Local News

The Department of Transportation is advising motorists that Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC) will be replacing electric lines on Route 1/Coastal Highway south of Five Points in the area of Shady Road and Marsh Road near Rehoboth Beach on Sunday and that traffic will be affected.

In a 4-1 vote, the Ocean View town council on Tuesday, Nov. 18, agreed to put an end to controversy regarding Police Chief Ken McLaughlin’s contract and adopted a compromise.

While Ocean View council members found compromise Tuesday on the heated issue of whether the town’s police chief should report to the town’s mayor or town manager, two other police-related issues swelled enmity in the town to new heights at the Nov. 18 council meeting.

Bethany Beach Town Council members met on Monday, Nov. 17, to consider a number of pending issues, with likely the most important among them being how they wish to prioritize the town’s capital funds in the coming year or more. With recommendations from Town Manager Cliff Graviet, the council appeared to be putting higher priority on preliminary stages of its long-running but scaled-back Streetscape project, with a proposed boardwalk widening placed on the back burner and drainage improvements to Pennsylvania Avenue being considered once again.

When members of the Disciples of Christ Christian Church headed for the Delaware shore as a place for religious retreats in 1901, it led to the eventual founding of the Town of Bethany Beach, which even now houses the church’s conference center and the operations of the Bethany Beach Christian Church – the church’s local congregation.

Ocean View Police Chief Kenneth McLaughlin presented OVPD Cpl. Kristen Miller with a Lifesaving Award at the town’s council meeting Tuesday night, Nov. 18, honoring extraordinary service that saved one resident’s life.

It was a long night for Ocean View Town Council members and the determined few who stayed at their meeting until past 11 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18. A first reading of an ordinance to amend the state code of the town by adding a new section on financial good standing was introduced, but with a boycott of water bills threatened by some property owners, the council decided they would revisit some of the wording before a second reading was held.

Nationwide, veterinarian offices and animal shelters euthanize between 4 and 5 million animals each year, and Delaware ranks as one of the top contributing states to that figure. But thanks to the Delaware Department of Agriculture and veterinary clinics across the state, those numbers are now expected to come down quickly.

Recently, Delaware Technical and Community College asked state budget officials for $24.5 million in capital funds and a $2.7 million increase in operational expenses. Dr. Orlando George, president of the college, said that in the fall of 2007, 646 students had been denied access to one or more science courses they need to complete their studies.

In fast-paced American society, people have made an art of accomplishing as much as they are capable in as little time as possible. Tasks deemed as trivial are outsourced to someone elsewhere on the food chain, and it is easy to forget about taking care of oneself. Fortunately, there are places out there to help people with their hedonistic needs.

Delaware Does More – a collaborative effort among local non-profits, businesses, schools, faith-based organizations and others – kicked off Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Food Bank of Delaware’s Milford storage facility. Proposed by the food bank and United Way of Delaware, the statewide initiative has ambitious goals of raising 300,000 pounds of food and $250,000 this winter to help its neediest citizens by supplementing food supplies and offering utility assistance and emergency shelter for those less fortunate. Many of those people – because of things like layoffs and uncertainty in the housing market – put a new face on hunger.

What is it that inspires people to do great things? Are they driven by a social stigma to be better than the rest, or is it a more personal drive which propels them? For one local mom, it’s simply the desire to do – the human aspiration to tackle that which seems impossible.

Three Selbyville men turned themselves into police on Monday, Nov. 10, in relation to incidents in Frankford on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 6 and 7 – including an alleged attempted murder.

Churches are always a great place to look for people helping other people, and the Community Lutheran Church in Frankford is no exception. They have a whole team of volunteers who make it their goal to carry love, care and concern for others into the community. Bill and Pat Carroll, Carol Clarke, John Dillard, Doris Egbert, Janis Fabian, Jean Layton and Barbara Levine are the masterminds behind the churches various projects, and they like to keep themselves busy.

The Ocean View Historical Society invites the public to a presentation by Edward McWilliams, the Delaware Curator of Museums, on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 1 p.m. at town hall.

For Terri Menoche, director at Lighthouse Christian School in Dagsboro, the school’s 10-year anniversary last year had special meaning.

While the height of the area’s busiest season is a few page-turns on the calendar behind us and the peak of shoulder-season events has passed us by, the ever-growing year-round nature of the Delaware shore area now provides a multitude of options for entertainment through the fall and winter. From independent films and art exhibits to athletic events and seasonal offerings, there’s plenty for beachgoers and inlanders of all ages.

So, if you’re looking for something to do as the weather gets chilly and the nights get longer, here’s a glimpse of the months ahead, full of things sure to keep us busy through at least March:

Ever wonder if a $10 or $20 donation makes a difference? Where does it go? Who does it actually help? Ever get tired of giving ties and slippers for Christmas and want to make more of a statement with that gift?

Everyone has their specific tastes when it comes to that quintessential sandwich — perfectly sliced cold-cuts, piping hot cheesesteaks, an endless supply of toppings for just the right flavor. No other shop born in the state, however, has become as successful and widely recognized as Capriotti’s.

Most U.S. households waste more food that they can imagine or would like to admit, and the United States collectively throws away a full quarter of its food. And restaurants – known these days for over-sized portions and being strangers to the “less-is-more” motto – are no different. So, Tony Parrill and the staff at Fat Tuna decided to do something about it.

After slipping to Sussex Tech in their last regular season game, 1-0, Indian River’s soccer team was determined to follow up in the state tournament with gusto. A nail-biter down to the final whistle ensued last Saturday, as IR knocked off Dover in triple overtime, 4-3.

If there was one good thing that came out of Indian River’s matchup against one of the state’s most dominant forces on the gridiron, it was preparation.

The votes are in!

Further muddying the waters in volatile Ocean View, in a letter dated Oct. 16, 2008, the Delaware Attorney General’s Office issued an opinion addressed to state Rep. Gerald W. Hocker and Mayor Gordon Wood regarding the Ocean View charter. It specifically speaks to the question of whether the town charter permits the town’s chief of police, Ken McLaughlin, to report directly to the mayor.

With the recent hiring of Patrolman Sidney Ballentine and Patrolman A.J. McKetchnie, Ocean View has beefed up its number of full-time officers to its full complement of eight.

Members of the Selbyville Town Council gathered for their regular monthly meeting on Monday, Nov. 3, and quickly adopted an amendment to their 1996 zoning ordinance and map, changing the zoning designation of 35 parcels in the town’s R-3 zoning district to the R-4 district.

Cape Henlopen State Park and its Fort Miles facility is now a popular place to spend a sunny afternoon, but Fort Miles served as an important military battery during World War II. At its height, Fort Miles housed more than 2,200 soldiers who were charged with guarding the Delaware Bay and river, which allowed passage to cities such as Wilmington and Philadelphia. Although the fort never saw active conflict, it was the site of the surrender of German U-boat U-858 – one of the first of its kind seen by Allied forces.

On Nov. 9, 1859, the first Mariner’s Bethel Methodist Church opened its doors under the guidance of the Rev. Robert B. Hazzard. Some 150 years later, Nov. 9 approaches again, and the church will be gathering to celebrate the landmark occasion of its founding. Jill Taylor and the Rev. Woody Wilson are two members of the church community who will be involved in the festivities this weekend.

The first fundraiser for the Ocean View Historical Society will be held Saturday, Nov. 8, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Dunes Room at Bear Trap in Ocean View.