April 23, 2010

Local Mailcarrier Honored as Home Town Hero

On Friday, April 16, the Berlin Chamber of Commerce along with Mike Wiley of The Church Mouse Thrift Shop acknowledged James Tingle, Berlin's mail carrier, as Berlin's first 'Home Town Hero'. The award recognizes individuals that go out of their way to make Berlin a better place to visit, work and live. If would like to nominate someone for the award, email your nomination to Mike Wiley at ltwoodstock@verizon.net. Above, from left, are Post Master Ken Carter, Tingle and Wiley. Submitted Photos ...READ MORE

Girl Scout Cookies Presented to Worcester G.O.L.D

Worcester County's Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay present cookies to Darlene Onley, director of Worcester G.O.L.D.   Pictured are Cadette Tori Shriner, Junior Anna Tribuno, Onley, Junior Paige Getchell, Brownie Bella Yeager, Brownie Ashley Barton, Cadette Katelyn Norman, Senior Misty Norman and Junior Sara Truitt. ...READ MORE

Earth Day Coastal Bays Cleanup Program

Volunteers from the Ocean City Power Squadron participated in the Coastal Bays clean-up program as part of Ocean City's Earth Day on Saturday, April 17. Pictured are Bert Strait, Executive Officer Tony Curro, Ira Zaretsky, Marilyn Strait, Cdr Fred Stiehl and wife Jean. Other members participating but not pictured are Bill and Joleen Killinger, who cleaned-up at a different location. ...READ MORE

Kiwanis Welcome Guest Speaker

Pictured, from left, are Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines-Ocean City President-elect, Roy Foreman, Worcester County Program Director for Commission on Aging Debbie Ritter and Kiwanis Meals on Wheels Program Chairman Jerry Powell.  Ritter was the guest speaker at the Kiwanis weekly meeting at the Ocean Pines Community Center where she spoke to the membership about her department and thanked the club for the many years they have volunteered for the Meals on Wheels...READ MORE

Community Church of Ocean Pines Takes Home "Beautiful" Award

The Community Church of Ocean Pines, under the direction of Rev. Dr. Tom McKelvey, won one of Worcester County's  "Maryland's  Most Beautiful People" awards for its volunteerism. In addition, the Community Church was one of two organizations from Worcester County selected for the prestigious Governor's Award. Pictured with McKelvey are Commissioners Bud Church and Judy Boggs. ...READ MORE

OC Elementary 1st Graders Donate Toys to Johns Hopkins

First grade students from Ocean City Elementary recently collected stuffed animals to donate to Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital. The stuffed animals will be given to long-term patients receiving treatment at the hospital. Above are Brandon Hannon, Emily Tilghman, Vanessa Morales-Gonzalez, Maddy Kieswetter, Tristen Dagstani, Luke Crisanti, J.C. Feldman, Claire Williams and Allison Marx. Submitted Photos ...READ MORE

SDHS Academic Team Places 2nd at Invitational

The Stephen Decatur High School Academic Team placed second out of eight regional high schools at the local Stephen Decatur High School Academic Invitational held at Wor-Wic Community College. The second place finish qualified the team to compete in the national tournament held in New Orleans this coming May.   Above, junior Arianna Riccio, and seniors Bonnie Eisenman, Brandon Maddy and Zack Knopp compete at the event. ...READ MORE

Worcester Prep Junior Wins 1st Place Honors

Worcester Prep Junior Carson Wigley was honored as the first-place winner for Grades 9-12 in the Letters About Literature State of Maryland Competition. Above, she is pictured with Michael Sarbanes, left, executive director of the Office of Partnerships, Communications and Community Engagement, Baltimore City Public Schools and former U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes. ...READ MORE

