January 22, 2010

Berlin Dolphins Notch First Win

BERLIN- The Berlin Dolphins collected their first-ever win in the their first season in the New Castle County Winter Football League, beating the NCCFL Saints, 20-6. The Dolphins, an all-star team of 14-17 year olds, joined the New Castle Winter League this year for the first time and quickly notched their first win. Quarterback Colin Macomber hit D.J. Kee with a 68-yard touchdown pass and the two-point conversion was successful, putting Berlin up 8-0 early in the game. A short time later, Kee...READ MORE

Decatur Cruises Past Clippers, 63-54

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's boys' varsity basketball team overcame jumped out to an early lead over Bennett at home on Tuesday, overcame a big run by the Clippers and eventually pulled away for a 63-54 win to improve to 8-1 in the Bayside Conference. The Seahawks entered Tuesday's home game with a tenuous hold on first place in the Bayside South and needed a win over pesky Bennett to hold on to the top spot in the conference. From the outset, it appeared Decatur would have no problem with the...READ MORE

Decatur Swimmers Split with Seaford

BERLIN- Continuing a season-long pattern, Stephen Decatur's girls' varsity swimming team beat Seaford, 106-64, on Tuesday while the boys' team fell, 105-65. The Decatur girls' team got key wins in several events to rout Seaford on Tuesday. Catelin Geiser won the 200-meter individual medley and the 100-meter freestyle, while Taylor Blazer also won two events, the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter backstroke. Three Seahawks won single events including Brianna Carroll, 200-meter freestyle; Katie...READ MORE

OC Basketball Action Continues

OCEAN CITY- The Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department's winter boys' basketball league continued this week with a full slate of games at Northside Park. The following are some of the highlights from this week's action: Fresco's 35- OC Rec Boosters 28: Tate Shockley scored 10 points and Luke Buas, Tyree Henry and Owen Nally all scored six points each to lead Fresco's. Damontae Purnell scored 16 points for the Boosters, while Dashawn Wise added 10. Trimper's Rides 37- OC/Berlin Optimists 35:...READ MORE

Seahawk Girls Clipped by Bennett

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's girls' varsity basketball team fell to host James M. Bennett, 53-37, on Tuesday. Kylie Nottingham led the Seahawks with 18 points, or nearly half her team's total offensive output. The loss dropped Decatur's record to 3-9 overall, including a 2-8 mark in the conference. The Seahawks will host Snow Hill at home next Tuesday in the third game of the year against their county rivals. The two teams split a pair of close games this far this season. ...READ MORE

Seahawk Wrestlers Win Bob Rowe Classic

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's varsity wrestling team added another feather to its already well-adorned cap last weekend, taking first place overall in the 15th Annual Bob Rowe Delmarva Classic in Salisbury. The Seahawks took the tournament, which featured 16 of the top high school wrestling programs across the Eastern Shore and the entire region, with 241 total team points. Coming in second was Leonardtown of Southern Maryland, which finished with 207 team points. Sussex Tech was third with 199.5...READ MORE

Citizen Tip Nabs Three Burglars

OCEAN CITY - Thanks to a tip from an alert private citizen, three men were arrested on burglary charges after allegedly breaking into a north Ocean City residence and attempting to steal thousands of dollars worth of high-end electronics. Around 9 a.m. last Thursday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) received a call from a private citizen about a possible breaking and entering in progress at a residence on Peach Tree Rd. The caller told police it appeared three white males were attempting to...READ MORE

Who's Playing When and Where Musically Speaking

Buxy's Salty Dog 410-289-0973 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Closed Reopen Thursday, Feb. 11 Carousel Resort Hotel & Condominiums 410-524-1000 On the beach, 118th St. Every Friday: DJ Rupe, 7-9 p.m. Clarion Hotel 410-524-3535 10100 Coastal Hwy.  Ocean Club: Friday, Jan 22 & Saturday, Jan. 23: First Class Dr.Unks Bar & Grille 410-213-7775 , 9636 Stephen Decatur Hwy., West Ocean City Friday, Jan. 22: Blake Haley Fager's Island 410-524-5500 60th St. in the Bay Deck: Friday, Jan....READ MORE

Local Relief Effort Aims To Help Haiti

BERLIN - Hundreds of thousands of pounds of food, water and medical supplies from all over the world are heading the earthquake ravaged Haiti this week including a vast amount of material from right here on the lower shore, thanks in large part to a 'Herculean' effort by the local community to rally in support of the victims. When Salisbury natives Tom and Bev Brumbley left for Haiti to establish a mission there 38 years ago, they knew times would often be tough in the third world, war-torn...READ MORE

