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FALL TEAMS PREVIEWED Stephen Decatur High School squads kicked off their 2015 seasons this week – Page 33
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SEPTEMBER 11, 2015
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Officials retreat on new lot law Ban on drinking on business property dies after uproar
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY
It may not have been the busiest beach day of the season on Saturday, but it wasn’t for the lack of good weather, which drew hundreds of thousands of people to the resort for the Labor Day holiday. Businesses throughout Ocean City reported positive results for the weekend.
Labor Day ends traditional season on high note Good summer capped by good weather and good crowds in resort
By Brian Gilliland Staff Writer (Sept. 11, 2015) Sunny skies and clear weather paved the way for one of the best summers in years, according to local merchants and business leaders, culminating in an endof-summer Labor Day bonanza. “I think the crowds were fantastic and it had to be one of the busiest Labor Day weekends in a long time,” Mayor Rick Meehan said. “I was on the Boardwalk and up and down Coastal Highway and it was as crowded as I’ve ever seen it.” To his surprise, Meehan
said that crowd lingered. “A lot of people stayed late. [Monday] night I saw a surprising amount of people” still on the Boardwalk and still patronizing local businesses. Jessica Waters, the town’s communications manager, estimated the weekend crowd at 300,000, with a summer total of about 4 million. Last year, Labor Day fell on Sept. 1 and so counted as part of August for statistical purposes. Demoflush, the antiquated metric based upon wastewater generation to approximate population, estimates an increase of about 20,000 people year-over-year from last Labor Day weekend. Last year, because of the early Labor Day, most businesses characterized the weekSee BUSINESSES Page 9
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A family struggles to erect a pop-up tent in strong winds Saturday morning.
By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (Sept. 11, 2015) Ocean City’s proposal to give police broad new powers in controlling unruly automotive event spectators has come to a screeching halt. Facing a p a c k e d “Our goal is m e e t i n g to work with room full of everyone to skeptical solve a business problem, owners, the not create a City Council swung problem.” far away – Mayor Rick from its Meehan previous hardline stance during Tuesday night’s session, replacing the two most stringent measures against roadside revelry with a single new ordinance that will require properties to post signs reminding patrons that breaking the law is, well, illegal. “Over the weekend, there have been numerous conversations between the members of council and numerous phone calls from constituents concerned about the ordinances,” said Mayor and acting City Manager Rick Meehan. “Our goal is to work with everyone to solve a problem, not create a problem.” Further, the council also See CITY Page 5
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