Students Receive Top Honors at Optimist Oratorical Finals

At the Optimist Oratorical Finals, held at Stephen Decatur Middle School and sponsored by the Ocean City/Berlin Optimists club, students receiving top honors were, from left, Jamie Welch, Worcester Prep, third boys' division; Daniel Rosa, Worcester Prep, second boys' division; Josh White, Stephen Decatur Middle, first boys' division; Carlee Barrett, Stephen Decatur Middle, third, girls' division; Hannah Esham, Worcester Prep, first girls' division; and Elise Harmon, Worcester Prep, second Girls'...READ MORE

Regional Spelling Bee Held At MBS

Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School (MBS) hosted students from Greenwood Mennonite School, the Salisbury School, St. Francis de Sales Catholic School and Worcester Preparatory School in the 2nd Annual Del-Mar Regional Spelling Bee.  The top three finalists in the middle school division were, from left, Charlie Pritchard, third place, Worcester Prep; Carter Michael, second place, MBS; and Ian Davis, first place, MBS. ...READ MORE

Language Students Perform Puppet Shows at BIS

Sixth graders in Vanessa Hill's and Kelly Kohovec's  Integrated Language Arts class at Berlin Intermediate School combined their puppet-making skills with their knowledge of folktales to perform a puppet show. Shown with their puppets are, back, Preston Cutsail, Hannah Saulsbury, Jon Hanley, Deep Patel, Conner Quillen and Matt Moore; and, front, Zoe Weistling, Wyatt Hudson, Tori Shriner, Guadelupe Espinoza, Olivia Stinebiser and Damian Lockhart. ...READ MORE

Faces in Places

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

Decatur Boys Rout North Caroline, 18-1

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's boys' varsity lacrosse team's see-saw season continued last Friday with an 18-1 pasting of visiting North Caroline. The up-and-down Seahawks thrashed the Bulldogs, 18-1, with a stingy defense that allowed a single goal, and a balanced scoring attack that saw several players get into the scorebook. Nick Abbaticchio and Brendan Wagner led Decatur with three goals each, while Brandon Terlizzi and Johnny Moore pitched in two each. The win last Friday continued a season-long...READ MORE

Decatur Boys Tennis Remains Unbeaten

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's boys' varsity tennis team remained unbeaten this week, sweeping Pocomoke in seven matches to improve to 7-0 on the season. The Seahawks got wins from James Pack, Andrew Murrell, John Grimes, Dakota Marchio and Logan Rodriguez, along with doubles wins from Kyle Rodriguez and Kyle Hill, and Logan Hurt and Dylan Post to sweep the Warriors. The same combination of singles and doubles players swept Wicomico last Thursday. Meanwhile, the Decatur girls' team beat Wicomico,...READ MORE

Decatur Girls Thrash Bulldogs, 20-2

BERLIN- Decatur's girls' varsity lacrosse team left nothing to chance last Friday against North Caroline, jumping out to an early lead and cruising to a 20-2 win over the Bulldogs. Leigh Anne Flounlacker continued her season-long assault on the opponents' net, scoring four goals to lead all Decatur scorers. Lexi Nathan and Bethany Howe also made big contributions, scoring three goals each. The win improved Decatur's record to 6-1, just one game behind rival Parkside (7-0) in the Bayside South...READ MORE

Mallards Roll Past Ravens, 15-4

BERLIN- Visiting Sussex Tech hung with Worcester Prep for the better part of one quarter on Monday before a Mallards' scoring barrage with just over two minutes remaining in the period settled the issue once and for all. Worcester cruised to a relatively easy 15-4 win over the Ravens on Monday, but for a long time it appeared to two teams would be involved in a dog fight. Neither team scored in the first six-plus minutes of the first with both teams making few in roads on the opposing defenses....READ MORE

Worcester Girls Snap Two-Game Skid

BERLIN- Worcester Prep's girls' varsity lacrosse team got out to a big early lead against visiting Sussex Tech on Monday, withstood a few minor charges by the Ravens and cruised to a 17-7 win. The Mallards raced out to a 7-0 record before losing their last two games proceeding Monday's home match-up with Sussex Tech. Worcester lost to old rival Saints Peter and Paul, 17-5, last Wednesday and followed up that first defeat with a 13-12 double overtime loss to Tower Hill of Delaware last...READ MORE

