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New Boardwalk Surf Shop Has Entire Family Covered

OCEAN CITY – The new Quiet Storm Surf Shop, located downtown on the Boardwalk had its opening ribbon cutting a couple weeks ago and is ready to show off its new wide variety of merchandise just in time for the busy summer season. Quiet Storm Surf Shop has been serving a wide range of customers since 1984. They offer a variety of surfboards, skateboards, clothing and accessories for men, women and kids. Quiet Storm carries all brands of surf brands including Quiksilver, Billabong, Volcom,...READ MORE

Berlin Farmer Wins Donation

BERLIN -- A Worcester County farmer week was selected as the winner in the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program and had $2,500 donation made to the American Cancer Society in his name. Berlin farmer Kenneth Littleton was selected last week as a winner in the America’s Farmers Grow Communities program, which gives farmers the opportunity to win $2,500 for their favorite local non-profit organizations. The Monsanto Fund sponsors the program and winning farmers designate a local...READ MORE

Berlin To Fund Sidewalk Engineering Study

Berlin To Fund Sidewalk Engineering Study Travis Brown Staff Writer BERLIN -- Efforts to replace and extend sidewalk coverage for Broad St advanced Monday when the Berlin Mayor and Council green-lighted approximately $35,000 worth of engineering services for the area. “It’s kind of been the forgotten street,” said Councilman Troy Purnell. Purnell, who referred to getting sidewalks to cover all of Broad St. as his “pet project”, has been pushing for more attention to...READ MORE

Viagra Spat Leads To Shooting

BISHOPVILLE -- A Bishopville woman was arrested on attempted second-degree murder and other charges this week after allegedly shooting her newlywed husband in the abdomen during a domestic argument reportedly involving a popular male enhancement drug. Around 10:30 a.m. on Monday, the Worcester County 911 Dispatch Center received a call from a man reporting his wife of six months, identified as Alice Carmita Johnson, 72, had just shot him in the abdomen during a domestic argument in their...READ MORE

Manslaughter Conviction In Fatal Meth Overdose

SNOW HILL -- A Worcester County Circuit Court jury deliberated for over 10 hours last week before finding a Westminster man guilty of providing a female victim with a fatal dose of methadone and then watching her slowly die last July while on vacation in Ocean City. Michael Thomas Dill, 30, of Westminster, was found guilty of manslaughter, distribution of methadone and reckless endangerment last week after a two-day trial in Circuit Court in Snow Hill. After deliberating into the evening hours...READ MORE

Judge Orders Fake Nikes To Diakonia

SNOW HILL -- A West Ocean City homeless shelter last week became the recipient of 52 pairs of counterfeit Nike basketball shoes confiscated during a drug bust in March after a rather unusual ruling by a Worcester County District Court judge. Around 5:15 p.m. on March 4, a Maryland State Police trooper stopped a 2006 Nissan Altima with North Caroline tags on Route 13 near Pocomoke for following another vehicle too closely. During conversation with the driver, identified as Tito Antyone Belcher,...READ MORE

Berlin Sewer Rate Increase Starts In July

BERLIN -- Over the next four years, Berlin residents will see a small, but steady, increase to the cost of their sewage rates. Beginning July 1 of this year, sewage rates will increase by 5 percent, a trend which will continue every year until 2013. In 2014, there will be a 6-percent increase, resulting in a 21-percent total increase. The higher rates are a result of costs accumulated during the construction of the town’s new Wastewater Treatment facility as well as running costs estimated...READ MORE

Council Unites On Retiree Compromises; Hiring Freeze Lifted

OCEAN CITY – After months of deliberation, the Mayor and City Council have settled on two ordinances involving retiree benefits for newly hired town employees, although some discussion this week predicts additional changes to retiree health care in the future. Mayor Rick Meehan last week vetoed two proposed ordinances for the second time concerning town employee retiree benefits due to the additional costs to the town and its taxpayers. The council agreed to meet this past Monday morning...READ MORE

Convicted Child Killer Injured In Prison Stabbing

BERLIN -- Convicted murderer Thomas Leggs, serving consecutive life sentences for the kidnapping, raping and killing of an 11-year-old girl in Salisbury in December 2009, was attacked with a knife at a state maximum security prison in Cumberland last week. Leggs, 31, of Salisbury, was indicted in January 2010 on first-degree murder, kidnapping, first-degree sex offense and other charges for the death of 11-year-old Sarah Haley Foxwell, whose body was found near Delmar in late December 2009 after...READ MORE

Berlin Council Eyes Employee Raises

BERLIN -- Mayor Gee Williams made three additions to Berlin’s proposed fiscal year 2012 budget during Monday’s Mayor and Council that if finalized would mean a raise for town employees and more money in the town’s Special Apportions’ fund. Two of the three proposals met with unanimous support; however, one council member spoke out against a potential 3-percent raise for town employees. “What kind of message are we sending to the rate payers?” asked...READ MORE

Berlin Proclaims Thomas Fager Day For Winning Essay

BERLIN -- A local youth had a day proclaimed in his honor after winning an essay contest titled, “If I Were Mayor, I Would ...” Thomas Fager, a fourth grader at Worcester Preparatory School (WPS), received a commendation from the Berlin Mayor and Council Monday for his essay, which won District 1, an area that includes Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset and Dorchester counties. “It’s becoming almost a tradition in Berlin,” said Mayor Gee Williams, who noted that the area...READ MORE

Commercial Harbor Briefly Hosting World-Class Vessel

WEST OCEAN CITY -- A new, but brief addition to the West Ocean City skyline created somewhat of a stir this week with the arrival of the super yacht “Windcrest,” a 98-foot world class sailing vessel that pulled in to the commercial harbor for a few days en route to its home port in Newport Bay, R.I. The super yacht pulled into the commercial harbor in West Ocean City early this week and immediately attracted the notice of residents and visitors to the area. Its towering 100-foot-plus...READ MORE

