The one consistent thread apparent in the notes of the recent meeting with representatives of the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors and golf course operator Landscapes Unlimited was the need for a clearer line of communication between the association and Landscapes. As is generally the case with most initial meetings, concerns seem to outnumber… Read more »

Post-Thanksgiving reflections on the good things in life probably didn’t include this reason to be glad you live in this area: at the start of Monday’s jury selection process for the Freddie Gray trial in Baltimore, the 75 people called as prospective jurors were asked if they ever had been the victim of a crime… Read more »

Not to be preachy, but isn’t this the time of year that we should be thankful that we’re here and functioning rather than being self-involved, angry and uncivil because, well, this is America and it’s our right to be anyway we want? One might argue that we’re simply following the tone set by the increasingly… Read more »

While, as Yogi Berra once observed, it’s not over until it’s over, the three-year battle between the Berlin Fire Company and the Town of Berlin has reached a détente and appears to be on its way toward closure. While that, of course, is a good thing, it’s even more important to Berlin’s residents, who are… Read more »

To expand or not to expand facilities in Ocean Pines to serve the public beyond the needs of the community is one of the key questions the homeowners association’s long-term plan and its town meetings needs to address. Problem is, a simple yes or no answer won’t suffice. While there will be both detractors and… Read more »

Some critics, wherever they are, might say that the Town of Berlin is doing too much too quickly, what with it poised to approve a significant increase in housing on the edge of town and the conversion of the former Tyson Foods property into a major recreation facility. Add to that its consideration of a… Read more »

Based on recent findings by University of Maryland’s Herschel S. Horowitz Center for Health Literacy (UM), there was a statistically significant increase in health literacy among students in Worcester County Public Schools who took part in the Integrated Health Literacy Program (IHLP) during the 2014-2015 school year. The student’s overall health literacy – or the… Read more »

Although the sorry tale of the Berlin Fire Company, Zack Tyndall and the Town of Berlin has long since vanished from the headlines, it now appears to be a case closed forever. With a settlement reached in Tyndall’s harassment suit against the company and others, that aspect of this unfortunate situation has been concluded, but… Read more »

Few, if any, people would want to block the Rinnier Development Company’s 700-plus-townhome complex on Seahawk Road, as it would help maintain the economic balance and vitality that is necessary to Berlin’s success. As Mayor Gee Williams observed this week, the town does not want to become so exclusive that only the upper middle class… Read more »

As the topic of adjusting or adding fees for nonmembers surfaced in the most recent Ocean Pines Association board meeting, the point to  think about is that charging nonmembers a higher price for access to recreational facilities can be a tricky business. That’s because it’s a balancing act with three pivot points: fairness, revenue and… Read more »