BOC Prep Player of the Week

This week's Bank of Ocean City Player of the Week award for the Worcester Prep girls' varsity lacrosse team went to Mary Hudson, who turned in great performances in games against Saints Peter and Paul and Tower Hill. Pictured above, from left are Coach Yetive Delaney, Hudson and Bank of Ocean City assistant vice president Earl Conley. Each week a donation is made by BOC to Worcester Prep's athletic department in the player's of the week's name. ...READ MORE

Decatur Player of the Week

This week's Bliss Salon-West Ocean City Fitness Stephen Decatur boys' lacrosse player of the week award went to Erik Geiser, who was the team's leading scorer in two games against Queen Anne's and North Caroline with four goals and two assists. Pictured above, from left: Coach Jason Pylpczuk, Geiser and Head Coach Jason Macrides. ...READ MORE

Friday, April 23--Art Fest, Carving This Weekend In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY - The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University celebrates art, nature and tradition by hosting the 40th Annual Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition and Art Festival. Held at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center April 23-25, carvers from all skill levels, ranging from youth to world class, compete for over $70,000 in prize money at the largest and most prestigious event of its kind. Over the past 40 years, more than $2.25 million in prize money has been...READ MORE

Friday, April 23--Councilwoman Pillas Opts For Re-Election Bid

OCEAN CITY •€' Councilwoman Margaret Pillas has officially changed her mind on retiring from the City Council. This fall's municipal election in Ocean City had presumably been set to see at least one new member elected to the council as Margaret Pillas was expected to opt against re-election, as her four-year term, along with Councilman Lloyd Martin and Council President Joe Mitrecic, was coming to an end. Yet, this week, Pillas officially announced that her plans have changed and she will...READ MORE

Friday, April 23--Kites Galore Set Up In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY - The resort will kick off the season early by painting the sky with every color under the sun at the Maryland International Kite Exposition (MIKE), set for this weekend. The festival will be showcasing a spectacular cast of kite flyers from all over the country. The giant kite field on the beach will be coordinated by Susan Gomberg from Gomberg Kite Productions. Thousands of spectators will watch giant kites fly high above the Ocean City skyline. In addition, stunt teams will...READ MORE

Friday, April 23--Retired Navy Destroyer Could Be Sunk In August

OCEAN CITY - Plans to scuttle a retired U.S. Navy destroyer as part of a three-state artificial reef site a mere 30 miles from the Ocean City Inlet are closer than ever to becoming a reality with the official transfer of the vessel's title last week to the state of Delaware and a planned sinking sometime in August. Last week, the Navy officially transferred ownership of the decommissioned U.S.S. Arthur W. Radford to Delaware, setting in motion an endgame of sorts for a project proposed well over...READ MORE

Thoughts From The Publisher's Desk

For the first time in six decades, Ocean Downs will not host a live racing meet this summer. However, if it wants to host slots in the future, the ocean oval will have to hold some sort of horse racing this summer, according to county zoning law. This is an interesting twist. It's sad to hear the track will not host a meet this year, but word from track officials as well as county representatives is there's no funny business going on. Track officials said this week they would do whatever it...READ MORE

Voices From The Readers

Ending Recycling In OC Raises Many Questions Editor: Who is Covanta? I became curious as to this wonderful company that would burn our recyclables and turn them into energy just as good as our current system of recycling them. Well, it seems the company has quite an interesting past: Recently, this company was found guilty of violating federal labor laws by the National Labor Relations Board at more than 50 of its sites. Just the tip of the iceberg. In 2002, Covanta filed for bankruptcy...READ MORE

