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WEEKEND #06, 2012
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
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BICYCLIST STRUCK, KILLED BY HIT-N-RUN DRIVER OUTSIDE REHOBOTH
An intoxicated 38-year-old man driving a Jeep Wrangler struck and killed a 44-year-old male bicyclist around 2:08 a.m. Sunday outside Rehoboth on the northbound lanes of Coastal Highway.
It was almost exactly a year to the day that another high-profile drunk driving fatality happened on Coastal Highway in the southbound lanes. That was when a newlywed, 44-year-old Yoram Moyshe, was killed by an intoxicated woman driving a Nissan SUV.
Police have identified the man killed this weekend as Russell Henman. A police news release says he had been riding his bike when he was struck from behind by the Jeep which had been headed away from Rehoboth merging onto the northbound lanes. Police say the driver of the Jeep, Brian Meegan, continued to drive with Henman on the hood. Meegan appeared to have driven through nine green bollards, crossed on to the service road, and that is where Henman fell from the Jeep landing on the roadway. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said Meegan left the scene. But officers found him, the Jeep and Henman's bike around 2:45 a.m. in the CVS parking lot.
There has been enormous reaction to Henman's death on social media and on the WGMD Webpage. "He was a truly nice man, loved by his friends with a true heart of gold! He was so funny, I will remember him always smiling," says Tom McGlone, one of his friends.
REHOBOTH DEALING WITH STREET FLOODING AFTER BEACH REPLENISHMENT
It was not a heavy rain for Rehoboth Beach, but it offered a great recreational opportunity for kids. Around 1 p.m. last Monday, the Rehoboth Beach DEOS weather station recorded about a quarter inch of rain in town. Police on patrol reported flooding in the ocean blocks, specifically at Rehoboth Avenue near the bandstand, and on Laurel Street at the boardwalk.
There was so much water, Laurel Street became a swimming pool for children.
The culprit appears to be a clogged outfall pipe, says Commissioner Stan Mills. That pipe discharges water from the storm drains into the ocean, and after the recent beach replenishment, the drains became clogged with sand.
He noted that storm water from streets at a higher elevation than Laurel Street, such as Hickman Street, will back up from the clog and come through the nearest and lowest storm drain, such as Laurel Street.
"As the newly nourished beach profile tapers at the water's edge where the outfall pipes terminate, the cause of clogging should be alleviated," says Commissioner Mills. "I know city management is continuing to work with DNREC and the Army Corps of Engineers to unclog the outfall pipe and then keep it unclogged," he added. "I believe the City is and will continue to be sensitive to this situation. Hopefully this situation will be remedied soon."
AIRBORNE MOSQUITO SPRAYING; HOW TO KNOW IF YOU'RE IN THE ZONE?
Professional photographer David Koster expressed concern this past week after he was sprayed by a mosquito control helicopter north of Bethany. He took this photo as it flew over him.
"I was out on the beach in North Bethany when this helicopter flew directly over top of me spraying chemicals," he said. "I don't want it all over me and neither did the other families with children that were there. If there was any kind of notice or warning, I would have gone somewhere else, but it just came in too quickly." he stated.
"The average person at that location had no reasonable warning or place to escape to when it happened. If there was a sign before I went into that area, I would have surely went somewhere else," he said. "Should I have to go look to a website before I go outside just to see if I am going to get sprayed?" he asked.
This notice appeared on the WGMD Website on Thursday and this one on Wednesday.
In regard to mosquito control, DNREC provided this statement on Friday:
To control mosquito populations in Delaware, the DNREC Mosquito Control Section performs aerial spraying, using insecticides tested and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Section applies insecticides in accordance with all EPA-approved instructions as required by federal law, posing no unreasonable risk to human health, wildlife or the environment.
Aerial spraying is typically done in early morning or evening. Advance public notice of when and where aerial spraying will occur is announced daily via:
· Postings on http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Services/Pages/MosquitoSection.aspx
· Public service announcements sent to area radio stations
· Email notices from DNREC (To sign up, go to www.dnrec.delaware.gov and click “email list subscription” under Services.)
· Toll-free calls to 1-800-338-8181
Delaware Mosquito Control provides statewide services to more than 880,000 residents and more than 2 million visitors annually to maintain quality of life and protect public health by reducing the possibility of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus.
The tail number on the helicopter photographed by Koster is N123NM which belongs to Chorman Spraying of Milton.
