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APRIL 6, 2018
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
LIFESTYLE
TEACHER OF THE YEAR Worcester County’s top educator will be announced during April 6 ceremony – Page 39
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Schools add safety officer to budget plan Funding for position taken from existing appropriation
PHOTO COURTESY STATE OF MARYLAND
KING SPEECH Berlin resident Gregory Purnell on Wednesday recites excerpts from several well-known Martin Luther King Jr. speeches on the floor of the Maryland State Senate in Annapolis. King was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee on April 4, 1968, 50 years ago. Excerpts included the “Drum Major Instinct” and “I Have a Dream” speeches. Sen. Jim Mathias (D-38) sponsored Purnell’s appearance.
Special event zone bill clears Two measures will now be merged into one law to combat rowdiness
By Greg Ellison Staff Writer (April 6, 2018) With another season of automobile and motorcycle events kicking off next month, Ocean City officials are optimistic the General Assembly will pass emergency legislation creating special event zones to help law enforcement address reckless behaviors and improve public safety in time for this years annual gatherings. Sen. Jim Mathias (D-38) and Delegate Mary Beth Carozza (R38C) are sponsoring companion bills that would permit the State
Jim Mathias
Mary Beth Carozza
Highway Administration, and local authorities, to designate roads in Worcester County under its purview as special event zones that have reduced speed limits and increased penalties for motor vehicle violations. Upon passage, the emergency bill would be sent to Gov. Larry Hogan to sign into law before this years’ car and bike event season begins. The General Assembly
ends the 2018 legislative session Monday. Since passing the Senate on third reading by a 46-0 vote in mid-March, the House of Delegates approved its version 136-1 Thursday. The two will be reconciled by both houses. Speaking from the Senate floor on Tuesday, Mathias said the bill was on track for House passage prior to the legislative session ending on Monday, and Carozza announced the vote Thursday morning. The bills original text was amended by the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee to, among other things, localize the bill to Worcester County. Increased penalties were cut See PUBLIC Page 6
By Brian Gilliland Associate Editor (April 6, 2018) In the first of several departmental budget hearings before the Worcester County Commissioners, the Board of Education made its pitch this week for its proposed $108 million budget, which includes funding for a new position to oversee the schools’ safety. Details were sparse, but Superintendent Lou Taylor said in light of the Parkland, Florida mass shooting in February and the incident at Great Mills High School earlier this month when two students were killed, the position is necessary. “Instruction can’t happen when students and staff don’t feel safe,” Taylor said. See BOARD Page 6
County recycling totals increase
(April 6, 2018) In 2013, Worcester County’s recycling rate was 29 percent and in 2016, the rate was 24.5 percent, according to Public Works Director John Tustin. Now, however, the county has rebounded from this slump with a rate of 33.16 percent for 2017, Tustin said. The county must produce a tonnage reporting survey each year because of the Maryland Recycling Act reporting requirements. Each year, the county must submit this report to the Maryland Department of the Environment for review by the end of March. Tustin called last year’s recycling rate the highest it’s been in at least a decade, and credits Recycling Coordinator Mike McClung with the increase. “McClung … has sought additional private See COLLECTION Page 6
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