The Patriot Weekly – September 27, 2026
The Patriot Weekly
Watch the Storm Video
DELMARVA Takes the Hit
A slow nor’easter floods roads and marshes, tears at beaches, cancels a major festival and keeps dangerous surf over the coast through the weekend.
A Bypass Changes the Daily Flow
One year after opening, North Millsboro’s bypass carries 8,000 vehicles a day.
Denton Mourns Chief George Bacorn
A fatal Talbot County crash brings a half-staff order and an Eastern Shore community’s grief.
Who Controls Access to the White House?
A court fight becomes a weeklong debate across the Talk of DELMARVA lineup.
DELMARVA Report
DELMARVA Takes the Hit
The week’s forecast became the weekend’s disruption
The first storm of fall did not need a direct landfall to reshape the weekend. A slow-moving nor’easter built offshore through the week, sending repeated high tides into back bays and tidal waterways while persistent north and northeast wind drove dangerous surf against the coast.
By Friday, coastal-flood warnings, high-surf advisories and wind warnings covered much of the lower peninsula. WGMD and AccuWeather warned that erosion and flooding mattered more than rainfall alone. Breaking waves were forecast in the 8-to-12-foot range Friday, with marine forecasts rising to roughly 11-to-15-foot seas and gusts near 55 mph Saturday.
Ocean City’s Oceans Calling festival was fully canceled. Bethany Beach kept its beach closed through a planned Monday noon reassessment. Navigational buoys washed ashore near Dewey Beach and South Bethany. Saturday reports described a steep ocean-side dune face in Bethany, water in marsh and campground approaches south of Delaware Seashore State Park, flooding in Fenwick Island, scattered downed wires and outages, and multiple canceled Cape May–Lewes Ferry departures.
The storm’s lesson was repetition: tide after tide, wind over water, and a coastline that never fully drained before the next push arrived.
Reporting and live status: Mike Bradley and the Talk of DELMARVA News Team; AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Lundberg; Bethany Beach closure notice; and National Weather Service coastal-hazard notices.
One Year In, the North Millsboro Bypass Carries 8,000 Vehicles a Day
DelDOT Secretary Shanté Hastings said the road carries about 8,000 vehicles on an average day and about 10,000 during summer, including more than 1,300 tractor-trailers that no longer pass through downtown Millsboro. The route opened September 25, 2025, and now carries the name of former state Sen. Richard S. Cordrey.
The figures give the project a measurable first-year story: traffic was shifted, not merely promised. The next questions are whether downtown crash risk and congestion changed, how local businesses experienced the diversion, and when related U.S. 113 work will reach construction.
Full source: WGMD’s one-year bypass report.
Worcester Opens Its Rezoning Map
Worcester County’s public tool brings active and pending rezoning locations, applications, staff reports and findings into one map. For residents following growth parcel by parcel, the value is not the technology; it is the shorter distance between a posted notice and the record behind it. Read the report and open the county map.
Woodland Ferry Maintenance Closure Continues
DelDOT extended the Woodland Ferry maintenance closure through Friday, October 9. Travelers who normally use the Woodland–Seaford crossing should plan an alternate route and check for a reopening update before traveling. Read the updated service notice.
Delaware Politics
Questions Grow Around Georgetown Micro-Hospital Proposal
Rep. Valerie Jones Giltner used her weekly appearance with Mike Bradley and the Talk of DELMARVA News Team to raise questions about a proposed Georgetown micro-hospital: how many beds and services it would provide, whether its financing and approvals differ from a traditional hospital, and how lawmakers should evaluate the project’s place in Sussex County’s health-care network.
Jones Giltner linked those questions to ambulance availability, patient transfers, payer mix and the financial pressure on existing hospitals. Her interview put a practical question before lawmakers and regulators: which services would Sussex County gain, and which patients would still travel north?
Continue reading: the complete Mike Bradley and Talk of DELMARVA News Team weekly record.
Senate Returns for Appointments Tuesday
The Delaware Senate is scheduled to reconvene September 29 at 4 p.m. to consider 18 gubernatorial appointments. A noon Executive Committee meeting is expected to include an appearance by Surgeon General Dr. Neil Hockstein; WGMD reported that appearance as an opportunity for senators to ask about the office’s goals and operations, not a formal confirmation hearing.
Official calendar: Delaware General Assembly.
Nearly $23 Million Goes to Delaware Health Centers
Westside Family Healthcare is slated to receive $11.3 million, La Red Health Center $10.1 million and Henrietta Johnson Medical Center $1.29 million through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, according to the Meyer administration and Delaware health officials. The funding is intended for technology and workforce needs, care coordination, chronic-disease management and other efforts to improve access, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Full story: WGMD’s funding report.
