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WEEKEND #10, 2015
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
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REHOBOTH COMMISSIONER CANDIDATES SHARE CONCERNS FOR TOWN
After recent commissioner meetings, some people expressed surprise how civil the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners' Association's candidate forum was this past Friday.
The 60 or so members of the audience had to be hard pressed to find much difference among the four candidates attending the forum at CAMP Rehoboth.
Paul Kuhns and Richard Perry along with incumbent commissioners Patrick Gossett and Bill Sargent discussed the city's problems for about two hours. The candidates agreed on the issues during much of the discussion.
For more details, please see WGMD.com.
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SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC MESSAGES LEFT AT REHOBOTH CHURCH
Rehoboth Beach police are investigating a complaint about hate material which was discovered on vehicle windshields around 10 a.m. Sunday at the Episcopal Parish of All Saints' Church on Olive Avenue.
Rev. Max Wolf called the three-page crudely produced flier upsetting but said it energizes his parish with a renewed commitment to defend their rights and beliefs. The church had a similar flier incident a few years ago, and Rev. Wolf suspects it was the same person, perhaps returning once again for vacation.
Here are just a couple pieces of the three-page note. If you recognize the handwriting or its appearance, Rehoboth Beach police would like to hear from you, please call (302) 227-2577.
As upsetting as this was, Rev. Wolf says this gives him material for discussion for next week.
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MASS TICKETING IN REHOBOTH CHAMBER/MUSEUM LOT
A Rehoboth Beach parking enforcement officer issued at least 14 -- to as many as 25 -- $50 parking tickets to vehicles parked in the Chamber of Commerce/Rehoboth Beach Museum parking lot adjacent to Grove Park. This is somewhat ironic as the Chamber has always been an advocate of making parking easier for visitors.
The tickets were issued around 10 p.m. Saturday when the town was packed with visitors and their vehicles.
This sign appears several times throughout the lot.
The sign does not address parking for Grove Park or what happens after the stated hours.
Paul Kuhns, Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce president, said he had not heard about this. No comment as of yet from the city manager or parking enforcement offices.
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IVY-NORTH BEACH COMPLEX IN CHAOS, AGAIN
Dewey officers came under attack during weekend
violent melee
After an almost peaceful summer, violence has once again emerged in one of Dewey's largest party blocks.
Early Sunday, Rehoboth, state and even Lewes police came to assist Dewey officers when fights broke out at the Ivy/North Beach complex minutes after 1 a.m. while officers were under attack.
Incredibly, nobody was shot, which speaks well for the officers' training for situations when they are under attack by out-of-control intoxicated mobs.
At 1:16 a.m., a Dewey officer could be heard yelling in his radio, requesting state police in addition to Rehoboth and to "give us everybody you got."
A fight apparently started inside Ivy and spilled out onto the parking lot. That is when one officer became involved in a physical fight with a group of men. Another officer coming to his aid attempted to use his Taser but was immediately confronted by another angry mob.
Groups of angry, cursing, drunk men filled the bar's parking lot and adjacent Dagsworthy and McKinley avenues as police agencies rushed to the bar complex to assist. At first the men refused to leave but eventually did as more officers arrived.
One angry group later accosted a cab driver and surrounded his van in a threatening manner in the parking lot of Dewey Beach Liquors.
Police made at least three arrests and there was at least one injury during the ordeal.
Some of those who fled as additional officers arrived called the cops "bitches" and "mo/fos" and threatened to return next weekend.
Earlier this past week, also around 1 a.m. but on Wednesday morning, North Beach had a group of about 50 people who got into a fight. At least one of the groups mentioned continuing the dispute at Wawa, which has been the go-to-after place to settle disputes for several years.
After both incidents this past week, both Wawas on Coastal Highway north of Rehoboth were placed on "lock down." State troopers warned Wawa staff, took control of the lot entrances and decided who would be allowed to enter.
As far as occupancy, North Beach is Dewey's second largest bar with capacity for 937 people. Ivy, the adjacent bar, is allowed 212 people. Both are owned by the same company.
According to one source, the current problem is because of the recent rap/hip-hop music selection. The Dewey Beach Life website shows new music coming this week.
SILVER LAKE HISTORICAL MARKER SIGN GONE
It was dedicated less than a year ago, on August 25, 2014, and probably took somebody only a few seconds to steal.
Sallie H. Forman, Save Our Lakes Alliance 3 founder and president, said she first noticed the marker missing on Friday.
Forman said the turnout during last year's dedication showed how proud the residents were of the sign and what it meant to the lake community. Representative Pete Schwartzkopf, Speaker of the House, and Senator Ernie Lopez, were the legislative sponsors for the marker and attended last year's dedication.
This was only the second state historical marker in Delaware dedicated to a natural resource and the only one in the Rehoboth area.
Anybody with details on this stolen sign is asked to call Delaware State Police, Troop 7 at (302) 644-5020.
