OC Today-Dispatch JULY 4, 2025
STUBBORNLY LOCAL, EQUALLY INDEPENDENT
Sign up now for our new, Monday-Friday newsletter. — Page 91
PRICELESS
Beach Patrol begins soft enforcement of tent rules With tents now outlawed on resort’s beach, lifeguards have explained new law to more than 700 beachgoers who were unaware of it. — PAGE 20
Happy 60th Assateague Nat’l Seashore PHOTO COURTESY OF OCEAN CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT
FIRED UP Last week marked the conclusion of the annual Ocean City Junior Fire Camp, where participants were given an opportunity to learn about fire response and emergency medical services in a safe, hands-on environment. The camp also included a special Law Enforcement Day.
OCEAN CITY, OCEAN PINES WILL PUT FIRE IN THE SKY INSIDE
As the park marks its anniversary, members of the park’s staff talk about their dedication to it and the National Park Service as well as what fuels their passion for Assateague Island. — PAGE 50
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OC Today-Dispatch
CELEBRA ELEBRATE E ATE THE E 4 TH OF F JUL ULY Y ALLL WEEK EEKEND E KEND LONG O WITH WIT TH US!
806 6 South Atlantic Atlantic Avenue Av venue enue • ocean ocean city ocea Free e Parking a arking underneath underneath
JULY 4, 2025
JULY 4, 2025
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OC Today-Dispatch
SUBMITTED PHOTO/OC TODAY-DISPATCH
The dredging vessel Merritt is pictured removing material during a recent dredging operation.
U.S. Army Corps responses to emergency dredging request By Stewart Dobson Editor (July 4, 2025) The Baltimore District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has received approval of its emergency request to use the corps’ Wilmington District’s dredge Merritt to remove roughly 7,500 cubic yards of dredged material from the Ocean City Inlet this month. This emergency dredging is based on the need for the U.S. Coast Guard to be able to respond in the event of an emergency, a statement issued by the corps said. With increased boating traffic during the summer months and the arrival of the White Marlin Open fishing tournament in early August, the Coast Guard believes there is an increased risk that it will be called on to respond to a maritime emergency. “We’ve heard the concerns from mariners and local officials and understand how critical this waterway is to both safety and economic security for the region,” said Baltimore District Commander Col. Francis Pera. “Dredging in the Ocean City Inlet is extremely important work and we’ve taken the necessary additional steps to ensure the waterway remains navigable.” Dredge Merritt is expected to arrive in Ocean City the third week of July. Dredging will occur the week of July 21
and will focus on the priority area along the northern half of the channel near the harbor. The dredging cycle will take approximately eight days to complete. The request to use the side-caster dredge Merritt is in response to the unavailability of dredges Currituck and Murden, which usually perform annual maintenance on the inlet. Both vessels are undergoing maintenance work themselves. The Merritt is able to perform maintenance dredging in navigation channels as shallow as 5.5 feet. The dredge will side-cast material approximately 85 feet from the vessel, where it will settle to the bottom of the waterway. Boasting a top speed of 10 knots loaded, the Merritt didn’t start out as a dredge, but began its life in 1943 as a Navy seaplane wrecking derrick. These derricks were self-propelled lift platforms of sorts used at naval air stations to recover disabled aircraft from the water. The 104-foot-long vessel was transferred to the Army and renamed Merritt in August 1960 and was converted to a dredge in 1964 at Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard in Baltimore. As for the cost of the operation, the Baltimore District announced in May that it had received $9.6 million in funding for maintenance dredging for Ocean City Harbor, the inlet and Sinepuxent Bay.
the Dog Dog Days of o f Summer
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