Who was the man who used to walk up and down the Rehoboth Boardwalk and shout “REPENT” !?  Callers remember him from the 70’s, do you?

 

I just received this e-mail about this interesting town character:

 

Dan, my husband and I listen to your program everyday — starting at 5:30 a.m., and enjoy hearing what has happened in our area during the night and for the latest news and topics that you and your listeners offer.  Yesterday one of the topics was the boardwalk ministries in Rehoboth.  One of your listeners called and mentioned an old fellow who, years ago, used to walk the streets and boardwalk in Rehoboth proclaiming the coming of our Lord and calling for everyone to “Repent”.  At the time I thought how wonderful that he had the Holy boldness to proclaim our Lord!  And he did this for several years.

 

Then, one day during the summer, my first husband [who passed away in '78 with leukemia], our son and I were at the old Blue Hen Mall in Dover.  It was early evening and we were returning to our car when we saw this older, raggedy black man, who was carrying his usual walking stick.  We recognized him at once as the man we had seen many times before on the boardwalk in Rehoboth.  Then something happened that I will never forget — it is etched permanently in my mind.  There were two young men in their early twenties who had a large boxer dog on a leash.  The dog was barking at the old man and straining at his leash.  The men unleashed the dog and told him to “sic” the old man.  The dog started running across the parking lot, bent, to all appearances, upon tearing the old man up.  This is the wonderful and unforgettable part:  The old man turned around when he heard the dog, who at this point was racing toward him.  He stopped, stood still, pointed his finger at the dog, and shouted at him, “Jesus,” “Jesus,” “Jesus.”  The dog stopped, stood still for a moment, and retreated to his owners as quickly as he had come.  There is power in the name of Jesus!  Glory to God!

 

 

I don’t think there’s really anyone today whose life hasn’t been affected by cancer – whether it’s a family member, friend, acquaintance or you. For some the battle is long – others very short. Some battle it with a vengeance, others not at all.

My introduction to cancer was in junior high. Jeff lived in the neighborhood we had just moved to and he had Leukemia and had been told he wouldn’t live to see 10 – he was a fighter. When I met Jeff – he was 12.

While cancer has also a part of my family, it’s a friend and former co-worker who’s now doing the fighting. Many in the WGMD’s extended family know her either as a friend, co-worker or their former account executive. She’s moved from the area now – but she needs your help.

In the nearly 10 years since I first met Anita I’ve known her to be a kind and caring friend and a determined co-worker. That determination saw her through her first battle with cancer where she beat it into remission. She’s back on the track again – literally running for her life – and others.

California, Here I Come!

The bad news last year was that my lymphoma relapsed, and it took nine rounds of chemo over seven months to get it under control again. There were side effects, and it wasn’t much fun.

But the good news now is that I’m getting stronger every day. To celebrate my recovery, I’ve started training with Team in Training to run the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco. And, as before, I’m raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help find cures- and better treatments- for these diseases.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS’s mission- I know firsthand how important it is. My goal is to reach $5,000 by July 15; I’m counting on your generosity to help me get there!

I’ll keep you updated on my progress. Thanks for your support!

Anita Lawson

Yeah – I know the economy not in great shape and everyone’s cutting back – but I’m asking for your help to get Anita to her goal.

Remember – eight cancer clusters have been found in Delaware, a state with an unusually high rate of cancer. Helping Anita could just help you, a family member or a friend to find a cure. Click on the banner below – that will take you to Anita’s Team in Training site where you can find out more.

The replacement Delaware Recreational Boat Fishing License.

Today we finally got the replacement 2008 Recreational Boat Fishing License from DNREC, you know, it’s that new sticker that goes on your boat so you can do a little salt water fishing…

Why a replacement? Because the original had a little “defect,” it wasn’t waterproof.

I called DNREC and thankfully the cost of replacing all of those licenses won’t rest on our shoulders, the company that printed them is footing the bill. Whew!

Yeah, that’s a picture of the multi-million dollar debacle at the Indian River Inlet slowly being taken down.

