Donald Wittkowski

If shrieks and screams are any way to judge the thrill factor of an amusement ride, then the new Gale Force roller-coaster at Playland’s Castaway Cove is already a blockbuster hit. Primal, high-pitched screeching filled the air above the Ocean City Boardwalk as riders got their first taste of a towering roller-coaster that is exhilarating one moment and terrifying the next. “Scary, that’s all I have to say,” 8-year-old Mia Plocinik exclaimed moments after stepping off the coaster Sunday afternoon...

It was clear from all of the suitcases they were toting Friday that Joanna Vassallo and her family planned to have a big Memorial Day weekend. Their holiday getaway in Ocean City includes a three-night stay at the historic Flanders Hotel, ensconced in a penthouse suite on the ninth floor that offers stunning views of the coastline for miles and miles. “It’s unbelievable,” Vassallo exclaimed while peeking out from the balcony. “The view is spectacular. The whole suite is gorgeous, too.”

Mark Jamieson isn’t sure how many swimmers he has saved during his nearly 20 years as an Ocean City lifeguard, but there is one rescue that stands out in his mind. In 2004, a big wave and strong winds pushed about 30 or 40 swimmers out to a jetty on the Ninth Street beach, putting all of them in severe danger. A mass rescue involving about 25 lifeguards ensued. When it was over, everyone was pulled to safety. “It was one of those rescues that was exhausting,” recalled Jamieson, who ended up with some cuts and bruises from brushing up against the jetty rocks...

Thomas Giacinto, vice president of marketing for The Title Company of Jersey, was attired in a dark blue suit, cranberry-colored tie and black dress shoes. Stacy Demcher, a realtor for Keller Williams Jersey Shore, wore a yellow print dress, black cardigan sweater and five-inch black heels. They and other nattily dressed business people gathered on the Ocean City beach Friday afternoon, looking as if they were prepared to nail down some multimillion-dollar real estate deal. Giacinto even carried a binder for some seemingly important papers...

Aficionados of firefighting lore may be saddened to hear that there will be no brass pole to slide down. When the alarm sounds, firefighters at Ocean City’s new firehouse on 29th Street will instead scamper down the stairway as they rush to put on their gear and jump on the fire engines. “Most places are getting away from it. There are potential injuries,” Ocean City Acting Fire Chief Jim Smith explained of the lack of a fire pole in the two-story building. Although that piece of firefighting nostalgia wasn’t included in the project, the new $2.1 million firehouse opening this weekend does feature an exterior design that is definitely a throwback to old-fashioned times...

City Council gave final approval Tuesday night for an $18.5 million bond ordinance to finance road construction, drainage upgrades, dredging projects and other public improvements that represent a major piece of Mayor Jay Gillian’s 2017 capital plan. Voting 6-0 on the funding package, Council has been working hand-in-hand with Gillian’s administration on what is shaping up as the largest capital improvement program in Ocean City history...

A recent business trip took Ocean City Councilman Keith Hartzell through Frackville, Pa., a small town in the heart of northeastern Pennsylvania’s historic coal mining region. Hartzell was so moved by something he saw lining Frackville’s streets that he stopped and got out for a closer look. “A tear came to my eye,” he said. Attached to the telephone poles were banners that included the names and pictures of members of the Frackville community who served in the military during different wars and different generations and are now hailed as “Hometown Heroes.”...

If Domino’s can deliver freshly made pizza to your house, why can’t fresh seafood straight off the docks be delivered to your door, too? That’s the concept behind a new web-based business called Dock to Door Seafood Delivery that is launching Saturday at www.dock2doorseafood.com. Customers entering the promo code OCNJDAILY will get $5 off their first order. Dock to Door owner Hank Rydecki, who jokes that he is “a terrible fisherman, but a good businessman,” believes he has discovered a niche market that combines the convenience of home delivery service with the freshest seafood...

The Ocean City Housing Authority on Tuesday approved an overhaul of its management and financial structure in the wake of an embezzlement scandal involving its chief executive. In a series of votes to reform the troubled agency, the authority’s board members formally removed Executive Director Alesia Watson, approved her interim replacement and authorized a forensic audit of its finances from Oct. 1, 2013, to May 1, 2017. The forensic audit will cover the period that Watson worked at the agency. She began in August 2013 and remained executive director until she pleaded guilty on May 8 to embezzling federal housing funds to pay credit card bills for personal expenses...

A sweeping management overhaul is planned at the Ocean City Housing Authority following a guilty plea in an embezzlement investigation involving its executive director and growing indications that the agency’s finances are in disarray. The authority’s six-member board is expected to take steps during its meeting Tuesday to reform the agency, including the hiring of a new interim executive director and authorization for a forensic audit to examine all finances dating to 2012. The board also plans to hire an accounting firm to conduct the authority’s 2017 audit...