DELMARVA Report

Rehoboth Approves a Narrower Hotel Plan as Grove Park Reopens

One Rehoboth Avenue receives a parking garage variance, while the city reopens Grove Park to foot traffic after removing five diseased red oaks.

Reporting sources: WGMD.com reporting by Mari Lou and Joe Ciccanti; broadcast reporting on Grove Park by Stace Keen for The Talk of DELMARVA News; City of Rehoboth Beach information as reproduced in the WGMD reports.

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. Two prominent Rehoboth Beach locations moved into new phases this week. The redesigned One Rehoboth Avenue hotel received a variance for its parking garage, and Grove Park reopened to foot traffic after five diseased red oak trees were removed.

The Board of Adjustment voted 4-0 to approve a variance allowing one segment of a circulation and turning aisle in the proposed hotel's parking garage to be 16 feet wide where city code otherwise requires 24 feet. Board member Jan Konesey was absent, according to WGMD.com.

The variance is limited to the garage aisle. WGMD reported that the narrower segment would be used by parking valets rather than the public.

The hotel itself has changed substantially from earlier plans. The redesign moves parking out of an underground garage and into space on the ground and second floors. It reduces the proposed room count from 60 to 48, eliminates a pool, changes the lobby and reduces retail space. The exterior appearance is intended to remain the same, according to the report.

Elsewhere in the city, Grove Park reopened for foot traffic only after SavATree removed five red oaks showing bacterial leaf scorch. The city said staff will work with the Delaware Department of Agriculture's tree replacement program on replacement choices.

The park's reopening is limited. The Rehoboth Beach Farmers' Market will remain at the Convention Center parking lot until further notice while tree assessments and related work continue.

Bacterial leaf scorch is spread by insects that feed on trees, according to the city's information. Rehoboth's assessment identified the five red oaks as requiring prompt removal. Other trees remain under evaluation, and reopening to foot traffic does not mean every park use has resumed.

Taken together, the hotel decision and park update show two forms of city stewardship unfolding at once: a land use board applying the code to a redesigned private project, and city staff managing a public space around a tree health problem.

Grove Park is open again, but only to foot traffic. The Farmers' Market remains at the Convention Center.

One Rehoboth Avenue by the Numbers

• Board of Adjustment vote: 4-0.
• A 16-foot garage aisle segment was approved where 24 feet is normally required.
• 48 rooms in the redesign, down from 60.
• No pool in the revised plan.

Sources

• WGMD: Rehoboth Beach BOA approves One Rehoboth Avenue variance
• WGMD: Grove Park open to foot traffic only

Sussex Council Works Through Forest Rules and Development Deadlines

Ordinance 26-05 remains under review as the council grants Wilhaven more time and decides two conditional use applications.

Reporting source: WGMD.com reporting by Mari Lou based on the Sussex County Council meeting.

GEORGETOWN, Del. Sussex County Council continued its review of a proposed forest preservation ordinance while also deciding a subdivision extension and two conditional use applications.

The council returned to Ordinance 26-05 in old business, hearing revisions that focused heavily on provisions that would allow fees instead of preservation. The ordinance remained under consideration rather than final at the close of the meeting. WGMD reported that it was scheduled to return to the agenda for another review of amendments and possible votes.

The council separately approved a six month extension for Wilhaven, LLC, a proposed cluster subdivision with 58 lots off Wil King Road west of Lewes. The preliminary subdivision plan had been approved in August 2023 and was due to expire Aug. 24. The extension moves that deadline to Feb. 24, 2027.

County Planning Director Jamie Whitehouse told the council that the developer had entered a Brownfields Development Agreement with DNREC and that a final remedial action plan was approved in November 2025. Changes to the stormwater management design were submitted to DNREC and the Sussex Conservation District, but district approval was still outstanding before the deadline, according to WGMD's account.

In two separate conditional use decisions, the council denied an application for DJ Tire Center, LLC, on Downes Road in Georgetown and approved an Oceans Six application for a multifamily dwelling with six units on Route 1 north of Jefferson Bridge Road in Bethany Beach.

Those votes were separate from the forest ordinance. The forest proposal remains the larger policy question because it could establish countywide rules governing preservation and fee options.

The forest ordinance remains a proposal. The subdivision extension and conditional use votes were separate final actions by the council.

What the Council Did

• Continued review of Forest Preservation Ordinance 26-05.
• Extended the Wilhaven preliminary plan deadline to Feb. 24, 2027.
• Denied the DJ Tire Center conditional use application.
• Approved the Oceans Six multifamily conditional use for six units.

