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NEW FOR THURSDAY: Assateague’s ‘Name That Foal’ Auction Sets Record

ASSATEAGUE -- A wild foal born on Assateague last spring has a new name after a record-setting “Name That Foal” eBay auction late last month. Each year, the Assateague Island Alliance auctions the naming rights to a foal born in the Assateague Island National Seashore and the proceeds support the organization’s management efforts for the herd of wild horses on the barrier island. The latest naming opportunity was auctioned on eBay in late December and brought a new record...READ MORE

NEW FOR THURSDAY: Thanos Case Recalled With Death Penalty In Focus

BERLIN -- With the governor’s proposed repeal of the death penalty taking center stage in the General Assembly this week, a brutal murder spree that began in Worcester County over two decades ago dimmed from memory over the years has come back into focus. On Tuesday, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley announced a renewed effort to repeal the death penalty in Maryland. The Maryland legislature reinstated the death penalty in 1990 and convicted murderer John Frederick Thanos, whose Labor...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: Boardwalk’s Purple Wood Not Connected To Ravens

OCEAN CITY – Placed in a timely manner as the Baltimore Ravens head to the AFC Championship this weekend, a unique purple section of Ocean City’s new Boardwalk was installed this week. While some may think it was placed to show pride in the Baltimore Ravens, the purple wood, called Purple Heart, was a planned marker on the Boardwalk to differentiate where the tram route moves from its own concrete lane and joins the wooden surface. The purple section of the Boardwalk begins on...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: Parents Seek Greater Urgency On New School Security Measures

SNOW HILL -- One month after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the Worcester County Board of Education outlined the status of security in schools and discussed how improvements might be made in the months to come. Several parents in the audience, however, called on the board to implement more security measures immediately no matter the cost. “We are willing to fund raise,” said Jeanne Zender, vice president of the Showell Elementary School (SES) PTA....READ MORE

NEW FOR TUESDAY: Local Woman Bilked In Sweepstakes Scam; Authorities Issue Reminders

BERLIN -- Law enforcement officials this week are warning residents about a telephone scam that convinced an unsuspecting local elderly woman that she had won $2.5 million in a sweepstakes before bilking her out of $40,000 in increments to collect the winnings. In October, an elderly victim who wishes to remain anonymous was contacted by telephone by a person claiming to be from the American Sweepstakes Network. The caller told the victim she had won $2.5 million. The victim had not entered any...READ MORE

NEW FOR MONDAY: Resort Man Caught Stealing Car, Then Jumps In Bay

OCEAN CITY -- Just nine days after being charged in connection with six burglaries in the Montego Bay area, an Ocean City man was arrested again early Saturday morning after allegedly stealing a car in the resort and jumping into the bay in an attempt to avoid capture. On Jan. 3, Ocean City police concluded a nine-month investigation into multiple burglaries with the arrest of Alexander George Ellis, 20, of Ocean City. For nine months, OCPD detectives investigated seven burglaries, all of which...READ MORE

Worcester Health Offices Now ‘Smoke Free’

SNOW HILL -- The air cleared up in Worcester County a little bit more last week when the County Commission voted to make County Health Department offices “smoke-free” as well as certain park areas and events. In this context, “smoke-free” actually means that no tobacco products at all will be allowed. County health facilities are already tobacco-free within buildings, explained Health Officer Debbie Goeller. The requested expansion of that policy will extend the rule onto...READ MORE

Turtle Phenomena Continues Even With Warm Weather

OCEAN CITY -- Despite the warm spell this week, the sudden phenomena of “cold-stunned” sea turtles discovered on beaches up and down the east coast, including some as close as Chincoteague, keeping marine mammal rescue crews in the region on high alert. Over the last couple of weeks, hundreds of sea turtles have been discovered on beaches in the mid-Atlantic region, and many are in rehabilitation centers including seven in the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The sea turtles hit...READ MORE

Town Officials, Berlin Fire Company Seek Fatal Accident Probe

BERLIN -- Reports of a Berlin Police Department (BPD) officer driving an ambulance transporting a victim in a fatal accident in December to the hospital have prompted a request for an investigation by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Service Systems (MIEMSS).The Berlin Mayor and Council and the Berlin Fire Company (BFC), which responded to the accident and would typically handle all medical transport, have asked MIEMSS to investigate, acknowledging that having a police officer...READ MORE

Suspect Charged With More North OC Burglaries

OCEAN CITY -- An Ocean City man, who pleaded guilty in November to one burglary in north Ocean City, was arrested last week after resort police were able to connect him to six other unsolved break-ins in the Montego Bay community in May. Last Thursday, the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) concluded a nine-month investigation into multiple burglaries with the arrest of Alexander George Ellis, 20, of Ocean City. For nine months, OCPD detectives investigated seven burglaries, all of which...READ MORE

