Donuts, Cops, And Special Olympics

COPS ON THE ROOFTOPS

Fundraiser for Special Olympics Maryland -- 119th Street Dunkin’ Donuts on Saturday, Sept. 25 through Sunday, Sept. 26, 2010.

As part of a national fundraising effort for Special Olympics, the Ocean City Police Dept.,Worcester County Sheriff's Office and Maryland State Police will be on the rooftop in an effort heighten awareness and raise money to benefit the Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit the Special Olympics of Maryland.


These brave officers will be on the rooftop of the Dunkin' Donuts waiting for your support in donations so they can come down from the rooftop: Chief Reggie Mason, LT Smack, SGT Andy McGee, DFC Kenny Parr, DFC Dale Trotter, DFC Mike Hickman and many, many more!

Stop by Dunkin' Donuts this weekend and leave a donation towards a worthy cause. Let's see how much in donations these officers above will raise for the worthy cause

They'll be watching and they will be waving to you below....Help them out because when you do you help the Special Olympics of Maryland.

A Day Of Remembrance In Ocean City

Members of the Red Knight's Motorcycle Club held their 9/11 Parade of Brothers yesterday on the Ocean City boardwalk beginning at 27th and traveling to open the ceremonies at the Fire Fighters Memorial.

A large crowd gathered at the base of the memorial for the remembrance ceremonies.

Click on link below for photos from the parade and ceremony.

Ocean City remembers 9/11 delmarvanow.com Salisbury News The Daily Timesw

http://www.dailytimes.com/

Pennsylvania Man Found Unconscious Outside OC Nightclub

OCEAN CITY -- A 34-year-old Pennsylvania man died after being found unconscious outside an Ocean City nightclub, police said.

Ocean City Police said Christopher Paul Cherenyack of Sugarloaf, Pa., was found about 3 a.m. Tuesday lying between two buildings at The Party Block at 17th Street and Coastal Highway. He was unconscious and not breathing. Police said two people were there performing CPR on the victim.

Cherenyack was taken to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, where he was pronounced dead, according to Ocean City Police spokesman Pfc. Mike Levy.

There was no immediate indication of a cause of death. Police are waiting on results of an autopsy to be performed at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Maryland in Baltimore.

Party Block co-owner Rob Rosenblit said the victim had been found by an employee, who called over a manager. The manager tried to wake Cherenyack, thinking he was asleep, but was unable to revive him. The manager also could not find a pulse, and then called 911. Another staff member trained in CPR tried to resuscitate the victim until paramedics arrived.

Rosenblit said Cherenyack had been in the bar earlier in the evening. At one point Cherenyack lost a shoe, and staffers helped him find it. Rosenblit said he was friendly, polite and non-confrontational. The victim also turned down the offer of a taxi ride home, he added.

"Our thoughts and prayers go to his family," Rosenblit said. "It was a very startling thing at the end of the night."

A female family member reached by phone at Cherenyack's residence declined to comment.

Levy said the incident is being treated as an unattended death, with no criminal implications at this time. Unattended deaths of people of all ages happen several times each year in Ocean City, usually in homes and sometimes hotel rooms, he said.

The Party Block consists of three nightclubs and a pool bar, and is a popular nighttime hotspot during the summer season.

www.delmarvanow.com

Ocean City Sunset This Evening

Please remember to drive safely during the holiday.

Ocean City This Afternoon

I suppose it is days like these that we should step back and pause for a moment

To remember just exactly how forceful Mother Nature can be, and to give thanks
to God that tomorrow will bring a new day with an ocean of calm..........

Thanks, Bro.

Hurricanes Of Maryland Through The Years

While Hurricane Earl is still on our minds go to the link below to see if you remember any of the past hurricanes that have passed through Maryland. Many of them are of Ocean City, Maryland.

Hurricanes that blew through Maryland through the years - baltimoresun.com

Hurricane Esther (George Cook, Baltimore Sun / September 21, 1961) Esther pushed high tides into some of the streets of Ocean City.

www.baltimoresun.com

OCEAN CITY BEACHES ARE CLOSED TO SWIMMERS !!

