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NEW FOR THURSDAY: OC Summer Song Contest Approved

OCEAN CITY – With the process and official rules outlined this week, the Ocean City Song of the Summer Contest will be gearing up soon. The contest details were released this week and received permission from the Mayor and City Council to move ahead. According to the official rules, participants are to write and record an original song that shares their passion for Ocean City. The song will become the official song of the 2012 summer in Ocean City. Once the contest is set up, song...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: Missing NY Man’s Body Found In Bay

OCEAN CITY -- A missing person search in the resort over the last two weeks took a tragic turn last night when the remains of the upstate New York man were recovered from the bay near 32nd Street. Around 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Ocean City Police responded to the area of 32nd Street for a report of a possible deceased body in the bay. The remains, which were recovered by the U.S Coast Guard, were later confirmed to be Lance Corey Gaines, 22, of Groton, N.Y., who was reported missing back on April...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: City Manager Pick May Have No Other Choice But To Accept OC Job

OCEAN CITY -- The choice of the next city manager has been made in Ocean City, leaving a government in Florida in a confused state and awaiting word on whether its chief executive is heading north or not. After a 90-minute closed session yesterday, Council President Jim Hall reported the council voted 4-3 --  Brent Ashley, Joe Hall, Jim Hall and Margaret Pillas in support and Doug Cymek, Mary Knight and Lloyd Martin in opposition -- to instruct Springsted, its hired consulting...READ MORE

BREAKING NEWS: OC Council Decides On City Manager

OCEAN CITY -- Although the individual’s identity has not been confirmed officially, the City Council voted 4-3 in closed session this afternoon to move forward with negotiations for the next city manager. The council went into closed session at 11:30 a.m. today and returned 90 minutes to report the results of the meeting. The council will now continue the process, which includes salary negotiations and a time table for the individual. The 4-3 vote fell on majority-minority lines with Brent...READ MORE

NEW FOR TUESDAY: City Manager Vote Expected Today

OCEAN CITY -- With a looming vote on the next city manager expected this afternoon, an ethics complaint against the city councilman who called a leading candidate was dropped yesterday afternoon. Details of the Ethics Committee meeting yesterday at City Hall are unclear as all parties have been instructed to not discuss the private personnel matters. However, what is known is the complaint was withdrawn. Last Friday morning, Citizens For Ocean City spokesman Joe Groves headed to City Hall to...READ MORE

NEW FOR FRIDAY: Ethics Hearing On Councilman’s Phone Call To City Manager Candidate Set For Monday

OCEAN CITY -- A request for an ethics inquiry involving a councilman’s phone call this month to a leading candidate for the city manager vacancy was filed this morning at City Hall. Joe Groves, spokesman for the Citizens For Ocean City group, which was formed last September after longtime City Manager Dennis Dare’s abrupt removal, filed the papers around 9 a.m. with the City Clerk’s Office. Groves is asking the Ethics Commission be convened and hold a hearing. He has also sent...READ MORE

Planning Commission Holds Off Pines Rezoning Call

SNOW HILL -- The Worcester County Planning Commission decided to delay a vote earlier this month on a re-zoning request to change the designation of a large property near Ocean Pines from agricultural to commercial. While the change is being endorsed by a number of engineers, land planners and even Atlantic General Hospital (AGH) CEO Michael Franklin, there is some pushback from residents in the area who worry about what commercial zoning could mean near their neighborhood, especially with...READ MORE

Council Irons Out Differences Over City Legal Fees

SALISBURY – The City Council came to a calm and collected agreement this week on the amount to increase the General Fund budget to cover the city attorney’s fees for the remainder of the fiscal year. A couple of weeks ago, City Attorney Mark Tilghman didn’t know whether he would return to work the next day, as an ordinance approving his pay through the end of the fiscal year stopped in its tracks. According to the ordinance, the FY12 General Fund and Sewer Fund budgets were...READ MORE

