Virginia Beach Tourist Gets Throat Cut - Suspect Still On the Loose

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - A woman visiting Virginia Beach was the victim of a violent attack.

She was walking along the beach, in the 2400 block of Whaler Court at 2 a.m. Saturday morning, when a man approached her.

According to police spokesperson Adam Berstein, the two exchanged words, then the suspect cut her throat and ran away.

The victim was taken to an area hospital. She is

expected to be okay.

However, some of the victim's neighbors said they enjoyed living along Cape Henry Beach until this incident. Carrick printed up a flyer to circulate in the neighborhood about the attack.

With the flyer, Carrick hopes residents will be careful. "Do not go down to the beach alone at night," he said. According to Carrick, people go down to the beach 24 hours a day.

His wife, Bernadette Carrick called the crime "absolutely outrageous."

Police said the suspect is still on the run.

If you have any information about this crime that could help police, call the Crime Line at 1-888-Lock-U-Up.

www.wavy.com

9 Year Old Vacationer Gives Poem To Chamber

CHINCOTEAGUE -- Allison Doss of Dacula, Ga. is a budding young poet.

Allison, 9, a student at Freeman's Mill Elementary School, had an assignment to write a poem with the subject, "Beauty Is."

Allison wrote the following, arranging it in the shape of a Christmas tree:

Beauty Is

Salty air

A quiet marsh

On a secret island

Crashing waves

An Egret's nest

Muller's Ice Cream Parlor

On a hot summer night

A bike ride through mini Africa

A long hike up the striped lighthouse

My friends don't know this place

My teachers don't know this place

This secret island called Chincoteague

But I know

My Pop knows

The ponies know

That is what Beauty is....

Allison's poem won first prize at Freeman's Mill Elementary School and went on to win first place in a countywide competition in Gwinnet County, Ga.

Allison presented the poem to her "Pop," Walter Bulmer, as a Christmas gift last year.

Allison presented a framed copy of the poem to the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce last week, while she was on vacation with her parents and grandparents.

www.easternshorenews.com

Smoke Scare In the Statue Of Liberty Forces Evacuation

NEW YORK (WPIX) - A smoke scare prompted an evacuation at the Statue of Liberty Wednesday afternoon, PIX 11 News has learned.

According to National Parks of NY Harbor Superintendent David Luchsinger, a faulty sensor in an elevator shaft detected smoke, leading officials to evacuate the iconic monument at around 1:18 p.m.

An investigation later determined that there was never any smoke, despite what the sensor indicated.

Air 11 was over the scene as visitors were forced to leave the area. It is unclear how many people were visiting during the time of the incident.

The monument was later reopened after being declared safe, officials said.

No injuries were reported.

The Statue of Liberty reopened its doors to tourists on July 4 2009, after having been closed to the public for eight years following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Although the base, pedestal and outdoor observation deck were reopened in 2004, the crown remained off-limits to visitors.

Ironically, the crown remained closed because the narrow, double-helix staircases were deemed unsafe for evacuations, and didn't comply with fire and building codes. Officials have since installed new handrails to assist with the climb. Visitors - up to 30 per hour - are allowed up the dark, small staircase while being led by park rangers.
http://www.wpix.com/

Exmore Marina Offers Boat and Jet Ski Rentals

EXMORE -- Deep Creek Marina now offers weekday and weekend boat and Jet Ski rentals.

Karl Wendley and Jerry Ormsby of Deep Creek Marina have available two Jet Skis and a 20-foot Wellcraft with a 115 horsepower Mercury available to use from the marina at 20104 Deep Creek Road.

"We thought there would be a demand for boat and Jet Ski rentals because it is not easy to see waterways and the bayside islands without access to the water," said Ormsby, who also operates International Auto Services from the same location.

The boat rents for $175 a day on weekdays and $185 on weekends, plus fuel, with a $10 discount for a boater safety card. The Jet Ski rental is $85 per hour, including fuel, with a $10 discount for a boater safety card.

"The boat has a depth finder and VHF radio and can be used for fishing or just sightseeing," said Wendley.

Ormsby said the facility will add sailboat rentals if there is a demand for it.

