OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET
OCTOBER 3, 2014
CAR SHOW
CORVETTE WEEKEND Hundreds of Corvette enthusiasts will bring their vehicles to OC for a variety of activities – Page 47
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Legionella discovered in city line
Pot illegal just not as much
Residents advised no special steps need to be taken just yet
More lenient law one of 328 new measures in effect as of Oct. 1
The bacterium, legionella pneumophila, naturally resides in rivers, lakes and streams, with one strain sometimes found in potting soil. It is generally controlled in drinking water via chlorination.
By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (Oct. 3, 2014) When testing for Legionnaire’s Disease at an uptown Ocean City motel last month, county health officials found something unexpected: the bacterium that causes the pneumonia-like illness might not have developed in the motel’s water system after all, but instead came in through the city’s own water supply lines. Tests of the city’s water supply are under way to determine the extent of contamination by the bacterium Legionella in those lines, following a positive finding for the infection’s presence in a 145th Street fire hydrant. The department conducted that analysis after a pair of visitors at the uptown Econo Lodge later contracted the disease and testing at the motel itself indicated the bacterium’s presence. Although that led to the assumption – and a local television report – that the See TESTING page 4
Are You Prepared for Old Man Winter?
NOT IN KANSAS
DAVID KOSTER/PORTRAITS IN THE SAND
Photographer David Koster, of Portraits in the Sand in Rehoboth Beach, Del. was camping at Assateague on Sept. 19, when he looked up at an approaching storm and saw these unfriendly skies. At one point, three funnel clouds occurred.
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H Oh what a mess Car rally runs wild, police will adjust tactics for next year
By Clara Vaughn and Zack Hoopes Staff Writers (Oct. 3, 2014) There’s a fine line between “annoying” and “criminal,” and anyone who was in Ocean City this past weekend will likely give you an earful as to just how razor thin it really is. While relatively little serious crime was recorded over the span of this year’s H2O International car show – which does not take place within Ocean City, at least officially – the resort was inundated with complaints of general ill-behavior that came at a bad time for residents, most of whom were anxious to start enjoying the quieter shoulder-season. “It was a nightmare for us
Traffic and behavior problems, but not illegal incidents, led complaints.
‘We have 51 weeks to work toward this event next year, and believe me, we’ve already started.’ – Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro
as far as delivery,” said Ed Braude, owner of Fat Daddy’s, with restaurants on both Dorchester and 82nd Streets, “but it’s a tradeoff. You can’t be busy and not have traffic.” By all accounts, the event
– known to enthusiasts as H2Oi – saw significantly larger attendance this year than even in years past. “We’re now looking at this event as being one of the largest, if not the largest, in See OCPD page 5
By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (Oct. 3, 2014) Gone are the days when local residents could speed by a tow truck on their way to a county Bingo Board hearing. But if you still do, at least you won’t have to worry about that joint in the glove box going on your criminal record. The 328 new state laws that went into effect Oct. 1 run the gamut from decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana – a major step for the state – to the expansion of the so-called “Move Over Law” and the elimination of the antiquated Worcester County Bingo Board Given the volume of lowlevel drug arrests in Ocean City, the decriminalization bill stands to have a huge effect for the resort area. “It’s a true departure from our traditional way of treating the subject,” said Ocean City Police Department Chief Ross Buzzuro. “Our officers have undergone training and they’re well-versed now with the new law.” But while marijuana enforcement may have softer teeth, the state’s “Move Over Law,” which makes it a ticket-able traffic offense to fail to move over a lane or slow down for emergency vehicles on the highway, has been hardened. Motorists will now be obligated to move over or slow See DECRIMINALIZATION page 8
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