City Manager Vote Could Come Next Week Despite Councilman’s Call To Candidate

OCEAN CITY -- An elected official’s 13-minute phone conversation with a leading candidate to fill the city manager vacancy has called into question the integrity of the search process in its final days. The Ocean City Mayor and Council will most likely decide next week between two candidates, who were unanimously supported by the council for a final interview that took place earlier this month. According to Council President Jim Hall, the process is currently awaiting the completion of...READ MORE

Berlin Eases B&B Regulations

BERLIN -- Stringent regulations on what can and cannot be done at bed-and-breakfast facilities in Berlin could be relaxed somewhat after town officials this week approved a code amendment that would allow innkeepers to ask the Board of Zoning Appeals for leeway in certain cases. The regulations covering bed-and-breakfast facilities in Berlin are particularly onerous, essentially allowing just a night’s stay and a morning meal to guests. However, bed-and-breakfast facilities in Berlin,...READ MORE

Lt. Gov. Tours Boardwalk With Officials

OCEAN CITY -- Against the backdrop of preparations for one of the biggest events of the spring season, Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown last week toured the south end of the Boardwalk and extolled the virtues of the famous promenade’s economic impact on the entire state. Last Friday afternoon, Brown toured the Boardwalk with Senator James Mathias, Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce executive director Melanie Pursel and a handful of resort business leaders on the eve of the Susan G....READ MORE

Komen Race Eyes Return To Resort; Officials Pleased With Turnout

OCEAN CITY – Despite the gloomy weather, the Inaugural Komen Maryland Ocean City Race for the Cure held last Sunday beat expectations as support turned out from all directions. According to Susan G. Komen Communications and Development Coordinator Brittany Fowler, a goal was set to have 3,000 participants register for the race, and as of Tuesday, the count was up to 3,694, including 142 people who registered on race day. In addition, Komen’s goal was to raise at least $240,000 for...READ MORE

New Restaurants Set For Berlin

BERLIN -- Berlin officials this week agreed to formally endorse the application for two new restaurant liquor licenses on Main Street after an appeal for support by the property owner. The Berlin Mayor and Council on Monday agreed to send a formal letter of support to Worcester County’s Board of License Commissioners (BLC) on behalf of Ernest Gerardi, who is seeking Class B seven-day beer, wine and liquor licenses for two new restaurants on North Main Street. Gerardi has applied for the...READ MORE

OC Police Seek Missing Man

OCEAN CITY -- Ocean City Police this week are seeking the public’s help in locating a New York man reported missing by his family since early last Saturday morning. Lance Corey Gaines, who was visiting Ocean City with his family from upstate New York, was last seen on April 21 at approximately 1 a.m. at the Sandbar on 33rd Street. Gaines has brown hair, blue eyes and was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt. He is roughly 6’4” tall and about 190 pounds. According to...READ MORE

Coast Guard Monitoring Whales

OCEAN CITY -- With several whale species returning to the mid-Atlantic area as part of the normal migration pattern, the U.S. Coast Guard this week is reminding commercial and recreational vessels of the rules governing their health and safety. According to Coast Guard officials, every year from November to April, several whale species return to coastal waters in the mid-Atlantic as part of their usual migratory routes and calving grounds. In recent weeks, the Coast Guard, in partnership with...READ MORE

Berlin Council Moves To Raise Home Height Limits

BERLIN -- After considerable debate about loosening the town’s height restriction on residential buildings, Berlin officials this week made a blanket decision to increase the limitation to 35 feet across the board. Currently, the town code allows for a maximum height of 30 feet on residential construction in Berlin. Developers of new residential projects currently have the opportunity to ask the town’s Board of Zoning Appeals for relief from the building height cap, but only if...READ MORE

Grand Jury Indicts Pair For Covering Up Sheddy Murder

SNOW HILL -- The other shoe dropped this week for a pair of Lower Shore residents implicated in the murder of Christine Sheddy, a Delaware woman reported missing in November 2007 whose remains were later found buried under a bed-and-breakfast in Snow Hill, after a Worcester County grand jury this week indicted one on first-degree murder and the other on being an accessory after the fact. Clarence “Junior” Jackson, 37, of Eden, was indicted this week by a Worcester County grand jury...READ MORE

