Local News

At the Tuesday, June 30, town council workshop in Ocean View, Councilman Richard Nippes said that he understood the reciprocal relationship between the Bethany Beach Police Department and Ocean View police but asked OVPD Chief Ken McLaughlin what their relationship was with the state police, in an attempt to understand OVPD’s duties regarding response to calls outside town limits.

After much discussion, the Fenwick Island Town Council this week voted down on a first reading a sanitation ordinance that would have required commercial Dumpsters in the town be screened with fencing.

Non-resident voting was a hot topic at the town council workshop in Ocean View on Tuesday, June 30. Mayor Gordon Wood said it was the single most important issue for the town, and Councilman Richard Nippes laid out his reasons for wanting the change.

The Sussex County Council unanimously on June 23 approved a slate of fee increases requested by county Sheriff Eric D. Swanson to help offset increasing costs incurred by the office for its work reclaiming property and selling foreclosed real estate.

The Citizen’s Advisory Committee – one of two standing committee to the Center for Inland Bays – heard on June 24 from outgoing Indian River High School senior Crystal Wright, about the school’s schoolyard habitat, as well as from Fenwick Island Town Councilman Todd Smallwood about Fenwick Island’s stormwater management and from Sussex County Councilwoman Joan Deaver.

The skies over coastal Delaware will light up over the Fourth of July holiday weekend with a variety of pyrotechnics displays.

Mushrooms are sometimes overlooked as a healthy choice when it comes to picking ingredients for the dining table. They can be oddly shaped and typically grow on dead or rotting wood and compost. They are, after all, a type of fungus.

In the last 30 years or so, the population of Delaware’s coastal area has exploded. Much of what used to be wetlands has been paved over, making room for housing developments and condos, or covered by those structures themselves. As the natural landscape is altered further and further from a natural state, rain water must find new ways to reach the water table and drain out to sea and bay.

In terms of green projects, there are involved projects such as solar panels or rooftop windmills, wherein a return on investment can be calculated out to the penny, depending on the system, the geography, any rebates offered, and, of course, time. And then there is green that simply makes good financial sense right away.

As the nation has seen an upturn in more people struggling with everyday needs, such as keeping a roof over their head and having sufficient food to eat, there has been a renewed interest in “back to basics” living.

With the heart of the summer arriving, Bethany Beach is certainly livening up, and much of this year’s attention is focused on the town’s most recognizable difference: the newly constructed Blue Surf condos and shops along the Bethany Boardwalk. The structure situated on the plot of land wedged at the corner of Garfield Parkway and the boardwalk has been transformed from a landmark half-century-old motel into a three-story commercial and residential mixed-use establishment.

For Craig Littleton, who was born and raised in the Bethany Beach area, it feels good to be working with the one thing that makes the beach what it is — the sun. Littleton, a former construction industry project manager, is now owner/operator of Project Resources, a solar and wind company located right at the foot of the Assawoman Canal bridge, just west of Bethany Beach.

“Angel of Mine,” local author Joann Namorato’s second book, tells a much lighter story than that in her first. Namorato’s first book, “The Long Road Home,” was written after her experience working at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Namorato had worked as a paralegal in New York City before relocating to Selbyville in 2004.

This weekend, as the nation celebrates its independence, local towns aren’t holding back. There are a multitude of events and activities to attend and in which the public can participate, in honor of the July 4 holiday.

Fourth of July festivities at the Freeman Summer Stage at Bayside will kick off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, and Friday, July 3, with two performances of the Olney Theatre’s musical “Ain’t Misbehavin” and a special free concert by the Dirty Sock Funtime Band on Saturday, July 4, at 10 a.m.

Topping last year’s award-winning performance at the United States Lifeguarding Association’s Nationals competition in Manhattan Beach, Calif., is a challenge for the Fenwick Island squad, headed by 20-year captain Tim Ferry, but that’s not stopping them from trying. As the lifeguards of the Fenwick Island Beach Patrol (FIBP) get into the summer season, they’re taking their Friday-morning training from the beach to strengthen themselves at World Gym in Ocean View.

While the majority of the Fourth of July holiday festivities are getting under way this weekend, some have already taken place. The 1st Annual Firecracker 5K was held this past Sunday in Bethany Beach, benefitting the 25th anniversary edition of the Bethany Beach Fourth of July Parade, scheduled for this Friday, July 3, starting at noon.

The Delaware State Golf Association (DSGA) Amateur Championships came to Cripple Creek Country Club in Dagsboro these past two weeks, and with them, they brought a plethora of talent.

Local residents and visitors depend on the area’s fire companies day in and day out for the safety of their friends, family and loved ones. That protection relies heavily on community involvement, especially through volunteer companies. And the Roxana Volunteer Fire Company was able to capitalize on a major donation made by a lifetime member – a contribution that will help them serve the community into the future.

The much-anticipated repairs to Bethany Beach’s damage shoreline were finally completed two weeks ago, after months of delays as the project waited on the finish of periodic renourishment in Dewey Beach – a project plagued by delays since winter.

Public comments at Tuesday night’s Indian River School Board meeting at Sussex Central High School never directly referenced the recent arrests of two SCHS teachers on sex-related charges involving students at the school, or last year’s dismissal of then-principal Dana Goodman following his arrest on charges also involving a sexual relationship with a SCHS student. But comments from those who spoke on June 23 did focus on bringing pride back to the school, the necessity for structure, rules and consistency, and the need to heal.

It has been more than a year and a half since Bethany Beach Planning Commission members were presented with a sketch plan for a subdivision consisting of 18 single-family homes on the combined properties of the Addy and Cooper families at 67 and 69 Kent Avenue, south of the South Coastal Library.

For someone not well-versed in county politics, the Sussex County Council’s recent decisions to deny both a conditional-use application for a parcel near Double Bridges Road and a change of zone for a parcel near Muddy Neck Road might have seemed a clear-cut victory for the voice of opposition. Around 400 people either spoke or wrote letters in opposition to the Muddy Neck proposal alone, in an effort organized by a dedicated few, and the council vote to deny the applications supported their position. End of story, right?

Flags throughout the state were lowered to half-staff this week, marking the death on Tuesday, June 23, of Delaware Senate President Pro Tempore Thurman G. Adams Jr., a Bridgeville Democrat who had represented the 19th senate legislative district – the towns of Georgetown, Milton, Ellendale, Bridgeville, Greenwood, their environs and the area north of Millsboro – for 37 years.

This summer, local art sensation Ellen Rice is celebrating the success of her gallery in Ocean View, a staple in the local art scene for over the past decade, and this coming Wednesday, July 1, she’s welcoming customers, old and new, as well as the general public, to commemorate the season. From 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., Ellen Rice will be hosting a “Welcome Summer Anniversary Party,” complete with catered food, a wine tasting and live entertainment.

Sussex Smiles recently gave a $7,000 donation to Delmarva Rural Ministries for their dental services at their Kent Community Health Center.

The Bethany Beach Farmers’ Market is ready to kick off its 2009 season this weekend, and this year, they’re bringing a little more to the plate.

Funding for the annual Fourth of July parade in Bethany Beach is a far cry from where it has been in the past, but that hasn’t stopped Philip Rossi – chairman of the all-volunteer parade organizers – from assembling one of the best parades yet. This year, the parade is turning a quarter-century young and, amid renowned musical entertainment, a grand assembly of floats and bikes and fun for the entire family, the anticipation is still there.

For many passersby, the big sign already gave it away, but for those who missed it, Blossoms, a full-service flower shop, quietly moved inland, to the town of Dagsboro, this past Memorial Day weekend.