HELD AT GUNPOINT: Man who breaks into resort home discovers this might not have been his best move, as homeowner stops him until police arrive. PAGE 8A
PARKING PEEVE: Mayor and Council hear more than that about the decision to kill
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . . . 1C CLASSIFIED . . . . . . . . . . 6C ENTERTAINMENT . . . . . . 5B LEGALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8C
LIFESTYLE . . . . . . . . . . . 1B OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . 44A OUT&ABOUT . . . . . . . . 14B SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . 36A
Ocean City Today additional metering rather than take issue to referendum. PAGE 9A
STEPHEN DECATUR HIGH SCHOOL FALL SPORTS PREVIEW … PAGE 36A
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Peter Galan photo
In its first mission, the Ocean City Fire Department’s new fire boat pumps a steady stream of water on the Sea Witch, which caught fire just offshore Saturday. Below: Smoke billows out of the sportsfishing vessel as the fishing boat Salty Sons nears the disabled craft to rescue the two people on board.
SMOKE ON THE WATER Charter boat sinks just offshore in view of holiday beachgoers Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (Sept. 6, 2013) An offshore boat fire provided a shocking spectacle to downtown beachgoers over Labor Day weekend, with the two passengers on board safely escaping to another vessel before their own boat sank. Ocean City’s emergency dispatch center received a call for the incident around 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31, according to a local government news release. The Sea Witch, a 50-foot charter fishing boat, appeared to have a fire in its engine com-
partment. The vessel was roughly a quarter-mile off the beach at Eighth Street, although the volume of smoke was clearly visible to other boats and spectators on shore for a much greater distance. “We were on our way back in [to shore] and [the Sea Witch] looked like it was putting out a lot more smoke than usual from the exhaust,” said Justin McGinnis, who was aboard his family’s own boat, the Salty Sons. “When we got closer, you could tell it was See SMOKE on Page 3A
Justin McGinnis photo
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ABSOLUTELY NOT: ANGRY CROWD BERATES COUNCIL AND SHOUTS DOWN IDEA OF ALLOWING FOUR-WHEELING ON BEACH IN OFFSEASON. PAGE 5A
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