Source

• WGMD: Sussex County Council continues forest preservation discussion

The Point Reopens in Stages After a Strong Nesting Season

Cape Henlopen's oceanside beach reopens Sept. 1, while the bayside remains protected for migrating shorebirds until Oct. 1.

Reporting sources: WGMD.com reporting by Mari Lou and Delaware DNREC information reproduced in that report.

LEWES, Del. Public access to The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park will return in stages as Delaware balances beach use with protection for nesting and migrating shorebirds.

DNREC will reopen the oceanside beach on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The bayside beach will remain closed until Oct. 1 to provide undisturbed habitat for birds migrating south, according to WGMD.com and DNREC information included in the report.

The annual closure dates to 1993 and protects habitat used by piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns, red knots and other species. This year, state divisions created two fenced nesting plots designed to improve the survival of least terns, a species listed as endangered by the state.

DNREC counted about 150 least tern nests, with roughly half inside the protected plots, and counted 125 chicks. The agency expected about 60 to fledge. About 10 pairs of piping plovers were counted, with 12 chicks fledged, according to the report.

The Point Crossing beach for drive on surf fishing follows its own reservation schedule. Access varies among the oceanside, bayside and drive on areas.

The staged reopening is an important distinction: Sept. 1 restores oceanside access, not unrestricted access to every part of The Point.

The oceanside returns Sept. 1; the bayside remains a protected stop for migrating birds until Oct. 1.

Access Timeline

• Sept. 1: Oceanside beach scheduled to reopen.
• Until Oct. 1: Bayside beach remains closed for migrating shorebirds.
• Access: Current DNREC and park notices list reservations and changes for drive on areas.

Source

• WGMD: Oceanside beach at The Point to reopen Sept. 1

Delaware Politics

Delaware's Primary Voting Starts Sept. 2

A guide to early voting, absentee deadlines and the Sept. 15 closed primary.

Reporting sources: Delaware Department of Elections; WGMD.com reporting by Mari Lou, Aug. 28; broadcast reporting by Stace Keen for The Talk of DELMARVA News.

DOVER, Del. Delaware's 2026 state primary is Tuesday, Sept. 15, but voting begins nearly two weeks earlier at designated early voting sites across all three counties.

The Department of Elections says early voting will run from Sept. 2 through Sept. 5 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will be no early voting on Sept. 6 or Labor Day, Sept. 7. Early voting resumes Sept. 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., then continues Sept. 9 through Sept. 13 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on primary day.

Delaware uses a closed primary system. Registered Democrats may vote in the Democratic primary, and registered Republicans may vote in the Republican primary. The Department of Elections notes a special rule for voters automatically registered through the Division of Motor Vehicles who did not have an opportunity to select a party: eligible AVR voters who have not already chosen an affiliation may designate Democratic or Republican affiliation through primary day.

The 2026 primary is the last election in which that AVR provision on party affiliation applies. A change in Delaware law will allow future DMV registrants to select a party during the registration process.

The deadline for ordinary new voter registration for the primary passed Aug. 22. Uniformed service members and U.S. citizens living abroad who are not registered have until Aug. 31, according to the department.

For absentee voters, Sept. 11 is the last day to request that a primary ballot be mailed. County election offices may issue absentee ballots until noon Sept. 14. Completed absentee ballots must reach the Department of Elections by 8 p.m. on Sept. 15 to be counted.

The state's official site provides sample ballots, early voting locations, assigned polling places and absentee ballot requests.

The Department of Elections calendar provides the official voting dates and deadlines.

Early voting begins Sept. 2, pauses for the Labor Day weekend, and ends Sunday, Sept. 13.

Primary Dates

• Aug. 31: Registration deadline for eligible members of the uniformed services and overseas citizens not yet registered.
• Sept. 2–5: Early voting, 7 a.m.–7 p.m.
• Sept. 6–7: No early voting.
• Sept. 8: Early voting, 7 a.m.–7 p.m.
• Sept. 9–13: Early voting, 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
• Sept. 11: Last day to request an absentee ballot by mail.
• Sept. 15: Primary day; polls 7 a.m.–8 p.m.; absentee ballots due by 8 p.m.

Sussex County Early Voting Sites

Georgetown and Seaford Department of Elections warehouses; Ellendale, Indian River Station 2 and Laurel fire halls; Fairfield Inn in Rehoboth Beach; Margaret Rollins Community Center in Lewes; Millville Community Center; and Roxana Fire Hall. Voters may use any early voting site in their county of residence. The state site provides street addresses and updates.