Views On Recycling Move Understandable

Ocean City has touched a nerve with its move to turn away from its traditional recycling program in favor of a trendy waste-to-energy process. It's been a long time since we can remember the level of outrage from the public over an issue in Ocean City. Citizen input is always important, and the backlash over last week's recycling move was predictable, and one man who understands that is Dick Malone, deputy director of the city's vast Public Works Department. In an interview last week, Malone,...READ MORE

OC Feeling Heat For Dropping Recycling Program

OCEAN CITY •€' When it came to dropping the town's recycling program, saving the money was the easy part for town officials. It's trying to save face that is proving to be another story. Town officials have been taking some heat for their recent decision to halt the town's recycling program in favor of burning the recyclables along with the rest of the town's trash to create clean, renewable energy. City Public Works Deputy Director Dick Malone volunteered to field the public backlash...READ MORE

High Court Reserves Opinion On Manslaughter Appel

BERLIN - An Ocean City man serving a 10-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction in the baseball-bat beating death of another local man in May 2008 had his appeal for a new trial, or at least a reconsideration of his sentence, heard last week by the state's Court of Special Appeals, as a sort of test case or teaching tool for students and faculty at the University of Maryland's School of Law. In November 2008, a Worcester County jury found Dominic Canale, now 23, of Ocean City, guilty of...READ MORE

Ocean Downs Must Race To Retain Zoning

BERLIN - With the summer-long live racing meet at Ocean Downs now an impossibility because of the ongoing renovation and expansion of the grandstand area to accommodate the future slots venue at the historic track, it now appears a single race or day of racing might be needed to meet the county's requirements for the zoning of the property. Track officials last week confirmed the summer's live meet at Ocean Downs was in jeopardy because of the ongoing construction and renovations to the existing...READ MORE

Structural Issues Leads To Health Club Closure

OCEAN CITY •€' An Ocean City health and fitness mainstay announced this week it would be closing its doors after 26 years as a result of structural issues found by the city. Ocean City Health and Racquet Club owner Gerald Furst proclaimed in a letter to members and the community that he 'with great sadness, had no choice but to close' after 26 years in business at the midtown location after city officials found glaring structural problems in the roof of the building and the bank, which now...READ MORE

Tight Ocean City Budget Presented

OCEAN CITY •€' As the annual budget process begins at City Hall, the good news is that Ocean City can operate at the constant yield rate in the year to come. The bad news, however, is the town will have to do it with $3.5 million less in revenue. The City Council, on the other hand, is hopeful that the end result or bottom line will be the same tax bill for Ocean City residents and property owners as last year. City Manager Dennis Dare did his annual presentation of the resort's proposed...READ MORE

Tow Franchise Idea Dropped In Exchange For Other Changes

OCEAN CITY •€' Members of the towing industry rallied against the proposed franchise for police tows last week, and it appears that this week, they might just get everything they were asking for, including a raise in their license fees. As alluded to by City Manager Dennis Dare last week, the solutions or alternatives that were presented by members of the towing industry last week may be enough for the town to abandon the idea of establishing a franchise that would handle the town's police...READ MORE

Berlin Man Jailed In Bridge Death

SNOW HILL - A Berlin man, arrested last June on several serious charges after killing a bicyclist and injuring another with his vehicle on the Route 50 Bridge before fleeing the scene, pleaded guilty last week in District Court to vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident involving bodily injury and was immediately incarcerated until the completion of a pre-sentence investigation. Daniel M. Bren, 35, appeared in District Court in Snow Hill last Friday to stand trial for a...READ MORE

Christian Radio Seeks To Operate Station In County

SNOW HILL - A nationwide network of Christian radio stations has asked Worcester County to approve a request to operate a non-profit radio station in the county. The Educational Media Foundation (EMF), which operates many K-Love and Air 1 Christian radio stations across the country, has asked the Worcester County Commissioners to hold a public hearing and approve a resolution to support a funding request by the network. EMF is applying for a $20 million bond through the state of...READ MORE

