March 26, 2010

Hospital Head Addresses Health Care Reform

OCEAN CITY •€' When the House of Representatives voted 219-212 on Sunday night to pass the historic Health Care Reform Bill, it capped a year of heated debates and passionate arguments from both sides, but the discourse is sure to rage on for months to come, as those who hold extreme views on both the left and the right appear to be unsatisfied with the bill itself. Regardless of one's political background or stance, the fact of the matter is that health care is going to change in this...READ MORE

Friday, March 26--Council Backs Changes In Traffic Ticket Policy

OCEAN CITY •€' The Mayor and City Council have penned support for a bill that would make it a requirement for motorists who receive a traffic ticket to elect on the spot whether they plan on going to court. Upon Chief Bernadette DiPino's request, Mayor Rick Meehan got the approval from the council last week and will give the nod of support to the bill's passage in a letter to state legislators who are considering the bill that would cost a good bit of money on the front end (approximately...READ MORE

Friday, March 26--Council Grants One-Way Street Request

BERLIN - Walnut Hill residents got their wish Monday night when the Berlin Mayor and Council approved their request to designate Walnut Hill Drive a one-way street. All the property owners in the small development were in favor of the change, representatives of the community have said. The town council held a public hearing on the requested change Monday night. No one from the community registered any objections at the council meeting. The decision to pursue the change of the loop road from...READ MORE

Friday, March 26--Life Sentence Issued For Rape Dating To 1991

SNOW HILL - A New York man convicted on first-degree rape and burglary charges stemming from an attack on a Worcester County woman nearly two decades earlier was sentenced this week in Circuit Court to life in prison plus 20 years. On Jan. 5, Circuit Court Judge Daniel M. Long found Leslie Maize, 69, of Gowanda, N.Y., guilty of first- and second-degree rape, assault with intent to rape and first-degree burglary, but his fate was left undetermined pending the outcome of a pre-sentence...READ MORE

Friday, March 26--Wor-Wic Tuition Heading Up

SNOW HILL - Students at Wor-Wic Community College will face a tuition hike next year, with each credit hour costing $89, an $8 increase. Full-time students, with 12 credit hours, will pay $96 more per semester. Wor-Wic must cope with a 13-percent reduction in funding for fiscal year 2011, college President Ray Hoy told the Worcester County Commissioners Tuesday morning during a budget request presentation. Hoy expects to find the additional funding needed through the tuition increase and an...READ MORE

Thoughts From The Publisher's Desk

Call me a skeptic, but I am still not sold on health care reform and sincerely question whether it will actually impact my household or anyone I know. I certainly hope so, but I have my doubts. Overall, my feeling is the status quo is unacceptable and any measure trying to correct fundamental flaws with health care in this country is worth a shot. Being a small business owner, the critical issue that needs immediate attention is absurd annual premium spikes. For instance, my company's health...READ MORE

Voices From The Readers

Support For Tourism Funding Shift Request Editor: Over the past four years Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke have developed economic development strategies focused on increasing visitors to our communities and attractions. While each community has promoted their own events, museums, shops and recreational assets, it has been Lisa Challenger's and Worcester County Tourism's  'Beach and Beyond' marketing effort that has given all 3 towns more exposure than any of us could afford on our own....READ MORE

A Week In Business

Top Producer Named  BERLIN - Shamrock Realty Group has named Linda Westerside as top sales agent and Marilyn Bushnell as top listing agents for the month of February. Westerside joined Shamrock Realty Group in November and has continued to excel. Bushnell joined Shamrock Realty in October and has consistently been a top performer. In other company news, Bushnell was recently recognized for receiving her Associate Brokers License. Accreditation Earned SALISBURY - The Breast Diagnostic...READ MORE

Juveniles Arrested In Break-In

OCEAN CITY - Four local juvenile were arrested on theft and burglary charges last weekend after a concerned citizen witnessed two of them entering a north-end condo and was able to detain them until police arrived. Around 1:50 p.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to the area of 140th Street and Wight Street for a reported residential burglary in progress. Officers arrived on the scene and made contact with the resident of a nearby condominium who had...READ MORE