Thoughts From The Publisher's Desk

If it's true that tax increases are rarely given much thought in election years, it stands to reason that elected officials should not consider pay raises during those years either. The County Commissioners appear to be on this track. There has not been a public discussion on the topic, but tax increases appear to be off the table in Snow Hill as the commissioners seem intent on looking to other means to balance their budget and address an immediate deficit in the current budget. This week, the...READ MORE

School Funding Law Deserves Review

What happens in Annapolis over the next couple months will go a long way toward determining how public education gets funded across Maryland. In Maryland, public school money has essentially been sheltered from drastic cuts because there's a law that states every county government must at least spend the same per pupil as they did the previous year or risk losing state education contributions. It's called Maintenance of Effort (MoE), and most elected government officials detest it because they...READ MORE

Voices From The Readers

Letter Misinterpreted Editor: In his rebuttal to my recent letter to the editor regarding the need for stronger policies and sentencing for sexual predators, Joseph Kroart clearly missed the point, and then mischaracterized my comments. Mr. Kroart suggested 'underlying motives' and a lack of originality in my recommendations. I am not sure what he is referring to. I've been on record and have been discussing the need for stronger predator laws dating back to my campaign in 2006, and it is...READ MORE

Fatherhood Adventures

I am taking a little departure this week from the daily antics of my boys to jump atop the proverbial soapbox. There are periods of time when bad news seems to dominate daily life, but currently it appears to be at every turn, and I recently was startled by some personal news that continues to trouble me today. I prefer to maintain a 'partly sunny' kind of disposition when possible and try to keep an eye on the big picture, but I admit there are times when life these days can be a bit...READ MORE

Faces in Places

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

Friday, Jan 22--Accurate Census A Concern For Officials

SNOW HILL - Census numbers do not include the boom in population from summer tourists, which skews the amount of money allocated to the county to provide basic services, the Worcester County Commissioners told a Census 2010 representative this week. The county receives funding based on the population of the county at the beginning of April, which does not take into account the increased summer demand for emergency services, for example. The U.S. Constitution mandates a population Censes be...READ MORE

Friday, Jan 22--Judge Dismisses OCPD Discrimination Suit

OCEAN CITY - The Maryland Court of Special Appeals last week dismissed a discrimination suit filed in November 2008 by an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) sergeant, who alleged he was by-passed for promotion to lieutenant when he was pressed into active service for the U.S. Coast Guard following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, essentially agreeing questions about his loyalty to the department and not his military service were legitimate reasons for the perceived slight. In November 2008, OCPD...READ MORE

Friday, Jan 22--Ocean City News In Brief

OCEAN CITY •€' In the brief this week, the mayor asked City Council members to sign a letter he's sending to the governor's desk, the Raven's Roost speaks about being one of the triple booked special events in the resort on the first week of June and the Ocean City fire station gets approval for its first growth in decades. OC Officials Launch Letter Writing Campaign In hopes of convincing Governor Martin O'Malley to spare the state's tourism advertising budget from further cuts, several...READ MORE

Friday, Jan 22--Police Seek 'Most Wanted' Show's Help With Cold Case

OCEAN CITY - Five years after a Virginia man was apparently murdered in his family's Ocean City condominium, one of the prime suspects has since been deported to his native El Salvador after serving his sentence on a related theft conviction, while a second remains at large as local detectives continue to work the investigation. Eduardo Masoller, then 52, of Springfield, Va., was reported missing by his family on Feb. 3, 2005 just three days after he and his crew arrived in the resort area for a...READ MORE

County Schools Need To Cut $1.8M

NEWARK - County schools face $1.8 million in reductions in next year's budget, with $1.2 million of the overage representing higher fixed costs such as fuel, insurance and energy. The Worcester County Board of Education received the fiscal year 2011 schools budget Tuesday afternoon knowing that reductions must still be made to meet a Maintenance of Effort (MoE) budget. The county funded the schools at the MOE level last year. The state of Maryland requires counties to fund school systems at the...READ MORE

Embattled Farm Refused To Let MDE Gather Samples

BERLIN - Despite the refusal of the Hudson Farm owner to allow a state agency to take samples of potentially polluting materials from his land, the state says it still has a case for enforcement action against the chicken farm. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), despite sending inspectors to alleged polluter Hudson Farm, has been refused access to the farm to sample materials, which may have sent high levels of fecal coliform and e. coli bacteria and other pollutants into a local...READ MORE