Gaddis, Taylor Among Worcester Superintendent Finalists

NEWARK -- The list of candidates to replace departing Worcester County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jon Andes was pared to four this week, including two familiar faces and a pair of outsiders. The superintendent search began late last year after Andes announced his retirement in October. Andes’ term will end officially in June after 16 years as the head of the state’s most highly decorated school system. The superintendent search, facilitated by the Maryland Association of Boards of...READ MORE

Salisbury Mayor Proposes Property Tax Rate Hike

SALISBURY – The City Council and the public received the mayor’s fiscal year 2013 proposed budget this week. Mayor Jim Ireton started off the presentation reviewing the assessable base of the city, the actual value of all of the property within the city limits. The assessable value is close to what it was in 2008, which is $2.1 million. It increased in 2009 by about 10 percent, again in 2010 by about 8.7 percent, but in 2011 decreased by 6.8 percent. The value is estimated to...READ MORE

Berlin Is State’s 1st Sustainable Municipality

BERLIN -- Berlin’s growing environmental efforts have been honored with two significant awards including being named the first Sustainable Maryland Certified Municipality and receiving one of the first-ever Worcester Green Awards. Grow Berlin Green team members Steve Farr, Dave Wilson, Jane Kreiter, Kate Patton, Kathy Phillips and Debbi Dean-Colley came before the Mayor and Council on Monday to present the town with the two environmental awards. Earlier this month, the town of Berlin...READ MORE

Casino Owner Says No Plans To Offer Free Booze, Food

SNOW HILL -- Fears of an expanded presence at the Casino at Ocean Downs, including new developments on the site and a relaxation of the restrictions of food and drink giveaways, were allayed somewhat this week after red flags were raised earlier this winter. Worcester County’s Local Development Council (LDC), which oversees issues related to the Casino at Ocean Downs, met with casino officials, including owner William Rickman, Jr., this week to discuss language in a bill nearly passed by...READ MORE

Court Reverses Rape Conviction

SALISBURY -- A Salisbury man convicted in 2010 of first-degree rape and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole was given a shot at a new trial this week when the Maryland Court of Appeals reversed the conviction over an alleged DNA sample collection. In July 2010, Alonzo Jay King, Jr., now 29, was found guilty of first-degree rape for an unsolved 2003 case during which he allegedly broke down the door of a residence in Salisbury, armed with a gun and wearing a mask over...READ MORE

Boardwalk Phase I Completed

OCEAN CITY – The first phase of Ocean City’s Boardwalk reconstruction was officially completed last week in plenty of time for the summer season. “It went very well,” City Engineer Terry McGean said. “We finished ahead of schedule and under budget, so that’s always two good things.” The last board was nailed down last Thursday, April 19, at precisely 10 a.m. on 15th Street. Phase I included reconstruction from 27th Street to 15th Street as well as the...READ MORE

Attempted Murder Plea Deal Reached

OCEAN CITY -- An Ocean City man charged with attempted first-degree murder after running over a convenience store employee with his vehicle following an apparent dispute over $10 reached a plea agreement late last week and now faces as many as 25 years in jail pending the outcome of a pre-sentence investigation. Richard L. Edwards, 65, was charged with attempted first-degree murder and other serious charges after an incident last June 9 during which he ran over a north-end 7-Eleven employee as...READ MORE

County Store’s Alcohol License Revoked; Other Businesses Fined

SNOW HILL -- Ten area businesses faced hearings for alcohol sales to minors at last Wednesday’s Board of License Commissioners (BLC) meeting. A total of $3,500 in fines was levied and one Snow Hill store was forced to turn in its alcohol license. One common theme stood out in all of the cases where underage Sheriff’s Office cadets attempted to buy alcohol -- a failure by clerks to simply deny vertical Maryland licenses, which board members assert would prevent a huge majority of...READ MORE

Salisbury Council Backs Arts, Crafts Market Plan

SALISBURY – A new weekly activity is scheduled to begin in the downtown area of Salisbury as the city agrees to support a new Arts and Crafts Market established by the Arts and Entertainment District and Chamber of Commerce. In early April, Salisbury Arts and Entertainment District Chair Raymond A. Vorus submitted a letter, supported by the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce, to the city requesting support to establish the Riverside Arts & Crafts Market in response to desires to bring...READ MORE

