SNOW HILL – The prosecution has appealed a circuit court judge’s decision to dismiss the case against a local man charged with various traffic counts in the death of Gavin Knupp.
In a motions hearing last Friday, visiting Judge Brett Wilson granted a motion to dismiss the case against Tyler Mailloux in Worcester County Circuit Court over lack of jurisdiction, although he noted that charges could be refiled in district court. Immediately following the ruling, the prosecution filed a notice of appeal.
“The State is filing an immediate appeal of the dismissal and we will await the decision of the appellate court,” Worcester County State’s Attorney Kris Heiser said in a statement last Friday. “Nothing will happen with the case until that decision comes down.”
In April, 17 traffic charges – including failure to immediately stop at the scene of an accident involving bodily injury and failure to immediately stop a vehicle at the scene of an accident involving death –were filed against Mailloux, 23, of Berlin, in Knupp’s death last July.
Knupp, 14, was struck and killed by an unidentified motorist in a black Mercedes while crossing Greys Corner Road on July 11, 2022. Knupp was returning to a vehicle driven by his older sister, Summer, who tended to her brother while awaiting paramedics. Knupp died from injuries sustained in the collision. Mailloux allegedly fled the scene and did not return, according to charges filed. Six days after the incident, the Mercedes identified as the vehicle in the collision was seized from a home in the Ocean Reef community.
In circuit court last Friday, Mailloux’s attorney, George Psoras, presented 12 motions for the court’s consideration. The
first, he said, was a motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction.
“They usurped my client’s opportunity for the case to be heard where the law said it should be heard, district court,” he said.
Psoras argued Maryland’s judicial proceedings article interpreted the jurisdictions of circuit and district court. He said the district court had “exclusive and original” jurisdiction in the matter and ultimately asked the court to either dismiss the case or transfer it to district court.
“This case belongs in district court,” he said.
Assistant State’s Attorney Pam Correa, however, argued that statute provided exceptions allowing the case to be tried in circuit court, including that the penalty for such charges exceeds three years.
Psoras last Friday also presented his motion for a change of venue, arguing that news coverage, social media posts, protests and the like prevented his client from
receiving a fair trial from an impartial jury.
“That’s impossible here …,” he said. “It’s beyond impossible.”
Correa argued that of the 211 pages of exhibits presented by the defense, only 31 mentioned Mailloux by name. She added that there was no evidence to suggest news coverage influenced potential jurors or that social media posts against Mailloux were made by Worcester County residents.
“A change of venue is not appropriate,” she said.
The court hearing reconvened following a brief recess, during which time Wilson announced that someone in the courtroom had been livestreaming the proceedings and would be held in contempt of court if identified. He then went on to grant the defense’s motion to dismiss the case over lack of jurisdiction. When asked if the judge could transfer the charges to district court, Wilson said he had no authority to do so. He noted, however, that the prosecution could refile the charges in district court.
In the hours that followed, the state’s attorney’s office filed a notice of appeal to the Appellate Court of Maryland.
In a statement posted on the Do It For Gavin – Justice For Gavin Facebook page, Gavin’s father, Ray Knupp, wrote, “This doesn’t mean the charges are dismissed it simply means we have to either try it in the District Court or we win the appeal to try it in the Circuit Court again.”
He continued, “The Judge misread the law and no one can understand why he made that ruling. We have already appealed it and will know in the next few weeks. If we have to try it in District Court two things could happen, we only have to convince a judge not a jury which is in our favor. The downside is if he gets convicted he can appeal it to the Circuit Court and we have to suffer through the trial again and take another chance that it could get overturned.”
In a statement issued this week, Randolph Rice, managing partner in Psoras’ law firm, Rice, Murtha, and Psoras, applauded the outcome of last Friday’s motions hearing.
“We are thankful the court applied the law that led to the favorable outcome for our client Tyler Mailloux," Rice said. “Our firm's tireless dedication to protecting the rights and freedoms of individuals in the face of legal challenges has once again yielded a just and equitable result. This success underscores our firm's commitment to upholding the principles of fairness, due process, and the presumption of innocence in the criminal justice system.”
He continued, “We wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Gavin Knupp following the tragic loss of their beloved son. We understand that this is an incredibly challenging time for the Knupp family, and our thoughts and condolences are with them as they navigate through this period of grief. We firmly believe that empathy and compassion are integral aspects of the legal process, especially in cases that involve such devastating circumstances. We understand the pain that the Knupp family is experiencing, and we want to emphasize that our commitment to providing a rigorous and fair defense is always balanced with a deep respect for the human element involved.”
BERLIN –The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office investigated a commercial structure fire in Berlin Tuesday morning.
At 11:21 a.m. Aug. 22, the Berlin Fire Company was alerted for a structure fire at the Friendship Exxon located at 10709 Grays Corner Road in Berlin.
Upon arrival, crews observed smoke conditions throughout the single-story, multi-tenant commercial building. A second alarm was dispatched bringing in additional equipment and personnel to the scene. Over 50 firefighters and 31 pieces of apparatus responded and worked
for nearly four hours to completely extinguish the fire. Berlin was assisted by Ocean City, Showell, Bishopville, Newark, Snow Hill, Ocean Pines, Selbyville, Frankford, Roxana, Dagsboro, Powellville, Willards and Pittsville volunteer fire companies.
Deputies from the Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene and conducted a thorough fire scene examination. Damages are estimated at over $350,000. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No injuries were reported.
“Ocean City Chronicles” is the final book in Bunk Mann’s 3 volume historical series which began with “Vanishing Ocean City’ in 2014 and continued with ‘Ghosts In The Surf” in 2019. Centered around his articles in Ocean city’s awardwinning newspaper the Maryland Coast Dispatch , his latest book features 285 of the most popular ones over the past 11 years. It includes hundreds of photos of long vanished hotels & restaurants, the great storms & fires, deep sea fishing, boardwalk attractions & amusements, and stories of the people who turned a small 19th-century fishing village into a modern, year-round destination. “Ocean City Chronicles” is a comprehensive history of Maryland’s famous oceanfront resort in a hardbound coffee table book featuring cover art by noted artist, Paul McGehee. Supplies are limited so order your copy today!
Ocean City Chronicles can be ordered online at vanishingoceancity.com. Visit the website for further information and photos.
OCEAN CITY – Local officials highlighted the impacts of shoaling with a boat tour for state leaders.
Sen. Mary Beth Carozza hosted a boat tour for members of the Maryland General Assembly and representatives of Gov. Wes Moore’s administration in Ocean City last week during the summer convention hosted by the Maryland Association of Counties.
“Our boat trip on the Angler brought all the partners together from Ocean City, Worcester County, the State of Maryland, federal government, and our local fishing, boating and marina businesses to highlight the urgency of extreme shoaling of the Ocean City Inlet and the push for both immediate short-term and longterm solutions,” Carozza said.
While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has acknowledged that shoaling in the federal channels within the Ocean City Inlet occurs faster than maintenance dredging can keep up, in March the USACE decided not to move forward with structural improvements. Agency leaders said the proposed construction would not meet net economic benefit targets and said the Corps would instead continue maintenance dredging.
When the dredging vessels came to do their July visit, however, they didn’t even remove the amount of material expected. When the Worcester County Commissioners sent a letter asking for emergency dredging before the White Marlin Open, USACE said the soonest they could get vessels to Ocean City was Aug. 17.
Bob Mitchell, Worcester County’s director of environmental programs, said the dredging vessels returned to the resort Aug. 19 and are expected to work in the channel until the end of the month. They arrived just after Carozza’s boat trip provided state officials with a better understanding of the situation. Carozza’s guests were accompanied by local fishing industry representatives, including waterman Sonny Gwin, White Marlin Open’s Jim Motsko, boat builder and fisherman Jon Duffie, attorney Mark Cropper and marina manager Brian Tinkler as well as Mitchell, and Kevin Smith of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program. They talked about their experiences with shoaling as well as the impact on landmarks like Assateague Island and events such as the White Marlin Open. An economic impact report conducted by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development in 2009 calculated an estimated $16 million in local expenditures, $4.9 million in salaries and 130 jobs related to the White Marlin Open alone.
Carozza praised the team at the Angler –Julie Bunting Smith, Regan Smith,
OCEAN CITY – Site plan approval will allow the development of a downtown lot to move forward.
Last week, the Ocean City Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-3, with Commissioners Joe Wilson, Palmer Gillis and Joel Brous opposed, to approve the site plan for a luxury hotel at 700 S. Philadelphia Ave. The developer, Sarantis Properties Inc., has plans to construct a facility named KYMA Luxury Resort Hotel, which will feature 62 guest rooms, eight suites, an owner’s unit and a 3,700-square-foot restaurant, among other amenities.
“I think this destination resort hotel with its amenities is a great repurposing of this property,” Hugh Cropper, attorney for Sarantis Properties, said this week. “It’s a property that really needs to be developed.”
For decades, there have been several attempts to redevelop the old Holt’s Landing property, situated between Sunset Park and the Oceanic Fishing Pier. At one time, the site was proposed for a mixed-use development known as Jennieville. There were also plans for an eight-story condominium, but that project never came to fruition.
“The property was formerly developed by a bar and restaurant many years ago known as Holt’s Landing,” Cropper said. “That was demolished and since then there have been a number of projects proposed for the property.”
In recent years, however, Sarantis Properties has been working through the approval process for an upscale hotel on the bayside lot. In January of 2022, the Ocean City Board of Zoning Appeals granted the developer’s request to allow for onsite compact parking and setbacks variances along South 1st Street. And last week, the Ocean City Planning Commission had before them a site plan review of the project.
As proposed, the property will feature parking and a check-in area on the first floor, amenities such as a pool deck and health club on the second floor, and guest rooms and suites above. The plan also calls for 111 parking spaces, with 59 spaces placed onsite and 52 spaces placed at a deed restricted lot at 710 S. Baltimore Ave.
Cropper noted the development also features a private boardwalk and beach and a public restaurant.
“It’s going to be a destination luxury resort hotel designed to take advantage of the views of Assateague, the Inlet, the ocean and the bay,” he said. “It has less than the maximum allowed density, and it has less than the maximum allowed footprint.”
While he said that the commission applauded the project’s design and scale, some members took issue with the developer’s plans to restrict access to the bayside boardwalk.
“The issue at the hearing was some members of the planning commission wanted the owner to dedicate the 12foot-wide existing walkway as a public bayside boardwalk,” he said. “The developer said the project was not designed to accommodate the public.”
Cropper argued allowing the public to use the boardwalk would not only cut off access to the beach but would jeopardize the developer’s plans for alcohol service.
“He would like to license the entire premises, where they can serve alcohol on the beach …,” he explained, “and if it was a public boardwalk it would be impossible to cross the boardwalk with alcohol.”
In an interview this week, Gillis, one of three commissioners who opposed
the site plan, argued that public access was not only desired by the Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC) but encouraged in the town’s comprehensive plan.
“I’m trying to support the comprehensive plan and OCDC and what’s good for the existing public,” he said.
While he applauded the project’s design, Gillis said he opposed the developer’s plans to restrict access to the boardwalk. He argued the solution to the problem could be found in the developer’s design for the property.
“Their plan calls for a beach and boardwalk, but the neat part of this is elevated above the boardwalk is a terrace,” he said. “That’s where you could meet the distinction between public and private access … to comply with the comprehensive plan.”
Following a lengthy discussion, which touched on issues such as public access and leased parking, the commission voted 4-3 to approve the site plan with several conditions.
“This is a great project … but I’m in favor of a public way and that was totally cut out,” Gillis said. “That’s why I voted against it.”
Cropper said plans for a beach bar on the property had been withdrawn prior to last week’s site plan review. He noted that despite a few variances that had been granted by the board of zoning appeals, the project was largely code compliant and was supported by the comprehensive plan.
“They all agreed it was an attractive design and a good utilization of the property,” he said. “It was a good hearing with good discussion.”
OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Police Department has charged two individuals in connection to an armed robbery that occurred in June during the afternoon hours.
The Ocean City Police Department began investigating the armed robbery that occurred June 3 around 3:24 p.m. on Constitutional Avenue in Ocean City. The victim reported three African American males approached him while he was outside. One of the suspects pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded his personal belongings. The victim gave the suspects several personal items. Witnesses in the area were able to provide officers with a description of the vehicle the suspects left in.
Utilizing the license plate reader system, officers were able to determine when the vehicle entered the Town of
Ocean City, a more detailed description of the preexisting damage to the vehicle and the vehicle’s registration information. The vehicle was observed traveling northbound on Coastal Highway at approximately 3:26 p.m., which led officers to believe the vehicle was leaving town. A description of the vehicle and suspects was shared with allied law enforcement agencies in both Maryland and Delaware.
Officers later learned that two robberies were committed in Delaware after the one occurred in Ocean City. There was a robbery and an attempted carjacking in Millsboro, Del., and an attempted carjacking in Georgetown, Del. The Delaware State Police and Georgetown Po-
lice Department were able to confirm their suspect descriptions matched Ocean City’s.
Members of the Major Crimes Unit with the Ocean City Police Department continued investigating this robbery. Detectives received information the suspects may have been in the Washington, D.C. area. Detectives began working with the Washington Metro Police Department and Capital Police over the next several days.
On June 7, detectives learned Capital Police attempted to stop the suspect vehicle. The vehicle fled from officers and a short pursuit occurred. The two occupants, who were later identified as Dremale Vanterpool and Torrance Brock, abandoned the vehicle during the pursuit and fled on foot. Capital Police arrested Vanterpool and Brock on charges
stemming from the pursuit.
Detectives continued to work with Capital Police and were able to determine Vanterpool and Brock were involved in the armed robbery that occurred in Ocean City on June 3. Detectives applied for arrest warrants for both individuals through the Maryland District Court Commissioner’s Office.
Through a coordinated effort among several law enforcement agencies, witness descriptions, and the license plate readers in Ocean City, the Ocean City Police Department was able to successfully charge the following two individuals:
Dremale Khary Vanterpool, 25, Washington, D.C., has been charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, robbery, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and theft less than $100. Vanterpool was arrested in Washington, D.C. and transferred to the custody of the Ocean City Police Department on Aug. 17. Vanterpool has been seen by a Maryland District Court Commissioner and held without bond.
Torrance Ronel Brock, 21, Edenton, N.C., has been charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, robbery, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and theft less than $100. Brock is currently being incarcerated in North Carolina on unrelated charges. A warrant has been issued for Brock's arrest for the charges related to this incident.
BERLIN – The Worcester County Special Hazards Response Team responded to an incident in Ocean Pines Tuesday afternoon.
At 3:03 p.m., the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the Ocean Pines Yacht Club for a reported chemical spill in the kitchen.
Upon arrival, firefighters verified all occupants had exited the building and restricted entry until members of the hazmat team could arrive and evaluate further. Hazmat team officials worked with firefighters to identify the products involved and developed a plan for mitigation. Crews learned an employee accidentally mixed two chemicals together creating a hazardous atmospheric condition in the building. The chemical solution was isolated to a small area of the kitchen. The chemical solution was neutralized and once the building was ventilated it was determined safe to reopen to the public.
Fire Marshal Matthew Owens reminds the public to thoroughly read labels on cleaning products and refrain from mixing them unless explicitly permitted to do so.
One employee was transported from the scene to an area hospital for further evaluation.
BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR
BERLIN – Town officials will continue discussions regarding the future of Heron Park with a work session next week.
On Monday, Aug. 28 at 5 p.m., the Berlin Town Council will hold a work session regarding Heron Park. The work session, which will focus on a new appraisal and an updated contract for the sale of just parcel 57, comes as talk of a new proposal for the park circulates in the community.
“Although I can’t say who, there is another developer that wants to present the
town with a mixed-use plan for the Heron Park properties,” Councilman Jay Knerr said this week. “He currently has an architect working on the design which he hopes to present to the Mayor and Council by the end of the month.”
Since last year, the town has been in negotiations with Palmer Gillis’s Coastal Ventures Properties LLC, one of two entities that submitted a proposal for a portion of the roughly 60-acre park. While Gillis offered the town $1.7 million for three parcels, officials agreed after hearing from the public they were only interested in selling parcel 57, the one with the dilapidated chicken processing facility. After that, offi-
cials agreed to have the appraisal done last year updated to reflect the value of parcel 57 with commercial zoning, not the residential zoning it has now. That appraisal, provided to the council earlier this week, sets the value of the 9.3-acre tract at $1.2 million if zoned B-2. That value, however, is tied to what the appraisal describes as “extraordinary assumptions and hypothetical conditions.” The extraordinary assumption listed in the appraisal is that parcel 57 would be vacant.
“The Town of Berlin has received a $500,000 grant to demolish the existing improvements,” the appraisal reads. “There is an extraordinary assumption that the land will be cleared of all existing improvements. The use of an extraordinary assumption may affect assignment results.”
The hypothetical condition listed is that the property has been rezoned from residential to B-2 Shopping District.
While the council is expected to discuss the appraisal as well as a proposed contract updated to reflect the sale of only the 9.3-acre parcel 57, Knerr indicated the council wouldn’t be addressing the other developer’s proposal on Monday.
“At this time, no details have been shared with the Mayor and Council regarding this plan,” Knerr said. “Also due to the fact that we are in an extended negotiation period with Coastal Ventures and bound by the agreement, we can’t engage or negotiate with another developer
for the purchase of the Heron Park properties.”
Knerr said that if negotiations with Gillis ended, however, officials could talk to the other interested party. He also acknowledged this week’s decision by the council to set Heron Park as the future site of a skate park in Berlin. While parcel 410 has been suggested as the logical location, the council has committed to having a skate park somewhere at Heron Park.
