OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
JUNE 18, 2021
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
OC Air Show swoops into town Air Force Thunderbirds will add thrill factor to resort’s own Wild Blue Yonder By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (June 18, 2021) The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will fly into town this weekend for the 14th annual Ocean City Air Show, an event that features everything from high speed to deathdefying acts performed by pilots and aerialists. Set for June 19 and 20, the show of extremes will not only feature the Thunderbirds, but also other military acts like the F-22 Raptor Demo Team and A-10 Thunderbolt II. Chris Dirato, the director of public relations for the air show said last month that the organization he works for had already staged successful shows in Cocoa Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Atlanta, which were met with “tremendous enthusiasm.” “It’s obvious that people are starved See HOMETOWN Page 4
FISHING
DEFINITELY NOT A TUNA
Tunafowl crew releases the first white marlin of the Ocean City fishing season– Page 55
FREE
Arrest videos draw OC into nat’l spotlight Department to investigate force used in vaping cases
STEWART DOBSON/OCEAN CITY TODAY
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will headline the 14th annual Ocean City Air Show this weekend, an event that will allow the squadron to show off its death-defying skills of twists and turns while pushing six to seven G’s.
By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (June 18, 2021) The Town of Ocean City drew national attention this week for the way police officers handled the arrests of several people seen vaping on the Boardwalk on Saturday night. Videos that went viral depicted police officers using a Taser on a Black man while another showed the law enforcement representatives repeatedly kneeing a Black man in the ribs while on the ground. On Tuesday, Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro weighed in on the incident. “We understand the public’s concern over the video circulating of the disorderly crowd, which is currently being investigated by the Office of Professional (Standards),” he said in a See MEEHAN Page 8
Trams still short operators Better pay, more overtime could help recruit drivers, conductors By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (June 18, 2021) Ocean City officials are not giving up on finding enough Boardwalk tram operators to accommodate more deployments this summer. This week, members of the town’s Transportation Committee continued discussions about how to attract people to the positions, including offering overtime pay to other department employees at their regular wage levels, rather than the tram payscale, and performing more robust and targeted recruitment efforts. Interim Transportation Manager Steve Bartlett said the number of tram drivers and conductors are way down, with just 11 driv-
ers and nine conductors employed as of Tuesday morning. Ideally, he has said he would like 22 of each. Recently, officials offered a deal to all other city employees to collect overtime pay if they pick up tram shifts, but no one jumped on the offer. He said he believed employees were not quick to sign up because they would be paid at the overtime tram and conductor rates, not their regular rates. However some committee members said they do not believe all employees were aware of the offer. Councilman Mark Paddock, who sits on the Transportation Committee, said Tuesday that he recently spoke with Beach Patrol employees who had no idea that was a possibility and believes other employees were not aware either. See CITY Page 7
PHOTO COURTESY @LODOGRAY ON INSTAGRAM
Ocean City Police are under scrutiny this week after videos surfaced on the internet of officers kneeing one man in the ribs several times and another being Tased.