Spicer Bell Honored With Schaefer Award

SALISBURY -- Dr. Spicer Bell, president of the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, last week received the coveted inaugural William Donald Schaefer Helping People Award for Wicomico County. Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot presented the award at the Community Foundation office on April 19. Looking on as Bell received his award were local public officials, Community Foundation board members, staff and friends. Franchot created the award to recognize organizations and individuals in each...READ MORE

Worcester Schools Get Early Close Date

NEWARK -- With one of the mildest winters in recent memory resulting in no inclement weather closures, Worcester County Public Schools will close three days earlier than anticipated this year. The last day of school for Worcester County Public School students will be Friday, June 8. Thursday and Friday, June 7 and 8, will be half-days for all students. Lunch time will be scheduled into the half-days. Each school will inform parents of dismissal times, and bus transportation will operate...READ MORE

Trial Date Inked In Case Settlement Talks Unsuccessful

BERLIN -- The ongoing legal battle between a Berlin family farm, Perdue and an environmental watchdog group over alleged pollution runoff violations is headed for an October trial unless a settlement can be reached. In March 2010, the New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance, along with the Assateague Coastkeeper and the Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT), filed suit in U.S. District Court against Perdue and Berlin’s Hudson Farm, a contract Perdue factory farm operation of about 80,000 birds. The...READ MORE

Pedestrian Hit In Area Targeted By New Initiative

OCEAN CITY -- Despite efforts by the State Highway Administration (SHA) to identify and clearly mark problem intersections along Coastal Highway earlier this spring, a 23-year-old Ocean City man was struck attempting the cross the roadway last Friday afternoon at one of the areas targeted with the new initiative. Around 12:15 a.m. last Friday, Ocean City Police responded to the area of 33rd Street and Coastal Highway for a reported vehicle collision involving a pedestrian. According to police...READ MORE

Operation Medicine Drop Sites Announced

BERLIN -- Local officials from the Worcester County Sheriff's Office, Worcester County Health Department, Ocean City Police Department, Berlin Police Department and Assateague Coastal Trust/Coastkeeper this week announced the drop off locations for Operation Medicine Drop, a one-day drug take back effort on Saturday April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Worcester County residents are encouraged to bring unwanted, unused, expired over-the-counter and prescription medications to the following drop...READ MORE

Survey Confirms Chesapeake Blue Crab Stock Rebounding

BERLIN -- State officials late last week announced the Chesapeake Bay’s juvenile crab population is at its highest level on record and the overall blue crab population in the bay is at its highest since 1993. Joined by stakeholders and elected officials, Governor Martin O’Malley revealed the results of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) annual winter dredge survey. The latest survey, completed in March, appears to signal a continued recovery of Maryland’s...READ MORE

WACS Center Makeover Draws State, Local Officials

WEST OCEAN CITY -- Several state and local dignitaries were on hand last Friday afternoon to celebrate the recently completed renovation of the Joan W. Jenkins Foundation Atlantic Club’s Worcester County Addictions Cooperative Services (WACS) Center on Route 50 in West Ocean City. Since 1988, the WACS Center has been housed in a building owned by the Joan W. Jenkins Foundation and operated in part by the Atlantic Club, a recovery organization that hosts 12-step groups, and the Worcester...READ MORE

OC Property Value Decline’s Impact On Tax Rate Explained

OCEAN CITY – Alarm over the proposed increase in Ocean City’s tax rate has led to city finance experts to provide a breakdown of the town’s assessments and tax rate in an attempt to relieve some confusion. During last week’s budget wrap-up, Finance Administrator Martha Bennett began by reviewing the actual value of Ocean City properties as far back as 1978, concluding that 2013’s property values have returned to the same level as in 2007. “A lot of things have...READ MORE

