WEEKEND #13, 2022
August 22, 2022
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
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BIDEN RETURNS FOR VISIT #10!
President Joe Biden returned to Delaware this past week marking his 49th visit to the state since entering office. He started this visit at his home in Wilmington and then flew to Gordon's Pond on Saturday night for his 10th visit as President to his North Shores beach house. Here is the Presidential helicopter departing for Gordon's Pond.
Photo courtesy Kyle Mazza
Biden watchers once again found this visit challenging to determine when and where the President would arrive next. His schedule changed repeatedly as did the temporary flight restrictions (TFRs).
His wife remained in South Carolina where they visited last week. But after isolating for five days and receiving negative results from two consecutive Covid tests, the First Lady joined the President on Sunday in North Shores.
On Sunday afternoon, two Coast Guard cutters, one more than usual, came close to shore leading some to suspect that a Biden beach walk was in the works.
Photo courtesy Richard Tananis
Although President Biden has not been seen around downtown Rehoboth, other than for church, his wife and family have been spotted visiting local businesses but few photos have appeared on social media or in news reports. But here is the First Lady with the staff of Lori's Oy Vey! Cafe during her previous visit earlier this month!
Photo courtesy Lori Kline
The President and the First Lady are expected to return to the White House on Wednesday from Rehoboth Beach. The current TFR for the Cape Henlopen region lasts through 11 a.m. Wednesday. So keep that camera handy!
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BIDEN'S BEACH HOUSE FENCE/WALL PROJECT IS BACK IN THE NEWS
The proposed wall/fence around the Biden beach house reemerged in news reports this past week with some new details. Fox News and the New York Post were among several publications reporting on the project's delay and increased cost. The project has been delayed and the news reports indicate the cost has increased by about $35,000.
These are the plans from the Board of Adjustment's April 2022 agenda. Biden's project is on the last four pages.
Henry Bright contributed to this report.
LOUISIANA ACTIVISTS CONTINUE REHOBOTH APPEARANCES
Members of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade have been popping up at Biden-frequented beach locales in the past week as part of their summer-long #DefendSWLA campaign in Rehoboth Beach. They held a rally at the bandstand back in June to express their concerns regarding the fossil fuel industry which is proposing to build new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals along the Louisiana coast.
On Friday, the group live-streamed from the center island of Rehoboth Avenue across from Browseabout Books. On camera were Louisiana residents Jack Reno Sweeney and Shreyas Vasudevan.
They also staged a similar event in the Cape Henlopen State Park last Monday.
Photo courtesy Louisiana Bucket Brigade
Last Wednesday they live-streamed from Double Dippers Ice Cream shop. Shown are Sheila Tahir with Sweeney.
Photo courtesy Louisiana Bucket Brigade
"Why is our state a bargaining chip?" is what they are asking. More info is on the group's Facebook page.
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BEACH GETS WASHED OUT FROM NE WIND AND TIDE
Last Wednesday, officials blamed a high tide and northeast winds for washing over much of the beach around 12:40 p.m. That analysis is supported by the Rehoboth DEOS weather station and tide chart. One guard said they "have not seen surf like this all summer."
This was the view in Rehoboth Beach from the Atlantic Sands camera, but Dewey and Bethany had similar problems. Lifeguards at all three beaches kept swimmers on a short leash. The water returning to the ocean was like a river in some places and it left tidal pools near the dunes. Rushing water toppled at least three of the recently installed NO SWIMMING NEAR JETTY signs.
Photo courtesy Atlantic Sands Beachcam
More info is in the Cape Gazette.
4 SEA TURTLES KILLED BY SUSPECTED PROPELLER STRIKES
Last week's rough surf may have been the reason the MERR Institute had more than the usual number of sea turtle responses.
Suzanne Thurman, MERR executive director, says her organization investigated the deaths of three loggerheads and two Kemp's ridleys. All were located on the Delaware Bay between Prime Hook and Pickering beaches. Four, she says, like the one shown here, were confirmed victims of boat propellers.
Photo courtesy MERR Institute
"The storm seas pushed them ashore," Thurman says, "which lets us know that these many turtles are out there daily but they never get reported."
She says turtles sleep on the surface and most boaters don't even see them. The easy fix would be to slow down, she added. There is also a cage system that can go around the propeller and they are looking into those to see why they aren't more widely used.
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FIRE DESTROYS RBY&CC HOME
Rehoboth Beach firefighters were assisted by several other fire companies after a fire erupted at this home in the Rehoboth Beach Yacht & Country Club. It was reported on West Side Drive just before 4 a.m. last Wednesday.
Photo courtesy Rehoboth Beach VFC
The State Fire Marshal has determined it to be accidental and was caused by an electrical malfunction of fixed-branch circuit wiring. Damage is estimated at $1 million.
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SYSCO DRIVER INJURED MAKING DELIVERY
A Sysco truck driver suffered a partial amputation of his pinky finger when a handcart slipped. It happened around 2:10 p.m. last Wednesday here in the second block of Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach.
An ambulance took him to the hospital. Restaurant workers unloaded the delivery while police secured the truck for Sysco which later sent a replacement driver.