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) — The mayor of Ocean City says the resort town's beaches are closed to swimmers as the East Coast braces for strong winds and rain from Hurricane Earl.

Mayor Rick Meehan said Thursday the beaches are off limits to swimmers because of pending weather driven by the hurricane. Meehan says lifeguards are only allowing in experienced body-boarders and surfers.

The mayor says the restrictions would likely continue through Saturday.

www.delmarvanow.com

Local Cake Artist Hoping For National Attention

(Aug. 20, 2010) Amber Markov has found her calling and it’s a piece of cake. Rather, it’s designing and decorating cakes and doing so well at it that Markov, who describes herself as a “cake artist,” is in the running for a spot on a new baking competition television series created by the producers of TLC’s “Cake Boss.”

The producers are looking for a “natural born baker or artist” who can create “amazing masterpieces, crazy confections or over-the-top cakes,” like master baker Buddy Valastro (aka the “Cake Boss”) and his team, which includes his mother, four older sisters and three brothers-in-law, do at Carlo’s City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken, N.J.

When Rebecca Carbaugh, Markov’s manager at the Original Smith Island Cake Company shop in the Ocean City Factory Outlets, was on the Internet one day, she came across the contest Web site.

She noted that producers are casting up-and-coming cake decorators and bakers looking for their big break and who have the right personality for television.

Right away Carbaugh thought of Markov, so she sent an e-mail for more information about the competition and to praise her employee.

Markov filled out an application and provided some photographs of her cakes. Casting directors liked her answers and pictures, she said, so the next step was to post videos on YouTube. She finished the application process about two weeks ago and is awaiting a response.

The baking competition series, with host Valastro and his team, will feature weekly lessons, challenges and eliminations. The 10 contenders chosen for the show, set to film in September and October, will vie for cash and prizes. No culinary experience is required.

“I’m anxious and excited, but the odds are hard because they’re only picking 10 people,” she said. “I would freak out if I was chosen. It would be awesome. It would be a really big opportunity for me.”

Markov, who moved to Ocean City when she was about 3 years old, was big into music and singing, but then turned toward massage therapy, which she did at a local day spa for two and a half years.

Markov said she always watched shows such as “Ace of Cakes” and videos on YouTube and thought, “I bet I can do that.”

She got the opportunity to test her skills for the first time about three years ago when she designed a hot dog cake for her boyfriend’s son’s seventh birthday.

“It came out really good,” said Markov and that is how her career as a cake artist began. After her first creation, she continued to make unique cakes for friends and family.

“I kept trying different things and taught myself,” she said. “You kind of have to teach yourself because all cakes are different.”

When the Original Smith Island Cake Company store, featuring the official dessert of Maryland containing between 6 to 12 layers, was set to open last May in West Ocean City, Markov dropped off her specialty cakes portfolio. She has worked there since then.

Markov designs many wedding and specialty cakes, which depending on their size and the amount of detail, takes her between five and 15 hours to complete. Some of the cakes she has made include a sandcastle, one based on a woman’s ring, lighthouse cake topper, bushel of crabs, Sponge Bob and a marlin.

Her favorite was a crab that consisted of nine layers of yellow cake with chocolate icing that she made for a crab feast in Bishopville last month. Carbaugh had just planned to bring some cupcakes and Smith Island cakes but Markov said, “Let’s show off a little bit and do something crazy.”

“Everyone thought it was foam because it didn’t look real so I had to write, ‘This is a real cake,’“ Carbaugh said. “No one wanted to cut into it because they liked it so much...Amber has learned very quickly and she’s definitely come a long way. It’s so cool to see the stuff she sketches out on paper come to life in a cake.”

The 27-year-old Ocean Pines resident said she loves to see people’s reactions when they get the first glimpse of the cake she created for their special occasion. She said it is nice to be part of someone’s special day.

Markov said she likes that her job doesn’t feel like work.

“It’s fun and it allows me to be creative,” she said. “I just want to gain all the experience and knowledge I can and see where it takes me.”

www.oceancitytoday.net

OC Boardwalk Shops Being Sued For Selling knock-off Handbags

Coach Inc., the maker of luxury handbags and accessories, is suing 13 shops on the boardwalk in Ocean City for selling cheaper knock-offs of its items.

