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FEBRUARY 3, 2017
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
LIFESTYLE
WHICH WILL BE TOP DOG? Ocean Pines resident Mary Ann Alston will be a judge during the Westminster Dog Show – Page 37
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OC bank job suspect now in custody DNA trail leads cops to possible culprit in Aug. armed robbery
PHOTO COURTESY ROBERT J. BANACH
By Katie Tabeling Staff Writer (Feb. 3, 2017) Ocean City Police have arrested a local man for an armed robbery at an uptown bank last summer after DNA evidence linked him to the scene. The robbery took Tyrone D. Pierce place on Aug. 24, when, according to bank tellers, a man entered the Bank of Ocean City on 122nd Street, threatSee PIERCE Page 4
PIER REVIEW The sun peeks through the pilings of the Ocean City pier on what was an atypical sunny day in recent weeks. More frequent have been featureless gray skies that have loitered over the coast for longer than the human spirit should have to endure.
Sanctuary request withdrawn
City Hall will get tougher on security
Aquarium responds to local concerns, telling feds time not right for consideration
Closed-session plan developed after visit by Homeland Security
By Stewart Dobson Editor/Publisher (Feb. 3, 2017) The Baltimore National Aquarium’s sponsorship of a proposal to have Baltimore Canyon declared an Urban Marine Sanctuary ended Wednesday with a letter from aquarium CEO John C. Racanelli notifying federal officials that it is withdrawing its nomination. The letter to John Armor, director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in Silver Spring, ends months of disagreement between the aquarium and local fishing interests, who feared that granting the canyon limited protected status now might lead to heavier restric-
tions later that would prevent them from fishing those waters. Roughly 60 miles off the coast, the 28mile-long canyon has long been one of the locations favored by anglers in the pursuit of marlin and other gamefish, hence the jittery initial response from the industry locally when the aquarium announced its plan in October with assurances that fishing would not be affected. Concerned that the aquarium’s declared intentions were not the same as inviolable guarantees, the industry hired Ocean City attorney Mark Cropper to argue its case and gained the support of local and state political figures, ultimately obligating Racanelli to make good on his December promise to withdraw the application if common ground could not be found. “After careful consideration, we have decided to withdraw our nomination for the
Baltimore Canyon, our nation's first urban national marine sanctuary,” Racanelli said. “Although we believe national marine sanctuary designation would provide an unprecedented opportunity to protect a national treasure and inspire young minds, we have determined that the timing is not right for this nomination. “We know that the American public is increasingly concerned about the many risks facing our national waters, and we plan to use these next two years to gather further community input regarding the importance and value of providing permanent protection to treasures like the Baltimore Canyon.” A significant part of the national treasure to which Racanelli referred is the canyon’s deep sea corals, which, along with simular coral gardens in other See BALTIMORE Page 3
By Katie Tabeling Staff Writer (Feb. 3, 2017) Ocean City officials are looking to install new security measures at City Hall after meeting with Homeland Security representatives last month. The agency presented recommendations for security improvements for City Hall during a closed session of the Police Commission in January. The commission is comprised of three councilmemSee QUIET Page 4