Delaware Republicans Try to Turn Intramural Conflict Into a Fall Campaign
Across the week, Morning Team interviews with Michael Katz, Bryan Shupe, John Shulli, Bryant Richardson and Delaware GOP Vice Chair Danny Willis documented a party moving from disputed forums and close primary results toward the general election. The candidates did not seek the same office and did not offer a single program; each framed affordability, growth, constituent service and party unity differently.
Willis’s Thursday interview added the party’s institutional view, including its response to a private candidate forum and its effort to bring candidates and voters together at a weekend event.
Listen deeper: Mike Bradley’s Sept. 21 interview with John Shulli. The full weekly interview record appears below in Talk of DELMARVA.
Permanent Absentee List Survives Court Challenge
The Delaware Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the Chancery Court decision upholding the state’s permanent absentee-voting statute, allowing eligible permanent absentee voters to receive November ballots. Read the ruling summary and official statements.
DOC Adds Identity Check for Online Visits
Delaware’s correction system added ID and selfie verification for online messaging and video visits. Read what users need to know.
Coons Joins Bipartisan AI-Disclosure Bill
The proposed AI Systems Transparency Act would require disclosures about collected data, safeguards and misuse protections, with Federal Trade Commission enforcement. Read the bill summary.
Small-Business Office Moves From Order to Implementation
Delaware’s Office of Small Business Access reported a new interagency liaison network, 13 listening-tour stops and a fall pilot intended to let businesses coordinate state inspections through one office. The state also plans a 2027 rewrite of cottage-food rules. Read the implementation report and follow the official OSBA link.
Sussex Council Backs Park Grant and Sewer Annexations
Sussex County Council supported a $250,000 state grant application for a boardwalk and observation deck at Nanticoke Crossing Park and approved two sewer-annexation actions, including one involving Belmead Farm. Read the complete council roundup.
Maryland Politics & Eastern Shore Government
An Eastern Shore Police Department Mourns Chief George Bacorn
Gov. Wes Moore ordered Maryland flags lowered to half-staff after Denton Police Chief George Bacorn died Friday. WGMD’s Saturday newscast, citing the investigation, reported that a Ford Transit crossed the center line on Dover Road in Talbot County, clipped one vehicle and collided head-on with the Tahoe Bacorn was driving. He was pronounced dead at the scene; another driver was taken to a trauma center.
The crash remained under investigation as Denton and law-enforcement agencies across the Eastern Shore mourned the loss of a small-town police leader.
Full source and updates: WGMD’s half-staff and crash report.
Maryland’s Data-Center Decision Is About More Than One Building
A state order and subsequent political analysis put guardrails, energy demand, water use and local authority at the center of Maryland’s data-center debate. Former Maryland GOP chair Dirk Haire told Morning Team listeners he read Gov. Wes Moore’s action as allowing development with conditions rather than imposing a moratorium.
For the Eastern Shore, the practical test is whether promised investment arrives with a credible power-and-water plan and a public review process communities can follow.
Full source: WGMD’s report, including the order’s five review principles and state source material.
Dan Schwartz Makes His Case in Maryland’s First District
Democratic congressional candidate Dan Schwartz joined YNTA for a wide-ranging interview on deficits, Social Security, open primaries, government fraud, Maryland’s limits on local cooperation with federal immigration authorities, antisemitism and political extremism.
DIAL questions pushed Schwartz beyond his opening argument, asking how he would reduce fraud, whether he supported Maryland’s limits on cooperation with federal immigration authorities and how he distinguished criticism from antisemitism or extremism.
As heard on: Your News Talk America, Sept. 25 show page.
Housing Rules Change October 1
Maryland housing providers face changes involving criminal-history screening, rental-payment reporting, housing subsidies and air-conditioning requirements. Read the official effective-date notice and rule-by-rule summary.
Worcester Sheriff Takes State Association Presidency
Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli was sworn in as president of the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association, representing the state’s 24 elected sheriffs and working on law-enforcement leadership, training and public-safety issues. Read the full announcement.
Public Safety
A Woman’s Death in an Ellendale Field Brings a Manslaughter Charge
Delaware State Police identified 39-year-old Santos Maria Chilel Soto of Georgetown as the woman fatally shot in an Ellendale field. Police said Walter Moorhead, 74, of Salisbury was hunting from a ground blind when he fired at what he believed was a deer. Soto was walking through the field with a man and two children.
Moorhead was charged with manslaughter and related offenses. The Homicide Unit investigation remained active, and the allegations have not been adjudicated.
Official source and updates: Delaware State Police.
Federal Grants Put Equipment Within Reach
FEMA awarded Assistance to Firefighters funding across the Mid-Atlantic, including more than $451,000 for the Delaware State Fire School and more than $310,000 for Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company, according to WGMD’s report. The grants can support vehicles, protective equipment and other response needs depending on each award.
Recipient details: WGMD’s grant report.
