DELMARVA - As we say goodbye to 2023, it's time to reflect on the myriad of events that impacted our community. CoastTV presents this comprehensive year in review, offering a snapshot of some of the most impactful and intriguing stories that have unfolded in Sussex County and across Delmarva.
SEVERE WEATHER
Though snow didn't start 2023 off with intense weather as it did the year prior, one of the year's first big weather events took place in April, when a tornado touched down in western Sussex County, killing one man in Greenwood. The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado was an EF-3, the first of its category in the state since 1961 and the most intense tornado ever reported in Sussex County.
The storm destroyed roofs, blew out windows, downed power lines and toppled trees. Just before it touched down, a Sussex Academy couple's prom photos were photobombed by the storm in a viral moment.
Storm cleanup included neighbors gathering to help one another remove debris and rebuild, though it also included reflection from state agencies looking to better understand why some governmental emergency alerts were not received by residents. They also looked at ways to better prepare for disasters and the aftermath of providing information and aid to those in need, as some were frustrated at the difficulty of getting through resource phone lines and government responses.
A few months later, summer approached Delmarva along with lingering clouds of smoke brought on by wildfires that were raging in Canada. Climate change was a topic of contribution, as experts explained how its impacts in one part of the world could have downstream impacts on the health and well-being of people elsewhere.
Certain parts of Delaware reached code maroon levels in early June, causing health officials to urge Delawareans to stay inside, especially those at higher risk for complications due to other health concerns.
In late September, Tropical Storm Ophelia hit Delmarva, bringing heavy rains, winds, storm surge and tidal flooding that contributed to beach erosion along the coast, leaving dunes with drops of over 6 feet in some areas.
Though stormwatchers gathered in Rehoboth Beach, Lewes and other coastal towns to check out the waves and beach foam, many areas including Oak Orchard, Dewey Beach and Bethany Beach saw great flooding that closed many roads, including Route 1.
BUSINESS
As sure as time passes, so, too, do things change in our community. Businesses opening, closing and moving were common in 2023.
- Surf Bagel opened its fourth location in Long Neck and is expected to open a fifth restaurant in Fenwick Island by summer 2024.
- Hammerheads Dockside closed in February. The restaurant had been at Delaware Seashore State Park for a decade and was "involuntarily closed," according to a statement. A new contract for the park's restaurant was awarded to the Big Fish Restaurant Group.
- The Margaritaville resort project began moving forward in Ocean City, though it has faced multiple setbacks including the deaths of developers and delays for typical development hearings.
- Macky's Bayside Bar and Grill in Ocean City was leased to SoDel Concepts.
- After much back-and-forth at town meetings and social media commentary from Milton residents, the preliminary site plan for a new McDonald's was approved in April.
- In addition to the coming McDonald's, Milton has seen much growth over the past year, including a new healthcare center, winery and more.
- Though the farm has been promised to remain the same in nature, Lavender Fields in Milton has changed hands with the goal of expanding to provide more spaces for both community and private events.
- The Pond Bar and Grill closed up shop for good in early September, leaving Rehoboth Beach.
- Also in September, Carlton's clothing store on Rehoboth Avenue announced it was closing after 63 years of business.
- The Town of Millsboro has been making efforts to bring more business into town. Popular Lewes restaurant and juice bar Nectar opened a location downtown and Kaisy's Delights left Rehoboth Beach to open in Millsboro. The owner of the old Ball Theatre is working to reopen the performance venue. New health campuses are also on their way with a Beebe emergency room as well as TidalHealth campus for outpatient services.
- The Rookery North golf course in Milford was bought and held an open house in December as the new Southern Delaware Golf Club. It is expected to have a Big Oyster Brewery restaurant on the premises, as well, and could open as early as April 2024.
- A new drive-thru Starbucks will be coming to Route 1 in Lewes in August 2024.
Along with changing businesses came a change for businesses: a slower summer. CoastTV spoke with local business owners in Rehoboth Beach throughout the summer who said sales dipped below average. One restaurant owner said June was "kind of sad." That trend trickled over into other areas like hotel bookings, which were down almost 9,000 in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year, according to the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce.
AREA DEVELOPMENTS
It was not uncommon to notice farm fields and forests being replaced with new developments this year. Gov. Carney signed a bill this year that could expedite development in certain areas designated for growth. Many new neighborhoods have been proposed throughout the year, often drawing groans and cries of too much development from both residents who have lived here for a long time and those who have recently moved here but don't want others to come. While looking through CoastTV archives for 2023, a search for development yielded hundreds of results. Just a few follow:
- Cool Spring Crossing in Lewes, 1000 homes and commercial spaces
- Northstar Property in Lewes, 94 apartments
- Brentwood in Lewes, over 300 homes received final site plan approval
- Henlopen Bluff near White's Pond in Lewes, 79 homes
- Black Oak in Lewes, 127 homes received final site plan approval
- Proposed development in Milton, 163 homes
- Miralon in Milton, 144 homes
- Twin Masts in Milton, 249 homes near the Hudson Fields airport
- Freeman Companies development in Fenwick Island, 23 multifamily units
- Baywood Garden apartments in Long Neck, 13 four-story buildings
- Stillwater Harbor in Oak Orchard, 120 homes denied
- Raley Farm in Georgetown, 646 homes received preliminary approval
- Grayrock Reserve in Georgetown, 94 homes
- West Shores neighborhood in Milford left incomplete
One of the main concerns regarding new neighborhoods has been a lack of infrastructure updates that came in advance of the new houses and people. Despite frustrations with traffic, worries about the ease and ability of first responders being able to get where they need and healthcare appointment wait times, many towns and agencies have made efforts to grow their services alongside populations.