A company investigator entered the stores over a two-day period in June and bought counterfeit handbags, wallets and accessories for prices ranging from $20 to $75, according to the lawsuits, which were filed Monday in federal court in Baltimore. Authentic Coach handbags in a similar style are typically priced at around $300, according to Coach's website.

Coach's lawsuits against the Ocean City shops come amidst its nationwide campaign, now in its second year, to crack down on the sale of imitation products. Last May, the company kicked off "Operation Turnlock," a zero-tolerance civil litigation program targeting producers, wholesalers and retailers of Coach fakes.
The New York-based company is now actively fighting the illegal trade of knock-offs of its brand in dozens of lawsuits against stores across the country, from Los Angeles to New York, this year, according to federal court records.

A Coach spokeswoman was preparing a response for later this afternoon to questions from The Baltimore Sun. Coach and other big-name brands, from Chanel to Louis Vuitton, routinely work with federal and local law enforcement to fight a brisk trade in counterfeit luxury goods, many of which originate from China. But in at least one case this year, Coach decided to sue a municipality – Chicago – for not doing enough to crack down on street vendors selling Coach counterfeit goods at a city-run public market.

According to the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, a nonprofit based in Washington, the worldwide trade in counterfeit goods amounts to about $600 billion a year. In the U.S. last year, Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement last year seized $260 million worth of counterfeit goods.

The top categories of seized counterfeit goods included footwear, consumer electronics, apparel, computer hardware, pharmaceuticals, and toys and electronic games, according to the federal agencies.

In its investigation in Ocean City, Coach alleges that the shops sold handbags, wallets, key chains and wristlets.

The shops named in the lawsuits include: Maytalk; Beach Break; Hot Topik; Ocean Reef; Summer Breeze; Surf Beachwear; The Fashion Shop; Ocean Waves; Sunset Beachwear; New York New York; Jewel of the Ocean; Oceanfashion Boutique; and Sunglass City.

The Baltimore Sun left messages for management at the locations. A manager at Oceanfashion Boutique, who declined to give her name, denied that the shop sold Coach counterfeit products.

Coach is seeking $2 million in damages for each counterfeit violation at each store or, alternatively, a court order for the store owners to pay Coach all of the profits earned from the sale of the items.
www.baltimoresun.com

Thomas J. Leggs, Jr. Convicted of Burglary In Ocean City

SNOW HILL -- A Worcester County judge sentenced Thomas J. Leggs Jr. to three years in prison on fourth-degree burglary charges, ending a court case that began months before authorities arrested him in connection with the murder of an 11-year-old Salisbury girl.

Leggs stood accused of breaking into the apartment of a woman who turned him down for an overnight stay after a boozy cab ride home.

Pamela Sima, 24, testified in Circuit Court that Sept. 11, 2009, she awoke at about 4 a.m. to find Leggs standing over her bed -- shirtless, undoing his belt and taking his pants down to his knees.

"After it happened, it really affected my life," she told Judge Thomas C. Groton III prior to Leggs' sentencing. "For the rest of my time there, I slept with a knife by my side and a phone in my hand."

Sima also testified she had rejected his romantic advances on a date one week earlier.

A Worcester County Circuit Court jury deliberated for 20 minutes before reaching a guilty verdict Thursday. The jury found Leggs not guilty on a related charge of property destruction.

Worcester County State's Attorney Joel Todd sought the maximum sentence of three years incarceration on the burglary charge, citing Leggs' criminal record and his being on the Maryland and Delaware sex offender registries.

Sima said she was unaware of any of his criminal history while they were dating. Leggs was not accused of committing any sex offenses against her.

They first met in late August 2009, Sima said, and had gone on at least one dinner date before meeting for drinks Sept. 2 at Pickles Pub. That night, Leggs walked her home.

She later told police the two kissed, but he had come on too strong and was trying to take her clothes off "with me saying no plenty of times."

According to Sima's testimony, a week later they ran into each other at the Cork Bar. Leggs apologized for his behavior. When she flagged a taxi home, Leggs joined her in the car, uninvited.

