By Greg Bassett

Sunday, May 26, 1996 --

• Some 550 people attended a retirement celebration for Judge Alfred T. Truitt Jr., held at Green Hill Yacht & Country Club. Truitt, a former Wicomico State’s Attorney and Public Defender, is retiring after hearing cases for 19 years on the Circuit Court bench. Born in 1927, Truitt is the son of a former Salisbury mayor. He is a graduate of Western Maryland College and the University of Maryland Law School. Retired Judge Lloyd “Hot Dog” Simpkins of Somerset County was master of ceremonies for the event.
• More than 100 people attended a Memorial Day observance held at American Legion Post No. 64 in West Salisbury. Speaker Pete Layfield told the crowd that Memorial Day is a time to honor those who died or were wounded in military service, while also recognizing those willing to fight for democratic principles.
• A federal judge has dismissed a challenge to Salisbury's new and broad-reaching billboard regulations. The decision could lead the city to force outdoor advertising companies to reduce the size of dozens of billboards – many strung along Route 13 in central Salisbury – by one-half or more. The ruling caps years of legal wrangling in what city officials call the public’s insistence that the city exert better control of billboards.
• Officials at Peninsula Regional Medical Center have unveiled a $3.5 million upgrade to their Radiology Oncology Center that includes the most-powerful linear accelerator available on the Eastern Shore. The center currently treats about 60 patients a day, but the renovations and new equipment will allow that number to be doubled.
• Salisbury’s Downtown District, enjoying a resurgence in business and traffic, appears to be running out of places for people to park. And, with Wicomico County’s new Health Department building expected to bring more than 125 workers Downtown when it opens this week, city officials could find themselves handing out maps to the outer parking lots. City officials have already approved $250,000 to buy land east of the Downtown Parking Garage which would allow an addition/expansion to the structure.
• The Wicomico County Council has completed its three-month budget process and kept the property tax rate at $2.25 per $100 of half of the assessed value. Ther $69.6 million spending plan raises the tipping fee at the landfill from $45 to $52 per ton and increases transfer station permits from $35 to $40. District 5 Republican Councilman Richard Adkins called the budget “a disgrace,” citing approval for the Sheriff’s Office to purchase new vehicles because of high odometer numbers within the fleet. Adkins repeated his previous criticisms that too many county employees – including deputies – use their take-home vehicles for personal travel.
• Delmarva Shorebirds General Manager Keith Luton said the team has no immediate plans to have a team mascot that would perform at its games. Fans have been asking for a mascot, with many people advocating a giant chicken. Lupton said that if team ownership decides a mascot is warranted, the media and public will be involved in the decision, much like when the team solicited public input on its name.
• Movies playing in Salisbury this week include “Mission Impossible” starring Tom Cruise, “Twister,” starring Helen Hunt and “Spy Hard,” starring Leslie Nielson at the Hoyts Centre At Salisbury; and “The Birdcage,” starring Robin Williams and “Toy Story” with Tom Hanks at the Hoyts Salisbury 6 Downtown.