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WEEKEND #8, 2010
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
REHOBOTH GAY BAR UNDER SCRUTINY?
The Double L Bar, the often raunchy gay hotspot outside the Rehoboth Beach city limits, has no doubt gotten the ire of local conservatives. It promotes itself on its Website as "The ONLY Leather and Bear Bar in Delaware."
Earlier this month, Chris Riss had reported on his Rehoboth Beach Buzz report that the MANdance banner hung outside Double L had been ripped down and stolen. It has been replaced with the one shown in the photo.
Riss, a local Realtor and promoter of the MANdance event, which is hosted at the Double L Bar, says "Five anonymous complaints were phoned into Delaware Alcohol Beverage Control alleging a dancer masturbated to fruition while on the bar at MANdance."
"Nothing of the sort occurred," Riss asserts in his Rehoboth Beach Buzz report, "but ABC will be at MANdance the next few weeks checking it out. As always, unlawful lewd or obscene behavior is neither encouraged nor permitted at MANdance. Perpetrators will be asked to leave."
Riss says he is a co-producer/promoter of MANdance with no financial interest in MANdance or Double L. He says Double L's owners were told by state officials of the complaints and that MANdance "would be under surveillance."
Some town skeptics wondered if this were a publicity stunt. "Neither the theft of the MANdance sign nor the complaints to the ABC were 'Publicity Stunts,'" Riss maintains.
State officials will not comment regarding the case. "As the Director of the division of DATE [Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement] we will not be responding to Mr. Riss's comments." says Siobhan Sullivan in an e-mail sent Saturday.
The Double L Bar is at 622 Rehoboth Avenue-Extended next to the Crystal Restaurant.
Several MANdance promo videos appear on YouTube.
TEEN ASSAULT SUSPECTS ARRESTED AFTER SEARCH OF ATLANTIC SANDS
Two male teens assaulted and threatened to stab another male teen on the beach in front of Baltimore Avenue around 10:20 p.m. Thursday. The two suspects fled as police arrived.
They had been staying in the Atlantic Sands with family. About eight police officers covered the hotel's exits and worked with hotel security to search for the suspects. They located and arrested both in less than 30 minutes and without further incident.
Cpl. Jamie Riddle says the suspects were upset with the victim who had been talking to one of the suspects' female cousin and her female companion.
The victim suffered minor injuries, Cpl. Riddle added. Police have not released any names because they are juveniles.
POLICE ARREST 4 WOMEN AFTER BLUE MOON FIGHT
A fight broke out among four women in the second block of Baltimore Avenue around 10:52 p.m. Thursday.
Cpl. Jamie Riddle says the four women were arrested for disturbing the peace after they became involved in an altercation with Blue Moon staff and each other.
He says all four of the women were acquaintances/friends. No injuries resulted from the minor altercation.
REHOBOTH POLICE PATROL BEACH FOR ALCOHOL
But mostly cite violators for glass containers
Rehoboth Beach was packed Saturday afternoon and trying to determine who was drinking from what bottle must have been a challenge for police.
Between around noon and 3 p.m., a seasonal police officer walked among the hoards of beach goers. He blended with the crowd wearing beach attire and keeping his radio and ticket pad in a pouch.
The target seemed to be alcohol, although most - if not all - of the civil citations he issued were for possession of a glass container on the beach, which is prohibited by city law.
He cited at least five beach goers, including one in this crowd. Others watched with amusement, curiosity or lack of interest.
REHOBOTH POLICE TARGET SEAT BELT VIOLATORS - AGAIN
For the second weekend in a row, Rehoboth Beach police established a seat belt compliance checkpoint on Bayard Avenue. The checkpoint started around 12:45 p.m. Saturday and continued for about two hours.
Just how many people are not wearing seat belts? A sampling of vehicles Saturday afternoon along Rehoboth Avenue showed about 80 to 90 percent compliance.
What about drivers of government vehicles? Here are photos of five that traveled Rehoboth Avenue Saturday afternoon. These drivers are frequently stopping and getting out of their vehicles. But ironically, Delaware law pretty much only gives exemptions to letter carriers. Oddly, he's one of those wearing a seat belt!
Here are Rehoboth Beach parking enforcement and public works crews on or crossing Rehoboth Avenue.
Even a DNREC park ranger passing through town appears unbelted. A Motorola microphone with black cord is clipped to his left shoulder epaulet, but no seat belt?
Kudos to the U.S. Postal Service and DART's bus service. Every DART bus driver was belted.
PACKED BEACH, FOUND CHILD
The beach at Rehoboth Avenue was packed Saturday afternoon.
The lifeguards handled eight lost or found children.
Here is the lifeguard on Stand 10 at Rehoboth Avenue. He is trying to find the parents of this four-year-old boy around 2:43 p.m. He holds the child above his head, above the sea of beach umbrellas and blows his whistle several times as he shows the boy in different directions. They found the guardian within three minutes.
AQUA GRILL HOSTS REHOBOTH VFC FUNDRAISER
Rehoboth Beach's Aqua Grill hosted a fundraiser for the Rehoboth Beach VFC on Saturday. The fire department's marquee promises another Hooters benefit carwash on July 21 starting at 11 a.m.
SCHWARTZKOPF BACK ON REHOBOTH BOARDWALK
He is no stranger to boardwalk news conferences. Representative Peter Schwartzkopf held a rally Wednesday morning on Rehoboth's boardwalk to announce his candidacy for re-election.