“If negotiations with Coastal Ventures should cease then the town would be free and clear to look at all options for those parcels,” Knerr said. “Any future proposal would have to incorporate a skate park into its design.”
At the last meeting the town hosted regarding Heron Park, Gillis said that despite the change in scope of the project he was still interested. He explained, though, that the price he’d offered for the three parcels, the $1.7 million, took into account the fact that he had to demolish a building and work within development restrictions town officials had included in the contract.
“This has to make economic sense,” Gillis said at the July 24 meeting.
The Berlin Parks Commission has objected to the sale of any part of the park other than parcel 57 while the Berlin Planning Commission has suggested ending negotiations and having a committee of local land professionals consider future uses for the property.
BERLIN – Municipal officials discussed email voting practices this week after the town violated the Maryland Open Meetings Act with a recent vote.
Members of the Berlin Town Council talked about the specifics of email voting on Monday after Councilman Steve Green asked about the violation. The discussion was prompted by a July opinion from the Open Meetings Compliance Board (OMCB) that said the town violated the Open Meetings Act with email voting regarding a budget transfer.
“Nobody’s trying to be nefarious,” Mayor Zack Tyndall said. “We’re doing things in a way that it’s been done for a long time. With that, when things like this come up we try to learn from it.”
The OMCB issued an opinion July 31 that the Berlin Town Council violated the
Open Meetings Act with a May 31 email vote regarding a budget transfer. Council members noted they’d read about the opinion in the newspaper and asked if practices needed to be changed moving forward.
David Gaskill, the town’s attorney, said he disagreed with the OMCB opinion.
“The board determined there was a meeting even though there was really no discussion,” Gaskill said. “They hung their hat on the fact that because everyone hit the ‘reply all’ button it was really a meeting. To me that’s absurd. There was no discussion amongst the group.”
According to the OMCB opinion, the email exchange constituted a meeting because within a short period of time a quorum of councilmembers sent ‘reply all’ emails to all members of the council about the same topic, which had not previously been discussed publicly.
“I was disappointed in the opinion but
it is what it is,” Gaskill said Tyndall said the town had just been operating the way it always had.
“Following that decision, we did have an instance where the same thing could have occurred, which is why I sent an email to the group and said do not do that, reply directly to Kate,” Tyndall said, referencing a more recent email vote. “Each time we have these things, we’re doing processes, we’re trying to dissect and understand the Open Meetings Act.”
He said the town’s elected officials were trying to learn from mistakes.
“I think the message to this group is don’t ‘reply all,’” he said.
According to the OMCB website, after a violation occurs the public body involved is required to announce and summarize the opinion at its next open meeting. A majority of the members of the public body are also supposed to sign a copy of the opinion to return to the OMCB.
BERLIN – Staff assured elected officials Berlin’s ordinance regarding shortterm rentals was adequate despite a judge dismissing a case tied to the new regulations.
Town of Berlin staff this week told officials there was no issue with the town’s short-term rental ordinance. While a district court judge dismissed a case against a property owner who violated the ordinance earlier this month, the town’s attorney said that didn’t mean the ordinance was insufficient.
“There’s no fault that I find with the ordinance,” said David Gaskill, the town’s attorney.
On Friday, Aug. 11, a Worcester County District Court judge dismissed a case against Bryan Brushmiller related to an unlicensed short-term rental in Berlin. As a result, Brushmiller will not have to pay the more than $5,000 in fines he received from operating his short-term rental on Main Street without a license.
At this week’s meeting of the town council, Councilman Steve Green, who noted that he’d read about the case in the newspaper, asked if the judge’s decision indicated the town’s ordinance wasn’t strong enough.
“The short-term rental ordinance very much concerns me because I feel it may need to be brought back,” he said. “It’s very concerning we can’t fine retroactively for violations that occurred.”
Gaskill said nothing was wrong with the ordinance.
“You get the judge that you get…,” he said. “He was like ‘okay they’re not doing it anymore so there’s no longer and problem’ and that was the end of it.”
Green asked what the town should do if it wanted to fine someone in the future for violating the town’s ordinance.
“Our ordinance is the law in this town,” Gaskill said. “We’re going to continue to try, to continue enforcing it. My hands were tied.”
Mayor Zack Tyndall said he agreed with Green. He said it was disheartening to know that an ordinance town officials had worked hard on was not upheld in the local court.
Town Administrator Mary Bohlen echoed Gaskill’s confidence in the ordinance.
“It was the judge’s opinion that it didn’t matter anymore because the activity had ceased,” she said. “It was not about ‘no the town doesn’t have the right to impose the fine.’”
Councilman Jay Knerr said if there was any opportunity for the town to appeal the decision that should be considered.
“It would be nice to get notified of these things as Steve said before we read it in the paper,” Knerr said.
BERLIN – Plans for a skate park in Berlin took a major step forward this week with a decision by town officials to select Heron Park as the site of the facility.
The Berlin Town Council voted unanimously this week to designate Heron Park as the site of a future skate park. The decision was celebrated by members of We Heart Berlin, the nonprofit that’s been pushing for a skate park in town.
“As you can imagine we are elated that this process has finally gotten to this point,” said Tony Weeg, founder of We Heart Berlin. “Having a location chosen, means that this project can grow legs. With this resolution/motion we can begin to approach foundations and other private donation sources to partner with us to help make this dream come true.”
Following a meeting between town staff, parks commission members, council members and representatives of We Heart Berlin in July, Mayor Zack Tyndall said Monday the group had agreed to recommend Heron Park as the best location for a skate park. While a study ranked Stephen Decatur Park as the best location, Tyndall said the group was unanimous in its support of parcel 410 of the Heron Park property as the ideal location.
“We don’t want to commit fully to an exact location on parcel 410 but we think the most favorable place may be some of that concrete that’s already on site,” Tyndall said.
He added that there was future potential for a town public works facility on a portion of parcel 410 or parcel 151 but that the concrete section of parcel 410 was a logical place for a skate park. He said the work group of various involved parties would reconvene in October to talk about next steps.
“We’re on a solid pathway,” Tyndall said. “Thank you all for the work that you’ve done.”
Councilman Jack Orris pointed out the town was in an extended negotiating period with Palmer Gillis, as his company had presented a proposal to develop a portion of the Heron Park property.
“By doing this are we doing anything that would run afoul of that?” Orris asked.
Tyndall said it would not, as he’d articulated to Gillis that parcel 191 and parcel 410 were no longer part of the discussion.
“We’re narrowing the focus to just (parcel) 57,” Tyndall said.
Councilman Jay Knerr said Heron Park was the obvious choice for a skate park but said he didn’t want to narrow the focus to parcel 410.
Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said that while there was a consensus for
OCEAN CITY – Resort officials this week agreed to adopt changes to the public safety employee pension plan.
On Monday, the Ocean City Council voted unanimously to adopt changes to the town’s pension plans for public safety employees. The changes will allow public safety employees to purchase service credit.
“This is to allow for the purchase of service credit at the full actuarial cost but to limit the service that can be purchased to no more than five years,” said City Solicitor Heather Stansbury.
Last month, City Manager Terry McGean told councilmembers the fire department had recently hired an employee who has sought to transfer years of service from their previous employer in Baltimore City to the Town of Ocean City. To that end, he presented two ordinances that would allow both public safety and general employees to buy pension years.
“By leaving Baltimore City and coming to Ocean City, he was losing time in his pension from Baltimore City,” he told the council in July. “We were approached as to whether he could purchase that additional time, make up that difference, essentially by contributing additional money into the Ocean City pension.”
Officials told the council last month the pension plan amendments would apply to both public safety and general employees. It also allowed employees who would like to retire early and receive a full pension amount to purchase up to five years of service credit at full actuarial cost.
After further discussion, however, the council agreed to strike the option for purchasing service credits on the back end, or at the end of an employee’s service to the town, and to advance both ordinances to a second reading.
Back on the agenda Monday, Stansbury said the ordinance amending the pension plan for general employees had been pulled.
“The ordinance was amended on July 17 to strike the purchase of service credit for periods of no performance,” she explained. “Commonly, we refer to that as the back end. But once we struck that, there was no reason for it to be in existence because of the general employees now not being part of the pension plan.”
McGean told the council this week that the general employee pension plan was now closed to new hires.
“So there’s no way for somebody to come from another agency and attempt to purchase pension time in the general employees pension plan,” he added. “You are not eligible for it to begin with. So once the back end, which was the ability to essentially purchase early retirement, was struck, the issue became null and void for the general employees.”
The council, however, voted 6-0, with Councilman Will Savage absent, to approve changes to the public safety employee pension plan on second reading.
OCEAN CITY – An amendment banning smoking and vaping in all city parks will advance to a second reading following a favorable vote.
On Monday, the Mayor and Council agreed to advance a code amendment making smoking and vaping unlawful in all public parks to a second reading. City Solicitor Heather Stansbury said the ordinance essentially eliminates designated smoking areas at Northside Park and changes references to marijuana.
“This removes Northside Park as a designated smoking area, thus prohibiting smoking and vaping in all public parks,” she explained. “And it modifies the reference to the word marijuana throughout this code section, as the state legislature, with the changes it the laws regarding this substance, has now asked that we refer to it as cannabis.”
In 2015, the council passed an ordinance making smoking and vaping unlaw-
ful in all public parks except Northside Park, where it would be allowed within 15 feet of designated smoking areas. That decision, officials say, was made to accommodate the vast number of smokers who participated in softball tournaments at Northside Park.
However, Recreation and Parks Director Susan Petito told the council earlier this month that those designated smoking areas are not being appropriately used, and that unlawful smoking and vaping had increased throughout the park to include the unlawful use of cannabis products in public spaces.
“Unfortunately, even with staff/promoter efforts to curtail unlawful smoking, participants are ignoring the Town Code in reference to smoking at Northside Park, and are not limiting their smoking to the designated smoking areas,” a memo to the council reads.
To that end, Petito recommended the town code be amended to make smoking and vaping unlawful in all public parks within town, effectively eliminating desig-
nated smoking areas from Northside Park.
“We’re requesting to modify the ordinance to say that,” she said earlier this month.
Back on the agenda this week, a motion was made to approve the code amendment on first reading.
Council Secretary Tony DeLuca, however, said he would oppose the ordinance.
“First of all, you are outside at Northside Park, your child or grandson hits a winning homerun, and you can’t even light up a Short Story [cigar] at a designated smoking area,” he said. “Next, it’s going to be the beach. Peter [Buas] and I we pull our chairs back off the beach to the designated smoking area and fire up a Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story. So I’m going to be voting no.”
With no further discussion, the council voted 4-2, with DeLuca and Buas opposed and Councilman Will Savage absent, to approve the code amendment on first reading.
BERLIN – Town officials agreed to reassign funds to allow a stormwater project to move forward.
The Berlin Town Council this week voted unanimously to proceed with stormwater management upgrades at Pine Street, Franklin Avenue and Nelson Street. The decision relied on the council’s agreement to use funding planned for a well house project for the stormwater improvements.
“There are some grant funds that are going to potentially be heading our direction,” Mayor Zack Tyndall said. “We don’t know if that’s solid or not. It’s a good likelihood they will come through. The theory is if that comes through that frees up some capital to move in that direction.”
Jamey Latchum, the town’s water resources director, informed the council his department was seeking the reassignment of $500,000 set to be used for a well.
“Doing so would create financial flexibility and allow for project operations to continue in a fiscally sound matter,” Latchum wrote in a report to the council.
According to Latchum the town has been notified of potential financial assistance from the Maryland Department of the Envinroment. Because of that potential funding help, Latchum asked the council to transfer half a million dollars assigned to replace a well to the stormwater upgrades, which have been talked about for the past decade.
“It’s supposed to help a lot,” Latchum said. “Right now we do have a bottleneck.”
He said that the town had $783,000 budgeted for the upgrades but would be able to pay for nearly the entire $1.3 million project if the transfer was made.
Councilman Jack Orris asked how the well project would be paid for if the transfer was completed. Tyndall said the town would likely be receiving grant funding. While nothing is official yet, the town could potentially reiceve $867,640 in loan and grant funding for the well project, $172,040 in loan and grant funding for a lead service line inventory and $1.1 million in loan and grant funding for lead service line replacement.
“We’ve been notified of our strong eligibility for these funds,” Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said.
She added that the council would have the chance to approve receipt of the funding before any agreement was finalized.
Latchum said the reason he was asking for the transfer now was so that the stormwater improvements could begin during the dry season.
“A lot of the underground work could be happening before Christmas,” he said. “That is a very complex job they have to do.”
He said the dry season typically lasted until early December.
The council voted unanimously to approve moving forward with the project.
OCEAN CITY – A Maryland woman faces second-degree assault charges after getting physical with police officers trying to talk with her.
On Aug. 20, around 2:15 p.m., several Ocean City police officers were dispatched to 70th Street for a disorderly person complaint. A family member told police Taylor Woods, 29, of Indianhead, was intoxicated and attempting to use a stick to break a window at her home. When police arrived, family members said Woods was now on the beach. Police located Woods sitting with a lifeguard.
When police tried to talk with her, Woods refused to cooperate, saying, “goodbye” and walked away. At the street end, Woods cursed at a man standing nearby. Woods then turned to two trailing officers and grabbed each of their wrists, stating they needed to get away from her in foul language heard by a man and young child walking nearby. An expletive tirade ensued with Woods threatening officers and repeatedly trying to take one cop’s glasses off. Officers were able
to grab Woods by her arms and place her under arrest.
After being handcuffed, Taylor sat down and refused to walk, telling police she did not want to make it easy for officers. She was subsequently carried off the beach by officers to a transport van. Woods continued to be uncooperative with police, screaming and cursing at officers. Woods kicked two officers, struck another officer in the chest with a headbutt and attempted to bite one cop several times. Woods was placed in a violent person restraining device.
Woods was charged with three counts of second-degree assault for causing intentional injury to officers, disturbing the peace and failing to obey a lawful order.
OCEAN CITY – A Maryland man is facing charges for breaking into a condominium unit and randomly attacking a sleep-
ing resident.
On Aug. 16 around 2:21 a.m., an Ocean City police officer was dispatched to a call for a burglary in progress at a 47th Street condominium building. The caller told police he was attacked by an unknown individual, later identified as Austin Eby, 24, of Baltimore, inside of his unit.
When police arrived to the unit, officers found the victim pinning Eby to a bed. Eby was placed under arrest. The victim told police he was asleep and was awoken by Eby standing over him. The victim then was placed by Eby in a choke hold. The victim punched Eby multiple times to avoid losing consciousness. A police investigation revealed Eby entered the unit by the residence’s screen door.
Eby, who appeared under the influence according to the police report, was charged with breaking and entering and second-degree assault.
OCEAN CITY – A variety of drug possession and distribution charges were filed last week against a Maryland man found driving without a valid license.
On Aug. 18, around 9:45 p.m., an Ocean City police officer on uniform patrol observed a 2022 Honda HR-V with Illinois registration in operation without rear lights activated. Police observed the driver, Marvin Johnson Jr., 35, of Annapolis, making unsafe lane changes and creating dangerous driving conditions for other motorists. The vehicle was pulled over, and police learned Johnson’s driver license had been suspended and revoked. Johnson was subsequently placed under arrest.
A search of the vehicle resulted in a significant haul of drugs. A canvas bag was located in the trunk containing three vacuum sealed bags of marijuana containing more than 2.5 ounces; 16, 3.5-gram bags containing marijuana; one, 3.5-gram container with marijuana; and one digital scale set to grams with pot residue on it. Another bag found in the trunk contained a sandwich bag filled with marijuana; $9,537 in cash; nine Oxycontin pills in a small plastic bag; a bag with psilocybin mushrooms; and two spring-assisted opening knives. Another bag in the rear passenger seat contained one black scale set to grams with marijuana residue on it; one, 3.5-gram bag containing marijuana; and numerous empty bags with marijuana residue inside.
Along with traffic offenses, Johnson was charged possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule II (oxycontin), distribution of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule II (oxycontin), possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule I (psilocybin mushrooms), possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule I (cannabis) in an amount over civil use and possession of cannabis in sufficient quantity to reasonably indicate distribution.
OCEAN CITY – Several illegal martial arts weapons were seized from an individual involved in a traffic collision last weekend.
On Aug. 19, around 3:15 p.m., Ocean City police responded to the area of 33rd Street and Philadelphia Avenue for a crash.
Witnesses on the scene told police Matthew Gootee, 30, of Cambridge, was seen in a nearby hotel parking lot throwing a large landscaping rock into his mother’s vehicle’s passenger side windshield, shattering it. Witnesses said Gootee then drove the vehicle, a 2008 Hyundai, westbound toward Philadelphia Avenue when he crashed into the rear of a 2023 Nissan with New York registration stopped at a traffic light. Gootee’s mother was contacted by police, and she said her son had permission to drive her vehicle. The mom also told police she did not want to press charges against Gootee for destroying her windshield.
During a search of the vehicle prior to it being towed, police discovered in the passenger seat a plastic container with five weapons – a fixed blade knife about four to five inches in length; a fixed blade knife measuring six to seven inches; a fixed blade knife about 10 inches in length; a butterfly knife with a blade about four inches in length; and a black holster containing a folding knife in the shape of a handgun.
Along with two traffic offenses connected to the collision, Gootee is charged SEE NEXT PAGE
with five counts of possession of an illegal weapon under Ocean City code.
