http://capegazette.villagesoup.com?source=rss Latest posts by Editorial Board Tue, 21 May 2013 19:05:30 EDT Tue, 21 May 2013 19:05:30 EDT en-us Copyright 2011 Cape Gazette http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/status-quo-must-go-in-milton-elementaries/1000853?source=rss Has the Cape Henlopen school board done an about face? Two weeks ago, Superintendent Bob Fulton told the board it was time to address the significant racial and economic imbalance at Milton’s two elementary schools. After years of ignoring the problem, the board appeared ready to act. Fulton’s plan would re­align Milton’s two elementaries, with students in K-two attending H.O. Brittingham, and stu­dents in grades ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/status-quo-must-go-in-milton-elementaries/1000853 Tue, 21 May 2013 08:35:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/public-should-be-heard-on-plans-for-inlet-beaches/1000857?source=rss The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has already requested bids on a project to dredge sand from Indian River Inlet to replenish the shoreline north of the inlet. A wider beach is the best protection for the $150 million Indian River Inlet bridge – a span that has already been closed twice when storm-driven sand piled up on the northside approach. Neither the Department of Natural Resources nor the Department of ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/public-should-be-heard-on-plans-for-inlet-beaches/1000857 Tue, 14 May 2013 09:30:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/beer-may-be-miltons-water-solution/999705?source=rss The town of Milton is having a heck of a time getting a referendum passed to upgrade its water system. Twice the town's elected officials have gone to the voters. Twice the effort has failed. But just because the referendum has failed doesn't mean the water problems will go away. An aging water infrastructure in the community threatens one of the basic services provided by the town. Those voting against the ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/beer-may-be-miltons-water-solution/999705 Thu, 09 May 2013 07:03:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/states-aggressive-cancer-approach-paying-off/999699?source=rss Something’s happening in Delaware that at first glance looks mystifying but on closer examination looks good. Re­ports show that the rate of people dy­ing from cancer is declining, which of course is good news. But statistics gathered by state health agencies also show that the number of cancer cases in our population is increasing. That doesn’t sound good. So what’s happen­ing? For the past several years, ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/states-aggressive-cancer-approach-paying-off/999699 Thu, 09 May 2013 06:26:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/time-for-henlopen-acres-rehoboth-art-league-to-end-dispute/998433?source=rss Some might say Rehoboth Art League has called in the cavalry: the Office of the Secretary of State has entered an agreement with the league, pledging the state’s cooperation in preserving the art league and its campus. It could be the latest salvo in the ongoing spat between the town of Henlopen Acres and the art league, an increasingly bitter dispute that has already featured a protracted court battle. Let’s ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/time-for-henlopen-acres-rehoboth-art-league-to-end-dispute/998433 Mon, 06 May 2013 15:07:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/delaware-is-staking-out-the-higher-ground/996553?source=rss When Thomas Jefferson and the nation’s founders wrote their Declaration of Independence, they listed “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” among the unalienable rights of all people. History shows that earlier versions of that declaration suggested life, lib­erty and the pursuit of property as the central rights. But Jefferson, Franklin and others went to higher ground, acknowledging that the pursuit of ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/delaware-is-staking-out-the-higher-ground/996553 Fri, 03 May 2013 08:25:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/fulton-plan-good-for-students-taxpayers/995165?source=rss After a decade of questions over the alignment of Milton’s two elementary schools, Cape Henlopen school board is finally tackling the issue head on. Superintendent Robert Fulton told the board it is time to address the racial and economic divide at the two schools, and the board appears set to take up the task. Fulton called on the board to realign grades, establishing H.O. Brittingham Elementary as a K-2 school ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/fulton-plan-good-for-students-taxpayers/995165 Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/improving-economy-demands-improved-infrastructure/993345?source=rss Slowly and steadily, development and the construction industry are returning to Sussex County. National statistics show the once-glutted stock of housing is shrinking. Prices have stabilized and are starting to rise instead of continuing to fall. People in highly taxed surrounding states such as New Jersey and, increasingly, Maryland, anxious to migrate to Delaware, are suddenly finding the way to do it. With the ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/improving-economy-demands-improved-infrastructure/993345 Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:00:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/it-s-time-for-action-on-milton-s-elementaries/992052?source=rss For the past decade, Cape Henlopen school board has discussed Milton’s two elementary schools, famously less than a mile apart. While both schools serve students in kindergarten through fifth grade, H.O. Brittingham has long served far more children from low socioeconomic back­grounds, and as board Vice President Spen­cer Brittingham once said, “You cannot be a learned person and look at this issue and not see ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/it-s-time-for-action-on-milton-s-elementaries/992052 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:53:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/rehoboths-lakes-deserve-historic-marker/990159?source=rss Throughout the history of Rehoboth Beach, resort residents have appreci­ated the beauty of the area’s lakes including, from north to south, Lake Gerar, Silver Lake and Lake Comegys. We have long known these bodies of fresh water so close to the salty Atlantic are also rare geo­graphical features. Concern for Silver Lake, threatened by silt­ing at its western end, unfiltered stormwater runoff, erratic flushing and ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/rehoboths-lakes-deserve-historic-marker/990159 Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:13:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/just-let-the-children-sing/988974?source=rss A Pennsylvania church group recently asked Lewes officials if its children’s choir could appear later this month at Canalfront Park in Lewes to sing as part of a mission trip to the beach area. The pastor of the church said the children would sing for about an hour starting at dusk, and he asked permission to use a sound sys­tem to support the young voices, noting “... we will fully respect the area and use the ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/just-let-the-children-sing/988974 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:30:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/aquaculture-deserves-provisional-chance/987175?source=rss Rehoboth Bay and Indian River Bay are by far the largest bodies of interior water in Sussex County. But when it comes to discussions of leased bot­tom for private aquaculture, the size of those waters quickly shrinks. The Center for the Inland Bays and other advocates have been working hard to success­fully navigate the tricky waters that could lead to oyster farming in the bays. Legislation to allow a limited ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/aquaculture-deserves-provisional-chance/987175 Fri, 12 Apr 2013 08:11:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/delaware-should-require-background-checks-for-gun-purchases/985778?source=rss Four months ago, the murder of el­ementary school children in Newtown, Conn., again dragged the issue of guns and who owns them into the national spotlight. That tragedy, added to continuing violence in Wilmington and increasing violence even in Sussex County, has prompted Delaware lawmakers to do something to get weapons off the street and to make it harder for people who are not entitled to own guns to purchase ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/delaware-should-require-background-checks-for-gun-purchases/985778 Tue, 09 Apr 2013 09:13:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/water-safety-week-offers-a-good-model/983820?source=rss More than 400 Sussex County children filled the Sussex Family YMCA pool this week with the sounds of laughter, splashing and young voices interacting with older voices. Outside the pool area and looking on through big interior windows were dozens of parents, friends and grandparents who brought chil­dren to the eighth annual Water Safety Week organized by the Y. They watched intently, their smiles of a deeper, ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/water-safety-week-offers-a-good-model/983820 Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:54:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/lewes-marks-bicentennial-of-siege/982579?source=rss It appears to have taken 200 years for historians and naval experts to figure out what many in the Cape Region have always known: the people of our Sussex County towns are a tough lot, unafraid to take a stand – even when the opponent is the best navy in the world. The War of 1812 is sometimes known as the forgotten war. For many Americans, it’s most famous for producing “The Star Spangled Banner” and the fact ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/lewes-marks-bicentennial-of-siege/982579 Tue, 02 Apr 2013 09:17:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/sheriff-should-heed-his-epiphany/980801?source=rss Sussex County Sheriff Jeff Christo­pher hit the nail squarely on the head recently. It came in comments follow­ing Superior Court Judge T. Henley Graves’ not-surprising decision that just because the state’s constitution labels sheriffs as conservators of the peace, it doesn’t give sheriffs arrest powers. Equally unsurprising was Christopher’s pronouncement that he plans to appeal the decision to the Delaware ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/sheriff-should-heed-his-epiphany/980801 Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:13:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/kindness-triumphs-over-cruelty/979389?source=rss The story of an 89-year-old woman who stopped to give two children a ride home from the store and then spent two days in the trunk of her own car has stunned the Cape Region. The woman, Margaret Smith, probably felt nervous, but despite likely fear at allowing strangers to get into her car, Smith decided to offer help to young people in need. Just a few minutes later, the two girls, only 14 and 15 years old, ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/kindness-triumphs-over-cruelty/979389 Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:00:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/bring-back-foresight-and-common-sense/978213?source=rss The Primehook Beach and Prime Hook National Refuge scenario so far is going according to a familiar but frustrating script: a minor prob­lem develops - the breach of a protective dune - which with some common sense could be fixed quickly and inexpensively. Think of the little Dutch boy who saw the hole in the dike and plugged it with his finger, thus averting a much more devastating problem, or the old adage that ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/bring-back-foresight-and-common-sense/978213 Fri, 22 Mar 2013 09:39:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/time-to-end-spat-over-hansons-integrity/976543?source=rss The state Public Integrity Commission and Dewey Beach Mayor Diane Hanson have gone head to head for nearly two years over Hanson’s decision to vote to limit the height of new construction at Ruddertowne. The commission had two primary arguments in finding Hanson violated the state code of conduct: Hanson owns rental property in Dewey Beach that could be negatively affected by Ruddertowne, and she was personally ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/time-to-end-spat-over-hansons-integrity/976543 Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:16:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/scooters-bikers-walkers-hikers-make-way/974934?source=rss Delaware’s Cape Region continues to evolve toward a way of life where transportation represents a major component of the destina­tion. Transportation is no longer just a means toward an end. For the most part, unless you’re a rollerblader struck by a hit-and-run driver, transportation is an enjoyable part of the coastal experience. People aren’t just driving to Dewey Beach for a drink and a meal and to spend time ... http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/scooters-bikers-walkers-hikers-make-way/974934 Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:36:00 EDT newsroom@capegazette.com (Staff) Viewpoints