Fatherhood Adventures

When it comes to parenting, moms and dads see some things differently. There's a long list of examples to illustrate the point, but going too far into detail here could be a little hazardous to my health. Therefore, I digress. Some safe territory to chart involving the strange differences between parents involves the diaper change, which is usually my department around the house, particularly when it comes to the 22-month-old, 30-pound-plus toddler and the inevitable challenges that it...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): An unexpected problem should be handled as quickly as possible so that it doesn't cause too much of a delay. Someone who knows what you're facing could provide needed advice. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): An unsettling situation seems to be taking forever to be resolved. Fortunately, your Bovine aptitude for patience is strong this week, so you'll be more than able to wait it out. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Taking a stand against an uncalled-for situation involving...READ MORE

Who's Playing When and Where Musically Speaking

Buxy's Salty Dog 410-289-0973 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, March 26: TBA Saturday, March 27: Aaron Howell Band 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, March 26 & Saturday, March 27: New Censation Dr.Unks Bar & Grille 410-213-7775 , 9636 Stephen Decatur Hwy., West OC Friday, March 26: Blake Haley Fager's Island 410-524-5500 60th St. in...READ MORE

We Remember Those We Have Lost

Terri Lee Taylor OCEAN CITY - Terri Lee Taylor, 53, died at her home in Gettysburg, Pa. on March 17, 2010. Born in Salisbury to Jeanette Messick Taylor and the late Orlando W. Taylor, she is survived by her daughters, Maria Taylor and Kathleen Taylor of Gettysburg. Taylor is also survived by her 3 brothers, Landy Taylor and his wife Debbie of Ocean City, Tom Taylor and his companion Denise Lane of Ocean Pines and John Taylor and his wife Julie, of Quantico. She was an adored aunt to eight...READ MORE

Resort Exploring New Plan For Performing Arts Facility

OCEAN CITY •€' The newest layout for the proposed performing arts auditorium at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center could be the key to getting even the harshest naysayers on board with the idea. Convention Center Director Rick Hamilton said a new concept, which he has pitched to the Mayor and Council, the Maryland Stadium Authority, members of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association, the Chamber of Commerce and the newly formed Arts Advisory Board, has been well received thus...READ MORE

Resort's Carbon Monoxide Compliance Rate Soars

OCEAN CITY •€' The Fire Marshal's office said this week compliance with the town's carbon monoxide detector law has quadrupled since last fall. Ocean City Fire Marshal Sam Villani told The Dispatch this week he has received compliance reports from 79 percent of the town's 32,000 dwelling units (up from just 17 percent in September 2009). Compliance is required under the town's 2007 ordinance to have CO detectors installed. Villani cited this number in response to a complaint from a...READ MORE

Sex Offender Bills Clear House

ANNAPOLIS - With the 2010 Maryland General Assembly session entering its final stretch, several bills germane to the area finally started moving this week as the deadline for proposed legislation to cross from one chamber to the other rapidly approaches. Crossover Day, or the point in the session calendar when legislation introduced in the House must be approved and sent over to the Senate, or vice versa, arrives on Monday, putting thousands of bills submitted by state lawmakers on the clock....READ MORE

Web Series Eyes Ocean City

OCEAN CITY •€' If you've got a secret or not-so-secret desire to be in show business, you might get your shot in April, as a New York City-based filmmaker is shooting the first season of a new web series in Ocean City. Al Thompson, a former University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) graduate and New York-based actor/producer/director, will be shooting his next (and yet to be named) project in Ocean City the last two weeks of April, and he's looking for extras, crew, actors and locations...READ MORE

Whale Washes Up On Fenwick, Later Buried On Beach

FENWICK ISLAND - For the second time in a week, a deceased whale washed up on a local beach, this time in Fenwick Island with similar circumstances surrounding its ultimate demise. On Saturday, March 13, a sub-adult female humpback whale washed ashore in Ocean City first at 5th Street and later at 3rd Street after the tide briefly carried it back to sea. Last Friday, a similar situation occurred when a huge sub-adult fin whale, measuring 61 feet in length and weighing an estimated 100,000...READ MORE

