Berlin, Ocean Pines News Worcester County Bayside Gazette
By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer The minority and women business plan for FY23, which requires the town to make “good-faith efforts” to recruit enterprises owned or majority-owned by women or minorities, was unanimously approved by the Berlin Town Council on Monday. Institution of the plan allows these businesses to receive state and federal funds through… Read more »
By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer Monday’s meeting of the Berlin Mayor and Town Council ended with impassioned speeches from multiple people in the Berlin law enforcement community asking the town to take the retention of officers and competitive pay and benefits more seriously. Former Berlin police officer and resident J.B. Bunting kicked off the topic,… Read more »
By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer Maryland State Police are investigating a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a 14-year-old boy Monday night. Gavin Knupp, of Ocean Pines, was pronounced deceased by hospital personnel at Atlantic General Hospital, according to a press release. The preliminary investigation indicates that at approximately 10:45 p.m., Knupp… Read more »
By Greg Wehner, Staff Writer Challenge to land purchase obtains signatures it needs The fate of the not-yet-planned sports complex off Route 50 in Berlin, just north of Stephen Decatur High School, is teetering on a pin as efforts to put county government’s purchase of the proposed 95.6-acre property for $7.15 million to a public… Read more »
By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer The handbook for Town of Berlin employees just got a makeover. At the June 27 town council meeting, Administrative Manager Kelsey Jensen outlined changes, additions and subtractions. The council unanimously approved the updates. A couple of the more noticeable changes include changing pronouns in the handbook from “he/she” to “they/them,”… Read more »
The Ocean Pines Architectural Review Committee looked at the following appeals during its July 5 meeting: Screened unit The committee denied a request to allow a screened canopy to be used as living space on the deck of the residence at 23 Ivanhoe Court. In making the decision, committee chair John Dilworth told applicant John… Read more »
By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer Individuals recovering from substance abuse and uninsured mothers-to-be need all the support they can get to get by in this world and later today, the public is invited to the grand opening of a groundbreaking one-stop-shop for some of society’s most vulnerable, the H4R Recovery Campus in Berlin. “It has… Read more »
By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer The Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department held a town hall on June 30 to discuss the upcoming renovations to the South Station. A panel consisting of OPVFD President David VanGasbeck, OPVFD Chief Steve Grunwald and Gary Campbell, a public safety architect from contractor Manns Woodward Studios, anchored the gathering. At… Read more »
Election Committee wants to reassure voters their privacy will be protected By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer One of the priorities for the Ocean Pines Elections Committee ahead of the board of directors election in August is to ensure voter privacy and to allay any concerns about the security of electronic voting. Those goals were front… Read more »
Being asked to come back major factor in his decision By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer John Viola isn’t going anywhere. On July 1, the Ocean Pines Association announced that they had agreed on a two-year contract with its general manager that includes an option for a third year. In a press release issued that day,… Read more »