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A fire that broke out late Thursday night at a retail and residential building at 1059 Asbury Avenue caused extensive damage to the structure and forced four residents to evacuate, according to a city news release. The Ocean City Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at the building at 11:56 p.m. Thursday and it took several hours to locate the fire and get it under control, officials said.

A two-year sewer line reconstruction project that left parts of Bay Avenue in shambles and drew strong objections from Ocean City officials will finally wrap up in May, according to the agency overseeing the project. During construction of the roughly $8.5 million project by the Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority motorists had to endure torn up streets, lane restrictions and detours on a heavily traveled stretch of Bay Avenue from Eighth Street to 31st Street.

Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, the iconic Boardwalk amusement park that has been in business for nearly 100 years, is joining with Icona Resorts, a company that operates beach resorts in Cape May County, according to a news release Tuesday.

The Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has opened a 30-day public comment period on a large-scale wind energy project proposed to be constructed 15 miles off the shores of Ocean City and southern New Jersey. The BOEM will conduct a review of the environmental impact of the project and the construction and operations plan for it. A notice posted on March 29, includes information for anybody interested in commenting. This comment period runs through April 29 and will determine the scope of what will be reviewed. The announcement is posted here, and copied below. More information on the plans and the review process is here: boem.gov/ocean-wind More information on how to submit comments is...

Ocean City has completed its “monumental” acquisition of a block of land that will be preserved as open space. The city fought for over two years to purchase privately owned land that once served as the location for a car dealership, with the goal of preserving and protecting it from a proposed densely packed housing development. “This is a monumental win for the Ocean City taxpayers,” Mayor Jay Gillian said Monday. “It’s an extremely rare opportunity to be able to protect that much open space. I’m looking forward to the next steps.”

The latest in a series of videos showcasing Ocean City’s historic U.S. Life Saving Station 30 is available to view online. It features the invention by a woman, Martha Coston, of the Coston Flare. The flare, patented in 1859 which is still used today, signals those at sea of dangerous conditions and other pertinent information. It was also used during the Civil War by the U.S. Navy, according to historians. And the video not only highlights the accomplishment of Coston, but of three local women who helped create the video released in March. “It happens to coincide with Woman's History Month and I think it is a great story,” Martin Fiedler, of Just Right TV Productions, who is also an important part of the video series, said. Fiedler created the video series working with historian and Life Saving Station curator, John Loeper over the last year. The videos provide a look at the important role the Life Saving Station played in history and what -- and who-- contributed to its success...

The Ocean City Free Public Library is offering Spanish classes via Zoom by instructor Jeff Forney. Registration is required. Beginner Spanish Class Tuesdays, April 6th-June 8th 3 p.m. to 4 p.m...

After a year of a pandemic, a long winter and living in a time when virtual events replaced in-person gatherings, Saturday on the Ocean City Boardwalk gave visitors a feeling that the return to normalcy could be near. Families enjoyed the opening weekend at Playland’s Castaway Cove and Gillian’s Wonderland Pier amusement parks, as well as the arcades and shops on a mild, sunny day. There was even a new spin on the Great Egg Hunt, an annual spring tradition. The Boardwalk Merchants Association came up with a way to give children a fun time and an Easter Egg hunt.

Ocean City is rolling out more amenities for beachgoers this summer -- literally. Currently, there are 45 beach mats at the city's beach entrances and the goal is to have an additional 25 of them put down for the 2021 summer season, said Michael Allegretto, aide to Mayor Jay Gillian. The mats provide easier trips over the sand for those in wheelchairs, for the elderly and anyone else who needs to get on the beach safely and easily.

Excitement builds every year for suburban dwellers and city residents to head down to Ocean City for their dream summer vacation. And this year, as more and more people are getting their COVID-19 vaccinations and the world begins to open up, more comfort and confidence in spending a getaway at a shore rental property is abundantly clear. In fact, there are few rentals left to choose from because of increased consumer confidence. Goldcoast Sotheby’s International Realty, with 50 agents at the 34th Street location in Ocean City, has a recipe for success to ensure repeat renters and newcomers to the agency get into a home, townhome, or condo that suits their needs when the beach, surf and Boardwalk are calling.