Sources

• Delaware Department of Elections: 2026 Primary Election
• Delaware early voting sites and schedule
• Delaware short link: early voting sites
• Official 2026 Delaware Election Calendar

Maryland Politics & Eastern Shore Government

Two Maryland Judges Block Question 3 and Pause Their Own Orders

Anne Arundel and Dorchester circuit court decisions put Maryland's midcycle redistricting plan before the appellate process, with the Eastern Shore's congressional map at stake.

Reporting sources: WGMD.com reporting by Mari Lou; written language from the Anne Arundel ruling as reproduced by WGMD. Separate interviews with Del. Kathy Szeliga and attorney Dirk Kerr are treated as attributed analysis, not evidence of what the courts decided.

Two Maryland circuit court judges ruled against placing Question 3, the General Assembly's redistricting proposal, on the November ballot. Both decisions were structured to allow appellate review before ballots are finalized.

In Anne Arundel County, Judge Robert Thompson issued an injunction against including Question 3 on the ballot. His order said the General Assembly's process and the wording presented to voters were deficient. Thompson stayed the injunction pending an immediate appeal, meaning his decision did not simply remove the question while the appellate process continued.

WGMD reported that the Anne Arundel ruling had been appealed.

In Dorchester County, Judge S. James Sarbanes also ruled against the proposed constitutional amendment and ballot question. Sarbanes stayed his order to allow an appeal, WGMD reported two days later.

The paired rulings matter directly to the Eastern Shore because the political fight concerns a possible midcycle redraw of Maryland's 1st Congressional District, which includes the Shore and is represented by Republican Andy Harris.

The circuit decisions do not constitute a final statewide appellate ruling. Nor does a stayed order operate in the same way as an unstayed injunction. The Maryland Supreme Court is ultimately expected to decide the matter.

The week also included separate interviews with Del. Kathy Szeliga and attorney Dirk Kerr. Their legal and political interpretations help explain how supporters of the challenges view the cases, but their predictions are analysis. The courts' written orders control what was decided.

Two trial judges ruled against Question 3, and both paused their orders so appellate review could proceed.

What Is Settled and What Is Not

• Settled at the circuit level: Judges in Anne Arundel and Dorchester counties ruled against the ballot proposal.
• Paused: Both judges stayed their orders for appellate review.
• Reported: WGMD said the Anne Arundel decision had been appealed.

Sources

• WGMD: Anne Arundel judge rules in redistricting challenge
• WGMD: second redistricting ruling in Dorchester County

Public Safety

State Police Identify Man Found Near Church Creek

Maryland State Police say autopsy results are still pending in the Dorchester County death investigation.

Reporting source: WGMD.com reporting by Mari Lou, based on information from Maryland State Police and the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office.

CHURCH CREEK, Md. Maryland State Police identified the man found Aug. 15 in phragmites along Golden Hill Road near Church Creek as Timothy David Wolfe, 35, according to WGMD.com reporting by Mari Lou.

A passerby found the body shortly before 2 p.m. and contacted police, according to information reported by WGMD.com. At the request of the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office, the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit took the lead in the investigation.

Investigators were awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause and manner of death. The involvement of the homicide unit does not, by itself, establish that the death was a homicide, and police had not announced a cause or manner in the cited update.

Anyone with relevant information was asked to contact Maryland State Police at 202-953-1903.

Police have released an identity, but the cause and manner of death remain pending.

Known / Pending

• Known: WGMD reported that Maryland State Police identified Timothy David Wolfe, 35.
• Known: A passerby found the body near Golden Hill Road on Aug. 15.
• Pending: Autopsy findings, cause and manner of death.

Sources

• WGMD: MSP identifies man found near Church Creek

National Affairs

Fox News Radio Tracks Sanctions, Shipping and Iran Diplomacy

BASED ON FOX NEWS RADIO REPORTING CARRIED ON WGMD AND INTERVIEWS ON JAKE SMITH'S YOUR NEWS TALK AMERICA

The week's Iran coverage began with a new U.S. campaign of economic pressure and ended with the two governments still publicly divided over whether pressure could produce diplomacy.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent introduced the sanctions effort under the name “Operation Economic Outcast.” In broadcasts carried by WGMD, Fox News Radio and national talk programming described the move as an attempt to tighten pressure on Iran's remaining commercial connections. The same news cycle brought a warning involving navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and a reported tanker incident. The available reporting did not establish responsibility for that incident, so this edition does not assign it.

Saturday's newscasts carried another exchange: President Donald Trump said Iran wanted a deal, while Iran's foreign minister answered that diplomacy could return only if the United States recognized that pressure would not work. The public exchange showed a clash over strategy, not evidence of a completed agreement.

