Ocean City Today STEPHEN DECATUR WRESTLING TEAM READY FOR IRON HORSE DUALS … PAGE 39A
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JANUARY 3, 2014
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Year begins with near overhaul of IAFF leadership ZACK HOOPES Staff Writer
at the Princess Royale’s atrium to warm up in the pool and hot tubs. Awards were presented to the youngest and oldest swimmers, as well as to the top team and individual money-raisers. “Thank you for coming out and sharing your New Year’s Day with us,” AGH CEO Michael Franklin said to the crown gathered in the atrium. “For a Wednesday, it’s a great crowd. We hope you enjoyed the water and the beach out there. It was a beautiful day to have the event.” The youngest penguin was 10month-old Macklin Bitler of Frankford, Del. Eighty-year-old Joe Gaffney of Selbyville was the oldest participant. Craig Kettler of Leesburg, Va., brought in $4,509 and was named the
(Jan. 3, 2014) Ocean City’s firefighters’ union has started the new year with a near-complete overhaul of its elected leadership, a change that may stem in part from the aftermath of the controversy that wracked the Ocean City Fire Department a year ago. Effective Jan. 1, Ryan Whittington assumed the post of President of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4269 after winning a contested election that saw Whittington challenge the union’s current vice president, Hugh Hommel, for the top position. “I ran on the positive light that I want to bring to the career fire division and to the city as a whole,” Whittington said Tuesday, the morning after the IAFF membership’s votes were tallied. “Our union is currently at a standstill, I guess you could say. There were some new ideas and positive things that myself and others wanted to bring to the organization.” Elections in the IAFF are staggered for two-year terms. Aside from Whittington and Hommel, who will continue for another year as vice president, the executive committee now consists of Treasurer Mike Ellingsworth, Secretary Amanda Bunting, Board Members R.C. Evans and Ryan Womer, and former President Mike Maykrantz, who will be serving a one-year term as a board member. Whittington joined the OCFD in 2005 as a firefighter/EMT and went on to serve as the public information officer for the department in the four years before his promotion to the Office of the Fire Marshal this past year. Throughout his campaign for the union presidency, Whittington appar-
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In swimsuits or superhero costumes, men, women, children and even a couple of dogs participate in the New Year’s Day Penguin Swim to benefit Atlantic General Hospital.
‘The March of the Penguins,’ Ocean City style Approximately 750 brave 44-degree ocean during event to benefit AGH LISA CAPITELLI Managing Editor
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(Jan. 3, 2014) An estimated 750plus people sprinted into the cold ocean on New Year’s Day during the 20th annual Penguin Swim, a fundraiser for Atlantic General Hospital. For 2014, participants and spectators again had the option to gather at the Princess Royale on 91st Street or join friends at Bull on the Beach on 94th Street before the swim. The party
kicked off around 10 a.m. at Bull on the Beach and final registration for the Penguin Swim began at 11:30 a.m. at the Princess Royale. Participants were led to the beach just before the 1 p.m. swim. Once everyone was ready, a signal was given by Colby Phillips of the Ocean City Beach Patrol for the penguins to enter the ocean. Children had their own area and went in first, followed by the adults. “Penguins” donned everything from bathing suits to superhero attire and character costumes as they plunged into the 44-degree ocean at 91st Street. Some people got a little wet, while others dove into the water for a swim. The air temperature was about 46 degrees. After the swim, penguins gathered
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