Deep Creek Marina is certified and carries insurance for rentals. You have to be 18 to rent a Jet Ski unless with a parent.

For more information, call 787-4565 or 787-4400.

www.easternshorenews.com

Assateague Lighthouse Undergoing Renovations

CHINCOTEAGUE -- The historic Assateague Lighthouse is undergoing renovations after serving as a beacon for more than 100 years.

After ownership of the building passed from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Fish and Wildlife Service in 2004, a $1.5 million, multi-phase restoration project began. The lower gallery deck has already been replaced, allowing visitors to walk on the deck -- approximately 130 feet in the air -- for the first time.

The second phase in the restoration project involved removing and replacing the glass windows at the top of the lighthouse to seal water leaks.

Funded largely by grants and entrance fees visitors pay to climb the lighthouse, these two projects together cost almost $400,000.

Now, fundraising for the remaining phases of the lighthouse restoration is under way. These include replacing the rest of the lighthouse windows, recentering the stairwell, renovating the upper gallery deck and eventually giving the lighthouse a new coat of paint.

"We don't want to change the fabric of the building, but we want to make sure it can withstand visitors going up," said Refuge Manager Lou Hinds.

Because the lighthouse is a registered historical structure, restoration efforts are being overseen by a Virginia historical official "to ensure the work is correct," Hinds said.

International Chimney Corporation is now working to replace the windows, which are bowing out due to pressure exerted by the wrought iron frames that are expanding as they rust.

"If we don't take steps fairly quickly, additional windows will break, and that is a loss because some of those are original windows," said Hinds.

The Chincoteague Natural History Association is working on a capital campaign to raise funds for the continued restoration of the lighthouse. The association "wanted to be involved in the restoration of the lighthouse, so they began saving money many years ago. That's what's given us such a great start on the restoration," Hinds said.

The CNHA leads tours of the lighthouse, and this summer, five interns from as far away as California have been employed to help.

"Our interns this summer are ... relaying the cultural importance of the lighthouse," said Park Ranger Melissa Perez. "They'll be ... explaining why we're doing what we're doing with the restoration."


She hopes the tours will gives visitors a deeper appreciation for what the lighthouse symbolizes, rather than a single-minded goal of climbing the 198 steps to the top -- although the view of the island from 142 feet is breathtaking.

Perez said education is an important step in gaining public support for the CNHA's capital campaign, and Hinds agreed that "it's the community's lighthouse ... so having community support is important."

The CNHA is currently working with the Curtis Group, a Virginia Beach-based organization that aids in nonprofit fundraising, to survey the public about attitudes regarding the lighthouse and restoration "to find out what fundraising approaches will work best," said CNHA Executive Director Beth Hanback. The CNHA aims to raise $1.5 million for the restoration project and to establish an endowment fund for the future maintenance of the lighthouse.

In addition to the study, which Hanback hopes will be completed in three to five weeks, the CNHA is working to plan events including National Lighthouse Appreciation Day on Aug. 7 and a lighthouse benefit concert on Oct. 2.

The timeframe for the remainder of the restoration project depends on funds received. The final step of the process will be stripping the lighthouse of its old, lead-based paint and applying a new coat.

"Literally the icing on the cake is going to be when the lighthouse is repainted," Hanback said.

The lighthouse was completed in 1867 and had six keepers until the lens was converted to electric operation in 1933. The Coast Guard still operates the lens.

Visitors can go inside the lighthouse Thursday through Monday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. -- but those wishing to climb to the top should arrive by 2:30 p.m. Adults pay $4 to climb, and children under 12 pay $2. All entrance fees contribute to restoration efforts.

Anyone wishing to donate to the restoration project can send checks to the Assateague Lighthouse Restoration Fund, P.O. Box 917, Chincoteague, Va. 23336. Call the CNHA at 757-336-3696 for more information.

"In the end, it takes the public and donations from the public ... to help us achieve our goal of complete restoration," Hinds said.

http://www.delmarvanow.com/

Body Found In Delaware River Near Boat Crash Site

PHILADELPHIA — Coast Guard officials say a body has been recovered from the Delaware River near the site of a collision between an amphibious tour boat and a barge that left two people missing.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Crystal Kneen says the body was recovered early Friday near Penn's Landing in Philadelphia.