OCEAN CITY – A Pennsylvania couple was arrested on assault charges and causing a public disturbance last week.
On Aug. 18 shortly after midnight, an Ocean City bike officer responded to assist with an assault investigation underway outside a downtown bar. While police were arresting Tara Irons, 31, of Kennett Square, Pa., on second-degree assault, malicious destruction of property under $1,000 and disorderly conduct, her husband, Kevin Irons, 32, of Kennett Square, Pa., began to interfere with officers. Kevin Irons attempted to pull his wife away from handcuffs about to be administered by police. Police pushed him away and ordered him to stop interfering.
At one point, Kevin Irons plunged his shoulder directly into an officer’s chest before walking away on the Boardwalk shouting inappropriate racial comments. Multiple police officers then approached Irons, who tried to run away. Irons was wrestled to the ground and continued to resist arrest. He was placed under arrest for second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, hindering a law enforcement officer, noise violations and resisting arrest.
OCEAN CITY – A domestic incident led police to charge a Pennsylvania woman with assault and drug charges.
On Aug. 17, at 2:45 p.m., an Ocean City police officer responded to 10th Street for a domestic assault involving a husband allegedly twisting his wife’s arm. The victim told police she and her husband had been arguing all night but while driving he reached across her, causing her arm to twist, according to the police report. Throughout the charging document, police noted Amy Kordish, 61, of Greenfield Township, Pa., did not want to file assault charges against her husband for the incident.
Kordish’s husband, the victim, told police his wife punched him multiple times when he reached across her in the vehicle. Police confirmed visible signs of injury on the forearm of the man, who reported to police the most recent disagreement involved the couple’s cellular phones
During the discussion with the couple, police located drugs inside the vehicle. Amy Kordish was charged with seconddegree assault, possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule II (oxycontin), possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule II (hydrocodone) and possession of a controlled dangerous substance of schedule IV (alprazolam).
STOCKTON – The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office investigated an explosion that resulted in a fatality on Saturday, August 19, 2023.
At 8:48 Saturday morning, the Stockton Volunteer Fire Company and the Pocomoke City EMS departments were dispatched to the 400 block of Silva Road in Stockton for a reported trailer explosion with burn injury. Firefighters and paramedics arrived and observed a camper trailer at the residence that had experi-
enced an over pressurization along with an 80-year-old male victim with burn injuries on over 90 percent of his body.
Paramedics quickly requested the Maryland State Police Aviation Command –Trooper 4 stationed at the Salisbury Regional Airport for transport. The patient was treated at the scene before being transferred to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, the state’s only adult burn trauma
center. The patient later succumbed to his injuries from the explosion. The name of the victim is being withheld at this time.
Deputies from the Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene and conducted a thorough fire scene examination. Through the course of the investigation, it was learned the victim was attempting to use the stove inside the trailer at the time of the event. Evidence
observed at the scene was consistent with a propane gas style explosion.
The cause of the incident was determined to be accidental. Fire Marshal Matthew Owens reminds citizens to not only have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your home, but recreational vehicles and campers as well. If you cannot afford a smoke alarm, contact your local fire department for assistance.
BY BETHANY HOOPER ASSOCIATE EDITOR
OCEAN CITY – Officials say delays involving a land swap between the town and Delmarva Power continue.
During the public comment portion of Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting, Old Landing Road resident Martin Branigan requested an update on a land swap that is set to occur in the area of 100th Street, near the public library. He said he was also seeking information on when the construction of a battery station would take place.
“My condo association would like to have an update on the property transfer for the battery center, and if there’s a timetable for beginning construction,” he said.
Last year, the council approved a pair of ordinances facilitating the land swap between the town and Delmarva Power.
Simply put, the utility company owns
the northerly lot at 100th Street, while Ocean City owns an adjacent lot of a similar size immediately to the south. As part of the land swap, the town would acquire the northerly parcel – which is contiguous with other town-owned property – while Delmarva Power would acquire the southerly parcel for the installation of a battery energy storage system (BESS).
Officials have argued the swap would be beneficial to both the town and the utility company, as a BESS would provide a fallback energy source in the resort during times of peak energy use. Uptown residents, however, have voiced their concerns about the aesthetic impact of the above-ground battery field and potential health risks.
In an update provided to the public in January, City Solicitor Heather Stansbury said the town had encountered delays regarding the land swap but that those issues were being worked through and could
be resolved by late spring at the earliest.
Responding to Branigan’s inquiry on Monday, City Manager Terry McGean said those delays continue, as Delmarva Power works with its bank to make the land swap a reality.
“We are still about three to four months out with that …,” he said. “They take all of their property and they have, for lack of a better word, a giant mortgage. So all of their properties are listed as collateral with the bank they use. This came up at the last minute. They now have to get permission from their bank to do this land swap, and it's a large bank with a big bureaucracy.”
He continued, “So it’s still going forward, the battery project. We don’t know the construction date, but the land swap itself is going to be another three or four months out.”
When asked if construction of the BESS would likely take place in 2024, McGean said it would.
OCEAN CITY – Resort officials this week approved a bond reimbursement resolution, allowing three capital projects to move forward.
On Monday, the Mayor and Council had before them a resolution acknowledging the council’s intent to reimburse expenditures for three capital projects using the proceeds of tax-exempt debt. City Solicitor Heather Stansbury said the resolution included funding for two capital projects included in the fiscal year 2024 capital improvement plan and funding for one capital project discussed at a recent work session.
“This is the Mayor and Council declaring its intent to reimburse expenditures to be incurred with respect to certain projects or programs or from certain funds with the proceeds of debt to be issued by the Mayor and City Council …,” she said. “The first is for Montego Bay street reconstruction and rehabilitation, not to exceed $4.5 million. The second is 94th Street bayside water main installation, not to exceed $2.2 million. And the third is the final design and construction of a new mixed-use police substation and housing facility located at Somerset Street parking lot, not to exceed $4.26 million.”
Last week, City Manager Terry McGean presented the Mayor and Council with a new design and cost estimate for a proposed mixed-use building on Somerset Street. While he noted that construction costs have increased by roughly $2 million, the new plan would provide employee housing and a new Ocean City Police Department substation.
The proposal also called for a costshare arrangement between the town and the Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC), with the nonprofit contributing half of the funding through its share of the Inlet parking lot revenue. For years, the OCDC has received a portion of the weekend Inlet parking lot revenue as a reserve fund for projects it has, or intends to develop, in the downtown area.
In an update Monday, McGean said the cost share arrangement between the town and OCDC would result in an annual debt service of $300,000.
“To clarify for the record, I was in error at the work session regarding the debt service amount …,” he said. “The total annual debt service for $4.26 million is $300,000 per year. That would be split, $150,000 from the city and $150,000 from the OCDC.”
When asked if the debt service obligation for the Somerset Street development was inconsequential when compared to other projects in the town’s capital improvement plan, McGean said it was. With no further question, the council voted 51, with Council President Matt James opposed, to approve the bond reimbursement resolution.
“For the record, I support the first two projects,” he said. “I don’t think project number three is the best use of money at this time, in that location for that project.”
BERLIN– A local nonprofit continues to raise money for a campaign to ensure human food is not accessed by the wild horses at Assateague.
Friends of Assateague State Park, a nonprofit that supports the facility, has now installed horse-resistant storage bins on about half of the park’s picnic tables. Fundraising is ongoing, as the nonprofit wants to retrofit all of the park’s 360 picnic tables through the “Break the Habit” campaign.
“The program’s going very well,” said Cathy Cox, a member of Friends of Assateague State Park. “It’s truly an education between the public and the horses.”
The nonprofit formally launched the “Break the Habit” campaign last summer. The initiative includes strong messaging that encourages park visitors to keep their distance from the barrier island’s wild horses and at the same time upgrades picnic tables so they include secure food storage compartments.
The campaign is a continuation of a similar effort being made at Assateague Island National Seashore, which started the “A Fed Horse is a Dead Horse” campaign in 2017 after a horse died after eat-
ing dog food. Seeing the success of the national park’s picnic table storage areas, state park officials decided to follow suit and volunteers started fundraising last year and have now been able to complete 142 tables. Grants from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore and the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority will allow the nonprofit to retrofit even more. Friends of Assateague State Park also raffled off two pieces of donated Assateague-themed art and have been selling “Collect the Herd” drinkware, stickers and magnets.
Friends of Assateague State Park (FOASP) members Cheryl Rodriguez and Cox, joined by dozens of other supporters, drew raffle winners and celebrated the progress of the “Break the Habit” initiative this week. Cox said that as the nonprofit sold raffle tickets at community events like the Ocean Pines Farmers Market, they’d had the opportunity to raise money as well as awareness.
“That was like an outreach program for us,” Cox said. “It’s just so important not to let the horses get into our food.”
For more information on FOASP, email friendsofasp@gmail.com or visit the Friends of Assateague State Park Facebook page.
OCEAN CITY – A Vietnam veteran says his new job as a tram conductor keeps him active.
Four days a week, Fred Coston, 73, makes his way from Salisbury to Ocean City to work on the Boardwalk trams. Starting from the town’s staging facility at 2nd Street and St. Louis Avenue, he spends his workday selling tickets, collecting money and ensuring passenger safety.
But what many may not know is that Coston comes to the town’s transportation department with years of service under his belt. After a 21year stint in the U.S. Army and 30 years as a local driver, he said he was eager to find a job that got him out of his house.
“It was a summer job, and I didn’t want to stay in the house and get bored,” he said. “If I keep moving, I keep going. I don’t feel like being done yet.”
Following his high school graduation in 1969, Coston, a Snow Hill native, joined the U.S. Army. After attending basic training at Fort Dix, he advanced to airborne ranger school.
“From there, they sent me to Vietnam,” he said.
Over the next three years, Coston would serve as a “tunnel rat,” uncovering and clearing a network of small, underground passages used by the Viet Cong.
“When I got there, they said we need
someone as a tunnel rat. The only thing I knew was that they paid more. So I volunteered,” he explained. “The whole platoon would go to a site, and they’d call for a tunnel rat. I’d throw a grenade in there and go in.”
Coston said being a tunnel rat was dangerous work, as soldiers often encountered lethal explosives and venomous snakes.
“They would booby trap the lids of the tunnels with snakes,” he recalled. “We called them two-steps. That’s why we first threw grenades into the tunnels.”
Coston said he saw many things during his years in Vietnam, including the deaths of close friends. He also had his own neardeath experience in the tunnels.
“One day I crawled into a tunnel, and when I got to other side, a Viet Cong threw a grenade that hit me in the chest,” he said. “They sent me to Hawaii to get patched up and sent me back.”
Tram Supervisor Craig Coleman said Coston’s story is deserving of recognition.
“He’s a hero,” he said.
Coston, however, said he is simply sharing his experience to honor those who died in Vietnam.
“I’m doing this for the ones that didn’t make it back with me.”
Following his service in the U.S. Army, Coston spent the next 30 years driving for both Perdue and Shore Transit. Now in his first season as a tram conductor, Coston said he enjoys the challenges that come with the new job.
“When the season is over, I’m going to miss it,” he said.
OCEAN CITY – If you ask any local to pinpoint the most significant event in Ocean City’s history, they will likely provide one answer – the storm of 1933.
That August, in the midst of the busy tourism season, hurricane-force winds, massive waves and severe rain battered the resort community, leaving in its wake an Inlet that forever changed the landscape of Ocean City.
In recognition of the 90th anniversary, local historians, businessmen and residents sat down with The Dispatch to talk about the historic storm that destroyed homes and businesses, wiped out the Boardwalk and railroad bridge, and paved the way for future development.
“This was, in my opinion, the most important event that ever happened in Ocean City’s history,” said local historian and author Bunk Mann.
Prior to 1933, the train brought many visitors to the small seasonal resort, and hotels and boarding houses extended to 15th Street, which at that time was the northernmost point in town. The southern end of Ocean City featured several commercial pound fishing camps, where the fresh catch was carted by horse from the surf to the island’s train station to be weighed, packed and shipped to metropolitan areas.
“The town actually went to about South
7th Street. All of that is under the Inlet today,” Mann said. “But there wasn’t anything down there except what they called the fish camps, which were the pound fishing camps. There was no Inlet. You had the bay, and you had the ocean, and the barrier island extended all the way down to Assateague and Chincoteague with no break.”
But all of that would soon change.
A tropical storm first appeared in meteorological records on Aug. 17, 1933. And by the following evening, it achieved hurricane status.
“In 1933, the weather forecasting was basically in its infancy, if even that …,” Mann said. “But this hurricane was coming.”
Rain and winds arrived in Ocean City on Aug. 19 and continued to batter the town for days afterward. By Aug. 21, more than 10 inches of rain had fallen, filling the back bays and tributaries to the point of overflowing.
While a voluntary evacuation had occurred, many rode out the storm in their homes. In Mann’s book, “Vanishing Ocean City,” several witnesses described the devastation that unfolded.
“The Storm of ‘33 was not a true hurricane – the winds never got over 65 mph – but it rained and blew for three days,” resident Alger “Tiny” Abbott Jr. said. “It never let up for three solid days and when it was over water was everywhere. There was just solid water from Herring Creek all the way to the ocean.”
David Bunting, whose family built the docks at Dorchester Street, told TheDis-
patch last month his father, Orlando Bunting, was operating a charter business when the 1933 storm hit. While he said the town had experienced previous flooding events, nothing had matched the severity of flooding that had occurred that August.
“My father’s boats, he cut them loose and let them float,” he said. “After it calmed down, they had to go out and get the boats back.”
In an interview last month, Debbie DeFressine, a museum aide for the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum, shared her family’s recollections of the storm. Her great-grandfather, Capt. Christopher Ludlam, who had introduced pound fishing to the resort in 1896, was living in Ocean City with his family when the storm struck.
“They lived on what is now the municipal parking lot between South Division and Worcester Street, in a Cape Cod home … ,” she said. “When the storm first started, the floor looked like piano keys and the furniture was floating. After the water receded there were a lot of snakes.”
While Ocean City was spared the brunt of the storm, the surging tides and four straight days of rain caused water to break through the lowest spot in town, the pound fishing camps between South 4th and South 5th streets. And on Aug. 23, an inlet was formed.
“It really wiped out all the fishing camps,” DeFressine said. “All the properties and all that the Ludlams owned, the storm just destroyed it.”
Local attorney Hugh Cropper said his grandfather, Hugh T. Cropper, and great-
SEE PAGE 52
Though most of the fishing camps were washed out when the Inlet was created, those left behind, like the one pictured, were also destroyed.
Photo courtesy Bunk Mann
NEWARK – The Worcester County Board of Education last week approved a variety of budget transfers.
The school board voted 7-0 to approve budget transfers associated with overexpenditures in certain areas of the fiscal year 2023 budget.
“Each year at the August meeting the board is asked to approve budget transfers from the prior fiscal year,” said Vince Tolbert, the school system’s chief financial officer. “These budgetary transfers are part of our year end process and are required to amend our final prior year budget to align with actual expenditures.”
Tolbert presented the board last Tuesday with information regarding proposed inter-category and intra-category transfers. While intra-category transfers are within a particular category of the budget, inter-category transfers are between budget categories and have to be approved by both the school board and the Worcester County Commissioners.
As for inter-category transfers in fiscal year 2023, Tolbert said there were several being proposed.
“In FY23 we had five categories where actual expenditures exceeded the original budget,” he said. “To properly account for this variance the following transfers are being submitted to the board of education for approval.”
He said staff proposed reducing the instructional salaries category of the budget by $990,000 and the fixed charges section of the budget by $516,780.
“Also as the board is aware in FY23 the board voted to do a refresh of our current student and staff devices,” Tolbert said. “This refresh involved the sale of our current iPads to a third party.”
He said the proceeds from the sale were used to fund the final payment on the Apple lease as well as the first payment on the Apple lease for the new devices.
“We’re requesting the board to approve an increase in FY23 budget revenues of $1,348,387 to reflect the additional revenue from the sale and also to increase the FY23 expenditure level by the same amount,” Tolbert said.
The overexpenditures in the budget occurred in the categories of instructional support, textbooks and classroom supplies, student transportation, operation of plant and maintenance of plant. He said staff proposed transferring $71,000 to instructional support, where the overexpenditure was related to holding commencement ceremonies.
“This transfer to this category is largely tied to the expense of holding our commencement ceremonies outside in our stadiums last year,” Tolbert said.
In the category of textbooks, Tolbert said a transfer of $1,348,387 was proposed.
“This transfer is the result of the refresh of our iPads,” he said. “Due to the favorable market for our iPads we were able to sell those devices and utilize the proceeds to fund the year four payment of the original lease and the year one payment of the new Apple lease.”
Tolbert said a $492,100 transfer was needed for student transportation, as there had been higher than expected costs related to the fuel supplement for bus drivers as well as additional time contractors had to be paid for related to cleaning under Covid-19 protocols. Costs were also higher than expected for after school program transportation and for the transportation of homeless students.
Tolbert said a transfer of $612,000 for operation of plant was recommended because of rising utility costs as well as increased costs for custodial supplies. Utility costs were 17% higher than they were the previous year.
Under maintenance of plant, a $322,680 transfer was proposed to cover rising HVAC and maintenance costs
The board voted 7-0 to approve the proposed transfers.
SNOW HILL – U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen visited Berlin Friday to highlight $400,000 in grant funding the Berlin Fire Company received.
Van Hollen, joined by Eric Smothers of the Maryland State Firemen’s Association, spoke at the Berlin Fire Company’s Main Street station Friday morning about the need for support for emergency responders. Van Hollen said $400,000 in federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program funding would help the Berlin Fire Company (BFC) replace outdated gear.
