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FEBRUARY 12, 2016
LIFESTYLE
OC SEASIDE BOAT SHOW Ocean City-Berlin Optimist Club presents 33rd annual event this weekend – Page 47
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Prosecutors, schools back bomb threat legislation Bill would ensure affected parties get their chance to try accused in court
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
STILL ASSESSING Even though there’s an estimate of how much it will cost to repair Ocean City’s battered beach following the January nor’easter, the Army Corps of Engineers continues to evaluate the damage as well as the possible effects of continuing tidal actions, which could help some with restoration before actual work begins. In the meantime, Ocean City continues its tally of damages to private property. Top photo: Joe Reed, Levee Safety Program manager and civil engineer, does a post-storm assessment on Jan. 27. Story on Page 3
By Brian Gilliland Staff Writer (Feb. 12, 2016) Under existing law, a bomb threat called in from Wicomico to a residence in Somerset concerning a Worcester school could be prosecuted in two of the three places mentioned, but not the one forced to respond to the warning. That could change under legislation co-sponsored by Delegates Mary Beth Carozza (R-38B) and Charles Otto (R38A). The bill, HB 121, would allow any of the three counties to prosecute.
Another round of threats — Page 6
According to the State Office of Legislative Services, existing law provides for a crime committed by electronic means or via telephone may be prosecuted in the originating county or where the threat was received, but not the county where the threat was directed. Previous versions of the new bill were introduced in 2013 and 2014 and See BILL Page 6
Hooray, ‘the $85,305 event’ has June slot Formally known as Ravens Beach Bash, it should generate somewhere around that, according to new form
By Katie Tabeling Staff Writer (Feb. 12, 2016) For non-football fans or supporters of other NFL teams, the Baltimore Ravens Beach is just another Ocean City event, another parade and another party. The thing is, though, when the Beach Bash takes
place over the June 2-4 weekend, it will put about $85,305 into the resort’s economy, which isn’t bad for a couple of days’ work in the early part of June. That number comes courtesy of the city’s Special Events Department, which has produced a way to quantify what each private event would mean financially to Ocean City — and whether it’s worth supporting. When the City Council approved the event last week, it was aided by the department’s new “private event at a glance” form, which is now a part of the special event application and vetting process.
According to the form, the Beach Bash also will generate an estimated $2,744 in room tax from the nearly $61,000 spent on lodging, another $81 from taxes on food and beverage spending of $16,195 and $163 in amusement taxes from spending of about $8,142. The “private event at a glance” document also breaks down the return on Ocean City’s investment through three key factors: tax revenue, how the event fits the resort’s time frame and its effect on tourism. Also part of the calculation is the impact See NEW Page 5