House Speaker Robert Gilligan, Attorney General Beau Biden and Governor Jack Markell were among those who joined Schwartzkopf for his announcement. Read more on the WGMD Website.
Photos by Hoyte Decker
LEWES BEACH KILLDEER PLOVERS
Here are some great photos Bob MacFawn took of Killdeer plover birds in Lewes Beach in the area of Cedar Street and Nebraska Avenue. They are ground-nesting birds that hide their nests right in the open!
Photos by Bob MacFawn.
OTHER NEWS:
REHOBOTH POLICE NAB DRUNK FEMALE DRIVER--- It was one of the few times when Rehoboth residents may have been awoken by sirens from police cars. A seasonal officer on patrol watched as a woman tried to drive a blue Dodge Caliber around 1:47 a.m. Saturday.
He said he had a possible drunk driver that "just ran up the curb headed westbound on Rehoboth Avenue at a high rate of speed." He radioed other officers as she drove west, and then turned right on Lake Avenue. Possibly suspicious that police were already after her, she continued. But police stopped her in the second block of Olive Avenue and placed her under arrest for drunk driving.
REHOBOTH POLICE INVESTIGATE REPORTED BOARDWALK ASSAULT--- A man contacted Rehoboth Beach police around 2 a.m. Sunday. While walking along the boardwalk at Hickman Street, he said four men came from behind, and struck or punched him with something. The men reportedly ran south on the boardwalk with the victim's wallet.
One source says the 47-year-old man was confused, could not remember exactly what happened, and had admitted to having consumed some alcohol. An ambulance was summoned to check his injuries while police searched for the suspects. He had suffered a bloody nose, but they were uncertain if he fell or was punched or struck with an object. He was taken to Beebe Hospital for a check-up.
TODDLER REMOVED FROM POOL AFTER POSSIBLE NEAR DROWNING--- A three-year-old boy was discovered by his father face down in a pool Saturday afternoon. It happened on Forsythia Drive in the Americana Bayside west of Fenwick Island around 1:44 p.m. The toddler had been in the pool for an unknown period of time. But he was still alive and vomited a large quantity of water. The boy was alert when taken to Peninsula Regional Medical Center.
MAN FLOWN TO TRAUMA CENTER AFTER SURF INJURY--- A 33-year-old man was flown to Baltimore Shock Trauma Center after he was injured in the Ocean City surf at 24th Street. It happened around 10:35 a.m. Saturday. He was conscious but was complaining of tingling in his arms and legs.
MAN PULLED FROM SURF IN CARDIAC ARREST--- An 82-year-old man suffered a trauma-related surf injury around 1:25 p.m. Thursday near the Cape Henlopen State Park main bathhouse.
Michael Globetti, from DNREC public affairs, says he "was taken to Beebe Hospital after lifeguards followed protocol in applying CPR and EMTs restored his pulse."
WEEKEND WATER RESCUES--- Authorities kept busy responding to several water rescues this past weekend.
Ocean City police called for assistance after two or three nude people jumped into the Isle of Wight Bay from a pier at the Princess Bayside Beach Hotel on 48th Street around 1:38 a.m. Friday. After searching for about 20 minutes, they were safely located on a dock near Seacrets. The couple supposedly admitted it was them who jumped into the bay.
A Windsurfer was reportedly having trouble returning to shore in the Delaware Bay off Lewes Beach at the breakwater around 7 p.m. Friday. Firefighters, Coast Guard and DNREC made contact with the boater around 7:15 p.m. He said he was not in distress.
The Coast Guard and Ocean City police searched for several hours for a 45-year-old man who reportedly disappeared on a boogie board near 71st Street around 9:40 p.m. Friday. The search was canceled about three hours later when he was safely located on land.
A 17-foot Bayliner with two adults on board was reported in distress off Broadkill Beach around 10 a.m. Sunday. It was without battery power and taking on water because the bilge pump was not operating. Several fire companies, DNREC and the Coast Guard were involved. They arrived and safely rescued the boaters by 10:27 a.m.
BAD WEEKEND FOR SUSSEX AUTO ACCIDENTS--- Probably the most horrific was reported around 1:19 a.m. Saturday on Beaver Dam Road near Hopkins Road southwest of Lewes. A 51-year-old Millsboro man crashed his 1995 Ford Mustang into a pole at high speed. Rescuers reported finding his vehicle in four pieces and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two people were injured including one who was trapped in a two-vehicle crash on Mount Joy Road near Maryland Camp Road east of Millsboro just before 10 a.m. Saturday. One driver was flown to Christiana Hospital and the other was taken to Beebe Hospital with less serious injuries.
A group home mini-van was involved in a crash on Saturday when it collided with a Ford Explorer on John J. Williams Highway at Burton's Pond near Angola around 4:28 p.m. The Explorer landed on its roof. One patient was flown by helicopter and three others were taken by ground to hospital. The Indian River VFC has posted photos on its Website.
NEWS RELEASES / NEWS REPORTS:
OC whale too decomposed to determine cause of death
Well-known skimboarder crashes into police car (near Rehoboth, Thursday)
A season of heavy surf, riptides produce increase in ocean rescues
Man charged with lewd acts at West Ocean City dept. store (Thursday)
Rehoboth man nabbed after Harbeson burglary (Thursday)
Home invasion east of Selbyville (Friday)
Kids playing with fire spark blaze (Frankford, Friday)
Fenwick beach goers miss concession stands
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