Milford unveiled its new police station earlier this month after several years of planning and funding efforts. Construction is currently underway for a new police station in Millsboro, too, that will be double the size of the current one on Main Street. Dewey Beach recently began discussing creative ways to raise funds to build a new town hall and police station, as well.
No one likes beach traffic, especially in the off-season. Drivers around central and eastern Sussex County experienced the early stages of a handful of major road projects in 2023, including the construction of a roundabout at the Five Points intersection in Lewes. Routes 1 and 113 are also seeing changes, as work crews are in place for these major roads to receive overpasses at 1 and 16 east of Milton. Though there have been delays in construction, work on an overpass at 113 and 16 in Ellendale is expected to be complete in 2025 and work at 113 and 404 in Georgetown is set to begin in late 2024.
In addition to roadwork, local schools are also looking at expansions in the near future to address overcrowding and higher enrollment demand. Sussex Tech is in the process of finalizing plans for a new three-story building that could cost $177 million, split as 60 percent state funding and 40 percent local taxes. In the Indian River School District, Howard T. Ennis moved to a new building earlier this year. The school had been at its previous Georgetown location since 1972 and is now across from Sussex Central High School. Central has a project of its own going on, with construction on a new building started late last year. The district shared photos of its current construction status earlier this month and it is still on track to open for the 2025-2026 school year. The old Milford Middle School was demolished in September after being vacant for 10 years and new plans are in the works. Cape Henlopen's new Frederick D. Thomas Middle School is set to open next fall and the district is also looking for an additional 250 acres to build a campus for life skills, a pool, a bus maintenance area and more.
IN THE COURTS
This year saw many big cases reach the courts. Austin Davidson, the man accused of killing Cpl. Glenn Hilliard in 2022, was found guilty on multiple charges including murder during his May trial. A sign and stretch of Route 611 in Berlin was dedicated to Hilliard in June. Davidson was sentenced to life without parole in July. Hilliard was shot and killed by Davidson while trying to arrest him on multiple felony warrants in June 2022.
Another trial and sentencing for an officer killed in the line of duty took place this fall, for the death of Cpl. Keith Heacook. Heacook was killed in 2021 when he responded alone to a 911 call for a disorderly subject. His accused murderer, Randon Wilkerson, and his defense team opted for a bench trial that lasted less than two hours in October. Wilkerson was found guilty on all charges and received to two life sentences and over 200 additional years in prison in December. Friends and family have found some closure, though the case has brought about renewed calls to reinstate the death penalty for people convicted of killing first responders. Prosecutors expect an appeal in this case.
The case surrounding the hit-and-run death of teenager Gavin Knupp also made progress. Tyler Mailloux, the Berlin man accused of hitting Knupp last July, received 17 traffic charges, though none for murder. Mailloux's initial court appearance in May was cancelled and in August, all charges were dropped when a judge ruled the case was incorrectly filed by the state. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown requested the Appellate Court reverse the judgement and hear oral arguments in late October, and in November a public defender filed a briefing in response, asking that the dismissal of charges against Mailloux stand.
Milton native and country singer Jimmie Allen took a break from the stage to handle legal and family matters this year. Allen was named a defendant in May in a civil lawsuit filed by a former manager than alleges he sexually harassed and assaulted her. The suit came less than a month after Allen and his wife announced they were separating while also expecting a child together. Allen quickly apologized to his wife and family for his affair with the manager, though he denied the allegations of sexual abuse. A second woman sued Allen in July, saying he assaulted her in a hotel room in 2022 and recorded the event without her knowledge. Shortly after, Allen countersued both women for defamation, saying the relationship with Jane Doe 1 and encounter with Jane Doe 2 were both consensual. Allen was suspended from his label, pulled from the CMA Fest performance lineup and put his Tennessee home up for sale, though he continued to play shows locally and even announced a handful of comedy shows.
Former Sussex Central principal Bradley Layfield was placed on administrative leave in the midst of a criminal investigation taking place at the high school. Following a student fight in May in which one student's breast was exposed, Layfield allegedly shared the fight security video with multiple people and circulated a meme comparing the student to Janet Jackson. The student and her family sued Layfield, a second administrator, the school and the Indian River School District. After defending himself in court, Layfield received notice of termination in late November after a school board vote. His lawyer called the termination "politically motivated" and said they plan to fight it in a public hearing next year.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS
The year 2023 started out with a bang, or should we say... a boom. In January, much of the Delmarva Peninsula was shaken by what many initially thought was an earthquake. The shaking was strong enough to knock merchandise off store shelves, and was actually a sonic boom caused when an aircraft from Naval Air Station Patuxent River went supersonic.
In February, our community was captivated by what many came to call the "Cannonball Caper," when the cannonball from the Lewes Cannonball House went missing in February. It was eventually found near the Zwaanendael Museum. Police said they suspected it was taken by a child or bar patron who eventually felt bad or worried, given the media and public interest, and decided to return it anonymously to a place in which it could be found.
2024: THE ROAD AHEAD
At CoastTV, we're looking forward to another great year with you, and we're committed to delivering timely, reliable and comprehensive local news coverage that matters to you. While no one knows what will happen, we know one thing: we look forward to continuing to provide coverage you can count on.