State Agrees To Fund Offshore Wind Farm Survey

OCEAN CITY -- A future offshore wind energy farm off the coast of Ocean City inched a little closer to becoming a reality last week when the state Board of Public Works approved a $3.3 million contract for a private firm to conduct a geophysical survey of the proposed site about 10 miles off the coast. The three-member Board of Public Works, which includes Governor Martin O’Malley, Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy Kopp, last Wednesday approved the $3.3 million contract for...READ MORE

Salisbury Salary Study Delayed

SALISBURY -- The bidding process to find a group that will conduct a salary study for Salisbury employees was delayed this week so that the terms of the deal could be revised to include benefits as well as salary in the review. Additionally, which of the half-dozen potential agencies that applied will eventually conduct the study is unknown since there is disagreement between the council and the administration over the bids. After the delay, Councilwoman Laura Mitchell accused the majority of...READ MORE

Potential Impact Of N.J. Damage Weighed In OC

OCEAN CITY -- While stopping short of attempting to take advantage of the competition’s misfortune, Ocean City business leaders this week discussed the potential impact from the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy last fall on the resort’s rival communities to the north. In late October, Hurricane Sandy rolled through Ocean City and the mid-Atlantic, flooding low-lying areas and eroding beaches. However, the storm’s eye made landfall much farther north and caused devastation...READ MORE

Perdue, Family Seeking $3M In Attorney Fees

BERLIN -- Three weeks after a U.S. District Court judge issued a ruling in the landmark civil suit filed against a Berlin farm family and Perdue over alleged pollution violations dating back to 2009, the victorious defendants in the case this week filed separate motions seeking a combined $3 million in attorney fees and other associated costs. In March 2010, the New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance, along with the Assateague Coastal Trust and the Assateague Coastkeeper, filed suit in U.S....READ MORE

Industry Wants State To Add ‘More Money For Tourism’

OCEAN CITY -- The Ocean City Economic Development Committee (EDC) this week held its annual legislative meeting just hours before the start of the Maryland General Assembly session and the conversation ultimately came around to the state’s tourism budget. Maryland Hotel and Lodging Association President David Reel, who lobbies on behalf of the hospitality industry in Annapolis, on Wednesday addressed the EDC on a wide variety of pertinent issues in the current General Assembly session from...READ MORE

Downs Casino Revenue Figures Climb 11%

OCEAN CITY -- The December revenue figures for Maryland’s three operating casinos were released this week, while resort business leaders discussed what the next evolution might bring on the eve of another General Assembly session. The state’s three casinos generated just over $45 million in revenue in December, driven largely by Maryland Live!, the juggernaut in Anne Arundel County that opened last summer. Maryland Live! generated nearly $36 million of the state’s $45 million...READ MORE

Council Plans To Revisit Decision Abolishing Committees

OCEAN CITY – Councilman Joe Mitrecic followed his campaign pledge this week when he suggested the city hold a future discussion on re-establishing subcommittees dissolved by the former council majority over two years ago. At the end of this week’s Mayor and City Council meeting, Mitrecic took the opportunity to share some thoughts with his colleagues and the public as he proposed a future discussion to re-establish a few council committees if not all of them. Mitrecic rejoined the...READ MORE

Catch 54 Planning To Add Mexican Flare To Tiki Bar

OCEAN CITY – As Catch 54 settles into its new restaurant, a new addition will soon arrive next door to accommodate the summer crowd that misses the old building’s outdoor vibe. After a devastating fire a couple of summers ago, Catch 54, re-opened just a couple days before Memorial Day last summer just in time to show off the new buildings during the peak season. The new restaurant, which is located on Route 54 not even a mile off of Coastal Highway, lies within the same footprint of...READ MORE

Berlin Eyes $300K For Stormwater Utility

BERLIN -- Residents irate at heavy flooding after storms in Berlin may see relief soon, as the Mayor and Council decided Monday to move forward with the process of establishing a dedicated stormwater utility for the town. Flooding after rain events in Berlin has plagued residents for decades. Within the last few years, a push to mitigate the problem led the council to allow the University of Maryland’s Environmental Finance Center (EFC) to conduct a stormwater feasibility study for...READ MORE

Berlin Club Adds Youth Activities To Art Stroll

BERLIN -- Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services (WYFCS) will begin its new tie-in program with Berlin’s 2nd Friday Art Stroll this week. The organization’s Berlin Youth Club will be offering a free children’s art activity during this week’s stroll and every following stroll until at least June. “Each week has a theme and it’s going to be either an art period or an artist,” said Melanie Windsor, youth coordinator for WYFCS. The activity will be...READ MORE

New Year Brings Health Care Changes

SALISBURY – At the start of 2013, healthcare professionals are busy trying to manage changes brought by federal healthcare reform. “This is a pivotal year for the healthcare industry,” said Nancy Bagwell, branch director for Peninsula Home Care. “The line of thinking has moved from treatment to prevention and education. Healthcare professionals across all platforms will be in direct communication with each other about the status and needs of every patient. We will work...READ MORE

