Sports
Fun
Softball team splits two tough games
Teapots and fashion combine for a cause
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APRIL 21, 2023
THE LOCAL VOICE OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
Volume 20, Issue 16
FREE
Millville budget moving closer to final approval By Kerin Magill Staff Reporter Millville’s 2024-fiscal-year budget moved closer to approval on Tuesday, with no plans to raise taxes or town fees. Only one resident stood up to question Finance Director Lisa Wynn on the budget — the same person who last week said her revenue figures were not
accurate. This week, Millville By the Sea resident Dave Holmes questioned Wynn again about her revenue figures, saying that interest income had been vastly underestimated in the proposed budget. Holmes, who said he is a retired accountant, told Wynn that, by his calculations, the Town’s interest income should be “in the neighborhood of $360,000.” Wynn said Tuesday that she
had increased the figure to $150,000 since the previous week’s budget discussion. Wynn told the council that adjustments to expenses had been made to include staff salaries for the town council’s executive sessions. She said general revenue had been increased to $102,000 and the restricted revenue interest was increased by $35,000. Wynn noted that the Town will have
18 certificates of deposit maturing this year, “so there will be a lot of ins and outs on that.” Restricted fund expenditures were also increased by $50,000 to include bocce courts at Evans Park. Under economic development funds, Wynn said, expenses were increased by $705 over the draft budget presented last week to include funding for police See MILLVILLE page 3
Police chief reacts to sentencing By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter Ocean View Police Chief Kenneth McLaughlin — who, with officers, investigated reports of sexual child abuse that led to the arrest of Michael McDowell — said that, ideally, the 58year-old Ocean View man would spend the rest of his life in jail after being charged with 14 counts of unlawful sexual conduct. But the chief said he is pleased with the plea and sentencing for three of the counts that were publicized. In Sussex County Superior Court on Wednesday, April 12, McDowell gave up his right to a trial and pleaded no contest to three of the charges made in April 2022. He will not be tried for the other 11, although family members could bring civil suits against him. McDowell received probation and was required to be evaluated, registered as a sex offender, undergo counseling and not be around anyone 18 or younger, other than his biological daughter, but he did not receive jail time Special to the Coastal Point • Marian Dowling
See SENTENCING page 2
Two snowy egrets enjoyed a little fishing time at the Bethany Beach Nature Center last week.
Wind energy expected to quadruple in Maryland by 2031 By Mike Smith Staff Reporter A new bill brought forth in the Maryland General Assembly last week seeks to quadruple that state’s wind power resources from 2 gigawatts per
year to 8.5 gigawatts of offshore wind generation per year by 2031. The Promoting Offshore Wind Energy Resources (POWER) Act is also known as the offshore wind energy state goals and procurement law and has passed in the Maryland state house. The question is
where these new wind farms will be located and what’s the impact on Mother Nature. Local residents debated these issues at an event on Wednesday, April 12. Maryland state Sen. Brian Feldman (Montgomery County) will bring the
Maryland expansion measure forward to the next level toward enactment. Proponents hope the legislation will enable the state to benefit in part from nearly $370 billion set aside in the federal InSee WIND page 2