“Whether it’s at the local level, town level, city level, county level, state level or the federal level, all of us need to make sure we’re there for the firefighters that are there for us. That’s the overall message I wanted to deliver. This is one good example of our efforts to try to do that,” Van Hollen said.
BFC President David Fitzgerald said the fire company had applied for Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program funding to help fund the replacement of selfcontained breathing apparatus, essentially air packs. The BFC hasn’t purchased any new air packs since between 2006 and 2008.
“We’re well overdue,” he said. “These air packs are life safety for all of our career and volunteer staff every day.”
He said the $399,371 grant would help the company purchase new air packs and upgrade its system at the firehouse so they can be refilled on site.
Van Hollen thanked the firefighters in attendance at Friday’s announcement and acknowledged the risks they took and the sacrifices they made as they were running toward danger.
“In addition to thanking you we wanted to make sure that we provided funds to help you in your efforts, to make sure you can do what you do in a way that helps better protect you,” he said.
Van Hollen told those present he was involved in ongoing efforts to provide additional funding to fire companies not only to purchase equipment but to modernize firehouse facilities. He said that since 2015, two key programs had provided $150 million to fire companies throughout Maryland. In addition, he worked with a bipartisan group to introduce the Fire Station Act to provide funding for upgrades.
“Over 53 % of fire stations around the country are in need of serious repair,” he said.
Smothers, noting that most fire stations were 50 or 60 years old, said the proposed $750 million grant program would help fire stations across the country with upgrades. He said the support provided by the federal government already had played key roles in keeping Maryland’s fire companies functioning safely.
“The grants Sen. Van Hollen was referencing have certainly helped a lot of volunteer entities not only here in Maryland but across our nation,” he said.
Here in Berlin, Fitzgerald said the Berlin Fire Company could benefit greatly from something like the Fire Station Act, as there are upgrades needed at the 1965 fire station on Main Street. He said a key concern there was the fact that the building didn’t have sprinklers, despite the fact that first
responders slept there.
Among those in attendance for Friday’s announcement were Mark and Kathy Drew representing the Bishopville Volunteer Fire Department. They also have high hopes for the Fire Station Act. Their volunteers are currently working out of two small stations. The primary station isn’t even large enough to fit a new fire engine.
“You can’t buy a new truck and put it in there,” Kathy Drew said. “You can’t get them in the front bay.”
While fire department officials would love to simply build a new station, that’s not feasible. The 40-member volunteer department isn’t capable of raising the millions a new facility would cost.
“We’re hoping this bill that Sen. Van Hollen is try to push through comes to reality for us,” she said. “We priced out a brand-new fire house and we’re talking $5 million. There’s no way we can raise $5 million.”
BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR
BERLIN – A U.S. Senate committee held a field hearing in Berlin last week to discuss ways to improve small business resiliency.
On Thursday, Aug. 17, the Town of Berlin hosted a field hearing for the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The committee, chaired by Sen. Ben Cardin, heard from four witnesses who talked about what was needed to support small business in a rural region.
“We need to target better our programs to help rural America,” Cardin said. “I think this hearing has helped us to understand that.”
Cardin, joined by Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Andy Harris, launched the field hearing last Thursday
after a brief walking tour through Berlin. He said he’d seen the enthusiasm of the town’s business community firsthand.
“It is all those things that they do to make this community not only an economically livable community but a fun place to live,” Cardin said. “It makes it a much more exciting place.”
Cardin said the purpose of the hearing was to address challenges in rural areas related to small businesses. He said small businesses encountered those challenges during events such as natural disasters and pandemics.
“Small businesses have shown resiliency, but we know we have to do more in order to help in regards to resiliency,” he said.
He said small businesses in rural areas needed help with things like workforce and connectivity.
“This committee is an advocate for small businesses,” Cardin said. “We want to know what we can do better. This hearing will give us a chance to hear how we can better serve small businesses in rural communities.”
Van Hollen agreed that the pandemic had been a difficult time for small businesses and pointed out that in acknowledgement of that, politicians had worked together to come up with solutions.
“We know that rebounding is not enough, we need to continue to grow and advance,” Van Hollen said. “That’s why I look forward to hearing the testimony from our four witnesses.”
Harris agreed and stressed the importance of the small family businesses on the Eastern Shore.
“Hopefully we can keep our rural areas vigorous,” he said.
Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall was in attendance at the hearing with other local officials.
“It’s a bit odd because I’m usually sitting where you’re sitting with our mayor and council, but it is nice to come back to the place where I started which is sitting out here in the audience with all of our constituents,” he said.
Tyndall said he was eager to hear various viewpoints from the witnesses.
“I think we can learn a lot from each other,” he said. “I think that exchange of information, that understanding of one another, helps us all…I don’t think you can find a better place to showcase resiliency than right here in our small town.”
The committee went on to hear insight from Cassandra Vanhooser, director of economic development and tourism for Talbot County, John “Nick” Hargrove, owner and operator of Tilghman Island Seafood and Wittman Wharf Seafood, Roxanne Wolf, program director for Shore Gourmet of Denton, and Richard Loeffler, business consultant for the Maryland Small Business Development Center of Cambridge.
Cardin said the ideas and challenges the speakers addressed showed that government needed to do more for rural America.
“We recognize that we have to do more,” Cardin said. “We can’t wait for the next unexpected challenge and then say what can we do to respond. We have to have more permanent help.”
County officials opted not to accept donation of Stephen Decatur High School’s old scoreboard, pictured above, and will instead research costs of a new one. Submitted image
BY CHARLENE SHARPE ASSOCIATE EDITOR
SNOW HILL– County officials are researching the cost of a new scoreboard after opting not to accept donation of a decades-old model.
A motion to accept the donation of a scoreboard for the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex last week failed with a 3-3 vote by the Worcester County Commissioners. Those who voted against the proposal expressed concern regarding the installation cost as well as the fact that the board was old.
“I don’t understand the rationale to spend $17,000 on a board that’s 30 years old,” Commissioner Chip Bertino said.
Representatives of Pop Warner Football approached the commissioners in early August with a request to donate the scoreboard that used to be on the football field at Stephen Decatur. The high school recently installed what is reportedly the largest LED school scoreboard in the state. Pop Warner Football wanted to donate the old scoreboard to the county so the county could install it at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex, where Pop Warner games are played.
County staff said installation of the scoreboard was expected to cost $17,500 not including electrical work.
“There are some unknowns here,” said Jacob Stephens, parks superintendent. “The scoreboard is 30 years old… It probably will need to be painted at some point in the future.”
Commissioner Ted Elder praised the Pop Warner program, which he said served a lot of local children, and spoke in favor of accepting the scoreboard.
“I think this is great opportunity to save the county a lot of money,” he said, indicating a new scoreboard would cost more.
Commissioner Jim Bunting noted that the Pop Warner program had been doing well without a scoreboard.
“All the good things that have happened there have happened without a sign being there,” he said.
He said the county might be better served with a new scoreboard.
“No one knows what this is going to cost,” he said.
Bertino also said the county might be better off spending money on a new board rather than investing in the old one.
Elder said he felt Pop Warner could raise most of the money needed for installation. Commissioner Diana Purnell echoed that idea.
“They’ll do the work to get what they need,” she said.
A vote on Elder’s motion to accept the scoreboard, however, failed with a 3-3 vote. A subsequent motion to look into buying a new scoreboard passed 6-0 with Commissioner Eric Fiori absent.
Hunter Lago, Richie Cropper and Andrew Grunden attended the announcement of a grant award by Sen. Chris Van Hollen at the Berlin Fire Company.
Among the elected officials present at a grant announcement Aug. 18 was Mayor Zack Tyndall, pictured here with RJ Rhode of the Berlin Fire Company.
Chris Welch, Quinn Swain and Donna Socha represented Buckingham Elementary School at a summer event at Henry Park.
David Fitzgerald and Jack Orris are pictured at a grant announcement at the Berlin Fire Company.
Mendy and Eric Fiori are pictured at the soft opening of Forgotten 50 in Berlin.
Caryn and John Abbott visited Forgotten 50 during the new business’s soft opening.
Ryan Nellans and Dave Williams attended a press conference hosted by Sen. Van Hollen at the Berlin Fire Company.
Lyric Reynolds and Kendre Collick attended a summer event hosted by Buckingham Elementary School at Henry Park.
Carol Rose, Ron Eckman and Mallory Eckman attended a press conference at the Berlin Fire Company.
FENWICK ISLAND – A $300,000 state bond will help fund a dredging project in Fenwick Island.
On Monday, Councilman Bill Rymer presented members of the Fenwick Island Dredging Committee with an update on Delaware’s state bond bill. He noted that the town had received $300,000 to fund a long-awaited dredging project in the Little Assawoman Bay.
“In total, we’ve now raised about $1 million, which covers the entire construction cost of the project …,” he said. “We’ve been funding this two ways, allocating a certain amount of funds from realty transfer tax, and grant funding.”
Rymer told the committee this week that funding was just one aspect of the project. He said the town continues to work with Carl M. Freeman Companies on a potential placement site for the dredged material.
“We’ve got a land access agreement we’ve been negotiating,” he said.
Earlier this year, the town began working with Carl M. Freeman Companies to reevaluate a parcel of land off Route 54 as a potential placement site. From those discussions came a renewed interest in partnering with the town and using its dredged materials on the company’s property.
Since January, the town has been working with its solicitor’s office, and a specialized environmental attorney, to draft a legal agreement that could allow the partner-
ship, and permitting, to move forward. Rymer, however, said the company has asked the town to complete additional sampling on diesel and gasoline range organics before that agreement can advance.
“In our negotiations with the land developer they requested we do 10 additional sediment samples …,” he explained. “Big picture, it came back consistent with the first round of testing.”
With testing now complete, Rymer told the committee this week the results have been forwarded to the developer for review. He said the two parties were also working through an agreement to test the dredged material once it is placed upland.
“The details of that still need to be agreed upon,” he said.
Rymer also told the committee this week the town had received preliminary responses to three permit applications filed with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
He said one response from the Army Corps of Engineers identified concerns about the impact the project would have on the upland placement site.
“That is an open item on the preliminary comments so far,” he said.
Rymer said the town also received a comment from DNREC Fish and Wildlife noting that the dredging project could take place at any time throughout the calendar year.
“But I doubt we want to be dredging in July,” he added.
OCEAN CITY – The resort area is hosting the return of the annual Ocean City Jeep Fest this weekend.
The end of summer is always the time for Jeep owners and fans to converge on Ocean City for the ultimate Jeep vacation. A true celebration and festival of the Jeeps is what Ocean City Jeep Fest is all about, and the annual event got underway on Thursday.
The daily sunrise beach crawl will begin this year at the Inlet Parking Lot and the parade of Jeeps on the shore break will head north toward 30th Street.
“People laughing and having the time of their life is a beautiful memory for the families and the kids who make up this great event,” said Live Wire Media’s Brad Hoffman said.
Jeeps are invited to take part in the custom-made Sand Course, courtesy of Delmarva Jeep Events and title sponsor Kicker, located on the beach at Somerset Street. With the Boardwalk and Pier in the background, Jeep drivers can climb over sloping hills and have their photo taken on the mega-mound.
The hub and nucleus of the event is the Roland E. Powell Convention Center at 40th Street. Jeeps line up and shine up for our Show & Shine events on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 24-25. Attendees will find everything from a 1943 Willys to brand-new 2023 model electric Jeeps competing for awards. Also at the convention center, partner dealership i.g. Burton will be on site with all the newest makes and models of Jeeps.
Special featured guest Patrick Parker, better known as Sgt. Push-up, will be on hand. He’s become famous for doing one million pushups and raising awareness for child hunger. His mission now is to educate the public with an anti-bullying campaign. Jeep Fest features the best of the best of industry vendors, starting off with Kicker Audio and Audio Works doing on-site sales and installations. Guests can outfit their Jeep or 4x4 right at the Vendor Village.
Nothing can be more important to a Jeep owner than upgraded tires and rims. They give you the look and the feel and the ride you like. Representatives from companies will be on-site at show center for installations and show specials with major manufacturer reps available to discuss how to best customize specific makes and models of Jeeps.
The fun, festivities and live music continue after hours. After the kickoff party on Thursday, on Friday, party at Pier 23 (West Ocean City) for Kickin’ It on the Harbor featuring the Fil Rhythm Band. Saturday night, the band Shots Fire will be featured at Bourbon Street on the Beach (125th Street).
Jeep Fest will close Sunday with a
with their show badge.
OCEAN CITY –It is against the law to have alcohol on the beach in Ocean City.
Our lifeguards are required to enforce the city ordinance that makes it unlawful to have an open container anywhere in Ocean City including the beach. If people do not comply with the law or present any objection, we immediately contact the Ocean City Police Department.
It amazes me that drinking still occurs on the beaches of Ocean City. I have to say though there is some irony to a 40year-old beach patron hiding his beer from an 18-year-old lifeguard. The fact is that our guards do see you hiding it and are going to ask you to take it off the beach. Trying to cover it up with a coozy or pour it into a red Solo cup is unacceptable. It is the alcohol that is illegal not the container it is in, except glass is also prohibited. No alcohol means no alcohol.
Not only is consuming alcohol unlawful on the beach, but there are numerous safety issues that arise. We deal with a high number of heat related illnesses on the beach that are alcohol related. The fact is that alcohol dehydrates you and having only a beer or two on a hot day increases the risk of heat related illness. Alcohol increases the loss of body fluids, accelerates dehydration, and leads to heat exhaustion. If untreated, it may result in heat stroke, which is almost always fatal.
Furthermore, swimming in the ocean after consuming alcohol is extremely dangerous. Salt water and alcohol make the worst cocktail, and we rescue numerous people every summer that prob-
ably would not have gotten into trouble if they were not drinking. It is a known fact that alcohol impairs your judgment. This can lead to serious incidents like near drownings or other serious injuries. We can usually tell when someone has been drinking when we rescue him or her. On the open water, alcohol is very easy to smell on someone’s breath. I tell all my guards that if they rescue someone that has been drinking, they should ask the person to leave the beach.
The Center for Disease Control reports that alcohol was involved with 2550% of adult and adolescent deaths that occurred during water recreation. Additionally, alcohol is involved with nearly half of all the drownings among adolescent boys. The Ocean City Beach Patrol is asking you to follow the laws of Ocean City and make your beach trip much safer as a result. In addition to alcohol
being prohibited, please remember that glass containers of any kind are not permitted and dangerous.
Please help your guard by following all the local ordinances (rules) and laws, so they do not have to leave their stand as often, to ask you to stop a prohibited activity, that in most cases you were already aware of. When people try and “sneak” alcohol on the beach it just makes the job of an already busy Surf Rescue Technician that much harder as they are now responsible to not only watch an increasingly larger area of the ocean (stand will be 400 yds apart this week) and to “remind” adults of something that in almost all cases they were already aware of.
It just is not fair to the SRTs who are trying to do their job and protect your family.
Remember the Ocean City Beach Patrol’s motto – “Keep your feet in the sand until the lifeguard’s in the stand.”
(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.)
BERLIN – The Atlantic General Hospital Foundation has announced the 2023 Robert E. Warfield Memorial Tournament to benefit Atlantic General Hospital will be held Sept. 21, rain or shine, at Ocean City Golf Club.
For local golfers, this tournament has become an annual tradition, with last year’s event raising $124,000 to benefit the expansion of health care services and programs for the community. This year’s format will be scramble with all golfers playing nine holes on each course, Newport Bay and Seaside. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. with a 10 a.m. shotgun start. Player entry fee includes golf cart and greens fees, lunch, snacks and beverages on the course, and an awards reception with light fare and cocktails. Deluxe giveaways, tournament awards and team photographs are also included. Additional excitement includes a variety of on-the-course challenges with great prizes.
Team reservations can be submitted online at www.agh.care/golf and must be received by Sept. 14. Space is limited and earliest entries are accommodated first. Non-golfers can join in the fun by purchasing tickets for the 50/50 raffle
drawing that will take place at the conclusion of the tournament. The raffle ticket sales are open to the public and the winner does not need to be present. Raffle tickets can also be purchased online at www.agh.care/golf.
Steven Sweigert is once again cochairing the golf tournament, this year with Max Hutsell.
Leading the way once again as a Legacy Sponsor is The Carousel Group, which has been the title sponsor for 24 consecutive years.
Other sponsors include the following: Eagle Sponsors: AGH Auxiliary; Sina Companies, LLC; Birdie Sponsors: Deeley Insurance Group; M&T Bank; Park Place Jewelers; Greens Fees & Golf
Carts Sponsor: The Warfield Family; Lunch Sponsors: Captain’s Galley Crab Cake Shack; Ocean 13; Bars & Beverages Sponsors: Coca-Cola Consolidated; George’s Beverage Company; Hoop Tea; Awards Reception Sponsors: Chick-Fil-A WOC; Medical Staff of AGH; Shenanigan’s Irish Pub; Snack Sponsor: Thrasher’s French Fries; Hospitality Cart Sponsors: BRG; Ryan Homes Southern Delaware; Hole-In-One Sponsors: Haley Architecture, LLC; i.g. Burton; Park Place
Jewelers; Snowden Lane Partners; Contest Sponsors: Allen + Shariff Corporation; NFP; Giveaways Sponsors: Mitchell & Hastings Financial Services; Ocean City Elks Lodge #2645.
