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A fire that began in the Acme parking garage at Eighth Street and West Avenue in Ocean City on Sunday shut down the supermarket, according to a news release from the city. At 12:55 p.m., the Fire Department responded for a report of fire in the parking garage underneath the store. The store was evacuated, but there was no injuries to any customer, employee or firefighter, officials said.

The Ocean City Sports and Civic Center is a popular venue for athletics and special events and has been for years. However, from the look of the outside and inside of the building, it was clear that it needed a bit of TLC, city officials said. Which is why construction crews are transforming the dated building with a $2.2 million renovation to showcase what it can and will look like.

Shoppers seemed to delight in Day One of Ocean City's first ever Winterfest by the Sea, which features an array of local vendors with specialty foods, clothing and household items. And it didn’t seem to matter to the crowd of patrons who browsed, while adhering to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, that the weather Friday was damp and chilly. The open-air market continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the practice field next to the Sports & Civic Center at 6th Street and the Boardwalk.

Each holiday season Ocean City’s downtown is adorned in wreaths, red bows, garland-wrapped lamp posts and other accents to create that old-fashioned, magical feel that attracts visitors and residents to shop local in a winter wonderland. This year, perhaps as much as when the city began decorating the downtown in 2012, it is vital to lift the spirits of visitors, create a heartwarming escape from the pandemic and boost business for local merchants. "The downtown decorations first went up in 2012 shortly after Superstorm Sandy devastated Ocean City,” explained Ocean City Public Information Officer Doug Bergen. “They were an important symbol that year of a small-town community working together to help residents and businesses rebuild."

Members of the military were remembered, celebrated and honored during a Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday at the Ocean City Tabernacle. Ocean City’s Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Commander Mike Morrissey and American Legion Commander Bob Marzulli delivered keynote addresses. They each gave remarks that seemed to resonate with the audience in the somber ceremony -- in a year of a pandemic, loss and uncertainty.

With COVID-19 cases on the rise in the county and the country, Ocean City school district leaders are being proactive in their message to local families that they are strictly adhering to safety guidelines to prevent the spread of the virus. In effort to have complete transparency, they decided to release statistics weekly to keep people informed. Despite preventative measures, cases are on the rise in Cape May County and there have been cases involving Ocean City students and staff members contracting the coronavirus, Schools Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Taylor said in a statement posted Monday on the school district’s website.

The Ocean City Free Public Library historically has been a hub of community activity, offering entertainment, learning tools and, of course, books in all forms from traditional to e-books. COVID-19 did not stop that. However, it did alter the way the library gives patrons all that they have been accustomed to enjoying.

A dead and decaying 30-foot, two-ton humpback whale stuck in the mud between Sea Isle City and Avalon in Townsends Inlet isn't moving anywhere anytime soon, but eventually the removal of the carcass will be someone or some city's rather large problem. A tracking device placed on the carcass was removed since the whale is not able to be pulled from the sediment.

For anyone who headed to Ocean City’s beaches and Boardwalk Saturday, they might forget that it is nearing the holidays. If the wreaths and bright red bows did not adorn the Music Pier, one might think it was just another sunny, warm fall day. Families who packed away beach gear, toted towels, shovels, and other items to occupy their kids, while they bask in the mild weather as temperatures reached the mid-70s. “We like to come down as much as possible. Ocean City is our favorite place,” said Sarah Thompson, of Ambler, Pa. Thompson, along with her husband, Harry, and their children, Benny, 3, and 10-year-old Isaac, took in the sights at the Ninth Street Beach, after a day of Boardwalk strolling and a visit to an amusement park. “We thought it would be good to get the kids out for a fun trip,” Sarah Thompson said. The kids enjoyed playing on the beach above everything else on their day’s itinerary, Thompson noted. “I like the beach so much. I love digging in the sand,” said fourth-grader Isaac...

City Council last night approved the first reading of a bond ordinance that would pay for the design of a new public safety building at the site of our existing Ocean City Fire Department station at 550 Asbury Avenue. This is one of the first steps in a process that would lead to a combined facility for our firefighters and EMTs, police, emergency dispatchers, municipal court, and emergency management operations. Anybody interested in learning more about this project can watch our town hall meeting presentation here. I have instructed our city team to eliminate the use of chemical pesticides on all city property for 2021. We will experiment with organic products out of an abundance of caution in protecting the environment and the health of our residents. I’m sad to report on the passing of James “JR” Robinson, a friend of mine and active member of Ocean City’s VFW Post 6650. Many of you may know JR from his regular attendance at the Boardwalk flag-raising ceremony in Ocean City. Some may not know that JR received two Purple Hearts and Presidential Unit Citation for his heroism in the Vietnam War...