Sussex County

UPDATED Sunday, Oct. 28, 11:30 a.m.
Cancellations due to Hurricane Sandy include the following:

Both the Indian River School District and Sussex Technical School District have closed schools and offices on Monday, Oct. 29, and Tuesday, Oct. 31.

All University of Delaware classes are suspended Monday, Oct. 29, and officials were strongly encouraging students to go home.

Delaware Senate District 20 candidate Rick Eakle (D) on Friday asked his fellow Sussex County candidates in the Nov. 6 elections to put aside their political differences ahead of the anticipated arrival of Hurricane Sandy and gather to plan together ways they can help coastal residents weather the storm.

State and local emergency officials are urging residents of coastal Delaware to be alert and prepare as Hurricane Sandy tracks up the Atlantic in the coming days and poses a risk of potential severe weather, up to and including possibly making landfall in the immediate area.

The 19th annual Today & Tomorrow Conference will be held this coming Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 7:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carter Partnership Center at Delaware Technical Community College in Georgetown.

The Sussex County Grand Jury on Monday indicted Georgetown resident Eric Bodenweiser, 53, on multiple sex crimes charges following a criminal investigation conducted by the Delaware State Police. The Oct. 22 indictment consisted of 113 total counts, including 39 counts of Unlawful Sexual Intercourse First Degree and 74 counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact Second Degree.

The Sussex County Council introduced an ordinance this week that could give active military personnel a break on fees for marriages and civil unions in the county.

Sussex County Council heard this week from representatives of The Way Home of Georgetown, an organization that assists men and women who are leaving prison and have nowhere else to turn.

The Sussex County Council voted this week to allow the county engineering department to prepare and post notices for the proposed expansion of the Millville Sanitary Sewer District to include an additional 82 parcels located along Route 26 that are contiguous to the existing sewer district.

The Sussex County Council voted this week to allow the county engineering department to prepare and post notices for the proposed expansion of the Millville Sanitary Sewer District to include an additional 82 parcels located along Route 26 that are contiguous to the existing sewer district.

Beebe Medical Center representatives on Monday afternoon notified the public that visitor IDs were being checked after a former patient allegedly threatened two physicians affiliated with the hospital through a telephone message that was left sometime during the weekend and received on Monday morning.

No decision has been made yet on the proposed rezoning for the Castaways Bethany project, as the county council deferred action this week while waiting for a recommendation from Sussex County Planning & Zoning commissioners.

The Sussex County Council this week kicked off their biennial Election Year Scholarship Contest for local students.

Sussex County Council on Tuesday approved a conditional use for Delaware Electric Cooperative to build a solar farm on 40 acres near Georgetown. They approved it with a condition that, during the final site-plan phase before Sussex County Planning & Zoning, they will be required to include a “screen” of landscaping from neighboring properties.

At their meeting on Sept. 11, Sussex County Council members approved an agreement with litigants that will allow the council to say a prayer at the beginning of each meeting. A lawsuit filed in June of 2011 had contended that the council’s recital of the “Lord’s Prayer” before meetings violated the establishment clause of the United States Constitution, as well as the Delaware Constitution’s corresponding provision.

Last week, the Delaware State Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the appeal by former Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley of his conviction on charges he abused young patients was without merit.

A week after Sussex County Planning & Zoning commissioners recommended approval for a conditional use for Delaware Electric Co-Op to build a solar farm near Georgetown, the county council, which has the final say on such hearings, deferred action so they can view the site themselves.

The Sussex County Council this week deferred action on two conditional-use requests, both of which had been made to address violations of county code.

The Sussex County Council announced on Aug. 21, that the County would resume terms of their contract with the Delaware State Police and would add four additional troopers in the coming year.

Sussex County Planning & Zoning commissioners on Aug. 9 recommended approval for Delaware Electric Co-Operative for a two-phase 28,000-panel solar farm, to be located about on about 40 acres just west of Georgetown, southeast of Trap Pond Road and northeast of Road 518, Substation Road.

Sussex County has earned a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 10th consecutive year for its auditing and budgeting practices.

In just a few weeks, another summer season here in Sussex County will fade away into the history books. Our resort businesses will put the wraps on what has, hopefully, been another successful season. Local farmers will take to the fields to harvest their corn and soybeans. And children will head back to the classroom for another year of learning in our local schools.

The Sussex County Council this week adopted a “minimum standards” policy for commercial activities occurring at the Sussex County Airport.

Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson announced this week that county council meeting packets will be now be available to the public online. Interested constituents will now be able to view the council packets in full — including minutes from past meetings and how each councilperson voted on issues.

Last week, three major healthcare providers in Sussex County — Beebe Medical Center, Nanticoke Health Services and Bayhealth Medical Center — came together to announce they would be teaming up to create an initiative called Healthier Sussex County.

Delaware’s beaches ranked first in the U.S. in water quality for the year 2011 in a report issued last week by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Out of 30 states ranked, the state had the fewest water quality samples that exceeded national standards, with just 1 percent of samples for designated beach areas exceeding those standards.

Sussex County Planning & Zoning commissioners last week approved a conditional-use application for a three-unit multi-family dwelling to be located at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Bennett Road in the development of Sussex Shores near Bethany Beach.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me...”

A lot has changed since Sussex County Councilman Vance Phillips returned home in time for Christmas in December 2012, following his injury in a plane crash. While still not technically walking on his own, Phillips is getting around with the aid of a “rollator” — a walker with a seat upon which he can rest.

Homeowners in Sussex County are being invited to a free public workshop on June 27 on financial assistance available to replace failing septic systems. The workshop will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, at the First State Community Action Agency, 308 North Railroad Avenue, Georgetown.

The Sussex County Council, following a public hearing Tuesday, June 19, unanimously approved the proposed $121.1 million budget for their 2013 fiscal year, which begins July 1.