Honors System Proposed To Replace Class Ranking

NEWARK - A new three-tiered scholastic honors system will replace the long-standing valedictorian and salutatorian system at Worcester County high schools because colleges focus on grade point average (GPA) and courses taken in the admissions process, not the top two spots at each high school. The new academic honors will reward more of the top students in each school, instead of reserving honors to the best two students of each graduating class. The Worcester County Board of Education will vote...READ MORE

Ocean City Plans June On Sale Pitch

OCEAN CITY •€' The resort will continue to play the 'value' card when advertising Ocean City this summer, and it could be partnering with another Maryland mainstay that is trying to attract customers very much the same way. Tourism Director Deb Turk told the Tourism Commission at a recent meeting that planning has already begun for the summer season, a little more than 20 weeks away, and the preliminary plan is to continue to spread the word over various mediums about the 'value' of Ocean...READ MORE

Resort Pursuing Taxi Medallion System

OCEAN CITY •€' The medallion system that some taxi drivers have been fearing for several weeks will be presented to the Mayor and City Council on Tuesday as part of a proposal to restructure the industry. Police Commission member and Ocean City Councilman Doug Cymek said this week an initial proposal has been worked out at the Police Commission level and will be pitched to the council at next week's work session at City Hall. 'We have basically put together a rough draft at the commission...READ MORE

County Adopts Three Bridges In Pines

SNOW HILL - Three Ocean Pines bridges are now on the Worcester County roads inventory, which should make the aging bridges eligible for state and federal funding. The three bridge spans now included in Worcester County's road inventory are Ocean Pines' North Gate bridge, the bridge at Clubhouse Drive and the bridge on Ocean Parkway south of Clubhouse Drive. The new status of the three bridges means that Ocean Pines will have access to state and federal funding for maintenance, repairs and future...READ MORE

County Can Expect $10M Less In Property Tax Revenue

SNOW HILL - Worcester County can expect $10.4 million less in property tax revenue in the next fiscal year compared to the current, according to recent land reassessment numbers. 'I wish I had good news,' said Worcester County Chief Financial Officer Harold Higgins on Tuesday. Higgins reported on the recent property tax estimates and assessment numbers at the County Commissioners' Tuesday meeting, offering solid numbers on property tax revenues after weeks of dire predictions. The revenue...READ MORE

Demolition Work Begins At Downs

BERLIN - Demolition work began on the old grandstand at Ocean Downs this week, but even after overcoming a handful of problems with asbestos and structural steel, a new target date for the implementation of slot machines at the historic racetrack remains uncertain. Crews began dismantling certain elements of the old grandstand at Ocean Downs this week with sections of the roof removed and other areas in the interior of the structure demolished. After the Maryland Video Lottery Location...READ MORE

Family To Appeal CO Lawsuit Dismissal

OCEAN CITY - Two months after a federal judge dismissed a $20 million civil suit filed against Ocean City paramedics last year by the family of two Pennsylvania tourists who died of carbon monoxide poisoning in a Boardwalk hotel room in June 2006, the plaintiffs have filed an appeal in the case. Last June, Yvonne and Morgan Boughter, family members of the pair of tourists who perished from carbon monoxide poisoning at the Days Inn on the Boardwalk in June 2006, filed suit against the town of...READ MORE

Guilty Plea For Atempted Robbery

SNOW HILL - A Baltimore man arrested in July for pulling a knife on a group of individuals during an altercation on a downtown Ocean City street corner pleaded guilty last week in Circuit Court to one count of attempted robbery and was sentenced to six years in jail, much of which was suspended in favor of probation. Shortly after 2 a.m. on July 24, Ocean City police officers responded to the area of 2nd Street and Baltimore Ave. for a reported assault involving a knife. As officers were...READ MORE

Mayor Gets Snippy On Center Process

OCEAN CITY •€' With the first official resolution of the New Year, the town has approved borrowing the money for expansion of the Roland E. Powell Convention Center, but the mayor reminded everyone that the full plan does still include the 1,200-seat performing arts center. Mayor Rick Meehan gave a not-so-subtle reminder to the City Council about what the body had approved concerning the convention center expansion last February and essentially called out to any member of the council to...READ MORE