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DEWEY POLICE WAITING TO ARREST MAN FOR SERIOUS ASSAULT
After a post to Facebook, Dewey Beach police were able to quickly identify this man wanted in an assault reported around 1:30 a.m. this past Friday, but he has not yet been arrested.
Sgt. Clifford Dempsey, police spokesman, says this man approached a group of four males who had been fighting along Coastal Highway near Bellevue Street. He allegedly punched one of them and then fled.
Sgt. Dempsey says the man seemed to have no connection whatsoever with the four men and does not know why he intervened.
The 19-year-old victim was taken to the hospital with serious injuries including several facial fractures, a swollen eye and a brain injury. He was later flown to another trauma center where he is expected to be released hopefully soon but will potentially have to cope with a lasting brain injury.
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BICYCLIST INJURED IN CRASH ON REHOBOTH AVE
State police say a 20-year-old woman riding a bike crashed into the side of a Chevrolet Colorado around noon last Friday.
Sgt. India Sturgis, state police spokesperson, says a 73-year-old man was headed north on Church Street with the green light. But the bicyclist proceeded through the red light and struck the driver's side of the pickup truck.
The bicyclist was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the pickup was properly restrained at the time of the collision and did not claim injuries, Sgt. Sturgis said.
Photos courtesy DelDOT
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RARE PURPLE PEARL FOUND IN CLAM AT SALT AIR!
This is another Rehoboth Beach story that went viral this summer. A family from Pennsylvania dining at Salt Air found this rare purple pearl in a Virginia-sourced clam on August 9.
Local, regional and national news outlets reported on the interesting find. It could be worth thousands!
Photo courtesy Scott Overland
CAMP REHOBOTH HOSTS hMPVX VIRUS TOWN HALL
CAMP Rehoboth sponsored this town hall last Tuesday on monkeypox.
For nearly a decade, CAMP Rehoboth has partnered with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services providing HIV education, confidential testing and condom distribution in Sussex County. Wesley Combs, CAMP Rehoboth president, says DHSS asked CAMP Rehoboth to co-host the monkeypox forum, the latest health emergency to impact the LGBTQ community worldwide.
The town hall featured Molly Magarik, Delaware Health and Social Services secretary and leading epidemiologists in Delaware.
Shown are Matty Brown, CAMP Rehoboth operations administrator, Laurie Thompson, CAMP Rehoboth development manager, Lisa Evans CAMP Rehoboth interim director, Derrick Johnson, CAMP Rehoboth financial assistant, Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf/Speaker of the House, Secretary of Health and Social Services Molly Magarik, Dr. Marci Drees, the chief infection prevention officer and hospital epidemiologist for ChristianaCare, and Amber Lee, CAMP Rehoboth HIV CTR counselor.
Photos courtesy Laurie Thompson and Wesley Combs
Details are in the Cape Gazette.
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DEWEY'S POPULAR "KEY WEST" SIGNS
Some people call them wayfinding signs, but Janis Markopoulos of Delmarva Board Sports likes to call them "Key West" signs because she loves to paint them tropical colors and they remind her of Key West!
Her signs have been appearing in Dewey Beach for the past three years and are increasingly popular as she expands on her work. "I think wayfinding signs make a great backdrop for visitors and locals to get selfies and family photos. I especially love these signs when they have lush tropical trees and plants around them," she says.
Markopoulos started her Key West sign project in 2019 as a way to "spruce up our beach concession at Delmarva Board Sports at the Bay Resort Hotel," she says. They added them to their North Beach concession in 2021 and 2022. The Bay Resort hotel guests also appreciate her efforts.
To make the signs, Markopoulos uses discarded wooden pallets. They cut arrows on them, sand and then paint them. She likes to blend colors to give them a tie-dye feel. She uses acrylic paints and then sprays a sealant over them to help protect them from the weather.
As far as labeling the signs, she started using local points of interest and towns that are feeder towns to the Delaware beaches such as Lancaster, Pittsburgh and Baltimore, as visitors like to see their hometowns.
Then they pick places they love that are far away such as Maui, Fort Lauderdale, Santa Cruz and Bimini. They also point the way to other local businesses with whom they have relationships from her beer/wine shuttle service (Delmarva Discovery Tours). This includes wineries, meaderies, distilleries and breweries. They also list places and things to do off the beaten path that visitors may not know about such as farmers' markets, Lavender Farms, goat yoga, live music and food venues.
This year, her latest work to the rear of the Bay Resort driveway features signage to help make foreign students working here feel welcome. This includes Columbia, Romania, Dominican Republic and Uzbekistan. That's her adding the countries to the pole on Dagsworthy Street.
"We feature other watersports businesses too," she explains, "such as Ultimate Watersports over in Baltimore. This lifts others in our community and industry up."
These sign projects also provide her with a feeling of satisfaction. "We do these signs for fun as painting is good for the soul," she says. It's a fun off-season project that she says "spreads positive vibes and beautifies our community. We hope visitors find them fun and helpful."
They take the signs down in the winter, refresh the paint and reinstall them at the beginning of the season.
