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NOVEMBER 14, 2025
IRSD passes ‘razor thin’ budget with tough numbers By Laura Walter Staff Reporter As the Indian River School District faces skyrocketing energy costs, reduced income and nearly empty reserves, the school board this week passed a preliminary budget. But the October budget discussions brought warnings that few cuts are left before the district must raise more money, or risk falling under State control. A total of 10,620 students were enrolled in district schools as of Sept. 30 (a decrease of 133 from last year’s total of 10,753). Significantly, this year, there are fewer pre-kindergarten students, individuals with special needs and multilingual learners. This snapshot count is the number by which Delaware determines its contributions to each school district, from salaries to power bills. So, even if more students move to Sussex County this winter, or they’re discovered to have more complex needs, or schools just use more electricity, See BUDGET page 4
Cultivating loveliness A very Delaware goal for Dagsboro’s Hutchison By Kerin Magill Staff Reporter Did you know there’s a term for a swarm of ladybugs? Loveliness. A swarm of ladybugs is called a loveliness. That is the kind of thing you can learn if you spend a few minutes with Dagsboro resident Alva Hutchison. Hutchison is about halfway through her first year as president of the Delaware Federation of Garden Clubs — and ladybugs are kind of a theme. Her business cards, carrying her new See HUTCHISON page 5
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Volume 22, Issue 46
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Local doughnuts go streaming Sandy Pony Donuts gets its 15 minutes of fame on Apple TV By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter The owners of Sandy Pony Donuts in Bethany Beach don’t waste any time confirming their doughnuts — with flavors such as the caramel-glazed cow tail — are being featured in a new Apple TV series. “Yep — that’s us in ‘Pluribus,’” the business’ website at www.sandyponydonuts.com states by way of greeting. The made-to-order doughnuts were featured in the first episode of the show — the title is Latin for “many” — broadcast on Friday, Nov. 7, and continuing with new episodes through the end of the year. Sandy Pony owners Brea Reeves and her husband, Ben Wang, own five Sandy Pony shops — an outgrowth of, 10 years ago, offering doughnuts from a food truck in Chincoteague and naming them for the wild ponies that stroll the nearby beach, such as the blueberry-glazed Blue Moon, or in the case of the lemon-glazed Mary LeeMon, for a 16-foot, 3,456-pound great white shark, Mary Lee, which was, in turn, named for a shark researcher’s mother. Wang this week told the Coastal Point that the team at Sony Pictures Television — the company that produces “Pluribus” and works with creator Vince Gilligan, who also created “Breaking Bad” — had contacted him and his wife two years ago and asked whether Sandy Pony doughnuts could be featured in the new science-fiction series. It’s a black comedy-drama that “explores a world where a happiness virus infects humanity, erasing individuality and causing a global crisis.” In one scene, a woman licks doughnuts and puts them back in the box, spreading the virus — although the character of
Special to the Coastal Point • Submitted
Sandy Pony Donuts sent dozens of their doughnuts to the set of the new Apple series, Pluribus.’ Their doughnuts are featured in the pilot episode. these agreements that we couldn’t say romance novelist Carol Sturka is imanything. They wanted to use our mune to it because of her emotional doughnut shop, and they loved the idea state. of us being a small business. They Nine episodes of “Pluribus” are asked us if we wanted to be part of it. planned, and each will be released on … He wanted to keep the name, to use Fridays, until the Dec. 26 finale. the real name of our business. Usually, “They were shooting scenes in he changes the names and doesn’t use Maryland, but Vince Gilligan read a the original name, so that was great for story about this area and he wanted us. our doughnut shop to be part of it,” Wang explained. “They couldn’t tell us anything further. They made us sign all See DOUGHNUTS page 3