Millville

For the fourth year in a row, Beebe Medical Center has received the Healthgrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence. Beebe is the only hospital on Delmarva to receive the award four years running, and the distinction puts them in the top 5 percent of hospitals nationwide.

Same-sex marriage? Check. Gun control? Check. IRSD referendum? Check.

On the cold, rainy afternoon of Jan. 18, about 40 emergency responders geared up at Ocean View Police Department to prepare for an event they hope never happens. They were finishing a two-day seminar on managing casualties in a large-scale emergency.

The Millville Town Council voted this week to spend $7,500 to have a Wilmington company design a fire-suppression system for town hall. The council for years has talked about the sprinkler system, and the Town has had money budgeted for design and installation of such a system since last year.

There’s a new advisor in town — as Hoover Financial Services opened its doors to the public, offering more than three decades of experience. In November, David Hoover opened his second financial services office in Millville.

For its 100th birthday, the American Cancer Society is coming to the beach. The organization’s signature Relay for Life will make tracks May 10 with an overnight walk at Camp Barnes.

It’s a new year, and as they say, ‘Out with the old, and in with the new,’ which is exactly what Hocker’s and G&E have done, with a revamped Hocker’s Gold Card and gasoline now coming from Liberty Gas.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Thursday afternoon through late Thursday night, Jan. 17, projecting snow accumulations of between 2 and 6 inches.

Delaware State Police detectives have arrested four suspects in a home-invasion robbery that occurred in Plantation Park near Frankford on Thursday evening.

For the past five years, Mariner’s Bethel United Methodist Church in Ocean View has been offering a different kind of service during the holiday season — because, while the Christmas season is one of joy and hope for many, for some it may be a sad time of year.

The Millville Town Council voted this week to approve a right-of-entry agreement with DelDOT that will allow DelDOT to enter the Town’s property to begin construction of the Route 26 Mainline Improvement project, after having discussed the agreement in detail at their Nov. 27 workshop. The right-of-entry agreement will allow DelDOT to proceed with construction while compensation negotiations are still ongoing.

For more than a decade, Mariner’s Bethel United Methodist Church has been offering the community a chance to share in the Christmas story, through their Live Nativity.

There is always someone on that holiday gift list who has everything and is just impossible to buy for — so why not think outside the box this season and get them a custom-made surfboard? Or, if surfing is not their thing, there is always something to be found at Millville Town Peddler in Millville, a shop with “a little bit of everything!”

Construction of the Route 26 Mainline Project won’t begin for at least another year, but residents and business people in the area have made it clear they want the project to conclude as quickly as possible.

Millville Town Manager Debbie Botchie reported this week that Dollar General has plans to be open by the end of November, to a collective statement of “impressive” that could be heard from several town council members at their Nov. 19 meeting, should that actually be the case.

From South Bethany to Bethany, Ocean View to Dagsboro, little Southeastern Sussex is full of artists willing and able to open up their working studios and galleries to people who are interested in seeing them in action, creating their masterpieces. This weekend, as they have for the past 18 years, artists will welcome guests to start the holiday season right after Thanksgiving.

For two weeks, a large traffic sign has warned Millville-area motorists that Windmill Road is next in the Route 26 Detour Routes project. The Delaware Department of Transportation will close the road near Millville Town Hall at 7 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 19, and is scheduled to reopen it Jan. 7, 2013.

Walter Gordon “Gordy” Allen served in three major wars, graduating from West Point during World War II and rising to the rank of colonel, but the Millville resident is always more interested in talking about his grandfather, a Delaware legend.

On Oct. 30, Gov. Jack Markell announced that after much concern, it has been determined that the Charles W. Cullen Bridge, also known as the Indian River Inlet Bridge, did not sustain any structural damage during Hurricane Sandy.

After anticipating Hurricane Sandy for days in advance, expecting the worst and hoping for the best, the area was hit with winds and rain from the brunt of the storm for most of the day and into the night on Monday as she made landfall near Atlantic City, N.J. In our area, there was widespread coastal and inland flooding, downed limbs and trees, but for the most part, the state faired well as a whole.

A coastal flood warning is in effect until midnight Monday night, as the eye of Hurricane Sandy is expected to make landfall south of Atlantic City, N.J., according to National Weather Service officials. A flood watch is in effect through Tuesday afternoon. A high wind warning is in effect from 8 a.m. Monday to 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Gov. Jack Markell has ordered a Level 2 Driving Restriction begining as of 5 a.m., Monday, October 29,2012.

The Delaware National Guard is continuing to position troops and equipment as #SandyDE approaches.

The Edison Electric Institute, the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies, offered the following tips for local residents ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Sandy and the anticipated related power outages:

If a severe storm is approaching:
Visit your local electric company’s Web site for the latest updates and guidance on how to prepare for storms.

High water across Route 1 north of Indian River Inlet Bridge has forced Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) to begin the process of closing Route 1 between Dewey & Bethany Beach. Please share with others who may be affected.

Gov. Jack Markell has issued a limited state of emergency and a mandatory evacuation order for flood-prone area within .75 miles of Sussex County’s coastline and major waterways, effective at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, as Hurricane Sandy continues to threaten the Mid-Atlantic region with strong winds, severe tidal flooding and torrential rains that could span Sunday to Tuesday.

Beebe Medical Center has announced Hurricane Sandy-related cancellations, including:
• All elective surgery and elective cardiac catheterizations scheduled for Monday, Oct. 29, will be canceled.
• All Beebe satellite locations, including the Beebe Health Campus and departments that operate Monday-through-Friday schedules, will be closed on Monday, Oct. 29, as well.

Gov. Jack Markell announced at 5 p.m. on Saturday that Delaware was entering a limited state of emergency to facilitate an evacuation over a 24-hour period. Beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday night, communities within .75 miles of the coast in Sussex and Kent counties, as well as flood areas in western Sussex County, should evacuate their homes.

A coastal flood watch has been issued for Sussex County, including the beach areas, running through at least Monday afternoon. According to the National Weather Service, the evolution of Hurricane Sandy into a powerful storm currently predicted to cross the New Jersey coast Monday evening will mean at least two tide cycles of potentially moderate to major flooding.