A WGMD Local News Article
ASPIRE Launch from Wallops Successful
NASA had a successful launch Saturday morning. ASPIRE is the Advanced Supersonic Parachute Inflation Research Experiment and NASA was testing a parachute for possible future missions to Mars. The parachute payload was deployed by a suborbital sounding rocket to an altitude of about 32 miles, then splashed-down in the Atlantic off Wallops Island where data…
Read MoreWest Ocean City Crash Ends in DUI Arrest
A crash Saturday afternoon injured three people. Maryland State Police say a pickup truck made a right turn from Route 50 onto Elm Street in West Ocean City, but the driver struck a ditch and the front porch of a home. When police contacted the driver – 24 year old Juan Caraballo – they smelled…
Read MoreSalisbury Skatepark closing til June for construction
Skateboarders of Salisbury: this is your last weekend to get your grind on at the skate park before the city shuts it down for the next two and a half months. City Officials say the Salisbury Skatepark will close on Monday April 2 for the second phase of construction on the skate park. Debby Stam…
Read MoreShannon Morris files to run for DE House District 30
A new contender steps up to fill State Rep. Bobby Outten’s shoes. William Shannon Morris filing election paperwork to run as a republican for the state’s 30th Representative District. Flanked by Rep. Outten and State Sen. Dave Lawson, Morris says he’d be honored to carry on Rep. Outten’s legacy in the House. Morris says the…
Read MoreDSP sees drops in robberies, crashes in Western Sussex County
Delaware State Police patrolling the western portions of Sussex County meeting with community leaders to present their 2017 year in Review. Troop 5 Commander Captain Alice Brambley delivered the good news: last year robberies dropped 12%, burglaries were down 34%, and a 5% reduction in overall motor vehicle crashes. She credits the drops to exceptional…
Read MoreSouth Bethany approves paid parking permits for bay side of town
South Bethany implementing Paid Parking Permits on the west side of Route 1. Coastal Point reporting the town wants to capitalize on increased beach traffic and burgeoning developments on the bay side of town. Council member Tim Saxton saying South Bethany is just getting with the times, as its currently the only town from Dewey…
Read MoreRehoboth Ocean Outfall permits get extensions
Rehoboth’s Ocean Outfall project receives permit modifications. While work was supposed to wrap up by the end of March, the construction has been hampered by bad weather and unforeseen obstacles. The US Army Corps of Engineers has modified its permit to allow the contractor to perform work in the ocean on or after April 1st.…
Read MoreAllen Harim calls DNREC fines “unfair”
DNREC slapping a $250,000 fine on Allen Harim for past wastewater violations. Officials say Allen Harim discharged water with unacceptable levels of ammonia, nitrogen, phosphorous, bacteria, and suspended solids multiple times between 2012 and 2016. Allen Harim CEO Joe Moran saying the company invested $8 million on upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, and after…
Read MoreDisputed 2016 White Marlin Open comes to a conclusion
A judge has ruled in favor of the Ocean City’s White Marlin Open in a dispute with the fishermen who contended they caught the winning fish in the tournament in 2016. The crew of the Kallianassa was disqualified for violating the rules and the $2.8 million top prize was never awarded. Now, the judge has…
Read MoreDE Auditor: Mid-Sussex Rescue Squad treasurer took $120k of funds
The Delaware state auditor says a former treasurer of the Mid Sussex Rescue squad misappropriated almost $120,000. The money was taken over a five year period starting in September 2011. Auditor Tom Wagner says the investigation revealed the former treasurer of the squad made over $112,000 of unauthorized cash withdrawals, wrote themselves a check for…
Read MoreDelmarva Power to deploy helicopters for MD, DE power line inspections
That low flying helicopter hovering outside your home is not the government. It’s more likely Delmarva Power, inspecting power lines. Officials say helicopters will be conducting aerial inspections on over 2,000 miles of power lines throughout Delaware and Maryland. The choppers will be flying low to complete comprehensive visual inspections of transmission lines and guy…
Read MoreDNREC, 10 local fire companies respond to tire fire in Georgetown
A chimney of thick black smoke filled the air in Georgetown yesterday after a large tire fire broke out. Around 5:30 PM a working alarm fire was sounded at Donovan’s Scrap Yard. 10 Local fire companies to help control the blaze, and DNREC was called to the scene because of the nature of the tire…
Read MoreJudge rules Five Points church cannot be converted into homeless shelter
A church at Five Points will not be converted into a homeless shelter. The Cape Gazette reporting a Sussex County Superior Court judge has overturned a County Board of Adjustment decision to allow a homeless shelter in the John Wesley UM Church in Lewes. Judge Richard Stokes determined a homeless shelter was outside the scope…
