Bethany Beach News

Frankford’s own Josephine “Jo” Richardson was recently chosen as WBOC-TV’s 2010 Jefferson Award winner. The Jefferson Awards are a national recognition system honoring community and public service in America. Richardson will now represent the area at the national-level Jefferson Awards in June. Richardson and 15 other local Jefferson Award winners were honored last week in Salisbury, Md.

On Saturday, March 6, from 4 to 8 p.m., DiFebo’s Bistro on the Green at Bear Trap Dunes will be holding a Helping Hands for Haiti fundraiser.

The plan has had many incarnations, numerous public hearings and many discussions at town meetings, but Bethany Beach’s Streetscape project to beautify its downtown area has yet to see significant progress.

A coastal storm, combined with astronomical high tides and a full moon, has resulted in the National Weather Service issuing a coastal flood warning and a hazardous weather outlook for the Bethany Beach area. Minor coastal flooding during Wednesday morning’s high tide may elevate to moderate flooding on during the next high tide into Thursday.

Although snowflakes are few and far between in Delaware as of 3:30 p.m., Thursday, the National Weather Service predicts that snowfall will gradually increase over the state and continue through Thursday night into Friday. However, forecasts for accumulation have been lowered since early Thursday morning.

This week saw new developments in the case of Earl Bradley, and the pain that has been felt in the community in the wake of allegations of child sexual abuse by the Lewes pediatrician has only become more far-reaching.

In recent weeks, while most people in coastal Delaware were snowed in, staying warm and cozy in their own homes, United States Post Office employees were reporting for work.

There are plenty of ways to figure out what people want or feel. There’s guessing, assuming, statistical comparisons and history – or there is, simply, the tried and true method of asking them directly.

For some people it takes years of schooling and maybe even post graduate education and a trip backpacking through Europe before they figure out what they want to do with their lives. Even then, some never figure it out. And yet, for others, it seems they are born knowing just what they want to do and exactly how to get there.

Search efforts to find a Selbyville man who went missing from a Fenwick Island condo on Feb. 9 have been scaled back, according to Delaware State Police, but friends and family remain optimistic and hopeful for his safe return. Police said 29-year-old Gregory Forte was last seen at a condo with friends on South Carolina Avenue in Fenwick Island last Tuesday night, and his family is now offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to his safe return.

The State of Emergency in Delaware was lifted at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, by Gov. Jack Markell. But even as the state works to clean up and restore services following the back-to-back snow storms of this month, another snow event is threatening. With a possible arrival of Monday evening, the next storm could drop 8 inches or more of snow unless it shifts to a more northerly track, officials said.

Delaware remains under a State of Emergency on Friday morning, Feb. 12, 2010. The State of Emergency has been in effect since 12 midnight, Feb. 10. The travel bans contained in the original State of Emergency declared by Gov. Jack Markell that prohibited travel on Delaware roadways by non-essential vehicles were lifted on Thursday. The change was effective at noon on Feb.

State of Emergency remains in effect
 
Gov. Jack Markell has ordered the driving restrictions for Kent and Sussex counties to be lifted as of 6 p.m. tonight.  However, the State of Emergency will remain in effect for the entire state until further notice.  Earlier today, the governor and emergency officials lifted driving restrictions in New Castle County.  
 

Next Thursday, Feb. 18, state Rep. Gerald Hocker (R-38th) will welcome state Sen. George Howard Bunting (D-20th) to his monthly “Coffee’s on Me,” scheduled for Thursday evening, Feb. 18, at the Bethany Beach Fire Hall, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Those who’d like to forget the usual candy and flowers and do something different this Valentine’s Day weekend are in luck. The Indian River Life-Saving Station will be holding two programs this weekend, both perfect for sharing history with that special someone.

Despite the impending blizzard, members of eight local law enforcement agencies and fire companies, and members of the public, gathered at the Bistro at Bear Trap Dunes on Friday, Feb. 5, for the 2010 Joshua M. Freeman Valor Awards, honoring those departments and the esteemed individuals that, through them, serve the local communities.

Kent and Sussex counties are still removing disabled and abandoned vehicles from roads on their secondary and local back roads, state officials reported Thursday afternoon, noting that the vehicles have been hampering efforts to clear roads and respond to emergencies.

As of 9 a.m., officials announced Thursday morning, after consultation between the Governor’s Office and state and local emergency management officials, it was decided that the State of Emergency declared by Delaware Gov. Jack Markell will remain in effect today, February 11, 2010 as will the travel ban.

[UPDATE] Due to inclement weather, all Indian River School District schools will be closed on Friday, Feb. 12. All 12-month employees will be informed of their status at a later time, officials said.

Delaware’s frigid temperatures, high winds and recent snowfalls can be difficult for the more than 40 species of wintering songbirds that share the state’s nature resources, state officials reminded the public mid-week. Their food sources – nuts, seeds and berries – are harder for these small birds to locate and reach, especially when covered with large accumulations of snow.