Local News

Update-- At 3:00p.m. today Bethany Beach was to be closed to all beach related activities (swimming, fishing, etc.) until conditions improve.

Coastal Delaware residents and municipalities were preparing mid-week for at least a brush with Hurricane Earl, as the major hurricane continued on its track northwest through the Atlantic. Earl’s closest approach to Delaware was expected to occur Friday afternoon, about 175 miles from the coast, and a hurricane watch was issued by the National Weather Service mid-day on Sept. 1. A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning remain in effect as of mid-day Thursday, Sept. 2.

After receiving multiple inquiries in recent weeks regarding reported work stoppages, false-work settlement and concrete cracking at the new Indian River Bridge, Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) Secretary Carolann Wicks released a statement this week addressing those concerns.

Ocean View and Millville officials this week confirmed that discussion of the possibility of joint policing of the towns has continued this summer, despite the cancelation of one planned meeting and a lack of externally visible movement on the issue.

On Friday, Aug. 27, the Fenwick Island town council held its regular monthly meeting, and Councilman Gene Langan presented a brief update on the preliminary design phase of the town’s future Public Service Building.

The Town of Ocean View and owners of three parcels that had been requested to be rezoned for commercial use recently reached a settlement on the issue after the town’s denial of two of three applications was challenged in court.

The Indian River School Board is not cutting Adult Education courses, said district representative Dave Maull. Rather, they are going ahead with the fall session, and – on the condition that the classes can become self-sustaining – will offer the usual winter and spring sessions, too.

The Ocean View Town Council held a special workshop on Aug. 31 to review and discuss the town’s existing Land Use and Development Code.

Indian River Power LLC recently filed a permit application with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) to stabilize 4,863 linear feet of shoreline along Indian River and Island Creek at Burton Island in Millsboro with rip-rap revetment.

Southern Sussex Rotary heard from invited guest U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper on Thursday, Aug. 27, regarding health care and recent insurance reforms. Carper explained that the idea of larger purchasing pools that the Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce put it motion a few years back was something he had talked up and “didn’t forget about.”

Children who have enjoyed the weekly lessons on marine life, wetlands and other fun outdoor activities at the Bethany Beach Nature Center – and those that have yet to see what the fuss is about – are being invited on a special free guided kayak tour through the inland bays on Saturday, Sept. 11.

There’s nothing quite as “green” as eating food that was grown locally, in an outdoor setting, enjoying all that Mother Nature has to offer. It seems miles away from rushing through a well-lit drive-through or even eating a home-cooked meal with ingredients from who-knows-where.

Imagine going to a local grocery store and buying produce that was grown directly on the store’s roof. This is precisely the type of innovation that Ryan Bunting and Derek Dutton, inventors of patent-pending AquaGreen Roofing systems, dream of.

As Trudy Fox styled Marilyn Denny’s hair at Millville’s Hair Snippery recently, she said, “I’m really looking forward to showing my jewelry at the yART Sale again. You know there’s a change this year: It’ll be two days, both the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend.”

Ocean View resident Joseph Stewart holds the rank of two-star general in the Marine Corps and as a vice-admiral, or three-star general, in the United States Maritime Service. Stewart served as the United States Merchant Marine Academy’s (USMMA) ninth superintendent and, upon his retirement in 2008, the Academy commissioned to have his portrait painted so it may hang in Wiley Hall – the chief administrative center for the Academy and former home of Walter Chrysler, in Kings Point, N.Y.

David and Janet Twining seized instant success with Nantucket’s restaurant in Fenwick Island when they opened it up 20 years ago, reproducing the taste and charms of New England. This summer, they’ve done it again with the trendy and casual Lobster Shanty, offering a funky twist on the nation’s northeastern region.

Women love to shop.

The physicality of Indian River’s varsity football team seems to be showing improvement as the team nears its 2010 season debut, but head coach Jim Bunting is hoping that the mental aspect of the game peaks in time for the season’s start, as well. The Indians have been able to push past Cape Henlopen in the past two season’s openers – last year by a 24-point margin – but with a challenging schedule ahead of them, there’s no room for errors.

Indian River’s varsity field hockey team still has more than a week before their regular opens up, but first-year head coach Cheryl Carey is taking full advantage of the team’s preseason to ensure that the girls are where they need to be.

Based on experience alone, the Indian River varsity soccer team would seem to stand the best chance at making a run for the conference title – if not the state title, as well. The 22-man roster consists of 13 seniors, for whom this year is their last to push for the Delaware state championship.

In the summertime, if 22-year-old Taylor Thornton isn’t in the ocean, he isn’t himself. The West Chester University senior has focused his studies on nutrition and food science in the classroom, but the knowledge he’s acquired through his experience on the water is something he could never get at school. He’s found a way to meld his love for both surfing and fishing into an exhilarating sport, and this past week alone, he landed six sharks in South Bethany – one nearly 7 feet in length and weighing more than 200 pounds.

Key returning players and a new offensive scheme are hoped come together this year for Indian River’s varsity volleyball team, which is looking to improve on last season’s 4-11 record. Head coach Mark Sewell and assistant coach Phil Mead are also optimistic about the team’s new positive attitude, which has been apparent at practices and scrimmages during the preseason.

The Town of Millville held its monthly town council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 24, at which representatives from the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) presented the preliminary plans for the first phase of the town’s streetscape project.

Sussex County Council at their Aug. 24 meeting voted to approve a Hazardous Mitigation Plan update for the county.

Some area businesspeople got to sit down and pick the brain of U.S. Sen. Tom Carper on Friday, Aug. 21. Mike Nally of Miken Builders, along with some of his staff, and Mike Jahnigan of the Sun Group of Businesses, with some of his staff, each met with the senator to talk shop.

The Sussex County Economic Development Office is encouraging all Sussex County residents and businesses to participate in a survey regarding perceptions and concerns about the overall business climate in the state.

On Wednesday, Aug. 6, the Town of Ocean View received the ruling from the Delaware Court of Chancery in a case filed by a resident who had refused to connect to the town’s central water system. The ruling was in favor of the town, and Mayor Gordon Wood called it a “slam dunk for the town.”

When tourists come to the Delaware beaches, clean air and water is not something many of them think about. It is seen more as a given that the air is pure and the water is clear. That’s one of the beauties of the area – right?

The football preseason is well under way, from the pros down to the high schools. The weeks leading up to the season’s opening kickoff not only offer coaching staffs a glimpse at the bevy of new talent coming together alongside returning stars, they provide players with the chance to work off the rust, fix the kinks and shake the cobwebs that develop over months away from the gridiron. Such is the case for Indian River head coach Jim Bunting, who said he is pleased to see plenty of young talent stepping up, as well as some familiar faces returning with maturity and leadership.

If ever there was a season that should belong to Indian River’s boys’ varsity soccer team, this is it. With only two starters graduated from last year’s roster, the talent is still high for the Indians. Two of Indian River’s losses on the pitch last fall came from the defending state champion, Caravel – one by way of a second-round elimination in the DIAA state tournament. Missteps at the start of the season against Salesianum and late in the schedule against Seaford may have been discouraging for the Indians, but the rest of the season exhibited skill and talent that head coach Steve Kilby will be looking for again as this season readies for its start.