A duck boat carrying 37 people was struck and sunk by a barge there Wednesday. Two passengers are missing, 16-year-old Dora Schwendtner and 20-year-old Szablcs Prem. They were part of a group of Hungarian teachers and students aboard the boat.

Kneen says the body has not been identified and authorities could make no immediate connection between it and the missing boaters. Kneen said she did not have information on the sex of the recovered body.

www.timesdispatch.com

Duck Boat Capsizes In Philadelphia- Two Missing

(AP)Searchers plied the murky waters of the Delaware River early Thursday for two passengers missing from an amphibious sightseeing boat that was struck by a barge, flipped over and sank.

The 37 people aboard the six-wheeled duck boat were tossed overboard when the tugboat-pushed barge hit it after it had been adrift for a few minutes with its engine stalled, police said. Most were plucked from the river by other vessels in a frantic rescue operation that happened in full view of Penn's Landing, just south of the Ben Franklin Bridge.

The duck boat, which can travel seamlessly on land and water, had driven into the river Wednesday afternoon and suffered a mechanical problem and a small fire, officials said. It was struck about 10 minutes later by a barge used to transport sludge and sank to the bottom of the river.

The Coast Guard said it would search through the night for a 16-year-old girl and a 20-year-old man believed to have been aboard the duck boat. Senior Chief Bud Holden said Thursday that passenger interviews indicate the missing were members of a Hungarian tour group.

"Hope is fading, but we're not giving up hope completely," Coast Guard Capt. Todd Gatlin said Wednesday night.

Ten people were taken to a hospital; two declined treatment, and the other eight were treated and released, Hahnemann University Hospital spokeswoman Coleen Cannon said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it planned to try to obtain any radio recordings, any possible mayday calls, photographs from witnesses or people aboard and other evidence as its investigators remain in Philadelphia over the next several days.

NTSB member Robert Sumwalt said investigators would try to figure out why the vessels collided and "how conspicuous would that duck have been" to the tugboat pushing the 250-foot-long barge. NTSB officials also hoped to conduct witness interviews, he said.

Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said divers found the duck boat in water about 50 feet deep. Crews would not attempt to recover it until Thursday at the earliest, police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said.

There were 35 passengers and two crew members aboard the boat, Holden said. Coast Guard boats assisted by police and fire crews worked to rescue people from the water, he said. A spokeswoman for the duck boat company, Ride the Ducks, said 39 people were aboard, and the reason for the discrepancy was unclear.

One passenger, Kevin Grace, 50, of St. Louis, said he had less than a minute to get a lifejacket on his 9-year-old daughter before the barge hit.

"We had 45 seconds to try to get the life jackets on our kids," he told The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper. "Everyone panicked, rushing to the front of the boat."

Bystanders along the waterfront screamed as the barge hit the boat, said a security guard who was patrolling the area.

"I whirled around as the barge began to run over the duck boat," said Larry Waxmunski, a guard for the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. "After the barge hit it — it almost looked like slow motion — the duck boat began to turn over."

Television footage showed at least five people being pulled from the water wearing life vests in an area of the river near the Old City neighborhood, popular with tourists. Helicopter footage showed people in life vests being helped from boats onto a dock and at least one person on a gurney.

Terri Ronna, 45, of Oakland, N.J., said she was on a ferry going from Camden, N.J., across the river to Philadelphia when the captain announced that there was someone overboard from another ship and that they were going to rescue him.

"We were not even halfway over when they said there was somebody overboard and we were going to get them," Ronna said. "There were people all over; we could see all these orange life vests."

The passengers who were treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital were three teenagers, three younger children and two adults, Cannon said.

One crew member from the duck boat was rescued by the ferry that the Delaware River Port Authority was operating on its scheduled route between Philadelphia and Camden, authority spokesman Ed Kasuba said.

Officials said the barge was owned by the city and being directed by a tugboat owned by K-Sea Transportation Partners, of East Brunswick, N.J.

