July 14

Photo by Chris Parypa

Photo by Nick Denny

Photo by Nick Denny

SERVING DELMARVA FOR 60 YEARS

School Board, Unions Extend Compensation Talks

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

NEWARK – The Worcester County Board of Education voted unanimously this week to extend negotiations with the teachers association.

The school board on Tuesday agreed to extend negotiations with the Worcester County Teachers Association (WCTA) and the Worcester County Education Support Personnel Association. Though the groups had initially agreed to certain salary increases for staff, administration said the school system could not afford those increases with the maintenance of effort (MOE) level of funding Worcester County provided this year.

“We are hopeful we can work some kind of increase in,” said Beth ShockleyLynch, president of the WCTA. “We’re trying to make the best package we can

with the limited funds. It won’t be as good as we negotiated but they deserve something.”

The school board last month approved an updated budget featuring a variety of cuts to address a $4.4 million shortfall that arose with the county’s approval of a MOE budget for the school system. Officials made clear at that time the 4% pay increase for teachers and the 4.5% pay increase for support staff could not be funded with the reduced budget. As a result, negotiations between the associations and the school board have been ongoing.

At this week’s school board meeting, several parents and teachers spoke in support of educators. Rose Zollinger, parent of children in the school system who is also a Worcester County Public Schools counselor, said she felt obligated to speak up. She said quality educa-

tion did not come cheap.

“As such, I implore this board to fund the already agreed upon salaries for my children’s highly qualified educators, to prioritize paying hard working bus drivers accordingly, to prioritize paying invaluable support staff a living wage and while I have this platform I implore our county commissioners, with the exception of commissioners Mitrecic and Purnell, to reflect on the horribly near sighted decision you made to fund only maintenance of effort, aka the minimum, for a school system that has always produced the maximum,” she said.

Stephen Decatur High School teacher Megan Seyler also expressed her concerns. She said that if the teachers weren’t provided the previously negotiated step and cost-of-living increase her paychecks next year would be less than they were this past school year because

of the 9.5% insurance increase. She said she was in her 11th year of teaching and held a master’s degree as well as 30 additional graduate level credits.

“If only a step is granted, I’m slated to make $65,850,” she said. “If I was teaching in Wicomico County I would make $76,507. If I was a veteran teacher in Wicomico I would have received a $2,500 retention bonus from ESSER. If Worcester County had followed suit and given their teachers retention bonuses, the county commissioners would not be able to hold this grant over our heads.”

She added that because afterschool programs were being cut to address the shortfall, she also wouldn’t have the opportunity to make extra money during the school year. Furthermore, Seyler said the situation was likely going to get worse, as the Blueprint mandated a $60,000 starting teacher salary in the coming years.

“There is not a mandate in Blueprint to compensate veteran teachers at the same rate increase… I chose to become a teacher, the profession that shapes all professions, and should allow me to pay my bills without supplemental employment,” she said.

Following public comments, the board voted unanimously to extend negotiations with the associations. ShockleyLynch said after the meeting that contracts had expired at the end of June but that this was the first meeting since then so officials thought it was prudent to agree to an extension in writing. She said officials were currently waiting on some information from the state before new agreements could be signed.

“We have questions about some things we’re thinking about doing,” she said. “We want to make sure we have permission from the state to do those things. We’re actively working to get the best agreement we can for our teachers.”

She noted that the school system was trying to hire teachers and the fact that pay hadn’t yet been finalized for the coming school year was not helping. She said current teachers felt like they were in the middle of the budget strife between the school board and the county commissioners.

“We’re disappointed we’re in this predicament,” she said. “Teachers work hard. This doesn’t seem like a just reward.”

While pay increases have not been finalized for teachers and support staff, bus driver rates have been set. Alan Hudson, president of the Worcester County School Bus Contractors Association, said he appreciated the efforts of everyone involved. He said the bus drivers renegotiated pay with school system officials in late June.

“It wasn’t what we agreed on before the commissioners gave maintenance of effort but we are satisfied with what they came up with in this financial climate,” he said. “Hopefully things will be better in the future and the board and commissioners will work out their differences because all they have done is make things hard on the contractors and employees.”

Developer Shares Heron Park Plans

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

BERLIN – A developer outlined his plans for Heron Park while residents shared their concerns with the possible sale of the property at a work session in Berlin.

The Berlin Town Council on Monday hosted a work session regarding Heron Park and a proposal from developer Palmer Gillis to buy a portion of the property. Despite concerns from residents, Gillis told the crowd he was eager to work with the town.

“We are willing to listen,” he said. “Every comment that we’ve heard is exactly what we want to implement in this project.”

The town purchased Heron Park for $2.5 million in 2016. Last year, heeding calls to consider selling the property to reduce the annual debt service, the town entered into negotiations with Gillis’s Coastal Ventures Properties LLC — one of two entities that submitted a proposal for a portion of the property. The initial proposal from Gillis offered the town $1.5 million for three parcels — parcel 410, 57 and 191 — and would involve partial demolition of the existing structures to create a commercial project on the site. The trails and pond on the north end of the property would be unaffected.

“We got here because I’m a news junkie and I started reading a lot of information in the local newspapers,” Gillis said this week.

He told the council he was familiar with the property because he’d done construction work there decades ago. Knowing the town was considering selling the property, he said he approached the mayor and other government officials.

“This is the normal process,” he said. “If you have an idea for a town you typically want to go to the regulatory agencies to see if it’s a hell yes, a hell no or a maybe. That’s kind of where we are in the development process.”

While he asked if he could submit a proposal for the property, Mayor Zack

Tyndall advised him the town had to issue a request for proposals. When that was issued, two proposals were received, and officials agreed to move forward with the one from Gillis. Since then, Gillis has met with a subcommittee of town officials to develop a contract for his purchase of the property.

“We are exactly where we’re supposed to be in this process,” he said. “Nobody’s done anything wrong as far as secret meetings, as far as conspiracies and things like that. I want to quell that idea.”

While he’s submitted a plan showing a mix of commercial uses for the site, one of the largest would be a garden center.

“The Berlin Garden Center will offer a refreshing alternative to national chains,” Sandy Gillis said. “We will offer a personalized experience with locally grown, unique items you won’t find elsewhere.”

She said she also envisioned a small entertainment venue at the site.

“To avoid any misconceptions, let’s not use the term amphitheater,” she said. “It creates thoughts of larger venues like Merriweather Post Pavilion or the Freeman Stage. Our vision revolves around a smaller performing arts stage.”

She said they were thinking something along the lines of what was at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club or Sunset Park in Ocean City. She added that that portion of the project could be donated back to the town when the town was ready.

Palmer Gillis maintained that his family wanted what town residents wanted for the site.

Councilman Steve Green asked how Gillis would ensure the project didn’t compete with downtown Berlin.

Gillis said that by proposing a variety of commercial businesses, including restaurants, he was simply sticking to the stipulations the town had put in the request for proposals.

“Nothing could ever replace the downtown in any hip little town,” Sandy Gillis said.

When asked how many businesses

Berlin officials are pictured talking to Palmer and Sandy Gillis at a July 10 work session to discuss the future of Heron Park.

Photo by Charlene Sharpe

Planning Commission Comes Out Against Land Sale

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

BERLIN – Members of the town’s planning commission made it clear this week they do not support development currently proposed for Heron Park.

As a proposal from developer Palmer Gillis to purchase a portion of Heron Park dominates discussion in Berlin, the planning commission on Wednesday chimed in at the request of the town council. Commission members agreed plans to sell should be stopped so options for the property could be reviewed.

“There’s so much we don’t know before selling this,” commission member Ron Cascio said.

Planning Director Dave Engelhart told the commission this week that a Heron Park discussion had been included on

Wednesday’s agenda because the town council wanted input from the parks and planning commissions regarding the Gillis proposal for the park property. He’s presented a proposal to buy about 17 acres of the park – parcels 410, 57 and 191 – to create a commercial project.

Commission member Matt Stoehr said he thought the town should consider selling just parcel 57, the one with the dilapidated processing plant. He said he thought parcel 410 could be a site for the skateboard park many citizens are advocating for and that parcel 191 was home to a building the town used for equipment storage.

“Is it going to cost us more to by a new building than we sell it for?” Stoehr said.

He said he thought it was a good idea to sell Gillis parcel 57 because he’d be

able to demolish the derelict building on the site.

“I don’t think Berlin has the bandwidth or capability to demo parcel 57 effectively as well as Palmer can do it and develop it,” he said.

Commission member Newt Chandler questioned the appraisals that had been done on the property. Engelhart said they’d been done in 2022.

Commission member Pete Cosby brought up the issue of potential environmental issues on the site. He said that should be addressed in the proposed contract.

“I know I sound paranoid but I am paranoid,” he said. “We got burned once.”

In 2019, a chemical spill was located at the park as a contractor was working to demolish several small buildings on

the property. Town officials were alerted to the spill via a social media post from a resident that showed dead turtles in what looked like a pool of oil.

Chris Denny, chair of the commission, asked if EPA action was still looming as a result of that. Town Administrator Mary Bohlen indicated the town hadn’t heard any more from the agency.

“The EPA action is on the lagoon parcel,” she said, referencing the fact that that wasn’t one of the parcels Gillis proposed buying.

Cosby said the town should just use the $500,000 demolition grant it had to get engineer plans for demolition and knock down what it could rather than sell the parcel to Gillis.

“Work within the grant,” he said. “Use it to the hilt. Tear down what you can.”

He said the property would only get more valuable over time. Cascio said the town would be “essentially giving it away” for the price in the Gillis contract.

“Where can you get 10 acres of B (commercial) zoning for $700,000?” he said.

Chandler noted five acres on Evans Road just sold for $655,000. The commercial property next to parcel 57 was also referenced. Willow Park LLC purchased the two-acre piece of B-2 land, which will be the future home of Plak That, for $359,000.

Cascio said if the town wanted to sell any of the park property officials should create a committee made up of land use professionals to help do so. He said that committee could help town officials determine whether the property should be sold and potential conditions of sale.

Cascio said the commission should advise councilmembers that there was consensus to cease negotiations with Gillis on the current contract and form a committee of land professionals who lived in town. Cosby said the commission was also supportive of the town spending its grant funding to demolish what it could on parcel 57.

Stoehr suggested the committee could include a person from the town council and a person from the planning commission. He believes that would foster communication.

“The lack of communication is kind of how we got here…it brings more of a think tank situation,” he said.

Commission member Austin Purnell asked who would appoint people to the committee. Cascio said the commission should make recommendations and those should be approved by the town council.

When Stoehr asked if there was consensus that the commission’s response to the Gillis proposal be a “hard no,” Chandler said he in theory could support the contract but felt that the land needed to be appraised again before it was sold.

“It’s such a valuable piece of land,” he said. “I think we need an updated appraisal.”

Engelhart said the minutes from the meeting would be compiled into a summary that would be provided to the mayor and members of the town council.

Staff To Review Bids For Museum Project

BY BETHANY HOOPER ASSOCIATE EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – Proposals for the renovation and remodel of a second museum location will be reviewed following bid openings this week.

In a Mayor and Council meeting Tuesday, four bids were opened for the renovation and remodel of the former Bank of Ocean City building at the corner of Dorchester Street and South Baltimore Avenue. With a budget of $550,000, bids ranged from $894,082 to $1,232,880.

“I make a motion that we acknowledge the bids and remand them to staff for further evaluation,” said Councilman Will Savage.

In December 2019, the Bank of Ocean City closed its downtown branch. But instead of selling the property, it was donated to the Town of Ocean City for the use of the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum. Since that time, city officials have worked with museum staff to secure grant funding and complete design work for the development of a second museum location.

In a presentation this spring, City Engineer Paul Mauser told the council the town had secured $625,000 in grant funds and private donations for the project. And at that time, the town had spent more than $38,000 on demolition work and more than $40,000 on design. Construction costs were estimated at $550,000.

“If you do the math, we’re currently $4,000 over budget on a $625,000 project,” he said in April. “So we’re going to leave the project as is. I feel confident that with competitive bidding we will try to price down. If not, we’re going to bid it as line items, where we can remove line items as necessary to meet the budget.”

In May, the town began soliciting bids for construction. And on Tuesday, submissions were opened in front of the Mayor and Council. Oak Contracting submitted a base bid of $849,082, Wayland Company submitted a base bid of $1,022,000, Delmarva Veteran Builders submitted a base bid of $1,148,000, and Harkins Contracting submitted a base bid of $1,232,880.

With no discussion, the council voted 7-0, to acknowledge the four bids and remand them to staff for further review.

Curator Christine Okerblom told officials earlier this year the museum plans to use the former bank building as a second location. With limited space at its Inlet facility, she said the second location will allow for more exhibits and programs, among other things. Officials say plans call for a complete restoration of the building’s exterior, bringing the structure back to its 1914 design. On the inside, both the first and second floors will be remodeled to include new HVAC, plumbing, electrical, flooring and paint.

Officials this week also opened bids for golf cart leasing at Eagle’s Landing. Submissions were also remanded to staff for review.

Snow Hill Riverboat Sale Nears

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

SNOW HILL – The Town of Snow Hill is inching closer toward the sale of its outof-commission riverboat.

Town officials this week confirmed that financial details were being worked out regarding the loan from the Worcester County Commissioners that enabled the town to buy the boat. Once those details are worked out the sale of the boat can move forward.

“We hope to have news from the county commissioners in mid-July so that we can move ahead with sale of the boat,” said Snow Hill Town Manager Rick Pollitt. “We actually have two prospective purchasers talking with us. Our hope is to have the boat leave the dock before the end of July.”

In 2020, the town purchased the BlackEyed Susan, a 149-passenger riverboat, with the help of a $400,000 loan from Worcester County. The boat had a successful season running up and down the Pocomoke River in 2021 but a mandatory inspection in 2022, however, revealed that the vessel needed extensive repairs in order to resume cruises. The inspection revealed issues with the hull, hydraulics system and paddlewheel frame. Initial repair estimates exceeded $600,000. As a result, the boat has been docked ever since.

Pollitt said this week the town was still obligated to repay the $400,000 loaned

to it by the county.

“The county also transferred a state grant they had received for $100,000 from another project to the town to assist in making the loan payments,” Pollitt said. “The state grant allowed the town to make three full annual payments and a partial payment in the 4th year. There was concern that the town might have to pay the $100,000 back. However, Department of Housing & Community Development Secretary Jake Day stated that the grant to the county would not have to be repaid. Now we are just waiting for the county and the state to settle their $100,000 deal and then the town and the county will execute a new agreement repaying the county the $300,000 still outstanding.”

Snow Hill Mayor Mike Pruitt said he’d spent the past year trying to dispose of the boat and was pleased to see the town getting close to that point. He said the town’s attorney and the county attorney simply needed to finalize paperwork.

“It’s a cross your t’s, dot your i’s thing,” he said.

Weston Young, the county’s chief administrative officer, said the commissioners would soon be reviewing a new loan agreement.

“Given the conversation the town had with the state, we’ve reached out to the appropriate department to officially close out that grant,” he said. “Upon confirmation, we will bring a new loan agreement forward to the commissioners for approval.”

The Black-Eyed Susan riverboat is pictured in Snow Hill at its berth. File photo

… Residents Express Heron Park Concerns

FROM PAGE 5

would be on the property, Gillis said it was hard to say at this point but that it was a proposed 40,000 square feet of retail space. The proposed garden center would take up much of it, however.

“I wish I could sit here and crystal ball exactly what we’d like to see but I can’t,” Gillis said. “With the restrictions proposed we’re in a box.”

Resident Gina Velong told the council she felt the town had overpaid for the park property in 2016, as it paid a commercial rate knowing the property would be rezoned to residential. She said now the town was about to sell at a residential rate knowing the property was going to become commercial.

“We are ripping ourselves off,” she said.

Another resident said the town was prepared to consider selling the property.

“This project is over the heads of everyone in this town,” she said. “Something would have been done by now if folks were up to the task.”

Resident Roger Fitzgerald said he’d served on what was once the Berlin Falls Park Advisory Committee. He said that committee had recommended demolition of the plant, something that was part of the Gillis plan.

“Let’s do it,” he said. “We could just wait forever and talk about the perfect opportunity and the plant will still sit there.”

Resident Marie Velong voiced numerous concerns with the proposal. She said some of the ideas in it were good but weren’t suitable for small Berlin.

“You have too many big ideas,” she said. “I feel like I’m in a Hallmark movie. That’s what it’s getting like.”

Resident Ron Cascio questioned Gillis’s interest in changing a stipulation in the proposed contract. He said Gillis wanted to reduce the retired 10 years of use as a garden center to seven years so that he could upzone the land later.

“Then the property becomes way more valuable,” he said.

Jack Burbage, a Berlin property owner, praised Gillis’s other projects but said he was worried about the project as envisioned currently competing with downtown.

“I think the town of Berlin is fragile,” he said. “I think it’s doing really well right now. I think if you put retail and restaurants and compete with what we have up here everybody’s going to fail. Like a house divided.”

He said he recalled when downtown Salisbury was a true small town and noted how drastically that had changed as Salisbury had grown. He said he didn’t want Berlin to make that same mistake.

“It needs to be something that complements downtown not competes with downtown,” he said.

Officials noted that the Berlin Parks Commission and the Berlin Planning Commission were slated to discuss the Gillis proposal later in the week so they could provide their input to the council.

Officials Review Cannabis Ordinance

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

BERLIN – Officials talked about the need for an ordinance addressing on-site cannabis consumption this week.

On Monday, the Berlin Town Council reviewed a draft ordinance addressing on-site cannabis consumption. While elected officials want to keep up with the recent changes in state legislation regarding cannabis, they agreed to do further research before introducing an ordinance.

“I think we have a little bit of time to evaluate this,” Mayor Zack Tyndall said.

Town attorney David Gaskill this week presented the council with a draft of an ordinance the would address on-site consumption now that recreational marijuana is legal. Gaskill said the ordinance he’d drafted was based on the one the Town of Ocean City just passed.

“I felt there was no point in recreating the wheel...,” he said. “This is what has already been passed in OC. There is a license, an on-site consumption license, which has been established by the state which would authorize the holder of a license to operate a facility on the premises of which individuals can smoke outdoors, vape or consume cannabis. That law gave municipalities and local governments the opportunity to prohibit the operation of those, or the issuance of those licenses within municipal limits.”

Councilman Steve Green said he’d wanted officials to discuss a cannabis ordinance in the wake of the state law change. He said in theory, restaurants could allow customers to smoke marijuana at their designated smoking areas per a new license.

“Ocean City did not want joints to be smoked in those designated areas at these high-volume restaurant/bars,” Green said. “I thought it was germane for Berlin to look at it. I think a clear argument could be made that it’s probably unnecessary. It could potentially be an overreach on our part but that is where I was coming from.”

Tyndall agreed it was prudent to consider the issue. Councilman Jack Orris said he wasn’t sure why it was necessary because as he read the law, smoking was already prohibited in public places.

“I’m confused as well,” Gaskill said.

Orris asked if the intent of the draft was to prohibit marijuana smoking indoors or to keep people from smoking it outside because of the smell.

Green said he was envisioning attendees at the Fiddlers Convention, for example, walking into town and smelling weed being smoked outside at private smoking areas set up by the restaurants and bars.

“I’m worried about the perception,” he said.

Green added that the draft ordinance went further than he’d expected, as it prohibited the establishment of on-site consumption businesses.

“If a business were to open and want to be a weed bar, I wasn’t looking to address that part, but I think that’s something we should be aware of that that could be a reality at some point,” Green said.

Tyndall suggested delaying introduction of an ordinance until officials had time to also explore the possibility of a moratorium.

“Why don’t we put a pause on it,” he said.

Orris said he’d also like Gaskill to get some clarification from state officials regarding the law and what was permitted. Tyndall asked department heads if they’d had inquiries from any individuals interested in pursuing marijuana-related businesses. They said they had not.

“I don’t think there’s harm in waiting two weeks,” Tyndall said, adding that officials could explore what other jurisdictions in Maryland had done to address the new law.

When asked about the need for an ordinance, Chief Arnold Downing said that if Berlin was the only local town not to pass some legislation it would draw smokers.

“Everybody will be here,” he said.

Catch And Release: A group of men are pictured on the beach releasing a shark they caught surf fishing last week near the Inlet.

Photo by Chris Parypa

40-Year Sentence For West OC Killing

BY STEVE GREEN EDITOR

SNOW HILL – A Stockton man was sentenced to 40 years in jail last week for fatally stabbing a man at a West Ocean City motel last year.

On Wednesday, July 5, Sherronte Robins, age 41, was sentenced to serve 40 years in the Division of Correction for his conviction on the charges of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and reckless endangerment.