The week also produced a wide range of interviews about sanctions, China, shipping and regime stability. Those discussions supplied perspective, but they do not enlarge the verified factual spine. Allegations involving assassination plots, threats against family members, foreign funding, unrest inside Tehran, medical claims and disputed translations are excluded from this article.

Sources: Fox News Radio reports carried on WGMD, Aug. 24–29; U.S. Department of the Treasury: Operation Economic Outcast. Your News Talk America interviews provide attributed analysis.

Economy & Business

Delaware Draws a Line on Who Pays for Power

New consumer protection laws arrive while Delmarva Power's permanent base rate request remains before regulators.

Reporting sources: Delaware Public Service Commission, Delaware Division of the Public Advocate, Office of Gov. Matt Meyer, and a separate interview with Sen. Brian Pettyjohn on The Talk of DELMARVA.

Delaware has moved to change the rules governing utility costs as regulators continue reviewing Delmarva Power's request for a $67.8 million permanent increase in electric base rates.

The two developments are related, but they are not the same action. Delmarva Power's application remains a pending rate case before the Delaware Public Service Commission. The laws signed by Gov. Matt Meyer change how large energy users and regulated utilities may shift costs and how much of a requested increase can take effect before regulators reach a final decision.

The Public Service Commission says an interim electric rate increase took effect July 9 while the permanent application remains pending in PSC Docket No. 25-1555. Interim rates are temporary and subject to the commission's final ruling. Delaware's Division of the Public Advocate says a law enacted this summer limits interim increases to 50 percent of the requested amount after a rate case has been pending for seven months. If the case remains unresolved after 12 months, that interim share may rise to 75 percent. Amounts collected above the commission's final authorized level are subject to refund with interest.

The governor's office says House Bill 233 creates a separate utility rate class for large energy users so those projects pay the full cost of infrastructure upgrades attributable to them. House Bill 445 establishes a “bring your own generation” requirement for large facilities. House Bill 310 blocks those facilities from receiving certain job creation tax credits and license fee reductions. Senate Bill 326 increases oversight of optional capital spending that a regulated, for profit utility seeks to recover from ordinary ratepayers.

The measures took effect immediately, according to the governor's announcement, but the legislative package does not decide Delmarva Power's pending rate case. That remains the commission's job after review of the utility's evidence, testimony from the Public Advocate and other parties, and public participation.

Sen. Brian Pettyjohn discussed energy policy and the political choices facing the state during a separate Talk of DELMARVA interview. The commission docket and enacted bill text establish the facts of the rate case and the new law.

For DELMARVA households, the practical questions divide into three columns: what the utility has requested, what has temporarily taken effect, and what regulators ultimately authorize. The permanent request remains pending. The consumer protection laws and the law governing large energy users are in force.

A pending utility request, a temporary rate and a final commission decision are three different things.

Signed, Pending, Decided

• Signed: HB 233, HB 445, HB 310 and SB 326 are part of Delaware's energy consumer protection framework.
• Pending: Delmarva Power's $67.8 million permanent electric base rate application remains before the Public Service Commission in Docket No. 25-1555.
• Temporary: An interim rate took effect July 9 while the case proceeds.
• Not yet decided: The commission's final authorized base rate change.

Sources

• Delaware PSC: 2026 Delmarva Power interim rate implementation and pending application
• Delaware PSC public notices, including Docket No. 25-1555
• Delaware Division of the Public Advocate: what ratepayers need to know
• Governor's office: energy consumer protection legislation

Late August Delaware Gas Average Is Below $4 but Well Above Last Year

AAA's Aug. 29 snapshot put Delaware regular gasoline at $3.934 a gallon, while the national average remained above $4.

Reporting sources: AAA Fuel Prices and AAA Newsroom; WGMD.com's Aug. 27 report provides the week's local chronology.

Delaware's average price for regular gasoline stood at $3.934 a gallon on Aug. 29, according to AAA. That was below the $4 threshold but roughly 81 cents higher than a year earlier.

AAA's daily state table showed Delaware regular at $3.9343, compared with $3.9429 the day before, $3.9625 a week earlier and $4.1560 a month earlier. The average a year earlier was $3.1278.

The national average was $4.081 on Aug. 29. AAA said August was poised to become the most expensive August on record at the pump because the national average remained above $4 throughout the month.

The late August snapshot shows why price comparisons need dates. Delaware's average had eased from the previous week and month, even while remaining sharply above the same point last year. A change over one day or one week does not, by itself, establish a lasting trend.

AAA connected the broader national pressure to volatility in crude oil associated with the Strait of Hormuz. Retail fuel prices also reflect supply, demand, distribution and local market conditions.

