August 31, 2006_S

Page 1

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2006

VOL. 11 NO. 19

50 cents

NEWS HEADLINES INSURANCE PLAN - Area chambers make insurance available to members. Page 2. ANNEXATION - Blades will hold an annexation meeting regarding property on the east side of Route 13 near i.g. Burton. Page 4 DRIVER CHARGED - A Seaford man faces charges in the death of an area veterinarian, who was hit by a car while jogging. Page 18. ROAD REHAB - The Department of Transportation announces that George & Lynch, Inc., will be paving and rehabilitating eight roadways throughout Sussex County. Page 9 FALL PREVIEWS - Varsity football and field hockey previews start on page 41. See next week’s Seaford Star for soccer and cross country previews. POP WARNER - The Pop Warner football season opens this Saturday with Seaford hosting Laurel and Woodbridge visiting Delmar. Schedules on page 46. MEXICO MISSION - Former area residents are embarking on a long-time dream to open a mission for the poor and hungry. Page 17 CLAIM DENIED - What do you do when the insurance company says, “No?” Page 52 WEST NILE - Dead crows are confirmed to have the virus. Page 55 WORK ON SCHEDULE - The work on the US 13A bridge between Blades and Laurel and the Del. 20 bridge west of Seaford is proceeding on schedule, according to the Delaware Dept. of Transportation. The US 13A bridge is forecast to be completed on September 12 and the Del. 20 bridge on September 22.

INSIDE THE STAR BUSINESS BULLETIN BOARD CHURCH CLASSIFIEDS EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT GENE BLEILE GOURMET HEALTH LETTERS MOVIES

6

12 24 33 22 30 45 31 52 58 7

OBITUARIES OPINION PAT MURPHY PEOPLE POLICE JOURNAL SNAPSHOTS SPORTS TIDES/WEATHER TODD CROFFORD TONY WINDSOR

26 58 56 19 18 50 41-48 59 27 29

MORE THAN A FACELIFT - The old Layton Theater is getting a makeover. Businessmen Wayne Sammons and Arlie Wooters, both natives of Seaford who remember going to the theater as children, recently bought the 12,000-square-foot building and are renovating it into office and warehouse space. Above at left is how the building looked before renovations began. At right is how the theater looks today. See page 3 for story. Photo by Lynn Parks

Suit filed against Seaford decided in the city’s favor By Lynn R. Parks A suit filed against the city of Seaford over its audit of property tax values has been decided in favor of the city. Kind of. Vice Chancellor John Noble, in a decision dated Aug. 7, said that plaintiffs Laurence Moynihan and Harry Freedman did not exhaust all avenues of appeal with the city before filing the suit in the Court of Chancery. “There is no reason why the court

needs to intercede on behalf of the plaintiffs and thereby disrupt the normal assessment review process,” Noble wrote. “Nor is there any reason to encourage disgruntled property owners to bring claims to court without first resorting to the orderly process established by the city charter.” The city charter says that property owners who disagree with a tax bill must appeal that bill through the city council. Noble did not rule on the legality of the audit, however, saying that that

determination must be made through appeals heard by the Seaford City Council. And he called efforts by Moynihan and Freedman to have the audit overturned “commendable.” Stephen Ellis, a Georgetown attorney who is representing Moynihan and Freedman, said Monday that he was disappointed that Noble did not rule on the legality of the city’s audit procedure itself. In a motion for reargument filed Aug. 14, he asked the court to Continued to page 10

Arson investigation continues By Lynn R. Parks In January, Dr. Mike Sharkey moved into a new office on alternate U.S.13, across the street from the Seaford Post Office. “It was a beautiful facility,” said Sharkey, a chiropractor with the Seaford Injury Treatment Center. Now, just eight months later, Sharkey is back in his former office on

West Stein Highway. His new office, one of three offices in the building owned by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Eric Schwartz, suffered more than $200,000 in damages in a fire that broke out Monday, Aug. 14, at about 8 a.m. The state fire marshal has determined that the fire was caused by arson. Assistant state fire marshal Richard Ward said Tuesday that his office is

still conducting a criminal investigation. “I hope and pray that they get those people who did this,” said Sharkey. “There is no excuse for arson. I am not at all tolerant of people who will set fires.” Ward said that over the last several months, his office has investigated Continued to page 10

Subscribe online: seafordstar.com or call 629-9788


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.