Sports
Students
Indians come up short in rally
SDARJ honors local students
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JANUARY 23, 2026
THE LOCAL VOICE OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
Volume 23, Issue 4
FREE
Frankford council to welcome two new members By Kerin Magill Staff Reporter There will be no town council election in Frankford this year, but the town will see two new council members in the next few weeks. When the deadline passed on Friday, Jan. 16, for candidates to file for this year’s election, only two candidates had filed for three seats on the council.
Scharp honored for service in Bethany
Incumbent Kyle Quillen and newcomer Brittney Outten filed by the deadline, according to Town Manager Sheldon Hudson. The other two council members whose terms end this year, James Sample and Pamela Davis, did not file for re-election. That leaves one opening on the council, which also includes Greg Welch and John Wright. As of early this week, Hudson said the next steps the
Town needs to take to fill the remaining vacancy were not yet clear. Outten, 34, is a Milford native who lives in Frankford with her husband, Shawn, with whom she also operates Busy Bees Garage. She is also a real estate paralegal with The Smith Firm in Seaford. “And then I have a small craft business,” she said. A 2009 graduate of Milford High School, Outten said she decided to run
for town council this year because “my husband’s family has been here forever, and I like the small-town feel.” She said she felt it was important to have “input” in the town’s future. “Having a voice heard, and having everybody else’s voice heard,” had become a priority for her, she said. “We’re really passionate about the town.” See FRANKFORD page 3
Bridge of honor
By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter Bethany Beach Police Department Officer Chuck Scharp was honored by the Bethany Beach Town Council and Police Chief Patrick Foley recently for his 20 years of service to the Town. Town Manager Cliff Graviet also announced that Foley will soon by honored for his own 20year anniversary. As Scharp stood beside him at the podium at the Friday, Jan. 16, Bethany Beach Town Council meeting, Foley said Scharp — after an unexpected career change from banking — had moved to Bethany Beach with his family, which at the time included a 1-yearold daughter. He and Scharp were cadets together, Foley said, before attending the police academy. Scharp was older and “an experienced adult,” and he and Foley became friends, the police chief said. “We formed a friendship,” Foley See BETHANY page 3
Special to the Coastal Point • Maryfrances Berger
The Indian River Inlet Bridge was lit up in blue in honor of Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on Friday, Jan. 9.
‘There’s not one day’ that cars don’t pass school buses By Laura Walter Staff Reporter School buses contain incredibly precious cargo, and yet Sussex County bus drivers say that other vehicles pass them — despite their stop signs and red lights — on a daily basis. “That happens to all of us. There’s
not one day it doesn’t happen,” said Stephanie Robshaw, an award-winning driver working for Layton Bussing. “It makes me angry. It’s definitely very frustrating. It’s against the rules. It’s against the law!” Robshaw usually makes several runs each morning and afternoon, serving all grade levels of students in the Indian
River School District. Buses are designed to safely transport dozens of kids at a time, but outside circumstances contribute to danger. She said she’s stunned that people still pass school buses but, sadly, not surprised. “It does get under my skin. It’s dangerous. It is reckless. I think of these kids as my kids.”
“Driving a bus, in my opinion, can be stressful, and it’s not even necessarily driving or the kids on the bus — it’s everyone else around us who are oblivious,” said Tracy Bonneville, another award-winning driver for the IRSD. “When it comes to buses or bigger See BUSES page 5