Photos courtesy David Koster (www.PortraitsInTheSand.com and www.memorymakerboat.com)
PARKING WOES RETURN DURING SATURDAY CHECK-INS
It's the time of the season when beach house rentals are at their peak, and on Saturday, would-be tenants pack the already-congested area around the Jack Lingo Realtor offices, one of the town's biggest rental agencies, waiting to gain access to their accommodations.
John Dewey and a couple of his neighbors have again expressed concern to the city regarding the situation. The arriving tenants, Dewey writes, will park in the restricted area starting at Rehoboth Avenue, around the curve past the bank driveway and block access to crosswalks. He said they also double park on Scarborough Avenue and at Wall's corner making it impossible for cars, and especially emergency vehicles, to pass. He also said "there is no safe way for pedestrians to stay out of traffic."
"A public nuisance is created as folks set up picnics in the median alongside their illegally parked cars and leave trash all over the place," he added. "Folks have left vehicles for hours, having gone off shopping or to the beach. On more than one occasion the vehicles were left there until after dark. Given the speed at which a car without a permit or at an expired meter is ticketed, in three years I never seen even one ticket issued to any of these drivers or cars."
In response, Jo-Ann Bacher, rental manager, wrote in an e-mail Sunday that
"We realize it is an issue and with this being a holiday week we are booked
to capacity and I consider that a good thing for our economy in Rehoboth. We
get the guests checked in as quickly as possible and never has it taken us more
than 45 minutes to an hour to check in close to 500 families. I am not sure
what more we can do...... if the City feels they should give tickets for this
I am sure they would do so...."
Photos courtesy John Dewey
MULTI-AGENCY RESPONSE TO SINKING BOAT
A boater called for help when his 19-footer began sinking off the beach between Rehoboth and Dewey around 7:20 p.m. Sunday. First on the scene was a 25-foot Coast Guard boat, followed by DNREC marine police and the Lewes fire boat, which brought along a pump.
The sinking vessel was just at the water line when help arrived. The Coast Guard took the man on board.
The Lewes fire boat remained with the boat until around 9:30 p.m. when TowBoatUS arrived.
CRIME CAMERAS, RESCUE BOAT AND MORE, DISCUSSED AT DEWEY MEETING
Dewey Beach residents, town and state officials packed the Best Western Saturday for three hours to discuss various crime and public safety concerns that have been fueled by recent events.
Many ideas are under consideration, including video cameras, a rescue boat, traffic calming and street lighting. Check the WGMD Website for more details. This article has details on Friday's noise discussion.
DON'T PARK YOUR SCOOTER AT THE NEW BIKE STATION; IT MIGHT GET CITED
After days of mopeds and motor scooters dominating the new bike parking stations, citations were issued this past week.
The hand-written violation notices were placed on several of the scooters.
But motor bikes continue to park elsewhere in town.
VANDER ZEE, FISHER RETURN TO MORTON GALLERY!
by Dagmar Henney
The Morton Gallery in Rehoboth Beach is hosting yet another exciting exhibition! The two main artists with their contrasting methods show tremendous talent!
Visitors loved Rob Vander Zee's and Gary Fisher's work last year and yet every year brings a new surprise and their amazing development. It does not matter whether you love color or simple black & white sketches. How lovely to see such fine art exhibited in Rehoboth. Thanks Eric!
Vander Zee said he started painting when he was 12 years old. The beautiful colors expressed in his abstract work are fantastic. He says he has been doing abstract paintings for three or four years and sees them as a natural progression from his previous works. His stunning use of color and texture shows in his works below, Terra Incognita XII and Glacial Flow VII, both oil on panel. He said he gets more play from oil than other types of paint.
Vander Zee comes from Alexandria, Va. where he has his own art school, and will soon land in the Big Apple. Visit his Website for more details on his school and work.
Gary Fisher, another brilliant painter whose work is equally impressive, shares the spotlight with Vander Zee. You may remember Fisher's striking still lifes, especially his beautiful, almost edible fruit, from past years.
Fisher said he has been studying and painting figures this past year. He uses actual models, photos and sketches. This piece is entitled Tim II, another oil on canvas. Tim is a trainer in D.C. and had been modeling for him during the winter.
See their work at the Philip Morton Gallery on Baltimore Avenue.
Across town, hanging at Gallery 50, is Susan Finsen. She too enjoys her art and it shows with her works, such as "Hugs and Kisses," mixed media on board, which appear below. She describes herself as a painter with no set process, spontaneous and intuitive. She does not know what she has until she is finished. She will paint multiple works at the same time as it helps fire her imagination, allowing her to leave one kind of mark in different ways.
