Monday, Feb. 15, 1999 --

• Officials at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center anticipate generating more than $500,000 in revenue this year, thanks to a new partnership with businesses to co-promote events coming to the center. Businesses can pay a fee to advertise inside the arena during events, and the money from those advertisers can be used to help with the costs of hosting and promoting events. The County Council voted last year to stop using tax money to co-promote events. The council contributed $348,637 last year to allow the center to break even.
• A tanker truck carrying more than 6,000 gallons of fuel collided with a pickup truck in front of the Super Soda Center on Route 50 in Salisbury, spewing gasoline into nearby storm drains, closing the roadway and threatening the lives of emergency crews. As firefighters and police worked precariously to stop the flow of gas, onlookers stood by in amazement that the tanker didn’t explode. The pickup truck’s engine and headlines were running for several minutes after the crash – any spark could have ignited the fuel leak and spread to fuel pumps just a few feet away at the service station.
• Wicomico schools officials said the new Salisbury Middle School will be the most modern in the county’s school system – from education theory to computer technology. According to Facilities Engineer and Planner Brian Foret, classrooms will be clustered by grades, with 6th-, 7th- and 8th-graders housed in separate wings of the building. The different grades will only interact during bus rides, lunch and special classes, such as art, shop or gym. “It’s like a school within a school,” said Stephen Peters, who is slated to serve as Principal.
• Hal Chernoff has sold his popular Round 1 Bagel Shop on South Salisbury Boulevard to Mark Austin. The new owner has said he will keep everything the same and no employees will be affected. Chernoff will devote more time to his other passion, Main Street Boxing Gym.
• Friends and former colleagues of Coulbourn Dykes will show their appreciation for the former city Police Chief and his 18 years of community service at an event at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. Dykes joined the Salisbury department in 1970 and was named Chief in 1982 by then-Mayor Elmer Ruark. He is credited with establishing the city’s first special weapons and tactical team, while also organizing the Wicomico County Narcotics Task Force.