Sussex County

Sussex County property owners can now apply for a permit to erect a windmill or wind turbine on their properties, even if it’s a piece of land the size of a standard residential lot.

Sussex County officials are continuing to work on an ordinance that might someday create a CGD – Commercial Gambling District – in which any Sussex County casino outside municipal limits would have to be located, though they could pass another moratorium on the facilities until that work is done.

Sussex County Council has removed from consideration an ordinance designed to deal with whether approval of development must go hand-in-hand with having adequate public facilities to serve such projects.

Despite long-running concerns about its stability, the 46-year-old Indian River Inlet Bridge came away from two natural disasters in a single week with a clean bill of health, as did its replacement.

On Friday, Aug. 26, Sussex County Superior Court Judge William C. Carpenter Jr. sentenced former Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley to 14 consecutive life sentences in prison for the 14 counts of rape in the first-degree of which he was found guilty in June.

Recently, Pepco Holdings Inc. (PHI) notified the Maryland Public Service Commission and Virginia State Corporation Commission that the company is requesting temporary delays in the Commissions’ reviews of the respective applications filed by the utility’s subsidiaries, Pepco and Delmarva Power, for state regulatory approval for the Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway (MAPP).

Coastal Delaware began its recovery from Hurricane Irene on Sunday, dealing with localized flooding and power outages, as well as downed trees and broken limbs. Gov. Jack Markell lifted a travel ban and evacuation orders for at-risk areas as of 11 a.m. on Aug. 28, advising caution for those who did choose to travel.

From Ocean View Police Chief Ken McLaughlin (7 a.m. Sunday):

At this time, no damage to property has been reported in Ocean View.  Power outage remains east of West Avenue in Ocean View and throughout Bethany Beach.

From Ocean View Police Department (11:45 p.m.):

Over the past hour, winds and rain subsided.  Police patrols were initiated and all roadways in town are reported to be open.  Power is still out on the east side of West Avenue and in Bethany Beach.  Many trees have fallen, however, at this time there has been no report of damage.

UPDATED (8:45 p.m.) Conditions in Ocean View remain the same.  Reports have been received that a tornado touched down in the Lewes area and 15 homes were damaged/destroyed.

The National Guard has assigned a unit to the OV EOC.  National Guard troops will be paired with OVPD officers during morning patrols.

Indian River Inlet Bridge closing, conditions deteriorating as Irene approaches

As conditions across Delmarva have started to deteriorate with the approach of Hurricane Irene, the Delaware Department of Transportation has announced that the Indian River Inlet Bridge could be closed as early as 3 p.m. on Saturday but would definitely be closed by 4 p.m.

Hurricane Irene begins making its way into Sussex County
Those evacuating at-risk areas should be out; conditions will worsen quickly as day progresses

The National Weather Service has issued a Hurricane Warning and Flood Watch for the area, as Hurricane Irene comes ashore and heads toward Delmarva. The storm has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, but it remains near Category 2 strength, with winds near 100 mph.

The evacuation of Sussex County’s most vulnerable areas continued Friday evening as Hurricane Irene, now slightly weaker but still a very dangerous storm, remained on a collision course with the eastern United States, including Sussex County and the rest of Delaware.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and Schell Brothers will be suspending their Delaware build effective at midnight on Saturday (Friday into Saturday).

On Friday, Aug. 26, Sussex County Superior Court Judge William C. Carpenter Jr. sentenced former Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley to 14 consecutive life sentences in prison for the 14 counts of rape in the first-degree that he was found guilty of in June. 

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has declared a mandatory evacuation for much of the Coastal Point readership area. Everyone in towns including Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach, North Bethany, Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Long Neck, Oak Orchard, and Broadkill, Primehook and Slaughter beaches is being required to evacuate prior to 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27.

As of a final update from state emergency officials for Thursday night, the projected path of Hurricane Irene continued to place the powerful storm slightly to the east of Delaware’s Atlantic Coast, however, emergency management officials and their partners were advising the public to take precautions and to be prepared to enact their household and business emergency plans as it moves closer.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell issued an evacuation order for visitors in Sussex County on Thursday evening as the most significant tropical threat to the region in years continued its march toward the East Coast, expected to bring with it hurricane-force winds, catastrophic tidal flooding and torrential rains throughout much of the weekend.

Due to the impending and potentially very dangerous Hurricane Irene, all those who planned to visit Delaware the weekend of Aug. 26-28 are being urged to postpone plans immediately. Gov. Jack Markell and emergency management officials stated mid-day Thursday that weather conditions will not allow safe travel and lodging in the beach areas and possibly throughout other areas of the state.

The newest family on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is a family who has already given everything to serve Sussex County.

The sentencing of former Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley on child sex-abuse charges is scheduled to begin this Friday, Aug. 26, at the Sussex County Superior Courthouse in Georgetown.

Don’t know what to do with that ugly old bridesmaid dress? How about that old VCR? Here’s a thought — throw it in the ocean!

Route 113 will get some improvements after all, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation. That announcement came this week, after Sussex County legislators and DelDOT Secretary Shailen Bhatt met recently to discuss future improvements to the U.S. Route 113 corridor.

The Delaware Department of Transportation is reminding the public — and  especially mariners — of an impending work activity associated with the ongoing Indian River Inlet Bridge construction, which will mean an 8-hour closure for the inlet overnight between Sunday and Monday.
 

Months after Sussex County officials first began to consider whether to grant across-the-board extensions to approvals the county had granted during the recession, the county council this week voted narrowly to adopt the extensions, with the majority citing the potential positive impact of the extensions on the county’s economic picture.

It’s not often that a business entrepreneur coming before Sussex County Council to request an ordinance change gets a round of applause from those attending the council meeting, but Michael Panco got just that this week after he asked the council to consider reducing the 5-acre minimum lot size it currently requires for the installation of wind-power turbines.

Sussex County is getting national attention for a program designed to improve the health of its children, and plans are to expand the program with a focus on active living in the outdoors.

With some concerns about the approval process for applications for local law-enforcement grants from Sussex County having been aired recently, Sussex County Council members voted unanimously on Tuesday to change the grant application requirements – adding a requirement that applications be signed-off upon by a municipality’s town council, town manager/administrator and police chief, and eliminating the requirement for the county council to approve each disbursement from the funds.