Robins was found guilty by a jury after a threeday trial. Judge Beau H. Oglesby of the Worcester County Circuit Court presided over the case and imposed the sentence.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 24, 2022, Worcester County Sheriff’s deputies and Maryland State Police troopers responded to the Rambler Motel complex on Elm Street in West Ocean City for a reported stabbing assault. Upon arrival, local law enforcement officers found the victim, later identified as Nicholas Pittman, 37, of Ocean City, lying in the parking lot of the motel while unresponsive with trauma to the neck area.

Ocean City EMS responded and began life-saving measures on Pittman, who was pronounced deceased in an ambulance shortly thereafter. The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit and the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation took over the investigation. During the investigation, neighborhood checks and interviews with nearby residents allegedly indicated Pittman and the suspect, identified as Robins, 40, lived together in a room at the motel and an altercation took place in the room where they lived, according to police reports.

Robins was arrested around 10:30 p.m. the same day as the incident. After consultation with the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office, Robins was charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.

After the incident, investigators from the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit located dramatic surveillance video from the motel showing Pittman exiting Robins’ room at the motel while holding his throat and eventually collapsing to the ground. Robins can be seen on the video throwing an object out of his apartment, which was recovered by police and found to be a 10-inch steak knife covered in blood. Robins was located still on scene and was immediately taken into custody.

In a press release announcing the sentence, Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser thanked the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, the Maryland State Police, and Det. Plutschak of the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit who investigated the case, and commended Assistant State’s Attorneys Jared Monteiro and Dempsey Stewart who prosecuted the case.

SHERRONTE ROBINS

Police’s Use Of Force Questioned After Vaping Violation

BY STEVE GREEN EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – Resort police are working through use of force protocols in response to allegations of brutality during last week’s arrest following a Boardwalk vaping infraction.

Cell phone videos posted online over the weekend show a police officer clearly punch a suspect while police held him down following a physical encounter with the Maryland man who was vaping on the Boardwalk.

The incident stems from July 6 around 12:43 a.m. when an Ocean City police of-

ficer and two public safety aides on foot patrol on the Boardwalk were asked by Denzel Elam Ruff, 34, of Lexington Park, Md., about the city’s smoking ordinance. Police advised Ruff of the city law and possible fines for smoking violators.

The statement of probable cause document filed in the District Court of Maryland states, “Ruff stated, ‘Who’s going to pay that? Not me.’ Ruff continued to walk southbound on the Boardwalk towards Dorchester Street, where he looked back at us and intentionally smoked his vape, raising his hands in the air at us.”

When police attempted to stop Ruff to issue him a citation, the Maryland man ig-

nored orders and attempted to elude police multiple times. Ruff was then informed he was going to be detained, but he would not comply with attempts to administer handcuffs, according to the statement of probable cause report. Ruff was taken to the ground in further attempts to put handcuffs on him.

On the ground, Ruff became more combative. According to the statement of probable cause, “Once on the ground Ruff continued to resist and refused to place his hands behind his back. I then grabbed Ruff's feet, restraining them to the ground so Ruff could not kick me or other officers. Ruff was bracing his arms underneath his chest to prevent officers from handcuffing him. PSA Foy attempted to pull Ruff’s arm from underneath him. PSA Foy placed his knee on Ruff's shoulder and was able to overcome Ruff’s bracing and freed one arm. As PSA Foy was in the process of freeing Ruff’s arm, Ruff rolled over to his left side.

“Ruff then looked back at OFC Adams, PSA Foy and I, and yelled that he would fight us and, ‘knock all you out.’ As we attempted to pull Ruff’s arms a male walking by on the Boardwalk along with people on balconies of the Belmont Towers were yelling at Ruff to stop fighting the police and comply with commands.”

During the scuffle, Ruff rolled from his stomach to his back, reportedly grabbing an officer by the uniform shirt. Police were eventually able to get Ruff handcuffed despite continual resistance. The police report states, “Ruff continued to be non-compli-

ant and actively resisting, pushing off the ground away from the street. We continued to assist Ruff towards the 10-block as he continued to thrash and throw his shoulders towards us. … I then observed Ruff stand up from the curb in attempt to run away …” Once obtained again, Ruff was placed in a violent person restraint device.

During the incident, which was captured on police officer body cameras as well as the City Watch surveillance system, multiple cell phone videos were taken, including one that clearly shows an officer punching the suspect in the head during the scuffle.

Media attention has followed, including a segment on WUSA Monday featuring an interview with Caucus of African American Leaders (CAAL) spokesperson Carl Snowden, who plans to ask the Maryland Attorney General’s Office to investigate the police.

Ruff’s parents, Patricia Elam-Walker and Coles Ruff, who are attorneys, did an interview with the news station. “Seeing him on the ground, seeing the policeman punching him – he's on the ground, they're holding him down. He's not moving. He's not a threat. So why was that necessary?”

Elam-Walker said. "It just infuriated me and saddened me, and it just made me feel like this cannot keep happening." According to his Linkedin profile page, Ruff is the head golf coach at Glenelg Country School in Ellicott City and a professional caddie at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda. The video and news cast can be seen at https://youtu.be/kMLnjFYDCbs.

OCPD: Force Needed To ‘Overcome Exhibited Resistance’

Ocean City Police Department Deputy Communications Manager Ashley Miller issued a statement this week saying, “Our officers are permitted to use force, per their training, to overcome exhibited resistance. All uses of force go through a detailed review process. In this instance, the use of force will go through a multi-level examination by the Assistant Patrol Commander, the Division Commander, and then by the Office of Professional Standards.”

Ruff was charged with second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and refusal to provide identification.

Last week’s incident is not the first time a vaping infraction has led to physical aggression from a violator and force used by the police. In June 2021, viral videos were shared showing Ocean City police officers arresting multiple suspects after they allegedly failed to comply with orders to stop vaping on the Boardwalk in violation of the town’s smoking ordinance. In one instance caught on a cell phone video, one of the suspects is seen being kneed repeatedly by an officer. In another instance, a suspect is seen being Tased by a police officer.

CAAL also sought the attention of the state following those incidents two summers ago. Mayor Rick Meehan and city leaders met with CAAL officials following the 2021 incidents.

In October of 2021, a federal inquiry found no civil rights violations occurred in those high-profile summer incidents during the use of force by Ocean City police officers to apprehend suspects on the Boardwalk.

“The FBI did conduct an inquiry into the two use force cases that occurred in early June 2021,” wrote Meehan in a response letter to Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s request for an update on the incidents. “We have recently learned that the FBI determined neither case rose to the level of a Federal Civil Rights Violation and that its inquiry is now closed. As I understand the facts and process, in late June the Ocean City Police Department was contacted by the FBI who had been asked to conduct an inquiry into both use of force matters. Subsequently, we invited FBI Supervisory Special Agent Thomas Coyle and Special Agent Joe Lear to meet with OCPD and provided all of the information requested and further offered to cooperate in any way that would be of assistance. Thereafter, the FBI conducted its inquiry and forwarded its recommendation to the Assistant United States Attorney and then to person(s) within the Department of Justice. After this multi-level review, this matter was closed.”

Meehan’s letter, dated Sept. 17, 2021, was released to the media along with a written response by OCPD Records Supervisor Margie Lonergan dated Oct. 26, 2021 to The Washington Post’s Public Information Act.

Both incidents, stemming from vaping on the Boardwalk that is prohibited, involved police using force to gain compliance with the suspects, resulting in national media and civil rights groups questioning the police department with accusations of racism and unfair treatment of minorities.

Lonergan’s letter restated Meehan’s

conclusion to the senator, saying, “The Town has recently learned that the FBI determined neither incident rose to the level of a Federal Civil Rights Violation, and after a multi-level review this matter was closed. Neither the Department nor the Town have the FBI inquiry records.”

In his letter to Van Hollen, Meehan added, “I can also add that both matters were subject to a thorough multi-level OCPD internal review which determined that both force issues were objectively reasonable by professional standards and that the officers’ actions were within the scope of OCPD policy.”

During the month of June this year,

there were 57 smoking citations issued in Ocean City, down from 352 in June 2022, 433 in June 2021 and 241 in June 2020.

During a police commission meeting this week, Chief Ross Buzzuro said the drastic drop in citations was a result of compliance, not reduced enforcement. Though not mentioning the active incident gaining attention, the chief made reference to aggression.

“We’re still very proactive and have compliance,” he said. “We’ve already had a couple instances where non-compliance has led to a physical interaction. That’s unfortunate, but that’s part of what comes along with that type of enforcement.”

OC Transportation Officials Talk Tram Deployments

BY BETHANY HOOPER ASSOCIATE EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – A review of ridership in Ocean City led to a larger discussion this week about Boardwalk trams and the need for more deployments in the evening hours.

On Tuesday, Transit Manager Rob Shearman presented members of the Ocean City Transportation Committee with an update on ridership and deployment for the month of June. While bus ridership lagged by roughly 2% compared to last June, he said tram ridership was 10% behind in both ridership and deployments.

“The fare revenues were a little higher, but those were attributable to the $1 increase that was enacted this season,” he said.

Shearman, however, said ridership was up the first days of July. He noted bus rid-

ership had increased by roughly 1%, with the transportation department reporting 22,000 riders on July 4, while tram ridership and deployment were up 6%.

“For trams, we’re about 6% up the first five days of July, versus the first five days of July last year …,” he said. “With the initial staffing, we’re seeing a return on that already.”

Shearman noted the transportation department was able to deploy more Boardwalk trams in July, as a newly enacted signing bonus had brought with it more staffing. He said the number of drivers had increased from 18 last year to 22 this year.

“You can see the staffing has increased markedly since the last time we spoke, directly as a result of the recently enacted signing bonus,” he said.

Mayor Rick Meehan said it appeared the town’s efforts to hire more drivers and

conductors had worked. Shearman said it had.

“Yes, there was an immediate response,” he said.

Councilwoman Carol Proctor asked how often trams were deployed on the Boardwalk. She noted that trams were full on a busy summer night last weekend.

“I noticed people waiting for the next tram to come up,” she said.

Shearman said both buses and trams were deployed in increasing numbers as demand increased throughout the day.

“Unlike a traditional transit system that has a morning peak, a mid-day loll and an afternoon peak, our ridership trends are a never-ending trend up,” he said. “So we staff to that.”

Shearman noted that four trams were deployed at noon, with more being added as the day progressed. Meehan questioned if four trams were needed at mid-

day.

“I see them during the day, and they are there, but they are not always full,” he said. “But at night, they are full.”

Transportation officials said four trams were warranted, as seniors tend to ride the trams during the day. They noted, however, that peak ridership occurred between the hours of 4-10 p.m.

“I think four is probably the right number to start with, but we need more in the evenings,” Shearman said. “That’s what we’re shifting our resources to.”

Meehan questioned if the department was deploying trams based on demand or based on driver availability. Shearman said it was both, as some drivers did not want to work evenings.

“With staffing still somewhat scarce, we do have to cater to the staff we have to some extent or lose them,” he said.

He noted, however, that the signing bonus has been effective in securing drivers to work evenings.

“With the signing bonus, we’ve been able to dictate terms a little bit more because we’re dangling this $250 bonus in front of people,” he said, “and we’ve been able to say with a little bit more firmness that these are the hours we need if you want the bonus.”

When asked how many trams the town had, Shearman said eight. However, he said six were generally deployed at night, and one was out of service.

“So we need how many more people to get to seven or eight [trams]?” Council Secretary Tony DeLuca asked.

Officials said the transportation department would like to have 25 drivers and 25 conductors.

“We’re still working toward that,” Shearman said.

DeLuca said salaries would need to be addressed.

“We do have to start talking about salaries for next year to really attack it and have all eight out there at night,” he said.

Officials, however, applauded transportation staff for their efforts in securing more drivers and conductors. Councilman Frank Knight noted that the transportation department was able to secure 22 tram drivers for the summer season.

“That’s up 22% from last year,” he said. Proctor agreed.

“You’ve made really good progress,” she said.

Meehan said he wanted to be proactive when it came to the Boardwalk trams.

“Everyone has done a great job …,” he said. “Don’t let that get lost in this conversation. We’re just trying to be proactive and help you maximize the potential of the trams.”

Transportation officials this week also provided a report on bus staffing. While the number of bus drivers had decreased from 67 in June 2022 to 45 in September 2022, Shearman said this year’s numbers appear to remain steady, with the number of bus drivers increasing in recent weeks to 68.

“You can see from last year we had a decline in driver staffing throughout the season,” he said. “This year, you can see we are holding steady, with a slight up trend here in the last week. So far, so good.”

Drug Distribution Charges

OCEAN CITY – A drug dealer suspected of being in Ocean City for a large underage beach party was arrested on July 4 on drug distribution charges.

On July 4, around 11:30 p.m., an Ocean City police vehicle driving south on Coastal Highway observed a black 2006 BMW sedan fail to stop at a stop sign at 11th Street and then drive erratically. The police officer caught up to the vehicle, driven by Elijah Carpenter, 22, of Sykesville, Md., at a stoplight at 17th Street. A registration check found Carpenter’s license was suspended in February for point accumulation and the vehicle’s registration was suspended for inspection violations. A traffic stop was then initiated.

Carpenter told police he was coming from a party in north Ocean City. Police had handled multiple incidents earlier in the evening for a beach party around Wight Street where 200 to 300 teens had reportedly gathered to drink underage and smoke marijuana. With Carpenter showing signs of impairment, he agreed to a breath test, which came back at .23 grams

COPS &

of alcohol for 210 liters of breath (which is nearly three times the legal limit).

A search of Carpenter’s vehicle located a bag containing one-gallon sized plastic bag containing 12 grams of psilocybin mushrooms; a sandwich bag containing approximately 36 grams of “wax dabs,” which is marijuana concentrate; one Mason jar containing an ounce of marijuana; one scale set to grams with marijuana residue on it; one vacuum style plastic bag containing 11 marijuana e-cigarette dabs separately packaged; and approximately 17 commercially packaged plastic bags, each containing six grams of marijuana THC edible gummies. Inside another back-

pack officers located about $500 in cash as well as three opened plastic bags with marijuana and marijuana edible gummies.

Included in the statement of charges was a reference to the beach party where approximately 200 to 300 teenagers gathered. It was stated in the charging documents, “this crowd of potential drug buyers tends to attract street level CDS distributors to travel to Ocean City to conduct drug transactions and cater towards the young teenage crowd.” The officer noted Carpenter was likely in Ocean City to move drugs based on the quantity of drugs seized and the 17 commercial grade packaging bags filled with marijuana THC edi-

ble gummies and marijuana THC e-cigarette “dabs” packaged separately and digital scale.

Carpenter was charged with possession of controlled dangerous substance of schedule I (psilocybin mushrooms), possession of cannabis in sufficient quantity to indicate intent to distribute, possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia (marijuana), possession of controlled dangerous of schedule I (psilocybin mushrooms), driving vehicle while impaired by alcohol, driving vehicle while impaired by controlled dangerous substance and multiple traffic offenses.

Drug Dealer Sentenced

SNOW HILL – A Worcester County man was sentenced last month to 19 years in jail for two serious incidents – leaving the scene of a fatal accident and drug distribution.

On June 29, Eddie Collick, 46, of Stockton, was sentenced to serve a total of 19 years in the Division of Correction for his convictions in two separate cases.

Judge Brian D. Shockley of the Worcester County Circuit Court ordered Collick to serve four years for failing to immediately stop his vehicle at the scene of an accident involving death and ordered him to serve a consecutive 15-year sentence for distribution of cocaine.

Shockley suspended seven years of the sentence and placed Collick on three years of supervised probation upon his release. The traffic charge originated from a collision which occurred on Aug. 14, 2020, in the area of West Market Street and Coulbourne Lane in Snow Hill. Deputies from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and identified two victims who had been ejected from the vehicle and were lying in a field. Richard Armstrong and Brandon Bibbins both succumbed to injuries sustained as a result of the collision. Further investigation and accident reconstruction revealed that Collick had been engaged in street racing with the victims’ vehicle, causing that vehicle to lose control and crash into a utility pole. Collick then failed to stop his vehicle and remain at the scene as required by law.

The drug charges resulted from an investigation conducted jointly by the Ocean City Police Department’s Narcotics Unit and the Worcester County Criminal Enforcement Team in September of 2022. During the course of the investigation, Collick distributed cocaine to an undercover police officer in the area of Baltimore Avenue in Ocean City.

In a press release, Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser thanked all of the law enforcement agencies involved in these investigations and commended Assistant State’s Attorneys Monteiro and Cabrera, who prosecuted the cases.

First Fight, Then Arrest

OCEAN CITY – A physical reaction to being refused entry into a downtown bar for wearing a Pagan shirt resulted in assault and drug charges against a Maryland man last weekend.

Around 11:30 p.m. on July 8, a uniformed Ocean City police bike officer was dispatched to Wicomico Street for a fight in progress. The victim and witnesses told police the two males and female who

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EDDIE COLLICK

started the fight were wearing Pagan shirts, representing the outlaw motorcycle club. The three individuals were located nearby and detained while police reviewed security video footage.

The video showed Patrick Stidham, 36, of Dickerson, Md., and the two other individuals denied entry into a Wicomico Street bar by a bouncer for wearing colors per bar policy.

The video captures a verbal altercation at first followed by a physical fight with Stidham pushing the bouncer and then punching him repeatedly. During the assault, the victim had several items destroyed including his T-shirt, two necklaces and his Jordan shoes, totaling about $445 in value.

While being placed under arrest for assault, police located a clear plastic bag on Stidham that contained methamphetamine. Stidham was charged with second degree assault, malicious destruction of property and possession of controlled dangerous substance of schedule II (methamphetamine).

Burglary Charges

OCEAN CITY – Multiple burglary charges have been filed against a local woman after she was seen by witnesses stealing a hot water heater from her former residence.

On July 5, around 1:30 p.m., Ocean City police responded to a breaking and entering call on 43rd Street by the building owner. The property owner showed police how the bottom-floor unit’s front door win-

dows were broken and the deadbolt lock drilled out. A water heater was also missing from the unit.

Witnesses reported seeing a previous owner, identified as Elaine Evans, 34, enter the unit and leave with the water heater. One witness showed police pictures of the truck and license plate of the vehicle used to haul the stolen water heater. The same witness showed police where the truck traveled down the street. Another witness said Evans was seen drilling the lock out of the door recently.

A further look around the unit in question revealed numerous personal items –like a mattress, television and linens – had been moved into the unit since the last time the owner was on site.

Evans was not immediately located but an arrest warrant was issued. On July 9, Evans was officially served and charged with burglary first degree, burglary third degree, burglary fourth degree, malicious destruction of property value $1,000-plus and theft $100 to $1,500.

Strangers Violently Assaulted

OCEAN CITY – An Arizona man is looking at four second-degree assault charges for randomly attacking two women on a public street last week.

On July 5, around 10:30 p.m., an Ocean City police officer was dispatched to the area of 49th Street and Coastal Highway for a fight in progress with an individual reportedly looking to scrap with multiple individuals.

Identified as the aggressor was Robert Schmidt, 40, of Gilbert, Ariz. In police interviews, Schmidt alleged people he did not know were starting trouble with him. When he noticed other officers on the

scene were interviewing people nearby, Schmidt began yelling obscenities at the officer asking him questions. At one point, Schmidt challenged the officer to a fight, assuming a fighting stance and calling the officer names. The officer eventually had to use his Taser to put Schmidt in handcuffs.

Video surveillance was reviewed, showing Schmidt approach a group of females at a bus stop and grab one woman by the neck, punch her in the face and shove her to the ground. According to the video, another woman tried to intervene and was pushed to the ground violently. The video showed Schmidt take a fighting stance and encourage anyone around to a fight. A male approached and tried to intervene when he was hit several times by Schmidt before other males nearby tackled him to the ground.

Though handcuffed, Schmidt was uncooperative when police tried to load him in the prisoner transport vehicle. Schmidt was advised by police to stop screaming obscenities, but the suspect continued and threatened the arresting officer before shoving his torso into the officer and raising his thighs to try and kick him.

Schmidt was charged with three counts of second-degree assaults, second-degree assault on the officer, disorderly conduct, failure to obey a lawful order, public intoxication and disturbing the peace.

Teen Charged With Assault

OCEAN CITY – Assault charges were filed against an Ohio teen last Saturday after a violent outburst.

On July 8, at 11 p.m., Ocean City police were alerted to an alleged domestic

Council Approves Speed Camera Ordinance

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

BERLIN – The Town of Berlin approved legislation allowing speed cameras near schools this week.

On Monday, the town council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance that will allow the town to install speed cameras near schools. Police Chief Arnold Downing said this was the first step in the process.