Berlin Seeking Fire Company’s ‘Actual Financial Status’

BERLIN -- In what could be the first tentative step towards what many in town will hope will be a peaceful reconciliation, the Mayor and Council recently directed Town Attorney Dave Gaskill to begin a dialogue with the Berlin Fire Company’s (BFC) legal representation. However, Gaskill’s job, according to Mayor Gee Williams, is only to request “specific financial documents” from the BFC so that the town can determine where the institution stands financially. Whether or not...READ MORE

OC Council Approves Utility’s Substation Expansion With Conditions

OCEAN CITY – Delmarva Power and Light (DP&L) received the Mayor and City Council’s approval to expand its substation in north Ocean City with fair warning not to exceed safe electromagnetic field (EMF) and noise levels. On Monday evening, for the second time, the Mayor and City Council was presented with a conditional use request to expand the existing DP&L substation between 137th and 138th Streets in the neighborhood of Caine Woods. Last August the Planning and Zoning...READ MORE

OC Experience Effort Modified, Approved

OCEAN CITY – Spark Productions reconvened this week with the Mayor and City Council to get the OC Experience underway, receiving a final blessing to move forward with the project despite a prior “painful” meeting. The OC Experience has developed quite a history with the city government without even hitting the road yet. The bumpy road began in February of 2011 when Brad Hoffman of Spark Productions first proposed the concept as a tractor trailer sporting Ocean City’s...READ MORE

OC Merchant Pleads To Selling Counterfeit Goods

OCEAN CITY -- An Ocean City Boardwalk store owner last week pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking in high-end counterfeit merchandise after a raid in August 2011. Liang Lin, 34, a Delaware resident, last week pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit merchandise at two Boardwalk stores he operated including Hot Topik in the area of 4th Street and Everything $5.99 and Up in the area of 8th Street. The two stores were raided by federal investigators and roughly 8,000 items of counterfeit...READ MORE

Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Reached

WEST OCEAN CITY -- A class action lawsuit against a popular restaurant chain, including its West Ocean City operation, over unfair wages for tipped employees was closed last week when the defendants reached a settlement totaling over $43,000 with several of the plaintiffs in the case. In late October, the Sakura Japanese Steakhouse chain was named the defendant in a class action lawsuit filed by a handful of former employees in U.S. District Court, alleging unfair labor and wage practices. The...READ MORE

Turtle Hatchling Saved On Island Headed To N.C.

ASSATEAGUE -- The loggerhead turtle hatchling rescued from the beach at Assateague in advance of Hurricane Sandy in late October continues to progress and has been moved to rehabilitation facility in North Carolina in what will likely be a final stop before a return to the wild in the near future. On October 26, just about two days before Hurricane Sandy arrived in the mid-Atlantic area, biological technicians and other staff from the Marine Animal Rescue Program (MARP) of the National Aquarium...READ MORE

New Technology Aids Knee Replacement Recovery

BERLIN -- A new approach to knee surgery is providing patients with faster operations and shorter recovery periods, according to representatives from Atlantic General Hospital (AGH). Even more appealing, said Dr. Tom Beck, D.O., is that the process is less invasive and many patients have reported reduced pain with the surgery when compared to a traditional knee replacement. Called “Visionaire Patient Match” technology, the new process is centered around using MRI and X-ray pictures...READ MORE

Ireton, Albero File For Salisbury’s Mayoral Seat

SALISBURY -- A heated contest to see who will be mayor of Salisbury after this spring’s election is already shaping up with current Mayor Jim Ireton announcing his bid for re-election just days before Joe Albero, a local blogger and one of Ireton’s harshest critics, declared his intentions to run. In this election, Ireton has said that he will be running on the strength of his record. In his announcement, he listed nearly a dozen “highlights” of his first term, including...READ MORE

Berlin Welcomes First Yarn Shop

BERLIN -- People are anything but shy about A Little Bit Sheepish, according to owner Brenda Trice, who said that Berlin has been incredibly welcoming to the yarn shop since it opened in the fall. “I do have some repeat customers already and some groups that have started coming in just to casually come and knit, which is what those areas in the front are for,” she said. Trice, a former Spanish teacher at Stephen Decatur High School, revealed she opened Sheepish because of her desire...READ MORE

350-Plus Pounds Of Pot Seized After Traffic Stop

OCEAN CITY – To the knowledge of the Maryland State Police at the Berlin barrack, the largest marijuana bust in the history of Worcester County took place last month after a driver did not follow one of Maryland’s newest traffic laws. Around 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 30, a Maryland State Police (MSP) trooper in an unmarked car with its red and blue lights flashing was stopped on the shoulder along Route 113 just north of Germantown Rd. in Berlin. A Toyota Sienna van, driven by Donald P....READ MORE