Forecasters with the National Weather Service are predicting more than a foot of snow to fall on Kent County beginning Friday afternoon, Feb. 5. Gary Szatkowski, chief meteorologist with the Philadelphia/Mount Holly N.J., weather office, said people in the county should be prepared for a major storm involving large amounts of snow and high winds.

County Executive Chris Coons vows to bring “new energy and a new approach” to Washington. The Democrat will be challenging Republican Congressman Mike Castle for the Senate seat formerly held by Joe Biden.

Kent County’s six Levy Court commissioners listened politely to a presentation on the need for county funding for the area’s four municipal libraries, but in the end agreed in principle there was no money available – for the moment – to help.

Smyrna teen in Boy Scout Troop 125 helped younger brother during seizure

Smyrna residents who live along Lake Como will have an opportunity to repair their docks and bulkheads this coming fall. Smyrna Town Council voted unanimously to lower the lake’s water level in the fall of 2010 during Monday night’s council meeting.
 

Mary Ann Evans of Smyrna will be among the thousands who plunge into the frigid Atlantic Oceans this weekend to benefit Special Olympics Delaware. The 2010 Lewes Polar Bear Plunge, set for 1 p.m. sharp on Feb. 7 at Rehoboth Beach, will be Evans’ 15th plunge. Last year, the event raised over $490,000 for Special Olympics as 2,923 “bears” took a dip in the cold water.
 

Bayhealth Medical Center Trauma Surgeon John Brebbia, MD, is the Wound Care Center Director for Kent General Hospital in Dover and the Critical Care Director for Milford Memorial Hospital. Dr. Brebbia joined a Delaware contingent of doctors and healthcare professionals which traveled to Jacmel, Haiti and treated earthquake survivors Jan. 20-28. In this press release from Bayhealth Medical Center, Dr. Brebbia details what he did and what he saw in Haiti.

Today, Jan. 29, in Baltimore, President Barack Obama will unveil his plan to help create jobs by offering tax breaks to small businesses that expand their payroll. The White House has released the details of one of his proposals, the Small Business Jobs and Wages Tax Cut. See the plan by clicking on the headline.

For the first time in five years, school choice will be open in the Smyrna School District, but only at the lower elementary levels. Given the slowdown in the district’s population growth, the Smyrna School Board voted unanimously on Jan. 25 to open school choice in kindergarten through second grade for the 2010-11 school year. In other news, Smyrna Athletic Director Bill Schultz presented proposals for additional school sports teams, as well as new marketing strategies and revenue streams.

Gov. Jack Markell isn't proposing any layoffs or new taxes in his budget for the 2011 fiscal year which begins July 1. The bulk of his plan to offset the revenue shortfall is $143.6 million in agency cuts, some of which can be implemented by executive order, while others will require legislative approval.

News briefs from the Smyrna Town Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Early next month, Smyrna residents will get a new venue to voice their concerns to the mayor and council. Smyrna Town Council will convene for a special meeting on Monday, Feb. 8 for the sole purpose of holding a public forum where citizens will be able to offer more input than in a typical council meeting.
 

Due to the Labor Day holiday Monday, Smyrna Town Council will meet on Tuesday, September 8, with a public hearing at 7:15 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m., at the Town Hall, Market Street Plaza, between South and Commerce Streets.

The Kent County Levy Court will hold public hearings Aug. 25 on proposed measures that would create fees for leagues using athletic fields and raise the surcharges for documenting mortgages, liens and deeds. The public may speak about the changes at 7:15 p.m. in the Kent County Administrative Complex, 555 Bay Road, Dover.

The new stoplights on Route 13 at Hickory Ridge Road south of Smyrna started full operation today, Jan. 21.