Once at her house, he asked to stay over, repeatedly telling her that his roommates weren't letting him stay at his place, she testified. She said no, went inside and locked the door behind her.

Hours later, when she found him at her beside, she yelled at him to get out. She heard the front door open and close. But when she got out of bed to make sure he was gone, she found him standing in her living room.

"The fact that he would try to trick her into thinking he had left shows just how criminal his intentions were," Todd said. "The defendant is a dangerous individual. The best the criminal justice system can do is warehouse (him) for as long as we can for the good of the citizens of the state of Maryland."

When Leggs did leave, Sima called 911. Responding police officers found two window screens removed outside the first-floor apartment, one of which was bent out of shape.

A wooden window frame was damaged, police said, as if someone had pried away the screen. They also found scuff marks on the exterior beneath one of the windows. This evidence was the basis for a charge of malicious destruction of property, police said.

A warrant was issued for his arrest Sept. 29. He was arrested Oct. 29, and posted $10,000 bond the same day.

In the courtroom, Leggs wore a lime-green polo shirt, blue pants and black sneakers. He sported a bushy goatee and short-cropped hair. He often turned to comment into the ear of his attorney.

Leggs wore no handcuffs or leg braces of any kind because Todd wanted the jury to decide the case on the facts presented, not on the biases that shackles inevitably bring, he said.

Wicomico County sheriff's deputies escorted Leggs to the Snow Hill courtroom from Salisbury, where he is being held on charges of kidnapping, abusing and killing sixth-grader Sarah Haley Foxwell.

Her family reported her missing Dec. 22. Leggs was arrested Dec. 23. After a search that involved thousands of volunteers, her burned remains were found Dec. 25 in a wooded area by a team of investigators.

Leggs was indicted on murder and sex offense charges in February in Wicomico County, where the killing took place. In May, court officials announced his death penalty trial on those charges will be moved to Cecil County.

Leggs did not testify during Thursday's trial. At sentencing, he declined to make any comments to the judge following the vigorous advice of his attorney, Arch McFadden.

McFadden, in his closing statement, said prosecutors lacked evidence to show that anyone else had been in the house that night.

"Where's the corroborating evidence?" he said. "I submit to you: zero. Were there fingerprints taken? Was there eyewitnesses?"

McFadden -- who declined reporters' requests for comment -- was also critical of a lack of photographic evidence from the scene. He said he would file an immediate appeal.

Ocean City Police Officer Nicole Thornes, who responded to Sima's 911 call, testified that photographs taken at the scene were submitted to the department's forensics unit. However, when prosecutors went to retrieve the photos to be used as evidence, "they were misplaced somehow," according to Todd.

Ocean City Police spokesman Mike Levy said "there could be any number of reasons for that," and any cause would not be clear unless an internal investigation was conducted.

www.delmarvanow.com

Man Faces First-degree Assault Charges For Throwing Woman Into Busy Street

OCEAN CITY – A Westminster man faces first-degree assault and other charges this week after allegedly scooping up a woman walking on 49^th Street and running with her at a full sprint before tossing her onto a crowded Coastal Highway.

At around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer observed a man, later identified as Steven B. Barnett, 20, approach a group of several women walking eastbound on the street. Without warning or provocation, Barnett allegedly picked up one of the women and began running toward Coastal Highway with her in his arms.

According to police reports, Barnett carried the woman as if he was cradling her to the center of the bus lane on the southbound side of Coastal Highway. Barnett was allegedly running at full speed as he carried the victim onto the highway before throwing her forward. The officer observed Barnett flee the scene after tossing the female victim into the crowded roadway.

A crowd reportedly gathered around the victim who was still lying in the highway. According to police reports, traffic was flowing heavily on Coastal Highway in the area, but the victim’s family members were able to carry her from the roadway before any vehicles reached her.

When the officer arrived on scene, he noted the victim appeared to be injured with her ankle swollen and disfigured, according to police reports. The victim told the officer she believed her ankle was broken, and the officer concluded she would not have been able to get out of the way of oncoming traffic without the help of her family.

Meanwhile, the victim’s sister told the officer she did not know Barnett prior to the incident, nor had any of the family members or individuals in the group. The victim’s sister led the officer in the direction Barnett had fled to no avail. However, when the officer returned to the scene, he observed Barnett talking to a different OCPD officer.

