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AUG. 3, 2018
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
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OC rebuts call for injunction in topless suit Argues most court rulings uphold local nudity laws
BAPTISM
JOSH DAVIS/OCEAN CITY TODAY
Joy Lusco of Ocean Pines is baptized in the Atlantic Ocean near the 41st Street beach on Wednesday as part of the annual Jesus at the Beach Music and Ministry Festival. Also pictured, from left, are her father, Charlie Lusco, Ryan Swindle and Jesus at the Beach Director Gary Steger.
A
seven months
Forget average precipitation, this year has been a wet one
(Aug. 3, 2018) A weather story in a newspaper usually is a sign of a weak news cycle. But when conditions seem to have been less cooperative than usual — and outdoor businesses say one rainy day can cost them thousands of dollars — the official record needs to be checked. Data collected at the Ocean City Municipal Airport and compiled by wunderground.com, show that, yes, much more rain and money has gone down the storm drain this year. Precipitation totals from January through July since 2014, show the resort hasn’t been this wet in quite a while.
Average precipitation for the area for the seven-month period is about 25 inches, according to multiple sources. This year to date, however, Ocean City’s official rain gauge has gone beyond that with a measurement of 33.22 inches as of Tuesday. The driest seven-months in recent years was in 2014, with 14.54 inches of precipitation. Last year saw not quite 24 inches, while 29.7 inches was recorded in 2016. Still, it could be worse. In 1979, 35.67 inches of precipitation fell on the area from January to July. Now that’s wet. — Stewart Dobson
Stewart Dobson Editor (Aug. 3, 2018) The way Ocean City government’s attorneys see it, if other county and municipal governments can regulate public nudity and topless nightclubs without violating the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause, the resort can do the same with topless sunbathing on the beach. That, they argued in the federal lawsuit brought against the city in January by Chelsea C. Eline of Salisbury and four other women, is why Maryland District Court Chief Judge James K. Brednar should deny the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction that would suspend the enforcement of the resort’s anti-nudity ordinance. In an afternoon filing last Friday, attorney Bruce Bright wrote, “The party seeking a preliminary injunction must demonstrate by a clear showing See OCEAN CITY Page 79