County Looks To Tighten Tall Grass Law

SNOW HILL - When tall grass needs to be cut, Worcester County staff will be able to step in and take care of the vegetative nuisance much more quickly under proposed new legislation. The new law would eliminate part of the nuisance abatement process for tall grass and rank vegetation problems only. The current tall grass nuisance abatement process is cumbersome, requiring two rounds of notification and potentially a hearing in front of the County Commissioners. Notification letters often go...READ MORE

County Needs To Cut $5.7M In Spending

SNOW HILL - Several budget and financial topics came up at the Worcester County Commissioners  meeting Tuesday morning, including the constant yield tax rate, legislative efforts to modify school funding requirements, and current county cash flow. -- A 4.7-percent reduction in Worcester County's real property assessable base will cost the county several million dollars in tax revenue at current tax rates, staff reported this week. The current real property tax rate is 70 cents per $100 of...READ MORE

County Weighs Barking Dog Fines

SNOW HILL - Owners of barking and howling dogs in Worcester County could soon be subject to a citation and fine for not controlling canine noise if a new animal control law passes in May. The Worcester County Commissioners will consider a law to control barking and howling dogs in the county only at their May 18 meeting. 'You cannot imagine the amount of phone calls and e-mails I received that said thank you so much for addressing this issue,' said Commissioner Linda Busick. The draft...READ MORE

Dredging Questions Remain

SNOW HILL - Dredging operations will displace one fisherman from a slip at the West Ocean City Harbor, the county decided this week. The Army Corps of Engineers project to dredge the Ocean City Inlet to the West Ocean City Harbor and the harbor turning basins needs somewhere to offload the dredge spoil, said Public Works Director John Tustin. The county will use commercial slip number seven for a few months this fall to unload the dredge material. The leases at the harbor are up for re-bid this...READ MORE

Early Registration Shows Road Race Field Has Doubled

OCEAN CITY - The 6th Annual Ocean City Half-Marathon and 5K races return to the resort area tomorrow, and based on mid-week sign-up totals, it will be a lot more crowded along the course that begins at the Inlet, crosses the Route 50 bridge into West Ocean City and ends at Assateague. According to race organizer and promoter Chris Klebe, of OC Tri-Running Sports, the field had already doubled by Tuesday with well over 1,100 runners signed up and that number could swell even higher as potential...READ MORE

Homes Planned For Proposed YMCA Land

SNOW HILL - While an initiative to build a YMCA adjoining Ocean Pines is defunct, the deal made to get land donated for that unsuccessful project is still in force, and the landowner is now working on moving forward with a 60-unit residential development on that site. The Worcester County Commissioners held a public hearing on the expansion of the Ocean Pines Water and Wastewater Service Area to include the Steen Associations project, the addition of the development to the water and sewer plan...READ MORE

Ocean City News In Brief

OCEAN CITY •€' In the brief this week, the first wind turbine in Ocean City got postponed from the Planning and Zoning Commission's agenda for a second time, the Ocean City airport plans its 50th anniversary and the town picked up an exorbitant amount of 'trashed' items during the annual spring cleanup. Turbine Pitch Postponed Again At some point, a public hearing will be held to discuss the merits of having a wind turbine on the roof of a historic downtown property that will ironically be...READ MORE

A Week In Business

AGH Anniversary Tickets Now On Sale BERLIN - Tickets are now available for Atlantic General Hospital's 17th Anniversary Celebration. Invitations were just dropped in the mail for the exclusive gala, which is hosted by a different community member each year. This year, the celebration will be held at the north Ocean City home of Dr. William Allen on Thursday, May 20. Kelly Foods Corporation has signed on as the title sponsor, and the event will be catered by Micky Fins. 'We appreciate the...READ MORE