“The next phase is going to be the contract itself,” he said.

In February, the council met with representatives from RedSpeed, a company that works with municipalities in various states to set up speed cameras. In Maryland, the state only allows for the installation of cameras in school zones. The Berlin ordinance designates school zones as roads located within a half mile radius of Buckingham Elementary School,

Berlin Intermediate School, Stephen Decatur Middle School, Stephen Decatur High School and Worcester Preparatory School.

Following introduction of the ordinance last month, the council hosted a public hearing on the proposal this week. The only public comment came from resident Marie Velong, who asked if the cameras could be moved after their initial installation in case new problem areas arose.

Downing explained that they could be evaluated and moved based on input from the vendor as well as from the town. He added that the vendor would be evaluating camera locations before they were truly installed.

“They wouldn’t do hard, permanent construction prior to having good locations,” he said.

Downing said that once the ordinance was passed, municipal officials had to develop a contract with the vendor and then

review camera locations.

“This ordinance only gives you the right to do this,” Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said. “It does not say you are doing it at this point.”

Councilwoman Shaneka Nichols again lamented the fact that childcare facilities didn’t qualify as schools, because that would have allowed for additional camera placement throughout town. Speeding on Flower Street is a concern often mentioned by community members.

Downing said the state only considered facilities associated with kindergarten through 12th grade education as schools.

Tyndall pointed out that the Town of Berlin did have five actual schools that would allow for cameras in a variety of places.

“Let’s start somewhere,” he said.

The council voted unanimously to approve the ordinance as proposed.

Federal Program To Provide Free Meals

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

SNOW HILL – Students at several local schools will have access to free breakfast and lunch thanks to the school system’s enrollment in a federal meal program.

The Worcester County Board of Education this week voted unanimously to enroll the county’s nine eligible schools in a federal program that will provide free meals for all students.

“Providing our students with access to healthy and nutritious meals is one of the keys to academic success,” said Odtis Collins, the school system’s coordinator of food services.

Collins presented the school board on Tuesday with a recommendation to enroll in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program. He said the program was created because the Healthly, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 required significant changes in childhood nutrition programs in an effort to reduce obesity and increase access to healthy meals and snacks. The CEP program, which is open to schools that have an “identified service percentage” greater than or equal to 40%, was created in the wake of the 2010 changes.

“CEP was phased in over a period of three years starting in school year 2011-2012,” Collins said. “It was nationally implemented in school year 20142015. As you can see it’s been around for a while.”

Through CEP, schools that are certified by the Maryland State Department of Education can serve breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students.

“As a result of the application and the certification process we filled out, nine of our schools were approved as certified schools,” Collins said.

Those facilities are Pocomoke High School, Pocomoke Middle, Pocomoke Elementary, Snow Hill High, Snow Hill Elementary, Snow Hill Middle, Cedar Chapel Special School, Buckingham Elementary, and Berlin Intermediate School.

“Out of those nine schools that were certified, each one of those schools is currently serving free breakfast,” Collins said. “Eight of those schools are serving supper. So really what we’re doing here is adding another piece to the puzzle, offering them free lunch.”

Collins recommended the school system enroll in the program, which operates in a four-year cycle, beginning in the 2023-2024 school year.

“I will tell you if this is approved and it’s not a good fit we’re not committed to the four-year cycle. We can always go back to our traditional way of counting and claiming.”

The board voted unanimously to enroll the nine eligible schools in the CEP program for the coming school year.

Digital Advertising Delays Discussed

BY BETHANY HOOPER STAFF WRITER

OCEAN CITY – Delays in the implementation of digital tram advertising highlighted discussions at a resort committee meeting this week.

On Tuesday, Transit Manager Rob Shearman presented members of the Ocean City Transportation Committee with an update on digital tram advertising. While digital displays have been placed on each of the Boardwalk trams, he said technical issues have prevented the advertising contractor, Gateway Outdoor Advertising, from rolling out digital ads.

“We knew the timeline was tight for the beginning of the season, but we were very hopeful to have them up and running by the air show,” he told the committee. “And July 4 has come – our second really big push weekend – and we’ve missed that deadline. So we’re concerned to say the least, and we’ll continue to lean on them for updates and resolution.”

Last fall, the Town of Ocean City hired Gateway to replace Vector Media as its new advertising contractor. The company has been tasked with overseeing advertising on the town’s bus and tram fleets, as well as digital advertising that will be placed on the back of the Boardwalk trams.

In recent months, however, officials have expressed concerns over advertising sales, or particularly the lack thereof. And in April, Gateway President and CEO Craig Heard came before the transportation committee to review the company’s progress. The meeting also included an update on digital tram advertising.

Back on the agenda for discussion this week, Shearman said the digital displays have been installed on each of the Boardwalk trams. He noted, however, that wiring and technical issues had delayed the project.

“The installation proved to be a much more complicated project than their team anticipated,” he explained. “The existing wiring in the tram carriages was initially thought to be adequate. In the end, they did have to run completely new sets of independent wiring the entire length of all eight trams. The boards are now all installed, but we have not seen any content deployed on them as of yet.”

When asked if the displays were operational, Shearman said they were not.

“They’ve had some issues where they would turn the boards on and only the bottom half would display,” he said. “So they continue to troubleshoot.”

Shearman said transportation officials were meeting with Gateway representatives this week to discuss digital advertising on the Boardwalk trams. He said he was not given any indication as to when those issues would be resolved.

“I don’t have the latest,” he said.

For his part, Mayor Rick Meehan said the town had a target implementation date of July 1.

“I think we were looking at July 1,” he said. “It’s only July 11, but July 15 is two weeks late.”

Councilwoman Carol Proctor asked if Gateway had sold any digital ads. Shearman said he didn’t believe it had.

“I believe they wanted to make sure it was all fully operational before they were able to deliver what they promised to their customers,” he replied.

Meehan said the town could place its advertising on the digital signs while the company was selling ads.

“I think that will get the attention of potential advertisers and also help lead to the success of that program and also provide the amount of exposure we were looking for,” he said.

Shearman said he planned to update the committee once transportation staff met with Gateway this week. Meehan said those conversations could result in a joint meeting with the transportation committee and Gateway representatives.

“If that update isn’t positive, let them know we’d like to meet with them at our next meeting …,” he said. “We might have to talk about what we could do to generate revenue but also interest.”

Council Secretary Tony DeLuca agreed.

“We need a tentative start date,” he said.

Councilman Frank Knight questioned if the advertising agency has lined up potential customers for the digital tram ads. Shearman said he wasn’t sure.

“I know they’ve been talking to a lot of customers they have currently on the trams and buses, but they’ve been tight-lipped about it,” he said.

Meehan, however, said the town needed more information if it wanted to jumpstart the advertising program.

“It’s time to loosen the lip because we need to know,” he said. “Since it’s so late, this may be a good time for them to offer incentives to local businesses to try it out and encourage them to sign up for long periods of time next year.”

He continued, “We have an opportunity still to generate interest and show there’s a real media out there people can take advantage of. I think we need to utilize what we can to get people on there, so that it can expand and grow for next year.”

Committee members this week also reviewed advertising revenues for both the bus and tram divisions. Shearman said the town has yet to achieve the same revenues it had before the pandemic.

“What Gateway told us is it would take a year or two to jump back up to where it needs to be,” Meehan explained. “That’s what they sold us. They wouldn’t get us back to 2019 the first year.”

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June Crime Analysis Confirms Resor t ‘Fared Very, Very Well’

BY BETHANY HOOPER ASSOCIATE EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – A significant increase in 911 hangups highlighted a report on police activity for the month of June.

On Monday, Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro presented members of the Ocean City Police Commission with an update on police activity for the month of June.

Reviewing statistics from June of 2021, 2022 and 2023, Buzzuro noted that officer calls for service decreased from 6,144 in 2021 and 5,182 in 2022 to 4,727 in 2023. Citizen calls for service varied, with 3,141 calls in 2021, 2,739 in 2022 and 3,085 in 2023.

“I think we fared very, very well,” he said. “We crunched the numbers, and the statistical data bears that out.”

SINC E 1982

In the top 25 calls for service, the Ocean City Police Department reported the number of traffic stops increased from 1,133 in 2022 to 1,469 in 2023, city ordinance violations decreased from 1,441 to 839, and 911 hangups increased from 495 to 1,089.

Mayor Rick Meehan questioned what had caused the number of 911 hangups to more than double.

“Is there any rationale for that?” he

asked.

Buzzuro said there was not.

“I don’t know why the number has doubled …,” he said. “The good news is it’s not true calls for emergencies.”

Buzzuro did note, however, that many service calls had decreased, including disorderly calls, alcohol violations and noise ordinance violations, to name a few.

“Domestic assaults have been cut in half from two years ago …,” he added. “Another really promising number.”

Under June enforcement, custodial arrests decreased from 519 to 487, and criminal citations decreased from 21. Drug arrests decreased from 48 to 28, while marijuana citations decreased from 142 to 15.

“Drug citations have dropped considerably,” Buzzuro told the commission.

He also pointed to weapons arrests which had decreased from 111 in 2021 and 79 in 2022 to 59 in 2023. The department reported finding 11 firearms, 23 knives and 28 other weapons during the month of June.

“You can see where the statistical data bears out a favorable June,” he said.

Council President Matt James highlighted the correlation between drug arrests and weapons arrests. Buzzuro noted those two data points went hand in hand.

“We were able to prioritize things and have the ability to be out there and be more proactive,” he said.

Councilman Peter Buas questioned why citizen calls for service would increase, particularly for a relatively quiet June. Buzzuro said that equated to roughly 10 additional calls per day when compared to 2022.

“The calls we’d like to see lower, we kind of have,” he added. “If you also look at those calls for service, you also have to factor in those 1,000 911 calls.”

The graphic shows a three-year comparison of the top calls for service and enforcement for June. Submitted Image

Officials Continue To Solicit Input On Comprehensive Plan

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

SNOW HILL – County officials continue to encourage residents to share their thoughts on future growth as the update to the Worcester County Comprehensive Plan gets underway.

More than 900 people have already responded to the online survey consultants are using to gather public input as Worcester County embarks on its 10-year comprehensive plan update.

Jennifer Keener, the county’s director of development review and permitting, told the Worcester County Planning Commission last week that officials are hopeful even more residents will weigh in during the coming weeks.

“I think we’re going to get a lot of good data,” Keener said.

Worcester County is currently working with Wallace Montgomery to solicit public input as it begins a 10-year review of its comprehensive plan, a document that helps guide development of the area.

“The Comprehensive Plan provides a framework for jurisdictions to protect and enhance their community character and natural and cultural heritage, preserve environmental resources, and foster economic development by planning for their long-term land use, transportation, housing, water resources, and other public infrastructure needs and identify the actions the County will need to take to meet these needs and achieve the planning goals that relate to them,” reads the county’s website.

In Maryland, comprehensive plans have to be reviewed every 10 years so that demographic, economic, growth, infrastructure, environmental and regulatory changes can be evaluated.

Public input is a key part of the process.

“Public participation is an important part of the comprehensive planning process, as it helps to ensure that the plan accurately reflects the vision of the community,” the website states. “To develop an effective plan that reflects the views, desires and needs of Worcester County, the County’s decisionmakers need to hear ideas, thoughts and opinions of their citizens and stakeholders.”

Keener and her staff, as well as representatives of Wallace Montgomery, have been attending community events to share information about the comprehensive plan update. Staff attended First Friday in Snow Hill last week and a Juneteenth event in Pocomoke prior to that. They’ll be at the Berlin Peach Festival next month as well as at the Great Pocomoke Fair. Information is also available in the Worcester County Library’s bookmobile.

“The more we get it out there the better off we are,” said Matt Laick, the county’s deputy director of development review and permitting.

Phyllis Wimbrow, a member of the county’s planning commission, suggested the information be shared at local farmers markets as well.

“That’s part of the plan,” Laick said.

Citizens interested in more information on the comprehensive plan can visit the county’s website, www.co.worcester.md.us, or email WorCoInput@wallacemontgomery.com.

The survey, which is open until Aug. 15, can be completed by Worcester County residents and non-resident property owners, including students. It takes about 10-15 minutes to complete and can be accessed from any smartphone, tablet or computer with internet access. The survey can be found at https://surveymonkey.com/r/WorCoCPSurvey.

“We are asking everyone to share this information as well to assure as much community input in the process as possible,” Keener said.

Keener said the consulting firm would begin reviewing survey data after Aug. 15 and would likely report back to the planning commission in September.

Matt Laick, the county’s deputy director of development review and permitting, talks to residents about the upcoming comprehensive plan update at First Friday in Snow Hill. Submitted image

Express Bus Service Planned For Large Music Festival

BY BETHANY HOOPER ASSOCIATE EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – Officials say they will implement an express bus service during the Oceans Calling Festival.

In an Ocean City Transportation Committee meeting Tuesday, Transit Manager Rob Shearman told members efforts were underway to pare down the number of bus stops throughout the three-day festival. While bus service typically includes 59 southbound stops and 64 northbound stops, he said officials are considering an express service during the festival.

“We’ve come up with 18 pairs of stops that would run,” he said. “And our plan is to mark those 18 stops so that it would be publicly known those are the ones in use and mark the rest of the stops so that it would be publicly known that they are not in use during the three-day festival.”

Shearman told officials this week that that the town was approached by the transit consultant working with the festival promoter with a request to implement an express service throughout Oceans Calling.

“The transit consultant that’s working with the promoter has asked us to develop a list of express service stops that would run for the Oceans Calling Festival,” he explained. “Their concern is that the number of stops our buses make on a daily basis … slows the service down, particularly when the headliner concerts let out. They are looking for ways to expedite

buses to drop off and return for more pickups.”

To that end, Shearman presented the committee this week with a list of stops to be included in the express service, which would run throughout the festival weekend.

“The concern is to run that service in an express mode the entire weekend so that passengers get used to the fact that where they were picked up is where they will be dropped off,” he said.

Mayor Rick Meehan said it was a good

idea to have an express bus service, but questioned if there would be any public outreach ahead of the festival.

“I think we need to coordinate a public service announcement or something to let everybody know that,” he said.

Shearman noted that conversations were ongoing between City Manager Terry McGean and C3 Presents promoter Tim Sweetwood.

“So as soon as they come to an agreement on this list of stops, that is our plan, to get that out,” he replied. “Not only will

they get those stops out to their list of attendees and ticketholders, but we want to make sure we get it out to the general public.”

Shearman noted the town’s transit service typically had between 1,000 and 2,000 daily riders during that time of year.

“So we want to make sure those 1,000 or 2,000 daily riders are adequately informed as to what’s going on,” he said. “We’ll start that campaign as soon as a list of stops is approved. That should give us over 60 days’ notice.”

A worker is pictured setting up last September for the Oceans Calling Festival, which was ultimately canceled due to a coastal storm.

Photo by Campos Media

Law Firms Seek Clients For AGH Class Action Suits

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

BERLIN – Atlantic General Hospital continues to encourage patients impacted by January’s data breach to remain vigilant in notices mailed to those affected.

About five months after initial reports of a ransomware incident at Atlantic General Hospital (AGH), notices have been sent to impacted individuals and lawyers are trying to drum up clients for class action lawsuits related to the data breach. While the hospital would not comment on the potential for lawsuits, the letter mailed to patients June 22 provides details of the incident, AGH’s response and steps to protect against the misuse of personal information. This was the second mailer addressing the incident.

“AGH takes the privacy and security of the information in out care seriously,” the letter from AGH President and CEO Don Owrey reads. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause you.”

On Jan. 29, AGH discovered encrypted files on certain computer systems. An investigation revealed unauthorized use of certain AGH servers beginning on Jan. 20, according to the letter.

“Through our investigation, we learned that certain files within our network were subject to unauthorized access during the period of unauthorized access,” the letter reads. “AGH then undertook a comprehensive review of these files to determine what data was contained within the files and to whom the data relates.”

AGH has seen no evidence of misuse of any information related to the incident but the letter advises recipients that their name and patient account number, date of birth, medical billing/claims information and treatment information was present on the impacted servers.

“AGH encourages you to remain vigilant against incidents of identify theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors,” the letter reads.

In the wake of the notification, lawyers started seeking clients for potential class action suits against the hospital. Advertisements from law firms on social media outlined the ransomware attack and stressed the array of personal information that could be involved. Other law firms have added links to their websites addressing the AGH incident.

“Regardless of the reason for a security breach, victims have the right to file a claim against a company for failing to protect their information,” The Lyon Firm’s website reads. “All companies and organizations must exercise reasonable care in protecting patient information, and if they do not, they can be held liable for the damages that result, including identity theft.”

First Friday Art Show: The Art League of Ocean City’s Annual Beverly Bassford Juried Art Show opened last week at the Ocean City Center for the Arts. Above, from left, are the Bassford family with Best In Show winner Barbara Kean-Bush; Sarah Hancock, who won third place in the annual show that runs through July 29; and Susan Hunsberger greeting guests to her exhibit in Studio E this month. At right, featured show artist Evan Fitzgerald is pictured with sponsor Matt Covell of Surf House Properties. Below right, Jonathan Nordstrom is pictured with his first-place piece of work. After Bassford’s death in 1999, her family honored her love of art by establishing a prize in her name that grew into the annual show, with continued sponsorship by her family. Elvin Hernandez, professor of art at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, juried the show and selected the winners, who were awarded cash prizes during the reception on First Friday.

Submitted Photos

Minors Arrested On Weapons Charges

OCEAN CITY – Five individuals were arrested on weapons violations, thanks to a coordinated effort by multiple law enforcement agencies.

On Monday, Ocean City police officers attempted to stop a vehicle for driving without headlights in the area of 17th Street and Baltimore Avenue around 11:09 p.m. The vehicle failed to stop for officers and continued north on Baltimore Avenue. Officers did not pursue the vehicle. Officers on stationary patrol in the area of 34th Street attempted to stop the vehicle again. The vehicle fled from officers at a high rate of speed. Officers observed the vehicle run several red lights and make several unsafe lane changes. Officers stationed at 59th Street were able to successfully deploy stop sticks. The vehicle continued west on Route 90 leaving Ocean City. Officers provided a broadcast of the vehicle’s description to fellow allied law enforcement personnel.

Officers drove out to the intersection at St. Martins Neck Road to ensure the vehicle did not become disabled on the Route 90 Bridge since the stop sticks did deflate one tire. Officers observed the vehicle stopped in the area of the western bridge with multiple people exiting the vehicle. The vehicle continued on Route 90 after four occupants exited the vehicle. Both spans of the Route 90 bridge are marked with official signage prohibiting pedestrians.

As officers approached the group of occupants on the bridge, they observed Ibrahim Kanu throw a bag over the side of the bridge into the bay below. Officers with the Ocean City Police Department detained all four individuals on the bridge. Due to the vehicle failing to stop, occupants fleeing on foot, furtive movements by the occupants, and throwing the bag into the bay, officers conducted frisks of the four individuals detained. Three of the individuals were juveniles and did not have any weapons on them. When officers frisked Kanu, they located a loaded handgun.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police (NRP) responded in their boat to recover the floating bag beneath the bridge. An officer with NRP was able to retrieve the bag from the bay and informed Ocean City officers that a handgun was located inside it. Ocean City officers met NRP at the shoreline and took custody of the bag and loaded handgun.

Officers continued searching the area for the vehicle and driver. Members of the Ocean City Police Department Special Enforcement Unit located the vehicle parked at a gas station on Racetrack Road in Berlin. The driver of the vehicle was observed entering the gas station. Members of the Ocean City Police Department and the Maryland State Police

responded to the gas station and were able to detain Matthewos Mulugeta.

Through a coordinated effort between the Ocean City Police Department, Natural Resource Police and the Maryland State Police, five arrests were made.

Kanu, 19, Woodbridge, Va., was charged with possession of firearm/ammunition as a minor, handgun on person, loaded handgun on person, loaded handgun in a vehicle, handgun in a vehicle, negligent driving, reckless driving, attempt by the driver to elude uniformed police by failing to stop and 35 additional traffic citations.

Mulugeta, 20, Arlington, Va., was charged with possession of firearm/ammunition as a minor, loaded handgun in a vehicle, and handgun in a vehicle.

Three juveniles were also charged. One juvenile, 17, of Alexandria, Va., faces charges of possession of firearm/ammunition as a minor, loaded handgun in a vehicle, and a handgun in a vehicle. The juvenile has been waived to adult status.

The second juvenile, 16, of Lorton, Va., was charged with possession of firearm/ammunition as a minor, loaded handgun in a vehicle, and a handgun in a vehicle. The juvenile has been waived to adult status.