If only all of the mistakes the state has made could be fixed that easily….

A wind turbine in Rehoboth Beach that was cranking out energy relentlessly during the last storm.

While it may be a struggle to get a state (cough) to commit to the idea of mass generation of alternative energy, it seems that individuals are stepping up to the plate. But they’re not all doing it necessarily to “go green” as much as to save green.

It stands in a wheat field that is behind a farmhouse, which is down a long dirt road well outside the nearest town.

But Larry Baines’ 50-foot-tall wind turbine seems anything but rural or far-flung.

He’s planning on saving 60 percent on his electricity bill with it, in part because he doesn’t like the trickle-down effect of oil-rich Middle Eastern countries chipping away at his retirement income.

“Every dollar that I can deprive them of, I’ll do it,” he said. “I’m not beholden to anybody in Saudi Arabia.”

A business on Route 1 in Rehoboth with solar panels.

Now, if you want to check out what different solar panels and wind turbines cost and what look like and even feel like there’s a great resource in Sussex County…you can go to the Good For You Natural Market on Route 9 in Georgetown and after you check out their awesome selection of natural and organic groceries, you can go upstairs and check out Flexera.

I think this guy’s name was “Ben.” He told me about the different residential turbines and all about carbon credits.

This is like the turbine at the top of the page.

At Flexera, you can see and feel wind turbines and solar panels and get the low down on what they cost, what you get back, and about those mysterious things called “carbon credits” and how you can get in on trading them. (Trading carbon credits? I’d like to pay someone to lose weight and work out for me but it won’t make me any thinner or healthier. But what the heck, at $155.00 a piece, I’d be happy to sell them to Al Gore so he can fly around on his private jet like a rock star).

If you want an update on Delaware’s proposed off shore wind farm, you can check out the blog Tommywonk, by Tom Noyes. Tom has the skinny on that $240.00 DP&L is trying to get you all riled up about.

What is the current status of the proposed wind farm that would sit off the coast of Rehoboth Beach Delaware, you know, the one that the state chose as the winner when they went out to bid a few years ago for a price sustainable, Delaware based utility? Well I have the update.

When last we heard about action on the wind farm, it was way back in April when the Delaware House of Representatives passed HCR 38 by a 22-11 vote. That was the Resolution that compelled Controller General Russ Larson, who represents the General ASSembly, to give his thumbs up to the wind farm. The Resolution went to the Senate.

In May, a story ran that there were enough votes in the State Senate to pass HCR 38, the wind farm resolution:

Sens. Karen Peterson, D-Stanton, and Colin Bonini, R-Dover South, who both describe themselves as Bluewater backers, said they believe the support is there to pass the resolution on the Senate floor.

But unfortunately the resolution is sitting in the infamous “desk drawer” of Bridgeville’s Senator Thurman Adams.

Sen. Thurman Adams, D-Bridgeville, the chamber’s president pro tem and one of the most powerful orchestrators of legislative business, will decide if the resolution receives a hearing.

Amazing, isn’t it, that one man can prevent the entire Senate from voting on a piece of legislation? No committee hearing, no discussion, nothing.

Even more amazing is the fact that Senator Thurman Adams is the same guy who had his 35 years in the State Senate party back in April, and Joe Farley, Sr., Delmarva Power and Light’s lobbyist, was the master of ceremonies for the event!

Now here’s a little kicker, Controller Russ Larson doesn’t even need to wait for the Senate to pass the resolution, the law doesn’t require the General ASSembly to even vote for, or against the project. All Larson needs to know is that the majority of the Legislature is in favor of it.

OK, I’ve got to stop writing, I’m rolling my eyes so much I’m contributing to the global warming if it is, in fact, man-made.

The Research Vessel Russell W. Peterson ran aground yesterday in Bethany Beach after two crew members were pulled from the ship. One of the crew members died. (Photo courtesy of a listener.)

The Love Creek Marina at high tide.

