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OCTOBER 18, 2019
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
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Annual walk/run on the Boardwalk to benefit American Cancer Society this Saturday– Page 25
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State aid plan shorts county schools, again Per capita wealth formula rates Worcester as richest
STEWART DOBSON/OCEAN CITY TODAY
High tides that exceeded NOAA predictions by as much as three feet, as measured by its weather station at the inlet, left some downtown streets impassable in the morning last Friday and Saturday, although portions of St. Louis Avenue were navigable.
Wind, tides, moon cause flooding Unusually high tides lead to rare bridge closure and blocked streets downtown By Josh Kim Staff Writer (Oct. 18, 2019) Ocean City seemed to flirt with emulating the Lost City of Atlantis last weekend, after high tides and sustained east winds caused downtown flooding so severe that the Route 50 bridge entrance to the resort was closed because of high water on impassable downtown streets. Although numerous sources blamed the offshore passing of subtropical storm Melissa for tides as much as three feet above the standard NOAA prediction, that was not the case. “The coastal flooding event
evolved over a period of time,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Wayne Albright. “Subtropical storm Melissa really [didn’t have] a direct impact on any of the flooding up in Ocean City. It was more a high [pressure] to the north and low pressure offshore that eventually turned into that [Melissa], and it caused a long period of northeast winds and swells.” In addition, a developing full moon may have also contributed to the flooding. “That [full moon] creates a higher than normal astronomical tide,” Albright said. The resort’s downtown sees some flooding periodically, but last weekend’s surge was especially intense, with some residents choosing to boogie board and boat on the streets rather than risk driving through two
to three feet of saltwater. “In comparison to past nor’easterstyle storms, this one ranked around the second or third [worst],” Ocean City Public Works Director Hal Adkins said. “The last comparable [one] would have been the effects of Hurricane Ida in Nov. of 2009. I recall those tides were slightly higher.” Downtown roads and eastbound lanes on US 50 were intermittently shut down from last Thursday evening up until Saturday night. The city has measures in place for high tide flooding. In 2016, the resort installed 14 stormwater check valves to help alleviate flooding caused by bay water backing up through stormwater outfalls. The project cost roughly $17,500, but the Federal Emergency ManageSee HIGH Page 20
By Rachel Ravina Staff Writer (Oct. 18, 2019) Rated as the wealthiest county per capita in the state by Kirwan Commission standards, Worcester County’s public school system would see only a comparatively small increase in state aid to education under the commission’s proposed funding formula released this week. More formally known as the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education and headed by Dr. William “Brit” Kirwan, the education study group issued preliminary recommendations, spreadsheets and projections that break down how state and local government contributions would be apportioned in the state’s massive overhaul of school See KIRWAN Page 66
Harris calls for civil discourse at town hall By Rachel Ravina Staff Writer (Oct. 18, 2019) The audience at a town hall Monday evening with Rep. Andy Harris (R-1st) in Berlin was a microcosm of the political divisiveness on the national level. “Everyone wonders why it’s so bad in Congress? Well, I’ll tell you why, because it’s so bad right here,” Harris said. After members of the crowd shouted “tell the truth” and See HARRIS Page 64