Fruitland School Threats Bring a Regional Response
Two threatening calls prompted searches of Fruitland Primary and Intermediate schools; authorities reported finding no credible explosive, chemical or other hazardous threat, and the investigation continued. Read the agency-based report and contact information.
Cambridge Police Mourn Capt. Ronald “Shane” Hinson
Cambridge Police announced that Hinson died while on duty after more than 27 years of service to the city. Read the department’s remembrance.
Broadkill Beach Death Investigation Continues
Delaware State Police said a woman’s body was found near the 2500 block of South Bayshore Drive and asked anyone with information to contact investigators. Read the continuing-case notice.
Fourth Suspect Charged in Dorchester County Shooting Case
Maryland State Police announced a fourth arrest in the investigation of the August shooting death of five-year-old Na’Ryah Adams. The charges remain allegations while the case proceeds. Read the case update.
Salisbury Man Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Father’s Murder
A Wicomico County judge sentenced Ja’Bril Walters after his first-degree-murder conviction in the 2025 shooting death of his father, Roy Walters. Read WGMD’s sentencing update and case history.
Call-Forwarding Scam Targets Bank Customers
Authorities warned that callers posing as banks may tell victims to dial *72, forwarding incoming calls and verification codes to the scammer. Do not follow a caller’s code; contact the bank through the number on the card or statement. Read the warning and recovery steps.
Police Investigate Robbery Near Georgetown
Delaware State Police said two unknown suspects pushed a 78-year-old woman and stole her purse as she left her car at Fishhook Mobile Home Park Thursday night. Read the police-based WGMD report and contact information.
Milton Man Pleads Not Guilty in Federal Case
David Harmon, 35, pleaded not guilty to federal drug-trafficking and firearm charges; the case remains pending. Read the count summary.
HVAC-Theft Investigation Leads to Arrest
Delaware State Police charged William Pusey, 46, of Georgetown after an investigation into HVAC units police say were removed and sold for scrap. Read the full WGMD brief.
Dover Traffic Stop Leads to Four Arrests and Two Gun Recoveries
Dover Police said a Friday traffic stop led officers to recover two loaded handguns and arrest four men ages 19 to 22 on differing weapons and related charges. The charges are allegations unless and until proved in court. Read the individual charge and bond details.
Easton Motorsports Dealer Pleads Guilty in Tax-Fraud Case
Maryland’s attorney general said B&E Motorsports owner Robert Michael pleaded guilty to theft, identity-fraud, perjury and false-tax-return counts involving sales records for personal watercraft, dirt bikes and trailers. Sentencing is scheduled for October 27. Read the plea, restitution and sentencing details.
Former Insurance Agent Sentenced for Taking Client Funds
The Delaware Department of Insurance said Zenaida Nieves-Cordero was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay more than $625,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to three felony theft charges involving money intended for insurance premiums. Read the department’s case summary.
Police File Fifth-Offense DUI Charge After Dover Stop
Delaware State Police said a traffic complaint and stop led to the arrest of Kenny Jervey, 67, of Wilmington on a fifth-offense DUI charge and related traffic counts. He was released on unsecured bond; the charges remain allegations. Read the police account and charge list.
Salisbury Drug-and-Firearm Conviction Brings 45-Year Sentence
A Wicomico County judge sentenced Kambreh Jones, 50, to 45 years, including 10 years without parole, after a jury convicted him of firearm drug trafficking, cocaine offenses, illegal firearm possession and related counts. Read the case and sentencing record.
Economy & Business
Gas, Oil and Interest Rates Reach the Kitchen Table
Across local calls and national interviews, affordability was not treated as one statistic. Listeners connected gasoline and diesel to freight and food, prescription costs to household budgets, housing rules to supply, and oil-market uncertainty to Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
YNTA’s Dr. Julia Cartwright described an economy showing strength in employment and wages while households absorbed what she called oil and interest-rate whiplash. Your Turn callers supplied the practical version: every extra transportation cost eventually appears somewhere else on the receipt.
Go deeper: YNTA’s Sept. 25 program notes and WGMD’s regional fuel-price report.
Critical Minerals Return Permitting to the Debate
Energy-policy analyst James Morrone used a YNTA interview to connect rare-earth and critical-mineral capacity with refinery, pipeline and permitting policy. He argued that the United States cannot treat mineral security separately from the time and cost required to build processing and energy infrastructure.
Interview and source links: YNTA’s Sept. 25 show page.
Maryland Consumers Can Seek Generic-Drug Compensation
Maryland’s attorney general urged eligible consumers to review a multistate settlement process involving alleged inflated prices for certain generic drugs. Read the eligibility and claim information.
Federal Courts Rule on SNAP and Commercial-Driver Data
Separate federal-court developments addressed SNAP eligibility changes and a commercial-driver-license data rule. Both remain implementation stories whose scope depends on the written orders and subsequent agency action.