Eastern Shore Postal Facility To Remain Open

BERLIN -- One week after battling for amendments to a proposed bill that included the closure of the U.S. Postal Service mail processing facility in Easton, which serves the entire Eastern Shore, Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin this week received assurances the facility will remain open. On Tuesday, Mikulski and Cardin announced their advocacy to protect mail delivery service standards in the U.S. Senate’s 21st Century Postal Reform Act has led to changes in the bill that will...READ MORE

Bikes To The Beach This Weekend

OCEAN CITY -- Featuring live music, a custom bike show, celebrities and a new bike run, the 2nd Annual Bikes to the Beach extravaganza is now underway and continues through Sunday. Hosted at Hooper’s Crab House in West Ocean City and the Oasis Bar and Grille in Whaleyville, events are planned throughout the weekend and include something for everyone, particularly live music. Throughout this year’s event, a participant ride will consist of a treasure hunt. Participants will register...READ MORE

Boardwalkin’ For Pets Saturday

OCEAN CITY -- The Worcester County Humane Society is having its 13th Annual Boardwalkin’ for Pets event on Saturday, April 28, rain or shine, on the Boards in Ocean City. The event is from 9 a.m.-noon and is hosted by The Wave, 97.1. Participants collect pledges from friends, family, and co-workers, and can walk with their dog either the 2.5-mile or 5-mile course. If you raise $25, you receive a dog bandana. If you raise $50, you receive a bandana and a T-shirt. If you raise $100, you...READ MORE

Berlin Trails Promoted Saturday

BERLIN -- Trail Mix 2012, an event to promote trails around Berlin and to encourage families, kids and bike and fitness enthusiasts to get out and around town, will take place Saturday, April 28. Walk, bike, run or push a stroller for the inaugural trail event that kicks off with a ribbon cutting for the Safe Routes to School Program at Berlin Intermediate School at 9:30 a.m. The idea behind Trail Mix 2012 is to promote the town’s heritage, natural areas and resources and to foster better...READ MORE

Local Optimist Club Celebrates 40 Years

OCEAN CITY – To mark the occasion of its 40th Anniversary of service to the community, the Ocean City/Berlin Optimist Club reviewed this week its rather extensive history of accomplishments over the last four decades. On Saturday, April 28, the Ocean City/Berlin Optimist Club will celebrate 40 years of service and that same evening its Youth Foundation will celebrate 20 years of service. The Optimist Club was founded on April 26, 1972 with 30 members to aid and encourage the development of...READ MORE

Grotto’s First Md. Restaurant Opens This Weekend

OCEAN CITY – The first Grotto Pizza in Maryland is scheduled to open its doors this weekend in Ocean City. Grotto Pizza was started in 1960 by 17-year-old Dominick Pulieri from Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He was making pizza from an early age in his brother-in-law’s restaurant and ventured into Delaware to start a pizza restaurant of his own. To this day, Pulieri is the CEO and president of the 52-year-old company. “It is an amazing story, he started it with nothing and we now have 17...READ MORE

Families Invited To Annual Beach Kite Expo

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 Expo (M.I.K.E.), set for April 27-29. The festival will be showcasing a spectacular cast of kite flyers from all over the United States. The giant kite field will be coordinated by Jeff and Joyce King. Thousands of spectators will watch giant kites, as big as a city bus, fly high above the Ocean City skyline. In addition, stunt teams will perform amazing...READ MORE

CASA Program Marks 10 Years Of Helping Youth

BERLIN -- Worcester County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program celebrated its 10th Anniversary last week with a special breakfast for volunteers that included performances by Most Blessed Sacrament school choir and Stephen Decatur Middle School students showcasing their play, Nifty Fiftys. After a decade the program is going strong and nearing its goal of providing services for 100 percent of youth in the court system in Worcester. “It’s amazing to see the growth...READ MORE

Carving Competition Features New Events

OCEAN CITY — Bird carving has evolved from its utilitarian beginnings as a tool for hunting, into a fine art which is coveted by celebrities and avid collectors alike. These carvings mimic wildfowl species such as red tail hawks, bald eagles, saw whet owls, wood ducks and hundreds of other wildfowl species from around the globe. Now in its 42nd year, world-class artists from the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia will return to Ocean City to showcase their carving skills at the Ward...READ MORE