Earlier today we found out that the research vessel Russel W. Peterson, which has been studying the potential impact of a wind farm on birds for Bluewater Wind, was in distress and needed Coast Guard intervention. The vessel ran aground in Bethany. We’ve since learned that one of the two crew members on the R/V Russel W. Peterson is dead. Ken Hayes, President of Aqua Survey, the company who owned the vessel released this statement:

This morning the liftboat Russell W. Peterson sent out a distress signal to the US Coast Guard.

The Peterson had been offshore Rehoboth Beach, DE, studying bird migration. The Coast Guard
is to be commended for dispatching rescuers by both sea and air. The Peterson was staffed by
two captains. Both were removed by the Coast Guard. We have been informed that one of the
captains did not survive the ordeal. Aqua Survey is not releasing names at this point. Our hearts
and prayers are with the family and friends of the lost mariner.

Aqua Survey will work closely with the Coast Guard and other agencies to safely and quickly
salvage the vessel.

And this is from Peter Mandelstam, President, Bluewater Wind:

“Everyone here at Bluewater Wind is deeply saddened by this tragic occurrence. Our thoughts and prayers are with the captain’s family, friends, and loved ones.”

The public parking lot at the end of Savannah Road in Lewes. It’s all sand.

A tree blocking the eastbound lane of King’s Highway, that’s the road to Cape Henlopen High School and the District office if you’re coming from Route 1 north. School was on time, but then around 8:30 a.m., an hour after the start of the day for many schools, the automated call came from the District Office that you shouldn’t send your child to school if there was flooding in your area…little late, fellas.

Downtown Milton.

The end of Old Landing Road.

Route 1 by Five Points.

The ocean at the Indian River Inlet.

A snowplow keeping Route 1 directly north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge free of sand.

The ocean in Rehoboth Beach, Rehoboth did a good job weathering the storm so far.

A small windmill on a home in Rehoboth cranking out power like a champ.

And, the R/V Russell W. Peterson, the research vessel that Bluewater Wind launched to study the possible impact of their wind farm on avian life, has run into trouble:

From WGMD News:

The Coast Guard responded to a distress call from a research vessel off the coast of Rehoboth Beach. Authorities say two people aboard the Russell W. Peterson activated an electronic positioning radio beacon and reported that the boat was breaking up and taking on water about 14 miles off the coast. A helicopter crew from the Coast Guard air station in Atlantic City, N.J., was on the scene, and two small boats from Cape May and Ocean City were also en route. The vessel, named after a former Delaware governor active in environmental issues, was christened in Wilmington just six weeks ago and was being used by Bluewater Wind to study migratory bird routes in connection with the proposed offshore wind farm.

More to come as the tide rolls in…

I went to the Delaware Republican Party’s Convention this weekend at the Baycenter in Dewey Beach and it was quite a treat. I think the best way to give you the feeling of the Convention is with pictures and audio, and maybe a story or two…(if you see someone’s name highlighted, click on it and you’ll get their audio)….

Priscilla Rakestraw (left) and Michele Rollins.I had to put this picture on the top of the page, because it’s my favorite picture from the entire event. It’s Priscilla Rakestraw, the State’s Republican National Committeewoman, and Michele Rollins, who I would love to see run for office someday soon. (I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t see Michele Rollins turning the State’s serious pollution problems into a joke by wading out into the bay and staring at her Keds, and she’d kick butt on healthcare.)


From left to right this is Clerk of the Peace George Parish and his wife Bunny, Charlotte Hastings and her husband, 41st District Representative Greg Hastings.

Friday night I sat with a table of fine Sussex Countians, right in between Judson Bennett and Representative Ben Ewing. The picture above was the good looking side of the table. I kind of noticed that there were a lot of people wearing “Tim Smith” stickers where I was sitting. Tim Smith won the vote in Sussex County over Christine O’Donnell 44-35, but it was the Northern part of the State that gave her the endorsement to run for the Senate against Joe Biden. Pretty interesting considering O’Donnell got the majority of her write-in votes in 2006 from Sussex. O’Donnell needed 60% of the vote and she got 60.7%. Smith said he would stick to his promise to not primary O’Donnell.