The victim later told police Barnett appeared intoxicated when he picked her up suddenly, and while she repeatedly shouted at him to put her down, he continued to run toward the highway and told her he was going to “throw her in the street.”

The victim confirmed to police she had never met Barnett and had no prior contact with him that night. Barnett was arrested and charged with first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. He was released later on Wednesday after posting a $10,000 bond.

www.mdcoastdispatch.com

Suspect In Ocean City Stabbing Still At Large

OCEAN CITY -- Police say a 36-year-old Federalsburg man allegedly stabbed another man early Saturday in Ocean City, and that the suspect is still on the loose.

Police named Manuel Armando Escalante Jr., as the suspect in the stabbing. Escalante is approximately 5'9" and 150 pounds, and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

Ocean City Police said the incident happened about 2 a.m. July 24, in the parking lot of Yang's Palace, a Chinese restaurant at 54th Street. According to police, witnesses saw Escalante allegedly stab the victim several times.

Responding officers found the victim, a 26-year-old Berlin man, lying in the parking lot. Paramedics brought the man to Peninsula Regional Medical Center. Police are not releasing his name.

Police said Escalante allegedly approached and assaulted the man. The men knew each other and had a history of disagreements, according to police spokeswoman Jessica Waters. This incident stemmed from a prior disagreement earlier in the week, she said.

Ocean City Police are asking anyone with knowledge of Escalante's whereabouts to call Sgt. Todd Wood of the Ocean City Criminal Investigation Division at 443-235-0091.

bshane@dmg.gannett.com 410-213-9442, ext. 14

www.worcestercountytimes.com

Ocean City Councilwoman Tells About Incident With Laser Pointer

OCEAN CITY — Laser pointers have made their way back into the public eye after a City Council member claims she had her eyes damaged by one last week.

Councilwoman Margaret Pillas, who also owns a Boardwalk store, said a young boy hit her in the eye with a beam from a green laser pointer that he had carried inside her store last Saturday, and she says she’s been struggling to see things clearly since.

“It’s like trying to look through a piece of cellophane,” said Pillas on Wednesday. “Things have been blurry, almost like there’s a haze around everything. My doctor said it will be like that on and off for several months.”

Pillas described the youth armed with a laser pointer as a “10-12 year old boy” who had come into her store with his mother and grandmother. She said she saw the green light flickering near her on the wall by the cash register, and when she turned around again, it hit her square in the eyes.

“It was obvious that he did it on purpose, and I asked the folks to leave the store after they claimed it was an accident,” said Pillas. “I felt the impact of the light on my eyes, and I haven’t been able to see properly since, accident or not. Kids today aren’t being taught to do the right thing, and life is just a game to them. They need to be respectful of other people’s personal space.”

Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officials said this week that there has been a widespread proliferation of green laser pointers being sold and carried on the Boardwalk that has potentially surpassed the proliferation of red laser pointers back in 1998, which prompted the Mayor and City Council to pass an emergency ordinance that would make it unlawful to harass or even point a laser pointer at another person.

As a result of the heightened interest and rise in complaints, the OCPD issued a press release this week reiterating the ramifications if one is found guilty of harassment with a laser pointer as per Maryland State Law.

“Maryland state law restricts individuals from knowingly using a laser pointer to illuminate another in a public place in a matter that harasses or endangers another. The Ocean City Police Department is continuing to enforce laser pointer violations. If a person is found to be using a laser pointer in a harassing manner, they are potentially subject to a fine of up to $500 or imprisonment of up to 30 days or both,” the release said.

The released also touched on the dangers associated with the laser pointers.

“The Ocean City Police Department warns citizens of the danger that can accompany laser pointers. Hazards are most likely to affect the eye, including flash blindness, damage to the retina and an after image or glare. The Ocean City Police Department reminds citizens laser pointers are not toys and should be used with adequate care and supervision,” the release said.

While in another capacity with the department, Police Chief Bernadette DiPino testified in Annapolis in 1999 about the merits of creating legislation that would instill penalties for misuse of laser pointers, and her testimony was credited as one of the deciding factors in the bill being passed into law.

