SNOW HILL – A Berlin man convicted in December on first-degree rape charges was sentenced last week in Worcester County Circuit Court to 40 years in jail.Preston Lewis Whaley, Jr., 43, of Berlin was convicted in December on first-degree rape and first-degree assault charges for an incident dating back to August, which was just the… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – At a work session of the Mayor and City Council this week, a variety of issues were discussed. The following is a brief look at some of the happenings at City Hall this week. Request For Purchase Of Gas Monitoring EquipmentThe Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company (OCVFC) appeared before the Mayor and… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – The Mayor and Council will hold a public hearing in the near future in an effort to resolve issues surrounding the on-going efforts to repair the bulkhead along South Ocean Drive. City Engineer Terry McGean presented the proposal for a public hearing at a work session of the Mayor and City Council… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City will be gaining assistance from Maryland once again in 2008 through the seasonal borrowing of articulating transit buses.George Thornes, Transportation Superintendent, came before the Mayor and City Council this week seeking approval for the annual request of the articulating transit buses. Each year Ocean City’s Transportation Department makes the request… Read more »

BERLIN – With the deadline for introducing new bills rapidly approaching, state lawmakers this week continued to flood the hoppers on both sides of the aisle as several bills of local import were introduced.Today, Feb. 1, is the Senate introduction date and the last day to introduce new legislation on the House side arrives next… Read more »

ASSATEAGUE – Amid much fanfare and long speeches by state and federal lawmakers, ground was officially broken on Monday for the long-awaited Barrier Island Visitors Center on Assateague Island. Retired U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes, along with his successor Sen. Ben Cardin and Congressman Wayne Gilchrest, were among the dignitaries on hand on Monday for the… Read more »

WEST OCEAN CITY – In the first 10 days of the Route 50 bridge closure, a county-sponsored shuttle bus moved 1,309 people between Ocean City and West Ocean City.“That is just astonishing,” said County Commissioner Bud Church, who also serves as president of the Tri-County Council (TCC), which operates Shore Transit, the county’s public transportation… Read more »

BERLIN – Despite a professed desire to ask for more sewer capacity, the town of Berlin is going ahead with work on the lower capacity wastewater plant.“My understanding is we’re proceeding with the .75 million gallons per day (mgd),” said Berlin Administrative Director Linda Bambary this week.Town representatives informed the Worcester County Commissioners of their… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Restaurants and bars in Ocean City and across Maryland are completely smoke-free starting today with the arrival of the effective date of legislation passed last year to prohibit smoking in all indoor public places with few exceptions.Many businesses throughout the area this week scrubbed the last vestiges of smoking from their establishments,… Read more »

BERLIN – The perpetrator of one of the most heinous crimes in Ocean City history, Jermaine Wright, who in 1995 lured a young girl in the resort for Senior Week into his car before ultimately murdering her and discarding her body near a country road, gets released from prison next week, years before expected and… Read more »