Local News

In a rare display at the Indian River School District Board of Education meeting April 23, two principals approached the microphone during the public comments section of the agenda to announce major news: Sussex Central and Indian River high schools were ranked second and third among high schools in Delaware.

The 9th annual Gardening for the Bays Native Plant Sale will be held this Saturday, May 4, at the James Farm Ecological Preserve.

Sussex County Council members voted this week to give two companies an economic development grant in an effort to grow jobs in the county.

Golf Club. The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association’s (NARFE’s) Coastal Sussex Chapter 1690 will host a springtime day of fun, food and fundraising Friday, May 17, at 9 a.m.

The Delaware State Police are seeking the public’s help regarding an incident in which a large rock was thrown through a car window north of Bethany Beach, injuring a 22-year-old woman.

The Delaware Seaside Railroad Club will be pulling into the Roxana Fire Hall this weekend for a Spring Fling Toy and Train Show. The club, which had previously held their spring show in Rehoboth Beach, moved it to Roxana this year to better suit attendees.

=One in nine people — 26 million Americans — are living with kidney disease. And 92,000 Americans are waiting for a kidney transplant. With an aim to tackle kidney disease, on Sunday, May 5, the National Kidney Foundation of Maryland (NKF-MD) will hold its seventh annual Salisbury Kidney Walk at Winter Place Park in Salisbury, Md.

It was the morning after a strong nor’easter when Frank Minni found a small, square, wooden box with its top askew on the beach at South Bethany. He took it home, where his wife pronounced, “It belongs to someone’s Aunt Maude or Rover.”

Last weekend, the Ocean View Historical Society and its guests celebrated the unveiling of its National Register of Historic Places plaque for the Tunnel West House.

Born into slavery in Dorchester County, Md., around 1820, Araminta Ross experienced beatings and whippings as a child. She suffered from seizures and powerful visionary activity when a slave owner threw a heavy metal object at another slave but struck Araminta.

Like most people, 11-year-old Blake Hundley was upset by the Boston Marathon bombing of April 15, which killed three people and injured at least 260 people, according to recent reports. But Hundley did not feel powerless to help.

Fenwick Island Town Council members voted 6-0 this week to approve a second reading of a zoning amendment that requires the anchoring of outdoor items in an effort to prevent safety hazards during flooding, after concerns were raised during the intense flooding seen in the town during Hurricane Sandy.

Last week, the Ocean View Board of Adjustment heard seven variance requests from representatives from Royal Farms, who hope to erect a gas station between the CVS Pharmacy currently under construction at 54 Atlantic Avenue and the Mariner’s Bethel United Methodist Church cemetery.

With boating season starting soon, Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 12-01 of the Fifth District is offering Delaware Safe Boating Courses.

Spring is in full swing, and it’s time to get out in the garden and enjoy the beauty of nature and its floral display. Combining both aspects of the season, on Saturday, April 27, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., East Coast Garden Center will hold its annual Flower & Arts Festival.

In America, “poor” is relative. It can be easy to take for granted the simple things in life, such as water, when it is abundant in a seemingly endless flow. But, for people across the globe, access to clean water is still an uphill battle and poverty has a whole different meaning.

The fourth annual cornhole tournament benefitting a scholarship in the name of the late Russell White will be held June 8 at the Millville Volunteer Fire Company’s fire hall. The tournament is hosted by the Xi Upsilon sorority, which is part of Beta Sigma Phi International. This year, the scholarship — which started at just $500 — is up to $2,500.

Every year is a gamble for farmers, as lifelong farmer Chad Mitchell can attest.

It’s easy to find a gem when visiting Jayne’s Reliable in Dagsboro — from stained glass to repurposed cabinets, local honey to homemade soap, blown glass and everything in between.

On Tuesday, April 30, at 2 p.m., chef Charles Oppman will offer a special adult program on Cajun cooking.

Indian River High School’s baseball team beat Delmar, 2-0, with scores in just the first inning at Dagsboro on April 23.

Indian River High School’s golf team knew they had a tough match ahead when the 2012 state champions, Caesar Rodney, came to town. Dreary weather didn’t help with the April 23 match, either. CR won, 164-200, as all their golfers swung under 50 strokes, and CR medalist Jerome Mangubat hit 37 on the 9-hole, par-36 course.

Indian River High School’s softball team still has a stellar 6-3 record, despite falling to the Delmar Wildcats, 8-3, on April 23.

If you read my previous column, I mentioned that, this week, I’d be highlighting my friend, and a member of the Beach Singles Book Club, Dianne DeForest. If you missed that column, check it out online at CoastalPoint.com.

Sussex County Council will be keeping an eye on House Bill 74, which relates to health insurance, and how it might affect their employee coverage and their bottom line. Deputy County Administrator Hal Godwin reported on that bill and other legislation in which the County might have an interest during his presentation to the council on Tuesday.

The upcoming election for the Indian River School District will mark a permanent change in the school board, as terms will begin extending to five years.

In an effort to support and promote clean water locally and globally, local salons All About U! and Salon on Central will be offering their beauty services on April 22 in exchange for a small donation to Earth Month.

There will be no new taxes or fees for home owners this year in Millville, although the Town will have a change in escrow fees for major and minor subdivisions. Those changes came as the town council approved the budget for the coming fiscal year at their March council workshop.

The town of Ocean View will host its fourth annual Homecoming event on Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in John West Park.

Spring has returned, and so have the cyclists, as the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce prepares for the annual Ocean to Bay Bike Tour.