OCEAN PINES—Worcester County will host a commercial bus tour of the Lower Eastern Shore on Sept. 27 to highlight areas ripe for commercial development and familiarize potential investors with the area. The county’s Economic Development Director Bill Badger said the tour will begin at Harrison’s Harbor Watch at the Ocean City Inlet and commence up… Read more »

BERLIN— After a chance encounter in the local Wal-Mart parking lot with state officials recruiting local entrepreneurs, a business owner could realize one of her dreams. Sheneka Nichols, a 38-year-old mother of six, said she bought Stages Early Childhood Learning Center, Inc. two years ago after she and her husband, Clayton, faced an emergency need… Read more »

Following are some “untruths” about retirement that I’ve observed over the years. You will not need as much money during retirement as you do now. The general rule of thumb says that you will need approximately 70% of your pre-retirement income in order to maintain a lifestyle similar to that which you currently have. This… Read more »

BERLIN—Independent breast cancer support organization Women Supporting Women closed its Worcester County office on Old Ocean City Boulevard, reopening at 12216 Ocean Gateway in a cost-saving move. Past volunteer Mary Henderson was hired as the full-time coordinator, along with Salisbury University student Cristina Bustamante, who will handle daily operations. A senior, Bustamante is plans to… Read more »

WORCESTER COUNTY—The Casino at Ocean Downs generated $5,826,335 in gross terminal revenues from its 800 video lottery terminals in July, according to the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency. Since the state requires that 5.5 percent of VLT proceeds are paid to communities in the local area that meant a payout of $320,448.42 in local… Read more »

One of the most important goals of investing should be maintaining financial independence in retirement. With that in mind, here are some key retirement planning tax traps to avoid. Neglecting taxable savings. Because earnings in qualified retirement plans and IRAs grow tax-deferred, it seems obvious that these plans should receive the maximum contribution allowable and… Read more »

OCEAN PINES—Diet procrastinators are losing “too far away” as an excuse for not attending meetings, because Weight Watchers is coming directly to the Ocean Pines Community Center. According to Leader Ruby Dillon, starting Sept. 4, the company will add another evening meeting time—5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays—to its repertoire. Currently meetings are held at the Community… Read more »

BERLIN—In late August, Atlantic General Hospital will begin conducting a two-week-long community needs assessment. The hospital has secured the assistance of RKM Research and Communications, Inc., a market research firm to conduct the research on the hospital’s behalf. The 25-minute telephone survey will be administered to randomly selected households in Worcester County  and portions of… Read more »

OCEAN PINES– During the weekly meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines – Ocean City on Aug. 14, the guest speaker was Mary Yenney, emergency outreach coordinator for the Community Church’s Emergency Outreach Program.   The Community Church has a well-known and supported thrift store known as "The Nook" from which some of the… Read more »

OCEAN PINES—The “Young Playwrights Class," sponsored by the Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks Department, will present a reader’s theatre performance of their original scripts on Aug. 25 at 3 p.m., according to instructor Sandy Lanier. The performance, presented by young playwrights Marissa Wheaton, Danasia Wright, Kinsie Ruckle and Jackson Darlington and youth actor Emmanuel Aroh, will… Read more »