By Greg Bassett

Friday, May 20, 1983 --

• Salisbury city officials celebrated the national recognition of a $1 million bridge that crosses the Wicomico River on South Division Street, across from the Salisbury Fire Department Headquarters. The bridge, completed in 1981, earned an “Award For Merit” from the American Institute of Street Construction. City Public Works Director Kenneth M. Haensler called the span “an engineering masterpiece.” 
• Maryland State Police are gearing up to begin sobriety checkpoints this Memorial Day Weekend. Gov. Harry Hughes has officially signed off on the highly controversial program, which seeks to stem drunken driving all through the summer months. Hughes said a pilot program that tested the checkpoints in December was successful and checkpoints should be implemented by individual State Police barracks across the state.
• Homeowners in the Johnson’s Pond neighborhood of Salisbury are once again airing complaints about the behavior of some people who use the swimming area off Lakeview Drive. Residents told the City Council this week that swimmers are trespassing on private property, changing clothes in public and relieving themselves in public. County health officials have already ordered the swim area closed for the 1983 swimming season, but Mayor W. Paul Martin Jr. has asked the Public Works Department to look into purchasing $6,000 of windmill-type in-water equipment that would improve water circulation. 
• In business news, James E. Shockley, Manager of the Downtown Salisbury branch of Maryland National Bank has been promoted to Assistant Vice President of Consumer and Commercial Lending. Jon P. Sherwell has been named Vice President of the Eastern Shore Region for First National Bank of Maryland. A graduate of the Maryland Bankers School, Sherwell leads First National’s Commercial Loans division in Salisbury.
• In the District 8 Tennis Championship held at Salisbury State College, James M. Bennett senior Charlotte Haberstroh scored a convincing 6-0. 60 triumph over Aprilo Lange of Parkside. In basketball, Brian Butler, star guard of the 20-5 Wicomico High School Indians, has been named to the Medalist Sports News 1983 All-Staters hoops team. A 6-foot 4-inch, four-year starter, Butler scored 341 points this season, despite missing nine games to an early-season leg injury.
• The names of four women have been submitted to Maryland Gov. Harry Hughes as the next appointee to the Wicomico Board of Education. The contenders are Karen Disharoon, Corrine S. LesCallette, Mary Jane Linn and Marlene Rinner. Wicomico Democratic Central Committee Chairman J.C. Parker said the four nominees were unanimous selections for the one open school board seat. School board members are limited to two terms or a total of 10 years.
• A special city revitalization committee has come up with another idea to promote the changing image of Downtown Salisbury. Beginning today and continuing through Salisbury, fresh strawberries will be offered for sale on the Downtown Plaza. However, merchants across Downtown will also be offering to customers who make a $15 purchase coupons that will make the strawberries free. The R/UDAT Action Group has arranged for the strawberries to be available on a large cart on the Downtown Plaza.