Dagsboro News

Photos from the May 12-13 storm are shown in slideshow format below, with newer photos toward the end. All photos are copyright © Coastal Point, LLC, and may not be used without express permission of the Coastal Point.

The Delaware State Police and Department of Transportation reopened Route 1 between Dewey Beach and Fred Hudson Road/Road 360 north of Bethany Beach and the Indian River Inlet Bridge late Tuesday afternoon, following a detailed inspection of the inlet and surrounding roadways. Remaining closed Tuesday, due to high water, were: Fred Hudson Road in the area of Route 1 and Old Mill Road in Millville, as well as several other roads in the Lewes, Slaughter Beach and Oak Orchard areas.

Deserie Lawrence hit the ground running, starting her new job as sales, marketing and events manager at the Bethany Fenwick Chamber of Commerce just the week before the annual Ocean to Bay Bike Tour.

When driving west out of Dagsboro on Nine Foot Road, it’s hard to miss the big wind turbine on the right at the home of Greg and Terri Menoche.

The fourth- and fifth-graders of Lord Baltimore were treated to a special presentation on April 17, of “Tar Wars” a nationwide program that started in Colorado, designed to educate America’s youth about the dangers of smoking.

According to a test done by researchers at car-safety.org, motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 killer of children between the ages of 1 and 14. Nearly half of the deaths of children younger than 5 resulted because the children were not restrained. Of those that were restrained, 80 to 95 percent of the deaths were in cases of reported misuse of the restraints.

Nearly a year and a half after the Dec. 14, 2006, helicopter crash outside Dagsboro that killed developer/philanthropist Joshua Freeman and his pilot, Alisa Danielle Howell, investigators at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have released a report identifying the probable cause of the accident.

As a follow-up to last summer’s report of a cancer cluster investigation in the area of the Indian River Power Plant by Delaware Health and Social Services’ Division of Public Health, a comprehensive survey is now being conducted across Sussex County.

The need for more law enforcement inside the town limits of Dagsboro is a justifiable one, according to Chief Floyd Toomey Jr. Upcoming developments in the town, both residential and commercial, along with several proposed projects, would require coverage and service from Dagsboro’s police department — a force that currently consists of the watchful eyes of Toomey himself and Cpl.

The need for more law enforcement inside the town limits of Dagsboro is a justifiable one, according to Chief Floyd Toomey Jr. Upcoming developments in the town, both residential and commercial, along with several proposed projects, would require coverage and service from Dagsboro’s police department — a force that currently consists of the watchful eyes of Toomey himself and Cpl.

Hail Bennett — the oldest son of Carrie and Jim Bennett, of Bennett Orchards near Dagsboro — was just 10 years old the last time his family planted peach trees, in 1996.

Work on two early phases of the construction of the new Indian River Inlet Bridge is revving up, with removal of excess soils from the existing faulty embankments set to begin the first week of April and work begun last week on geotechnical investigations into how the faulty embankments came into being and whether the state has grounds for a claim against their builders.

Welcome to CoastalPoint.com 2.0! If you’ve visited our Web site in the last few weeks, you’ll already have noticed the appearance of the first phase of months of behind-the-scenes work by our staff on The Point’s Web presence.

On Monday, Dec. 10, the Dagsboro Town Council held its first meeting since council member elections were held the first weekend in December. Council members Patti Adams, Wayne Baker and Cathy Flowers, who recaptured their seats for an additional two-year term, were sworn in by resident and Delaware state Chancellor William Chandler, upon which reorganization of council took place.

Existing standards for public roads in Sussex County are admittedly less stringent than those imposed by the State of Delaware, but that could cease to be the case under a directive passed by the Sussex County Council at their Tuesday, Jan. 8, meeting.

The Sussex County Council on Jan. 8 granted unanimous approval of a conditional use for PMP Associates, which plans to bring a facility for healthcare and medical offices to a location near the intersection of Routes 54 and 20.

Sgt. Floyd Toomey has had some shoes to fill since coming on board to the Dagsboro Police Department, but he’s done so, stepping up as acting police chief upon the resignation of former chief William Dudley.

The opening day of the Bethany Beach Farmers’ Market was just peachy for the local farmers, farm families and food producers who came out to sell their produces directly to the public on Sunday, July 1.

State legislators approved a sweeping revenue package with the 2008 fiscal year budget this weekend, raising $572 million over the next six years to help cover a $1.5 billion shortfall in the capital transportation program and, perhaps, saving some roadway projects that were left in jeopardy.

The skies over coastal Delaware will light up over the Fourth of July holiday with a variety of pyrotechnics displays.

But not all of them will be legal.

After weeks of anticipation and months of work, the inaugural Bethany Beach Farmers’ Market is set to open, from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday, July 1, in the Mercantile Peninsula Bank parking lot in town.

The 25-member working group made up of civic leaders coming Millsboro south to Selbyville have officially recommended building a highway that will bypass U.S. 113 from north of Millsboro to south of Frankford.

State legislation up for approval this week would allow state transportation officials to begin work on the much-anticipated Indian River Inlet Bridge project that was delayed again in late April.

Traveling north on Route 20 in Dagsboro, it’s hard to miss the 2,500 peach trees that line 25 acres on the roadway’s east side. The Bennetts’ peach trees, where locals have picked their own peaches since the mid-80’s — coupled with the Parsons’ produce stand and farm just north — are two symbols of the farming tradition that continues to envelop this area’s back roads.

Behind his parents’ home off Route 20 in Dagsboro, Tyler Parsons snatched up a rake and went to work, seemingly determined to carry on his family’s farming tradition. But problems remain. Tyler is unfocused, and is just as determined to slip off for occasional naps during the work day.