The city Water Department uses the barge to transport sludge from a sewage plant in northeast Philadelphia to a recycling plant downriver, mayoral spokeswoman Maura Kennedy said. The city has a contract with K-Sea, which operates the tugboat that pulled the unmanned and unpowered barge.

Ride the Ducks also operates tours in San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Newport, R.I., and Branson, Mo. The company said in a statement on its website that it was suspending its Philadelphia operations.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with our Philadelphia guests, crew members and their families," the statement said.

Holden, of the Coast Guard, said the duck boats are inspected annually, but he did not know when the boat involved in Wednesday's crash was last inspected.

Another Coast Guard spokesman, Thomas Peck, said neither craft was in a wrong lane.

Some of the duck boats are amphibious military personnel carriers dating to World War II that have been restored and reconditioned. Known by their original military acronym as DUKWs, they were first introduced in the tourism market in 1946 in the Wisconsin Dells, where about 120 of the vessels now operate.

As of 2000, there were more than 250 refurbished amphibious vehicles in service nationwide, the NTSB said.

www.npr.org

Chincoteague Island Makes America's Best Beach Towns

As the summer season starts, finding the perfect beach for sunbathing and splashing in the surf becomes a national pastime, even obsession. But what happens off the sand is just as important. While we all hope that the sun will shine every day of our vacation, it's good to know there are options if the skies open up. These ten towns are classic Americana and are packed with museums, shops, and other rainy-day diversions, plus lots of fun festivals and outdoor activities if you want to do something more active then turning the pages of the latest chick-lit release (did someone say mini-golf?). So come along and tour America's best beach towns from the California Coast to the tip of Cape Cod. Just remember to pack the sunscreen.

10. Huntington Beach, California

9. Kennebunkport, Maine

8. Traverse City, Michigan

7. Cape May, New Jersey

6. Boca Grande, Florida

5. Cannon Beach, Oregon

4. Pismo Beach, California

3. Provincetown, Massachusetts

2. Rockport, Texas

1. Chincoteague Island, Virginia

This tranquil landfall off Virginia's coast is famed for the feral Chincoteague ponies that roam nearby Assateague Island. Every July since 1925, the Pony Penning and auction floods the town with tourists there to watch the ponies gallop down Main Street. This area is a nature-lover's nirvana all year round, though, with Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the

Assateague Island National Seashore, home to herons, bald eagles, and woodpeckers. If the weather is keeping you from visiting the birds' natural habitat, the Refuge Waterfowl Museum exhibits extensive wildlife murals, skipjack boat models, and wildfowl woodcarvings by renowned decoy crafters like carver-in-residence Delbert "Cigar" Daisy. Victorian inns and ice cream parlors, clam shacks serving Chincoteague oysters, and beachfront BBQs complete the Norman Rockwell picture.

Tip: Watch rocket launches at the NASA Visitor Center at the Wallops Flight Facility where Science on a Sphere Theatre projects 3-D effects on a suspended six-foot-diameter globe, depicting the moon, Jupiter storms, and Earth as seen by astronauts.

www.aol.com

Virginia State Police To Increase Patrols During Holiday

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia State Police will increase traffic enforcement efforts for the Independence Day holiday weekend.

Stepped-up patrols aimed at catching speeders, impaired drivers and failure to use occupant restraints will begin on Friday and continue through midnight Monday.

During the 2009 holiday period, State Police statewide stopped nearly 7,400 speeders and 2,140 reckless drivers. In addition, 949 summonses were issued for failing to use seat belts or properly secure children.

Also, changes to Virginia's "Move Over" law begin Thursday. The law already requires motorists to move over, when possible, when passing an emergency vehicle stopped on the side of the road. The law will expand to include towing, repair and highway maintenance vehicles displaying amber-colored flashing lights.

www.wtop.com

Babe Ruth Baseball Card Owner Is Found

Well, that didn't take long.

Less than 24 hours after The Baltimore Sun published a story about the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum's year-long search for the owner of a rare and valuable baseball card, the owner has surfaced.

A man identifying himself as Glenn Davis of Bethany Beach, Del., contacted the museum -- and the newspaper -- Tuesday to say he was the owner of the 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie card.
It's one of the most valuable cards on the market, with an estimated value of $500,000. No more than 11 of the cards are believed to exist.

