OCEAN CITY – Federal fisheries officials this week announced an increase in the black sea bass quota throughout the mid-Atlantic including Ocean City for 2010, but the emergency action did not make any adjustments to the length of the season, which could be limited from May to September.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Fisheries Service… Read more »

SNOW HILL – An Ocean City man, who years ago befriended a female companion and earned her trust before embarking on a theft scheme involving her credit cards and personal checks to the tune of over $10,000, was found guilty last week in Circuit Court to felony theft scheme and was sentenced to seven years… Read more »

FENWICK ISLAND – A search continued yesterday for a local man who went missing late Tuesday night in Fenwick Island after last being seen leaving a party, as Delaware law enforcement agencies coordinated with volunteers to comb the area.Gregory R. Forte, 29, of Selbyville, was last seen around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the area… Read more »

BERLIN – A Maryland state grant for community enhancements will infuse $150,000 into the Berlin Main Street Program’s façade improvement efforts.The Community Legacy grant from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to the Berlin Main Street Program totals $75,000.Funding from the local business community will match that $75,000 dollar for dollar, making sure… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – The Maryland Open Meeting Compliance Board, an arm of the state Attorney General’s Office, has ruled in favor of Ocean City on a complaint filed by a private citizen with a long track record of similar complaints, finding the Mayor and Council did not violate a closed session law when it allegedly… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — In the brief this week, the town opted to save some money by allowing the town’s tax bill to be handled by the county, the Fire Marshal’s Office was approved for some costly new equipment via grant money and several beach stand franchise bids came in a little below last year’s numbers.Town… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Apparently unsatisfied with the outcome of his case, an Ocean City Police Department sergeant last week filed an appeal in his civil suit against the town and its police department alleging he was bypassed for promotion to lieutenant when he was called into active service for the U.S. Coast Guard following the… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — Now that the town’s main secondary wastewater clarifier has been fixed, it appears that the other two are in need of repair as well.The condition of the town’s 29-year-old secondary wastewater clarifiers came into question again this week, as officials told the Mayor and City Council that both the center and the… Read more »

By Elizabeth GregorySpecial To The DispatchOCEAN CITY – On Nov. 6, 2009, President Obama signed into law the “Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009.” This new law extends and generally liberalizes the tax credit for first-time homebuyers, making it a more flexible tax-saving tool. It also includes some crackdowns designed to prevent abuse… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — Taxi companies won’t be the only ones seeing their costs spike with the proposed medallion system in Ocean City, as the City Council approved the first rate rise for riders in almost four years on Monday night.At the end of round two of a three-round battle to approve a new ordinance restructuring… Read more »