OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
JUNE 14, 2019
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
OCEAN CITY AIR SHOW
Event to feature U.S. Navy Blue Angels and Canadian Forces Snowbirds, among others – Page 26
FREE
Resort fire depts. get veteran chief
Cul-de-sacked: Theft suspects try to flee but it’s a dead end By Greg Ellison Staff Writer (June 14, 2019) Failing to elude Ocean City police after fleeing from a stolen vehicle Saturday afternoon, three adults and a juvenile were arrested in the downtown area after leading police on a foot chase that ended with two of the suspects floating in bayside waters before being reunited with their compatriots on land and in custody. Police said Amir Turner 18, Davonn Parson, 19, and Dalonte Myers, 20, all of Edgewood, were charged with theft under $25,000 and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle. Parson also faces charges of attempting to elude police, reckless and negligent driving and failure to remain at an accident scene, while Turner was charged with possession of heroin and cocaine with inSee CAR Page 74
LIFESTYLE
Former Montgomery fire boss takes over combined operation
JANET HOUGH/OCEAN CITY TODAY
Four suspects in a Hartford County car theft lie on the sidewalk after they attempted to elude police by running down a dead-end street.
By Greg Ellison Staff Writer (June 14, 2019) The hunt for Ocean City’s next fire chief concluded this week with the confirmation of Rich Bowers, a four-decade first responder veteran who previously filled similar roles in Montgomery County, Maryland and Fairfax County, Virginia. Chief Bowers was introduced after being confirmed before the mayor and City Council work session on Tuesday. While expressing gratitude to receive the nod to assume the resort’s top fire official position, Bowers sounded prepared to hit the ground running. “I don’t want to spend a lot of time speaking, I want to spend a lot of time doing,” he said. “We have a drill tonight which I’m looking forward to.” Speaking on Wednesday,
City Manager Doug Miller expanded on the hiring process that began following the departure of Rich Bowers former Fire Chief Chris Larmore, who resigned in March and who was the first chief of the combined paid department and volunteer company. “We teamed up with the volunteer fire company and in the first phase we developed a profile of our new chief,” he said. After coordinating the qualification criteria, Miller said advertisements were placed in fire industry publications and online job sites. Those solicitations yielded 77 applicants on a list that was pared down to a top 10 with input from volunteer fire company leadership, Miller said. Miller said a half a dozen of the applicants were external candidates, with the balance coming from the resort See FIRE Page 69
School workgroup’s makeup irks local officials State committee examining how to split aid to schools has only metro area reps By Rachel Ravina Staff Writer (June 14, 2019) The absence of representation for Eastern Shore counties on the Kirwan Commission’s new funding formula workgroup has
left local officials fuming and doubtful that the group’s findings will benefit Worcester County public schools. The Kirwan Commission workgroup, whose membership was announced last week, is a subcommittee of sorts charged with finding better ways to allocate millions of dollars in state funding to improve the state’s schools. Dr. Jon Andes, executive director
of the Eastern Shore of Maryland Educational Consortium, and former Worcester County school superintendent, said this group would work to decide how roughly $855 million would be distributed throughout the state. He added there would be about $725 million on the table for fiscal years 2021 and 2022, “with a potential of an additional $130 million.”
However, the work group does not fully represent the entire state’s interests, he said. “[The] 13-member commission that’s been appointed [is] all western shore folks,” Andes said. “There’s no one from the Eastern Shore or no one from rural communities on the commission.” Senate President Mike Miller and See WORKGROUP’S Page 68