Although the museum on Emory Street has displayed the card for 12 years, officials there learned only recently that the value of the card had skyrocketed.

That prompted plans for a prominent new display of the card and a renewed search for Davis, who called the museum and spoke to executive director Mike Gibbons.

"He told me if it were up to him, he'd leave the card with the museum," said Gibbons, who is certain the man he spoke to is the owner of the card. "But he was going to talk to his wife about it, and he said his wife might have other ideas.

"He promised he'd get back to us by the end of the week with his decision."

In an e-mail to The Baltimore Sun, Davis said: "Well, you found me. I didn't think it was possible in today's world to hide! I was not aware that moving to Bethany Beach, Del. would be better than the witness protecting plan!"

Davis thanked the newspaper for publishing the article, "which [led] to my getting the word regarding the museum's attempt to reach me."

He did not return phone calls from the newspaper seeking further comment. According to Gibbons, Davis was on a business trip to Atlanta.

The rare 1914 Babe Ruth rookie card -- along with 14 others featuring Ruth's teammates on the Baltimore Orioles of the International League, was originally donated to the museum by Glenn Davis' father, Richard Davis, in 1998.

After Richard Davis died, Glenn Davis renewed an agreement in 2001 allowing the museum to display the cards on a long-term basis, with no time frame for their return.

But when the Ruth rookie card was appraised last year for $500,000 -- surpassing the Honus Wagner tobacco card as the priciest on the market -- museum officials decided to feature it in a new "blockbuster" display on baseball card collecting.

Before doing that, though, they wanted to contact Davis about their plans and make sure he approved.

"I look forward to getting up to Baltimore to visit and see the card in its new display," said Davis in his e-mail to The Baltimore Sun. "It has been a while."

www.baltimoresun.com

Fee Increases To Get On Beach

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the daily entrance fee to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge will increase from $5 to $8 on July 1. The price of the weekly, refuge annual, interagency annual and senior passes will not change. All passes are accepted at both ends of Assateague Island.

The additional revenue will be used to offset the maintenance costs of beach parking facilities and safety services on the Virginia end of Assateague Island National Seashore, as well as additional costs of visitor service projects.

Eighty percent of all money collected from the passes with the exception of the Federal Duck Stamp remains at the refuge to be used for visitor services and facility improvements. In 2009, the refuge utilized recreation fee dollars for repairs on the historic Assateague Lighthouse, annual maintenance of roads, trails, beach parking lots, visitor safety services (lifeguards), fee collection, and law enforcement support. These are some of the many projects that your fee dollars have provided.

www.dailynews.com

Whose Sand Is It..................

MANTOLOKING, N.J. (AP) - Some Jersey shore beach towns have plenty of ways to keep outsiders off their sand: Limit on-street parking, prohibit food and drink, and have no public bathrooms.

One town literally walls off the public from much of the ocean with a protective stone seawall, and offers virtually no parking for miles along it.

Beach access has become a long drawn-out court battle in many coastal states. And now in New Jersey, the state Department of Environmental Protection is bowing to complaints from some local governments and private property owners that state access rules are too strict.

The department is letting each shore town decide for itself what level of public access is appropriate, though the state agency will still have to sign off on each plan. The new policy has some beach advocates fearing towns will become even more restrictive.

"This is extremely frustrating," said Ralph Coscia, who co-founded Citizens Right to Access Beaches, or CRAB, after the beloved Point Pleasant Beach was bulldozed to make way for oceanfront luxury homes about a decade ago. "This sets us back 15 years. Everything we've tried to do all these years is falling apart."

The department says its goal is to maintain public access while applying common sense to beach access rules and giving towns and property owners latitude to take local conditions into account.

"We believe the Jersey shore and the coastline should be open to everyone," said department spokesman Larry Ragonese. "But there can't be carte blanche to go anywhere, on anyone's property you want."

Under the Public Trust Doctrine, a legal concept adopted by New Jersey that dates back to the Roman Emperor Justinian, the public has the right to swim in coastal waters and walk along their shores. Courts have held that the public has the right to walk or sit on the sand up to the mean high water mark -- even on beaches where most of the sand is privately owned.