Markopoulos does not sell them because that would take the fun out of it and put pressure on her to make them perfect!
She is willing, however, to conduct classes where she provides materials ready for others to paint. These "classes are most fun when done at a brewery or winery or a meeting space where we can share a cocktail or glass of wine and music," she says. "I find that adding these elements to the creation of art creates a great experience," she adds.
There are other similar signs in Dewey Beach like the one by town hall by Ashleigh Hudson, the town clerk, and one on an area bike path. "I was stoked to see them… Kudos to whoever is doing those," she says.
Photos courtesy Janis Markopoulos
SOUTHERN DELAWARE WINE, FOOD, MUSIC FESTIVAL!
All proceeds benefit the Children's Beach House and Pathways to Success.
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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Rehoboth Just After Dawn by Kelley Gillespie...
Thursday's Star of the Sea Moonrise by Richard Tananis...
East-End Lighthouse Sunset by Diane Scobey...
Interested in photography? Enter Delaware Beach Life's photography contest or Rehoboth Reflections.
OTHER NEWS:
MAN INJURED IN REHOBOTH SURF--- A man suffered a possible spinal injury in the Rehoboth surf around 9:55 a.m. last Thursday, before lifeguards were on duty. It happened at Wilmington Avenue. He was conscious when taken to the hospital but did not recall the entire incident.
MAN FLEES REHOBOTH POLICE ARMED WITH GUN--- A Rehoboth Beach officer attempted to stop a man on foot for a drug violation in the second block of Rehoboth Avenue around 9:30 a.m. Sunday. But the man refused to stop and took off running. Police managed to capture him minutes later on Baltimore Avenue near the boardwalk. That is where he claimed he was having trouble breathing, requested an ambulance and was taken to the hospital. Police later found a gun with his belongings.
BICYCLIST CAPTURED AFTER FLEEING POLICE--- In another chase-related incident this past week, a man on a bike refused to stop for police on Rehoboth Avenue. It happened around 9:50 p.m. last Tuesday. Rehoboth Beach police chased and caught the man on his bike near the drawbridge where he was arrested.
AUTISTIC GIRL FOUND AFTER 90-MINUTE SEARCH--- A 10-year-old girl was reported missing around 4:45 p.m. Sunday from around Rehoboth Avenue and the beach. Multiple agencies joined the search including the state police helicopter, Trooper 2, which may have confused people into thinking it had something to do with Biden's visit. Sgt. Clifford Dempsey, Dewey Beach police spokesman, says a Dewey officer found her around 6:12 p.m. on the beach at Collins Avenue. That is where she had sat down with a family who actually did not know her, making searchers unaware that she was the missing girl.
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NEWS RELEASES / NEWS REPORTS:
Automatically move Gmail messages from Promotions to Primary tab
When did "beach essentials" go from book and chair to charcoal grill and espresso maker?
Delaware's realty transfer tax to remain highest in nation
Public advocate successfully pushes for temporary lower rate for Tidewater customers
Gosnear sees bright future for Grotto Pizza
From food truck to local favorite: Taco Reho
Commercial fees could be assessed at Lewes parks in 2023
Confusion surrounds canal lease extensions in Lewes
Village Center outside Lewes receives preliminary approval
Guanacos Melting Pot now open on Route 1 Rehoboth
Mauria Stein beating stage 4 cancer, Gallery to resume auctions
Rehoboth's Gallo Realty sold to Virginia-based real estate firm
Rehoboth gay-owned restaurant alleges police harassment
Rehoboth makes list: 12 best budget beach destinations in the US
Restauranting against all the odds in Rehoboth
Big changes are coming to Rehoboth Boardwalk's iconic corner. How Grotto is playing a role
CoWork Reho opens as Sussex first coworking space
Blue Moon featured in Only in Your State!
Items sought for Rehoboth High School history room
New wheelchair gets Kenny Simpler Sr. back on the beach
Developer plans marina, restaurant in Osprey Point (near Rehoboth)
Arrest made for August 12 Rehoboth Beach assault
Tasty opens under Star of the Sea on Rehoboth Boardwalk
Person extricated from two-car crash on Route 24 at Mulberry Knoll Rd
IV hydration and vitamin shot industry makes way in Rehoboth Beach
No election needed in Dewey Beach
This country music star wants to share Dewey Crush across America
Dewey Beach commissioners push outdoor dining decision
Skimboarding World Championship makes 40th appearance in Dewey
Can these scientists save the Bethany Beach firefly from extinction?
Contractor saves Ocean View man with CPR
Ocean View man died near US Capitol after firing gunshots previous weekend
Wind-energy firm reps to speak in Bethany on Sept. 1
South Bethany agrees to more speed humps
Carmean hands off mayor's gavel to daughter in Fenwick
Ocean City officials expedite approval process for boardwalk lumber bids
Ocean City town hall preparedness meeting "Are you ready?" on August 22
Sea turtles head into the ocean in National Aquarium release
Assateague gets 1st sea turtle release since start of the coronavirus pandemic
Public sees-off rescued sea turtles - first time in 3 years
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