Sponsorship opportunities are still a-
vailable. For more information about the tournament, how to become a sponsor, register a team or purchase raffle tickets, visit www.agh.care/golf, or contact Laura Powell at 410-641-9671 or lspowell@atlanticgeneral.org.
SALISBURY – With more than 15 years of professional experience in higher education, civic engagement and nonprofit leadership, Dr. Kim Fabbri-Greener has been announced as Salisbury University’s next career services director.
She comes to SU from the University of South Florida (USF), where she served as an associate director in the institution’s Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement.
“Kim has promoted and encouraged student success and achievement throughout her career,” said Dr. Dane Foust, SU vice president of student affairs. “We look forward to the passion and service she will bring to students at SU starting this fall in her new role as director of career services.”
“Whether teaching, directing, coordinating, presenting or organizing, helping student to excel and reach their potential has been central to who I am as a professional,” said Fabbri-Greener. “I hope my passion for education and student success sparks lifelong engagement in the students and colleagues I’m looking forward to working with at SU.”
As career services director, FabbriGreener will cultivate and communicate SU’s career development philosophy, coordinating with the university’s career professionals to provide services including career advising and assistance with the job search process, interviewing, resume and letter writing, and additional tools to prepare students to manage their careers. She also will work to serve employers who recruit and employ SU students.
At USF, her work focused on empowering students to build their leadership capacity and helping them prepare for successful transitions to life after college.
Fabbri-Greener’s previous higher education experience has included multiple positions at King’s College in WilkesBarre, Pa., including coordinator of community outreach; short-term, faculty-led programs abroad; and the Scholars in Service to Pennsylvania program.
She also served King’s College as an AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) member, worked as di-
rector of development at the Catholic Center at New York University, and has taught classes in leadership at USF. In addition, she previously taught as an adjunct in SU’s History Department.
Beyond higher education, FabbriGreener has served as director of service learning at Tower Hill School in Wilmington, Del.; and executive director of the Milton, Del., Historical Society. She earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in history from Lehigh University, and her B.A. in history and political science from King’s College.
BERLIN – Maryland’s six casinos combined to generate $174,323,087 in revenue from slot machines and table games during July 2023, down $7,180,139 (-4.0%) from July 2022. The July 2022 gaming revenue total of $181,503,226 was the second-best month in the 13-year history of the state’s casino program.
Casino gaming contributions to the state in July 2023 totaled $73,184,177, a decrease of $2,890,247 (-3.8%) compared to July 2022.
Contributions to the Education Trust Fund in July 2023 were $52,738,201, a decrease of $2,535,236 (-4.6%) compared to July 2022. Casino gaming revenues also support the communities and jurisdictions where the casinos are located, Maryland’s horse racing industry, and small, minority- and women-owned businesses.
Maryland’s six privately owned casinos offer both slot machines and table games: MGM National Harbor in Prince George’s County; Live! Casino & Hotel in Anne Arundel County; Horseshoe Casino Baltimore in Baltimore City; Ocean Downs Casino in Worcester County; Hollywood Casino Perryville in Cecil County; and Rocky Gap Casino Resort in Allegany County.
The gaming revenue totals for July 2023 are as follows:
MGM National Harbor (2,306 slot machines, 210 table games), $72,152,089 in July 2023, a decrease of $5,084,664 (-6.6%) from July 2022.
Live! Casino & Hotel (3,895 slot machines, 179 table games), $62,744,091 in July 2023, an increase of $1,172,818 (1.9%) from July 2022.
Horseshoe Casino (1,421 slot ma-
chines, 122 table games), $16,021,680 in July 2023, a decrease of $2,376,431 (-12.9%) from July 2022.
Ocean Downs Casino (851 slot machines, 19 table games), $10,081,544 in July 2023, a decrease of $436,711 (4.2%) from July 2022.
Hollywood Casino (685 slot machines, 19 table games), $7,503,987 in July 2023, a decrease of $42,210 (0.6%) from July 2022.
Rocky Gap Casino (626 slot machines, 16 table games), $5,819,696 in June 2023, a decrease of $412,941 (6.6%) from July 2022.
SALISBURY – The principals of Gillis Gilkerson (GGI) celebrated the firm’s 40th anniversary with a Business After Hours event hosted in conjunction with the Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce.
Held at the historic Riverview Commons building in Downtown Salisbury, the event was filled with fun, refreshments, networking, and nostalgia as supporters gathered to mark the milestone. Looking back on the company’s history, the principals expressed gratitude for past and present clients, the Delmarva community, and most importantly, their team – from the founders to office and field staff.
Gillis Gilkerson has grown to become one of the largest, most trusted, and versatile firms of its kind on the Delmarva Peninsula. Founded by Palmer Gillis in 1983, the firm was soon joined by CoFounder Tony Gilkerson, paving the way for the company’s early success. For nearly 20-years (2004-2022), GGI was led by Dwight Miller, now executive consultant, who spearheaded much of the firm’s growth over the past two decades.
In January 2023, GGI announced the promotion of Tyler Barnes from vice president to president of construction operations.
Rounding out Gillis Gilkerson’s leadership team are Principals Brad Gillis, Joey Gilkerson and Chris Gilkerson, sons of founders Palmer Gillis and Tony Gilkerson. As second-generation leaders, the trio have a lifetime of involvement in real estate development and investing. Widely recognized by some of their more notable projects, including The Powell Building, 600 Glen Avenue (home to
Pure Fitness, CubeSmart and more), Riverview Commons, and the Salisbury Fire Headquarters (former home to Headquarters Live and the Daily Times), Brad, Chris and Joey have a knack for community revitalization.
“Over the course of our 40-years, we have been lucky to work with a great number of quality people. From our firstgeneration leadership team to the subcontractors, architects, and engineers we collaborate with, Gillis Gilkerson has employed and formed relationships with the best of the best on the Delmarva Peninsula,” said Barnes. “As we celebrate a huge milestone and refocus on the future ahead, we find ourselves more grateful than ever for these relationships. We wouldn't have made it to 40-years without the backing of an incredible team. Entering our fifth decade in business, we are now more committed than ever to honoring and celebrating all who share in our mission to build community for generations.”
New Hire
SALISBURY – Angela Brittingham, MSN, RN, CEN, CPEN, NEA-BC, CPHQ, chief nurse executive and vice president of patient care services, is pleased to announce Susan Mathers, DNP, MBA, BSN, NEA-BC, has been named senior director of emergency and trauma services.
In this role, Mathers will oversee TidalHealth’s Emergency Departments in Crisfield and Salisbury, Md., and in Seaford, Del.
Mathers joins TidalHealth as a passionate and dedicated nursing professional with years of experience in leadership, emergency nursing and critical care nursing. She is commended for her organization, efficiency and interpersonal skills. She has led her team through countless regulatory surveys and process improvement initiatives.
Her most recent role was that of director at Saint Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Md., where she had worked since 2008. She has also worked at facilities such as Carroll Hospital Center, Northwest Hospital Center, Shock Trauma and others throughout her career.
Greetings all and thank you for stopping to read the Fish in OC column her in The Dispatch. The calendar shows that there are a few more weeks until summer is over, but there is definitely a slightly different feeling in the air. There will be less traffic on the streets and on the water in the coming weeks, and we’ll also have some of the best fishing of the entire year.
One of the last big offshore tournaments of the year is underway now with the MidAtlantic Tournament, but there are still some great events left on the calendar so don’t put the fishing rods away any time soon. The ladies showed us how to catch fish last week in the 29th edition of the Poor Girl’s Open held at Bahia Marina and Fish Tales last Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Friday was a total wash with only one boat fishing in terrible sea conditions, but there were some great fish caught on both Thursday and Saturday. In the end, the crew of the Reel Chaos with Captain Anthony Matarese took the big money with four white marlin releases. The first-place finish in the billfish release category landed them around $100,000 in prize money, but the big winner of the tournament was the American Cancer Society who received another
sizable donation from the Poor Girl’s Open that totaled over $100,000 as well. Congratulations to all the teams and to the Harman family on an awesome even. Overall, offshore fishing has been pretty slow. We can have some pretty epic billfish action in September, let’s just hope Mother Nature lets us leave the Inlet to get to it.
Back bay fishing is still pretty good on the clean water of the high tide. There are still plenty of keeper flounder being caught in the East Channel and around the Route 50 Bridge, and there are more sheepshead being caught around the north and south jetties. The larger flounder are being caught on live bait like mullet, bunker and spot, while the sheepshead are being caught on live sand fleas, cut crab and shrimp. Fish the end of the incoming tide and the first part of the outgoing for your best shot at either of these tasty species. Next weekend we’ve got the 65th Annual Labor Day White Marlin Tournament in town put on by the Ocean City Marlin Club. Scales action will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday Sept. 1-3 from 6-8 p.m. each night at Sunset Marina. For more info or to sign up call the club at 410-213-1613. Until next week, tight lines.
SEE PAGES 50-51
left,
category
the Poor Girl’s Open was taken by team Mikk’s N It Up with a nice 56.6 pounder. Above top right, the heaviest mahi of the Poor Girl’s Open was 24.2 pounds and was caught by the Southern C’s. Above left, middle, this year’s Jr Angler award in the Poor Girl’s Open went to Anna Deckelman for her white marlin release aboard All In. Above right, middle, Jane Seseri caught this nice 10-pound sheepshead from the north jetty wall. Above left, bottom, the ladies team from Reel Chaos with Captain Anthony Matarese Jr. took top honors in the billfish release division of the 2023 Poor Girl’s Open. Above right, bottom, Captain Kane Bounds of Fish Bound is limiting his crews out on flounder on just about every trip. Opposite page, top left, Captain Alex Beane and his crew on Boss Hogg had a good day offshore with a pile of mahi and a white marlin release. Opposite page, top right, Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star has seen some nice flounder come over the rail on the last couple of trips. Opposite page, bottom left, Captain Chris Watkowksi and his crew on Spring Mix II had a great day with two white marlin releases and seven fat yellowfin tuna. Opposite page, middle right, The Line Dancer team caught four keeper flounder up to 19.75” on Deadly Tackle live bait rigs and live mullet. Opposite page, bottom right, Blake Gunther and I used Deadly Tackle tog/ bottom jigs to land some sheepshead on the south jetty.
grandfather, Hugh A. Cropper, were also present at the time of the storm.
“My grandfather reports they had a fish camp, fish business, there and that it was beyond devastating …,” he recalled. “He said hunting dogs washed into the ocean, horses washed into the ocean, buildings washed into the ocean. It was quick.”
He said despite some claims, it was not the ocean tides that formed the Inlet, but the bay.
“There were days and days of rain and storms and a hard northwest wind, and the tide and ocean dropped precipitously,” he said. “The water in the bay, which was at a much higher level, rushed through and opened up the Inlet.”
The idea of creating an inlet that would provide access from the bays to the Atlantic Ocean formed long before the 1933 storm. For years, Ocean City businessmen, understanding what ocean access could do for the resort, petitioned state and federal agencies to create a man-made inlet along the barrier island.
In the spring of 1933, for example, an Eastern Shore contingent led by Sen. Millard E. Tydings traveled to Washington to petition the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors to fund the creation of an ocean-access inlet. A congressional bill, however, failed to pass before the legislative session ended. Months later, the storm would do what officials had failed to accomplish for decades.
“The town wanted the inlet for 20, 30 years but the state was worried it would fill with sand …,” Bunting said. “Once nature cut it, it stayed open.”
In September 1933, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work to stabilize the newly created Inlet by building a jetty system. It would prove to be a catalyst for tourism and development in the decades that followed.
In West Ocean City, a commercial harbor sprang to life and countless marinas and docks formed to accommodate the ever-expanding sportfishing industry created in the wake of the storm.
“In terms of tourism, the lasting impact of the storm was immense,” said Susan Jones, executive director of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association.
Orlando Bunting is pictured making his way through flooded streets by boat in 1933. Photo courtesy David Bunting
“Thankfully, our leaders at the time had the foresight to create a commercial fishing harbor, essentially building our town as a fishing haven. Fishing and tourism go hand in hand, fresh fish for restaurants, recreational fishing, sport fishing, commercial fishing, so many tourism tentacles.”
The 1933 storm also served as a catalyst for other changes in and around the resort. For example, the creation of the Inlet led to the widening of the beach at the south end of Ocean City, as sand drifting south began filling behind the new jetty system. And while the old railroad bridge that crossed from the mainland into the resort was obliterated by the 1933 storm, a new Route 50 bridge would be built less
than nine years later, increasing visitor traffic and jumpstarting a tourism-related building boom.
“A few realized the treasure that had been given to them on August 23rd in the form of a new inlet and plans were quickly made to preserve it,” an excerpt from Mann’s book reads. “Because of the Great Depression and the coming interruptions in tourism due to World War II much of the benefit of this connection to the ocean would not be immediately realized. In time however it would do much to change a small seasonal resort and fishing village into a modern regional destination. Without the Inlet, Ocean City would be a much different place today.”
ANSWERS ON PAGE 78
ARIES (March 21 to April 19): A relaxed mood early in the week could give way to high-temperature disputes. The Aries Lamb should resist being pulled into heated quarrels that could really singe your wool.
TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): Satisfy that practical obligation first, then feel free to indulge in your creative endeavors. Also, check for hidden or overlooked areas where repairs might be long overdue.
GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Home is still the Twins' major focus this week, but outside matters begin to take on added importance, especially those involving possible career moves. Stay alert for signs of change.
CANCER (June 21 to July 22): A travel plan might need to undergo some considerable adjustments because of unexpected changes. Keep an open mind and let the facts guide you on how you want to handle this.
LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22): Playing cat and mouse with a matter you've been avoiding wastes time, energy and, most importantly, an opportunity. Ask someone with experience to help you get started.
VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22): A shift in policy might not please you, but before you put up a "no go" wall of resistance, examine the circumstances. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you find.
LIBRA (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22): Yesterday's critiques about your methods might
have already evolved into today's praise for your achievements. Good for you. Now go on and continue to build on your credibility.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21): An occasional temperamental flare-up might occur, as you continue to help get things back to normal. Stay with it. You should soon get some idea of where to take things next.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21): A negative reaction to what you believe was a well-deserved request might mean that you need to reconsider your position and make changes accordingly.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19): There's always room for someone new at the Sea Goat's table. The someone new for this week could bring a message you've been waiting a long time to hear.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18): A pile-on of personal matters this week might seem too overwhelming to deal with, but handling them on a one-byone basis could have you out from under it by the weekend.
PISCES (Feb. 19 to March 20): A friend might need your good advice regarding a matter. Be supportive, but unless you can be absolutely sure you have all the facts, also be careful about any suggestions you're asked to offer.
BORN THIS WEEK: You have a talent for bringing out the best in people, no doubt due to your inspiring work ethic and sensitive nature.
© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.
By Steve Green
Seeing old friends on the beach in OC
The show, “Joe Pickett” Days off from multitasking
Watching kids play in the sand
The vibe at the Berlin Farmers Market
Meetings under an hour
Lunch on the beach at the Castle
That my teens will try new foods
Live music
People walking the boards with huge stuffed animals
The Women’s World Cup
The Belmont Hotel was a landmark on Dorchester Street for many years. Located just a few steps off the Boardwalk, it was built by Lambert Ayres in 1897. Lizzie Hearne bought it in 1902 and she and her descendants ran it and later its attached sister hotel, the Hearne, for more than 100 years.
The Belmont-Hearne, as it came to be known, was reputed to be the last hotel in Ocean City to offer the American Plan (meals included with the cost of your room) to its guests. The hotel had a loyal following and many of its guests returned annually, some for over 30 or 40 years.
The Belmont-Hearne was demolished in November 2004 to make possible the construction of the Belmont Towers condominium.
To purchase one of Bunk Mann’s books, click over to www.vanishingoc.com.
Photo courtesy John Hurlock from spring of 1952
YEAR ROUND OUTBOARD
MOTOR TECH/MECHANIC:
NEEDED FOR BASIC OUT-
BOARD AND BOAT SERVICE, WINTERIZING OUTBOARDS AND SHRINK WRAPPING
BOATS. TRAINING AVAILABLE.
EXCELLANT STARTING SALARY.
CALL HARBOR MARINE INC, W. OCEAN CITY, 410--213-1383.
PT CHURCH ORGANIST/ PIANIST: Fenwick Island. For information, call 302-537-1402.
CLEANERS/VACATION
RENTALS: Needed for Ocean City and Ocean Pines. Experience preferred but not necessary. Text or call 443-397-1189.
Small boutique dental office looking for a Dental Hygienist to join our friendly team. Very competitive salary. Please send resume to dentistryinthepines@gmail.com
HELP WANTED
Well established Concrete Co. looking for help. Own trans. required. Top Pay!
Starting $20-$28/hr. Training provided! 443-614-0234
MODEL
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 application packets for a full time EMT Firefighter I certification. Class B license preferred, but will be required within six months of hire. Submit resume,copy of drivers license, three year 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, Friday, Sept. 1 at 3:00 pm. Also accepting application packets for Part time, as needed EMT($21/hr) and Paramedics ($26/hr) on an ongoing basis.
Immediate opening. Good driving record. Electrical and/or computerrelated experience a plus.
To apply contact us at jobs@firepro-md.com or call 410-213-1880
Seeking qualified candidates for the following positions: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (Traveling) - FT; must be sales-focused with experience in property management
RECEPTIONIST/ADMIN (Ocean City)- FT; must have top notch interpersonal skills and computer proficiency.