Military & Veterans
A Green Beret Handler Explains the Bond Behind the Mission
Former 5th Special Forces Group dog handler Travis Hall described detection, tracking and apprehension work with his military working dog Bear, the trust required between handler and animal, and the challenge of carrying Global War on Terror stories forward as veterans age.
Hall also discussed Second Chance K9 Service Dogs and the film Heart of the Beast, using Bear’s story to explain why working dogs are partners rather than equipment.
Continue reading: Clay & Buck’s complete weekly interview record.
First Light DELMARVA Ag Report
Clay Patton’s weekday reports followed grain, livestock and dairy markets while connecting the numbers to harvest, trade, poultry and agricultural institutions across DELMARVA.
A Week of China-Driven Swings
Corn, soybeans and wheat opened the week lower, rallied Tuesday as traders anticipated the Trump–Xi meeting, then retreated as the market questioned how announced Chinese purchase commitments could be fulfilled. By Friday, weak corn-export sales added pressure. Patton’s reports showed why one diplomatic headline can move futures before a bushel changes hands.
Harvest, Livestock and Dairy
Harvest progress and soil moisture remained part of the daily picture alongside mixed cattle, hog and dairy trading. A reduced European corn estimate added another supply signal. The reports treated those markets as connected: crop expectations affect feed, and feed costs travel into livestock, dairy and poultry margins.
Farm Programs and the Next Generation
Local and regional items included Delaware’s Farm to Community program, USDA value-added producer grants, more than $40,000 reported for DELMARVA Chicken Association scholarships, an October 28 Maryland agricultural and environmental law conference and a Pennsylvania agricultural-technology event.
As heard or read on: Clay Patton’s First Light DELMARVA Ag Market Update on The Talk of DELMARVA’s 92.7, 98.5 and TheTalkofDelmarva.com, Sept. 21–25.
Talk of DELMARVA
The week on 92.7, 98.5 and TheTalkofDelmarva.com—from the Morning Team’s interviews and local newscasts to the arguments listeners carried into Your Turn DELMARVA.
Storm Coverage, Campaign Questions and the Local Record
Monday: Bradley challenged Delaware Republican Senate nominee Michael Katz to explain why he publicly broke with fellow nominee Joseph Arminio after a private forum. Katz pointed to agreed rules, decorum and professional conduct; Bradley kept returning to why one candidate intervened in another candidate’s dispute and whether the disagreement would damage the ticket. Rep. Bryan Shupe discussed the lessons of his primary win, turnout and the need to explain constituent work, while answering the criticism raised by challenger Patrick Smith. Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan described a possible convention-center expansion with indoor sports capacity after the Route 50 complex plan failed, including unanswered questions about parking, outdoor space, state participation and cost. John Shulli made his U.S. Senate case in a separate interview.
Tuesday: Sen. Bryant Richardson previewed a ten-point “Contract with Delaware,” connecting national Republican campaign history to a state-level governing promise. Bradley pressed for the actual commitments behind the title rather than leaving the segment at a slogan. Sussex County Councilman Matt Lloyd explained growth and land-use disputes, then described a county proposal to buy ambulances in bulk and centralize billing. Lloyd said budgeted purchasing could provide three ambulances a year without a new tax; Bradley asked how the plan would affect volunteer companies and accountability. Ocean City mayoral candidate Matt James explained why he entered the race, how he would distinguish himself from current leadership and why he wanted a friendlier, more efficient town government with an emphasis on family-oriented tourism.
Wednesday: Rep. Valerie Jones Giltner began with measles precautions and then questioned the proposed Georgetown micro-hospital’s ownership, services, payer mix, transfers and effect on ambulance availability. Bradley’s questions moved the conversation from the word “hospital” to what the facility would actually do: which procedures would remain in Sussex County, which patients would travel north and how the new model would interact with existing hospitals. Maryland gubernatorial candidate Dan Cox discussed state spending, an approximately $3 billion reduction plan and how he intended to build an Eastern Shore campaign before the Tawes event.
Thursday: Delaware GOP Vice Chair Danny Willis addressed the party’s response to the private candidate forum, primary divisions and its weekend event. Bradley repeated the important distinction that a private forum can enforce rules agreed to by participants while still asking how nominees reunite afterward. Former Maryland GOP chair Dirk Haire read Gov. Wes Moore’s data-center action as development with guardrails rather than a moratorium and discussed the proposed redistricting amendment. Worcester tourism official Brianna Dix previewed a watermen’s celebration, crab-cake competition, colonial harvest festival, book festival and other October events.
Friday and the News Team: AccuWeather meteorologist Joe Lundberg traced the slow offshore storm and the accumulating risk from wind, repeated tides, flooding and erosion. Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department president Joe Enste and tournament organizer Tracy Jones explained how a Nov. 1 golf tournament at Ocean Pines Golf Club would help replace aging turnout gear and equipment. Tim Ferry and Scott Lennox focused on dangerous surf and post-storm fishing. Across the week, the News Team carried the nor’easter, beach closures, roads, ferry interruptions, school threats, public-safety developments, fuel prices, court rulings, health policy and community events—the local reporting spine between the interviews.