City Solicitor Guy Ayres advised the council that the local and state law were potentially as far as they could go regarding this summer’s rise in laser pointer related incidents, noting that the legal usages of the devices were enough to stop a total ban in the resort.

“These laser pointers are used in boardrooms and offices all over the country, and because there is a legal use for them, we can’t just ban the sale of them outright in Ocean City,” said Ayres.

Pillas urged the public to come forward and speak out if they fall victim to harassment by a laser pointer.

“At this point, we need more people to complain, and more people to come forward,” said Pillas. “That, and we need more research done as to how damaging these lasers can be on a person’s eyes. All I can do is try to bring this issue to the forefront and hope that the six other people on the council will support me on this.”

Pillas said that she has gone as far to ban all laser pointers from being brought into her Boardwalk store, and she says that she hopes that other stores on the Boardwalk will follow suit.

“I wish that merchants would just stop carrying them,” she said, “but they are everywhere now, and it’s getting out of control. It’s one thing to have freedoms, but it’s another thing entirely not to take responsibility for those freedoms.”

www.md.coastdispatch.com

Cable Snaps On OC Roller Coaster

OCEAN CITY -- Three people were injured by an Ocean City roller coaster accident, but how the injuries occurred isn't completely clear.

A preliminary investigation report from state officials claims all three injured were bystanders, but an amusement park staff member said only one was injured waiting in line while the other two were aboard the coaster.

The accident late Thursday led to three girls being hospitalized with nonlife-threatening injuries. No one fell off the roller coaster.

"The ride actually worked as it should -- it protected everybody who was on it," said Shannon Davis, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation.

DLLR inspectors found that a mechanical malfunction caused a cable to snap.

The Tidal Wave ride at Trimper's Rides & Amusements, a single-loop coaster located at the corner of South First Street and Baltimore Avenue, will remain closed and under DLLR control until the investigation is complete.

Ocean City Police spokeswoman Jessica Waters said the injured riders were a 15-year-old from Brunswick, Md.; a 15-year-old from Annapolis; and a 10-year-old whose hometown was unavailable.

Police first received a call at 9:32 p.m. Thursday for a building fire, said Ocean City Police spokesman Mike Levy, but it was soon determined there was no fire.

Dennis Ketlinger of Union Bridge, Md., was an eyewitness to the accident.

"I heard a big 'pow!' and everybody took off running," he said. "My uncle, who's 70, he was freaking (out). He was like, 'run, run!' I turned to look. I'm watching it, I see this cable snap. I'm like, 'oh my God,' and I see it whipping."

Ketlinger said the flailing cable punched a hole in the roof of a wooden structure that covers people waiting in line for the ride. As bystanders yanked open the cart doors to release the passengers, smoke and sparks surrounded them.

"Now my kids are devastated. They wouldn't sleep last night. They're like, 'I can never ride a roller coaster again,' " Ketlinger said.

Park manager Brooks Trimper said there has never been an accident of any sort on the Tidal Wave, which opened in 1985. The rest of the park will remain open during the accident investigation.

www.delmarvanow.com

Ocean City Roller Coaster Accident

OCEAN CITY — Ocean City police say three children were hurt in a roller coaster accident.

Police and fire personnel were called to Trimper's Rides on South Atlantic Avenue around 9:30 p.m. Thursday. The Tidal Wave roller coaster had an apparent mechananical problem that police say injured several passengers.

Paramedics took three children between the ages of 10 and 15 years old to area hospitals with injuries that do not appear to be life theatening.

The park stayed open, but the roller coaster is closed until it can be checked by an amusement park ride safety inspector with Maryland Department of Labor and Licensing.

The park's website calls the double-loop boomerang roller coaster the most popular ride in the outdoor park.

www.delmarvanow.com

Laser Use/Abuse In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY -- Laser pointers are more likely found in the boardroom than the Boardwalk, but this summer they're selling so quickly that beach retailers can't keep up with demand.

Resort officials and police, however, say the green laser pointers, more powerful than their red-hued predecessors, are becoming a public safety problem.

"This year, it is out of control," said Police Chief Bernadette DiPino. "The Boardwalk is just inundated with these green lasers."