But many oceanfront homeowners either don't know or don't care, and routinely call the police when someone sets up a beach chair or a towel too close for their liking.

Battles over who rules the sand are being fought all over the country. It's not just about unbroken ocean views, either. In New Jersey, tourism is a nearly $40 billion industry and its beaches are a primary draw.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week ruled that Florida can undertake beach-widening projects without compensating beach-front property owners who lose exclusive access to the water.

California fought for years to mediate public demands for access to some prime beaches when wealthy homeowners tried to block them. The city of Dana Point disagrees with the state on who should control beach access through a large gated community of multimillion-dollar homes.

In Hawaii, a new law prohibits property owners from using vegetation to block beach access. In North Carolina, state officials are trying to balance competing demands over the use of a popular Outer Banks beach between fishermen and outdoor enthusiasts who want to drive their vehicles on the sand, and environmentalists who want to protect coastal wildlife.

Texas voters in November decided that the right to public beach access should be part of the state constitution, even as homeowners feared erosion of their property rights.

Under the previous administration of Gov. Jon Corzine, New Jersey required public access points every quarter-mile and bathrooms every half-mile on any beach that received public money for beach replenishment.

But an appeals court overturned those rules in 2008, deciding that the state had no right to order towns to allow 24-hour access to their beaches or to require bathrooms there. Stone Harbor Mayor Suzanne Walters said her town already provides plenty of access, bathrooms and ample parking to beach-goers.

"The biggest change with the DEP seems to be their willingness to listen," she said.

Stone Harbor and nearby Avalon fought the rules, particularly the 24-hour access requirement, on the grounds that it exposed the borough to lawsuits from people who might enter the water after drinking, and drown.

Robert Dinerman owns a summer house in Bay Head, N.J. -- a town that legally restricted its beaches to residents only, until a landmark 1984 court decision said public beaches must be open to anyone. The 73-year-old Cincinnati resident acknowledges many Jersey shore towns have tricks to keep outsiders away. Bay Head offers no public restrooms and bans food from the beach.

In neighboring Mantoloking, where Dinerman was enjoying the surf view from atop a wooden staircase, police zealously enforce a two-hour parking limit on most streets so beach-goers can't park in one spot for two hours, then move their car. This makes it impractical for anyone but residents to use the beaches, some of which charge hundreds of dollars for a seasonal badge.

"All these towns have their little idiosyncrasies to try to keep people off the beach," Dinerman said. "I have no objection to making it more public.

The DEP says it will consider arrangements like Bay Head's ban on toilets and food, Mantoloking's restrictive parking and lack of an affordable daily badge, and miles of inaccessible beaches on Long Beach Island blocked off by private homes, when it considers what to approve under the new rules.

www.wavy.com

Young Island Vacationer Donates Poem To Chamber

CHINCOTEAGUE -- Allison Doss of Dacula, Ga. is a budding young poet.

Allison, 9, a student at Freeman's Mill Elementary School, had an assignment to write a poem with the subject, "Beauty Is."

Allison wrote the following, arranging it in the shape of a Christmas tree:

Beauty Is

Salty air

A quiet marsh

On a secret island

Crashing waves

An Egret's nest

Muller's Ice Cream Parlor

On a hot summer night

A bike ride through mini Africa

A long hike up the striped lighthouse

My friends don't know this place

My teachers don't know this place

This secret island called Chincoteague

But I know

My Pop knows

The ponies know

That is what Beauty is....

Allison's poem won first prize at Freeman's Mill Elementary School and went on to win first place in a countywide competition in Gwinnet County, Ga.

Allison presented the poem to her "Pop," Walter Bulmer, as a Christmas gift last year.

Allison presented a framed copy of the poem to the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce last week, while she was on vacation with her parents and grandparents.

www.easternshorenews.com

POCOMOKE CITY — Shore Bank has donated $1,000 to the Delmarva Discovery Center, an award that supports programming and exhibits at the Lower Shore’s relatively new museum of local culture and natural heritage.

Discovery Center Executive Director Brian Garrett along with members of its board of directors were on hand in early June to accept the donation from Shore Bank’s branch staff in Pocomoke City and its advisory board.