The third juvenile, 17, of Lorton, Va., was charged with possession of firearm/ammunition as a minor, loaded handgun in a vehicle, and a handgun in a vehicle. The juvenile been waived to adult status.

Monday: History of our Surfmen

Tuesday: Beach Safety (OC Beach Patrol)

Wednesday: Knot Tying (Coast Guard)

Thursday: All About Sharks

Friday: Land, Sky, & Sea

Saturday: Aquarium Feeding

Daily Aquarium Feeding

Through August 31, 2023 At 11:30 a.m.

MATTHEWOS MULUGETA

IBRAHIM SANTWA KANU

Proposed Rezoning Supported By Planning Commission

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

SNOW HILL – A rezoning request for property near Route 113 in Bishopville will be forwarded to the Worcester County Commissioners with a favorable recommendation.

The Worcester County Planning Commission last week voted 6-1 to provide a favorable recommendation for a rezoning requested for slightly less than nine acres on Jarvis Road. The property, which is near the Jarvis Road and Route 113 intersection, is proposed to go from A-1 to A-2.

“As an A-1 property there’s really not much you can do with it,” said Hugh Cropper, the attorney representing the property owner.

Cropper told the commission his client, Nick Borodulia, wanted to reclassify 8.9

acres of property he owned on Jarvis Road. While rezonings can be requested based on either a change in the character of the neighborhood or on a mistake, Cropper said in this case the request was being made based on a mistake.

He said that when the parcel was designated A-1 during the last comprehensive rezoning, that was when the county was predicting a lot of growth in the Showell area. That growth didn’t occur.

“I know mistake can be difficult to prove but you have to keep in mind hindsight’s 20-20,” Cropper said.

He said there was a small house on the property though much of it was used for farming. He said about six acres of the property was tillable but that there were access issues and multiple wet spots.

“To say this is poor farmland would be an understatement,” he said.

Cropper said the A-2 zoning would

give his client more options for the property.

“It would be some productive use of this property other than a little 1,500 square foot rental house that he has to kind of nurse along and a nonperforming nonproductive little bit of farmland,” Cropper said.

He added the property was near a large swath of industrially zoned land.

“It’s directly across from the biggest contiguous industrial zone in the county,” he said. “If that becomes developed this is going to be even less suitable for a single family residence.”

Commission member Phyllis Wimbrow objected to Cropper’s criticism of the site as farmland.

“Your argument that an eighty-acre property is not big enough for farming, I can tell you right now that’s baloney,” she said. “My husband and many farmers till

properties that are that size or smaller.”

Cropper said his assertion was not that the property was too small but rather that it had poor soil, ditches, and access issues.

“To me that’s no justification for a rezoning,” Wimbrow responded. “The same conditions exist in other places in this county, and they are successfully farmed.”

Commission member Mary Knight said she’d reviewed the uses allowed in the A1 and the uses permitted in the A-2 and had found few differences. Cropper agreed and said that of the 41 special exceptions in the A-2, 34 were already permitted in the A-1.

“I have no problem with this rezoning,” Knight said.

Wimbrow said what Cropper proposed would constitute spot zoning, when a piece of property has different zoning than other neighboring properties.

“I believe a rezoning could be compatible with the comprehensive plan and still not be a good one,” she said.

Cropper maintained that the property was not good for farming or residential.

“He bought the property with full knowledge of that,” Wimbrow said.

Cropper said Borodulia bought the land in 2006 when there was no difference between A-1 and A-2.

Commission member Ken Church said he understood the reasoning behind the rezoning request.

“It bothers me to limit him for something that in my mind changed after the fact,” he said of the A-1 designation.

Bob Mitchell, the county’s director of environmental programs, said the land was clearly farmed.

“This should remain A-1,” he said. “There’s no reason for this to go to A2 right now.”

He added that the neighboring industrial property that Cropper referenced had not yet been developed. “We haven’t realized any of this industrial zone. We don’t have the sewer capacity…,” he said, adding that the development landscape in the area had been different in 2009. “Was there an actual mistake by the legislative body in keeping this A-1 at the time? I don’t think there was.”

Wimbrow said there was no mistake and made a motion to that effect. When it failed to get a second, Knight made a motion to send the rezoning request on to the commissioners with a favorable recommendation. The motion passed 6-1 with Wimbrow opposed.

A map of the property discussed last week is pictured. Submitted Image

Horseshoe Crab Study Continues In 94th Street Canals

BY BETHANY HOOPER ASSOCIATE EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – University researchers continue to work in the canal system off 94th Street as part of a study on horseshoe crabs.

This summer, researchers with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) have been working on a pilot study to identify the reasoning behind horseshoe crab deaths in the canals near 94th Street. As monitoring continue, they are reminding residents and visitors to remain vigilant of any dead crabs found along the bayside.

“It’s a matter of people keeping their eyes open, and if they see dead crabs to report them,” said Dr. Eric May, professor of fish biology and pathology for the department of natural sciences.

In 2021, after hundreds of dead horseshoe crabs washed up in bayside canals near 94th Street, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program sought help from UMES to identify the cause. Since that time, university researchers have been working to understand why so many horseshoe crabs have died in that location.

“We were asked by the Maryland Coastal Bays Program to take a look at it and see what we could come up with …,” May said. “We started some projects last year and continue projects this year to see why the crabs die off.”

Each week this summer, researchers and interns with the UMES Research Experience for Undergraduates in Marine

and Estuary Sciences program will be visiting the canals near 94th Street.

Dr. Maggie Sexton, deputy director of the NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center at UMES, said efforts are now underway to tag horseshoe crabs with passive integrated transponders, the same technology used to microchip cats and dogs.

“We have tagged 60 crabs in the last

two boat slips off 94th Street,” she said. “We were so surprised to see how many there were.”

Sexton said researchers will use this transponder technology to determine how crabs enter and exit the canals. She said their working theory is that horseshoe crabs are coming into the canals in search of spawning habitats but die once they are in the canals.

“The question is how do dead crabs end up in the canal …,” she said. “A lot think that the crabs are drifting in already dead. We don’t buy that. We believe they are coming in alive on purpose.”

In addition to tagging horseshoe crabs, UMES researchers have also built a nesting platform covered with sand inside one of the canals. Sexton said they will be looking for eggs throughout the summer.

“We’ve started another line of inquiry. If we give the crabs some spawning habitat, will they spawn and leave?” she said. “We can tell you the crabs do spawn there, and they exhibit some nesting behaviors.”

UMES officials note that the public can also aid in their research. They ask residents and visitors to report any dead horseshoe crabs by visiting their webpage, sites.google.com/umes.edu/monitoringhorseshoecrabs-oc/home, and filling out the digital form.

“Filling out that form gives us information,” May said. “That’s one of the biggest problems we have. There is no center point of information for people who live in the area.”

Officials also wanted the public to be aware that researchers will be in the canals weekly throughout the summer.

“People need to know what’s going on,” May said, “and why we have been out there for two years.”

For more information on the study, or to view the team’s findings from 2021 and 2022, visit the project webpage.

UMES researchers are pictured in a canal off 94th Street this summer as efforts continue to monitor horseshoe crab deaths. Photo courtesy of UMES

Town Commission Questions Bank, But Approves ATM

BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR

BERLIN – Town officials voted 3-2 to approve plans for a new ATM machine at a Main Street bank.

The Berlin Historic District Commission (HDC) voted 3-2 to approve Taylor Bank’s plans to install a new ATM machine on the Main Street side of the historic building. Commission members Mary Moore and Laura Stearns, who opposed the proposal, both cited concerns about the aesthetics and lack of architectural detail.

“This is one of the most historic buildings in the town and this is a big change,” Stearns said.

Taylor Bank President Ray Thompson told the commission last week that the bank’s current ATM, which is housed in a vestibule on Main Street, had reached the end of its useful life and needed to be replaced. He said given the size of the replacement machine, bank leadership felt it would be more accessible and more safely installed if it was put through the wall.

“That vestibule is no longer serving its purpose,” he said. “Having that ATM on that wall on the exterior of the building, it’s going to be more visible,” he said, adding that oftentimes merchants directed customers to the ATM and they weren’t able to find it. “Plus we feel it’s much safer installation because it’s more publicly visible to law enforcement as well as others traversing Main Street.”

Moore asked if the bank had considered installing the machine on the Broad Street side of the building.

“We have the ability to install an ATM on Broad Street but Main Street is the preferred location because of traffic counts,” Thompson said.

Moore said she understood that an ATM machine was a necessary part of bank business but lamented its impact on what she described as one of the town’s iconic structures.

Stearns offered similar views and said she loved the vestibule.

“I value my relationship with Taylor Bank,” she said. “When I go in there, every time I go in I think to myself this is the way a bank should look. It feels good. It’s beautiful. As a customer of the bank I love that vestibule. On a cold windy wet day I duck in there, I put my purse on the ledge…I feel safe because I’m in there. I think it is, it’s one of the main parts of Berlin and it’s part of the charm. I don’t want to see it go away, that vestibule. I know the town needs to still maintain its modern amenities but that is one of the most charming little ATMs there ever was.”

Thompson said the new machine was too large to fit in the vestibule. As far as locating it elsewhere on the building, he said that would be difficult as well.

Fenwick Candidates Forum Planned For July 15

BY BETHANY HOOPER ASSOCIATE EDITOR

FENWICK ISLAND – A Fenwick Island organization will host the first candidate forum ahead of next month’s town council election.

On Saturday, July 15, the Fenwick Island Society of Homeowners (FISH) will host its annual candidate forum. Held in town hall, the event will allow voters to hear directly from candidates and ask their questions.

“We look forward to having a chance to hear from all of the candidates at one event and to discuss questions from across the community,” said FISH President Amy Kyle. “All of the coastal towns are facing important challenges, and discussion can help us move forward.”

On Aug. 5, Fenwick Island will hold its annual election to fill four positions on the town council with terms expiring in 2023.

Candidates include Janice Bortner, John Gary Burch, Kristina Clark, Natalie Magdeburger, Bernie Merritt, Jacque Napolitano, James Simpson and Kurt Zanelotti

All council members serve two-year terms and are tasked with adopting ordinances and resolutions and determining the general goals and policies of Fenwick Island.

The annual FISH candidate forum will be held Saturday, July 15, at town hall. Doors will open at 9:05 a.m., with the forum beginning promptly at 9:30 a.m.

Candidates will be asked to provide opening and closing statements and answer questions collected from members of the audience. FISH notes that comments can be made in favor or against any issue, but attacks on individuals will not be allowed. Comments that are not civil will be ruled out of order.

“All candidates are invited and welcomed to attend the forum,” a news re-

lease reads. “The forum is structured to give each candidate an equal opportunity to express their views and answer questions. The forum moves briskly, especially when there are eight candidates running.”

Ahead of this year’s election, the town has set an absentee ballot request deadline of Aug. 4.

Any Town of Fenwick Island eligible registered voter who needs to obtain an absentee ballot by mail should call town hall at 302-539-3011, ext. 1, and a form will be mailed to you. The request form to receive the absentee ballot must be filed with the town no later than noon on Aug. 4. Absentee ballots must be received prior to the close of the election, 5 p.m., on Aug. 5. The election will be held on Aug. 5, from 1-5 p.m. in town hall.

This year, four council seats currently held by Bortner, Magdeburger, Napolitano and Councilman Paul Breger will be up for grabs. Breger will not be seeing re-election.

People in Society

by

Featuring Those Helping Causes In The Resort Area

Art League of Ocean City volunteers served drinks at Arts Day in the Pines on Sunday.

Chrissy Tilghman, Katerra Dettbarn and Chakirah Henry of Sweet Addiction are pictured at Arts Day in the Pines.

Sherri Lassahn and Mary Adair represented the Worcester County Veterans Memorial at Arts Day in the Pines.

Brian Herbert and Johnny Matthews attended Arts Day in the Pines July 9.

Carter Blizzard and Jonah DeVito helped out at Arts Day in the Pines.

Kacie Neeb and Debbie Donahue helped out at Arts Day in the Pines, an event hosted Sunday by the Art League of Ocean City.

Rachel Carroll and Beth Cox are pictured at Arts Day in the Pines.

Casey Andolino and Carole Chamberlain volunteered at Arts Day in the Pines.

Emily Dale, Shaonda Giddins, Mary Johnson, Salena Bond and Toccara McCray of ACJC Church sold food at Arts Day in the Pines.

Charlene Sharpe

Heather Toth and Nina Nordstrom helped with face painting at Arts Day in the Pines.

Main Street ATM Gains Approval

FROM PAGE 39

“The best way I can explain it to you is because this space is already designated as an ATM vestibule, placing it anywhere else in the building then becomes hugely disruptive to the historic value of the building,” he said.

Moore said that if the machine had to go where it was proposed adjacent to the existing vestibule space there should at least be a way to make it fit in better visually.

“I’d love to think somebody could creatively come up with a more visual, attractive presentation that’s more in keeping with the historic feeling of our town,” she said.

Thompson said the size of the machine, which extends into the bank and has to be accessed regularly from inside because it will accept deposits, limited options.

“I apologize bank machinery isn’t prettier,” he said.

Thompson added that there had been issues regarding the vestibule in the past.

“As nice as that is to have in the winter, we have from time to time come to work in the morning and found folks sleeping in that vestibule,” he said. “They have also from time to time used it as a restroom. This’ll help us with that.”

When the idea of installing an ATM in the drive-thru area came up, Thompson said that would cost two to three times as much as what was proposed.

“There’s also, people are familiar with the ATM being in this location,” he said.

“It’s easier for business continuity to know the ATM’s generally in the same place it’s just reoriented.”

Moore suggested changing the lettering to improve the appearance of the machine. Thompson agreed that the logo could likely be switched from blue to gold. Moore said incorporating the year the bank opened would add a historical aspect to the machine but Thompson pointed out the bank’s original sign was already set up just to the left of the ATM area.

Stearns said she felt that Broad Street would be a better location or the machine.

“Traffic counts won’t work for us,” Thompson said. “It’s going to be harder for our customers to find it as well.”

When asked if an architect had been engaged to design the ATM proposal, Thompson said an architect hadn’t been necessary.

“We’re going to reorient it to the east and put it through the wall which is a very common application for ATMs,” he said. “Vestibule ATMs for a lot of reasons are not the safest ATMs anymore.”

Commission member John Holloway said he was torn on the proposal.

“I don’t like it on the front of the building like that,” he said.

The commission agreed to have Thompson submit an updated rendering showing a gold logo as well as the addition of some molding above the machine. On Friday, the rendering was forwarded to commission members for an email vote and was approved 3-2.

A rendering of a new ATM outside Taylor Bank’s branch is pictured. Submitted Photo

Family Art Session: Families gathered at the Ocean City Center for the Arts on 94th Street bayside to make art together on July 1. Free summer art crafts for children and families are available every summer Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome, and all art materials are provided. Pictured are the Harrington family of Baltimore, above left; the Menzie family from New York, above right; the Wechstein and Morello families of Tennessee, below left; and Ryan Zeidan, below right. Submitted Photos

Assateague

Eyes Project To Improve OSV Area, Parking Public Comment Period Ends Aug.

BERLIN – The public comment period for the Environmental Assessment Phase of the Assateague Island National Seashore South Ocean Beach Parking/OSV Entrance Restructuring Plan is now open.

This project is being considered to improve the safety of the South Ocean Beach area by ending conflicts between parking lot users, walkers, bicyclists, Life of the Dunes hikers, and OSV users. In addition, moving facilities will make the South Ocean Beach recreation area more resilient to natural coastal processes and future storm events, improve safety, and protect and enhance the visitor experience and park resources through visitor use management strategies.

Finally, the project will significantly decrease yearly maintenance costs for the parking lot and lessen roadside parking in the South Ocean Beach area, according to Assateague officials.

The preferred alternative for the plan includes re-routing the Oversand Vehicle Area entrance road to the west side of the South Ocean Beach parking lot, paving and slightly enlarging the parking lot, moving the restrooms and showers to the west, moving the end of the road rotary to the north, and creating a loop at the end of the bike path.

To get the full details of the plan and voice your opinion, please use the National Park Service’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment web site at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/SouthOceanBeach. Comments can also be mailed to Superintendent, Assateague Island National Seashore, 7206 National Seashore Lane, Berlin, Md. 21811.

A public comment meeting was held at the Assateague Island Environmental Education Center (Park Headquarters) 7206 National Seashore Lane, on Tuesday July 11. Full details of the plan and preferred alternative were available at the meeting, along with opportunities to comment and to discuss the project with park planning staff.

The public comment period will be open until Tuesday Aug. 1.

COMMUNITY News In Photos

awarded an honorary membership in the First State Detachment of the Marine Corps League for her support of the military and military veterans. Carozza is pictured with detachment members (left to right) Don

Sewing Seeds of Love, a children’s ministry of Buckingham Presbyterian Church in Berlin, recently presented 14 hand-made quilts to the Cricket Center. Pictured are Lauren Cooper, Cricket Center, Debbie Frene, Trent Macrides, Thea Macrides, Sophia Macrides, Wyatt Parker, Claire Parker, Mack Ashton, Tucker Ashton, and Kolton Hoffman. Not pictured are Cece and Matthew O’Malley.

a

Local children recently set up a lemonade stand to raise money to make

donation to Brooke’s Toy Closet at TidalHealth. Lennon Ballard, front left, and Harbor Ballard, front right, are joined by their mother, Whitney, back right, while dropping off toys at the TidalHealth Foundation for Brooke’s Toy Closet. Accepting for the Foundation at the Giving House is Director Donna Murray.

Fiona O'Brien of Saltare Elementis Dance Collective received a grant from Rina Thaler, executive director of the Art League of Ocean City, sponsored by the Ocean City Film Festival and the Worcester County Arts Council, as funding to create her new film, "Roots," inspired by the Eastern Shore and shot in Ocean City. The film will premiere at the 2024 Ocean City Film Festival in March 2024.

Sen. Mary Beth Carozza has been

Coffin, judge advocate, Immediate Past Commandant Bob Broderick, Commandant Al Soto, and Junior Vice Commandant Milt Warren. Submitted Photos

Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines - Ocean City members Jan and Bob Wolfing are pictured with Worcester Youth & Family Services Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Leggour at the nonprofit’s recent luau fundraiser.

Members of the Ocean City-Berlin Rotary Club visited teacher Jessica Grimes’ kindergarten class at Buckingham Elementary School as an end of year treat. Pictured left to right are Heather Godwin, club member, Margaret Mudron, president, and Cliff Berg, district governor.

Parks Recognized

OCEAN CITY – Jolly Roger Amusement Parks has been recognized by the travel blog, airportparkingreservations.com, as one of the top 20 Most Loved Theme Parks in America.

The index looked at several factors, including the number of rides, roller coasters, the cost of entry and the number of Instagram posts for each amusement park. Jolly Roger Parks ranked number 19 out of 20, sitting among the ranks of Six Flags, Dollywood, and Walt Disney World.

“For a beachside amusement park like ours, it is truly an honor to be recognized with the big boys in the entertainment industry,” says Steve Pastusak, vice president of Jolly Roger Amusement Parks. “At Jolly Roger Parks, we pride ourselves on offering our guests the best of both worlds, thrilling rides at affordable prices.”

National Designation

BERLIN – The Berlin Maryland Chamber of Commerce would like to congratulate Island Creamery for earning the title of “Best Ice Cream Place in America” by USA Today.

Island Creamery was founded in the 1970s in Chincoteague Virginia, where their flagship business still operates. This family owned favorite has expanded to Berlin and Salisbury in recent years, garnering national and now world-wide attention. The Island Creamery team, which numbers about 100 employees through its three locations, has shown a fantastic dedication to their business which is wholly evident in their craft and the support it has received.

Upon announcement of the contest, visitors began to flock to Berlin, Salisbury and Chincoteague for a taste of their incredible ice cream. If you haven’t tried it yourself, it’s time to roll into town and get a scoop of your new favorite. And for those who can’t enjoy traditional ice cream, there is always a selection of vegan sorbet on hand.

Island Creamery is located at 120 North Main Street in Berlin or you can visit the flagship shop at 6243 Maddox Blvd. in Chincoteague, Va.

Founded in 1986, the Berlin Chamber of Commerce was created with the intent to foster economic growth in Berlin and its surrounding areas. Since then, it has seen its efforts reflected in incredible economic growth, multiple awards dedicated to Berlin, including Coolest Small Town in 2014,

Best Small Town for Shopping in 2020, among others. The chamber is best known for its Main Street events, including Jazz, Blues, Wine & Brews, the Fiddlers Convention and what has become its signature event, the Bathtub Races.

