BERLIN – After months of no progress on the comprehensive plan, the town of Berlin has voted to hire a consultant to complete the land use document on time.The Berlin comprehensive plan has languished incomplete for months. A draft was presented to the town and public last spring, and revisions were reportedly made based on… Read more »

BERLIN – The replacement of Dave Rovansek on the Berlin Planning Commission was due to a misunderstanding, several Berlin Mayor and Council members said Monday night before voting to establish an alternate for Rovansek, as he had originally requested.Mayor Tom Cardinale proposed the alternate system Monday night, reversing his appointment of John Barrett as a… Read more »

SNOW HILL – Worcester County attorney Ed Hammond will retire at the end of January, with 33 years of service to Worcester County on his resume.Hammond took up the county attorney post part-time in 1974 and resigned from his private law practice to work full-time for the county in 2002.He had little thought of a… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – While there will not be a full Ocean City Marathon this spring for the first time in three years, plans are starting to emerge for a similar event including a half-marathon and a 5K race in April.The closure of the Route 50 Bridge and other possible road construction projects in the resort… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Further results of a visitor survey were presented to the Tourism Commission this week, giving them a more in-depth look at what visitors prefer and do not enjoy about Ocean City. In October, MGH Advertising presented the Tourism Commission with the results of over 2,000 surveys. The results revealed some surprising and… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Although the reality of slots at Ocean Downs now appears closer than ever with the passage of a bill last month to let the voters of Maryland decide the issue once and for all in a referendum vote next November, local opposition has not waned as several business leaders and elected officials… Read more »

BERLIN – If popular local attorney Joseph Moore is successful in his attempt to follow another Berlin native son to the bench of Maryland’s highest court, he will have bypassed an important step in the path taken by his predecessor, Judge Dale Cathell, but the two have otherwise followed eerily similar career paths.Moore this week… Read more »

OCEAN CITY –The end date for the moratorium on sexually oriented businesses has been postponed yet again, with the City Council unanimously agreeing this week to extend the moratorium until March 1, giving them more time to pass ordinances regarding the issue. City Planner Jesse Houston made another appearance before the Mayor and Council this… Read more »

SNOW HILL – Campgrounds should be restricted to accessory buildings 35 feet or less in height, the Worcester County Planning Commission concluded last week at their December meeting.The commission supported an increase in the building height allowed, but did not go as far as Eagle’s Nest campground owner Jack Burbage would have liked.Burbage requested a… Read more »

SNOW HILL – The adult oriented business law sought by the County Commissioners received a favorable recommendation from the Worcester County Planning Commission last week and will probably go before the commissioners on Tuesday.The three north county sites that could become host to adult oriented businesses are all on heavy industrial land, in a bid… Read more »