Sussex County News

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.

Sussex County residents now know who the next county administrator will be, after six months of consideration of the candidates and qualifications for the job. And he’s a hometown boy.

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.

Sussex County Councilman Vance Phillips plans to introduce an ordinance on July 26 that would significantly reduce the rates the County charges for applying for a variance from the Sussex County Board of Adjustments.

As the Sussex County Council continues its review and potential overhauls of aspects of the planning approval processes, the issue of Board of Adjustments fees has been one of the areas where the council has been considering making some changes.

With the Sussex County Council on a two-week break, county planning staff have some additional time to work on compiling a report intended to give the council a better idea of the potential impacts of a proposed ordinance that would provide a blanket time extension on current approved subdivision, conditional-use and residential planned community projects.

The Sussex County Council this week addressed two issues dealing with the inner workings of county government – both of which could prove controversial. The council adopted an amendment to its Rules of Procedure that address conduct during council meetings – specifically the time allocated for “other business,” during which public comment is taken. They also approved a process for redistricting the county council in the wake of the 2010 Census.

The Delaware Supreme Court has accepted an amicus brief filed recently by the Delaware chapter of the Sierra Club in support of a recent appeal by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), over the agency’s authority to impose its Pollution Control Strategy.

On June 23, Delaware Superior Court Judge William C. Carpenter Jr. found former Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley guilty on all 24 counts against him — 14 counts of rape in the first-degree, five counts of assault in the second degree and five counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

Sussex County Council members on June 21 voted 3-2 to approve the rebate of roughly $1.06 million in unexpected transfer tax revenue to taxpayers, but resistance to the idea persisted among the council minority this week, as Councilman George Cole and Councilwoman Joan Deaver said they’d like the council to reconsider the small rebate for all in favor of providing additional funding to help those in need.

Every night, thousands of people dine at restaurants in Sussex County, Del., particularly in the summer. And every night, thousands of plates with food waste get scraped into garbage cans, where they are hauled away and added to the landfill – a landfill that isn’t getting any bigger, but is certainly getting much fuller.

Last June, the University of Delaware commissioned a 256-foot Gamesa wind turbine at its Lewes campus. Since then the university has been doing various studies involving the turbine, including studying the impact of turbines on avian and bat populations.

U.S. Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and Rep. John Carney (all D-Del.) this week welcomed an announcement that NRG/Bluewater Wind had extended the deadline in their agreement with Delmarva Power for an additional three months.

Former Lewes pediatrician Earl Bradley has been found guilty on all 24 counts against him — 14 counts of rape in the first-degree, five counts of assault in the second degree and five counts of sexual exploitation of a child.

Pick up the July 1 issue of the Coastal Point for more on this story, including reporting from the courtroom on June 23.