Selbyville

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.

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.

Denise Curtis and her husband wanted to try something different when they moved to Delaware. Their children had attended public school in Montgomery County, Md., and although that public school system is noted as one of the best in the country and was part of the reason they had settled where they did, when they moved full-time to Delaware, they were ready to try something new.

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.

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.

“This Laundry Room is Self-Cleaning — Do It Yourself.”

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.

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.

“This whole thing has been one miracle after another” said the Rev. Rich Evans of the new Bayside Chapel and the Samaritan Thrift Shop near Fenwick Island. “In the past two years, this church has gone from a dream to a reality by the power of God!”

As summertime winds to a close, many visitors and residents in the beach communities are reflecting on the memories they made this season. Likewise, Patti Grimes, vice president of outreach and programming for the Carl M. Freeman and Joshua M. Freeman foundations, is pleased with the way the season has gone for the organizations.

This week marks the grand opening of one of Sussex County’s newest assisted living programs. Brandywine Assisted Living, now operating in five states, was set to officially open its doors Thursday, Aug. 21, west of Fenwick Island. Located at the intersection of Routes 54 and 20, the assisted living community is already off to a promising start.

The Most Reverend Michael A. Saltarelli, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, was downstate Aug. 14 for the dedication of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a mission church of St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Bethany Beach.

The Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce’s (BFACC) 30th annual award-winning Bethany Beach Boardwalk Arts Festival is set for Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival features jewelry, art glass, pottery, sculpture, watercolor and oil painting, basketry, woodworking and much more. And the event is bigger and better than ever this year, according to the Chamber.

The Millville Volunteer Fire Company will be holding a Texas Holdem Poker Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 23, at its firehouse on Route 26. Entry fee is $100, with two $25 re-buys available.

Doors open at 6 p.m.

Dealing begins at 7 p.m. You must be 21 or older to attend. Up to $80,00 in prize money paid out depending on player participation.

The Fenwick Medical Complex plans to break ground in September, after not quite four years of planning, including re-zoning, water and sewer development and other preliminary measures.

The Selbyville Town Council met on Monday, July 7, for their regular monthly meeting, and during the meeting the council approved three requests for zoning change from the R3 residential zone to the new R4 zone.

The national real estate market is in tough shape. The local market has been touched, too, though there are signs of improvement. And anyone who follows the news understands that the world in general is paying quite a bit more attention to the environment these days.

CurveSmart, the revolutionary technology five years in the making, is available at two local Curves studios, in Ocean View and on Route 54 in Williamsville Country Village.

Troopers seek information on suspect

The Delaware State Police mid-week were investigating a robbery that occurred Monday, June 30, about10:15 p.m., after a person imposing as a police officer allegedly stopped a motorist and took their wallet.

With a contract for the design and construction of the new Indian River Inlet Bridge expected to be awarded in July, Skanska USA Civil Southeast Inc. is the apparent winning design-build team for the project, which could start construction in early fall, to carry traffic no later than December 2011.

Another local waterway saw a massive fish kill this week, as thousands of peanut bunker were killed in Dirickson Creek, off Old Mill Bridge Road, near Selbyville.

Rich Donofrio told the Coastal Point that he’d spotted the fish kill on Friday, June 13, while riding through the area.

For less than what you would pay at the grocery store or a commercial produce stand, people can buy fresh vegetables at East View Farm on Bayard Road almost year-round.

Selbyville’s 52nd annual Old Timer’s Day this Saturday is sure to be a success. The event was started in 1956 by the town’s downtown merchants and originally ran as a three-day sale to bring people into town. The event was named Old Timer’s Day because the town merchants would dress up in “old timers’” clothing and parade around town for the visitors.

Like many people armed with the right attitude and plenty of determination, Brandon and Kerry Case, owners of Antique Prints in Ocean View, turned something unexpected into an opportunity.