

Perfect Season Ends as Seahawks Fall in State Playoffs

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's unbeaten and top-seeded varsity baseball team couldn't capitalize on late inning opportunities on Monday, falling to Bel Air, 4-0, at home in the first round of the state Class 3A East region playoffs, ending a dream of a perfect season and a potential state championship. The Seahawks finished the regular season with a perfect 17-0 record to earn the number-one seed in the Class 3A East region tournament and a first round bye, but the dream season came to an abrupt halt...READ MORE

Seahawk Boys Bow Out of States

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's boys' varsity lacrosse team made an early exit from the state playoffs last week, falling to host Easton, 17-6, in the Class 3A-2A East region quarterfinals last Saturday. The Seahawks ended the regular season on a winning note, beating Kent Island, 18-5, in the season finale, but couldn't maintain the momentum going into its opening round match-up with Easton on Saturday. The Warriors got out to an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter and continued to roll in the...READ MORE

Seahawks Stunned in Region Final

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's girls' varsity lacrosse team dropped a heartbreaker to visiting Annapolis in the state Class 3A-2A East Region championship on Wednesday, falling to the Panthers, 7-5, after leading 4-1 in the first half. After running the table in the regular season and collecting another Bayside Conference championship, the Seahawks entered the state regional tournament undefeated and seeded number one. Decatur scored first on a goal by Olivia Turner and made it 2-0 early in the first...READ MORE

Seahawks Sweep Bayside Track Titles

BERLIN- Decatur's boys' and girls' varsity track teams swept the Bayside Championships last week, taking first in both meets and collecting several strong finishes in individual competitions. The Seahawk boys' team came in first in total team points with 96, topping second place Kent Island (75) and Parkside (69.5). On the girls' side, the Seahawks also claimed the Bayside Championship meet with 81 team points, followed by North Caroline (56.6) and Kent Island (52). The meet, hosted by Decatur,...READ MORE

Council Unified In Tax Rate Decision

OCEAN CITY - When it came to lowering the tax rate, the City Council couldn't have been more unified. Whether you agree with the voting seven or not on many issues, or even if they agree with each other on other issues, taxpayers got some good news from City Hall this week as the council found a way to lower the tax rate from City Manager Dennis Dare's recommended 41 cents per $100 of assessed valuation to 39.5 cents. 'The city manager (Dennis Dare) and the department heads, along with the Mayor...READ MORE

Friday, May 15--Berlin Inks Deal On 200-Acre Spray Site

BERLIN - Calling it the answer to the town's sewage disposal problem for this generation and the next, Berlin Mayor Gee Williams on Monday announced the town had reached an agreement in principle to purchase a 200-acre property off Route 113 just south of the town for the new spray irrigation effluent disposal site. Williams announced at the end of a fairly long meeting on Monday the town had reached an agreement to purchase the roughly 200-acre tract on Five Mile Branch Rd. along Route 113 just...READ MORE

Friday, May 15--Erika Sifrit Reveals Grisly Details In Bid For New Trial

OCEAN CITY - Convicted killer Erika Sifrit, who along with her husband, Benjamin, brutally murdered and dismembered a Virginia couple vacationing in Ocean City on Memorial Day weekend in 2002, will not get another day in court after startling revelations came to light during her post-conviction hearing earlier this year that added even more gruesome details to an already grisly incident. The Sifrits, both originally from Hollidaysburg, Pa., were convicted in separate trials around the state in...READ MORE

Friday, May 15--Springfest Attendance Decline Blamed On Opening Day Rain

OCEAN CITY - Though bad weather on opening night may have put Springfest numbers below the pace from past years, the town's official kickoff into the summer season was deemed an overall success. Ocean City Recreation and Parks Director Tom Shuster said Tuesday that an estimated 93,700 attended Springfest, which is down from the five-year average of just over 100,000 per year. However, Shuster noted that ticket sales for the entertainment booked at Springfest were a big success. 'It was a really...READ MORE

Friday, May 15--Wallops Launch Reset For Monday

BERLIN - After being scrubbed several times last week due to a variety of factors, a major rocket launch at the Wallops Flight Facility has been rescheduled for early next week and could treat area residents and visitors to a rare fireworks display in the southern sky on Monday. The countdown started anew this week for the launch of an Air Force Minotaur 1 rocket now set to go up around sundown on Monday. The mission, one of the larger at the facility near Chincoteague, was slated for last...READ MORE

