BE KIND: With a nod to the Ocean City
MMM MMM GOOD: Local
Council’s declaration of April 6 as ‘Random Act of Kindness Day,’ city employees were granted a day off with pay PAGE 3
music, regional breweries and Southern-style food -- it’s all part of Brewgrass 2012, and it’s going down Saturday at Fager’s PAGE 41
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . 34 CLASSIFIED . . . . . . . . 60 ENTERTAINMENT . . . . 45 LEGALS . . . . . . . . . . . 29
LIFESTYLE . . . . . . . . . 41 OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . 16 OUT&ABOUT . . . . . . . . 47 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . 36
MEET CANDIDATES FOR WORCESTER CO. TEACHER OF THE YEAR…PAGE 22
Ocean City Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET
MARCH 30, 2012
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SCOOTER SHOPS FACE DOUBLE WHAMMY Tighter local regs and state vehicle laws will affect business, as well as recreational drivers STEWART DOBSON ■ Editor (March 30, 2012) The rapid proliferation of generally unregulated scooter rental businesses in Ocean City is headed for a bump in the road, as Ocean City
prepares strict standards governing their operation and state lawmakers last week passed legislation that would make scooters and mopeds regular motor vehicles. At the state level, both houses of the General Assembly have
signed off on a measure that incorporates mopeds and motor scooters under the definition of motor vehicles. Currently, such vehicles powered by 50cc engines or less are treated more or less the same as bicycles. Although the legislation means scooters and mopeds will have to be titled and bear a decal attesting to that fact, an earlier stipulation that these vehicles also
would have to be registered was stricken from the final version. The cost for a private owner will be $5 for the decal and $20 for the title. The title fee for a rental vehicle will be $50 between October 2012, when the law goes into effect, and October 2014. One big change the legislation brings about is that it makes scooters and moped operators subject to Maryland’s helmet
law. As it is now, wearing protective headgear is not mandatory. Protective eyewear is also compulsory if a scooter has no windscreen. Sen. Jim Mathias and Delegate Michael McDermott voted against the bills in their respective houses, while Delegate Norm Conway supported it. That helmet provision makes moot one aspect of the zoning See STRICTER on Page 4
North OC org. looks into wine festival, other uptown events STEWART DOBSON ■ Editor (March 30, 2012) The North Ocean City Business Alliance, having won the support of the City Council two weeks ago, will continue its uptown promotional efforts with a meeting Thursday, April 5, to discuss a pair of possible events on the north end of the resort. A wine festival and a laser tag competition are among the topics on the agenda at the public meeting, to be held at 9 a.m. at the Carousel Resort Hotel on 118th Street. Michael James, one of the alliance’s organizers, said Wednesday that a wine fest uptown looks like a strong possibility for September, as does a laser tag event at Northside Park. “We’re making steady progress … there seems to be a positive reception from the mayor and City Council,” James said. The managing partner of the Carousel, James can testify to that after appearing before See NORTH on Page 3
Table games law clears Senate as House takes over STEWART DOBSON ■ Editor
DECATUR BASEBALL: POWERHOUSE LEAGUE
OCEAN CITY TODAY/LISA CAPITELLI
Stephen Decatur High School’s baseball team drove in a total of 47 runs, and allowed a single run each, during recent games against the Pocomoke Warriors and the Mardela Warriors. During Monday’s battle with Pocomoke, the Seahawks had an impressive third inning, tacking on 18 runs. (Above) Decatur’s Sean Colgan fires a pitch during that match-up in Berlin. Decatur won the match-up 34-1. See full story on Page 36.
(March 30, 2012) The advent of table games such as poker and blackjack at the Casino at Ocean Downs and the other Maryland casinos is becoming more of a possibility following the state Senate’s passage this week of a major overhaul of Maryland’s gambling regulations. In addition to expanding the kinds of permitted gambling, the legislation would up the share of proceeds casino operators could keep from their video lottery terminals, from 33 percent to 40 percent. That 7 percent would be deducted from the current contribution to the Education Trust Fund. The increase in the operator’s share, however, is attached to the bill’s shift of ownership responsibility for the slot machines from the state to casino owners next year. See EXPANSION on Page 3