As heard or read on: Mike Bradley and the Talk of DELMARVA News Team on The Talk of DELMARVA’s 92.7, 98.5 and TheTalkofDelmarva.com, Sept. 21–25.
The Audience Debated Press Freedom, Household Costs, War and Technology
Monday: Powell opened the phones on the White House decision to exclude CNN, MS NOW and Politico. Larry from Lewes opposed the exclusion while questioning the privileges larger outlets receive: “I think it’s a bad move. I think it makes him look bad. I think it creates confrontation and lawsuits when it’s not needed.” The program then tested the boundary between private venue rules and government censorship before callers split over immigration enforcement. Bruce argued that the recent influx had strained housing, food and health care; another caller answered, “They broke the law. They’ve got to go back. It’s just that simple.” Powell asked both sides how a workable line could distinguish violent offenders from long-settled workers in farming, construction, hospitality and seafood processing.
Tuesday: After President Trump’s U.N. address, Michael and Tammy focused on groceries, gasoline, firearms and seniors’ health-care and savings pressures. Their calls brought a national speech back to the expenses households meet every week. Nick from Harrington defended the president’s frustration with major media companies, saying they were “reporting on what they want us to believe instead of the fact” and urging them to “be snarky, but be snarky with the facts.” Later callers debated the case for military action against Iran and the newly announced Greenland security agreement. The final hour compared the White House access dispute with reported Hamas controls on journalists, separating voluntary political alignment in American media from coercion and threats under an armed authority.
Wednesday: Prescription prices produced some of the week’s most practical calls. Listeners described buying medicines from Canada and other countries and asked why the same products cost more in the United States. Powell connected those experiences with a Maryland generic-drug settlement and a YNTA discussion of multistate purchasing. The conversation moved to diesel, refinery capacity and Chinese electric vehicles. Wendy from Milton said, “The real limiting factor [is] the United States’ ability to refine the oil, not so much how much we have.” The final hour tracked early movement toward the 2028 presidential field by looking at books, travel, speeches and other signals rather than treating anyone as a declared candidate.
Thursday: The Trump–Xi meeting led to calls about trade, Taiwan, strategic competition, Chinese demand for oil and the value of keeping dialogue open even between rivals. Paul from Milford, identifying himself as a Republican and Trump voter, said, “Until we come together and stop the all-Republican side or the all-Democrat side … it is never going to get fixed as long as we keep this divide.” The discussion then turned to Netanyahu’s U.N. speech, Iran and public trust in official explanations for war. In the final hour, callers considered AI agents, wearable devices, therapy uses and the growing habit of using artificial intelligence to interpret political podcasts and everyday decisions.
Friday: Powell returned to China and Taiwan, then to the press-pass ruling. When a caller invoked the Smith–Mundt Act as a general media-gag law, Powell researched the point on air and explained its narrower history involving U.S. government-produced material. Callers also argued over race and media framing, transgender participation in women’s sports, parental responsibility and when adult children should become independent.
As heard or read on: Your Turn DELMARVA with MJ Powell, Sept. 21–25, on The Talk of DELMARVA’s 92.7, 98.5 and TheTalkofDelmarva.com.
Heard Nationally
Your News Talk America led the national and international conversation from RealNewsTalk.com, followed across the broadcast day by Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, Mark Levin and Sean Hannity.
Five Mornings of Foreign Policy, Law, Economics and Listener Questions
Monday: Jake Smith interviewed Paul Davis on Iran, the Houthis and danger to Red Sea commerce; Christine Balling on Cuba’s failing electrical grid and political stability; Todd Bensman on the Austin ICE shooting and enforcement policy; retired Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer on Iran and Ukraine; Antonio Graceffo from Kyiv on mobilization and battlefield conditions; and Curtis Houck on White House press access. Shaffer cautioned against assuming immediate U.S. military action, while Graceffo disputed the claim that random Ukrainian men were simply being kidnapped into service.
Tuesday: Joan Leslie McGill and Jonathan Feldstein discussed the reported withholding of Oct. 7 footage and the larger argument over media treatment of Israel. Economist Paul Mueller tested the arithmetic behind “tax the rich.” Capt. Morgan Murphy compared China’s fleet size with U.S. warfighting capability and regional demands; Ammon Blair addressed immigration enforcement; Bradley Thayer described the ideological and strategic contest with China; and Edward Bartlett discussed pressure on a juror after the Lindsey Clancy trial.
