SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners approved a $189.5 million budget for fiscal year 2009 on Tuesday.Over $13.1 million was cut from $202 million in budget requests to meet the projected revenue levels for FY 09.“There are a lot of things all of us up here wish we could have given…you have to make… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Alternatives regarding the future of the Route 50 Bridge were presented at a public hearing last week, as several people weighed in on the potential bridge options. The Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC) took an official stance on the matter this week, choosing to back the rehabilitation alternative. Discussions regarding the ultimate… Read more »

BERLIN – The perpetrator of one of the most heinous crimes in Ocean City history, Jermaine Wright, is behind bars again this week after getting caught stealing scrap metal from a private excavating company in Somerset County just four months after his premature release for the 1995 murder.Wright, who in 1995 lured a young girl… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Resort Economic Development Committee (EDC) members gathered this week for their monthly meeting on the front edge of a new season, and a recurring theme throughout the morning appeared to be hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst.The meeting on Wednesday included much of the same rosy optimism expected… Read more »

BERLIN – More details emerged this week in the beating death of a Berlin teen last Thursday including the arrests of three local teens allegedly involved in the murder.According to police reports, a group of individuals including the victim, Michael Harry Mitchell, 19, of Berlin, and Daniel Edward Riley were sitting on a porch at… Read more »

Sgt. Ed FisherOCEAN CITY – With water temperatures around the 60-degree mark, only the bravest of swimmers have been heading into the ocean. What lifeguards have been focused on in recent weekends are windswept umbrellas barreling down the beach at speeds of 20 mph and more. High winds and gusts are common on the shoreline,… Read more »

SNOW HILL – The Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT) is saying it will take legal action if the Comprehensive Rezoning is not in place by the beginning of 2009, a process that’s still incomplete two years and three months after the new Worcester County Comprehensive Plan was approved in March 2006.“Assateague Coastal Trust is committed to… Read more »

BERLIN – A Berlin woman is behind bars this week on attempted murder charges after allegedly stabbing a man with whom she had an on-again, off-again relationship.Around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, Berlin Police responded to a residence on Bay Street for a reported stabbing incident. The initial investigation revealed there had been a dispute between… Read more »

SNOW HILL – A glossy new booklet to promote the local art scene is in the works for Worcester County.“It’s a brand new thing. Our push as of late has been to promote the arts, arts and entertainment,” said Worcester County Tourism Director Lisa Challenger. “It’ll be a way to promote our arts and entertainment… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – The Maryland Coastal Bays Program, in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, awarded $25,000 to 10 local organizations and community groups to conduct projects to educate the community and help protect wildlife and water quality in the Coastal Bays watershed.Through the Community Stewardship Mini-Grants Program, the Coastal Bays Program has funded over… Read more »