Dagsboro News

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.

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.

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.

In 1961, Roald Dahl toyed with our imaginations as he took young readers on a journey alongside James Henry Trotter, a young English boy who goes on an adventure within the confines of an overgrown peach, accompanied by a cast of equally larger-than-life bugs. Sussex County’s own Bennett family may not be quite there, yet, but the fruits that they have become known for statewide are certainly turning some heads.

On Aug. 17, Cripple Creek Golf and Country Club will be holding the 15th annual “Rally at the Creek” Rally for a Cure golf outing. The two-day event includes an 18-hole scramble, as well as a “ladies only” Pink on the Patio party.

Although the rain was not coming down quite as hard as it had on July 4, according to Bob Powell of the Millville Volunteer Fire Company, it was still “raining cats and dogs” on Tuesday afternoon, and the thunder and lightning of the sudden storm caused the fire company to shut their engine bays for a time to keep everyone safe.

Emergency officials were preparing mid-week for an anticipated spike in the heat wave that hit the area early this week, with temperatures expected to be at or above 100 degrees Thursday, Friday and Saturday, July 21-23. They were urging residents and visitors alike to monitor the weather and take precautions for their health and safety.

Parsons Farms Produce is now offering a fun summertime activity on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m. This will be the first year they have had a corn maze and hayride.

Delaware State Police on Tuesday were seeking a suspect in the overnight robbery of the Royal Farms store in Dagsboro.

Unite Sussex, a non-profit organization formed to help bring aid to the community through volunteerism and collaboration, and headed by the Rev. Kim Tephabock of Dagsboro Church of God, recently created a free youth camp for children in Frankford and the surrounding areas.

On Nov. 16, 2010, the parents of 2-year-old Saylor Hayes of Georgetown received some of the worst news a parent can hear. Their daughter was diagnosed with leukemia.

This July, the Progress for Prostate Golf Tournament will return to Cripple Creek Golf and Country Club in Dagsboro, for what is likely to be yet another successful, sold-out event. On Thursday, July 21, the tournament, started by local award-winning playwright Bob Davis eight years ago, will offer a round of golf, with an eventful evening the night before.

This Friday, June 17, Contractors for a Cause will host their Annual Spring Gala, an event aimed at benefitting a number of organizations, with emphasis this year on one local, struggling family. From 6 until 11 p.m. on Friday night at the Cripple Creek Country Club, the Spring Gala, which has a casino theme this year, will provide table games with professional dealers from Atlantic City, live entertainment and all-you-can-eat-and-drink fare, with an auction, raffles and giveaways.

Following just one day of trial, on June 7, former Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley on Wednesday awaited the ruling of Delaware Superior Judge William Carpenter Jr. on charges of rape, sexual assault and sexual exploitation of former patients.

The Frankford Town Council on June 6 approved the use of its park for a summer-long camp sponsored by Unite Sussex, an organization that seeks to “foster a collaboration between all groups, churches and organizations that serve those in need in our communities.”

There are those who spend their days in Sussex County enjoying its beaches, its shopping, its small-town feel. And then there are those who spend their days working to preserve landmarks in the county, such as the members of the Friends of Prince George’s Chapel in Dagsboro.

Summer officially begins in two weeks, but already Sussex County is weathering its second blast of extreme heat this year, as daytime temperatures in the upper 90s – and heat indexes above 100 degrees – are expected to send residents and visitors in search of relief.

The new Indian River Inlet Bridge is on track to open to traffic in December, transportation officials reported this week, with the two sides of the bridge expected to meet sometime in October.

Strategy, logic and skill. All are a necessity when tackling the game of chess, and the young minds of Lighthouse Christian School in Dagsboro can vouch for that. Last month, for the second year in a row, the school sent two teams – a middle school team and an elementary school team – comprising four players each, to the ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) Chess Tournament, held in Owings Mills, Md.

The Town of Dagsboro will formally dedicate its new park on Saturday, May 14, on-site at Katie Helm Park on Main Street in Dagsboro, from noon to 3 p.m.

About 20 people attended a meeting held by Delmarva Power representatives at the Dagsboro Volunteer Fire Company this week regarding Delmarva Power’s transmission-line project that will run from the Indian River in Millsboro to Bishopville, Md. They will host a similar meeting next week at the Bishopville Volunteer Fire Company.