41st District Representative Greg Hastings and US Senate Candidate Christine O’Donnell.

The “Draft Bill Lee” movement was successful, with Judge William Lee receiving over 80% of the vote to win the endorsement from the Delaware State Republican Party to run for Governor over Mike Protack. Judge Lee was in Orlando on vacation with members of his family, and was expected to happily accept the honor.


“Brud” Lee, speaking to the Convention after his father was endorsed by the Party to run for Governor.   

“I’m sure he’ll be as honored as I feel, personally, that his ideals and his name is thought of in such high regard by republicans.” ~ Brud Lee, son of Judge Bill Lee 

 

State Senator Charlie Copeland accepting the Party’s endorsement for Lt. Governor.

Delaware Republican State Chairman, Terry Strine, stepped down as party head after losing his National Committeeman seat the previous night to Laird Stabler by a 40-35 vote. Tom Ross, a New Castle County Republican, will be taking Strine’s place in the top spot.


The new Delaware Republican Party Chairman, Tom Ross

I asked the new Party Chair if he was the fighter the Delaware Republican Party needed right now:   

“I have no problem fighting. Anyone that knows me would be glad to let you know that I’m not afraid to mix it up. But we’re going to run a very aggressive, vigorous campaign because quite frankly, in a nutshell, we’re right on the issues and the other side has broken this state.” ~ New Delaware State GOP Chair, Tom Ross 

 

4th Senatorial District Candidate Michael Fleming

And how could I not mention Michael Fleming, (aka “Michael Flemming”), who’s running for Charlie Copeland’s seat in the 4th Senatorial District? I went to college with Michael, and thankfully, people thought he was older than me. That’s really why I’m mentioning him, and he knows it.

“‘Cause I love Sussex Countians.” ~ Clerk of the Peace George Parish 

That was the quote that made the entire Convention totally worth it. 

Today it took me 18 minutes and 7 light cycles to get onto Route 1 in Lewes, I was about 20 cars back to start. On Tuesday my large, plain pizza from Pizza Villa was cold when I got home because you couldn’t turn left onto Route 1 from the Midway Shopping Center. My friend almost ran out of gas stuck in traffic and trying to find a gas station they could actually turn in to.

Why?

Because the Department of Transportation has Route 1 totally screwed up from the Nassau Bridge through Rehoboth Beach. One lane, each way. Two or three or four State Police cars in every intersection. No way to turn left into shopping centers. Blocked lanes, split lanes, lanes with no lines. What’s the deal?

This is a debacle. DELDOT’s inability to manage and control the Route 1 construction project is just another example of how poorly they operate. Do I need to even mention the Indian River Inlet Bridge?

Today is the kick off of the Delaware Republican Party’s Convention at the Bay Center in Dewey Beach. I can only imagine the smiles on GOPers faces as they drive through yet another dysfunctional state project. What a shame it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to take advantage of how badly the state’s been run for so many years.

Gas is too expensive to waste idling on Route 1 all day trying to turn left. But the worst part is this construction nightmare is supposed to end on May 22, just in time for the tourist season to kick in. No traffic rest for the Eastern Sussex County weary. 

Thanks Carolyn Wicks, head of DELDOT, I look forward to the day when you’re out, I wish it was today. You, and your little governor, too.

Senator Harris McDowell’s wind farm hearings may have cost the tax payers a bundle in DC lawyers and expert witnesses, but today, those few days of hearings resulted in a report, a long report. And long must mean it’s good. You can read it HERE.

That report was immediately refuted by a Minority Report put out by members of the same committee. You can see where other Senators are in disagreement with that report HERE.

But the report that everyone seems to ignore, is the Public Service Commission’s final staff report that is based on over a year of hearings, negotiations, studies, and the work of several independent consultants. That report, for those of you who can handle it, is HERE.

Meanwhile, Pat Gearity from Citizens for Clean Power is asking the Senate Energy and Transit Committee for the MOTHER LOAD of information about what they’re doing and the money they’re spending.

More to come…