OCEAN CITY – Atlantic General Hospital’s 14th Annual Penguin Swim raised more than $67,000 this year.Hundreds of philanthropic souls plunged into the Atlantic Ocean on a beautiful and mild New Year’s Day in front of the Princess Royale on 94th Street.After the chilly dip, at a ceremony held at the beachfront hotel, teams and individuals… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – The first Ocean City Air Show will be flying into Ocean City this June, and although the event will be occurring mid-week, organizers of the event are confident that it will be a strong first year for what they hope will become a staple event for Ocean City. This week, Special Events… Read more »

BERLIN – When reassessment notices arrived for property owners in a large section of Worcester County last week, a seemingly innocuous questionnaire regarding Homestead Tax Cap eligibility was included that might otherwise be discarded, but local property owners should not ignore the document at the risk of overspending on property taxes.The State Department of Assessment… Read more »

BERLIN – The sales tax in Maryland officially increased by 20 percent yesterday, from five cents on the dollar to six cents, sending many local merchants scrambling to physically implement the change at the cash register. During a rare special session in November, state lawmakers voted to increase the sales tax in Maryland as part… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – More than 50 bird watchers flocked to the area last Friday to participate in the 60th Annual Ocean City Christmas Bird Count, observing a variety of avian species and coming close to breaking the areas all time record of total species observed. Each year, from Dec. 14 to Jan. 5, volunteers across… Read more »

BERLIN – Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT) hosted its 28th Annual New Years Day beach walk on Assateague Island with over 225 people joining the New Years event.  ACT renamed the event the “Ilia Fehrer-Judy Johnson Memorial Beach Walk” in honor of Fehrer and Johnson, both of whom passed away within the past year. They were… Read more »

BERLIN – The Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) yesterday announced Executive Director Dave Blazer was leaving the program after nearly a decade of shepherding the fledgling quasi-government agency through its infancy and helping raise environmental awareness in the county.Blazer is leaving the program he helped nurture to take a similar position with an environmental consulting… Read more »

SNOW HILL – Waterfront landowners in Worcester County now have a chance at state funding to create living shorelines instead of hard bulkheads along the county’s creeks and bays.“This is an opportunity for a private property owner to get some matching funds,” said Katherine Munson, a planner for Worcester County.Properties where the shoreline can be… Read more »

SNOW HILL – After wrangling over the inclusion of synthetic turf athletic fields, the Worcester County Commissioners approved the $34.4 million price tag on the Pocomoke High School (PHS) renovation and additions this week.The commissioners actually took two votes, but the first motion was withdrawn when Commissioner Judy Boggs realized the wording of her motion… Read more »

SNOW HILL – The first phase of the Route 50 service road project could come in under budget by as much as $260,000.Phase 1A of the eagerly anticipated service road that will run south of Route 50, eventually from Holly Grove Rd. to Seahawk Rd., and access the Wal-Mart and Home Depot stores, should be… Read more »