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MARCH 14, 2025
THE LOCAL VOICE OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
District holding $22.5M referendum on March 20
Volume 22, Issue 11
FREE
State champs!
By Darin J. McCann Executive Editor Voters living in the Indian River School District (IRSD) will make their voices heard on Thursday, March 20, regarding a referendum to raise $22.5 million for local schools. “During the last three fiscal years, our operating expenses have increased an average of 7.4 percent per year,” explained IRSD Superintendent Jay Owens. “During that same time period, revenue has increased by only 3.55 percent per year. That trend is not sustainable, and the district has been in a position of deficit spending for the past two fiscal years. Passage of this referendum is imperative if we are to continue the premier educational services currently being provided to our students.” While the overall population of the district has increased over the years, that additional property tax revenue has not been enough to keep pace with increased costs, said IRSD Director of See REFERENDUM page 3
Fenwick approves ordinance changes
Special to the Coastal Point • Lori Ann Sentman
Members of the Indian River High School Unified basketball team celebrate their state championship, after a thrilling 35-34 win over Caesar Rodney on Sunday, March 9.
IR Unif ied basketball earns state championship with buzzer-beater
By Kerin Magill Staff Reporter The Fenwick Island Town Council approved a slew of ordinance changes at its recent meeting, regarding issues ranging from noise to portable toilets. On the issue of noise, the council, at its Friday, Feb. 28 meeting, approved the adoption of “quiet hours” to start at 11 p.m. — an hour later than originally proposed. The change came after residents expressed their feelings that 10 p.m. was too early to enforce quiet hours in a resort town. Mayor Natalie Magdeburger said that, while nighttime noise is not a huge issue in Fenwick Island, there are a few See FENWICK page 6
By Mike Stern Staff Reporter They never thought they would lose the game. As a result, they exploded from the bench when the ball swished through the hoop to beat the final buzzer. The Indian River High School Unified basketball team’s never-say-die student-athletes completed an electrifying second-half comeback with a last-minute buzzer-beater basket to defeat No. 2 seed Caesar Rodney, 35-34, on Sunday, March 9, and win the squad’s first DIAA state championship. The milestone gives Indian River High School sports a third state title in this school year. The No. 4 seed Indians’ basketball championship comes on the heels of the IRHS Unified flag football team’s state title conquest of Caesar Rodney, 45-32, on Nov. 29, 2024,
and the football squad’s Class 1A state title triumph, 47-45, over Tatnall on Nov. 30, 2024. The IR Unified basketball program, which began during the 2018-2019 school year, set a single-season record this year, with 10 victories in 11 games. The title-game win was IR’s first postseason triumph over Caesar Rodney in three tries, and it avenged the Indians’ only loss of the season, a 31-27 setback to the Riders on Feb. 13. “It was truly a battle to the last second,” said IR Unified basketball head coach Jamaal Bivens. “The Riders led the majority of the game. At one point in the first half, the Riders had a 12-point lead over the Indians. But we never, ever gave up.” Bivens credited junior forward Brayden Bennetch and senior guard Elmer Hernandez-Caballero with starting the game “like they had been here before. They shook off the pre-game jitters by putting points on the board early,” said the coach. “With the flow of the game, senior Donald Lingo’s minutes were crucial to the energy on the hardwood. See CHAMPS page 5