Wednesday: Chris Burgard brought a religious-liberty dispute over amplified calls to prayer. James S. Robbins explained the Arctic-security case for additional U.S. facilities in Greenland. John Marshall Callahan contrasted NATO’s eastern and western members and the different histories shaping their perception of Russia. Rabbi Michael Barclay returned to the Oct. 7 video dispute; Jason Sorens outlined a multistate prescription-purchasing proposal; and Jonathan Butcher discussed an advocacy group’s education-freedom scorecard.
Thursday: Asaf Romirowsky addressed Iranian unrest and regional pressure. William Fry discussed the challenge of transferring small businesses when owners retire without family successors. Kenneth Schrupp presented a contested estimate of California benefit spending. Dr. Julia Cartwright connected employment and wage strength with oil and interest-rate “whiplash.” Judge Andrew Napolitano discussed the press-credential ruling and his Russia trip; Simon Hankinson addressed international-student visas; and Alvin Lui described a Florida classroom viewpoint dispute.
Friday: Nick Kangadis discussed daytime television and White House credentials. Ludovic Hood examined Iran, sanctions, uranium and the Strait of Hormuz. Maryland First District candidate Dan Schwartz answered questions about deficits, Social Security, open primaries, government fraud, immigration cooperation and antisemitism. James Morrone connected critical minerals with refineries, pipelines and permitting. The 11 a.m. source recording was unavailable; although the schedule names Todd Starnes and John Amos, their answers are not attributed here.
What DIAL changed: Audience questions moved several interviews beyond prepared openings. Producers asked what a post-communist Cuba might require; whether immigration enforcement would retreat after the Austin shooting; which subject—trade, Taiwan, technology or security—should lead the Trump–Xi meeting; why NATO’s eastern members view Russia differently; and whether White House access is a constitutional right. Callahan tied the NATO divide to geography and historical experience. Napolitano declined to judge the legality of a proposed private Islamic community without reliable facts, then addressed the process surrounding press credentials. Friday questions pressed Schwartz on fraud, Maryland immigration cooperation and extremism and pressed Morrone on refinery capacity, pipelines, critical minerals and woody biomass. Questions logged during the missing Friday hour are preserved as questions only, not answers.
Programs and source notes: Monday · Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday · Friday.
Crime, Government Efficiency, China and the Senate Map
FBI Director Kash Patel opened the week’s interview record with claims about murder, overdose deaths, violent-offender arrests and fraud investigations, while also addressing conspiracy theories surrounding the Charlie Kirk investigation. Sen. Ted Cruz discussed the Paramount–Warner transaction, CNN’s editorial direction, artificial-intelligence data centers and alleged Chinese influence in U.S. opposition to new facilities.
Tyler Hassen gave an insider’s account of DOGE’s savings effort, aging government technology, Elon Musk’s role and the national debt. Later in the week, Peachy Keenan and Katie Zachariah offered separate views on the Lindsey Clancy case, divorce, California politics and media consolidation.
Hassen’s interview went beyond a savings headline. He described attempts to add approval controls, identify payments that lacked useful recipient information and bring private-sector technical experience into agencies, while saying congressional spending decisions limited what an executive-branch team could accomplish. Keenan and Zachariah were kept distinct: Keenan concentrated on reaction to the Clancy case and divorce culture; Zachariah widened the conversation to a possible Newsom–Harris contest and the editorial consequences of media consolidation.
Former Special Forces dog handler Travis Hall described detection, tracking and apprehension work with his military dog Bear and the handler-dog bond behind those missions. Steve Yates connected the Trump–Xi meeting to Taiwan deterrence, trade and reducing dependence in strategically sensitive sectors.
Hall’s account included Bear’s recovery from injury and the technical demands placed on a working-dog team, but his larger point concerned trust: a handler asks an animal to detect danger before a human can see it. Yates approached China from the opposite scale, arguing that deterrence depends on military credibility, trade choices and fewer single-country dependencies rather than one summit declaration.
Friday’s guests brought the discussion back to markets and elections. Michael O’Keefe considered China, tariffs, AI productivity and market volatility; Isabel Brown discussed Gen Z and gender politics; and North Carolina Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley framed his contest with Roy Cooper around turnout, early voting, economics and public safety.
As heard or read on: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on The Talk of DELMARVA’s 92.7, 98.5 and TheTalkofDelmarva.com, Sept. 21–25.
Court Power, Press Access and the Reach of Government
With Ben Ferguson substituting Monday, the program debated Massachusetts plans for new-parent home visits and health assessments. The governor’s remarks presented the policy as maternal-health and postpartum support; the program treated it as an intrusion into family privacy.
Levin then turned to international law, arguing that the International Criminal Court cannot exercise authority over U.S. officials and criticizing Sen. Chris Van Hollen’s position involving the court and Israel. By Wednesday and Thursday, the White House press-pass case had become the central legal dispute. Levin first questioned whether physical White House access is itself a First Amendment right, then read and criticized the temporary order restoring selected credentials, disputing its liberty and due-process analysis.