For DELMARVA households and small businesses, the annual comparison is the clearest measure of how much more expensive driving had become by late August.

Delaware's average had eased from a week and a month earlier, but remained about 81 cents above its level a year ago.

AAA Delaware Snapshot: Aug. 29

• Current regular average: $3.9343.
• Day earlier: $3.9429.
• Week earlier: $3.9625.
• Month earlier: $4.1560.
• Year earlier: $3.1278.

Sources

• AAA Fuel Prices: Delaware daily averages
• AAA Newsroom: August gas price report
• WGMD: AAA says August gas prices remain high

Vance, Carney and YNTA Economists Explain the U.S. and Canada Trade Fight

FOX NEWS RADIO REPORTS AND YOUR NEWS TALK AMERICA WITH JAKE SMITH, AUGUST 24, 25, 26 AND 27

Fox News Radio carried the government positions as trade talks broke down. Vice President JD Vance, speaking during a visit to a manufacturing facility in Maine, said the two countries had been close to an agreement until Canada made demands he considered unreasonable. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Ottawa sought restrictions affecting American wine, dairy and automobile exports. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney answered that Canada could not accept the American offer and said his government would respond to U.S. tariffs. Each was defending the position of the government he represented.

On the August 25 edition of Your News Talk America, host Jake Smith asked Jeffery L. Degner, a research fellow in economics and economic freedom at the American Institute for Economic Research, how the dispute could reach household budgets. Degner focused on Canadian cement, plywood, engineered wood and softwood lumber used in homebuilding. He said tariffs on those materials would raise construction costs and that the closely integrated American and Canadian automobile industries would also pass higher material costs to consumers. His numerical housing estimates were guest analysis and are not used here.

Smith brought in David Hebert, a senior research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, on August 26 to examine Canadian trade barriers. Hebert discussed provincial liquor controls, dairy rules and Canadian broadcasting requirements that can limit access for American producers. He also argued that the United States weakens its case when it answers Canadian protectionism with broader protectionism of its own. When Hebert returned on August 27, Smith questioned him about an opinion column in which Hebert argued that changing American tariff rationales and the failure to reach an agreement with a longstanding ally had damaged U.S. credibility. Hebert favored a more open trading relationship between the two countries.

Later on August 26, Smith sought a second view from Judge Glock, director of research and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor at City Journal. Glock said the United States has legitimate complaints about Canadian barriers, particularly in dairy, but noted that the countries already negotiated the trade agreement known as USMCA during President Trump's first term. Responding to a DIAL question from listener producer Wolf, Glock rejected the description of Canada as a satellite of China. He called Canada a longstanding American ally and warned that an extended trade fight could push it to seek other partners.

The interviews presented distinct judgments. Degner emphasized construction and manufacturing costs. Hebert examined Canadian restrictions while questioning the credibility cost of the American response. Glock acknowledged Canadian protectionism but argued for continued negotiation under the existing North American trade relationship.

Broadcast and profile sources: Your News Talk America show notes, August 25; Your News Talk America show notes, August 26; Your News Talk America show notes, August 27; AIER profile of Jeffery L. Degner; AIER profile of David Hebert; Manhattan Institute profile of Judge Glock; U.S. Trade Representative profile of Jamieson Greer; Government of Canada tariff countermeasures.

Jake Smith Discusses Debt and Benefits with Napolitano and Mueller

POLICY SIDEBAR

AS DISCUSSED ON YOUR NEWS TALK AMERICA IN JAKE SMITH'S CONVERSATIONS WITH JUDGE ANDREW NAPOLITANO AND PAUL MUELLER

Debt, Social Security, Medicare and the cost of daily life became a recurring theme across the week's national interviews and DELMARVA audience questions. Listener producer 3M, an active participant in the program's Digital Interactive Audience Lounge, helped move that discussion forward. On August 26, 3M submitted a DIAL question asking whether Social Security and Medicare should require recipients to show need. Economist Paul Mueller said means testing could reduce the programs' costs quickly, but acknowledged that it would anger people who had paid into them expecting benefits. On August 27, host Jake Smith replayed the exchange for Judge Andrew Napolitano and presented another question from 3M about government debt and future generations. Napolitano argued that the programs should remain for current recipients who paid into them but should end for future generations. Across those two days, DIAL participants helped shape the questions put directly to the program's guests.

DELMARVA Agriculture & Markets

Your Turn DELMARVA Discusses Farm and Crab House Labor

FROM A YOUR TURN DELMARVA CONVERSATION WITH SUBSTITUTE HOST BILL REDDISH AND CALLER SEAN

Caller Sean questioned farmers' calls for leniency toward undocumented workers and argued that some employers want access to lower cost labor.