Berlin Stormwater Pond Study Near

BERLIN - A new stormwater ordinance mandated by the state would not affect proposed development projects in Berlin, according to town staff. There are no projects in Berlin that have reached a stage where stormwater management has been set, so nothing has to be changed, or grandfathered into the ordinance. 'They're not far enough along that anybody's going to be mistreated by the application of this ordinance,' said Berlin Mayor Gee Williams during discussions of possible changes to the...READ MORE

City, Airport Tenant Settle Lease Dispute

OCEAN CITY - A federal lawsuit claiming free speech violations over less than flattering remarks about the management of the Ocean City Municipal Airport, which led to the withholding of a hangar lease at the facility, was formally closed this week when both parties agreed to a settlement. On Jan. 29, Berlin resident and airport regular John 'Jay' Masino, Jr. filed suit in U.S. District Court claiming the town of Ocean City had violated his First Amendment rights, specifically his right to free...READ MORE

County Libraries Forced To Reduce Public Offerings

SNOW HILL - Next year, library patrons in Worcester County will have fewer new books and periodicals to peruse. 'We took a pretty savage cut there,' said Worcester County Library System Director Mark Thomas. Local libraries must work with less revenue next fiscal year, with little to reduce aside from materials and personnel. The entire county library system will purchase 7,000 to 8,000 less new materials next fiscal year, according to Thomas. 'This is not the sort of thing people are not going...READ MORE

Diakonia Food Pantry Reopens After Fire

WEST OCEAN CITY - The food pantry at Diakonia homeless shelter has reopened after a fire on March 8. Around 9 p.m. on that Monday night, a small fire sprang up in a utility closet. When a bottle of Lysol fell off a shelf and punctured, the fumes were ignited by the pilot light of a nearby gas water heater. Diakonia employee Lottie Shockley reacted quickly after hearing the small explosion and got the 19 guests present in the building out to safety. Employee Thomas Purnell headed the other way...READ MORE

Ocean City News In Brief

OCEAN CITY •€' In the brief this week, taxis underwent the annual inspection process, the city manager is set to offer another round of cost cutting measures and a bus pilot program is set to go before the Mayor and Council for word on its future. Taxis Get Inspected, Meters Tweaked This week, the Ocean City Police Department conducted its annual inspections of the 175 vehicles that have acquired medallions in order to operate on the roads of the resort this year. In the process, police...READ MORE

Salvia Bills Pass House, Senate

ANNAPOLIS - A pair of cross-filed bills banning the possession and sale of Salvia, a hallucinogenic herb currently legal in all corners of Maryland except Worcester County and Ocean City, passed votes in both the House and Senate this week, moving closer to final approval if certain elements in the language can be reconciled. Maryland's House of Delegates on Tuesday approved House Bill 1145, introduced by local Delegates James Mathias and Norm Conway, which would extend the ban on the possession...READ MORE

State Approves Extended Flounder Season

OCEAN CITY - In a somewhat rare example of state and federal fisheries management agencies cooperating with those on the front lines, state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials this week reversed an earlier informal decision on summer flounder regulations for 2010 and approved a season ending in late November rather than mid-September as proposed. Recreational anglers are often at odds with state and federal management agencies when it comes to setting season lengths and quota levels...READ MORE

Town Of Berlin Notebook

BERLIN - The Berlin Mayor and Council discussed several topics briefly at Monday night's meeting, from the public hearing for the new draft Berlin comprehensive plan and reimbursement for snow removal expenses to the Program Open Space wishlist for the next fiscal year. -- A public hearing on the long delayed draft of the Berlin Comprehensive Plan in front of Berlin's Town Council will be held April 12. The Berlin Planning and Zoning Commission approved the draft plan earlier this month, with a...READ MORE

Tips On Turning Green Into Green

OCEAN CITY - Solar energy and wind power are the industries that usually lead off any discussion of clean-tech investments. But for now at least, Steven Milunovich, an Alternative Energy Analyst with BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research, is cautious about solar companies. Electricity generated from the sun costs more than twice as much as power from traditional sources, though Milunovich expects solar to achieve "grid parity" •€' prices in line with those of...READ MORE

