Good afternoon,
It was not one of those quiet weekends.
Congress hammered out a badly needed stimulus package, minus the contentious issues of liability protection and added assistance for state and local governments.
Both liability protection and aid for local governments are still needed, perhaps with tightened requirements that would allow suits in cases of intentional Covid-19-related actions, and narrowly defined assistance to local and state governments.
It is a shame that we had to wait months for this package, but the current environment seems unlikely to change anytime soon.
Vaccine is now a big story, with Moderna’s candidate headed to Delware after gaining emergency approval from the feds. Our website continues to see heavy traffic on stories related to Covid-19 that include a list of testing sites.
A big Delaware story came from Rehoboth’s boardwalk, with the Cape Gazette breaking news about Dolle’s. Candyland being forced to move a short distance away, due to a doubling of rent on the current property. (Newsletter readers can check out the story below).
A likely casualty will be Dolle’s landmark sign. In Delaware, Dolle’s is in a league with Boston’s iconic Citgo logo near Fenway Park and LA’s Hollywood sign.
It’s another indictor of a Rehoboth Beach that does not seem to be changing for the better.
The pandemic, high real estate prices and our desire to park next to a business have led restaurants to snap up vacant spots on Coastal Highway.
Every year, charming cottages are razed in favor of more imposing structures. At the same time, businesses, like Dogfish Head, that chose to stick around face obstacles that would have sent less determined owners packing.
General unhappiness led to the beach town getting a new mayor, but there is little evidence that things can be slowed down. There’s simply too much money out there.
Stay safe, everyone. We’ll take our holiday newsletter break, beginning Friday, but will post breaking news reports when warranted. – Doug and Sharon Rainey.