OC Flood Insurance Claims Much Lower Than Other Areas

OCEAN CITY •€' The merits of the Ocean City beach replenishment project got another proverbial leg to stand on when statistics found this week showed a tremendously low number of flood insurance claims have been actually been paid in the last 30 years. The Dispatch obtained a spreadsheet that lists all of the state's flood insurance statistics (by town and by county) including the number of claims, premiums and totals in both categories, and the numbers reveal that Ocean City actually pays...READ MORE

Resort Website To Be More Interactive

OCEAN CITY •€' Last year, Ocean City got a new website that cost them $178,000, but this year, the resort will finally get to enjoy the entirety of the product that it funded. When MGH Advertising won the job of constructing the town's new website, www.ococean.com, the plan was to totally revamp the look and feel of the site, and then come back and add some state-of-the-art components to the site after ensuring that the so-called 'nuts and bolts' of the site worked properly. The site, which...READ MORE

Tighter Forest, Stormwater Laws Near

SNOW HILL - More rigorous forest conservation and stormwater regulations handed down by the Maryland General Assembly in the last few years will officially become part of Worcester County's laws next month. The county is already required to enforce state laws, but staff feels the county's laws should match Maryland law. In mid-February, the County Commissioners will vote on stormwater legislation that requires new stormwater management design to mimic natural processes, mostly eliminating...READ MORE

Walk-By Stabber Strikes Deal

SNOW HILL - An Elkton man, arrested last June after resort police were able to track him to his home town following an unprovoked knife attack on a downtown Ocean City street, was found guilty last week in Worcester County Circuit Court on a second-degree assault charge and was sentenced to 10 years in jail, much of which was then suspended in favor of an extended probation and a fine. During the early morning hours of June 16, Ocean City police responded to the area of 8th Street and St. Louis...READ MORE

People in Society

Snapshots of Those Lending Helping Hands Throughout the Community ...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): Mixed signals could create problems. Make sure your views are presented clearly, and insist others do the same. Don't let an unanswered question go by without a full explanation. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): Financial pressures ease, allowing for more budget flexibility. But as the money-wise Bovine will appreciate, thrift still beats out splurging. Expect news from someone special. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Getting things done is what you do so well. But be...READ MORE

A Good Time To Prepare Your Estate For Tomorrow

OCEAN CITY - While there is never a wrong time to revisit your estate plan with your attorney, two aspects of the current economic environment may provide an especially good opportunity to launch new trusts or structured charitable giving. In our view, today's very low interest rates are advantageous for some estate planning vehicles, and if you're thinking about transferring securities or real estate to your heirs, the fact that such assets have probably lost value •€' an...READ MORE

Electromagnet Mystery at Science Fair Takes First Place

Kirsten Danisavich's students Patrick Mumford, Jessica Blancas Chavez, Eric Rimel, Evan Marlowe, Megan Hurley, and Braeden Dang put the finishing touches on the class's first place science fair project, Electromagnet Mystery. ...READ MORE

Worcester Prep 2009-10 Ensemble

Worcester Preparatory School's 2009-2010 Ensemble poses for a formal photo after one of its recent performances. The Ensemble performs throughout the year at Worcester Prep concerts and events and during the holidays at senior centers and retirement homes. Pictured, front from left, are Hannah Gaskill, Ashley Foreman, Hope Evans, Chelsea Thaler, Tim Lewis, Bryce Butler, Hunter Harmon, Anna Pavlos, Carson Wigley, Elise Harmon and Katelin Talbert; back, from left, Director Dan Freed, Taylor...READ MORE

OC Elementary 4th Graders Learn About MLK Jr.

Mendy Fiori's fourth grade class at Ocean City Elementary School is learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. They read "Martin's Big Words" and believe with King that "Love is the key to the problems of the world."  ...READ MORE

Scenes from the Worcester Prep January Cotillion Holly Ball

Worcester Prep students were all dressed up at the January Cotillion Holly Ball at the Rehoboth Beach Yacht and Country Club. They are, front from left, Devin Hammond, Hayley Larsen, Lauren Jett and Laura Issel; back, Wyatt Richins, Reece Brown and Zachary Oltman. ...READ MORE

Fourth Grade Gifted Class Hard at Work to Solve "Mystery"

Fourth grade students in Jeanene Gwin's Gifted and Talented class at Berlin Intermediate School are hard at work solving "The Mystery of the Missing Lunch Box." Above, Eli Rush and Brianna Watts use water, vinegar and iodine to test a variety of "white" powders to help narrow down the suspect list. ...READ MORE