She said citizens are complaining that beams are being shone in their faces. One family complained their child had a seizure after getting zapped in the eyes.

People are also shining the beams on the chests and private parts of passers-by, which in turn starts fights "because the boyfriend would get mad," DiPino said.

Not to mention how the horses of the police department's mounted unit are skittish to cross any laser's beam of light, which they see as a solid object.

The issue is not new to the resort. In July 1998, in an emergency measure, the Ocean City Council banned any harassing or annoying shining of laser pointers on a person.

Less than a year later, when state lawmakers were on their way to passing an identical ban, DiPino testified in Annapolis by shining, side-by-side, a regular laser pointer on the wall alongside a handgun sight.

"I said, 'Can you tell the difference?' That was enough," recalled DiPino, who keeps in her office the pen used to sign that bill into law.

Recorded abuse of laser pointers has increased with their availability in the last several years, according to a 2001 Federal Aviation Administration report. It also says lasers reportedly have been shone on athletes during sporting events, mistaken for weapon sights, and blinded pilots in cockpits of planes and helicopters.

"The misuse of laser pointers involving exposure greater than 10 feet is not likely to cause permanent eye injury," the report said. "However, at very close range, the light energy that laser pointers can deliver into the eye may be more damaging than staring directly at the sun."

Richard Drake, 29, of Ocean City, can attest to that. Last summer, he sustained serious damage to his left eye after having a red laser shone purposefully in the face. Now he sees everything with a pinkish hue. His eye doctor said it will gradually go away. Drake already wears glasses and has a condition that makes his eyes extra-sensitive to light.

He said he's been traumatized by the experience, doesn't like walking on the Boardwalk at night anymore, and wants laser pointers banned from resort retailers.

"What is the purpose of them selling these at stores -- so they can shine them in people's faces?" he said. "Because that's the only reason I can think of. This is very personal to me. As long as the stores are selling it, it's going to be a problem."

Said DiPino: "These really shouldn't be in the hands of young people; they don't know what they're doing. It's not a flashlight. These do have the potential to cause lasting physical damage."

From May through mid-July, resort police reported 15 incidents of people breaking the laser pointer law, with seven arrests.

DiPino herself led the way on one such arrest. On June 12, she spotted a green laser zipping across the chest of a person she'd stopped for drinking in public on the Boardwalk.

She stood back to find its source. She saw it coming from inside a store, Tres Place, where clerk Elisabeth Mesfin was shining it onto passers-by. DiPino had Mesfin arrested and charged with prohibited use of a laser.

Guy Ayres, the resort's attorney, said laser pointers, while problematic, still have a lawful and legitimate use as a presentation tool.

"You can use a hammer to beat somebody over the head and kill them. Should we outlaw hammers?" he said.

However, the Town Council made plans at its July 19 meeting to mandate that any shop selling laser pointers clearly posts the law, and give customers a verbal reminder of it.

At the Boardwalk shop T-Shirt Factory, clerk Slavena Koleva Harrell said before laser pointers became an epidemic, the most popular fad this summer was Silly Bandz. Once her shop started stocking laser pointers, however, they were already behind the curve and quickly sold out of their limited supply.

She said it doesn't matter that the law prohibits shining lights on other people, and expects people will continue to abuse them.

"You cannot stop it," Hareell said. "Everything is very popular for a couple of weeks, then they gonna shut it down."

DiPino said by the time state lawmakers enacted their law in 1999, laser pointers had already fallen off the map. They weren't cool anymore.

"That next season, they just went away," she said.

www.delmarvanow.com

Dolle's Celebrates 100 Years On The Boards

DOLLE'S WANTS YOUR MEMORIES......

OCEAN CITY -- In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Dolle's Candyland in Ocean City, a commemorative book will be published. The store's owners are interested in hearing from residents and vacationers who would like to share photographs and happy memories of going to Dolle's on vacation, with family or friends for possible inclusion in the book.

Employees who worked at Dolle's, especially those employed there decades ago, are also encouraged to send memories. Please e-mail dollesmemories@hotmail.com and include a telephone number.