Director Welcomed

SALISBURY – From the softball field to the administrator's office, Monica Gordy Polizzi has been a force in NCAA athletics for more than 20 years.

Now, she will bring those decades of experience to Salisbury University as the institution's new director of athletics and Campus Recreation – the first woman to hold the position – following a national search. She begins the position Wednesday, July 26.

Polizzi comes to SU from LenoirRhyne University in Hickory, N.C., where she has served as senior associate athletic director of internal operations since February 2022. Prior to that, she spent 11 years at Mars Hill University (N.C.), including eight as head softball coach and three as assistant director of athletics.

“Salisbury University is an athletics powerhouse, and it will take a strong leader to continue to guide our teams and students to success,” said SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre. “With more than two decades as a coach, administrator and student-athlete at the collegiate level, we are excited that Monica fits that descrip-

tion and then some.”

Polizzi will become part of a program nationally recognized for its success. SU recently won its 13th NCAA Division III men's lacrosse championship, marking the institution's 23rd national team championship since 1986. The new director will be charged with leading SU's student-athletes – which also boast 24 national individual championships – into a new era of prosperity.

“I am excited for the chance to lead the Sea Gulls, and I'm eager to work with so many talented and successful coaches and staff,” said Polizzi, a Salisbury native. “Growing up near the university, I had the opportunity to experience the enthusiasm around some of the program's earliest team championships in the 1990s. I can't wait to play a part in that legacy, and to partner with the campus in support of SU's pursuit of excellence.”

At Lenoir-Rhyne, Polizzi oversaw six intercollegiate sports, served as chief financial officer for a multi-million-dollar athletics budget and assisted in all head coaches and athletics staff hires, among other duties.

From 2008-2011, Polizzi served as head softball coach at Louisburg College (N.C.), following assistant and graduate assistant coaching positions at Upper Iowa University and Wayne State College (Neb.). As a coach, she led student-athletes to successes including All-American honors, South Atlantic Conference (SAC) All-Con-

ference selections, SAC Softball ScholarAthlete of the Year, and NCAA Region X Player of the Year and All-Region selections.

She currently chairs the NCAA National Committee for Division II football –the first woman to hold that position, as well – and serves on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee for the sport. She is a past member of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee for Division II softball and has served on multiple committees for the SAC.

Professionally, Polizzi was one of only 24 women from all NCAA divisions selected to participate in the NCAA's 2020 Lessons in Management workshop. She also was selected as one of eight mentees to participate in the 2022 Division II Athletic Directors Association Women and Minorities Mentorship program, offered through the Division II Athletic Directors Association and NCAA, and has served as a delegate at multiple NCAA conventions. In addition, she previously has been selected to attend the Women Leaders in College Sports national convention and will attend its executive institute for senior administrators in all NCAA divisions this summer.

On the field, she was a four-year softball starter and team captain at the Florida Institute of Technology, where she earned her B.A. in psychology. A 2000 graduate of Parkside High School in Salisbury, she helped lead the Rams' softball team to four post-season appearances, including the Maryland state finals.

At SU, Polizzi will oversee 23 varsity athletics teams in three conferences (Coastto-Coast Athletic Conference, New Jersey Athletic Conference and Coastal Lacrosse Conference). These include men's and women's golf, scheduled to begin competition during the 2024-25 academic year as the first additions to SU's athletics program since women's soccer in 1994.

Currently, more than 500 SU studentathletes play for varsity teams including baseball, field hockey, softball (2023 NCAA Division III runner-up), volleyball, and men's and women's basketball, cross country, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Combined, they have produced 196 conference championships and 44 Academic All-Americans.

Additionally, Polizzi will oversee SU's athletics and recreation facilities, as well as the University's student recreation program.

Beauty At The T ip Of Your Finger s!

Teal Marsh Plaza (Across From Food Lion) 9927 Stephen Decatur Hwy. Unit 5 West Ocean City, MD 21842 410-390-5383

Open 6 Days –9:30a.m.-6 p.m. M-F Sat. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the grand opening of The Wedge Bar, located on the Inlet next to Harrison’s Harbor Watch. Officials welcomed the new business with food, drinks and a ribbon cutting ceremony. Submitted Photo

Freeman Arts Pavilion’s Photo Of The Week: Each week during the season the Freeman Arts Pavilion submits a photo of the week from the Selbyville, Del. venue. Above, Indie folk band The Head and The Heart performed along with The Revivalists on Wednesday, July 5, at Freeman Arts Pavilion in Selbyville. Live music continues all summer long at the open-air outdoor venue located four miles from Ocean City.

Photo by Natalee DeHart/Freeman Arts Pavilion

Lost Kids A Daily Issue For Ocean City Lifeguards

BY DAMIEN SANZOTTI SPECIAL TO THE DISPATCH

OCEAN CITY – As a father of three children, one of my biggest fears is losing my kids in a crowded area and not being able to find them. But over my 20 years with the beach patrol, I have had the opportunity to return many lost children to their parents. Parents, please pay attention because in this article, we will discuss how to prevent this scary moment during your time on the sand.

My children are 11, 9, and 5, so one of the very first things that we do when we get to the beach, is meet the lifeguard. I make sure that I take the time to introduce them and reinforce the fact that if they cannot find mom and dad, then they tell the person in the big white chair. Our lifeguards appreciate this so that if a child does get lost, they can work to reunite parties faster and go back to their primary concern – watching the water. This is crucial especially on busy weekends in the peak of summer, when it is not uncommon to have over 30 separated party cases on

our beaches.

Next, I show my kids the numbered street sign that faces the beach at the dune access. I typically point out a few distinguishable buildings in the background to help orient them to the area.

To a young child standing at the water’s edge, the beach can look like a repeating pattern of umbrellas and chairs, making parents disappear quite easily. My kids are also very good with numbers, so we have been practicing the memorization of my cell phone number. Our lifeguards have the ability to make radio contact with our dispatcher who can place a call to parents if needed.

When kids get panicked, they tend to pick up the pace and cover more ground as they search frantically for something familiar. Additionally, the current can move children along the beach so they exit the water sometimes blocks away from where they entered. Though these factors can cause children to become lost, lost kids

do display several commonalities, like walking at the water’s edge with the wind at their back (the path of least resistance.) These signs can help lifeguards initiate a search with semaphore, otherwise known as our flag language, as a message is sent to each guard.

While lifeguards are visually sweeping the beach, the message is also sent via radio to spread the information to a larger area. During this time, it is extremely important to have a group member stay with the lifeguard closest to where the individual is lost from. Keeping a group member close to the lifeguard stand allows us to return the lost individual to the correct location, and allows for a good flow of communication. Our sergeants, who ride the ATV’s, will also sweep the area searching for the lost individual. We are proud to say that through this process, we have a 100% return rate for lost parties.

In conclusion, if you suddenly can’t locate a member of your family, do not panic and do not start your own search before informing the nearest lifeguard who can initiate the search, and at times, may al-

ready know the whereabouts of your child. It helps to make a plan with your child to keep your vacation stress free. And as always, "Keep your feet in the sand, until the lifeguard’s in the stand!"

Captain’s Note: During this year’s downtown fireworks display an 11-yearold child became separated from his family in the large crowd of people. Because of how long the child was missing the police called in a State Police helicopter, the U.S. Coast Guard as well as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police to begin searching along the water’s edge. As a result, the fireworks display was placed on an indefinite hold until the child could be located and re-united with family members. Fortunately, beach patrol staff work this event, and our own Sergeant Tim Uebel located the missing child. Tim is like a blood hound when it comes to locating both lost people and lost items.

(The writer has been with the beach patrol for 19 years and is currently a sergeant. He is a physical education teacher for the Worcester County Public School system.)

OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Center for the Arts on 94th Street bayside is inviting the public to two free art activities on summer weekends.

The events tie in with the Town of Ocean City’s initiative to offer free and fun family activities throughout the resort on summer weekends.

On summer Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., the Arts Center will host free children’s craft projects with unique new themes every week. The projects will be outside in the Arts Center’s tented waterfront courtyard overlooking the bay, weather permitting, and will move indoors on rainy days. All ages are welcome, but an adult must accompany a child.

“This is a make-and-take event,” Rina Thaler, executive director of the Art League of Ocean City, said. “It’s a fun opportunity for children to engage their creative sides and make something special they can take home and be proud of with a special memory of Ocean City. We supply the materials and some creative ideas, and let the children take it from there.”

On summer Sundays at 1 p.m., the Arts Center’s staff docents are guiding gallery tours free of charge, discussing the art exhibitions and other offerings at the center. Tours last approximately 15 minutes. The docents will guide guests through the main Thaler Gallery, the Sisson Galleria on the balcony, the Spot-

light Gallery, Studio E, the Staircase Gallery, the studios of the artists-in-residence, and the in-center gift shop.

The docents will also highlight the multitude of classes offered at the Arts Center - painting, drawing, pottery, collage, book making and more - that allow artists to hone their skills and non-artists

to discover their hidden talents.

Two Free Weekend art activities offered In ocean city craft Projects, Guided Tours Planned

“Whenever I go to an art gallery or museum, I love to take tours so I can learn the stories and ideas behind the art,” Thaler said. “Our docent tours will introduce you to some of our most prolific and talented artists, and answer questions you may have about what you see on our walls and in our galleries.”

More information about the free weekend art projects is available by calling the Arts Center at 410-524-9433 or at OCart.org.

Seven Salisbury University ROTC Graduates Celebrated

SALISBURY – Salisbury University’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program sends some of the university’s brightest minds and top leaders into the U.S. Army ready to serve their country.

In the past 15 years, more than 60 SU graduates have been commissioned as second lieutenants upon their completion of the program at SU.

Recently, the seven newest graduates of the program were commissioned as second lieutenants in a ceremony presided over by Brigadier General Janeen L. Birckhead, Maryland Army National Guard commander.

Jericho Barbosa of Millersville, Md., was pinned by his parents, Lolly and Rudy Barbosa. He received his first salute from his pastor, Richard Pope.

Thanupetch Fields of Salisbury is a first-generation college student who emi-

grated from Thailand. He was pinned by his parents, Dan and Wichien Fields. He received his first salute from his father.

Zachery Gaines of Waldorf, Md., was pinned by his father Andrew Gaines, his mother, Kara Breck, and his stepfather, former U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Andy Beck. He received his first salute from his sister Airman First Class Allison Beck.

Elizabeth Hernandez of La Plata, Md., was pinned by her parents, Stacy and Patrick Hernandez. She received her first salute from her grandfather Bob Fraser.

Nathaniel Hricz of Forrest Hill, Md., was pinned by his mother, Pam Hricz, and his father, retired U.S. Army Ranger Lieutenant Colonel Ken Hricz. He received his first salute from U.S. Army Specialist Tyler Dugan. Samantha Palmrose of Gaithersburg, Md., was pinned by her parents, Donald and Katherine Primrose. She received her first salute from Sergeant

James Wyatt. Megan Zegel of Huntingtown, Md., was pinned by her mother Renee Zegel, her father retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jim Zegel, and her sister, Madison Zegel. She received

her first salute from her grandfather, Ronald Cole.

“ROTC has allowed all of us to stand apart from our fellow classmates,” said Zegel, who recently graduated SU with a B.S. in nursing. “This program gives me a sense of being a part of something so much larger than just one person or one school.

“ROTC gives every last one of us the privilege to develop our leadership skills in order to selflessly serve our country. The skills I have cultivated while being a part of this program have allowed me to build upon the absolutely essential techniques of leadership and advocacy needed to speak up for patients in times of need.

“A blend of both the ROTC program, as well as the nursing program, has fully prepared me to be the best officer and nurse I can be in my professional career.”

“It is always an honor to meet and work with the students that come through the ROTC program at Salisbury University,” said Dr. Laurie Henry, dean of SU’s Marilyn C. and Samuel W. Seidel School of Education and a U.S. Air Force veteran. “These are young men and women who strive for something more out of their college and professional experience, and they leave SU ready to lead in whatever future path they choose.”

SU’s ROTC program began in the 1970s and was re-established in fall 2008 after a hiatus of nearly a decade. In conjunction with the University of Delaware’s ROTC program, cadets participate in regular classes and training exercises. SU’s program has seen interest climb in recent years.

“We have seen a surge in enrollment in our ROTC program, with our last four senior classes being the largest since the program’s re-instatement in 2008,” said Henry. “These individuals are committed to becoming better citizens, future leaders, and make SU a better institution with their enrollment and commitment to serving our country.”

“ROTC has provided my peers and me with an abundance of opportunities,” said Zegel. “This program has instilled a sense of responsibility in all of us by emphasizing discipline, accountability and commitment. Through taking part in various training activities, like field training exercise and superlab, we have all had the opportunity to learn how to better prioritize our assigned tasks, manage our time and follow through on all commitments expected of us.”

The newly commissioned second lieutenants from SU are pictured. Submitted Photo

with Scott Lenox

Greetings all, we had some really great fishing weather this past week with mostly sunny skies, warm temperatures and calm winds so there were lots of folks out trying to bend a rod. We did have a few days of thunderstorms to avoid, but otherwise conditions were very good.

Offshore tuna fishing continued to be mediocre at best with few yellowfin tuna and bigeye being captured. There were some catches of five or six yellowfins and there were some large bigeye tuna caught, but overall it was slow. Captain Chris Watkowski of the Spring Mix II had a great day with four yellowfin tuna and a 197-pound bigeye last week and a few other boats had some tunas, but most offshore boats had to resort to bottom fishing for golden and blueline tilefish and sea bass to make sure there was meat in the fish box.

Speaking of bottom fishing, the oceangoing party and charter bottom fishing fleet has been doing very well. There are still plenty of nice sea bass being caught around ocean structure and anglers targeting flounder are having much success as well. There are some fish inshore, but most of the sea bass and flounder action is happening in 60 to 100 feet of water. Sea bass are falling for a simple Hi-Lo rig with

squid or salted clam while the flounder are being tricked with jigs and teaser rigs with Gulp, Otter Tails and cut strips like flounder belly. Right now we’ve got some really good trolling for Spanish mackerel and bluefish on the inshore lumps. Spots like the First Lump, Second Lump and Fenwick Shoal are holding good schools of Spanish macks and some bluefish in the 18” to 24” range. Catch these fun fighters by trolling small spoons on inline sinkers or behind #1 planers.

Back bay flounder fishing was good this past week with clean water conditions thanks to the lack of wind. Anglers are having to weed through a lot of throwbacks to catch a 16” keeper sized fish, but there are a lot of fish being caught. I had a great trip aboard the Bay Bee with my fraternity brothers where we caught over 50 throwback flounder with just one 18.5” keeper.

Tournament season gets into full swing this weekend with the 36th Annual Ocean City Tuna Tournament at the Ocean City Fishing Center. Scales action will take place at OCFC Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15 from 4 until 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 16th from 4 until 7 p.m. If you can’t get there in person you can watch SEE PAGES 56-57

the Hooked on OC live broadcast at www.ocfishing.com. Until next week, tight lines.

(The writer is the owner of Fish in OC and

host of Ocean City’s fishing television show Hooked on OC. He has worked in the fishing industry and been fishing the waters in and around Ocean City for over 25 years.)

Nick Smallwood was spearfishing and lucked into this big 39-pound cobia. Submitted Photos

day offshore with eight big yellowfin tuna.

Opposite page, middle left, this group had a great time with Captain Mark Hoos of the Marli when they caught a yellowfin tuna, some big golden tilefish and a limit of blueline tilefish. Opposite page, middle right, Bob Rohloff caught this jumbo triggerfish while fishing on the Judith M out of Bahia Marina. Opposite page, bottom left, Captain Kane Bounds of the Fish Bound has seen some awesome flounder fishing in the ocean with fish up to 7.5 pounds. Opposite page, bottom right, Shaun Flaherty fished the Route 50 Bridge at night to catch some “chopper” bluefish up to 33”.

Above top left, Austin Wagner caught and released this nice 36” rockfish from the Route 50 Bridge. Above left, Captain Austin Ensor of the Primary Search showed this group a good time with a yellowfin tuna and a head, and a pile of blueline tilefish. Above right top, Captain Chris Watkowski of the Spring Mix II put this group on four yellowfin tuna and a big 197-pound bigeye tuna. Above right middle, Captain Willie Zimmerman of the RoShamBo put this group on two yellowfin tuna and a pile of blueline tilefish. Above right, Ryan Lenox murdered the sea bass and Owen West added three keeper flounder on a great trip aboard the Angler with Captain Chris Mizurak. Opposite page, top left, Captain Alex Beane of the Boss Hogg put this group on a white marlin release and 8 1/2 yellowfin tuna (a shark took the rest). Opposite page, top right, the crew of the private boat Sea Hag of Sunset Marina had a great

Chris Parypa’s Photo Of The Week: Each week staff photographer Chris Parypa is tasked with submitting a photo from his vast library to be featured in this space. Above, a street performer channels an inner superhero during a shift on July 4. To purchase any of Parypa’s photos, click over to www.chrisparypa.com.

THE DISPATCH Crossword Puzzle

ANSWERS ON PAGE 82

HOROSCOPES

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): You enter a more positive period, both personally and professionally, but trouble spots can appear. Avoid them by keeping lines of communication open.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): Don't fret about the competition. Since Taurus rules the throat, you could have the advantage of conveying your ideas in tones that are sure to please your listeners.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Of course, as a Gemini, you love to talk. But watch your words very carefully this week. What you say could come back to cause you some unpleasant moments.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22): The Grabby-Crabby side of you dominates. You want it all. But try to temper that urge to splurge so that you can take advantage of an upcoming investment opportunity.

LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22): Spread that natural sunshine all you loving Leos and Leonas radiate, and brighten up those gloomy hearts around you. Also, expect a visit from someone from your past.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22): You like things neat and tidy. That's fine for your closets and desktops, but you need to be more flexible in your relationships. Give a little, and you'll get a lot back.

LIBRA (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22): Your financial aspects continue to dominate. There still might be problems to

work out from past business decisions before you can make plans for the future.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21): Travel plans might be up in the air -- literally -- now that your spouse or partner would rather fly than drive. A thorny workplace issue is close to being resolved.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21): Use your natural leadership qualities to guide a troublesome workplace project through to completion. Meanwhile, a personal relationship is smooth sailing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19): Aspects for moving to a new location appear to be increasingly favorable. Meanwhile, your loyalty to a friend soon pays off in ways you never expected.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18): Your ability to be flexible helps get you through changes you hadn't expected, either on the job or at home. Remember to take things one step at a time.

PISCES (Feb. 19 to March 20): Your creative talents are put to the test, as you attempt to deal with a suddenly changed situation. It will be up to you to devise a way to work it out successfully.

BORN THIS WEEK: You have a gift for bringing people together. While you love to travel, you also love being at home, especially if you can be surrounded by your family.

ANSWERS ON PAGE 46

© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Things I Like...

By Steve Green

An oceanfront lunch

Walking through the Berlin Farmers Market after church

Sand in my truck

How each sunrise and sunset are different

Watching kids learn to surf

Everything about Assateague

Skipping rocks on water

People watching on the beach

Old clothes that still fit

When traffic is not as bad as expected

Acoustic guitars

vanishing vanishing OCEAN CITYWITH

BUNK MANN

The Sandpiper was one of the most popular restaurants in town from the 1950s through the 1970s. Located on 33rd Street and Coastal Highway in a building with a big white chicken on the roof, it featured seafood and some of the best fried chicken ever served in Ocean City.

Robe and Mary Belle Holland opened the Sandpiper in 1953 in a building that had once housed a nite club known as the Swan Club. With the growth of the area that became known as “Motel Row” in the next decade, the Sandpiper became a favorite destination.

The business was sold to the Davis family in 1965 and they continued the restaurant’s reputation for good food and friendly service. In the 1970s, they opened the popular Sand Bar there as well as an after-hours club known as the Penthouse.

The Sandpiper ceased operation in 1979 and the building became the home of several different restaurants in subsequent years. Today it is the site of Guido’s Burritos as well as the Sandbar karaoke bar.

To purchase one of Bunk Mann’s books, click over to www.vanishingoc.com. Photo courtesy of Susan Cropper

BEACH STAND OPERATOR: Beach stand help needed. Must be able to work weekends. Call Bill 443-614-0322.

PT COOK: Ocean City Elks Lodge. Seeking PT Cook. Contact Ernie Huster, 410-627-1144.

MAINTENANCE. FT, YR. Perfect job for jack of all trades handyman. Dependable, quality person with customer service skills. Call 410250-1111 or email resume to Fred@paradiseoc.com

TECHNICIAN/MECHANIC : YEAR

ROUND OUTDOOR MOTOR

TECHNICIAN/MECHANIC NEEDED FOR BASIC OUTBOARD AND BOAT SERVICE. CALL HARBOR MARINE, W. OCEAN CITY, MD 410-213-2296.