Ocean City Looking To Increase Sponsorship Revenue

OCEAN CITY – The Mayor and City Council will soon begin allowing individuals to be approved to represent the town to seek sponsorships for Ocean City’s events and be paid commission. November of last year was when the Request For Proposal (RFP) Sponsorship Development, Solicitation and Sales was initially presented to the council to be approved. The RFP was created to seek sponsors to help offset expenses associated with the town’s large events. At that time, two proposals came...READ MORE

Salisbury Club Voluntarily Closes After Shooting

SALISBURY -- A Salisbury nightclub voluntarily turned in its liquor license this week after a double-shooting incident early last Saturday involving a doorman employed at the establishment. Around 2 a.m. last Saturday, Salisbury Police responded to Gully’s nightclub on Roland Street for what was first reported as fight in progress. Upon arrival, police learned two individuals, a 28-year-old Salisbury man and a 26-year-old Laurel, Del., woman had been shot. The victims were treated for...READ MORE

National Health Report Ranks Worcester, Wicomico

BERLIN -- A national report released last month revealed Worcester County is the 14th ranked jurisdiction in Maryland in terms of the overall health of its citizens, while neighboring Wicomico County came in much further down the line at 20th overall. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, last week released its annual County Health Rankings, a comprehensive report that ranks every county in every state in the U.S. on a...READ MORE

Salisbury’s Towing Changes Heading To Ordinance

SALISBURY – A towing ordinance that has been in the works for over a year has moved one step closer to reality, as the Salisbury City Council cleaned it up and made a few changes during Monday night’s work session. “We need to get a starting point and we need to get that soon,” Council President Terry Cohen said as she reminded the public the process is not over yet because the ordinance will still have to go through first reading, a public hearing and second...READ MORE

Resort Unwilling To Impose Scoot Coupe Restrictions

OCEAN CITY – A local resident and businessman asked the Mayor and City Council on Tuesday to place restrictions on scoot coupes, which just hours before his presentation were officially made legal on Coastal Highway. Insurance Management Group Inc. President Reese Cropper said since he is in the insurance and risk business he takes the issue regarding the safety of scoot coupes on Coastal Highway to heart. A scoot coupe is a two-passenger, three-wheeled scooter built to resemble a mini car...READ MORE

Program Gives Salisbury Café Funding Support

SALISBURY – A new small business was approved to open by the Mayor and City Council during this week’s meeting, and the council encouraged other small businesses to gain from the Neighborhood Business Works Program provided by the Maryland Department of Housing Community Development (DHCD). According to the project’s description, Alex and Erin Failaev, as well as Erin’s parents Robert and Penny Twilley, are creating Pemberton Café, located at 1100 Pemberton Drive,...READ MORE

Ocean City Burglar Gets 18-Month Sentence

SNOW HILL -- An Ocean City man, arrested in February for a spree of break-ins from one end of the resort to the other over a span of several months, pleaded guilty last week in Circuit Court to four counts of first-degree burglary and was sentenced to 13 years in jail, all but 18 months of which was suspended in favor of probation and thousands of dollars in restitution to his many victims. William Keith Freeman II, 25, appeared in Circuit Court last week to face 35 total charges from...READ MORE

Major Air Show Act Currently Grounded Over Safety Concerns

Promoter Planning Major Announcement For 2011 Lineup OCEAN CITY -- One of the headline acts for the 2011 Ocean City Air Show, the F-22 Raptors, has been placed on “stand-down” indefinitely, while the Air Force investigates potential problems with the oxygen systems on the aircraft, casting doubt on the appearance of the famous jets during the June event in the resort. The U.S. Air Force last week ordered a “stand-down” of all F-22 Raptors after persistent problems with...READ MORE

Inaugural Music Fest Planned In Berlin Tonight

BERLIN -- Berlin will be holding its first-ever May Day Play Day Music Fest (MDPD) this Friday from 5-9 p.m. “It will be a big night in Berlin,” said Economic Development Director Michael Day. Centered around the Atlantic Hotel in downtown Berlin, the music fest, which will coincide with the town’s traditional Second Friday Art Stroll, has a long list of performers. Playing at the Main Street Stage in front of the hotel will be the Bryan Russo Band, the Electric Company, Kaleb...READ MORE

Homeless Man Swipes Vehicle In OC

OCEAN CITY -- A homeless man was arrested on motor vehicle theft and drunk-driving-related charges this week after allegedly swiping a Ford Explorer with its keys in it and the engine running from a downtown street before abandoning it a short distance away. Shortly before 3 p.m. on Monday, Ocean City police was dispatched to the area of Dorchester Street and the Boardwalk for a reported motor vehicle theft that had just occurred. OCPD officers met with a witness and the victim, who told police...READ MORE

Berlin Extends Administrator’s Contract

BERLIN -- The Berlin Mayor and Council voted unanimously Monday to extend Town Administrator Tony Carson’s contract three more years. “The town has never been more self-sufficient,” said Mayor Gee Williams in justification of the extension. Carson began working for the town in January of 2009. According to Williams, Carson has been a large part of the effort to help Berlin climb out of the nationwide recession, an effort that Williams believes is succeeding. The council praised...READ MORE

Md. Appeals Court Upholds Company’s Coastal Withdraw

OCEAN CITY -- A Maryland appeals court this week ruled a major insurance carrier was well within its rights to stop writing new property insurance policies in coastal areas of the state including Ocean City and Worcester County, pointing out the decision was based on sound business practices and not discriminatory in any way. In December 2006, Allstate Insurance informed the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA) it would no longer be writing new property insurance policies in “certain...READ MORE