By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Sept. 13, 2018) By opining that county laws can’t be tailored to just one community but must apply countywide, the Worcester County Commissioners have blocked the effort to allow tattoo businesses to operate Berlin. Nevertheless, the town’s Tattoo Ordinance Committee on Wednesday night vowed to keep pushing for change. The catch… Read more »
Featured
Worcester County braces for rainy, windy weekend
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Sept. 13, 2018) Worcester County could see several of inches of rain and some wind this weekend, but appeared to be far enough away from Hurricane Florence’s projected landfall as of midweek to be spared its more serious effects. Brendan Schaper, a meteorologist with the National Weather Center, said Tuesday that… Read more »
Legislative study: Worcester taxes low, crime rates high
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Sept. 6, 2018) Among the benefits of living in Worcester County are low tax rates and ample education spending, while the drawbacks are high crime and unemployment rates, and subpar income levels, according to a 2018 “Overview of Maryland Local Governments” study published by the Department of Legislative Services. Maryland, according… Read more »
Worcester rabies cases up, 18 confirmed so far this year
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Sept. 6, 2018) Confirmed cases of rabies are up this year, a Worcester County Health Department official said on Tuesday, and pet owners are being encouraged to be vigilant in ensuring rabies vaccinations are up to date. The health department confirmed four cases of rabies last month: a raccoon in Berlin… Read more »
What to do with bulkhead staging?
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Sept. 6, 2018) Waterfront lot owners in Ocean Pines could see a significant assessment increase if future bulkhead repair bid requests do not include the swim and racquet club park area as a staging ground, as has been the practice for more than a decade. Several homeowners, citing safety, environmental and… Read more »
Excepting write-in, Berlin incumbents assured of reelection
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Sept. 6, 2018) “At this point in time, it’s looking like we may not end up actually holding the election,” Administration Services Director Mary Bohlen said during a Berlin Board of Supervisors of Elections meeting Tuesday night. Three incumbents and no challengers filed for the Town Council election before the Sept…. Read more »
Orientation over, directors focus on work session, Sat.
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Aug. 30, 2018) All seven members of the Ocean Pines Board of Directors last Friday took part in a nearly 10-hour orientation meeting that included legal and financial presentations, a meet-and-greet with department heads, tours of three facilities, and an extended brainstorming session on goals and priorities. The directors met at… Read more »
Community effort brings back ‘Briddletown’
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Aug. 30, 2018) Call it Briddletown (rhymes with “riddle”) or the more formal-sounding Brid-dell´-Town (rhymes with “well”). Either way, the re-designation of a portion of Flower Street in Berlin on Tuesday afternoon was clearly meaningful to a large segment of the population. According to new interpretive signs unveiled on Tuesday near… Read more »
Gazette Editorial: Rightful place in history granted to Briddletown
What’s in a name? Some pronounce it Briddle, while others favor Brid-dell´, but no matter how a name might be said, its significance lies in what it is and what it represents. For Briddletown, which was officially recognized this week by Worcester County, this neighborhood that encompasses part of Berlin and beyond is as much… Read more »
Hope4Recovery could open in Nov.; Grace Center to stay
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Aug. 30, 2018) A new nonprofit recovery home on 10226 Old Ocean City Boulevard in Berlin could be open by the end of the year, according to Hope4Recovery Executive Director Patrice Ottey. In a phone interview Tuesday morning, Ottey said she recently met with the fire marshal and was told the… Read more »