Frankford News

Man hospitalized after shooting himself

The Delaware State Police are currently investigating an accidental shooting in which a Frankford, DE man was injured that occurred Monday, Oct. 31.

Supporters and staff at the Frankford Public Library are still chugging along in their efforts to raise money for a planned building expansion. Library Director Liz Hamilton said they recently met with the State of Delaware’s library department in early September.

Delaware’s Department of Transportation has announced that beginning this evening, Wednesday, Nov. 2, there will be a shift in traffic patterns on Route 1 just north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge. The shift will be implemented to ensure continued road safety due to dune erosion adjacent to the northbound lanes, they said.

Both the northbound and southbound lanes of Route 1, near the Indian River Inlet will close at approximately 9 p.m. tonight, due to high storm tides, report  officials from the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT).

In a chemical-laden world – from the cosmetics women wear and the chemicals in dry cleaning to the more obvious pollutants, such as smoke stacks and cigarettes – it is easy to get exposed to something dangerous. What’s not as easy is knowing if and/or when that something could lead to serious and lasting side-effects, or even disease.

Delaware State Police Troop 4 Property Unit detectives this week charged a Frankford man and woman in connection with five residential burglaries that took place Wednesday evening, Oct. 19, in Plantation Park, west of Ocean View.

It’s getting a lot harder for people driving across the Indian River Inlet Bridge to see through the gap between north and south sides of the new bridge as they drive past, with the time for the final concrete pour of the project nearing and just 10 feet of space remaining between the two cantilevered portions of the bridge deck.

Beebe Medical Center will host the Community Heart Fair at the Frankford Volunteer Fire Company’s fire hall on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The Frankford Town Council approved a draft franchise agreement between the Town and Chesapeake Utilities this week.

State trooper pleads guilty to harassment

Delaware State Police trooper Ryan J. Mitchell, 36, of Frankford, pled guilty last month to one count each of Harassment and Misuse of a Computer in connection with unwanted and unsolicited contact with a Sussex County woman.

At the Frankford Public Library, tons of resources and information is packed into a pretty small space. And while Frankford itself is a small town, the 19945 ZIP code and the number of people who identify their home as Frankford are quite large — and growing. So, the need for a bigger space for the library seemed inevitable.

Coastal Delaware began its recovery from Hurricane Irene as torrential rains and gale-force winds cleared on Sunday morning, dealing generally with localized flooding and power outages, as well as downed trees and broken limbs – a considerably lesser impact than had been feared from the first hurricane to hit the state in recorded history.

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.

Level 2 driving restrictions will be in place in Sussex County starting at 6 p.m.; then in Kent County starting from 8 p.m.; and in New Castle County starting from 10 p.m. This means that non-emergency travel will be prohibited.   Those who are evacuating from flooding or flood-prone areas, including to shelters, are exempt.
 

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.

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.