MAINTENANCE TECH (Ocean City)- FT; must be experienced in facilities maintenance
PROPERTY INSPECTOR (Traveling)- FT; must have experience inproperty management and facilities maintenance
MAINTENANCE TECH (Berlin)-PT; must be experienced in facilities maintenance
Or Contact Our Office at 410-352-9800
Time BARTENDERS
Call Pam 410-726-7061 or apply within 56th Street
Now Hiring For: HOST FOOD RUNNER DISHWASHER
Stop in to fill out an application!
Downtown Berlin 119 N. Main Street
RENT W/OPTION TO BUY: 5BR, 3 1/2BA. 2 Decks. 3 car garage. Fenced yard. Updated. West OC. Avail. 9/1. $4,400 per mo. YR. No Pets. 443-521-3202.
CAREGIVER
CAREGIVER IN YOUR HOME: Honest, dependable, trustworthy & compassionate care. Hospital & home health exp. Exc. Ref.’s Call Debbie Bell 302-339-7162.
ROOM(S) FOR RENT: Seeking Roommate(s). YR or Seasonal. Indoor Hot Tub. Non smoking, pets welcome. Single Family Home, 94th St. area. Rent negotiable. Call/text for more info. 410-7265200.(Job inhibits phone calls, text if can’t reach by calls).
AMTRAK TRAVEL VOUCHER: Original purchase price $501. Ok to transfer. Unable to travel. Price may be nego. $450. Call 443-235-4337.
CLUBHOUSE ATTENDANT (Ocean City)-PT; top notch customer service and computer profiency required
EXCELLENT PAY AND COMPETITIVE BENEFITS! Send resume to: csites@legumnorman.com Or call 410.524.5577 for more details
WHISPERING WOODS COMMUNITY WIDE YARDSALE: (WOC, off Rt. 611) Sat., Aug 26th, 8am-noon. Items for the whole family!! 18 ACRES BUILDING SITE, WORCESTER COUNTY: Close to Rts 113 & 50. Located on Rt. 610. Fiber Optic Internet avail. on property to work from home. Minutes to Everything, yet secluded!
$399,000. Howard Martin Realty, 410-352-5555.
WEST O.C. OFFICE/RETAIL
SPACES AVAILABLE: 1 Office or Retail Space for Lease. 1,656. Sq. feet. Plenty of Parking. 443-497-4200.
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.
Check Here First!
All that I have lost Don’t mean beans to a bullfrog Now that I am here!
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 email classifieds@mdcoastdispatch.com
RAYMOND D. COATES JR, ESQ COATES,COATES, & COATES, P.A.
6200 COASTAL HIGHWAY, SUITE 300
OCEAN CITY, MD 21842
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19839
To all persons interested in the estate of JO ANN C ROSELLINI Estate No. 19839 Notice is given that KIMBERLY A COFFEY whose address is 5331 KENWOOD AVENUE BALTIMORE, MD
21206 and RITA M MORSBERGER whose address is 2896 HUNT VALLEY DRIVE GLENWOOD, MD 21738 were on AUGUST 02, 2023 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JO ANN C ROSELLINI who died on JUNE 25, 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 2nd day of FEBRUARY, 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 Date of Publication
August 4, 2023
KIMBERLY A. COFFEY RITA M. MORSBERGER 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 8-11, 8-18, 8-25
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
August 11, 2023
(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 August 11, 2023
DAMIEN C. FEHRER
Personal Representative True Test Copy
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
August 11, 2023
JEAN W. MAHEW Personal Representative True Test Copy
sented 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 August 18, 2023
BARBARA ANN ELZA
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 8-18, 8-25, 9-01
JOHN B. ROBINS, IV, ESQ. ROBINS & ROBINS, PA 128 EAST MAIN STREET PO BOX 506 SALISBURY, MD 218030506
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19840
To all persons interested in the estate of GLENN A. MUMBAUER, AKA: GLENN ARTHUR MUMBAUER, Estate No. 19840 Notice is given that MARJORIE M. HARMS, whose address is 6401 ATLANTIC AVENUE UNIT 106, OCEAN CITY, MD 21842, was on AUGUST 02, 2023 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of GLENN A. MUMBAUER, who died on JULY 19, 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 2ND day of FEBRUARY, 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
MARJORIE M. HARMS 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 8-11, 8-18, 8-25
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19841
To all persons interested in the estate of MELISSA DENISE FEHRER, Estate No. 19841. Notice is given that DAMIEN C. FEHRER, whose address is 188 FARMVILLE LAKE ROAD, FARMVILLE, VA 23901, was on AUGUST 03, 2023 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of MELISSA DENISE FEHRER, who died on JUNE 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 3RD day of FEBRUARY, 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
TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074 3x 8-11, 8-18, 8-25
PHILIP C. WIDDOWSON ESQ.
PHILIP C. WIDDOWSON, P.A. 11791 SOMERSET AVENUE PRINCESS ANNE, MD 21853
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19838
To all persons interested in the estate of RUTH S. WIDDOWSON, Estate No. 19838. Notice is given that JEAN W. MAHEW, whose address is 10 DOGWOOD PLACE, BERLIN, MD 21811, was on AUGUST 07, 2023 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of RUTH S. WIDDOWSON, who died on JULY 11, 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 7th day of FEBRUARY, 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
TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074
3x 8-11, 8-18, 8-25
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19848
To all persons interested in the estate of LACIE M. ELZA, Estate No. 19848. Notice is given that BARBARA ANN ELZA, whose address is 181 OCEAN PARKWAY, BERLIN, MD 21811, was on AUGUST 09, 2023 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of LACIE M. ELZA, who died on JULY 03, 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 9th day of FEBRUARY, 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 pre-
SMALL ESTATE NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIR ESTATE 19861
To all persons interested in the estate of ILENE MARY ULRICH, Estate No. 19861. Notice is given that ILENE ZELECHOWSKI, whose address is 1435 SNOW HILL ROAD, STOCKTON, MD 21864, was on AUGUST 16, 2023 appointed personal representative(s) of the small estate of ILENE MARY ULRICH, who died on AUGUST 23, 2019 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 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
LEGAL RATES
Legal advertising rate is $7 per column inch. The deadline is Tuesday at noon. For more information call 410-641-4563 or email classifieds@mdcoastdispatch.com
Date of Publication AUGUST 25, 2023
ILENE ZELECHOWSKI
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 8-25
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 August 25, 2023
BRIAN WARD Personal Representative True Test Copy
(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 August 25, 2023
BERNICE L. SCOTT
Personal Representative True Test Copy
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 AUGUST 25, 2023
LAURA SUE RAYBORN
Personal Representative True Test Copy
TERRI WESTCOTT
Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x 8-25, 9-01, 9-08
Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication
August 25, 2023
ROBERT W. BEEMAN 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 8-25, 9-01, 9-08
REENA J PATEL, ESQ LAW OFFICE OF MARIANNA BATIE
1321 MT. HERMON ROAD STE B SALISBURY, MD 21804
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19858
To all persons interested in the estate of CRESTON R. WARD, Estate No. 19858. Notice is given that BRIAN WARD, whose address is 209 S. MORRIS STREET, SNOW HILL, MD 21863, was on AUGUST 16, 2023 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of CRESTON R. WARD, who died on JUNE 15, 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 16Th day of FEBRUARY, 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
TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074 3x 8-25, 9-01, 9-08
JAMES W. ALMAND, ESQ. AYRES, JENKINS, GORDY & ALMAND, PA 6200 COASTAL HWY, SUITE 200 OCEAN CITY, MD 21842
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19862
To all persons interested in the estate of THOMAS WILLIAM SNYDER, Estate No. 19862. Notice is given that BERNICE L. SCOTT, whose address is 10501 CATHELL ROAD, BERLIN, MD 21811, was on AUGUST 16, 2023 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of THOMAS WILLIAM SNYDER, who died on AUGUST 05, 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 16Th day of FEBRUARY, 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
TERRI WESTCOTT, Register of Wills for Worcester County ONE W MARKET STREET ROOM 102 COURT HOUSE SNOW HILL, MD 21863-1074 3x 8-25, 9-01, 9-08
ARELETE K. BRIGHT, ESQ. 1002 EASTERN SHORE DRIVE, UNIT B SALISBURY, MD 21804
NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE ESTATE NO. 19863
Notice is given that the CIRCUIT COURT of FAIRFAX, VA, appointed LAURA SUE RAYBORN, 1365 SINGLE OAK, SEQUIN, TX 78155 , as the ADMINISTRATOR of the Estate of LEE JAMES LINDBLOOM, who died on DECEMBER 16, 2022, domiciled in VIRGINIA, USA.
The Maryland resident agent for service of process is ARLETTE K. BRIGHT, whose address is 1002 EASTERN SHORE DRIVE, UNIT B, SALISBURY, MD 21804. At the time of death, the decedent owned real or leasehold property in the following MARYLAND counties: WORCESTER.
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
(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
STEPHANIE SCALES SHERRIN, ESQ. SCALES LAW GROUP 11032 NICHOLAS LANE SUITE A202 BERLIN, MD 21811
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 19842
To all persons interested in the estate of KAY E. SUTTER, Estate No. 19842. Notice is given that ROBERT W. BEEMAN, whose address is 8788 S. ZANTE STREET, AURORA, CO 80016, was on AUGUST 21, 2023 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of KAY E. SUTTER, who died on JUNE 5, 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 21ST day of FEBRUARY, 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:
NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE 18407
To all persons interested in the estate of SEAN PATRICK PALACIOS, Estate No. 18407. Notice is given that ALISA PALACIOS, whose address is 1325 NORWOOD DRIVE, HURST, TX 76053, was on AUGUST 22, 2023 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of SEAN PATRICK PALACIOS, who died on OCTOBER 10, 2019, 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 22nd day of FEBRUARY, 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
To all persons interested in the estate of THURMAN DAVIS, Estate No. 19852. Notice is given that FELICIA DAVIS DERRICKSON, whose address is 1304 OLD OCEAN CITY ROAD, SALISBURY, MD 21804, was on AUGUST 11, 2023 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of THURMAN DAVIS, who died on JUNE 12, 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 11TH day of FEBRUARY, 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:
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 pop band Lucius performed at Freeman Arts Pavilion on Thursday, Aug. 17. The evening also included a performance by Americana musician Shakey Graves. Live music is continuing at the open-air outdoor venue located four miles from Ocean City. Photo by Justin Odendhal/Freeman Arts Pavilion
(Part 1)
Each August for the past 17 years we have produced a Kids of Summer photo series, spotlighting kids of all ages, from near and far, enjoying some common summer activities. Whether it’s the pool, beach, bay, miniature golf, arcades or dock fun, it’s enjoyable to see our readers’ submissions each year. If you would like your child(ren) featured, there’s still time. Email us the photo at editor@mdcoastdispatch.com with the child’s name, age and location.
The Worcester Prep Class of 2024 hit the ground running earlier this month in preparation for their college application season this fall. Rising seniors attended a four-day College Application & Essay Writing Workshop in the Guerrieri Library, hosted by the WPS Office of College Counseling. The students worked one-on-one with the WPS Director of College Counseling Vickie Garner writing college applications and essays, practicing interview techniques, and refining their college lists.
In addition, guest speakers visited throughout the week to share their expertise with the students including: Dr. Janessa Dunn, associate dean of admissions at Wake Forest University, Maureen Dormer, admissions counselor at Loyola University, Maryland and Charles Overholt, assistant director of admissions at Salisbury University. Above, Leah Gaito, Emma Crivella and Evelyn Westman are excited to enter their senior year at Worcester Prep. Below, Dunn of Wake Forest shares helpful tips. Second from bottom, seniors Koda Bauer and Adam Hafez work together in reviewing the college application process. Bottom, Garner explains to seniors what to expect during the college application process.
BUXY’S/DRY DOCK 28
410-289-BUXY
28th St. & Coastal Hwy.
Friday, Aug. 25: Aaron Howell Duo
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, Aug. 25: Darin Engh, Rick & Regina
Saturday, Aug. 26:
Jess Arms, Royal Flush Band
Sunday, Aug. 27: Heather Vidal,
Tonight’s Crush
Monday, Aug. 28: Nate Clendenen, Remy & Lyons
Tuesday, Aug. 29: Doug Kaetz, Dave Hawkins & Joe Mama
Wednesday, Aug. 30: Shortcut Sunny, Tony Baltimore
Thursday, Aug. 31: Acoustic Campfire, One Night Stand
COINS PUB
410-289-3100
28th St. Plaza On Coastal Hwy.
Friday, Aug. 25:
Dust N Bones
Saturday, Aug. 26:
Jim Long & Xerocks
Wednesdays: DJ Wax
CORK BAR
Wicomico St., Downtown O.C.
Saturday, Aug. 26: Going Coastal
Sunday, Aug. 27: Pier Pressure
CRABCAKE FACTORY BAYSIDE
302-988-5000
37314 Lighthouse Rd., Rte. 54 Selbyville, DE
Friday, Aug. 25:
Chris Button
Sunday, Aug. 27: Tony Baltimore
Wednesday, Aug. 30: Shortcut Sunny
CRAWL STREET TAVERN
443-373-2756
Wicomico St., Downtown O.C.
Friday, Aug. 25: Adam Almony
Saturday, Aug. 26: Fuzzbox Piranha
FAGER’S ISLAND
410-524-5500
60th St. In The Bay
Friday, Aug. 25: DJ RobCee, Shake The Room, Glamour Kitty
Saturday, Aug. 26: DJ Niknax, The 8-Trax, All Star Band
Sunday, Aug. 27:
DJ Willoughby, The 1974
Monday, Aug. 28: DJ N9ne, The 1974, The Rockets
Tuesday, Aug. 29:
International Night
Wednesday, Aug. 30:
Latin Night w/DJ Patana
Thursday, Aug. 31: DJ Groove, The John Frase Project FISHTALES
GREENE TURTLE WEST
410-213-1500
Rt. 611, West O.C.
Saturday, Aug. 26: TBA
HARBORSIDE
410-213-1846
South Harbor Rd., West O.C.
Friday, Aug. 25: DJ Bigler
Saturday, Aug. 26: DJ Bigler
Sunday, Aug. 27: Pickin’ Party
Thursday, Aug. 31: Dust N Bones Duo
PICKLES PUB
410-289-4891
8th St. & Philadelphia Ave.
Fridays: Beats By Deogee
Saturday, Aug. 26: Jada Lee
Sunday, Aug. 27: 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, Aug. 25: Fil Rhythm Trio
Saturday, Aug. 26: Rick & Regina
Sunday, Aug. 27: Bryan Russo
Monday, Aug. 28: Carley Twigg
Tuesday, Aug. 29: TBA
Wednesday, Aug. 20: Jack Bannon
Thursday, Aug. 31: Shortcut Sunny
PURPLE MOOSE SALOON
410-289-6953
Between Caroline & Talbot Sts. On The Boards
Friday & Saturday, Aug. 25 & 26 More More More
Sunday & Monday, Aug. 27 & 28:
Fantasm
Tuesdays: DJ Madame Dutchess
Wednesdays: DJ Papi Roisterous
SEACRETS
410-524-4900
49th St. & Coastal Hwy.
Friday, Aug. 25: DJ Tuff, DJ Bobby O, DJ Cruz, Full Circle, Anthem, Crash The Party
Saturday, Aug. 26: DJ Bobby O, DJ Cruz, DJ Tuff, Crash The Party, Anthem, Late Last Night, Screaming Monkeys
Sunday, Aug. 27: DJ Davie, DJ Connair, DJ Bobby O, DJ Tuff, Triple Rail Turn, Amish Outlaws
Monday, Aug. 28: DJ Davie, DJ Bobby O, Blake Haley, Hometown Radio
Tuesday, Aug. 29: DJ Davie, DJ Bobby O, DJ Tuff, Opposite Directions, Hometown Radio
Wednesday, Aug. 30: DJ Bobby O, DJ Davie, Full Circle Duo, Element K
Thursday, Aug. 31: DJ Bobby O, DJ Connair, John McNutt Band, Element K
THE ORIGINAL GREENE TURTLE 410-723-2120
116th St. & Coastal Hwy.
Friday, Aug. 25: DJ Magellan
Saturday, Aug. 26: DJ Cuban Fire
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 443880-8444.
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 410629-9383 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 Heroes-OC" 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. 302-4369577 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.
Aug. 25-26: Adoption Event
Town Cats will host an adoption event from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at 11330 Samuel Bowen Blvd, Unit 100, in Berlin.
Aug. 25-27: Jeep Week
Annual Ocean City Jeep Week will feature vendors, events, beach crawl, Jeep jam and more. www.oceancityjeepweek.com for full schedule.
Aug. 25-31: Sneaker Drive
The new or used athletic shoe fundraiser drive to support the programs offered at the Grace Center for Maternal and Women’s Health located in Berlin will draw to a close at the end of August. Any gently worn, used or new sneakers donated by the end of the month will be turned in to become material for road construction while the Grace Center will receive money to support their programs. Sneaker donations may be dropped off at the Grace Center for Maternal and Women’s Health located at 10226 Old Ocean City Blvd., Unit 2, Berlin, 21811 across from AGH. Call 443513-4124 with questions or need directions.
Aug. 26: Community Shred Day
Taylor Bank invites the community to Sturgis Park in Snow Hill from 9-11 a.m. for a free Community Shred Day. Each household can bring up to three banker boxes or bags of documents to be shredded. Contact J3 Mobile Shredding at j3mobileshred@gmail.com.
Aug. 27: Backpack Blessing
Blessing of the Backpacks Worship Service, 10 a.m., at Bethany United Methodist Church, 8648 Stephen Decatur Highway, Berlin. Celebrate and prepare for the upcoming academic year. Students bring your backpacks. All are welcome. Refreshments follow the service. For more information, call 410-641-2186.
