News Briefs 08/30/19

Rehoboth city hall closed Labor Day
In observance of Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2, Rehoboth city hall, 229 Rehoboth Ave., will be closed. Residential trash collection will remain on its regular schedule. Visit cityofrehoboth.com for a trash collection calendar. For more information, contact the communications department at 302-227-6181 Ext. 522 or email communications@cityofrehoboth.com.

Henlopen Acres Town Hall closed Labor Day
In observance of Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 2, Henlopen Acres Town Hall, 104 Tidewaters, will be closed. For more information, contact town hall at 302-227-6411 or go to henlopenacres.delaware.gov.

Drive Sober campaign continues in state
The Delaware Office of Highway Safety is partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and local law enforcement agencies to get drunk drivers off the roads and help save lives. The high-visibility national enforcement campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, started Aug. 14 and will run through the Labor Day holiday, Sept. 2.

During Labor Day weekend, Delaware State Police, local, and county police departments, will be coordinating DUI checkpoints in all three counties Saturday, Aug. 31, into Sunday, Sept. 1, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., including Route 24 in the Millsboro area. So far in 2019, there are four confirmed DUI fatalities (note: this number is not final as there are crashes still under investigation for impairment). Additionally this year, there have been over 600 DUI-related crashes and over 300 DUI-related injuries. Just one month ago, Checkpoint StrikeForce saw over 2,500 vehicles come through their activation.

The statewide DUI checkpoints resulted in seven DUI arrests, 15 drug-related arrests, and 125 other arrests including 8 wanted-person apprehensions. In addition to high-visibility enforcement, high-visibility engagement messaging throughout the state, and the Labor Day Weekend Checkpoint StrikeForce, OHS is promoting their Highway Safety Signs - Constellations on the Consequences of Impaired Driving campaign. To view the mico-site, go to www.highwaysafetysigns.com. 

Hudson Fields concert will cause traffic delays Sept. 6
Motorists can expect traffic delays on Route 1 southbound in the area of Eagle Crest Road due to the Cole Swindell concert at Hudson Fields starting at 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 6. The concert is expected to end around 10:30 p.m. After the concert, motorists should anticipate delays on Route 1 southbound and northbound. Delaware State Police and Delaware Department of Transportation staff will be assisting with traffic control, and message boards will be posted. Motorists can adjust their routes or travel times by using the DelDOT app, available free at deldot.gov/mobile. For more information, go to www.hudsonfields.com.

The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park reopens
The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park reopened Aug. 29, DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation announced. The area to reopen includes a stretch of ocean beach and dunes that was previously closed March 1 to benefit more than 30 species of shorebirds including up to 11 species of terns, six species of gulls, the brown pelican, and the double-crested cormorant as well as threatened and endangered species such as red knots, piping plovers, least terns, oystercatchers, and others.

Piping plovers, least terns and oystercatchers nest on the upper portion of the beach between the high tide line and the toe of the dunes and on large flat areas known as “washover flats” created by storm waves. The flat areas with no or little vegetation are attractive to these species because they provide direct access to the bay where waves are smaller, and feeding is easier.

Oystercatchers use their long bills to probe into the substrate and feed on bivalve mollusks and invertebrates. Piping plovers eat small invertebrates like worms, mollusks and crustaceans gleaned from the surface of wet sand or mud.

Various breeds of terns exclusively feed on the fish caught by diving into the water. Other migratory birds feed on invertebrates and by overturning rocks, shells, and debris to catch creatures seeking shelter underneath.

The bayside closure remains in effect until Oct. 1 for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter. Piping plovers migrate to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States; least terns migrate to coastal areas of South America and Central America; oystercatchers typically migrate to the Florida coast and Gulf of Mexico.

The Point has been closed annually since 1993 and is the only undisturbed beach habitat along the Atlantic coast of Delaware. For more information, contact Cape Henlopen State Park at 302-645-8983.

Town Hall meeting to focuses on immigrants Sept. 10
The Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice will present “The Immigration Crisis: Stories from the Front Line” at their Tuesday, Sept. 10 Town Hall Meeting. A panel of diverse speakers will describe some of the challenges that immigrants face in local communities. The program will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the Trinity Faith Center on New Road in Lewes.

DREAMer scholarship recipients at Delaware State University will share their experiences as undocumented immigrants who came into the United States as children and were awarded scholarships for excelling academically in public schools. Lending the perspective of a community organizer, panelist Dalissy Washington is co-coordinator of Network Delaware’s Safe Communities Campaign, where she works to create change by raising awareness, educating the public, and advocating for the rights of immigrants.

SDARJ has also invited a representative from the Word of Life Church, Salisbury, Md., which operates a clinic for Hispanic, Haitian and Creole immigrants, providing free legal services to help immigrants on the Eastern Shore become more established in the community. The meeting is open to the public, and there will be ample time to ask questions following the panel presentation. Go to www.SDARJ.org for more information.

Eastern Sussex Dems to meet Sept. 10
The Eastern Sussex Democrat Club and Women’s March Sussex is proud to co-sponsor a presentation of Delaware Politics 101 Tuesday, Sept. 10, at the Lewes Public Library from 6 to 8 p.m. This interactive discussion will provide a basic knowledge to understand Delaware’s local and state government structure and functions. People who moved to Delaware from another state or have recently become politically activated may not be familiar with the who’s who and what’s what in Delaware state and county government. 

As change agents, they need to know how regulatory systems function and how to interact with them. If interested in how local and Delaware state government functions and affects daily life, reserve a spot for Delaware Politics 101.  The event is free; registration in advance is required. There will be a maximum of 60 seats to allow for interactive Q & A. For additional information, email the Women’s March Education Committee at education@womensmarchsussex.com.