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Ocean City dramatically reduced its affordable housing obligation with a court-approved agreement that would require 93 units, instead of 1,687, for low-income families, seniors and the disabled, it was announced Saturday. In a town hall meeting at the Ocean City Tabernacle, officials laid out a plan on how the city will go about fulfilling the need for affordable housing. Mayor Jay Gillian, City Council members, other city officials and housing experts attended the meeting. More than 100 people attended from the public.

Bike advocates viewed plans that would give them access to travel from Ocean City to the north or all the way from Somers Point to the deep parts of Cape May County on a safe, bike path. During a meeting Thursday night at Somers Point City Hall, members of the public, state and city officials met and discussed plans. Specifically, they looked at plans to connect Ocean City with the Marmora section of Upper Township via Route 9 and the new Garden State Parkway bridge to County Road 559 (Mays Landing Road). Northbound plans would provide access to streets in Somers Point, according to information from the state.

The new $37 million Cape May County Correctional Facility opening in mid-January will be a dramatic departure from the "lock ’em up, throw away the key" mentality. Officials overseeing the expansive project that was five years in the making explained during a media tour Monday that the new jail will represent a better, more humane way of handling inmates. The facility, at 125 Crest Haven Road, next to the Cape May County Veterans Cemetery, will be able to house 320 inmates. It is adjacent to the current jail. Built in the 1970s, the deteriorating old jail will be torn down within six months, officials said. It was built to hold about 190 inmates.

Would-be sommeliers won’t have to go to the Bordeaux region of France, which is famous for wines, to become experts on the libation. Michael Bray, owner and founder of Passion Vines, is offering the area's first ever Wine Foundations seven-week course that will enable wine lovers to become experts without the pretentiousness sometimes associated with tastings. Classes will be held at the Linwood Country Club from Jan. 15 through Feb. 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $399. People sample eight to 12 wines a class. Just 50 seats are available per class, so space is limited.

The Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders approved a resolution at its Thursday night meeting to open a Family Planning Satellite Clinic in Ocean City. The two-year lease was signed between the county and Stell Exteriors Inc., according to the agreement. It will enable the county, under Women’s Health Services, to provide a healthcare facility in the northern end of the county, officials said. The clinic will be housed in a building at 648 West Ave. The lease officially began in mid-December at a cost of $1,000 a month, but the date for the clinic's opening has not yet been announced.

An early morning fire that destroyed two duplexes and damaged a third at 48th Street and Central Avenue on Dec. 27 began in a kitchen, but the cause remains undetermined, Ocean City Fire Chief Jim Smith said Thursday. Fire investigators from Ocean City, Margate, Cape May County and the state conducted the investigation and determined the fire broke out at 4829-4831 Central Ave. No injuries were reported.

Building on the success of Ocean City’s First Night and the First Day Shopping Extravaganza, the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce is offering a host of activities, entertainment and discounts on merchandise at its downtown and Boardwalk shops to keep the resort friendly, fun and far from boring throughout the off-season.

Hundreds of diehards braved the chilly water in Ocean City's First Dip, a wacky annual tradition to celebrate New Year's Day. The plunge was nothing like New Year’s Day 2018, when the city canceled the dip due to dangerously frigid temperatures. Temperatures hovered around 59 degrees Tuesday near the 2 p.m. start time for the First Dip. But the water temperature was another story – about 46 degrees.

Investigators from Ocean City, Cape May County, Margate and the state are searching for the cause of an early morning fire Thursday that destroyed two duplexes and badly damaged another. They used machinery to sift through charred rubble and cut through some debris. The blaze broke out on the 4800 block of Central Avenue at around 3:20 a.m. There were no injuries.

Hundreds of people enjoyed the 29th annual Community Christmas Dinner at St. Peter's United Methodist Church in Ocean City. Organized by husband and wife Mike and Peaches Lukens, the dinner serves as a great holiday get-together for family members, friends and people in need.