Aug. 28: Jazz, Blues Event
Join Germantown School Community Heritage Center for “An Evening of Jazz and Blues” with Everett Spells from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $10 each. Bring your own chair and cooler. Meals will also be available for $10 each. Location is 10223 Trappe Road and the rain date is Saturday, Sept. 9, 69 p.m. 410-641-0638.
Sept. 2: Classic Car Show
The Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Classic Car & Jeep Show at the Ocean Pines Veterans Memorial Park from 9 a.m.-noon. Cars will be $20 (cash only) day of, but $15 if they preregister at the chamber website.
Sept. 8: Open Casting Call
The Ocean Pines Children's Theater will be casting for its January 2024 production of the critically acclaimed Broadway musical, “Mean Girls, Jr." Auditions for this fast-paced fun musical are scheduled for 5-6:30 p.m. at the Ocean Pines Community Center. Due to the mature theme of the play, auditions for young people, male and female, will be limited to ages 12 and older. For singing roles, auditioners will need to select and perform at least 16 measures of a song from a Broadway musical, with or without musical accompaniment. Those preparing to audition for an acting role, will need to visit OP Childrens Theater Facebook page to access, memorize, and practice vocal delivery of a select monologue. Be prepared to show proof of full Covid vaccination. For additional information, please contact us at opchildrenstheater@yahoo.com.
Sept. 9: Boardwalk Arts Festival
The Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce presents the 45th Annual Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival, to be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. From 1-4 p.m., Beach Liquors is sponsoring a ticketed wine tasting event hosted at the Harvest Tide Steakhouse event space, located in the heart of the festival at 98 Garfield Parkway, in Bethany Beach. Enjoy light fare and over 60 wines will be featured through 12 tastings. Tickets cost $30 and are available for purchase at www.bethanybeachartsfestival.com.
Sept. 9-10: Community Festival
A two-day Community Festival will be held on old Pullett's UM Church grounds, 11909 Blueberry Road, Whaleyville at noon on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday. A live concert at 2 p.m. with God's Travelers, along with DJ Felton and Connie Harris. Featuring kids moon bounce, games, face painting, vendor sales, baked goods; food and beverage provided. Sunday is outdoor fellowship service.
Sept.12-14: Safe Boating Course
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering the Maryland Safe Boating Course at the Ocean Pines Library, 11107 Cathell Rd., Berlin, from 6-9 p.m. all three days. The Maryland Boating Safety Education Act requires that anyone born after July 1, 1972 must possess a Maryland Basic Boating Safety Certificate to operate a boat in the state of Maryland. Those attending the class and passing the test will receive a Maryland Boating Certificate which is NASBLA approved and valid in all states. Cost is $20 for all three evenings. Register or get more information by calling Barry Cohen at 410-935-4807, or email CGAUXOC@Gmail.com.
Sept. 14: Town Meeting
Worcester County Commissioner President Chip Bertino will host a town meeting at 6 p.m. at the Ocean Pines library. Bertino will give an update on what is going on around the county. Guests will include Worcester County Sheriff Matthew Crisafulli; Lauren Cooper, executive director of the Cricket Center, and Jennifer Keener, director of Development Review and Permitting. Crisafulli will discuss new discipline programs to be implemented within county schools. Cooper will talk about the Cricket Center’s main objective to reduce trauma to child victims by bringing all necessary local agencies together. Keener will provide information on the redistricting efforts within the county. “This will be an informative meeting,” said Bertino. “There’s a lot going on in the county and I believe my guests will have a lot to share.”
Sept. 29-30, Oct. 1: Pickleball Tourney
One of the biggest racquet sports events of the year returns with the third annual Oktoberfest pickleball tournament at the Ocean Pines Racquet Center. The event each year draws several hundred players and hundreds more spectators and is the only pickleball tournament with cash prizes held on the Delmarva Peninsula. For players, registration is $45, and the registration deadline is Sept. 15. To register, visit https://app.pickleballden.com/external-tournament/3025225. Tournament organizers will post the full tournament schedule, including match start times, two weeks prior to the tournament. Organizers will break out age/skill brackets accordingly about three weeks prior to the tournament. For more information, contact Cathy Noble at cmznoble@gmail.com.
Ralph Richard White
OCEAN CITY – Ralph Richard White otherwise known as Dick, age 81, passed away on Sunday Aug. 20, 2023, at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore.
Born and raised in Ocean City, he was the son of the late Herbert and Mabel White.
Dick was a simple man and enjoyed the simple things in life. He grew up loving the town he lived in, running up and down the boardwalk with friends and enjoying the beach everyday. His kind heart and smile will be remembered by all who knew him.
He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Jana and Kyle Krabill ; his son Michael White; a granddaughter; and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Jerry Daisy, and brother, Robert “Bob” White.
By his request no services will be held and his remains will be scattered in his most beloved place. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Worcester County Humane Society, 12330 Eagles Nest Rd., Berlin Md. 21811.
Ricky Andrew Phillips
HEBRON – Ricky Andrew Phillips, 69, of Hebron, went home to our Lord on Aug. 18, 2023 after a valiant battle with illness.
Ricky, who was affectionately known as Tuqer by many friends, was born in Salisbury, to the late Thomas Phillips and Beverly Joann Phillips. He attributed much of his upbringing to his late maternal grandparents Madeline and Carlton Mitchell of Mardela Springs. Ricky was the oldest of four children, survived by his brother Gregory Phillips (Claudia), and sisters Darlene Moore (Ken) and Jacqueline Gray (Mark).
The Phillips family has always had a love for the state of Montana. And by chance that is where he met his wife of 40 years, Ruth Phillips of Hebron. A chance meeting at the Wagon Wheel Bar in Hardin, Montana would alter the course of their lives forever.
Together Ricky and Ruth created a beautiful family full of unconditional love. They were blessed with three children Martha Risingsun, Kerri Phillips and Joshua Phillips (Amber). He was HoHo to eight beautiful grandchildren, Kayden Lipinski, Peyton Lipinski, Liam Lipinski, Pierce Phillips, Raven Phillips, Saige Phillips, Jade Phillips and Zyla Phillips. Nothing
made him happier than time spent with his family.
Ricky made so many lifelong friendships throughout his life. Every friendship was sacred to him. If he called you a friend that was something so special. He loved them like family.
As many may know Ricky loved a good bargain. Much of his time was spent going to yard sales, flea markets, and thrift stores. A passion he passed on to his children. He also loved music. All genres, from all decades. He loved it all. His real passion was singing. He had such a soulful voice. In his later years Ricky embraced his grays and took on the role of Santa for the town of Berlin. He loved it so much and it brought him so much joy. That is where his grandkids got the name HoHo. Never grandpa, always HoHo. He had a love for his Washington Redskins that never wavered. He was an avid sports fan, watching everything from college softball to the NBA Finals. Ricky was a unique, loving, soulful, proud man who will be dearly missed.
A private inurnment will be held at Parsons Cemetery in Salisbury arranged by Burbage Funeral Home for close family. A celebration of life will be held on Sept. 3 at 2 p.m. at Union Community House Fellowship Hall, 4218 Union Church Rd., Salisbury, Md. 21801 for all who wish to join in celebrating the life of Ricky ‘Tuqer’ Phillips. Please bring your instruments, your voice if you wish to sing, and stories that you wish to share.
In lieu of flowers if you would like to assist with funeral expenses please contact the family directly. And to all “Love Love”.
Jane Diane Harrison
BERLIN – Jane Diane Harrison, age 76, passed away on Sunday, August 20, 2023, at The Macky and Pam Stansell House in Ocean Pines.
Born in Berlin, she was the daughter of the late Burbage Harrison and Ida Melson Harrison.
She is survived by her son, Donnie Wooten (Vicki Miller) of Berlin, and daughter, Tammy Balster of Berlin. There are seven grandchildren, C.J. Balster, Megan Wooten, Gabby Wooten, Molly Wooten, Michael Wooten, Brandon Wooten and Will Robertson, and one great-grandchild, Bryson Balster. She is also survived by her sisters, Gloria Esham (Bill), Linda Harrison and twin sister Joan Lynch.
She was preceded in death by two sons, Dean Wooten and Darin Wooten, and a sister, Kay Harrison, but is survived
by her daughters-in-law, Brenda Wooten and Anne Marie Wolfsheimer.
Also surviving is her life-long friend, Sally Parker of Salisbury.
Jane was a graduate of Stephen Decatur High School, class of 1964. She had worked as an insurance agent for many years with William L. Corey Insurance Company and Atlantic Smith, Cropper, and Deeley Insurance. She was a member of Buckingham Presbyterian Church in Berlin and enjoyed camping.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, Aug, 30, 2023, at 11 a.m. at the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin. Pastor Mark Piedmonte will officiate. Friends may call one hour prior to the service. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Jane’s name to The Coastal Hospice Macky and Pam Stansell House, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, Md. 21801. Letters of condolence can be sent to the family via www.burbagefuneralhome.com. Arrangements are in the care of The Burbage Funeral Home.
BERLIN – William E. Shockley Jr., age 86, of Berlin, passed away on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, at Coastal Hospice At The Lake in Salisbury.
He was born in Salisbury and was the son of the late William E. Shockley Sr. and Elizabeth (Phillips) Shockley.
He had worked for several poultry companies in the area over the years.
He is survived by two daughters, Patricia Hastings and husband Roy of Berlin and Wanda Bunting-Layfield and husband Wally of Dagsboro; four grandchildren, Nicki Stokely, Buddy Hastings, Samantha Bunting-Rangel and Ashley Bunting; four great-grandchildren, Kolby Hastings, Bradley Hastings, Aleesi Stokely and Landon Stockely; a half-brother, Ralph Shockley; a half-sister, Linda Carmine; and his dog Precious.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary F. Shockley, and two half-brothers, Edwin Adrion and Bobby Adrion.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, at Bishop-Hastings Funeral Home where friends may call an hour before the service. Burial will be in Evergreen Cemetery in Berlin. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Coastal Hospice, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, Md. 21802.
Condolences may be sent by visiting www.bishophastingsfh.com.
OCEAN CITY – Jolly Roger Amusement Park was recently recognized as one of the “seven road trip-worthy amusement parks,” according to AAA.
In an ongoing summer series spotlighting the best attractions in the United States, AAA recommends in a press release for potential visitors to “buckle up and hit the road for an epic drive trip adventure to some of the country’s top amusement parks.”
FROM PAGE 6
Jayne Bunting and Chris Mizurak –for making the trip possible.
“We were successful in raising the urgency of this Maryland priority with State officials who have committed to assisting with both the short- and longterm solutions and keeping the pressure on the Army Corps of Engineers,” Carozza said.
Mitchell, who’s communicating with the USACE regularly regarding shoaling, said the boat trip was a good way to highlight the issue for state officials, as they had the opportunity to see the waterways up close and talk to local captains.
Cropper agreed and commended Carozza for attempting to get the interest of governmental leaders.
“I hope they fully understand and appreciate the severity of the shoaling issue in the Ocean City Inlet and anything they can do to help address the issue in both the short and long term will be greatly appreciated,” Cropper said.
He spoke to attendees on behalf of local marinas and the general fishing community. Cropper said shoaling continued to be a major problem for boats in the area.
“If not addressed properly, the Inlet is going to fill in, commercial vessels will no longer have safe and effective passage out of the West Ocean City commercial marina and the recreational and charter fishing fleet will no longer be able to have safe passage into the various marinas that provide enormous financial support to Worcester County,” he said.
For now, Mitchell said local officials were monitoring shoaling and exploring other possibilities now that the jetty improvement project isn’t being funded by the USACE.
“We are exploring additional dredging, more material being removed from the shoals near the 11 and 12 buoys, placement of the sand on the northern part of Assateague Island, relocation from time to time to match the best location for navigation thru the 11 and 12 buoys to match the best waters to reach the Ocean City Harbor,” he said. “This informs the Corps dredge visits for material removal during their visits. We also realize we have to compete against the
whole mid-Atlantic for any additional use of these two dredges.”
Along with Jolly Roger and its two locations in Ocean City – on the Wicomico Street Pier and at 30th Street – the AAA list includes Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Va.; Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio; Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, Calif.; Nashville Shores, Nashville, Tenn.; Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri; and Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia Calif.
The reference to Jolly Roger included, “How about an amusement park with a view? Visitors can take a spin on the Ferris wheel at the Jolly Roger amusement park in Ocean City while taking in a beautiful ocean sunset. This seaside amusement park has been an Ocean City tradition since 1964. With five separate parks, visitors have plenty of rides and slides to enjoy. Plan for a full day, from go-karting at Speedworld to water sliding adventures at Splash Mountain. The parks are conveniently located near a plethora of hotels and restaurants.”
Jolly Roger was founded in 1964 by Charles “Buddy” Jenkins and began as the Arnold Palmer Putting Course and Driving Range. One year later, 10 amusement rides were added and the park’s attractions grew in the following years.
PAGE SPONSORED BY THE DISPATCH
parcel 410 the motion that was being considered by the council only committed the town to Heron Park.
“What’s solid here is the location being Heron Park,” Councilman Dean Burrell said.
The council voted unanimously to approve Heron Park as the location of Berlin’s future skate park. Weeg said later in the week that the decision meant the We Heart Berlin group could move forward with fundraising for the project, which is expected to cost close to $1 million.
“We see this as a phased project that fits in a bigger design of amenities at Heron Park for the residents of the Town of Berlin,” Weeg said. “We look forward to the next steps and those would be actually designing the park pieces and which pieces get built in which phases.”
Weeg said Heron Park was a great location for the park.
“This particular location is enticing for many reasons, but a few are cost-saving, specifically this ground is already compacted, and the area handles water on its own,” he said. “The single most enticing part of this location choice is that we are specifically targeting an area that is already impervious, so we would not be adding any sort of net increase of impervious ground cover that would hinder stormwater handling.”
He said We Heart Berlin had already been working with consultant Spohn
Ranch on the skate park design and would be partnering with the company for construction as well.
“In the near future we will hold some public input sessions to determine the features that will be the ingredients of this long waited for amenity that just makes sense for our populace,” Weeg said. “We
plan to have 14,000 square feet of skateable surface area and have an aggressive goal of some shovels in the ground in ’24. Whether that happens or not, this is a marathon not a sprint, and we’re just getting started. The estimated cost for this project is just short of $1 million and we plan to raise as much of that as we can
with strategic partners. We plan for three rounds of funding, seeking $333,000 each round.”
Weeg thanked community members for their support of the project so far and encouraged anyone interested in donating to visit the We Heart Berlin website.
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
MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 467, Berlin, Md. 21811
PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 10012 Old Ocean City Blvd. Berlin, Md. 21811
PHONE: 410-641-4561
FAX: 410-641-0966
ONLINE WEBSITES: mdcoastdispatch.com facebook.com/thedispatchoc twitter.com/thedispatchocmd instagram.com/thedispatchocmd
J. STEVEN GREEN
Publisher/Editor editor@mdcoastdispatch.com
NEWS DEPARTMENT
CHARLENE SHARPE
Associate Editor csharpe@mdcoastdispatch.com
BETHANY HOOPER
Associate Editor bhooper@mdcoastdispatch.com
CHRIS PARYPA
Photographer
SALES DEPARTMENT
TERRI FRENCH
Account Executive
Entertainment Editor terri@mdcoastdispatch.com
CHANTAL APPLE
Account Executive capple@mdcoastdispatch.com
ART DEPARTMENT
COLE GIBSON
Art Director cole@mdcoastdispatch.com
DAVID HOOKS
Graphic Artist dhooks@mdcoastdispatch.com
PAUL HALLAM
Graphic Artist/Webmaster phallam@mdcoastdispatch.com
BUSINESS OFFICE
PAMELA GREEN
Bookkeeper/Classifieds Manager classifieds@mdcoastdispatch.com
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.
Understandable concerns followed last week’s dismissal of charges against the alleged motorist in a hit-and-run crash that look the life of 14-year-old Gavin Knupp last summer.
As it stands Thursday, there are no official charges in Knupp’s hit-and-run death. Once the case was dismissed due to jurisdictional concerns, the charges in the case were removed. It’s a disturbing fact, but it’s a moment in time. Charges will be refiled. The question is where the charges will be filed, whether district or circuit courts, pending an appellate ruling on whether the visiting judge got it right last week.
The agony portrayed online after the
court case was dismissed is understandable. It was a clear setback in the quest for justice, but it’s not the end. The case is going to still be heard in court at some point. Depending on the disposition on the 17 charges, the alleged driver who did not stop after killing Knupp could be sentenced to jail or be given probation.
A word of caution, however, to those fretting over corruption at the court level and worries about the case not getting fair treatment due to perceived financial pressures. We do not see that as reality in the legal system. It’s important to note this case is complicated. It’s not as simple as some may suspect or
Editor:
I’m weighing in on the canopy/tent debate. My husband has had a few Mohs surgeries. Another friend has a medical condition that limits the time spent in the sun. There’s a new baby in the family. When we found the Quipi (a large umbrella that has fabric pockets on four corners to add sand to as anchors, and an optional side panel) we were thrilled because it allowed us to shade more people under one umbrella-canopy. It has one removeable side which comes in handy as the sun changes its position. Where we once had to set up two, sometimes three umbrellas that we’ve had to continually adjust, we now only have to erect one.