Donna Weaver, bank vice president, called the 16,000 square-foot Discovery Center “a wonderful resource.”

The center features a 6,000-gallon freshwater aquarium and a Native American exhibit and sponsors tours along a nature trail through the cypress swamp. The center also has a museum store, showcases local artisans through live presentations and exhibits, and sponsors special events for adults and children.

www.delmarvanow.com

Crisfield's Mayor's Election Could Could Be Affected By Absentee Votes

CRISFIELD -- Mayor Percy Purnell was leading by 47 votes in Wednesday's city election, but a count of absentee and provisional ballots could change the outcome in the hotly contested mayor's race.

Purnell received 455 votes, followed by James Lane with 408 and former mayor Richard Scott with 14.

Three incumbent City Council members --Raymond Anderson, Barry Dize and Kim Lawson, who were elected with Purnell in 2006 as part of the Clean Sweep Team -- also appeared to be the winners for their at-large seats.

Lane said Wednesday night he was not ready to concede to Purnell.

"It's not over until they count the absentee and provisional ballots," he said.

City elections officials said they mailed out 51 absentee ballots, but the number returned was not immediately available Wednesday night. They will be opened this afternoon.

There also were 17 provisional ballots, as well as some people who were turned away because they were not on city voter lists.

Some of Lane's supporters said they planned to challenge the outcome of the mayor's race.

"We'll take it to the highest court," one woman shouted at reporters. "Put that in the paper."

Lane said he knows of one woman who registered to vote last month, but whose name was not on the list given to city elections officials.

"I'm sure there's going to be some examination of the process," he said.

In the City Council races, Anderson and Dize were clear winners with 513 and 465 votes, respectively, but Lawson, with 422 votes, was only 44 votes ahead of challenger Pamela Whittington, with 378 -- a lead that could change with today's absentee vote count.

Purnell said he was happy with the outcome so far.

"I think it's reassuring at this level of a challenge," he said.

Just before the polls closed, Clean Sweep Team supporters, who had camped outside City Hall all day, predicted it would be a close mayor's race.

"It was hard to tell," said Frederick B. "Fritz" Gerald, a former mayor and city manager. "This morning it was a little bit lopsided, but this evening it evened out."

Preliminary winners

Mayor

James Lane -- 408

Percy Purnell (I) -- 455

Richard Scott -- 14

City Council (3 seats)

Raymond Anderson (I) -- 513

Barry Dize (I) -- 465

Robert Hooks -- 35

Jordan "Bo" Joyner --139

Kim Lawson (I) -- 422

Carolyn Marquis -- 240

Greg Sterling -- 145

Pamela Whittington -- 378

www.somersetherald.com

Baltimore Grand Prix in 2011

From left, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr.; Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake; Gov. Martin O'Malley; Jay Davidson, president of the Baltimore Racing Development Corp.; driver Graham Rahal; and Terry Angstadt, president of the Indy Racing League's commercial division, formally announce a deal Wednesday to bring high-speed racing to the streets of Baltimore.

Gov. Martin O'Malley and Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake announced Wednesday the long-anticipated deal to transform downtown Baltimore into a high-speed raceway for Indy-style cars.

Flanked by racing stars Al Unser Jr. and Graham Rahal, officials proclaimed the Baltimore Grand Prix a "game-changer" that they said would inject millions of dollars into the city's economy.

"It will bring eyes from all around the world to Baltimore and to Maryland," said O'Malley, who compared the race's impact to the Preakness.

The three-day event, which will include an auto show and races leading up to the Indy Racing League-sanctioned competition, is scheduled for the first weekend in August 2011, and to return to the city each of the next four years.

Rawlings-Blake, who attended the Indianapolis 500 last weekend with Deputy Mayor Kaliope Parthemos and City Councilman William H. Cole IV, said open-wheel racing aficionados are preparing to visit Baltimore.

"We talked to vendors who were trying to figure out how to be a part of it. We talked to race fans who were already planning where they're going to stay and who they're going to bring," said Rawlings-Blake. "It's just an excitement I've never experienced before."

