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USCG 100TH ANNIVERSARY To honor milestone, OC Life-Saving Station to present breeches buoy rescue demo–Page 49
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JUNE 19, 2015
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Teachers get their pay raise School board cuts its way to deal on step increases
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Two pilots with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform what is known as an inverted upright low pass over the beach in Ocean City during a practice run last Friday. The Lucas Oil Pitts biplane (below) leaves a cloud of smoke as it dives for the deck (more pictures on page 30).
Weekend airs it out Air Show brings hordes of visitors, lots of traffic and seriously packed beach
Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (June 19, 2015) If the bumper-to-bumper traffic and shoulder-to-shoulder beach didn’t tip you off about how unusually full Ocean City was last weekend was, consider the following phrase: “world’s highestgrossing Hooters.” Growth in visitorship leading up to the Ocean City Air Show meant that guests at the Boardwalk Hooters and Fifth Street ate more wings and things and drank more beverages than anyone
else at any of the 460 Hooters in the United States and all the others on the planet, outside of Vegas. “Of all the stores across the world, with the exception of the Hooters Casino in Las Vegas, the Boardwalk location was the number-one in sales last week,” said Matt Ortt, director of operations for both the Boardwalk and West Ocean City franchises. “It actually wasn’t our biggest week ever, but it just happened to be bigger than all the other Hooters,” Ortt See SENIOR on Page 5
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By Kara Hallissey Staff Writer (June 19, 2015) Public school teachers and support staff will be getting an increase in pay in the new fiscal year, following the Worcester County Board of Education’s decision Wednesday to shift $1.9 million from other areas of its budget to cover the unbudgeted expense. Despite some post-decision celebrating by beneficiaries of the board’s action, the maneuver did come with a cost: 13 education assistants were cut and other positions will not be filled. ‘Each of these A total of 32 jobs directly 32 positions supported a were eliminated in the student’s deal, but the education.’ bulk of those Superintendent — 19 in all — Jerry Wilson are coming from retirements or resignations according to schools’ spokeswoman Barb Witherow. The cuts include 1.5 administrator positions and 17.5 teacher jobs. “Each of these 32 jobs directly supported a student’s education,” said Superintendent Dr. Jerry Wilson. “Their losses affect our community and mean fewer resources for students, but we have been determined to pay our employees.” Salaries for Worcester County teachers have slipped from 11th to 16th in the state over the past couple years, are below the state average and teachers have received only a half percent increase in their salary for six consecutive years, according to Vince See TEACHERS on Page 3
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