Who's Playing When and Where Musically Speaking

Back of the bag 410-250-3337 , 130 St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, May 15: TBA Saturday, May 16: TBA Every Wednesday: Open Mic Hosted By Chris Button Buxy's Salty Dog 410-289-0973 , 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, May 15: TBA Saturday, May 16: Crowded Outhouse Every Sunday: Locals' Party with DJ BK Tuesday, May 19: College Nite with Mattie Fresh CaribBean bar & grill 410-289-0837 , Just off the Boards on 2nd St. Friday, May 15: TBA, 1-5 p.m.; Pompous Pie Duo, 7:30-11:30...READ MORE

Thoughts From The Publisher's Desk

It was reported a couple months ago that Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan had penned a letter to the County Commissioners, offering to accept a 3-percent cut in county grant money for the next fiscal year. At the time, it seemed Ocean City was trying to be a team player in following the county's mandate that all departments cut spending by 3 percent. However, most folks in the know felt the county would go beyond that 3-percent cut with its municipal grants. That's exactly what may be happening, as...READ MORE

Things I Like

A dog hanging his head out the window When a house project is complete Watching my son's first steps Books so good you don't want them to end A cold beer kept that way by a huggie Shirts that don't wrinkle easily A steady breeze blowing through the house The smell of new mulch A horseshoe pit in the backyard Short voice mail messages A pergola next to a pool ...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): Untangling personal problems might take more time than the impatient Lamb expected. But it's important to hang in there until all those knotty situations are straightened out. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): You still need to work out last-minute snags in your dealings with a rival. Hold your ground despite a perceived lack of support. Things should turn around before you know it. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Best not to delay preparing for that upcoming family event....READ MORE

How Going Green Can Help Finances

OCEAN CITY - When Scott Sklar was planning the offices of The Stella Group, his five-person strategic marketing and policy firm, he put his company's expertise in eco-friendly work environments to work on the new headquarters' design. A $20,000 investment in solar shingles and a wind turbine reduced his monthly energy bill to $70 a month •€' about a quarter of the local utility's typical rates. This enhancement, along with tax credits and accelerated depreciation for...READ MORE

Virginia BBQ Celebrates Official Opening

Virginia Barbeque celebrated its ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday in Pennington Commons in Ocean Pines. Above are the Ocean Pines Chamber's Carol Ludwig, County Commissioner Judy Boggs, restaurant manager Lee Keefer, franchise owner Nancy Poret and ambassador Chip Bertino. Virginia Barbeque is a fast-food chain known for its authentic southern barbeque served with a focus on speed and value.  ...READ MORE

Atlantic Health Center's Pediatric Clinic Team Chosen for Excellence Award

The Atlantic Health Center's pediatric clinic team has been selected for a 2009 Childhood Immunization Excellence Award from the Maryland Childhood Immunization Partnership (MCIP). They are among only 15 practices in the state to receive this award. Above, team members Julie Koenig, RN, center, Fran Grafton, RN, and Debbie Davis, CRNP, receives the award from the Maryland Childhood Immunization Partnership representative. ...READ MORE

Buckingham Elementary Hosts Annual Project Outreach

Buckingham Elementary School hosted its annual Project Outreach Math Family Fun Night recently. Above are Mary Smith, Trevor Smith and teacher Mark Shipley, center. ...READ MORE

Kiwanis Club of Ocean City/Ocean Pines Plan Seasonal Projects

Members of Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines-Ocean City are pictured planning spring and summer projects.  Pictured, from left, are members Jerry Powell, Ralph Chinn, Don Schmid, Jim Spicknall, Dave Lloyd, Al Kastner and Charlie Warner.  ...READ MORE

Local Stylist Donates Time to Help Diakonia Residents Get New Look

Stylist Michelle Wade of Robin Walter Salon and Day Spa updates Charlotte Truitt's hairdo. Wade generously donates her time and talent to the residents of Diakonia making sure that their hair is perfectly styled as they search for employment. ...READ MORE

A Week In Business

Taylor Bank Earns Highest Rating BERLIN - Bauer Financial Inc. has announced that Calvin B. Taylor Banking Company has earned its highest 5-Star Superior rating for financial strength and stability. Bauer Financial Inc. has been analyzing and reporting on the nation's banks for over 25 years. The rating is based on the overall financial picture of the bank and a 5-Star rating indicates that Calvin B. Taylor Banking Company is one of the strongest banks in the nation. This is the 75th consecutive...READ MORE

A Spotlight on the Area Art Scene

Arts in the Area ...READ MORE