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The county public schools budget is officially set, and it’s exactly what the new Worcester County Commissioners majority has said for months it could be — flat. The commissioners passed the Worcester Board of Education’s budget on a 5-to-2 vote at roughly $100 million in maintenance-of-effort funding and $759,000 for the county’s required share of teacher pensions on Tuesday.

Taylor Bank has selected three high school seniors as recipients of the Calvin B. Taylor Memorial Scholarship, which is for $1,000 toward continuing education expenses and is based on student accomplishments in academics, leadership, community service, extracurricular activities and an essay. One student was selected from each county in the bank’s service area. Recognized from Accomack was Claire Holland, graduating from Holly Grove Christiaan School. Mallory Justice, graduating from Indian River High School, was named in Sussex, and Ethan Scott, graduating from Pocomoke High School, was named Worcester’s honoree. Above left, Taylor Bank’s Cory Walsh, Doreen Angelo and Teri Smith present the scholarship certificate to Justice, along with her parents, Greg and JoAnn Justice, at the bank’s Ocean View branch. Below, the bank’s Ray Daisey presents the scholarship certificate to Scott at the Pocomoke City branch.

The Worcester County Commissioners passed legislation that will allow the county to charge for parking on county-owned property on Tuesday. In a 6-to-1 vote with Commissioner Ted Elder opposed, the commissioners laid the groundwork for what some on the board of commissioners hope will be a viable revenue stream, especially during the busy summer months.

The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office is looking for Maquia Tene Briddell who is wanted on an active Arrest Warrant– charged with Burglary 1st, 3rd, 4th and Con-Home Invasion. Her last known address was 500-25 Maple Street, Snow Hill, Maryland. Briddell is 41 years old. Her birthday is July 4th, 1981. She is black, 5’05 and 170 lbs. If you know where Maquia Briddell is, please contact the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office at 410-632-1112.

The Worcester County Commissioners accepted the updated Land Preservation, Parks, and Recreation Plan (LPPRP) with a unanimous vote on Tuesday. The plan is revisited every five years as necessary to remain eligible for state Project Open Space grant funding. It is prepared by the Recreation and Parks and Environmental Program departments.

OCEAN CITY — The Art League of Ocean City is celebrating 32 years of providing college scholarships, awarding 83 scholarships since 1991 to local students pursuing a college degree in the visual and performing arts. In 2023, eight Worcester County students received college scholarships from the Art League. This...

BERLIN – Educators say they’re disappointed and discouraged following this week’s funding decision by county officials. Following the Worcester County Commissioners’ 5-2 vote on Tuesday to provide Worcester County Public Schools with maintenance of effort (MOE) level funding, the minimum required by the state, educators were quick to express their frustration. According to school system officials, the budget decision means teachers won’t receive the 4% raise negotiated earlier this year.

BERLIN– Teachers across the county wore black Friday in a show of unity following this week’s school funding decision by county officials. At Buckingham Elementary School, dozens of educators huddled outside, waiting to enter the building not a minute before students arrived. Though a subtle display to those unfamiliar with the school, with their decision to resort to “work to rule,” meeting just the minimum required by their contracts, teachers are hoping to share their frustration with this week’s funding decision.

The town of Ocean City is breathing life back into a highly debated Worcester County sports complex project. Ocean City council members recently discussed their interest in taking the reins on the development of the sports complex, as well as appointing a special task force to pursue plans. ...

It would be accurate to say I am disheartened by the final decision of the Worcester County Commissioners to fund the Board of Education (BOE) at the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) level which is approximately $4.4 million short of the FY24 request. The request, if fully granted, would have guaranteed that I, and all other BOE teachers, support staff, and bus contractors would be earning what next year’s contracts were already negotiated for, and that students of the county would continue to have access to all programs and services meant to support their educational success.

Instruction: If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building. A strong thunderstorm is currently affecting parts of south central Worcester and northern Accomack Counties until 2:15 PM EDT. The storm, which is moving southeast at 20 mph, is characterized by winds exceeding 40 mph, nickel-sized hail, and frequent lightning. Doppler radar was used to detect the storm, and gusty winds may cause minor damage to outdoor objects and knock down tree limbs. The storm is expected to remain over rural areas, including Horntown, Temperanceville, Oak Hall, Greenbackville, Assawoman, Beaver Dam, Atlantic, New Church, and Wallops Island. The maximum hail size is 0.88 inches, while the maximum wind gust is 45 mph.

SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners reiterated their support of a maintenance of effort education budget with a second vote on the matter this week. On Tuesday, in front of a crowd of citizens wearing “Support Our Schools” buttons, the commissioners voted 5-2 to approve a maintenance of effort budget of $100 million for Worcester County Public Schools. Commissioners Joe Mitrecic and Diana Purnell, both of whom have expressed concern with the reduced education funding, opposed the motion.

SNOW HILL– Worcester County tax rates remain unchanged with approval of a $235 million operating budget this week. On Tuesday, the Worcester County Commissioners voted 6-1, with Commissioner Joe Mitrecic opposed, to approve a $235,890,227 budget for fiscal year 2024. “I do believe this budget is in the best...

Throughout this spring’s budget process involving the Worcester County Commissioners and the Worcester County Board of Education, a takeaway for me has been how openly outspoken many educators have been. It’s a major change from previous years when teachers typically refrained from airing their views into the public arena. Safe to say those days are no more, as teachers have sent letters to the editor in recent weeks, openly weighed in on traditional media pages with scathing comments and even posted on their own personal Facebook pages. It’s a good thing they are willing to express their views with passion.

Children who have been hurt and/or neglected within their families in their early years of development can be traumatized by these experiences and find it difficult to feel safe and secure within their families. This is sometimes called developmental trauma. To help local therapists have the tools they need to deal with this trauma, For All Seasons’ Center for Learning, in partnership with Mid Shore Behavioral Health, Inc., recently offered a training program in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), taught by the founder of the DDP modality, Daniel A. Hughes, Ph.D. on May 17-20, 2023. Twenty participating clinicians from across the Shore participated in four days of experiential training, which will increase the region’s capacity to serve and support youth and families affected by early childhood trauma.

OCEAN CITY, MD — June 5, 2023 — The Art League of Ocean City is celebrating 32 years of providing college scholarships, awarding 83 scholarships since 1991 to local students pursuing a college degree in the visual and performing arts. In 2023, eight Worcester Co. students received college scholarships from the Art League.