BIS Science Fair Winners

Berlin Intermediate School recently held its annual science fair and would like to congratulate the winners from the fourth grade. First place was awarded to Kolby Layton, center, taking second place was Emy Tacka, and third place was awarded to Ethan Meenan. ...READ MORE

A Week in Business

Hospital Earns High Ranking SALISBURY - Peninsula Regional Medical Center has announced a new study, for a second consecutive year, has ranked its clinical quality among the top 5% of all hospitals in the nation. The study by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization, analyzed patient outcomes at each of the nation's 5,000 non-federal hospitals over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008 and named hospitals in the top five percent, including Peninsula Regional, as HealthGrades...READ MORE

We Remember Those We Have Lost

Ervin Coley Marsh, Jr. BERLIN - Dr. Ervin (Erv) Coley Marsh, Jr., 78, died on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010 at the Berlin Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Born in Crisfield, Md., he was the son of the late Luella Evans Marsh and Ervin C. Marsh, Sr. Marsh, a graduate of Crisfield High School, was a veteran of the Korean Conflict. He was a graduate of Salisbury University, the University of California at San Francisco, and Nova University. After teaching in Baltimore County schools, he moved to Sussex...READ MORE

Community Church Volunteers Go to Texas on Mission Trip

Volunteers from the Community Church are pictured preparing to leave on a mission trip to Galveston, Texas. The group left last weekend and will spend a week in the area helping to rebuild homes heavily damaged by Hurricane Ike. The volunteers will be housed at LeMarque United Methodist Church in LeMarque, Texas Pictured, front from left, are Susan Queen, Alice Seyfert, Joanne Jones, Mike Wicklein and Vicky McCormick; and, back, Dan Jones, Lee Keefer, Andrew Queen, Pastor Tom McKelvey,...READ MORE

Live Long Fitness Donates to Showell Elementary

Lisa Rodriguez-Long of Live Long Fitness presents a $200 check to Showell Elementary School Principal Diane Shorts for the AFG Academic Team to purchase books for Willet's Library. Participants ran the 2nd Annual 5K Reindeer Run in Berlin.  Pictured at the check presentation are Assistant Principal Aaron Dale, Karin Lertora, Angie Sullivan, Jennette Mears, Scott Bailey, Diane Shorts, Kristin Pike, and Rodriguez-Long. Not pictured was Deb Schrawder. ...READ MORE

United Way of Eastern Shore Announces Funding for Girl Scouts

The United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore recently announced funding of $37,000 for the Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay in Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester counties. Above, Aaron Reid, assistant director of the United Way, presents a check for $37,000 to Anne Hogan, Girl Scouts CEO, and Ron Alessi, Girls Scouts local Advisory Board Chair. ...READ MORE

2nd Annual Mah Jong Tournament Deemed Huge Success

The 2nd Annual Mah Jong Tournament at Temple Bat Yam was another huge success with 36 players taking part. For the second year in a row, Joan Kessler won first prize. The second prize winner was Connie Phipps and third was Nancy Howard. All winners won cash prizes. ...READ MORE

Habitat for Humanity Extends Hours

Habitat For Humanity of Worcester County celebrated the New Year by extending the hours of operation for their warehouse to the first and third Saturday of every month. Members of the warehouse sales team are  Bill O'Donnell, David Suznavick, Jim Griffin, Nancy Reese and Joanne Pacana.  All proceeds benefit the building of three Habitat homes on Flower Street in Berlin. ...READ MORE

Things I Like

A big pickup truck with a dog in the back Holding a sleeping baby How my dogs only like tennis balls Driving over the bay bridge Eggs and scrapple for breakfast Seeing local T-shirts elsewhere A spicy Bloody Mary with celery The Coffee House channel on XM That people stop for squirrels crossing Main Street in Berlin Eating lunch outside in January Crown Sports in Salisbury ...READ MORE

Arts in the Area

Scenes from the Local and Regional Art World ...READ MORE

Captiva Bay #106 - 85th Street & Bay

Originally listed for $519,900 - This Direct Bayfront 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo has it all!  Done in pastel colors with a dining room mural unit also features Master bath with heated tile flooring & towel bar and screened-in patio w/ direct sunset views! Listen to the waterfowl from the patio off the living room and cuddle up next to the fireplace for cozy fall evenings. Full-size laundry room, spacious rooftop pool and sundeck, abundant parking, outdoor storage, secure lobby access,...READ MORE