We know that not all visitors to our beaches think about where they set up and how it impacts others. They’re on vacation and having fun. What I’ve observed and photographed is, in addition to the canopies, large family groups with multiple umbrellas that affect the ocean view. They have multiple beach carts, vertical and horizonal, high-back chairs and items hanging on the umbrellas that block the view of the surf. I don’t begrudge them because they got to the beach first. How is this different from canopies? I don’t think that we want to ban high-back chairs and beach carts, and not allow towels and clothes to hang on umbrellas.
I urge the Mayor and Council to not view this as a yes/no issue. I hope they look for a compromise. We visited Assateague Island National Seashore, where cones are set up near the lifeguard stands that mark where canopies, tents and umbrellas are permitted to set up back from the surf to give the lifeguards a clear view of the water. Why couldn’t we use cones to demarcate where canopies and tents could set up so many feet back from the surf? That way individuals, couples and small families who use no or just umbrellas can enjoy a clearer view of the ocean while larger groups of friends and family who have spent good money on their sun barriers can also enjoy a pleasant time at the beach just a few more steps to the water.
Ocean City has the luxury of wide beaches, unlike Bethany Beach and Re-
hoboth. We have room to compromise.
Natalia Leimkuhler Ocean CityEditor:
Do you remember the line from “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy and her companions are on their way to Oz and are afraid of being attacked? The line was “Lions and tigers and bears - oh my! Lions and tigers and bears - oh my!” Well, I have revised that to “Murphy and Carney and Moore - oh my!” referring to the three Democrat governors of NJ, Delaware and MD who are absolutely determined to go full steam ahead on offshore wind, no matter what evidence of harm to wildlife and commercial fishing and the economy is presented.
I read Doug Miller’s letter to the editor of Aug. 11 with interest, also. I’m not entirely sure from whence his information comes, but I would like to dispute a couple of his points. First, I don’t understand equating people who oppose industrial size wind turbines a few miles offshore with “culture wars” in Florida.
Regarding Mr. Miller’s statement that concern about whale deaths is nonsense, I beg to differ. The concern is well-founded and what we are asking for is a moratorium on construction until the issue can be studied completely - including necropsies on the dead creatures that includes what damage there may be to their ears due to the impact of the loud sonar necessary to the building process. Over 60 whales have washed ashore along New England, New York and New Jersey since December, 2022, where surveying for the turbines has been underway for a while. Has that ever happened before? I don’t recall anywhere near this number of whale deaths at any time in the 45 years I have lived near the Atlantic coast.
Mr. Miller also contends that the Europeans are not having any “notable bird and whale die-offs” after years of offshore turbines. This is simply not true; many European countries are having significant difficulties, inclusive of marine traffic incidents, marine life deaths and population decimation.
Finally, don’t forget that just recently
hope. If the driver thought he hit a deer and therefore did not stop, it’s going to be difficult to prove otherwise through evidence and witnesses.
Expectations may need to be adjusted, as court documents outline the defense’s position of casting reasonable doubt clearly as well as pedestrian error. There is a strong likelihood justice – as defined by the Knupp family and supporters – may not occur even with a conviction.
The charges are simply not severe enough to merit significant time if the case is even successfully prosecuted. It’s a difficult reality to stomach but one that merits preparation.
the IPCC warned that the green lobby needs to cool down on the alarmist global warming claims.
A good person to listen to on the whole global warming agenda is Bjorn Lomborg, an environmentalist who believes wholeheartedly in man-made climate change but has common sense ideas for how (and even whether) to deal with it that won’t destroy lives (both human and animal).
So, do I sound like a culture warrior?
Carol Frazier Ocean PinesEditor:
I attended the Ocean City Planning and Zoning meeting on Aug. 15 for the Kyma Luxury Resort Hotel project, a vacant lot located next to Sunset park on the inlet. I learned it has requested more than a 50% increase in height, and more than 50% of required offsite parking that is on a 40year parking lease. It does not comply with the area's comprehensive plan to provide public access to waterfront areas. This project wants all the benefits, none of the burdens. In the inlet area this would ruin the atmosphere and add to the traffic and parking problems.
This property owner has the right to build up to 50 feet in height and have a calculated amount of onsite parking for all mixed use activities. They should be able to keep their private beach, if it is their property. A few set back variances are not unreasonable. It's a valuable property, with already reasonable zoning requirements.
From 50 to 80 foot variance sets a very dangerous precedent. The inlet area has had 50 foot zoning for decades. If OC sets a precedent with this lot, then any new downtown construction can be 80 foot high. Now the door is opened for Windsor Resorts to convert that requested parking lease, across the street from this project, to an 80 foot high parking garage. That means more buildings can build up to 80 feet, if they also can lease offsite parking. Windsor Resorts doesn't have to lease to Kyma after their term.
I am not opposed to a 50 foot parking garage, or more 50 foot development proj-
ects. But allowing projects in this vulnerable and unique area, to be over 50% higher and meet their parking requirements using leases with a finite term, sets another very dangerous precedent. After 40 years no one is going to tear this Luxury Resort down if there is no available leased parking. "Harry Homeowner" never get to build his home over 50% higher and lease parking off site, shouldn't this owner have the same rules?
Thank you Palmer Gillis, for stating the importance of keeping with the comprehensive plan and warning of the precedent of all these special exceptions and variances. Thank you Janet Hough and Maryellen Rosen bl it for expressing concern about the long-term viability of leased parking and over where workers can park. "Bus them in, from West Ocean City" the developer says. We already have a worker shortage in this town with housing and parking issues making this situation even worse. The Town of Ocean City needs to address the need for worker housing and parking. The downtown area is particularly vulnerable. Now more events downtown are requiring more public parking, which is already stressed.
Who hasn't been blinded by the light, or heard of the parking wars, at the 80 foot high Cambria, even with all onsite parking. The parking protections promised by Emerson towers were never honored. Two mistakes should not entitle developers the right to continue making the same mistakes going forward.
A man asked to speak at this meeting but was denied, he was told public comment was not allowed. Public comments were on the published agenda, in fine print at the bottom. Why didn't it apply to him?
Farewell old Town Ocean City, our local government and its appointees are giving it away. To see the Inlet area look like this proposed 80 foot building project, is devastating. Will the Board of Zoning Appeals help with this situation? I'll be at that meeting too. Citizens, pay attention and let your opinions be heard.
Deborah Stanley Ocean CityEditor:
Charges dropped. A battle won, on a technicality. There’s more to come, we’ll just have to wait and see. Probably more technicalities. Must keep up the fight. Looks like the legal team is giving you your monies worth.
Wouldn’t it just have been a whole lot cheaper to plead it out, like the rest of us? Accept responsibility for your actions. Stand tall before the mast. Help with closure. So, others may have a respite, some peace. I don’t think any of this crosses your mind.
This game of using lawyers to work the law, continually searching for a way out, to mitigate charges, find a loophole, creates a constant divide. You know, poor vs. rich. It’s been going on forever this system of unequal justice.
The poor cannot access technicalities. Can’t afford a private investigation, that might challenge other versions. Prepare a sure defense that will argue stridently on your behalf. Nah. Poor folk just accept the plea and show up to court with their beleaguered public defender. It is intimidating to say the least.
All that is left for the poor and powerless is the dignity to plead to what they did and do the time. It’s called character. Some people don’t have it.
James R. Hughlett Ocean CityEditor:
In response to a letter entitled, “No One Is Above The Law”, it’s also fair to say that it is not an assault on democracy to question an election. The four indictments against President Trump are an attempt to prevent him from running in the 2024 presidential election. It appears that every time the House Oversight Committee reveals more corruption on the part of the Biden family, there is another indictment against Trump. These indictments have been brought in heavily Democrat jurisdictions that vote Democrat and will vote to convict, as these charges are political in nature. It's curious that the indictment in Fulton County, Ga. was leaked to the media prior to a grand jury vote.
The former President did not lie about voter fraud or pressure local officials to illegally overturn election results. As Trump has stated many times, no incumbent has ever improved his vote total from the previous election by over ten million votes and lost. He also improved his numbers among minorities, including black males and Hispanics. With that in mind, he firmly believes that he won the election as do millions of Americans. He was leading late into the evening. However, he found himself behind after vote counting in swing states was inexplicably halted, poll watchers sent home and then ballot counting resumed. It would be reasonable for any candidate to question local officials as to what happened.
Regarding the false allegation that President Trump “incited an attack on our Capitol,” it was quite the opposite when he directed the crowd to “peacefully and patriotically” make your voices heard. Despite denials from Democrats and their corporate media assistants, retired U.S. Army Lt. General Keith Kellogg stated that Trump offered to request National Guard troops on January 3, 2021 to protect the Capitol. Democrats do not have clean hands when it comes to inciting violence. Numerous Democrats made inciteful comments leading up to and during the summer riots of 2020. I don’t recall any being indicted.
In the matter of possessing classified documents, Trump had documents in the course of serving as President and is covered by the Presidential Records Act. Many of the classified documents possessed by Biden were from his time as Vice-President and as far back as Senator. He had no right to have them, but no swat teams raided any of his homes.
Democrats have a long history of questioning election results. Can there be any greater threat to our democracy than masterminding a criminal plot to overturn an election or weaken an administration with a now debunked “Russian Collusion” story as Hillary Clinton did? It’s true that in a democracy, “no one is above the law”, but it doesn’t seem to apply to the political party that has weaponized our federal government.
Joe Kelly Ocean CityThough no official word has come from the Town of Ocean City, indications are next year’s OC Air Show could be bumped to late August. There are at least two aviation industry websites listing next year’s air show – annually held in June in the resort – will be Aug. 24-25, 2024, a date the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds team currently lists as “TBD” on its preliminary 2024 schedule. The Thunderbirds’ schedule for June is completely booked in 2024. For what it’s worth, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels’ schedule for the summer of 2024 has been full since last year.
There appears to be a good chance the OC Air Show will be held in August. This makes sense because the Ocean City Mayor and Council was clear last year during a three-year contract discussion the event must have as a headliner either the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels each year. The Blue Angels have been reluctant to return to Ocean City as a result of a previous fallout over transportation of pilots to and from Wallops Island. There have been air shows in the past in Ocean City without the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels, but Ocean City officials have made it known the event needs to be headlined by one of them. Mayor Rick Meehan said in June 2022, “The headliners are the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels. Those are the acts that make the air show go. I think we need to have one or the other to do the air show.”
If the air show is kicked to late August 2024 – which is typically when jeep week is held – it would not be the first time, but it’s certainly atypical. In 2020, due to the pandemic, a modified event was held in August featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the F-22 Raptor, the F-35 Lightning II and A-10 Thunderbolt II.
On the official front, mum is the word as far as the 2024 date. It appears still fluid at this time, despite the online schedule posts. In response to whether Aug. 24-25, 2024, would be the dates for the next edition, Ocean City Special Events Director Frank Miller said, “As you know the OC Air Show is an outstanding event for Ocean City residents and visitors. This year, like others, we are looking at dates that, not only work with our seasonal calendar, but also accommodate the Event’s performers. We are still working through those details and hope to announce the OC Air Show 2024 dates very soon.” When asked about next year’s event, City Manager Terry McGean took a similar position, saying, “Each year, we work with the promotor of the OC Air Show to host an outstanding event for Ocean City residents and visitors. This year, like others, we are looking at dates that not only work within our seasonal calendar but also accommodate our event performers, particularly potential headliner air teams. We are still working through those schedules and details but hope to announce a date for the 2024 OC Airshow soon.” The messaging was indeed consistent, and Miller and McGean encouraged those interested to register for event notifications on the date announcement on the event’s website.
The time is now to accept more frequent maintenance dredging is the only feasible option to address chronic Inlet shoaling.
Politicians and bureaucrats do not have to accept that reality and should not actually, but the dollars and sense of the issue seem clear. It’s too expensive to create any infrastructure to address material consistently reducing the depth of the Inlet and jeopardizing navigation channels. The Army Corps told the Worcester County Commissioners in the spring a major infrastructure project is no longer being considered in favor of ongoing routine dredging. The only change discussed at the time was when the dredge boat comes to the Inlet twice a year to dig deeper and remove more silt than typical. It would seem reasonable for the dredge boats to come more than twice a year, but the fact remains inlets all around the country are facing similar predicaments. The dredges are competitively sought by other coastal areas like Ocean City.
At this point, the approach for local and state representatives is to continually pressure the Army Corps. Senator Mary Beth Carozza, who organized the boat tour last week during MACo, said “We were successful in raising the urgency of this Maryland priority with State officials who have committed to assisting with both the short- and long-term solutions and keeping the pressure on the Army Corps of Engineers.” Bob Mitchell, Worcester County’s director of environmental programs, said, “We are exploring additional dredging, more material being removed from the shoals near the 11 and 12 buoys, placement of the sand on the northern part of Assateague Island, relocation from time to time to match the best location for navigation thru the 11 and 12 buoys to match the best waters to reach the Ocean City Harbor. This informs the Corps dredge visits for material removal during their visits. We also realize we have to compete against the whole mid-Atlantic for any additional use of these two dredges.”
No promises were made during the tour and only time will tell if it was a waste of time as far as achieving more frequent dredging. The effort is worthwhile, though, as attorney Mark Cropper put it well when he said doing nothing is the only bad outcome. Without restorative actions, Cropper said, “The Inlet is going to fill in, commercial vessels will no longer have safe and effective passage out of the West Ocean City commercial marina and the recreational and charter fishing fleet will no longer be able to have safe passage into the various marinas that provide enormous financial support to Worcester County.”
by Steve Green
There are many special events held in Ocean City each year, but the most meaningful to me is Surfers Healing.
PUZZLE ON PAGE 55
Surfers Healing is a traveling surf camp that offers children and teens with disabilities opportunities to go surfing with buddies.
A message on the organization’s website reads, “Yet even though we had 6000+ participants at our surf camps last year – and even though autism now affects 1 in 68 US children – we don't think in thousands. We think in ones, because that's where we can effect change. One child. One family. One day at the beach.” It’s so well said.
In Ocean City’s case, about 200 local and visiting kids with Autism were matched with surfers last Wednesday from around the world in 10 groups spaced out throughout the day from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The beach in front of the Castle in the Sand is roped off into a festival of sorts with tents set up spotlighting vendors offering special needs services as well as arts and crafts, apparel and food choices donated by local eateries. It’s aptly called “one perfect day.” The reality is tremendously imperfect, which makes it perfect for special needs families.
For me, I started the day early as a I usually do, but on last Wednesday I was up early to watch the sunrise and save our space on the beach near the ocean so we could watch the action all day. A peaceful start to an exciting day.
The event starts with an opening prayer circle, and this year was especially memorable with a heartfelt tribute and remembrance of Josh Alton, a local teen with Autism who died of brain cancer last year. With his health failing at last summer’s event, Alton was carried out on a special surfboard by a team of surfers and given a joyful ride in rough conditions. Josh’s mom, Tara, spoke at last week’s morning kickoff, getting the tears flowing early on what is always an
emotional day.
After the prayer moment, the surfing began. Carson was set to go in group eight, which was after lunch. We had a great morning just watching everyone else, rather than prepping him with remaining time until he was up.
There were several moments when I was by myself throughout the day. It was these times that I cherished, allowing some time for reflection and witnessing the sights and sounds.
One teen who had to be over 200 pounds was battling some anxiety and refused to go behind the breaking waves. He was standing right where the waves were crashing and was getting knocked over. I watched three surfers –who were much smaller than him – try everything they could to convince him to go out further. After a couple rides close to shore, the teen complied and smiles of joy ultimately came.
Nearby, I watched as a young boy with low-functioning Autism repeatedly struck his surfer volunteer in the head in a tantrum associated with fear. It was tough to watch, but the surfer’s heart of gold won out. He got the boy out beyound the breakers and the ocean magically settled him. The tears became giggles, while his parents watched from shore.
It's these moments that hit deep. No matter how many doctor’s appointments and days filled with bizarre and unexplained behavior from Carson, I have always tried to remember we are lucky. Life is not easy and it’s different than I ever imaged, but I know how fortunate we are with our Carson – who I would categorize as mid-functioning – because so many special needs families face struggles beyond those we face daily.
Carson is healthy for the most part and his greatest disabilities behind his neurodiversity is the fact he does not talk and is riddled with social anxiety. These other families’ lives are much more complicated and as difficult as that
may be to accept on challenging days for us, it was confirmed last Wednesday as I observed so much more than I ever had before.
The overwhelming sense of perspective afforded through the visuals and sounds of the day were enough to bring random tears of respect, appreciation and spiritual awakening. I sat there in awe of it all.
Carson is now 13 years old and weighs about 160 pounds. The days of the surfers picking him up and holding him on the surf boards are largely gone. When it came time for Carson to surf, his buddy Blake – who he has surfed with six of the seven years – took control, having Carson sit on the board so he could steady him for a few rides. When his time was up, Carson tackled his big brother Beckett on the beach in celebration.
Surfers Healing has become a day on our calendar we schedule a vacation around, even if it’s just eight miles from our house. There have been many memories along the way. Our first time was in 2016 when Carson was just six years old. During our second year, after Carson’s turn in the water, we ran into Surfers Healing co-founder Izzy Paskowitz. Carson and Izzy had a brief interaction I will never forget.
Carson started pointing to Izzy’s wetsuit and ran his fingers along the letters that made “Surfers Healing” on his chest. Out of habit, I told Izzy Carson was non-verbal. I always feel like I need to make that clear, so people don’t think he’s being rude when he doesn’t answer. Izzy, familiar with our world from his adult Autistic son, responded, pointing to Carson’s chest, “he’s told me everything I need to know already. Surfers Healing is in his heart, too.”
(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.)