The sequence mattered. Before the ruling, Levin asked who qualifies as a reporter or news organization when publication no longer depends on a printing press or broadcast license. After the order, he shifted from that threshold question to the judge’s reasoning and the limits of judicial control over access to executive-branch space. The program’s conclusions remained one side of a dispute also examined during Your Turn and by Judge Andrew Napolitano on YNTA.
CUNY professor Jeffrey Lax proposed using federal civil-rights law against antisemitic discrimination and argued that the religious-liberty questions reach beyond the Jewish community. Friday’s broadcasts returned to affordability, temporary state gasoline-tax suspensions, federal spending rescissions and the press-pass ruling.
That Friday economic argument separated two levers often blended together: states can decide whether to suspend their own gasoline taxes temporarily, while Congress and the president control federal appropriations and rescissions. Levin favored both forms of relief and spending restraint; the unresolved policy question was how states would replace transportation revenue and which federal programs would actually be reduced.
As heard or read on: The Mark Levin Show on The Talk of DELMARVA’s 92.7, 98.5 and TheTalkofDelmarva.com, Sept. 21–25.
Media Trust, Affordability, Enforcement and the Midterms
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro described federal cooperation on animal-cruelty enforcement and discussed a disputed Arizona service-dog case. Rep. Bryan Steil addressed congressional scrutiny of ActBlue’s fraud controls and possible foreign-origin donations, distinguishing suspicious digital activity from a completed finding of wrongdoing.
Pirro connected the federal initiative to the broader proposition that serious abuse of animals can accompany other violence, while the service-dog case showed how quickly an emotional incident can become a national argument before all facts are settled. Steil’s segment stayed on a different evidentiary line: unusual internet or payment activity can justify questions about safeguards, but it does not by itself establish who supplied a donation or whether a prosecutable violation occurred.
Jessica Tarlov joined an extended exchange about productive disagreement, the Democratic coalition, Democratic Socialists and the midterm map. Bill O’Reilly and Hannity later debated the exclusion of selected news outlets, constitutional press protections, ideological disclosure and whether repeated media errors alter the legal or ethical argument.
Tarlov’s appearance offered the week’s clearest internal disagreement on Hannity’s program. She defended the value of arguing without ending personal relationships while challenging his account of the Democratic coalition. O’Reilly’s exchange then separated two questions that were often merged elsewhere in the week: whether an outlet has reported irresponsibly, and whether government may deny physical access because of that judgment.
Sen. Rick Scott discussed housing supply, regulation, short-term rentals and Florida property taxes. Pollster Matt Towery warned against reading national polling as though every contested state had the same electorate. California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton proposed lower taxes, cheaper gasoline, expanded oil production, water-policy changes and an end to high-speed rail.
Joe Abraham’s account of his daughter Katie’s death in an Illinois crash turned the final program toward immigration enforcement and accountability. Hannity’s callers also returned to polling, door-to-door campaigning and whether public surveys reflect the electorate campaigns encounter.
Abraham spoke first as a grieving father and then as an advocate, tying the criminal and immigration record surrounding the crash to his call for stronger enforcement. The program did not remain on one policy lane: Steve Hilton’s California campaign proposals, Towery’s warning about demographic assumptions in polling and callers’ reports from campaign activity made affordability, public safety and turnout competing tests of the coming midterms.
As heard or read on: The Sean Hannity Show on The Talk of DELMARVA’s 92.7, 98.5 and TheTalkofDelmarva.com, Sept. 21–25.
Supreme Court Lets DHS Citizenship Database Proceed During Litigation
The Court allowed the Department of Homeland Security’s SAVE citizenship-verification program to operate while litigation continues. State participation remains voluntary, and disputes over privacy, accuracy and voter-list timing remain unresolved. Read the Supreme Court’s order and opinion.
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DELMARVA Weather
Coastal Flooding and Dangerous Surf Continue Sunday
Sunday remains showery and windy along the Delaware beaches, with a high near 65. The National Weather Service continues a Coastal Flood Warning until 2 p.m., calling for one to two feet of inundation in low-lying shoreline and tidal areas. A High Surf Advisory remains through 8 p.m., with breaking waves up to 12 feet, and the high rip-current risk continues through Sunday evening. Conditions should ease overnight; Monday is forecast to be mostly cloudy with a high near 69.
The Cape May–Lewes Ferry canceled Sunday’s first round trip because of the weather and expects to resume with the 9:30 a.m. departure from Cape May and 11:15 a.m. departure from Lewes, subject to continuing conditions. Bethany Beach remains closed until noon Monday pending the town’s reassessment.
Current updates: National Weather Service coastal hazards · Cape May–Lewes Ferry service alerts · Bethany Beach closure notice.
