OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
JUNE 9, 2023
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
QUIRKY FUN
BATHTUB RACES
Competators will race down streets of Berlin in annual competition Friday evening – Page 26
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Ocean City’s second annual PBR Challenge Series finished up in the inlet parking lot last Sunday with the third round of bull riders, followed by the championship round. Pictured is rider Elizimar Souza Jeremias on the second-to-last ride of the championship round. He earned third place overall.
Schools receive ultimate ‘no’
ANNUAL AIR SHOW FLIES INTO TOWN
County commissioners not persuaded by large crowd to increase WCPS funding
Thunderbirds, more will dominate resort sky in weekend event — p. 3
By Jack Chavez Staff Writer (June 9, 2023) The county public schools budget is officially set, and it’s exactly what the new Worcester County Commissioners majority has said for months it could be — flat. The commissioners passed the Worcester Board of Education’s
budget on a 5-to-2 vote at roughly $100 million in maintenance-of-effort funding and $759,000 for the county’s required share of teacher pensions on Tuesday. Commissioners Diana Purnell and Joe Mitrecic opposed the measure. The approved framework is not a penny more than what the county is legally obligated by the state Department of Education to provide to its school system. That means it is now on the school board to determine how to come up with the roughly $4.5 mil-
lion it asked for to pay for staff and contractor salary increases, among other things. At the core of the budget discussion was a dispute over the accessibility of specific expenses in the school system’s annual budget. While repeated assurances from both sides that the relationship is still healthy, or that everyone is cooperating as best as possible, they have exchanged many pointed words. One side harped on the unprecedented See COUNTY Page 4
NEW, MORE SIGNS ON BOARDWALK Ocean City council seeks uniformity, opportunity to advertise events — p. 6
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Ocean City Today
JUNE 9, 2023
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Ocean City Today
EXPERIENCE YOU CAN TRUST We have generations of experience and are well known for our exceptional dental care.
We want to help you keep that bright and beautiful smile this Spring & Summer! The C17 Globemaster III flies through the sky over Ocean City during the 2022 air show. This year’s event is set June 10 and 11.
Air Show flies into Ocean City with military might and stunts By Hunter Hine Staff Writer (June 9, 2023) The 16th annual OC Air Show will be soaring into the resort’s air space Saturday and Sunday (with some practice runs likely on Friday) with squadrons of advanced aircraft, vintage planes and aerial stunt teams. “We have a heavy military flavor with the USAF Thunderbirds, F-35 Lightning II Demo Team, F-18 Rhino Demo Team and the A-10 Thunderbolt II,” said Chris Dirato, director of public relations for the air show. Along with those shows, there is the Air Force Heritage Flight, where modern and historic military aircrafts fly in close formation, and the Navy Legacy Flight, which follows the same premise. Also on the schedule this year is the E-2C Hawkeye, a communications plane that carries a large rotating radar dome, and the cold-war era L-39 jet. Viewers can also expect to see a
UH-72A Lakota helicopter, a C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane, the West Point Parachute Team and Red Bull Air Force’s wingsuit-wearing adrenaline junkies. “It’s a patriotic and family-friendly event. There’s no better combination,” Dirato said. On both days, opening ceremonies will run from 11:30 a.m. to noon, the bulk of flight performances run from noon to 2:30 p.m., and the headlining Air Force Thunderbirds run from 2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. With all the skyward commotion, the air show has an official “Air Boss” who controls whatever planes are in the sky at any given time. “The military teams will be based at NASA Wallops for the weekend, while the rest of the performers will be based at Ocean City Airport,” Dirato said. Although the show can be seen around Ocean City, especially on the Boardwalk, the beach and any high See PREMIUM Page 8
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