PT MAINTENANCE TECH: GlenRiddle Community. 3 days a week Great Team Environment. tmacintosh@legumnorman.com

CLEANERS/VACATION

RENTALS: Needed for Ocean City and Ocean Pines. Experience preferred but not necessary. Text or call 443-397-1189.

FULL TIME EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNCIAN/ FIREFIGHTER I

ANNUAL SALARY $41,184

POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL OVERTIME 24/72 SHIFTS

Benefit package includes leave timeholiday, sick and vacation, uniforms, retirement and insurances. Berlin Fire Company/EMS is accepting packets for a full time EMT Firefighter I certification. Class B license preferred, but will be required within six months of non-certified driving record, copies of all fire and EMS certifications and training to:

Berlin Fire Company EMS, ATTN: Employment, PO Box 382, Berlin, MD 21811. Deadline, Monday July 17 at 2:00 pm. Also accepting application packets for PT, as needed EMT and Paramedics on an ongoing basis.

FOR SALE

DINING ROOM SET FOR SALE

Perfect

for new home buyers!

Perfect for your Rental! Beautiful solid wood dining set. Table seats 8-10 with two leaves. Lighted China Cabinet with glass shelving. (Chairs not incl’d.) Selling because moved & too big for dining area. Must see! $575. Berlin. 443-880-8885 $500

AUTOMOBILE

FOR SALE: 2000 LINCOLN

CONTINENTAL. Excellent condition. Maryland Inspected. 109,000 miles. $4,500 OBO. Call 410-632-1911.

Trees softly whisper, “She’s not here, you should move on”. My heart...just not...yet.

COMMERCIAL ROOMMATE

ROOMMATE: Furnished room in south gate OP. Full house priviliges. All util’s incl’d. No pets. No smoking. $200. sec. dep. $700 mo. 443-880-2317.

REAL ESTATE

ACRE FOR SALE: Beautiful parcel Safe, quiet area. Minutes from everything, OC & DE beaches! Zoned A-1.

Build or mobile/modular. Well & septic in place. 10403 Griffin Rd, Berlin, MD. Call for more info & price. 410-726-6387.

WEST O.C. OFFICE/RETAIL SPACES AVAILABLE: 1 Office or Retail Space for Lease. 1,656. Sq. feet. Plenty of Parking. 443-4974200.

INDUSTRIAL WAREHOUSE SPACE: 2,100 Sq. Ft., 1,500 Sq. Ft., and 1,867 Sq. Ft. Masonry construction. 18’ high ceilings, large garage door & bathroom. Rt. 90/Bishopville. Call 443-497-4200.

CAREGIVER

CAREGIVER IN YOUR HOME: Honest, dependable, trustworthy & compassionate care. Hospital & home health exp. Exc. Ref.’s Call Debbie Bell 302-339-7162.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Natural Gas está planeando la Actualización de la Resiliencia de Worcester para aumentar el suministro de energía de la zona, garantizando tanto la confiabilidad como la asequibilidad para las empresas y residentes locales. El proyecto incluye una instalación de almacenamiento de gas natural licuado en Bishopville, Condado de Worcester, Maryland, con tanques de almacenamiento horizontales de bajo perfil; junto con la adición de bucles de tuberías adicionales y mejoras a las estaciones de medición y regulación existentes. Eastern Shore Natural Gas Company es la subsidiaria de transporte de gas natural por tubería interestatal de Chesapeake Utilities Corporation. Eastern Shore ha servido de manera segura y confiable las necesidades de transporte de gas natural en la Península de Delmarva desde 1959. Una sesión de información pública está programada para el 19 de julio de 2023, de 3 a 7 p.m., en la Biblioteca del Condado de Worcester, Sucursal de Berlin, en 13 Harrison Ave, Berlin, MD 21811, donde se invita a los residentes a obtener más información sobre el proyecto. El uso del espacio de reunión de la biblioteca no constituye un respaldo de esta organización, este programa o su contenido por parte de la Biblioteca del Condado de Worcester. Para obtener más información, por favor contáctenos al: Línea directa gratuita del proyecto: 1-844-3663764.Email:WorcesterResiliencyUpgrade@esng.com

The Dispatch Legal Notices

LEGAL RATES

Legal advertising rate is $7 per column inch. The deadline for all legal advertising is Tuesday at noon. For more information call 410-641-4563 or fax 410-641-0966.

Second Insertion

Town of Fenwick Island Notice of

Election

August 5, 2023, 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Town Hall, 800 Coastal Highway, Fenwick Island, DE19944

There are four (4) Council seats available. Each seat is for a 2-year term. The candidates are:

Janice Bortner

John Gary Burch

Kristina Clark

Natalie Carmean Magdeburger

Bernie Merritt

Jacqueline Napolitano

James C. Simpson III

Kurt Zanelotti

Absentee ballots are available for any registered voter who is not able to vote on election day at Town Hall. Any Town of Fenwick Island eligible registered voter who needs to obtain an absentee ballot by mail should call the Town Hall at 302-539-3011, ext. 1, and a form will be mailed to you. The request form to receive the absentee ballot must be filed with the Town no later than 12:00 p.m. on August 4, 2023. Absentee ballots must be received prior to the close of the election, 5:00 p.m., on August 5, 2023.

To vote in Fenwick Island election, you must be qualified either as a “resident” or as a “non-resident”.

Resident: Every natural person, who is a citizen of the State of Delaware and the United States, age 18 on or before the date of the election, a bona fide resident of the Town prior to the annual municipal election, and registered to vote thirty (30) or more days prior to the annual municipal election, if provided by ordinance, shall have one vote. A bona fide resident means a permanent, fulltime resident of the Town.

Non-resident: Every property owner as of March 1 prior to the annual municipal election, whether a natural person or artificial entity, including but not limited to corporations, partnerships, trusts, and limited liability companies, and who is registered to vote, if provided by ordinance, shall have one vote. A natural person shall be a citizen of the United States and age 18 on or before the date of the election. An artificial entity shall be a domestic entity in the State of Delaware.

The above voter qualification provisions shall be construed in accordance with the principle of "oneperson/entity, one vote." Where a voter is entitled to vote by virtue of being both a resident and as an owner of real property, that voter shall be entitled to only one vote; where a voter is entitled to vote by ownership of two or more parcels of real property, that voter shall be entitled to only one vote.

Any legal entity, other than a natural person entitled to vote, must cast its vote by a duly executed and notarized power of attorney from the legal entity granting the authority to cast its vote to its designated attorney-in-fact. Such power of attorney shall be surrendered to the election officials who shall file the same in the office of the Town. Such power of attorney so filed shall constitute conclusive evidence of the right of said person to vote in the election on behalf of the legal entity granting the power. The person casting the ballot for such entity shall be age 18 on or before the date of the election and a citizen of the United States.

For more information on election procedures, or to download the request form for the absentee ballot, please visit www.fenwickisland.delaware.gov/election

Third Insertion

HUGH CROPPER, IV, ESQ. 9927 STEPHEN DECATUR HWY SUITE F12 OCEAN CITY, MD 21842

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19782

To all persons interested in LYNNE TAYLOR MURRAY, AKA: ALMA LYNNE TAYLOR MURRAY,Estate No. 19782. Notice is given that TERESA L. MURRAY, 12349 VIVIAN STREET, BISHOPVILLE, MD 21813, was on JUNE 22, 2023, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of LYNNE TAYLOR MURRAY, who died on MARCH 26, 2022, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent's will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 22ND day of DECEMBER, 2023.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates:

Six months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch

Date of Publication JUNE 30, 2023

TERESA L. MURRAY

True Test Copy

TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074 3x 6-30, 7-7, 7-14

Third Insertion

JORHEA N. WRIGHT, ESQ. ARMISTEAD, LEE, RUST& WRIGHT, PA 114 BAY STREET, BUILDING C EASTON, MD 21601

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19784

To all persons interested in ROBERT Y. TORREY,Estate No. 19784. Notice is given that DONNA L. TORREY, 12344 SOUTHHAMPTON DRIVE, BISHOPVILLE, MD 21813, was on JUNE 26, 2023, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of ROBERT Y. TORREY, who died on JUNE 13, 2023, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent's will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 26TH day of DECEMBER, 2023.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates:

Six months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unen-

forceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication JUNE 30, 2023

DONNA L. TORREY Personal Representative True Test Copy

TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074 3x 6-30, 7-7, 7-14

Third Insertion

MORRIS L. GARTEN, FEDDER AND GARTEN PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION

10096 RED RUN BOULEVARD SUITE 200 OWINGS MILLS, MD 21117

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19777

To all persons interested in GEORGEANN MAGNES,Estate No. 19777. Notice is given that JACQUELINE Y. MAGNES, 11616 PRINCESS LANE, ELLICOTT CITY, MD 21042 and DANIELLE SCOGLAND, 14182 DAY FARM ROAD, GLENELG, MD 21737, was on JUNE 20, 2023, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of GEORGEANN MAGNES, who died on APRIL 14, 2023, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent's will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 20TH day of DECEMBER, 2023. Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy

to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates:

Six months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch

Date of Publication JUNE 30, 2023

JACQUELINE Y. MAGNES

DANIELLE SCOGLAND

Personal Representative True Test Copy

TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074

3x 6-30, 7-7, 7-14

JOHN B. ROBINS, ESQ ROBINS & ROBINS, PA PO BOX 506 SALISBURY, MD 21803

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR WORCESTER COUNTY STATE OF MARYLAND CASE NO. C-23-CV-22-000199

PAUL GARNER, Plaintiff V. ELAINE EVANS, Defendant NOTICE

TAKE NOTICE that the sale of the property situate in Worcester County, Maryland, known as Unit I, 15 43rd Street, Ocean City, Maryland, 21842, made and reported in these proceedings by John B. Robins, IV, Trustee, and more specifically described in the Report

The Dispatch Legal Notices

LEGAL RATES

Legal advertising rate is $7 per column inch.

The deadline for all legal advertising is Tuesday at noon. For more information call 410-641-4563 or fax 410-641-0966.

of Sale filed in these proceedings, will be ratified and confirmed unless cause to the contrary be shown on or before the 31st day of JULY, 2023, provided a copy of this Order be inserted in some newspaper published in Worcester County, Maryland, once in each of three successive weeks before the 24th day of July, 2023. The Report states the amount of sale to be $291,000.00.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch

Date of Publication

JUNE 30, 2023

TRUE TEST COPY SUSAN R. BRANIECKI CLERK OF THE CIRUIT COURT WORCESTER, COUNTY MD

3x 6-30, 7-7, 7-14

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19789

To all persons interested in JOHN J. KEANE,Estate No. 19789. Notice is given that ANDREW MCLAUGHLIN, 18 DRIFTWOOD LANE, BERLIN, MD 21811, was on JUNE 28, 2023, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JOHN J. KEANE, who died on MAY 16, 2023, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent's will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 28TH day of DECEMBER, 2023.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: Six months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this pub-

lished notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch

Date of Publication

JULY 7, 2023

ANDREW MCLAUGHLIN Personal Representative True Test Copy

TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074

3x 7-7, 7-14, 7-21

(2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication JULY 7, 2023

LISA GALLICK Personal Representative True Test Copy

TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074 3x 7-7, 7-14, 7-21

present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: Six months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch

Date of Publication

JULY 7, 2023

MARVA JACOBS

Personal Representative True Test Copy

(or to the probate of the decedent's will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 5TH day of JANUARY, 2024.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates:

Six months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch

07748 as the EXECUTOR of the Estate of GLORIA A. WOODWARD, who died on MARCH 18, 2023, domiciled in NEW JERSEY, USA. The Maryland resident agent for service of process is RAYMOND D. COATES, JR, whose address is 6200 COASTAL HWY, SUITE 300,OCEAN CITY, MD 21842. At the time of death, the decedent owned real or leasehold property in the following MARYLAND counties: WORCESTER COUNTY. All persons having claims against the decedent must file their claims with the Register of Wills for Worcester County with a copy to the foreign personal representative on or before the earlier of the following dates:

(1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or

To all persons interested in CAROLE COE, AKA: CAROLE ANN COE, CAROL A. COE,Estate No. 19787. Notice is given that LISA GALLICK, 205 RED TAIL CIRCLE, DOWNINGTOWN, PA 19335, was on JUNE 27, 2023, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of CAROLE COE, who died on MAY 7, 2023, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent's will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 27TH day of DECEMBER, 2023.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates:

Six months from the date of the decedent's death; or

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19785

To all persons interested in ADDIE RUTH LOVETT,Estate No. 19785. Notice is given that MARVA JACOBS, 701 RICHWIL DRIVE, SALISBURY, MD 21804, was on JUNE 26, 2023, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of ADDIE RUTH LOVETT, who died on JUNE 6, 2023, without a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent's will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 26TH day of DECEMBER, 2023.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must

TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 218631074 3x 7-7, 7-14, 7-21

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19803

To all persons interested in CARMELA ESKIEWICZ,Estate No. 19803. Notice is given that WALTER ESKIEWICZ, JR., 922 STEEL POND ROAD, STOCKTON, MD 21864, was on JULY 5, 2023, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of CARMELA ESKIEWICZ who died on MAY 28, 2023, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objection to the appointment

Date of Publication JULY 14, 2023

WALTER ESKIEWICZ, JR. Personal Representative True Test Copy

TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074 3x 7-14, 7-21, 7-28

(2) Two months after the foreign personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. Claims filed after that date or after a date extended by law will be barred.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication JULY 14, 2023

RICHARD W. WOODWARD Personal Representative True Test Copy

TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County

COATES, COATES & COATES, PA RAYMOND D COATES, JR. ESQ. 6200 COASTAL HWY SUITE 300 OCEAN CITY, MD 21842

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE ESTATE NO. 19807

Notice is given that the SURROGATE’S COURT of MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, appointed RICHARD W. WOODWARD, 99 SOUTHVIEW TERRACE, NORTH, MIDDLETOWN, NJ

To all persons interested in the estate of JOANNE ELIZABETH WISE, Estate No. 19800. Notice is given that CHARLES JOSEPH MATTHEWS whose address is 5948 COURTNEY PLACE

The Dispatch Legal Notices

LEGAL RATES

Legal advertising rate is $7 per column inch. The deadline for all legal advertising is Tuesday at noon. For more information call 410-641-4563 or fax 410-641-0966.

MILFORD, OH 45150, was on JULY 3, 2023, appointed Personal Representative of the SMALL estate of JOANNE ELIZABETH WISE , who died on JUNE 24, 2023, with a will. Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment shall file their objections with the Register of Wills within 30 days after the date of publication of this Notice. All persons having an objection to the probate of the will shall file their objections with the Register of Wills within six months after the date of publication of this Notice.

All persons having claims against the decedent must serve their claims on the undersigned personal representative or file them with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates:

Six months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(2) Thirty days after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claims will be barred unless the creditor presents the claim within thirty days from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. Any claim not served or filed within that time, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch

CHARLES JOSEPH MATTHEWS

ESTATE 19801

To all persons interested in the estate of ROBERT J. CHAPMAN, SR., Estate No. 19801. Notice is given that DENNIS J. CHAPMAN, SR., 10269 BULEIGH COTTAGE LANE, ELLICOTT CITY, MD 21042 , was on JULY 3, 2023, appointed Personal Representative of the SMALL estate of ROBERT J. CHAPMAN, SR., who died on MAY 7, 2023, with a will. Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment shall file their objections with the Register of Wills within 30 days after the date of publication of this Notice.

All persons having an objection to the probate of the will shall file their objections with the Register of Wills within six months after the date of publication of this Notice.

All persons having claims against the decedent must serve their claims on the undersigned personal representative or file them with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates:

Six months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(2) Thirty days after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claims will be barred unless the creditor presents the claim within thirty days from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. Any claim not served or filed within that time, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch

Date of Publication JULY 14, 2023

DENNIS J. CHAPMAN, SR., Personal Representative True Test Copy

TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 218631074

1x 7-14

MICHAEL B MATHERS, ESQ WEBB, CORNBROOKS, WILBER, VORHIS,DOUSE & MATHERS, LLP PO BOX 910 115 BROAD STREET SALISBURY, MD 218030910

SMALL ESTATE NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19804

To all persons interested in the estate of JOANNE HEG-

GAN MASSEY, Estate No. 19804. Notice is given that KEVIN HEGGAN whose address is 905 BUTLER AVENUE WILMINGTON, DE 19803, was on JULY 6, 2023, appointed Personal Representative of the SMALL estate of JOANNE HEGGAN MASSEY who died on JUNE 10, 2023, with a will. Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney. All persons having any objection to the appointment shall file their objections with the Register of Wills within 30 days after the date of publication of this Notice. All persons having an objection to the probate of the will shall file their objections

with the Register of Wills within six months after the date of publication of this Notice.

All persons having claims against the decedent must serve their claims on the undersigned personal representative or file them with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates:

Six months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(2) Thirty days after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claims will be barred unless the creditor presents the claim within

thirty days from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. Any claim not served or filed within that time, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication JULY 14, 2023

KEVIN HEGGAN Personal Representative True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074 1x 7-14

Honoring Knupp: Family and friends, including his sister Summer, at right, gathered Tuesday to mark the one-year anniversary of Gavin Knupp’s death with a memorial paddle out. Knupp was killed July 11, 2022 in a hit-and-run collision near Ocean Pines.

Photos by Nick Denny

Every Sunday: Farmers Market Berlin will host along Main Street with 35plus vendors from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Rain or shine. TheBerlinFarmersMarket.com.

Every Monday: TOPS Meeting

5-6:30 p.m. Atlantic General Hospital, Berlin. Take Off Pounds Sensibly is a support group promoting weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Call Rose 443-8808444.

Every Monday: Acapella Chorus

All ladies who love to sing are invited to the Delmarva Woman’s Acapella Chorus, Ocean Pines Community Center, 239 Ocean Parkway, 6-8 p.m. Contact Mary 410-6299383 or Carol 302-242-7062.

Every Monday: Bridge Games

Are you interested in joining others for a game of Bridge at the Ocean City 50+ Senior Center? If so, please call or text Tish at 410-804-3971.

Every Monday: Overeaters Anonymous Meetings are from 7-8 p.m. at the Ocean Pines Library branch. No dues or fees. Call 410-459-9100.

Every Tuesday: TOPS Meeting

Take Off Pounds Sensibly is a weekly support and education group promoting weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. Meetings are held at the Worcester County Berlin Health Department at 9730 Healthway Drive, Berlin from 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Tuesday. 410289-4725.

Every Tuesday: Beach Cleanup Beach Heroes, a volunteer Ocean City group, holds cleanups 9-10 a.m. year-round. Trash bags, grippers and gloves provided. Check the Facebook page "Beach HeroesOC" for weekly meeting locations. All are welcome.

Every Wednesday: Bingo

Elks Lodge 2645, corner of Sinepuxent Avenue and 138th Street in Ocean City. Has bingo all year. Doors open 4:30 p.m. with first game sharply at 6:30 p.m. Kitchen open for light fare. 410-250-2645.

Every Thursday: Beach Singles

Join the club, 55 plus, at Harpoon Hanna’s in Fenwick Island, 4-6 p.m. 302-436-9577 or BeachSingles.org.

2nd and 4th Thursdays: Caregiver Support Meeting

The Caregiver Support Group will continue to meet on the second and fourth Thursdays in the Ocean Pines Library. Meetings will run from 3-4:30 p.m. The meetings are private and confidential.

July 14: Juried Show

A Summertime Juried Show Awards and Reception will be held at the Worcester County Arts Council, 6 Jefferson Street, Berlin, Md., 5-7 p.m. Awards Presentation at 5:30 p.m.

View the 40 pieces of artwork completed by 26 local artists while enjoying complimentary refreshments. In addition to the featured artists’ exhibit, artwork created by thirty artists and members of our Co-Op Gallery is on display and available for purchase. Visit the gallery Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. to view the exhibits.

July 14-15: Adoption Event

Town Cats Adoption Event at PetSmart, 11330 Samuel Bowen Boulevard, Berlin, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

July 15: Reggae Music Event

From 6-9 p.m., Germantown School Comm-

Things To Do

unity Heritage Center will sponsor An Evening of Reggae featuring “Island Sounds” band. Donation is $10 per person and limited food platters are available on a first come, first serve basis for an additional $10 fee. Participants can bring their own snack and beverage. Germantown School is located at 10223 Trappe Road, Berlin, Md. Tickets are available at the door. Contact 410-641-0638 for information.

