ViewPoint

The winds of change are alive in Sussex County.

Under state law adopted last year, local governments and community associations were no longer allowed to require special approvals in order to allow installations such as windmills or wind turbines. This was seen as a way to help residents either go green or save money on their electric bills.

Dear Steelers fans,

Booth feels energy bill was rushed
Editor:

The first-ever Coastal Point Candidates Forum was held in Bethany Beach Town Hall last Friday night for the town’s coming town council election, and the results had to provide optimism for anybody with strong ties to Bethany Beach.

America is a lot of things, to a lot of different people.

Hurricane Allen was the Irene of its day. It was the first big storm of the 1980 season, and it was rated as one of the strongest in recorded history, having reached the maximum strength of Category 5 on three separate occasions as it took aim on the U.S. midsection.

Nearly 20 years ago, a business executive’s meteoric rise in presidential politics shocked the nation. In many respects, the voter anger of 1992 is striking similar to our current political environment.

Labor Day weekend has long been considered the end of the summer season around here, and no event better captures that feeling than the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral. The event started more than 25 years ago, as Bethany Beach entrepreneur Moss Wagner created a little event for the locals to celebrate the end of the summer season.

I got the call on Sunday, at approximately the same time I was letting out a huge sigh of relief that the wrath of Hurricane Irene did little more than knock down a few branches at my house. It was our publisher, Susan Lyons, who called, and she had a somber tone to her voice.

ALA offers tips for cleaning up after storm
Editor:

The Town of Bethany Beach will be holding a town council election on Saturday, Sept. 10. There will be five candidates vying for three seats — with challengers Tony Carmen and Tom Lennon battling incumbents Jerry Dorfman, Joe Healy and Carol Olmstead.

We evolve.

Now, wait a minute. I’m not diving into the quagmire that is evolution versus creationism. No, no, no. This is more about what we do as a civilization in general.

Dorfman gets support in campaign
Editor:

Even before Jerry Dorfman had an official presence serving on the Bethany town council, he acted unofficially as a supporter and promoter of Bethany Beach. His interest in the town always entered his conversations, and he was always interested in the needs of the townspeople and how their ideas could be implemented.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell put the brakes on the proposed Route 113 bypass project last year following extensive news coverage by this paper and The News Journal — but that doesn’t mean improvements for Route 113 are dead.

There’s an ongoing one-sided dialogue between myself and my dogs. The reason I say this is one-sided is because it’s, well, one-sided. My dogs can’t speak. Well, not English, anyway.

Gov. Jack Markell has been consistently on the front lines regarding getting employers into Delaware, as well as trying to keep the ones we already have.

There are a few certainties in my life every August.

PETA gets out its message on animals
Editor:

Right now, all over the world, millions of cats and dogs are staring out from behind bars in animal shelters, longing for a friend, or scrounging for food, dodging traffic and struggling to survive on the streets.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing no favors for the people in Fenwick Island right now.

Through selfless compromise and a keen eye toward the welfare of our citizenry, our national leaders reached a deal to raise the nation’s debt ceiling on Tuesday. This prevented our proud nation from going into default and showed once again that we the people have done another stellar job of selecting the best of the best to lead us into ...

Cottage Tour a hit, thanks to many
Editor:

As co-chairs of the 20th Annual Beach and Bay Cottage Tour that is held in support of the South Coastal Library, Karen and I would like to offer our most sincere appreciation and gratitude to everyone responsible for helping to make this year’s tour, our 20th anniversary, such an outstanding sell-out success.

Smell the coffee to reach American dream

Editor:

Thomas Hartmann, radio and TV host, recently wrote a timely book called, “Rebooting the American Dream.” He proposed 11 ways to rebuild our economy and middle-class prosperity. His plan is modeled after Alexander Hamilton’s 11-point plan, titled, “American Manufactures.”

The Town of Selbyville held a referendum on July 20 on a resolution to authorize the issuance of up to $1.4 million in bonds to provide for the installation of new drinking wells.

Ah, summer.

When I was 10, this was undeniably the most wonderful time of the year for me. Christmas was great — don’t get me wrong. But it was fleeting. There was a day of receiving presents, and then, well, a hurried rush to see family members and then a quick return to school.

Like any town, Bethany Beach has its troubles.

This time of year, parking enforcement is on everybody’s lips, as the vacationers complain that they are being singled out for violations, while locals believe they are. There have been some misunderstandings regarding zoning enforcement in the town, and, well, some people just like to complain, in general.

He’s back.

There have been some mind-boggling inventions throughout the course of my lifetime. No, I wasn’t around for the dawn of the automotive industry, though Bob Bertram tells me they were indeed exciting times. And airplanes were already a standard means of travel by the time I started digressing around the house in diapers. But some of the advancements I’ve seen in my relatively short amount of time on this planet often make me mentally pause and digest just how far we’ve come.

Part of the charm of covering Millville and Ocean View over the years has been the small-town feel at meetings. Residents and town officials often referred to each other by first names, and many approvals for residents were handled with a two-minute conversation and a metaphorical handshake.

It was a hot, sticky summer morning in Manhattan’s Central Park, much like the weather we’ve been enduring lately here in Southern Delaware. Hot enough to make you wonder how New Yorkers managed to cope before the days of air conditioning.

“There’s an app for that.”