Substitute host Bill Reddish said migrant labor had filled crop harvesting jobs for decades. Drawing on his work as a community liaison for Congressman Andy Harris, Reddish recalled visiting Dorchester County crab picking houses that used workers admitted through the federal H-2B visa program. He said the owners told him they would hire Americans who applied, but could not find enough local workers willing to take the jobs.

Military & Veterans

Sussex Tech Graduate Takes Top Honor at Navy Recruit Training

Seaford's Noah Sammons earned the Military Excellence Award as the top Sailor in his Recruit Training Command Great Lakes graduating class.

Reporting sources: WGMD.com reporting by Joe Ciccanti; broadcast reporting by Stace Keen for The Talk of DELMARVA News, with later newscasts by Jerry Lademan; U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command and DVIDS.

Seaman Noah Sammons of Seaford graduated as the top Sailor from U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, earning the Military Excellence Award on Aug. 27.

Sammons, a Sussex Technical High School graduate, was recognized for leadership, teamwork, dedication and military bearing during the Navy's nine week boot camp. He told the Navy that he joined to serve his country and help others.

Following graduation, Sammons is scheduled to report to Hospital Corpsman “A” school in San Antonio, Texas, for training in patient care and emergency first aid.

The honor puts a DELMARVA hometown story at the center of this week's Military & Veterans coverage: a Sussex County graduate beginning his Navy career after finishing recruit training at the top of his class.

A Sussex Tech graduate from Seaford finished Navy recruit training as the top Sailor in his class.

Sources

• DVIDS: Sammons Earns Military Excellence Award at Recruit Training Command
• DVIDS official portrait and image record, photo ID 9890347

Fox News Radio and YNTA Mark Five Years Since Abbey Gate

BASED ON FOX NEWS RADIO COVERAGE AND INTERVIEWS ON JAKE SMITH'S YOUR NEWS TALK AMERICA

Five years after the Abbey Gate bombing during the evacuation from Afghanistan, the central fact remains the loss of 13 American service members.

Coverage carried during the week returned to the attack and to the continuing national debate over the withdrawal. Interviews and documentary accounts supplied perspective, but this remembrance begins with the fallen, their families and the obligation to distinguish a documented fact from an argument about responsibility.

The Defense Department's public review identifies the Aug. 26, 2021, Abbey Gate attack as the bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members.

Source: U.S. Department of Defense: Kabul Airport Attack Review Reaffirms Initial Findings.

Talk of DELMARVA

This Week Across DTD MEDIA

ORIGINAL REPORTING, INTERVIEWS AND COMMUNITY CONVERSATION FROM THE DTD MEDIA NEWSROOM AND PROGRAMS

This edition brings together work from across DTD MEDIA. First Light DELMARVA contributed Clay Patton's Ag Market Update and Eric Burnley's Talk of DELMARVA Fishing Report. Mike Bradley and the Morning Team supplied direct interviews with candidates, elected officials and regional leaders. WGMD News reporters supplied local reporting and the newsroom's Pictures of the Day.

Your News Talk America with Jake Smith contributed national interviews, the Digital Interactive Audience Lounge and Salute the Troops. Your Turn DELMARVA with MJ Powell and substitute host Bill Reddish contributed local guest interviews and listener conversations. The RealNewsTalk.com simulcast extended selected original programming beyond the radio audience.

Each article and feature below keeps the responsible host, reporter, program or source visible. That attribution is part of the story: it shows readers where the reporting and conversation originated and recognizes the people doing the work.

Mike Bradley's Newsmaker Week

ORIGINAL INTERVIEWS FROM MIKE BRADLEY AND THE MORNING TEAM

Mike Bradley's weekday interviews gave Talk of DELMARVA listeners direct access to candidates, elected officials and regional decision makers discussing campaigns, public policy and regional issues.

Candidates on the Morning Team

• Dave Graham, Thursday: Introduced on the program as the Delaware Republican candidate for attorney general, Graham discussed his background, campaign themes and criticism of the current attorney general's record during an approximately 25 minute interview.
• Emily Thompson, Thursday: Introduced on the program as the Republican candidate for Delaware Senate District 15, Thompson outlined campaign positions on Second Amendment policy, natural gas, nuclear energy, farm property taxes, agricultural regulation and solar siting during an approximately 25 minute interview.