July 15: Sports Day At The Beach

Randy’s Crew presents Sports Day at the Beach Sports Cards and Memorabilia Show at the Westside Route 50 Shopping Center (next to Hooper’s), 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Buy, sell and trade sports cards as well as opportunities to buy supplies, collectibles, get autographs from Orioles Hall of Famer players Al Bumbry and Ken Singleton, jerseys, raffles and more. Admission is $5; under 10 is $2. To buy table space, contact Wayne Littleon, 443-978-0680 or email littleletonwayne@yahoo.com.

July 15: Chicken Salad Carryout

The Bishopville Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary will be holding a chicken salad carryout from noon-2 p.m. at the main station. $8 per pint. Call 619-922-9950 by July 10 for a guaranteed preorder.

July 15: Youth Fishing Contest

The Ocean Pines Anglers Club will host the annual Art Hansen Memorial Youth Fishing Contest at the South Gate Pond at Veterans Park in Ocean Pines. Registration is from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. and the contest will be from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Youths should bring their own fishing rod and reel. Bait is provided. Three age groups; 4-7, 8-11, 12-16. A trophy will be awarded for the biggest fish in each age group with special awards for the top three. A drawing will be held for 2 Grand Prizes. Children younger than age 4 can fish but will not be eligible for a trophy. This is a free event. All registrants will receive a prize. Funding support provided by the Anglers Club, the Ocean City/Berlin Optimist Club, Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Dept. and the Atlantic Coast Sportfishing Association. For information call John McFalls at 610- 505-1697.

July 22: Clam Fritter Fry Drive Thru

The Powellville United Methodist Church invites you to a drive thru Clam Fritter Fry from 10 a.m. until sold out. Clam fritter sandwiches will be sold for $10 each. Powellville UMC is located at 35606 Mount Hermon Road in Powellville, Md.

July 22: One-Day VBS

One-Day, All-Day Family Vacation Bible School, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Bethany United Methodist Church, 8648 Stephen Decatur Highway, Berlin. VBS Theme: "The Parables of Jesus." Complimentary meals and snacks, Bible lessons, games, crafts, music, and more. An ice cream sundae so-

cial and family registration will be held Wednesday, July 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bethany Church. You may also register by going to "contact us" at www.bethanyberlin.org. For more information, contact Megan Cooke at 443-614-3870 or mjcooke11@gmail.com.

July 23: Christmas In July

The Young Professionals Committee of the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Christmas in July at the Residence Inn by Marriott. The event will run from noon-3 p.m. and feature live music by Side Project, food, drinks, raffle prizes and an appearance from Santa Claus himself. The pool will also be open for attendees to cool off from the summer heat. All funds go towards the Young Professional’s Christmas Spirit Campaign which aims to provide joy to underprivileged children in Worcester County come the holiday season by presenting them with gifts and toys. Last year, the YPs impacted 100 children.

The 2023 Christmas in July is presented by 28th Street Pit & Pub with support from Coastal Life Realty Group, Delaware Elevator, Royal Plus Electric, the Delmarva Shorebirds, Direct Mortgage Loans, Deeley Insurance, OC Beach Vacations, Pickles Pub, and de Lazy Lizard.

Tickets are $25 or $30 at the door. They can be purchased at the Ocean City chamber visitor center Monday to Saturday 10 a.m.3 p.m. or by emailing YP Chair Ricky Pollitt, at ricky.pollitt@ja.org.

July 24-28: Vacation Bible School

Stevenson United Methodist, Buckingham Presbyterian, Friendship United Methodist, St. Paul’s Episcopal and St. Paul United Methodist are partnering on a Vacation Bible School at Stevenson United Methodist Church from 6-8 p.m. Register online by July 1 and receive a free T-shirt at www.stevensonchurch.org/VBS. Call 410-641-1137 for more information.

July 24-Aug. 19: Furnace Town Music

Get ready to groove this summer at Furnace Town, showcasing a lineup of talented musicians and artists from around the shore. Enjoy live performances in a stunning outdoor venue. Bring your friends, family and loved ones for an evening filled with music, food, drinks, and fun. Cost is $10/adults, $5/kids 5-15. The schedule is:

July 24: 5-8 p.m.,

The Folk Heroes & The Folk Villains

Aug. 5: 5-8 p.m., Hoedown with DJ Kay Aug. 19: 5-8 p.m., Ampersand – Traditional American Music.

July 28-30: OP Library Book Sale

The Annual Ocean Pines Library Book Sale, sponsored by the Friends of the Ocean Pines Library (FOPL), will take place. All proceeds go to the Ocean Pines Library for events, equipment, projects and special needs.

Things To Do activities are printed free of charge. To ensure that an event is listed in a timely manner, please submit information as early as possible, since all items will be listed in advance as space permits. Be sure to include the date, name of event, time, location, address and a contact number. Email to editor@mdcoastdispatch.com; fax to 410-641-0966; or mail to The Dispatch, P.O. Box 467, Berlin, Md. 21811.

The sale of over 20,000 books, CD's, DVD's and audio books that are in good to new condition will begin on Friday, July 28 from 6-8 p.m. and is for FOPL members only. If you are not a member, you can join at the door for $5 for an individual membership, $10 for a family or $25 as a business or patron. Dealers, collectors and book store owners are more than welcome. More details can be found on the web at Book Sale Finder.

The sale will continue on Saturday, July 29 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and open to all at no cost. Books will range from 50 cents to $2.50 each with no limits. Cash or checks with ID only, no credit cards. On Monday, July 31, the sale continues from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with all remaining books at half price.

July 29: Chicken Platters To Go

Calvary United Methodist Church fundraiser sale of fried/baked chicken platters to go, 10:30 a.m. until sold out. Platters are $10 and include two sides and a roll. Side choices include homemade potato salad, mac ‘n cheese, greens and seasoned string beans. Dessert table available. 8607 Ironshire Station Road, Berlin.

Aug. 5: Flounder Tourney

The Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce will host their 16th Annual Flounder Tournament and Auction on Saturday, August 5, 2023, with the weigh in and auction at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club and Marina from noon-430 p.m. This is the largest Maryland coastal flounder tournament and will feature an expected purse of over $8,000. “Our region gets tournament fever every summer, especially the first week in August. We are the little guy tournament. A great day on the water and a chance to win big without breaking your bank to enter,” said Ocean Pines Chamber President Kerrie Bunting.

Registration is $55 per angler or $50 each when registering more than one. Calcuttas are available for $20 per angler. The longest flounder brought in by any angler 13 or under wins $100 and is also eligible for the main cash prizes. Make sure to register before noon on August 4. Collectable T-shirts are free for the first 250 registered. Sponsorships are available and we are seeking donations for the auction which is held during the weigh in. For tournament rules or to register as sponsor or angler go to:https://business.oceanpineschamber.org/events/details/16th-annual-flounder-tournament-14 865.

Aug. 7: Quarter Auction

The Church of the Holy Spirit is having a Quarter Auction. For those of you who have never been to a quarter auction, you are missing a lot of fun. You buy a paddle (or two, or more) and then bid on items offered at one, two, three or four quarters, based on the value of the item.

The committee is collecting a lot of great prizes, including gift certificates, home décor items, wine baskets, and some just for fun. The doors will open at 6 p.m., and the games start at 7. Food will be available for purchase. Tickets are $10 and include a paddle. Additional paddles are $2 each, or three for $5. They are limited, so get yours now. The church is located at 100th Street and Coastal Highway in Ocean City. Call Jackie at 443735-4275 for further information and for tickets.

Aug. 19: Gloves Up, Guns Down

The Old Germantown School will host the 1st Annual Gloves Up Guns Down event at 10223 Trappe Road, from noon-4 p.m. Hosted by Lamar Sturgis. Lunch will be served.

... COPS & COURTS

FROM PAGE 23

assault that had occurred around 40th Street.

Police spoke with Mattison Coleman, 19, of Akron, Ohio, who advised her father had struck in the back of the head and hit her multiple times in the face with an open hand. Coleman was screaming and yelling profanities at her father, who told police Coleman had been screaming at her younger brother when she charged at him in an aggressive manner. The father reported fearing for the safety of his younger children.

The man said he held Coleman down in an attempt to settle her. In the process the man was scratched, had a bruised left eye and a torn shirt. Coleman fled the scene and called 911. When interviewed by police, Coleman’s story was inconsistent with new information added each time the incident was recounted.

Coleman was placed under arrest for second degree assault. While being placed in the patrol car, Coleman slapped an officer’s arm and scratched him. In addition to the two second degree assault charges, Coleman was charged with refusing a lawful order and disorderly conduct.

Cop Assaulted

OCEAN CITY – A woman creating a scene over a parking spot was arrested after resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.

On July 4, around 10:37 p.m., an Ocean City police bike cop was patrolling the Inlet parking lot when alerted to disorderly individuals arguing over a parking spot. When police arrived, Cionne Brown, 22, of Milford, Del., was standing in front of a Hyundai Santa Fe blocking the vehicle from leaving its parking spot. The police report noted heavy traffic after the holiday fireworks at the time.

Brown had been a passenger in a nearby vehicle, a silver Kia, that was attempting to pull out of a parking spot. Police noted the Santa Fe had the right of way and the Kia should have yielded. Brown was reportedly trying to stop the Santa Fe so the Kia could get out first in a congested parking lot.

A police officer told Brown to move out of the way, but she refused. Brown was told if she did not move she would be arrested.

After multiple warnings, Brown ultimately moved away from the vehicle. When police tried to administer handcuffs on her, Brown grabbed the officer’s hand and push it away. The officer tried a second time and Brown again slapped his hand away. Brown continued to resist arrest while screaming obscenities creating a scene. Police were eventually able to arrest Brown and remove her from the scene.

Brown was charged with second degree assault on an officer, obstructing free passage on a public road, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Shooting Suspect Apprehended

SALISBURY – Maryland State Police arrested a suspect last week in connection with the fatal shooting of a teenager and the shooting of a man on April 16 in Wicomico County.

The suspect is identified as a 16-year-

old male from Salisbury. He is charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, attempted murder and related charges. His identity is being withheld at this time due to his age. The suspect was arrested July 6 in Baltimore City before being taken to the Maryland State Police Glen Burnie Barrack for processing. The suspect was transported to the Wicomico County Detention Center, where he will be held without bail pending an initial appearance in the Wicomico County Circuit Court.

The deceased victim is identified as Ja’siah Sin’cer Johnson, 16, of Salisbury. Johnson was transported from the scene to TidalHealth Peninsula Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased. The injured victim is identified as Jamere Capri Maynes, 22, of Salisbury. Maynes was also transported from the scene to TidalHealth Peninsula Medical Center, where he received medical treatment for injuries sustained during the incident.

Shortly after midnight on April 16, officers from the Salisbury Police Department responded to 911 calls reporting shots fired in the 300 block of E. Carroll Street near Buena Vista Avenue in Salisbury. Responding officers found both victims suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit was requested to respond and take the lead on this investigation. Additional assistance was provided by State Police Criminal Enforcement Division investigators, as well as detectives and officers from the Salisbury Police Department. State police crime scene technicians processed the shooting scene. Personnel from the Salisbury Fire Department also

responded for assistance. The Baltimore County Police Department and United States Marshal’s Service Capital Region Fugitive Task Force assisted significantly with the apprehension of the suspect.

Investigators interviewed witnesses and residents in the area. Crime scene evidence was transported to the State Police Forensic Sciences Division crime laboratory for analysis. Anyone with information about this shooting is urged to contact Maryland State Police Salisbury Barrack at 410-749-3101. Callers may remain anonymous.

Drunk Driving, Drugs

OCEAN CITY – A New York man was found with cocaine after allegedly driving drunk in the resort.

Randolph J. Leeper, 37, of Port Jervis, N.Y., was pulled over by an Ocean City police officer working a drunk driving enforcement detail on July 4 at 2 a.m. The officer noticed a Dodge Durango exceed the stop line at multiple stoplights on Coastal Highway. The vehicle was followed and continued to make abrupt stops and the driver was seen talking on a handheld cell phone.

The vehicle was pulled over and Leeper admitted to having “six to seven” drinks before asking if he could just park his vehicle and get cut a break by law enforcement. Leeper was placed under arrest after it was clear to police he was driving while impaired. A search of Leeper found a bag with cocaine.

Leeper was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule II (cocaine), driving a vehicle while impaired by alcohol and using a cell phone while driving.

SUNDAY FUNDAY!

MONDAY: UNTIL 6PM 1/2-Price Wings (Some Flavors Not Available)

TUESDAY: UNTIL 6PM

Who’s Where When

BUXY’S/DRY DOCK 28

410-289-BUXY

28th St. & Coastal Hwy.

Friday, July 14: Jack & T

Saturday, July 15: Uprizing

Sundays: Local’s Night w/DJ Tops Cut Off

CAPTAIN’S TABLE

410-289-7192

15th & Boardwalk

In The Courtyard Marriott

Fridays & Saturdays: Phil Perdue on Piano

COCONUTS BEACH BAR & GRILL

410-289-6846

37th & 38th St. Oceanside at Castle In The Sand Hotel

Friday, July 14: Darin Engh, Monkee Paw

Saturday, July 15:On The Edge, Low Tide Lovers

Sunday, July 16: Darren O’Neill, No Clue Trio

Monday, July 17: Nate Clendenen, Remy & Lyons

Tuesday, July 18: Carley Twigg, Endless Ember

Wednesday, July 19: Ben Davis, The Rogue Citizens

Thursday, July 20: Matt Tichon, Lime Green Band

COINS PUB

410-289-3100

28th St. Plaza On Coastal Hwy.

Friday, July 14: Lennon LaRicci & The Leftovers

Saturday, July 15: Jim Long & Shortcut Sunny

Tuesdays: Karaoke w/DJ Jeremy

Wednesdays: DJ Wax

CORK BAR

Wicomico St., Downtown O.C.

Saturday, July 15: Wes Davis

Sunday, July 16: Danny & Brian

CRABCAKE FACTORY BAYSIDE

302-988-5000

37314 Lighthouse Rd., Rte. 54 Selbyville, DE

Sunday, July 16: Brian Bishop

Wednesday, July 19: Jack & T

CRAWL STREET TAVERN

443-373-2756

Wicomico St., Downtown O.C.

Friday, July 14: Tyler Greene & Friends

Saturday, July 15: Fuzzbox Piranha

Sunday, July 16: Kash’d Out

Thursday, July 20: DJ Magellan

FAGER’S ISLAND

410-524-5500

60th St. In The Bay

Friday, July 14: DJ RobCee, Great Train Robbery, All Star Band

Saturday, July 15: DJ Hook, Other Brother Darryl, Side Piece

Sunday, July 16: DJ Willoughby, 70’s Flashback

Monday, July 17: DJ D’Nial, 70’s Flashback, It’s All Good

Tuesday, July 18: DJ RobCee,

Wednesday, July 19: Groovalicious, Latin Night w/DJ Patana

Thursday, July 20: DJ Groove, Groovalicious

Best Beats On The Beach

St. & Bay Friday, July 14& Saturday, July 15:

Who’s Where When

GREENE TURTLE WEST

410-213-1500

Rt. 611, West O.C.

Friday, July 14: TBA

HARBORSIDE

410-213-1846

South Harbor Rd., West O.C.

Friday,July 14: : DJ Bigler

Saturday, July 15:

Rogue Citizens, DJ Bigler

Sunday, July 16:

Opposite Directons

Thursay, July 20:

Dust N Bones Duo

PICKLES PUB

410-289-4891

8th St. & Philadelphia Ave.

Fridays: Beats By Deogee

Saturday, July 15: Desert Shade

Sunday, July 16: Beats By Deogee

Mondays: Karaoke w/Wood

Tuesdays: Beats By Wax

Wednesdays: Beats By Deogee

Thursdays: Beats By Wax

PIER 23

410-289-3323

12817 Harbor Rd. West O.C.

Friday, July 14: Low Tide Lovers

Saturday, July 15: Rick & Regina

Sunday, July 16: Bryan Russo

Monday, July 17: Jack Bannon

Tuesday, July 18:

Bell Bottom Blues Duo

Wednesday, July 19:

Lime Green Duo

Thursday, July 20:

Shortcut Sunny

PURPLE MOOSE SALOON

410-289-6953

Between Caroline & Talbot Sts. On The Boards

Friday & Saturday, July 14 & 15

Tripwire

Sunday & Monday, July 16 & 17:

JParis

Tuesdays: DJ Madame Dutchess

Wednesdays: DJ Papi Roisterous

SEACRETS

410-524-4900

49th St. & Coastal Hwy.

Friday, July 14: DJ Tuff, DJ Bobby O, DJ Cruz, Full Circle, Anthem, The Benderz

Saturday, July 15: DJ Bobby O, DJ Cruz, DJ Tuff, The Benderz, Anthem, Party Fowl, Lost In Paris

Sunday, July 16: DJ Davie, DJ Connair, DJ Bobby O, DJ Tuff, Triple Rail Turn, STORM, Lost In Paris

Monday, July 17: DJ Davie, DJ Bobby O, DJ Tuff, Blake Haley, STORM, Hometown Radio

Tuesday, July 18: DJ Davie, DJ Bobby O, DJ Tuff, Opposite Directions, Zion Reggae Band, The Way Outs

Wednesday, July 19: DJ Davie, DJ Bobby O, DJ Connair, Full Circle Duo, Spokey Speaky, Kono Nation

Thursday, July 20: DJ Davie, DJ Cruz, DJ Bobby O, John McNutt Band, Spokey Speaky, Go Go Gadjet

THE ORIGINAL

GREENE TURTLE

410-723-2120

116th St. & Coastal Hwy.

Fridays: DJ Magellan

Saturday, July 15: No Brakes

Be Safe And Thanks For Visiting Ocean City

PAGE SPONSORED BY THE DISPATCH

Resort Exploring Storm Drain Art

BY BETHANY HOOPER ASSOCIATE EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – Officials say they will explore a storm drain art program in Ocean City.

In Wednesday’s meeting of the Ocean City Coastal Resources Legislative Committee (Green Team), Ocean City Environmental Engineer Jenelle Gerthoffer presented members with a potential art installation project for the town’s storm drains. She said the proposed storm drain art program would bring attention to water pollution.

“As all of you know, the water from our street goes straight into the bay,” she said. “Sometimes people forget. Visitors also may not know it or may forget.”

Gerthoffer said similar programs have been enacted in cities across the U.S., including in Gaithersburg, Md., where the program has been turned into an art contest. While Green Team members initially pitched the idea of decorating beach trashcans as an educational effort to reduce litter, she said a storm drain art program could be a more feasible option.

“Maybe we can do something more like this since public works didn’t like that idea, since the grabbers on the trash trucks would destroy the art,” she said.

Gerthoffer said discussions were preliminary. But if implemented, she said the town could work with students and volunteers or with the Ocean City Development Corporation.

“I know they have a pretty heavy hand on the downtown artwork,” she said. “But this is a super preliminary conversation. I wanted to bring it up as a potential idea.”

Sandi Smith of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program said a similar program was pitched years ago, and the town had dismissed the idea. Officials agreed more input was needed from the town’s public works department.

“If they don’t like it, it’s a no-go,” said Councilman Peter Buas.

Committee members, however, said they liked the concept.

“It’s fun,” Smith said. “There’s a positive vibe to it.”

Gerthoffer agreed.

“I think it’s an eye-catching way to remind people that this water, this trash will go straight into the bay at this point,” she said.

Gerthoffer this week also presented committee members with an update on the Adopt Your Drain program, which is set to begin this year.

Similar to popular resort cleanup programs such as Adopt Your Beach and Adopt Your Street, officials say Adopt Your Drain would task volunteers with cleaning areas around storm drains.

“So the idea behind Adopt Your Drain would be to start this in the Montego Bay area, kind of as a case study, and see how it goes,” Gerthoffer said in May. “That’s where we get a lot of our drainage complaints, and it’s also an area of town where there’s a lot of density.”

A storm drain in Gaithersburg is pictured being painted by volunteers.

File Photo

Serving most states

Two Dogs Rescued From OC Fire

OCEAN CITY – Two dogs were rescued from a fire on Wednesday.

Ocean City Firefighters responded to a residential structure fire in the 1500 block of Shad Row after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting the incident. Assistant Chief 41 arrived on the scene and confirmed a working structure fire with the added urgency of multiple dogs trapped inside.

Upon arrival, firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, while simultaneously conducting a primary search of the residence. Their efforts paid off when they successfully located both dogs, ensuring their safety before handing them over to the grateful homeowners.

One firefighter sustained a medical emergency during the operation and was transported to Atlantic General Hospital for further evaluation and treatment while two other firefighters sus-

tained minor injuries.