Photos courtesy Sallie H. Forman
MORE TOW RAGE IN M&T BANK LOT!
Police called to settle dispute between Coastal
Towing and motorist
Parking was so scarce Saturday night that one motorist parked in the fire lane at M&T Bank on Rehoboth Avenue because no other spaces were available at the closed bank's lot!
Towing companies are seen as a necessary evil in the resort areas because they are charged with keeping open important parking spaces such as the ATM PARKING ONLY and fire lanes at the M&T Bank, among other lots they patrol.
Just as Coastal hooked this Ford Edge which was left in a fire lane Saturday evening, the occupants returned and jumped inside the SUV. The tow truck operator demanded his $95 "show up" fee and blocked them in.
A police officer came and for about 15 minutes, they argued, made cell phone calls and negotiated. The driver of the Ford said he only had $67 and Coastal Towing had to have $95, cash, no checks, or credit cards because he might put it into contest.
The only one not arguing was the girl looking out the tow truck's window.
After much discussion, Coastal Towing reluctantly agreed to accept the $67 and wrote the man a receipt before towing away another vehicle parked in the adjacent ATM PARKING ONLY space.
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MAN CITED FOR DISROBING IN PUBLIC ACROSS FROM RBP HQ
A seasonal Rehoboth Beach police officer wrote a 50-year-old man a civil citation for disrobing in public at the boardwalk shower late Saturday afternoon.
It was reported just after 4 p.m. across from the Rehoboth Beach Patrol headquarters on Baltimore Avenue.
The man's name appears to be of foreign origin although he had an Accomac, Virginia mailing address. This would not be the first time a foreigner had been cited for nudity at the boardwalk showers.
MORE WHALES AND OTHER INTERESTING MARINE ACTIVITY
This whale put on a show off Swedes Street in Dewey Beach last Sunday, and then went north, says F. Neil Dougherty who took this photo when the whale was near Silver Lake. It was later posted on the Delaware Surf Fishing blog.
Around 3 p.m. this past Friday, O.C.B.P. Capt. Butch Arbin says a humpback whale was spotted in Ocean City. He says the whale breached at 120th, 130th and 134th Streets.
Suzanne Thurman, MERR Institute executive director, says she cannot see the features well in Dougherty's photo, but this whale looks more like a North Atlantic right whale than a humpback. She too confirms reports that a humpback had been feeding near shore off Bethany Beach this past Saturday morning.
As far as shark news goes, WTTG-TV aired this story last Tuesday about a man who is said to have been a fisherman and pulled the shark to shore. WRDE-TV aired this follow-up to a related story the station had reported concerning citations issued for similar shark fishing violations.
A manatee has been spotted swimming in the C&D canal. The Cecil Whig was one of several news outlets to report the sighting.
This Philadelphia Inquirer article discusses several of these related incidents but for the Jersey shore.
And finally, Thurman reports that MERR investigated a dead loggerhead sea turtle that had been discovered on the south side of the Indian River Inlet last week. She says it appears to have been the victim of a boat propeller strike.
Photo courtesy F. Neil Dougherty
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THE SANDMAN OF RODNEY STREET
If you've spent any time along Rodney Street in Rehoboth Beach, you've probably seen his work. Jim Cook, Dover resident and chemical engineer turned-Rehoboth Beach sand sculpturer, is on the job much of the summer near the surf's edge.
Cook says he builds about 20 to 25 sand sculptures each summer, dedicating as much as 12 hours a day, five days a week, to his art on the beach, which he calls "primitive sand art." His only tools are a ballpoint pen, blowing tube, shovel and bucket. He's built more than 400 of these sand sculptures during the past 25 years.
Quite a bit of planning goes into each of his projects. He studies the Internet for the images, and then changes those images into sketches. "If I can draw it, I can do it in sand," he states, noting how he uses his drawings to study the gravity-pitch points, a combination of engineering and art. His work shows incredible perspective in amazing detail.
Cook has yet to compete in the sandcastle contest. "Competition is not meaningful," he states, noting that "I'd do it without anybody here." The Rehoboth annual sandcastle contest, by the way, is August 1.
He keeps in great shape, wears SPF 50 suntan lotions and gets plenty of stretching exercise. "What a studio," he says, "I have fun doing it... and the kids are all thrilled."
Shown below is his Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz that he created this past Saturday.
And here is the accompanying sketch. Amazing! Looks just like the photo!
He is not vain. But he inserts himself into the photos for a reason. "I did sand art for 10 years and never got in any of the photos," Cook notes. "When I look back now, they all look about six inches tall because there is no size perspective in the picture. Now, I always get in my last picture," he says.
Here Cook was on Friday with Peter Pan's Tinkerbell in the background. Under construction was "Fear" from Inside Out.
