OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
OCTOBER 1, 2021
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
SUNFEST
FESTIVAL RETURNS
Annual marquee Ocean City event returns with new look and after a year away – Page 26
FREE
County, shore have no Kirwan panel reps School plan oversite board membership comes from suburban counties, city By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (Oct. 1, 2021) As if Maryland’s multi-billion dollar Kirwan education plan has not been controversial enough, representatives across the
state — including from the resort area — are calling for an overhaul of the board tasked to implement its details. “Representing Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset, I especially am concerned with the lack of representation from the Eastern Shore and from the majority of jurisdictions in the State,” Sen. Mary Beth Carozza (R-38) said this week in a news release of the Accountability and Im-
plementation Board appointed to steer the Kirwan education overhaul. “As you know, only nominees from Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City and Montgomery County have been named to the AIB Board,” she continued. “There is no representation from the Eastern Shore, Western Maryland, or any rural jurisdiction.” In a letter to board chair
Shanaysha Sauls and vice chair Paul Pinsky, Carozza asked them to reopen the application process to ensure the AIB adequately represents the state’s “geographical, racial and gender diversity as required by statute.” She was not alone in her disdain over the membership’s limited representation — members of the sevenSee SMALLER Page 8
Wind foes and friends spar again PSC takes more testimony on offshore turbine location
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY
Tuner car enthusiasts returned to the 94th Street parking lot near the Acme supermarket last week to check out several modified vehicles during the unsanctioned pop-up rally. Even though events like this occurred over the weekend, officials said there was a high degree of compliance.
Cops take pop out of pop-up Fewer cars came, but those that did mostly behaved as police monitored activity By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (Oct. 1, 2021) Known for law-breaking riotous behavior, this year’s pop-up rally saw its participants put into a submission hold by the Ocean City Po-
lice, other area law enforcement agencies, state legislators, local officials, and business owners. Although the result was much better behavior overall, a few incidents still occurred. “This year, the combined measures of the Ocean City community and our allied agencies resulted in a significant decrease from last year’s event,” Police Chief Ross Buzzuro said in a prepared statement. “While we experienced iso-
lated incidents, the event overall was much different than years past.” The pop-up rally is an offshoot of the official H2Oi event that once took place in Worcester County and attracted enthusiasts of water-cooled European vehicles such as Volkswagens and Audis. Over time, the event attracted those with highly tuned imported cars that did not qualify for inSee POP-UP Page 16
By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (Oct. 1, 2021) Despite pleas from local officials to push a proposed wind farm further off the coast of Ocean City, droves of people spoke in favor of the initiative to create clean energy during the first of two virtual public hearings on the matter held by the Maryland Public Service Commission on Tuesday night. Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan has reiterated his staunch opposition to U.S. Wind’s plan to create a 104-wind turbine farm that comes as close as 13 miles from the coastline. His main concerns were a horizon blighted by the tall wind turbines that would not only create an eyesore visitors will have to look at, but also a view that will hurt tourism and property values. During the hearing on Tuesday, Meehan told the commission that the city supports clean energy and the jobs it can create but pointed to places like Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks See PROPONENTS Page 16