Read MoreDelaware offering assistance to patients of pill-happy doctor
Delaware’s Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health is offering help to patients of the doctor accused of over-prescribing medications. Dr. Gregory Villanoba had his medical license and controlled substance registration suspended last week after authorities say he over-prescribed opioids, benzos, and stimulant combinations. Officials say anyone who was being treated by Villanoba may experience…
Read MoreElection polling locations change in Caroline County
Maryland’s gubernatorial election comes up in November, and Primary is in June, but that won’t matter if you don’t know where to vote. And if you live in Caroline County, your local polling places have changed. While Denton and Federalsburg elementary schools used to be where you cast your ballot, you’ll now head over to…
Read MoreDeadly car crash in Frederica Sunday night
A deadly car crash in Frederica Sunday night. Delaware State Police say around 9 PM a car traveling northbound t-boned a car heading westbound in the intersection of Bay Road and Bowers Beach Road. Anna Tharp of Felton was removed from her vehicle, taken to Kent General Hospital, where she died. There were three passengers…
Read MoreDelmarva livestock producers exempted from reporting ammonia emissions
Farmers raising chickens on Delmarva might enjoy the omnibus spending bill passed last week. The legislation restores an exemption for farmers from the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liablity Act, or CERCLA. The law is intended for ships and factories to report hazardous substance releases to the federal government. However, in 2017 US court of…
Read MoreSeaford City Council approves new Chief of Police
Seaford appoints a new Chief of Police. Yesterday the Mayor and City Council voted to approve Robert Kracyla as the new Chief of Police. Kracyla is a 35 year law enforcement veteran, starting in 1983 as a patrolman with Dover Police Department, then spending 27 years with Delaware State Police, doing everything from road trooper…
Read MoreRockfish catch size reduced in Maryland
Maryland Department of Natural Resources moves forward with emergency regulations to reduce the minimum catch size of striped bass. Anglers in the Chesapeake and its tributaries will be able keep rockfish 19 inches or larger, down an inch. Secretary Mark Belton says the decision comes after talking with conservationists, anglers, and charter boat captains, and…
Read MoreDelaware joins lawsuit over citizenship question on 2020 Census
Delaware joins a coalition of 11 other states in suing The Trump Administration over changes to the census. On Monday, US Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross sent a memo requesting the Census Bureau reinstate a citizenship question on the upcoming 2020 census in order to obtain complete and accurate data. Delaware is joining New…
Read MoreDE House of Representatives passes gun violence prevention act
Delaware’s House of Representatives passing a bill aimed at curbing gun violence in the state. House Bill 302, known as the Beau Biden Gun Violence Prevention Act, establishes procedures for law enforcement agencies and mental health professionals to determine a person to be a threat to themselves or others, and as a result confiscate firearms…
Read MoreDownstate resident, business top list of delinquent taxpayers in Delaware
Delaware’s Division of Finance publishing the list of the top 100 delinquent taxpayers in the state. According to the rolls, James Gordon of Lewes holds the top spot for personal tax delinquents, owing the state over $1.1 million. And a downstate company holds the top spot for business tax delinquents too. Delmar Homes Inc., based…
Read MoreDE offering $4 water quality tests for private well owners
The Delaware Division of Public Health is selling kits for you to test the quality of your well water. There are two types of kits being offered, one that tests for chemicals, and one that tests for bacteria contaminates. Each kit costs $2 each, and can be picked up and dropped off at Adams State Service…
Read MoreSalisbury abuzz as it becomes the 100th certified Bee City in America
The City of Salisbury is abuzz after becoming the 100th certified Bee City USA member. That means the city is reviewing landscape designs and maintenance plans to attract pollinators, will be publishing a list of recommended native plants, trees, and shrubs, and will implement a biologic approach to pest management as opposed to toxic chemical…
Read MoreDE Gov. John Carney, Sen. Tom Carper to host environment town hall
Delaware Governor John Carney will be holding another Facebook Live Town Hall this week; he will be joined by US Senator Tom Carper to discuss Delaware’s environment and natural resources. The governor says that as the lowest-lying state in the country, Delaware is particularly susceptible to sea level rise and extreme weather events brought on…
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