Charges Dropped In Alleged Trooper Assault

SNOW HILL - A Berlin man arrested on first-degree assault and other charges in November after allegedly running into a Maryland State Police trooper attempting to arrest another man in West Ocean City had the charges against him dropped last week in Worcester County Circuit Court after prosecutors decided the evidence against him was insufficient to proceed with the case. Around 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2009, Maryland State Police troopers responded to Route 611 in West Ocean City for a reported...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): You still might have to deal with some lingering confusion that marked a recent workplace situation. But for the most part, you should now be well on your way to your next project. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): A new commitment might demand more time than you'd expected to have to give it. But rely on that special Bovine gift for patience, and stick with it. You'll be glad you did. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): You're earning the admiration of a lot of people who like...READ MORE

Fatherhood Adventures

Life gets a little interesting when one parent is put on the disabled list. I may be giving my kids a little too much credit, but I think my boys sense weakness and exploit it when the opportunity arises. It's as if they realize they now have the numbers and can easily wreak havoc on the lone parent, who is relegated to the role of simply trying to maintain a touch of peace and a semblance of order. Last month, Pam came down with a serious ear infection, leaving her out of commission for a...READ MORE

Who's Playing When and Where Musically Speaking

707 Sports Bar & Grille 410-213-9507 12702 Old Bridge Road, West OC Friday, April 23: Joey Saah Band Saturday, April 24: Karaoke With Hey Mick Buxy's Salty Dog 410-289-0973 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, April 23: Aaron Howell Band Saturday, April 24: TBA 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, April 23 & Saturday, April 24: First...READ MORE

We Remember Those We Have Lost

Lorraine Hope Neil OCEAN PINES - Lorraine Hope Neil, age 78, died Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at Coastal Hospice at the Lake in Salisbury. She was the daughter of the late Charles and Flora Thacker Meeds. She was preceded in death by her husband Ralph E. Neil, Sr. in 2003 and by her daughter Bunny Dunion in 2000. She is survived by a son, Ralph E. Neil, Jr. of Smyrna, Del.; a daughter, Melanie Neil of Ocean Pines; two grandchildren, Dallas Neil and Jennifer Dunion; one niece; and one nephew. She...READ MORE

Things I Like

Tree buds in the process of blooming Homemade pizza Allergy medicine that does the trick An outside nap All the deals in the Sunday Travel sections Birds at work building a nest The Palladia channel Unpredictability of hockey playoffs My son's chubby little fingers Storm clouds on the horizon Scanning the magazine aisle at the grocery store ...READ MORE

The Best Ways To Get The Most Out Of Social Security

OCEAN CITY - Deciding when and how to begin receiving your checks involves more strategy than you might think. These questions and answers can help you get the maximum benefit from your benefits.  Q. Social Security is such a small part of my retirement plan. Why not just claim my benefits as soon as I can? A. Most Americans would agree. According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, 52% of all men and 56% of women start receiving their Social Security checks at the...READ MORE

Open Houses in Ocean City

OCEAN CITY The Meridian Open Daily Oceanfront Residences 60th Street New Construction Dan Clayland Coldwell Banker 410-520-0072 OCEAN CITY Bella Vista Four Models Open Daily 10-4 3BR Bayside Condos 45th Street Coldwell Banker 410-524-6111 OCEAN CITY Belmont Towers Boardwalk & Talbot Street Daily 11-4 Kevin Decker The Fritschle Group/ Condominium Realty 443-235-6552 OCEAN CITY Thunder Island 106C Convention Center Open Saturday 2BR/2BA/Balcony Jim White ReMax...READ MORE

Open Houses in West Ocean City and Surrounding Areas

CRISFIELD Water's Edge Lorie Quinn Road Sat 12-2 Auction Preview 4BR/3BA Townhomes Surrounded by Water Max Spann Real Estate & Auction 888-299-1438 WEST OCEAN CITY Sailor's Watch Golf Course Road Fri-Sun 10-4 New 3BR, 3.5BA Luxury Townhouses Coldwell Banker 410-524-6111 ...READ MORE

People in Society

Snapshots of those lending a helping hand throughout the community ...READ MORE