Delaware Political Voices

• State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, Wednesday: The recurring Morning Team guest discussed the attorney general race, Delaware's energy legislation, the pending Delmarva Power rate case, the US Wind appeal and election legislation.
• State Rep. Valerie Jones-Gilner, Wednesday: Jones-Gilner discussed the Turn the Town Teal ovarian cancer awareness campaign, Delaware elections and her opposition to House Bill 301.

Regional Public Affairs Interviews

Tuesday's Morning Team included former Delaware Attorney General Jane Brady on election and offshore wind litigation; Sussex County Councilman Steve McCarron on density and forest preservation; Maryland Delegate Kathy Szeliga on the redistricting fight; and Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano on county government and the county nursing home. Monday's guests included Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan and U.S. Department of Education spokeswoman Julie Hartman.

Friday's program added service and community interviews with AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Lundberg, Worcester County tourism director Melanie Persil, former Sussex County Life Saving Association president Tim Ferry, Scott Lennox of Hooked on OC and The Rehoboth Foodie. Bradley also devoted a separate segment to the Delaware and Maryland primary landscape.

These interviews are part of what distinguishes Mike Bradley and the Morning Team: local officials and candidates answer questions in their own voices, and listeners hear the conversation before it is reduced to a campaign release or headline.

Your Turn DELMARVA: A Week of Local Conversation

WITH MJ POWELL AND BILL REDDISH DURING THE WEEK OF AUGUST 24

Your Turn DELMARVA gave local listeners three hours each weekday to question guests, challenge ideas and bring their concerns to the air.

Featured guests: author Ken Abramowitz, founder of SaveTheWest.com; geologist Greg Wrightstone of the CO2 Coalition; Michael Letz, founder of InvestUSA.org; retired Arizona sheriff Richard Mack; author Richard Lyons; and public security consultant Barry Denadio.

Guest interviews and caller conversations covered Iran policy, household affordability, political trust, the Lindsey Clancy case, brain injuries in sports, energy and climate policy, farm and crab house labor, automated license plate cameras, privacy, crime and public trust.

Your Turn DELMARVA Discusses License Plate Cameras and Privacy

FROM YOUR TURN DELMARVA WITH MJ POWELL, SUBSTITUTE HOST BILL REDDISH, GUESTS AND CALLERS

Your Turn DELMARVA listeners spent part of the week debating automated license plate reader cameras sold by Flock Safety and the balance between crime prevention and privacy. Some callers expressed conditional support for using the technology to investigate serious crimes. Others raised questions about warrants, data retention and who can search the resulting records.

Your News Talk America: National Guests and DIAL

WITH JAKE SMITH DURING THE WEEK OF AUGUST 24

Your News Talk America connected listeners with national security, economic, legal, political and public policy specialists throughout the week.

Featured guests: Brig. General Blaine Holt, USAF (Ret.), host of Dangerous Intellectuals; Dr. James S. Robbins of the Institute of World Politics; economists Jeffery L. Degner, David Hebert and Paul Mueller of the American Institute for Economic Research; Judge Glock of the Manhattan Institute; Capt. Brent Sadler, USN (Ret.) of the Heritage Foundation; former Green Beret Lt. Col. Scott Mann; Judge Andrew Napolitano; Pentagon reporter Ryan Morgan; mental health expert Dr. Azita Sayan; Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz; filmmaker Michael Pack; Manhattan Institute fellow Carolyn D. Gorman; and CO2 Coalition executive director Gregory Wrightstone.

DIAL: The Questions Listeners Put to Jake Smith

FROM THE DIGITAL INTERACTIVE AUDIENCE LOUNGE DURING JAKE SMITH'S YOUR NEWS TALK AMERICA

Listeners used the Digital Interactive Audience Lounge to put questions directly into Jake Smith's Your News Talk America conversation. Among the questions Jake answered Wednesday were:

• Is the accelerating pace of national debt growth itself the real story?
• What would a U.S. debt crisis look like for Americans?
• Twenty five years after 9/11, how did that day reshape the Navy and the broader national security posture in ways Americans rarely notice?
• What did the reported level of CIA Director John Ratcliffe's Kremlin meeting suggest about Washington's objective?
• Should the government's fraud prevention effort also pursue waste?

That is what sets DIAL apart: listeners can place substantive questions in front of the host and help shape the live program. DIAL is a feature of Your News Talk America and is separate from the Your Turn DELMARVA telephone lines.

Your Turn DELMARVA Callers Discuss the Clancy Case and Sports Health

BASED ON CALLER CONVERSATIONS DURING YOUR TURN DELMARVA WITH MJ POWELL AND SUBSTITUTE HOST BILL REDDISH

Across three days of local call in programming, listeners returned to two difficult subjects: criminal responsibility in the Lindsey Clancy case and concern about lasting brain injury in sports.

