Bethany Beach

An unnamed storm that lashed the area with high winds and heavy rain late last week, combined with the offshore force of Hurricane Kyle, caused significant beach erosion and flooding along the Delaware coast and inland bays.

An unnamed storm that lashed the area with high winds and heavy rain late last week caused significant beach erosion and flooding along the Delaware coast and inland bays. The late-September storm, despite falling during hurricane season and exhibiting counterclockwise rotation, was not classified as a tropical system but as simply a low-pressure system and therefore was not named.

Bethany Beach’s town hall will soon honor past town council members, with a unanimous vote by the current council on Sept. 19 to spend about $26,000 to create a “memorial wall” that will list members of the council from 1923 to the present — and on into the future.

For years, Bethany Blues has established themselves as one of the most talked-about restaurants in the region. And in upcoming weeks, they will be giving back to the community in a big way.

The Board of Directors for the Center for Inland Bays bypassed a resolution put forth by the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and instead passed a different motion, with a vote of 3-2.

Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) Secretary Carolann Wicks, state and local officials, residents and others were on hand at a Sept. 17 event to unveil the design for a new bridge over the Indian River Inlet and present the selected design/build team — Skanska USA Civil Southeast — to the public.

Life undoubtedly works in mysterious ways, and no one knows that better than Ray Butler and his family. Only two months ago, Butler — a devoted husband and father of three kids, sixth-grade social studies teacher at Millsboro Middle School and football coach — was diagnosed with cancer.

The spirit of Billy Powell will be celebrated on Saturday, Oct. 4, in Bethany Beach. Powell, a 1972 graduate of Indian River High School in Frankford, and a past Bethany Beach lifeguard and captain, died of melanoma in September 1983 at the age of 28.

The Sussex County Emergency Operations Center mid-week was monitoring a developing storm system off the eastern United States that threatened to bring heavy rain, gusty winds, and prolonged higher-than-normal tides to the region for the next several days.

After serving two years as the mayor of Bethany Beach, Councilwoman Carol Olmstead stepped aside Wednesday, opening the floor for any of five of her fellow council members to take the lead role in the town’s government.

On Wednesday, Sept. 17, many area professionals and residents had their questions (and prayers) answered as state and local officials unveiled the new plans for the long-anticipated Indian River Inlet Bridge project.

For Kay Ryan, running for representative for the state’s 38th District will be like an extension of the last seven years of her life before her retirement.

It’s hard to miss the Little Red School House, complete with an antique school bell on top, on Bayard Road. The building, which blends in with the scenery and looks as if it were an actual restored school house, was, in fact, built just 20 years ago by owner/teacher “Miss Debbie” Jahnigen and her family.

By popular demand, Old World Breads is now available at Good Earth Market in Clarksville. On Fridays and Saturdays, Steve Kogler’s Old World Breads, famously known and sought-after at the area farmers’ markets — especially for the cinnamon shorties — will be sold at Good Earth on Route 26.

Earlier this summer, on July 17, 29-year-old Megan Hammel was tragically killed in a car accident at Five Points in Lewes, leaving behind three children, all younger than 8. This week, musicians, business owners and members of the community will come together for a benefit like none other, in hopes of giving her children the life she wanted for them.

After serving two years as the mayor of Bethany Beach, Councilwoman Carol Olmstead stepped aside Wednesday, opening the floor for any of five of her fellow council members to take the lead role in the town’s government. Declining Vice-Mayor Tony McClenny’s nomination to continue as mayor, she then nominated the two-year vice-mayor to take her place – a proposition that won the support of most of the council, with a 5-2 vote.

Two of three incumbents seeking re-election to the Bethany Beach Town Council were ousted on Saturday, with Vice-Mayor Tony McClenny the only incumbent on the ballot to retain his seat.

With Tropical Storm Hanna already clear of the Delmarva Peninsula as late afternoon and evening arrived on Saturday, Sept. 6, residents and visitors alike turned out by the dozens to check out the storm-tossed waves of the Atlantic and see what, if any, damage had been left in the storm’s wake.

Two of three incumbents seeking re-election to the Bethany Beach Town Council were ousted on Saturday, with Vice-Mayor Tony McClenny the only incumbent on the ballot to retain his seat. And, after narrowly failing to unseat Mayor Carol Olmstead in 2007, resident Margaret Bogan Young finally made good on her efforts to join the council, topping the final vote count at more than 50 votes ahead of her nearest competitor, McClenny. Young and McClenny will be joined on the council by returning member Lew Killmer, who did not seek re-election in 2007 but aimed to rejoin the council after a year off, and by Budget & Finance Committee member Jack Gordon.

Update, Sept. 6, 7:14 p.m. -- With Tropical Storm Hanna clear of the Delmarva Peninsula as late afternoon and evening arrived on Saturday, residents and visitors alike turned out by the dozens to check out the storm-tossed waves of the Atlantic and see what, if any, damage had been left in the storm's wake. By and large, the answer to that question was none -- a puddle here, a pile of pinecones and twigs there, and mild to moderate erosion to the front sections of the area's reconstructed beaches.

The Sussex County Emergency Operations Center is continuing to monitor the movement of Tropical Storm Hanna, which is forecast to track along the East Coast this weekend and bring gusty winds and heavy rain to Delaware. Forecasters expect Tropical Storm Hanna to pass just to the east of Delaware’s coast on Saturday. However, as the storm’s center moves northward, the system is expected to reach far enough inland to spread heavy rain and strong winds across Sussex County. Rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches, with winds up to 40 mph, are possible. Gusts could reach 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

While the annual Bethany Beach Boardwalk Art Festival has traditionally has enjoyed great weather, Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce representatives on Friday morning announced the cancellation of this Saturday's 2008 festival, due to the expected arrival of Tropical Storm Hanna in the area sometime Saturday evening.

Note: This event has been canceled due to Tropical Storm Hanna.

Note: Bethany Beach officials confirmed Friday that scheduled voting in town council elections on Saturday would take place as planned, between noon and 6 p.m. at the town hall, regardless of the weather.

The Delaware Department of Justice confirmed this week that former Bethany Beach police officer Robert L. Talbot pleaded guilty in Sussex County Superior Court on Wednesday, Aug. 27, to one count of Theft by False Pretense and one count of Offering a False Instrument for Filing.

Joan Thompson and Kent Kneisel weren’t really planning a big remodeling project at the year-old Bethany Beach location for their boutique Anything Goes, but one motorist this week didn’t leave them any choice.

Officials at the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center announced Wednesday that they were closely monitoring Tropical Storms Hanna, Ike and Josephine in the Atlantic Ocean.

Delaware Electric Cooperative is asking all Delaware Electric Co-op members to voluntarily conserve or limit energy usage between the hours of 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, when its membership is expected to be using the greatest amount of electricity and, as a result, when the cooperative expects to be purchasing power from the market at extremely high prices.

Having all but closed the books on a complete zoning code overhaul that has taken years, Bethany Beach planning commissioners are now looking at a whole new slate of issues that they — and the town council — believe need to be tackled in the near future.

Jamie Idzi is not your typical small-business owner. After graduating from high school in 2004, Idzi started vacationing in Bethany Beach from her home city of Baltimore, Md. While in Bethany, Idzi worked at the downtown dog boutique Yuppy Puppy. And when she was later presented with a chance to buy the store, she decided it was the right move for her.