Visit susanfinsen.com or Gallery 50 at 50 Wilmington Avenue in downtown Rehoboth Beach.
SILVER LAKE GAGGLE
OTHER NEWS:
MARYLAND GOVERNOR SPOTTED IN BETHANY BEACH--- The town's parking enforcement ticket writers stay alert and often notify their colleagues when they spot official vehicles, presumably so not to issue tickets. But a ticket had been issued this time! Wednesday afternoon, they reported two SUVs and a car with Maryland State Police tags and "executive protection" signs in the windows. Later they confirmed that Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley had been on the beach at Central Avenue. This past week the Governor attended the annual Maryland Municipal League Convention in Ocean City. Earlier this summer, Bethany parking enforcers have reported vehicles with both State Department and Secret Service placards in town.
REHOBOTH POLICE GET COMPLAINT ABOUT NOISY RECYCLING CREW--- You try to get some rest before 8 a.m. but you're woken by a great roaring sound and bang, bang, bang, as a recycling truck empties recycle bins in a parking lot. This happened Sunday morning around 7:20 a.m. at the Rehoboth Plaza Baymart on Coastal Highway and somebody called police to complain. When police arrived, the officer said the crew had already emptied the recycle bins and departed.
DEWEY BEACH PATROL CITE MEN FOR NUDE BATHING--- "I have three guys in the water [who] swam out and took their shorts off," radioed a lifeguard on the Dickinson Avenue stand around 4:19 p.m. Friday. "Whistle at them, tell them to put it back on and then, when they get out of the water, we'll send somebody down there," the supervisor stated. How much did the men show? The guard said "We can see pretty much everything." At that point they were told a civil citation would have to be issued "since everybody is watching." Guards talked about citing the men with indecent exposure and/or lewdness.
DEWEY BEACH PATROL SAYS "NO" TO PARROT ON BEACH--- Also in Dewey this past Sunday, guards decided that a beach visitor could not be allowed on the beach with a pet parrot. That was reported around noon Sunday on Rodney Avenue.
WOMAN INJURED WHEN UMBRELLA CRASHES THROUGH GLASS--- As storms came through around 12:30 a.m. Saturday, a 21-year-old woman suffered a "large cut" to her leg when an umbrella crashed through a glass window at a Dewey Beach bar. An ambulance was called, but her injuries were minor.
MAN INJURED IN O.C. ASSAULT, FLOWN TO SALISBURY--- A man suffered a cut to the face on Worcester Street in Ocean City around 12:15 a.m. Sunday. The patient was taken to the Coast Guard station and flown to Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
MAN INJURED IN SURF FLOWN TO CHRISTIANA--- The only surf injury this weekend requiring a medevac happened around 12:30 p.m. Sunday. A 29-year-old man dove head-first into the ocean hitting his head on the ocean floor. He walked out on his own, but was briefly unconscious. This happened on York Crossing south of South Bethany in the state park. They flew him to Christiana Hospital.
NEWS RELEASES / NEWS REPORTS:
Delmarva's beaches are the cleanest
NRDC Annual Beach Report: Closing & Advisory Days Hit Third-Highest Level in Two Decades
NRDC Ratings of popular beaches
Swim at your own risk: America's dirtiest beaches revealed in shocking new study
Stretch of beach at Cape Henlopen closed to safeguard piping plovers
Rehoboth Beach receives 5-star rating for clean water quality
Plans unveiled for Rehoboth city hall
Rehoboth's war history on display
Weekend before holiday seen as busy for resort
Midweek July 4 presents dilemma for businesses
Waterman charged after clamming in polluted water (last Sunday, Dewey)
Dewey movies and bonfires are back
Northbeach wins bragging rights at restaurant Olympics
DBE files response to motion to re-argue case
Dewey Beach, Ocean City named "5-Star Beaches" by NRDC
Dewey council raises nighttime noise limit
Years later, The Starboard continues to live up to ranking
Pawan Kumar Anajaiah acted alone in Dewey murder (The Times of India)
Sea grass spreads on Delaware beaches
Jellyfish are coming and may stay longer
Sussex County storm damage (Monday)
Fish and Wildlife issue 51 citations, including Operation Dry Water
Fish & Wildlife Enforcement makes 4 OUI arrests during Operation Dry Water
Crash near Clarksville leaves Ocean View man dead & 2 injured (Tuesday)
Schedule designates surfing areas in OC (interesting)
New movie possibly coming to film in Ocean City this fall
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