Officials estimate the race will draw more than 100,000 visitors to the city and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in ticket sales, hotel stays and restaurant meals. O'Malley said the race would support 400 jobs and produce $65 million to $70 million in economic impact.

City transportation director Alfred H. Foxx said the contract to build the 2.4-mile course, which will wind along Pratt, Light, Conway and Russell streets, with a pit stop by Camden Yards, would likely be awarded late this summer.

Surveying and planning will begin in the fall, and construction will start early next year, he said. Some streets will need to be widened, especially to accommodate passing at turns, and the light rail tracks will need to be altered, he said.

The city has dedicated $7.75 million in state and federal money for the roadwork. Baltimore Racing Development LLC, a private company, will pay the Indy Racing League about $2 million each year to host the event and will share the profits from ticket sales.

The group will spend about $14 million to prepare for the race and pay the city a $250,000 annual fee and a percentage of profits.

Martyn Thake, who has been hired to design the race course, said he has drawn up plans for more than 30 racetracks but is most excited about Baltimore's course.

"I think this location has the ability to be an East Coast Long Beach," he said, referring to the 37-year-old California course considered the grandfather of American street racing. "It's going to look so freaking sexy on TV — the water, the ships, the buildings."

www.baltimoresun.com

Powerboat Racing In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, Md. - Powerboat racing fans will be able to get a good look at some of the fastest boats on the water on May 30 when the Offshore Powerboat Association kicks off its 2010 season in Ocean City.


The OPA Offshore Grand Prix will kick off Sunday at noon on the beach at 11th Street. Spectators on the Boardwalk will also be able to get a good view of the high-speed action. Eight classes of boats will compete on the 5.8-mile course. Races will range from seven to 12 laps based on class.

For its next races, the OPA will be in Florida June 11-13.

www.wmdt.com

Welcome Center To Shut Down Without Aid

POCOMOKE CITY -- Worcester County officials are trying to scrape together money to keep the Maryland Welcome Center on Route 13 at the Virginia line open.

They are hunting for $57,281 for the facility in the already tight 2010-11 budget. If those funds aren't found, the building will be closed June 30 as the state trims welcome centers to save money. But if the commissioners can produce the funds, the state government will provide another $50,000 for the coming year.

"That center definitely benefits the whole county," said Commissioner Bobby Cowger.

The Pocomoke City Welcome Center is the second-busiest in Maryland, said Commissioner Linda Busick. The facility was built in 1985 using state money procured by then-delegate Mark Pilchard with a local match, said Shirley Pilchard, his widow.

Since then, the center has pointed tourists often headed to the beach to the museums, businesses and state parks in other parts of Worcester County.

"If nobody is going to tell them, then they are not going to go," Pilchard said. "We are going to take away from small businesses if we go any further with this."

The commissioners agreed it should stay open, but wavered on how often. To receive the state's $50,000, the center must be operational at least three days a week. The county is contemplating keeping it open seven days a week in the summer, four days a week in other seasons.

Commissioner Virgil Shockley asked staff to look at a three-day-a-week, year-round operation.

"I think it's a benefit to tourism, I think it's a benefit to Pocomoke City, and I want to see the numbers," he said.

Pocomoke City Mayor Michael McDermott said the town, which provides water and sewer to the facility, would waive its fees and provide volunteers.

Commissioner Judy Boggs was the only member in opposition to providing the money, arguing that while the center may support tourism, if the county takes it over, the state will never resume the operation.

"I'm just sick and tired of the state forcing us to take over their responsibilities," Boggs said.

www.delmarvanow.com

UPDATE

It has been brought to my attention that the

area downtown I wrote about this morning has been mowed! The washer still sits there though and has been there since at least Saturday a.m.

And the flag has been placed back on its pole to fly again. This I knew would occur as soon as the town crew got the chance.

However...........................

This missing board needs to be replaced as does the whole entire wooden walkway! This is an accident just waiting to happen and could possibly end in a law suit. A previous owner of this property would have been hounded to death until it was repaired! And now?

Also.....................

This sidewalk crack has been there for a very long time. It is also a huge hazzard for downtown pedestrians. Not very good thinking at all if you want people to stroll about downtown.