Cook says he is often asked: Why does he spend up to 12 hours a day building sand art when it then gets destroyed after a day or two? The fun for him is in creating the sculpture. He says when he is done, there is no more fun left in it for him. "Creating it gives me hours of pure fun – for anyone who destroys it, it's only about two seconds."
"I ask folks who might do painting or other art forms 'how many people take pictures of your work with their kids by it and put it on Facebook, Instagram or in family albums?'"
"Even though my sand art only lasts a very short while, it lives on in thousands of pictures and memories over the years of families who are having a great time on vacation at Rehoboth Beach. It's nice that my fun is part of their fond memories at the beach. And kids are fascinated by big characters. Some folks have told me they have photos of their kids growing up over the years, standing by my sand art," he adds.
"For as long as I can remember, when I first get to the beach early in the morning, as the sun is coming up, the ocean is calm, the seagulls are flying off in the distance and the dolphins are passing by, feeding… I always think to myself: 'So much sand… so little time…'"
Photos courtesy Jim Cook
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ANOTHER SCOOTER CRASH ON COASTAL HWY BUS LANE
A 43-year-old woman riding a scooter around noon this past Wednesday crashed into a Jeep Patriot. Police say she had been riding in the southbound bus lane when the Jeep was attempting to turn right onto Camelot Drive and they collided.
The scooter rider was taken by ambulance to Beebe Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. She suffered cuts to the side of her body, was reported as initially somewhat confused and had not been wearing a helmet. The driver of the Jeep, police say, was uninjured and was ticketed for unsafe lane change. The roadway had limited access with only both left lanes open for approximately one hour.
Sgt. Richard D. Bratz of the Delaware State Police released this report on Friday with analysis of Troop 7 accidents, particularly those on Coastal Highway, for the past three years.
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COYOTE OR FOX?
Do you have a coyote or fox problem in your neighborhood?
"I now have good reason to believe it wasn't a fox but a coyote," writes Kevin Bliss, who took this photo Sunday on State Road in Rehoboth. He says the long legs and the color seem to suggest that this is a coyote.
"The animal did not appear sick and was not aggressive," he writes. "It ran away back through a hole or gap in the neighbors' fence. It was stationary long enough for us to see each other, for me to run back into the house to grab my iPad and return and take two pictures."
In Dewey Beach this summer, residents have been struggling with what to do about a group of foxes that threaten their dogs. Some have even resulted to hiring a pest management company to trap the animals and take them elsewhere.
Photo courtesy Kevin J. Bliss
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OTHER NEWS:
RBP LIFEGUARD STAND INVESTIGATION CONTINUES--- The probe into the disappearance of the Rehoboth Beach Patrol lifeguard stands continues this week. One source says several RBP guards, including a lieutenant, have been interviewed, but not to conclude that they are suspects.
Rehoboth Beach police continue to investigate "this as a felony complaint and if/when we determine the suspects, the findings will be turned over," says Lt. William Sullivan. "Can't say for sure what will happen at the end of the road but we are still investigating a criminal complaint and obviously there were a lot of resources involved in recovery of the five chairs." He did add that the city is considering installing boardwalk surveillance cameras and has been for a while. Right now the only city-run boardwalk camera is on Wilmington Avenue.
MALE PEDESTRIAN SERIOUSLY INJURED IN O.C. ACCIDENT--- A man in his 50's was struck by an auto on Coastal Highway at 59th Street around 1:40 p.m. Friday. He was flown to Peninsula Regional Medical Center. According to one report, the vehicle was traveling about 40 m.p.h. The victim suffered diminished lung sounds, and pelvic and torso trauma.
NEWS RELEASES / NEWS REPORTS:
Sussex County animal control proposal in the works
Cape residents get a $6/year tax break
Lewes patient gets tested for HIV after health scare; left with bills
Dog, cat die in house fire (Tuesday, Lewes area)
History matters: Delaware's gay beach
Electric vehicle chargers now available at Rehoboth Outlets
Rehoboth Gateway plans (construction site outside R.B. near Jungle Jim's)
State police investigating five robberies -- maybe related -- outside Rehoboth
Grotto Pizza has ingredients for success
Rehoboth eyes November groundbreaking for new City Hall
Dewey referendum could change building height limits
Tony Coelho, former California Congressman, has home in downtown R.B.
Storms cause flooding as weather nears heat-wave status (Rehoboth, Tuesday storms)
Dewey Beach Patrol rookies put to the test
Fatal pedestrian struck, near Hickman Motel on U.S. Rt. 113 (Millsboro area, Saturday)
New Ocean City Beach Patrol headquarters celebrated
Seven uninjured after boat fire (Ocean City)
Ocean City, Recor come to "mutual decision" to part ways
Ex-city manager to get 6-month severance pay per contract if terminated
OCPD arrest Virginia man for possession of a stolen handgun
High-speed chase in Ocean City
Wild winds have umbrellas dancing in Ocean City (good video from Tuesday storms via Australia TV!)
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