The Clancy calls included sharply different views about planning, punishment and the possible role of medication. The legal case itself remained unresolved at the end of the reviewed Saturday source window. The sports health exchange raised questions about chronic traumatic encephalopathy and how families evaluate lasting risks.

Pictures of the Week

Four photographs submitted by readers and featured by WGMD.com during the issue week.

Week Ahead

Delaware Primary Calendar

Wednesday, Sept. 2: Early voting begins. Delaware's official election alert states that early voting for the 2026 primary starts Sept. 2. The state election site lists locations, hours and eligibility details.

Tuesday, Sept. 15: Delaware primary election. The date is listed by the Delaware Department of Elections, which also provides registration, district, polling place and absentee ballot information.

Source Library

Broadcast material is identified by program and date when a public aircheck is not available.

• Iran timeline: Fox News Radio reports carried on WGMD, Aug. 24–29; U.S. Department of the Treasury: Operation Economic Outcast.
• U.S. and Canada trade: Fox News Radio reports carried on WGMD on August 24; Your News Talk America with Jake Smith interviews with Jeffery L. Degner on August 25, David Hebert on August 26 and 27, and Judge Glock on August 26; August 25 show notes; August 26 show notes; August 27 show notes; Government of Canada countermeasures.
• Debt and affordability: Your News Talk America interviews with Paul Mueller and Judge Andrew Napolitano, Aug. 26 and Aug. 27.
• Agriculture labor conversation: Your Turn DELMARVA, Aug. 27, host Bill Reddish and caller Sean; U.S. Department of Labor: H-2B program.
• Abbey Gate remembrance: Your News Talk America and Fox News Radio record, Aug. 26–28; U.S. Department of Defense: Kabul Airport Attack Review.
• Cameras, crime and public trust: Your Turn DELMARVA caller and guest conversation, Aug. 24, Aug. 26 and Aug. 28; no specific local deployment is asserted.
• Audience record: Your Turn DELMARVA caller records and Your News Talk America DIAL records, Aug. 24–28; the featured questions are drawn from Wednesday's formal DIAL export.
• Delaware election calendar: Delaware voting alert: early voting starts Sept. 2.

Local and regional sources

• DVIDS: Sammons Earns Military Excellence Award at Recruit Training Command
• DVIDS official portrait and image record, photo ID 9890347
• WGMD: Rehoboth Beach BOA approves One Rehoboth Avenue variance
• WGMD: Grove Park open to foot traffic only
• WGMD: Sussex County Council continues forest-preservation discussion
• WGMD: Oceanside beach at The Point to reopen Sept. 1
• Delaware Department of Elections: 2026 Primary Election
• Delaware early-voting sites and schedule
• Delaware short link: early-voting sites
• Official 2026 Delaware Election Calendar
• WGMD: Anne Arundel judge rules in redistricting challenge
• WGMD: second redistricting ruling in Dorchester County
• WGMD: MSP identifies man found near Church Creek
• Delaware PSC: 2026 Delmarva Power interim rate implementation and pending application
• Delaware PSC public notices, including Docket No. 25-1555
• Delaware Division of the Public Advocate: what ratepayers need to know
• Governor's office: energy consumer-protection legislation
• AAA Fuel Prices: Delaware daily averages
• AAA Newsroom: August gas-price report
• WGMD: AAA says August gas prices remain high

Reporting and Source Acknowledgments

This edition draws on reporting from the WGMD news team, including Mari Lou, Jerry Lademan, Stace Keen and Joe Ciccanti, as well as Fox News Radio reports carried on WGMD and broadcasts from The Talk of DELMARVA and RealNewsTalk.com. Contributing programs and hosts include Mike Bradley and The Talk of DELMARVA Morning Team, MJ Powell and substitute host Bill Reddish on Your Turn DELMARVA, and Jake Smith of Your News Talk America.

Interview subjects, commentators and callers are credited for their statements and perspectives; they are not presented as authors of this publication’s reporting.

Publisher’s Note

The Patriot Weekly is an independent publication of DTD MEDIA and The Talk of DELMARVA’s 92.7 and 98.5. Content may include original reporting, WGMD.com local news coverage, broadcast material from The Talk of DELMARVA, RealNewsTalk.com reporting and content resources, public source research, and selected national news resources, including content available through Fox News Radio.

Views and opinions expressed by hosts, callers, guests and interview subjects are their own and do not necessarily reflect the staff, management, ownership, advertisers or sponsors of The Talk of DELMARVA’s 92.7 and 98.5 or DTD MEDIA.