By Greg Bassett

Saturday, April 15, 1995 --

• Salisbury Police Chief Coulbourne Dykes said his department’s new mounted patrol is on schedule to deploy in time for the Salisbury Festival, during the first week of May. For the past few months, four officers and Lt. George Noonan have been training on horseback. The officers on horses will patrol Downtown Salisbury, City Park and neighborhoods.
• Perdue Farms CEO Don Mabe has stepped down as Chairman of the Peninsula Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees and turned the gavel over to Salisbury real estate broker Hugh P. “Murph” McLaughlin. Mabe served as board chair for four years and was ineligible for re-election. During Mabe’s tenure, the medical center changed its name to more accurately reflect the level of care it provides, while also improving its Critical Care Services and Emergency/Trauma Center.
• Movies playing this weekend in Salisbury include “Major Payne,” “Tommy Boy” and “The Goofy Movie” at the Hoyts Cinemas 10 at the Centre At Salisbury mall; and “Forrest Gump,” “Muriel’s Wedding” and “Dumb and Dumber” at the Hoyts Salisbury 6 in Downtown Salisbury.
• David and Hannah Miller, the owners of Ethan Allen in Downtown Salisbury, have named a new design and sales staff. They are: Steve Strott, Mary Alice Brittingham, George J. Wilkins, Ellen Callaway, Donna Powell Katz, Nancy Tubb  and Robin Meadows.
• Several residents of the East Church Street neighborhood in Salisbury gathered to eat hot dogs, enjoy the spring sunshine and promote a renewed interest in their neighborhood. “We are concerned because the area gets a lot of bad press for drugs, crime and dilapidated houses,” said Nestor Bleech, who lives on East Church Street. To change that image, residents sponsored a small block party at the Salisbury Police Substation. About 80 neighborhood residents turned out for the event.
• The Eastern Shore Regional Library in Downtown Salisbury is installing computers with partial access to the Internet for the benefit of county residents. Technical personnel are in the process of installing personal computers and telephone modems that will connect library patrons with other libraries, as well as multiple educational institutions.
• Salisbury Mayor W. Paul Martin Jr. announced the city’s budget for fiscal 1996 will be especially lean. Martin has proposed sharp cuts in spending offset by increases in trash collection fees, and water and sewer fees. The Mayor said the city’s tax rate of $1.60 per $100 of assessed value will remain unchanged.
• Construction continues on a new chain restaurant located in the west parking lot at the Centre At Salisbury mall. The Olive Garden Italian Restaurant is being constructed by Deerfield Construction Co. of Loveland, Ohio. At 9,000-square-feet, the eatery will seat 327 diners and is expected to open for business May 21.