Greek Orthodox Church Volunteers Prepare Monthly Meals at Diakonia

Every third Monday of the month the ladies of St. George Philoptochos in the kitchen of St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Ocean City prepare a full-course meal including bread and dessert for approximately 35 people at Diakonia in West Ocean City.  In addition to the ladies, volunteering their time, many members of the church provide products as well as money so that this support to Diakonia can be continued. Pictured, from left, preparing the meals are Mary Pantazis, Julia Plomasen and...READ MORE

OCFD Grant Will Purchase Over 1200 Smoke Detectors For Those in Need

The Ocean City Fire Department (OCFD) was recently the recipient of a fire prevention grant from Factory Mutual (FM) Global for the purchase of smoke detectors. The grant, in the amount of $1,250, will fund the purchase of approximately 250 smoke alarms, which will be provided to those in need, in addition to the limited supply of carbon monoxide alarms. Receiving fire prevention grant check, from left, are OCFD Deputy Fire Marshal Joe Sexauer, Roland Church, from FM Global, and OCFD Deputy...READ MORE

Scenes From the Life Aloha Luau at Seacrets

The Maryland Coastal Bays Program and the Ocean City chapter of the Surfrider Foundation hosted a Life Aloha Luau last week at Seacrets. Pictured, from left, are Shelly Dawson, chair of the Ocean City chapter of the Surfrider Foundation; Delegate Jim Mathias; and Dave Wilson, executive director of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program. ...READ MORE

Pine'eer Craft and Gift Shop Prepare for Open House

Midge Powell, manager, and June Sassaman, assistant manager, prepare for the Pine'eer Craft and Gift Shop Spring Open House on March 27. The shop, located in White Horse Park, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring handmade home accents and fashions, refreshments and door prizes. ...READ MORE

AGH Educates Showell Students About Hospital Visits

Atlantic General Hospital's community education team of Denise Esham and Karen Christmas took the "scarey" out of a visit to the hospital by explaining what will happen at the hospital to Showell Elementary students Charles Ailworth, Sommer Smith and Nayeli Vallejos. ...READ MORE

Students Congratulated For Hard Work During Testing Week

Buckingham Elementary School held an assembly Friday, March 12 to congratulate students for working hard during MSA testing week. Each third and fourth grade student received a reward for a job well done. The awards were donated from local businesses. Above, Nathan Ewell shows off the school supplies he won during the assembly. ...READ MORE

Showell Kindergarteners Learning to Sort Things Out

Mrs. Doherty's pre-kindergarten class at Showell Elementary School is learning to sort all kinds of things. They recently sorted their stuffed bears from home. Above, Oscar Lu, Kylie Reid and Jude Vaxmonsky separate their bears based on whether they were wearing clothing. ...READ MORE

4th Graders Show Spirit on St. Patrick's Day at OC Elementary

Ocean City Elementary fourth graders showed spirit on St. Patrick's Day. Pictured are, front, Hattie Brous and Bryce Kalchthaler; second row, Denise Kearns, Maggie Bunting, Amanda Melvin, Matthew Davis and Eli Saulsbury; and, back, Jarius Foreman, Kevin Williams, Zoie Williams, Logan Wilkins, Parker Wheeler and Jared Litten. ...READ MORE

SDHS Students Walk Away With Prizes At County Tech Fest

Twenty-eight Stephen Decatur High School Worcester County Tech Fest participants walked away with either silver or gold ribbons when the county announced the winners two weeks ago. Above, Junior Abby Simpson grabbed the most ribbons with nine silver and five gold. She is pictured next to one of her winning photos, "Lazy Butterfly." ...READ MORE

OC Elementary Celebrates 100th Day of School

Kindergarten student Matthew Janson of Ocean City Elementary is dressed up in 100 bracelets and a crazy hat for the 100th Day of School Celebration. ...READ MORE

Things I Like

Towels with high thread counts A beer after yard work March Madness surprises Going to the beach with the family, no matter the time of year Fish tacos Visiting college towns Some color poking out of the ground A long, hot shower Signing up for e-statements Sleepy kids Roast beef with horseradish ...READ MORE

People in Society

Snapshots of Those Lending a Helping Hand Throughout the Community ...READ MORE