OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET
AUGUST 5, 2016
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
FISHING
43RD WHITE MARLIN OPEN Tournament begins Monday, with an estimated payout of over $4M. Coverage starts on page 62.
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OK, first there was a twister If it could slow traffic Monday, it happened: wind, rain, accident
BRIAN GILLILAND/OCEAN CITY TODAY
WHEEL THING
The best thing about being on top the Ferris wheel at the Jolly Roger Pier Amusements in downtown Ocean City is getting a better view of all that lies below, as is the case with this Sunday afternoon shot.
By Katie Tabeling Staff Writer (Aug. 5, 2016) A small tornado, torrential rain, hail, winds up to 80 miles per hour, a damaged drawbridge and a DUI crash created a perfect storm for a traffic jam in downtown Ocean City Monday afternoon. The National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia confirmed that a waterspout that developed in Assawoman Bay came ashore near the Route 50 bridge and Philadelphia Avenue intersection roughly at 4:40 p.m. A warning was issued minutes before the tornado, rated on the Fujita Scale as an F-0, or the least severe of these cyclones, touched down. The storm also dropped See RAIN Page 5
Another day at the office For police on Boardwalk patrol, events of last weekend were all part of usual summer routine
By Greg Ellison Staff Writer (Aug 5, 2016) To Ocean City Police Officer Michael Kirkland, the ruckus downtown the weekend before last was not something he had never seen before. From his perspective, as he patrolled the Boardwalk one Saturday night removed from the incidents, it was just another day at the office. “I think it’s just business as usual. That weekend’s in the past and we’re back to normal,” he said as he scanned the nighttime crowd.
He is concerned, though, with the public’s perception of the events that he feels were overplayed in some news outlets as lawless free-foralls broken up by tough police. “The video (of the fights and police intervention) whether it’s 10 seconds or 30 seconds — there’s a whole lot of other time in that video that you’re not seeing, which is the good stuff that the public doesn’t see,” he said. “You’re not seeing the part as to why we’re called there and what our interaction is before the actual handson part.” Although reactions to the video of the July 23 Boardwalk mêlée shared on social media may vary, Kirkland doesn’t feel the incident should See POLICE Page 3
GREG ELLISON/OCEAN CITY TODAY
OCPD Mounted Unit member Erika Specht keeps a watchful eye as throngs of tourists enjoy a typical summer night last Saturday.