OCEAN CITY – With almost a year to go until expansion of Ocean City’s skate park is expected to be complete, members of the Recreation and Park Committee sat down Tuesday morning to look at where the park stands currently and what can be done in the coming months to prepare it for the busy… Read more »

ANNAPOLIS – It now appears a statewide smoking ban in Maryland will become a reality after both the full House and Senate approved their own versions of a bill this week, but there are some differences to iron out before the measures are passed along to the governor for approval.The House approved its version of… Read more »

NEWARK – Further evidence of the changing face of Worcester County was revealed last week during the Worcester County Board of Education monthly meeting when it was reported the number of students enrolled in the school system’s English Language Learner (ELL) program has increased by 215 percent since 2000.Worcester County Schools ELL Coordinator Diane Stulz… Read more »

BERLIN – Questions and suspicions over the Cannery Village workforce housing project arose Monday night during what appeared to be a routine meeting over a block grant.At this week’s meeting, the Berlin Mayor and Council questioned Don Bibb, executive director of project co-developer Housing Authority of Talbot County (HCTC), closely over the apparently diminished role… Read more »

BERLIN – Berlin can now count updated geographic information among its planning and infrastructure tools, with the delivery of a new geographic information system (GIS).The Mayor and Council authorized the geographic information project to map the town’s tax information, and sewer and water systems, last April, asking Dr. Mike Scott of Salisbury University’s Eastern Shore… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Superintendent of Public Works Maintenance Bruce Gibbs gave a presentation to the Mayor and City Council Tuesday concerning a fencing project that would add white, vinyl picket fences to the municipal parking lots downtown. Gibbs reported that the project is doable but did have a few concerns regarding the idea.“For one, you… Read more »

SNOW HILL – A longtime Ocean City Elementary School teacher accused of child abuse and assault after allegedly throwing a problem student to the floor during a summer school session last July was cleared of all charges this week in an emotionally charged trial in Worcester County Circuit Court.Sheridan Hurley Brueckner, 64, a teacher at… Read more »

ANNAPOLIS – Maryland sex offender laws got much stronger this week when both the House and Senate passed the so-called Jessica’s Law, which includes among other things no possibility of parole for convicted offenders serving minimum mandatory sentences.The full House approved House Bill 930 with a unanimous 138-0 vote, while the Senate approved the companion… Read more »

BERLIN – The town of Berlin may seek expert help in writing the new comprehensive plan, after a presentation by a nationally known expert caught the attention of a Town Council member and local developers might help foot the bill.At the Berlin Planning Commission meeting this month, Stacey Weisner, Berlin’s Superintendent of Planning and Zoning,… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – April’s showers, making an appearance in March this year, dropped quite a bit of rain on the resort in a period of a couple days recently, giving reason for concerned residents to question the city’s powers regarding what it can do with the problem of flooding on Coastal Highway after these deluges.During… Read more »