Ocean City Fire Chief Richie Bowers expressed his admiration for the work and professionalism displayed by the firefighters who responded to the call.

"Our firefighters demonstrated exceptional skill extinguishing the fire and conducting the search for the trapped dogs," said Bowers. "Their dedication to protecting life, property, and our community is truly commendable."

The Ocean City Fire Department would like to remind all residents to ensure the proper functioning of smoke detectors in their homes and to have an evacuation plan in place. Early detection and quick response are vital in preventing and minimizing the impact of fires.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Ocean City Fire Marshal's Office.

A member of the Ocean City Fire Department is pictured on the roof of the house in north Ocean City. Bottom, Coast and Bailey are pictured after being rescued. Submitted Photo

BERLIN – JoAnn C. Rosellini, 81, passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by family and caring friends, on June 25, 2023.

She was predeceased by her husband of 58 years, Alexander (Sonny) Rosellini; parents George and Doris Walker; brothers Larry and Wayne Walker; and son-in-law Tom Coffey. She leaves behind daughter, Kimberly Coffey; grandsons Jordan and Jacob Coffey; daughter Rita Morsberger; son-in-law Dell Morsberger; and grandchildren, Brooke (Ryan Doyle), Grant and Ryan Morsberger.

Graveside service will be held July 22, 2023 at 11 a.m., Moreland Memorial Park Cemetery, 1601 Taylor Avenue, Baltimore, Md. 21234, between Loch Raven Blvd. and Perring Parkway.

Elizabeth

BERLIN – Elizabeth “Betty” Poore, age 86, passed away on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin.

Born on October 30, 1936, she was the daughter of the late Thomas Blanche and Anne Slater Blanche.

She is survived by her five children, Pamela Perdue, Debra Thurman, Steven Poore, Robert Poore and Susan Behan. She was nana to numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Francis L. Poore “Roy”. Cremation followed her death. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Letters of condolences can be sent to the family via www.burbagefuneralhome.com. Arrangements are in care of the Burbage Funeral Home Berlin.

Obituaries cost $50 to appear in The Dispatch and photos are no extra charge. Direct all inquiries to editor@mdcoastdispatch.com, fax to 410-641-0966 or mail to P.O. Box 467, Berlin, Md. 21811.

Daily Buzz?

JoAnn C. Rosellini

Poore

ELIZABETH POORE

JOANN C. ROSELLINI

Warm High-Five: A street performer dressed as Olaf from Frozen exchanges a high five with a fan on a hot summer night last week.

Photo by Chris Parypa

SPORTS In The News

District Champions: The Berlin Little League teams have been having a busy summer in post-season play. Above, Gavin Smith, left, and Tanner Edelmann of the Berlin Juniors are pictured in a recent 9-3 victory over Fruitland, securing the Maryland Little League District 8 Championship. At left, the Berlin Minors defeated West Salisbury, 7-1, to become Minor District 8 champions. Photos by Delmarva Sports Network

Surf Contest: The Delmarva ESA’s second contest of the summer was held last Saturday in Ocean City. Pictured are some scenes from the event.

Photos by Nick Denny

The Dispatch

Forever In Memory

Of Our Founder, Dick Lohmeyer (May 25, 1927-May 5, 2005)

“Iron Man” Shawn Soper (July 24, 1963-February 15, 2023)

The Dispatch, Serving Greater Ocean City Since 1984, Is Published By Maryland Coast Dispatch Inc. Weekly On Friday Mornings

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The Maryland Coast Dispatch (USPS #015125) is an official and legal newspaper for Worcester County. Periodical postage paid at Berlin, Maryland, and additional mailing offices. The Maryland Coast Dispatch, 10012 Old Ocean City Blvd., Berlin, Md. 21811, is published weekly on Friday mornings, 52 weeks a year. Subscription rates are $260 per year.

POSTMASTER: Please send change of address to Maryland Coast Dispatch, P.O. Box 467, Berlin, Maryland 21811. Maryland Coast Dispatch offices are located at Route 346 and Graham Avenue, Berlin, Maryland.

Ocean City was thrust into the regional spotlight this week, thanks to about 30 seconds of cell phone video capturing a police officer clearly punch a suspect who was resisting handcuffs being applied on the Boardwalk.

While the cell phone captured a disturbing scene, these witness videos typically do not tell the entire story as far as level of combativeness from the suspect. In this particular case, a 34year-old Lexington Park, Md., man asked police the city’s rule on smoking on the Boardwalk. After being told it was not permitted and a citation could be issued, the man deliberately hit his vape and taunted the officers. The man resisted arrest and threatened officers, saying he would “knock all you out.” A skirmish ensued and a police officer hit the suspect in the head.

Editor:

Police Deserve Benefit Of Doubt On Use Of Force

It’s a bad visual no question, and the man’s family members – his parents are attorneys – have alleged police brutality. In a statement confirming the incident will be reviewed at multiple levels, Ocean City Police Department Deputy Communications Manager Ashley Miller said, “Our officers are permitted to use force, per their training, to overcome exhibited resistance.”

This week’s incident was similar to a situation that occurred in 2021 when suspects became combative over vaping on the Boardwalk. Videos were circulated widely showing a police officer repeatedly kneeing a suspect to gain compliance and another suspect being Tased. Special interest groups held protests in Ocean City and other parts of the state, but the end result was the FBI ruled after a multi-level investiga-

How We See It Letters To The Editor

Commercial Use Questioned

(The following letter was addressed to the Worcester County Commissioners with a copy forwarded to this newspaper for publication.)

It seems this issue of commercial use of public boat ramps built is still not resolved. We emailed you in December 2022 on this matter.

The Commission granted a special use waiver to a commercial entity to use the public boat ramp. That waiver has expired and yet the company in question is still performing commercial operations.

It is our understanding from talking with neighbors and reading The Dispatch articles the waiver was temporary based upon the Commission's evaluation of their authority to issue the waiver. Now we see you are planning on making changes to make commercial use of boat ramps permanent. I wonder how all of the people of Worcester County would perceive and consider the additional traffic, the loss of public parking spaces for local residents' use, and the loss of opportunity to enjoy the waters of Worcester County. That issue is probably not on everyone's radar as it is on the minds of South Point Residents who have been asking the Commission to stop issuing the waiver.

Everyone in Worcester County who wants to start a business should perform the necessary due diligence to understand the operating constraints and access to county property and plan their business model processes accordingly. There is a commercial boat ramp in West Ocean City and that should be the appropriate place for

business entities to utilize. A one-off use by dealers to deliver a boat or an occasional use by crabbers consistent with residents' utilization of the ramp facilities is not the same as the more frequent excess utilization a business entity requires for their vehicles, boats, and their customer's vehicles.

As government performs best for everyone with sunlight, I would respectfully request the Commissioners ask all of their Worcester County constituents if the Commission's proposal is appropriate and in accordance with everyone's wishes.

Sue and Bob Lowe Berlin

School Appreciates Support

Editor:

On behalf of the members of the Germantown School Community Heritage Center, we thank all of our supporters who contributed to the success of the Summer Fun Kickoff on Saturday, June 17. This event is held annually each year after the closing of school to reward the children and families for their hard work. We could not have done it without you, it also fulfilled our mission statement which is providing a gathering place that presents cultural, educational, social events, with the aim of promoting fellowship within the greater Delmarva community.

A heartfelt thank you to the volunteers who donated their time and energy to spend with our future leaders of tomorrow.

A special thank you to our sponsors, Uncle Willie’s and Cheers, who provided us with their generous contributions which helped to make the day a great success and to the following

tion no civil rights violations took place. Though the optics raise understandable concerns, we side with the blue until it’s proven the use of force was beyond reasonable. We give the police the benefit of the doubt their actions –while difficult to watch – were required to quell the situation. It’s understandable police officers are on edge when a suspect becomes unruly and fights against them.

What’s different about the most recent incident and those from two years ago is body cameras were in use on the officers. Additionally, the City Watch surveillance system also captured the entire exchange. There will be ample opportunity to review the actions in last week’s incident. In the meantime, we stand behind the officers and use of force until proven wrong.

community groups that took time to share their expertise and knowledge with those who attended. Thank you to Assateague Island National Seashore, Berlin Fire Company, Maryland Coastal Bays Program, Erin Carrington, Hands Up, Guns Down, Healing Arts Center of the Easter Shore, Heather Kiser, Lower Shore Land Trust, Sierra Club and Worcester County Health Department.

We’re looking forward to working with you next year.

Barbara Purnell Berlin

(The author is president of the Germantown School Community Heritage Center)

Take A Stand Against Turbines

Editor:

I read with interest in a recent OC Today that some Worcester County residents are "stewing" about a Facebook post by Commissioner Caryn Abbott, which offered a workshop sponsored by the Delmarva Parent Teacher Coalition for parents explaining their options for private or home schooling and financial planning advice etc. I, also received this announcement, but I am not on Facebook so obviously I could not post it. Caryn Abbott posted information that her constituents and residents of Worcester County may be interested in about other school options, they may be looking for curriculum that better represent their values.

If the residents of Worcester County want to "stew" about something they should direct their attention and energy toward the Offshore Wind Turbines

Letters To The Editor

planned for our beautiful shorelines. Carol Frazier recently reminded us of this in the June 23 issue of The Dispatch. Regardless of what pretty pictures we have been presented about wind turbines on our Ocean City coastlines, residents should be alarmed and researching this posing tourism disaster for Worcester County.

We all appreciate that "sweet" real property tax rate we enjoy here in Worcester County that funds the operation of Worcester County and 80% of the Board of Education budget. Imagine when we, as residents and our visiting tourist gaze across the ocean to see wind turbines, many more and larger than initially proposed, hear the hum of the whirling blades as they maim and kill our bird population and the vibration disrupt and destroy our marine life, not those pretty Dutch Windmill visions we conjure up, huge wind turbines and their transfer stations.

What happens to our tourist industry when there are no fish, no White Marlin Open, no Poor Girl Open and the dozens of other annual fishing tournaments to generate income for Ocean City and Worcester County? What happens when our visitors object to the view and noise and dead marine life washing up on our beaches and decide to vacation somewhere else? We won't just have vacant rooms, empty restaurants and shops! What happens to the burgeoning real estate market in Ocean City and Worcester County? What happens to our watermen who depend on the fish and marine life for their existence?

We will say goodbye to the major source of income, employment and low real property tax rates. Wind turbines are ugly, dangerous, expensive to build and maintain and ineffective. Caryn Abbott has the best interest of all Worcester County residents and I expect we will be hearing from her on the wind turbines and their effect on our county.

Please residents of Worcester County, our eastern shore has been described and is often referred to as "the land of pleasant living," please take a stand and stop these wind turbines from destroying our county. It will be financially devastating if our shorelines, marine life and bird population are compromised, but it will be criminal if we allow these wind turbines to destroy our beautiful shore, our resources and our way of life.

Patricia Barbely Newark

Questions Surround New County Commission

Editor:

I am writing in response to the Worcester County Commissioners’ latest vote to form a commission to oversee local public-school construction. One of the reasons Mr. Joe Mitrecic voting no for the formation of this

commission was because of the existence of the Buckingham Planning committee that has already been working on planning the new Buckingham Elementary School that will replace the existing 50-year-old school located in Berlin.

I am one of many members of that planning committee which also includes 3 county commissioners – Eric Fiori, Diana Purnell and Jim Bunting – as well as the mayor of Berlin and two town council members, two Worcester County Board of Education members, three teachers, the principal and vice principal, several parents, the superintendent and assistant superintendents of Worcester County Public Schools, the chief financial officer of Worcester County Public Schools and other central office staff as well.

That planning committee has been meeting for the last 9 months to discuss the needs for a new school that will educate Berlin children now and for the next 50 years. The majority of people serving on that committee are both Worcester County residents and Worcester County taxpayers who have taken our role on that committee very seriously.

Worcester County prides itself on having local control of life in our community. The existing committee is already fulfilling that desire for local control. Who best to decide what a school located in Berlin needs than Berlin elected officials, Berlin parents, staff who will be working in the new building and central office staff who have spent their professional lives as educators as well as trained architects who have built many elementary schools on Delmarva? This type of committee was used when Ocean City Elementary and the new Showell Elementary School were built and resulted in two beautiful schools that serve the needs of the Ocean City, Ocean Pines and Bishopville communities in Worcester County.

There are many questions raised by the creation of this new commission, such as: would this newly formed commission meet with the existing Buckingham planning committee to discuss what has already been done? We have already approved a design and layout of the building; will this newly formed commission be able to override that work? Who will have the final say on a design? When will this newly formed commission meet? Will the meetings be open to the public, will they be held in the Berlin community?

Why don’t the three county commissioners who have already been part of the planning process feel they can share their thoughts and concerns with the Buckingham planning committee they already are a part of? In all of the meetings so far, the questions the county commissioners did ask were clearly and thoroughly answered by the professional architects already hired to design the school.

Between The Lines

by Publisher/Editor Steve Green

Does the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office need a $321,000 armored rescue vehicle? Maybe, maybe not. An argument could be made for and against, but there’s no disputing the timing of last week’s approval is dubious considering the current hubbub surrounding education spending.

Back in May, I wrote this expenditure was prime to be cut once again this year because county officials were telling everyone how difficult the budget process would be with rising costs associated with personnel and inflation. The Sheriff’s Office was seeking $1.2 million more than last year’s spending allocation. Most of the jump in funding was related to personnel costs connected to recruitment and retainment, but a quarter of it was connected to the armored rescue vehicle.

In March, as one would expect him to do, Sheriff Matt Crisafulli advocated for the public safety purchase, saying the vehicle, “is comparable to an F550 ... it’s essentially body armor on wheels. This is like having a life insurance policy and you cannot put a price tag on saving a life. For instance, if there’s a hostage situation that ARV can get right up to a structure as it has body armor for our STAR team … it can help save their lives as they go in to potentially save a life. Again you can’t put a price tag on that. Well, we will put a price tag on it of $324,000 but overall you cannot put a price tag on lives.”

The sheriff believes it’s an important emergency tool for his agency, but it’s the commissioners’ job to balance the difference between wants and needs. Some internal county research showed the vehicle would have been used an average of four times a year over the last decade. It’s clear the vehicle is more of a want than a pressing need, based on the facts. It’s why the county’s 4-3 decision to fund this expense last week is shocking. Timing is everything in life and in this case the county is sending another clear message. To fund this purchase – one that has been turned down in recent years – in a year when public education funding was controversially flat funded and the school board’s requested budget was cut by more than $4 million is disappointing.

It’s inconsistent at best for the commissioners to advance this purchase in what was often referred to as an “unprecedented” budget year. The reality was the budget year was no different than those of the past when officials had to adjust expenses to meet projected revenues. The decision to approve the public safety expense while not meeting education funding requests appears to be a show of bravado in the ongoing spat with school officials. It’s even more intriguing as it comes at a time when teachers are waiting to hear what consequences will come in their pay due to the county’s funding decision.

The sad chapter of the riverboat in Snow Hill could be nearing an end. Time will tell whether it’s a happy ending or just a relief.

Hindsight tells us three years ago a terrible mistake was made when Snow Hill purchased the 149-passenger Black Eyed Susan thanks to a $400,000 loan from the county. When the purchase was made in September 2020, the then-commissioners voted 5-2 for the purchase. It was intended to be an economic development initiative to help the south end of the county, but there was not enough due diligence done on the purchase. A red flag should have immediately gone up preventing the purchase when the county learned three months early another Maryland town suddenly passed on the boat after studying it extensively.

After some initial cause for optimism, a mandatory inspection in 2022 grounded the boat indefinitely after it was learned $600,000 in repairs were needed. The Town of Snow Hill then decided it needed to sell the boat as soon as possible to cut losses. It appears there are two potential buyers, but the sale price will not cover the debt owed on the loan from the county. The boat will be sold for a loss, but the good news for Snow Hill is the $400,000 loan has been reduced by $100,000 as a result of a state grant being transferred from the county to the town. Town Manager Rick Pollitt said, “We hope to have news from the county commissioners in mid-July so that we can move ahead with sale of the boat. We actually have two prospective purchasers talking with us. Our hope is to have the boat leave the dock before the end of July.”

It's a sad ending for a wishful venture that turned out to be a disaster for Snow Hill. Selling it even at a loss is the best outcome at this point.

Again, Worcester County elected officials often complain about what they see as over regulation on a variety of local issues, yet the six county commissioners just voted to create an extra layer of regulation over funding for local schools. Will they do the same for all other government building that takes place in Worcester County or just for the construction of

Buckingham Elementary?

As a resident of Worcester County and a taxpayer, I do not want my taxpayer money spent on forming a redundant commission to do a job that is already being done by highly qualified professionals and locally engaged community members.

Melissa Reid Berlin

Puzzle Answers

(Editor’s Note: The following column was a reprint from this week 10 years ago.)

Watching sports with my kids is always an entertaining experience.

Beckett, 5, actually gets quite excited watching sports with me. It’s just on a limited basis because his attention often turns to something else a little more fast paced, such as moving a dining room chair to the center of the room so he can try and hang on the chandelier that has been all too inviting his entire life.

Baseball is an appropriate example given the season. He will watch a few pitches and then find something else to get his attention, but he always keep an eye on the game and his favorite thing is to recite the score loud and often.

Last weekend he went to the bathroom in the middle of an inning. When he returned, he asked, “did the Orioles get a touchdown while I was gone or the Blue Jays?” Before I could answer him, O’s slugger Chris Davis fouled off a pitch down the first base line and he said, “yes Crush made another touchdown.”

When I said no and tried to explain how baseball was different than football, he seemed initially like he got it, only to later inquire about how many points the Orioles got for that touchdown.

For Beckett, all he really cares about is the score and if my team is winning. When we are, he’s content. When we are not, he wants to just turn the game off and go swimming.

When it comes to sports on television with our youngest son, Carson, 3, I have learned caution is best because he likes to act out whatever sport is on television.

It happened during football season when he would out of the blue just try and tackle me from behind and start pulling me to the floor with all his might. When I didn’t get it at first, he fetched a Ravens helmet for me and a Star Wars

helmet for himself.

While I was checking the score of the Orioles game last weekend in between episodes of Doc McStuffins, Carson immediately sprinted out of the room to a chorus of “no running inside” of course. I figured he just had no interest in baseball and had something else in mind.

He returned to the room with a basket full of balls and began firing them at me. It was a proud moment until he fired an actual baseball that had somehow snuck itself into the kids’ toys.

No major damage, though, just yet another ding in the wall.

I quickly turned the television back to Disney Jr. It was safer.

The house has reached its maximum load of stuffed animals.

Carson, 3, no longer sleeps in a crib, but we do utilize it as a holding area for all the various stuffed animals that we have accumulated over the last five years.

Beckett has two small stuffed animals that stay in his bed all the time. I don’t think he actually needs them or even cares they are there, but there’s really no reason to take them away at this point either.

Carson, on the other hand, loves his stuffed animals, seemingly every last one of the 40 or so that are in his room. Everything from penguins, bears and dogs to frogs, snakes and rabbits call his room home.

While we have the crib to contain them, he cannot stand when they are in there. That’s why invariably by every morning he has removed them and they are either on his bed or strewn across the floor. He trips and falls over them constantly, but throws a fit when we try to put them elsewhere.

To me, it’s time to start weaning him off all these stuffed animals, but there are indications that could be easier said than done.

Just when I thought it was safe to start removing some of them I found Carson the other morning sprawled out on his back asleep in his bed with Winnie the Pooh under one arm and Tigger the Tiger under the other.

He carried them around all morning like a new bond had been developed overnight. I didn’t even know where to start with the questions on that newfound affection, but I certainly knew better than to try and separate them at that point.

While they have no fear of some things, both kids are scared to death of insects and flies.

Beckett and Carson will both go headfirst down the staircase if Pam or I are not there to remind them they can’t, but let a fly buzz around either of their heads and they both squeal like babies.

Beckett and Carson each think nothing of going down the tallest slides at Jolly Roger, but both have aversions to playing on anything that they have seen an ant crawl on in the past.

Both kids find it fun to try and race a vehicle driving down our street while balancing on the edge of the sidewalk. However, if a lady bug is found on a swing, they scream in fear it’s going to bite them.

Both kids will pick up a horseshoe crab or sand crab found on the beach, but they will run away with reckless abandon if I try to show them a spider in a web.

Neither kid has an aversion to heights at all, but if either sees a bumble bee they will run inside and seek shelter immediately.

Boys will be boys, I guess.

(The writer is the publisher and editor of The Dispatch. He and his wife, Pamela, are proud parents of two boys. This weekly column examines their transition into parenthood and all that goes along with it. E-mail any thoughts to editor@mdcoastdispatch.com.)

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