High School Sports
Local Teams Play Through a Stormy Friday
DELMARVA Outdoors
The Week Began With Flounder—and Ended With a Warning to Stay Ashore
Monday: Six keeper flounder, including a reported 7.4-pound fish, led the catch report, while bluefish supplied fast action at Indian River Inlet. Fall beach staffing was already thinning, making the location of an occupied lifeguard stand part of any surf plan.
Tuesday: The developing nor’easter and full-moon cycle became the story. Burnley explained how days of wind and rough water could shut down access before changing inshore conditions. Tim Ferry gave Morning Team listeners the more immediate advice: do not treat dangerous surf as a spectacle to enter.
Wednesday and Thursday: Gale conditions, coastal flooding and erosion increasingly displaced the usual catch report. Burnley’s daily columns preserved the limited fishing record while the practical emphasis shifted to access, wind, seas and the length of time the coast would need to settle.
Friday: Poor conditions left little catch reporting. Burnley also discussed the MAPOceans Act and the effort to put recreational-use restrictions into a public digital format. Ferry again warned swimmers and surfers to stay out, while Scott Lennox explained how the storm could cool inshore water and reset the fall pattern.
Saturday: With storm warnings, a coastal-flood watch and seas forecast near 17 feet, Burnley said there was no meaningful fishing report to give. The week’s progression was complete: from keeper flounder and bluefish to a coast where the responsible choice was to wait.
Daily reports: Monday · Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday · Friday · Saturday.
Pictures of the Week
Quiet water and changing weather, through DELMARVA lenses.
Around DELMARVA
Public meetings, nonprofit benefits and community events over the next 30 days. Confirm details with the organizer before traveling.
Sept. 28–Oct. 4
- Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market — Sept. 29, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Dagsboro Community Night — Oct. 1, 5–7 p.m.
- Historic Lewes First Friday Community Night — Oct. 2, 4–7 p.m.
- Butterfly Bolt, supporting domestic-violence awareness — Oct. 2.
- Wings & Wheels — Oct. 3, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Autumn at Abbott’s — Oct. 3, noon–3 p.m.
- Laurel American Legion barbecue, supporting a local ROTC scholarship — Oct. 3, noon–4 p.m.
Oct. 5–11
- Blood Bank of Delmarva blood drive — Oct. 5, noon–6 p.m.
- Greyhounds Reach the Beach — Oct. 8–11.
- Apple Scrapple Festival — Oct. 9–10.
- Boardwalk Buddy Walk — Oct. 10, 8 a.m.–noon.
Oct. 12–18
- Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival — Oct. 15–18.
- Sussex Conservation District native-tree giveaway — Oct. 17 at 9 a.m.
- Historic Lewes Harvest Fair — Oct. 17–18.
- Seaford Community Fall Festival — Oct. 18.
- Rehoboth Lung Force Walk — Oct. 18.
Oct. 19–27
- Ocean City Sunfest — Oct. 22–25, with free daytime festival admission.
- Sea Witch Festival — Oct. 23–25, including the Oct. 24 parade and Oct. 25 5K.
The Week Ahead on The Talk of DELMARVA
Planned reporting priorities and special broadcasts; live schedules and guests may change as news develops.
Storm Recovery and Public Service
The News Team will continue following coastal flooding, beach damage, road access and the local cleanup after the nor’easter, including Bethany Beach’s Monday reassessment. It will also track the rollout of Delaware DOC’s new identity-verification rule for online messaging and video visits.
Delaware Government
Tuesday’s Delaware Senate Executive Committee appearance and 4 p.m. special session put health leadership and gubernatorial appointments on the week’s state-news agenda. Follow the official calendar for changes.
Georgetown-Area Traffic Change
DelDOT plans to convert the intersection of Wilson Hill Road and State Forest Road west of Georgetown to an all-way stop Tuesday, Sept. 29, weather permitting. Flaggers will direct traffic while crews install signs and pavement markings. Read WGMD’s traffic notice.
Maryland and Ocean City
The News Team will watch housing-law changes taking effect Oct. 1 and Ocean City’s Oct. 2 candidate-filing deadline as the resort’s municipal campaign takes shape.
Saturday Live
DTD MEDIA special broadcast: The Talk of DELMARVA will be at Wings & Wheels with Rob Carson live from Delaware Coastal Airport. The event runs 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; admission is free, with designated off-site parking and a $5 transportation/parking charge.
Businesses Sponsoring the Patriot Weekly
Paid sponsor recognition, presented separately from independent editorial coverage.
- Shore Tint & More — presenting sponsor
Sponsor disclosure: Sponsorship does not influence Patriot Weekly news coverage, story selection or editorial conclusions.
Source Library
Principal resources used in this edition. Reader-facing story links appear with the articles they support.
Local Reporting
- WGMD Local News
- The Talk of DELMARVA
- The Talk of DELMARVA broadcast record, Sept. 21–26
Public Safety and Government
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