Special Ocean City Treatment For Wounded Warrior

OCEAN CITY – A U.S. serviceman wounded in Iraq last month got a hero’s welcome in Ocean City last weekend, thanks in large part to the local American Legion post and an always generous resort community.

First Lieutenant Dan Shoemaker got some well-deserved treatment last weekend in Ocean City after a request from the Wounded Warrior Project on his behalf. Shoemaker was wounded in a suicide bomber attack in Iraq on June 11 and was ultimately sent to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. for treatment and recovery.

While at Walter Reed for treatment of injuries sustained in the attack in Iraq, Shoemaker was discovered to have a cancerous brain tumor, which might not have been discovered had it not been for his war injuries. On his behalf, Sgt. Major Dan Thompson of the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that advocates for men and women wounded in action, put the word out that Shoemaker was in desperate need of some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Thompson called Ocean City American Legion Post 166 Commander-Elect Sarge Garlitz, who, in turn, quickly called upon his considerable resources to intercede on the wounded first lieutenant’s behalf. A short time later, the Harrison Group responded with a complimentary stay at the Quality Inn on the Boardwalk and General Manager Chris McFarland and his staff gave Shoemaker the VIP treatment all weekend.

Shoemaker was also feted at the American Legion Post 166 by Garlitz and his crew and received a hero’s welcome everywhere he went in Ocean City all weekend.

According to Garlitz, Shoemaker was in awe of the warm reception and supporting comments he received from everyone he came in contact with during his weekend at the beach.

www.mdcoastdispatch.com

Multivehicle Accident Closes Route 90 Bridge..........

Update: Chopper 16 reports at 11:45 a.m. that the Route 90 bridge has reopened following a four-vehicle crash about an hour ago. Although the bridge is now open, traffic both in and out of Ocean City is badly backed up.

PLEASE USE CAUTION.

OCEAN CITY, Md. - A four-vehicle crash Monday morning has traffic blocked in both directions on Route 90 approaching the bridge into Ocean City, police reported.

The crash, which occurred shortly before 10:30 a.m., forced closure of Route 90 at Md. Route 589 (Race Track Rd.) west of the bridge. Six people are reported injured, and a helicopter has been called for medical evacuation, Ocean City police reported. Radio reports refer to "mass casualties."

All traffic in and out of Ocean City that normally crosses Assawoman Bay on the Route 90 bridge is being routed south toward Route 50. Traffic is backed up in both directions, but is particularly bad trying to leave Ocean City, police said.

Taken from http://www.wboc.com/ 11:00 AM

Cyclist Hopes To Raise Disease Awareness

OCEAN CITY -- There are 1,480 miles between St. Louis, Mo., and Ocean City. Allen Baumgartner should know; the 33-year-old just traveled all of them on a handcycle.

Two months after setting out from his home in Arnold, Mo., Baumgartner came to the end of his journey on the Boardwalk at 14th Street, the final stop on his ride to raise awareness for spinocerebellar ataxia, a degenerative brain disease that affects movement.

"To see the U.S. from a foot off the ground is impressive," Baumgartner said, just before he climbed out of his three-wheeled cycle and walked, leaning on his two young daughters, down the beach to the Atlantic Ocean.

More than a year ago, Baumgartner, who has lost some of the use of his legs to spinocerebellar ataxia, decided he wanted to ride a wheelchair to Washington to raise awareness for the disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, spinocerebellar ataxia is a rare genetic neurological condition that affects the brain and spine, disrupting muscle control.

Baumgartner was diagnosed in 2008 after losing his ability to walk unassisted. Otherwise in good health, he soon got involved with the Disabled Athlete Sports Association, a St. Louis-based group that engages disabled children and adults with sports. The organization introduced Baumgartner to the handcycle -- an arm-powered, three-wheeled bike -- and provided support as he trained for his cross-country trip.

The $4,540 Baumgartner has raised during his journey will be donated to DASA.

Later, while at an area TV station for an interview, he met Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan, who invited him to finish his journey in the resort.

Baumgartner met up with his wife and daughters near Rehoboth Beach before making the final ride down Route 1 -- what he called "a victory march" -- to Ocean City.

"I'm really excited it's done," said Andrea Baumgartner, his wife.

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