Coastal Point | Archives

BREAKING NEWS:
Willey resigning Sept. 1
By Jonathan Starkey
Staff Reporter

Millville Mayor Gary Willey told the Coastal Point on Friday that he plans to resign his mayoral post on Sept. 1 after buying land with plans to build a home and move outside of town limits. Willey – a third-generation Millville mayor – was elected mayor in 1997 after a 15-year stint as a town councilman.

“It’s real hard stepping down after all of these years,” Willey said. “I’m real proud of what’s taken place in the town of Millville. We’ve accomplished a tremendous amount.”

Read full coverage on Willey’s resignation in the July 14 issue of the Coastal Point.

Severe storms scuttle Bethany fireworks
Crowds gathered early on the sands near the Bethany Beach boardwalk on Tuesday, hoping to stake their claim to the best spots to watch the annual Fourth of July fireworks display. But Mother Nature had something else in mind.

Funding the issue for all day kindergarten
Local school boards will have the final vote to confirm if school districts want to implement a full-day kindergarten program, according to a bill passed in the General Assembly and sent to Gov. Ruth Ann Minner last week.

CHEER receives some help from state
The Sussex County Senior Services organization CHEER received a 5.5 percent increase from the state this year in the Grant-in-Aid bill, which “will help,” according to CHEER Deputy Director John Culp, but doesn’t solve the problem with a possible cut in services.

Chamber co-op draws 76 members
Some 60 members joined the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce-led electric cooperative in the last week before the June 30 registration deadline. Now, 76 members representing 181 accounts make up the co-op effort, which might bid for electric rates within weeks or even days.

Gas prices don't affect coastal tourism
Thousands of people walked along the Bethany Beach boardwalk throughout the extended July 4 holiday weekend. Visitors and locals alike lined up to watch the Bethany Beach and Bear Trap parades on Tuesday. And vehicles carrying Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and even North Carolina license plates inched along Routes 1 and 26 at certain points of the weekend.

Delp, Romero die from accident injuries
Dagsboro resident Robert Delp died last Thursday night from injuries sustained in a June 8 Frankford-area accident that killed four others and injured three.

National Aquarium to visit Bethany Beach
With ongoing concerns over pollution and algal blooms in South Bethany’s canals, planned dredging of the canals this fall and early research into a possible tidal pump system to increase water flow in the canals, it was time for some expert input on the situation from the non-profit Center for the Inland Bays.

Marketing ABCs
Every day, consumers are bombarded with a seemingly endless deluge of marketing messages. In fact, some experts estimate that from the time we wake up until the time we go to sleep we are exposed to over 1,700 marketing messages. So, how can you create a marketing message that won’t get lost?

Fenwick bonfire lights up the night
They came by twos and threes, fives and sixes, as the sun set over homes in Fenwick Island on Saturday, July 1. In groups large and small, residents and visitors to the coastal town headed to the sands, though the day’s spectacular beach weather was being capped by nightfall.

Homes to open for annual cottage tour
Homes in the Friends of the South Coastal Library’s Annual Beach and Bay Cottage Tour are gaining recognition in and beyond Delmarva these days — and rightly so, according to tour spokeswoman Joan Gordon.

Culinary delights--Thai one on
I have developed a fascination with Asian and Indian styles of cooking again. It seems during this time of year the hotter it gets, the hotter my food has to be. I am not saying that all Asian food has to be hot, but when I eat it I always love to get the extra hot stuff on the side or at home when I cook just spice it right.

Bear Essentials offers convenience
One afternoon early this summer, Bear Trap resident Rhoda Ganz and her granddaughter visited the Bear Essentials market, a convenience store across from the Bear Trap Dunes Clubhouse. Her granddaughter stepped up to the deli counter, checked the menu and ordered a turkey-and-cheese sandwich. Much to Ganz’s enjoyment, her granddaughter shared.

The Daytripper meets the James Farm
It is quite amazing the number of places that are just a short trip from Bethany Beach that people know little or nothing about. All you have to do is to head inland a bit to the areas we know as the “inland bays.”

Legion team splits doubleheader
The month of June has been tough for Legion baseball but, after nearly two weeks off due to rain, Sussex East’s Post 28 baseball team started July off right by splitting an up-state doubleheader with R.C. DuPont on July 1 to improve their record to 8-4 overall.

Hoban continues to follow his dream
Last season, prognosticators picked the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Division I baseball team to come in dead last in the Mid Eastern Atlantic Conference, and why not? They hadn’t had a winning season since 1995 and finished the 2005 season 6-40.

Magic showing some ... magic
Some 15 days separate area softball players in the Delaware Magic National Softball Association World Series Tune-up from the real deal in Columbus, Ohio, on July 22. But starting this weekend, it’ll be a free-for-all.