My take: Jet noise and graduations
It came as a shock this time a week ago to learn that Dover Police were getting calls about jet noise in the city where military transport jet landings and takeoffs are part of the landscape.
The reason for the vapor trails was the Thunder Over Dover airshow and display that featured both the elite Thunderbirds and Navy’s Blue Angels, in what might be a once-in-a-generation event.
“You live in Dover…there’s an Air Force Base here. Enjoy the sound of freedom for the next few days,” the department wrote in a social media post.
The calls are a far cry from years ago when the base was as much a part of the fabric of the city as Delaware State University, Legislative Hall and for a time the aroma of Baker’s Chocolate.
Even further back, we heard the sonic booms in the semi-isolated town where I grew up. Most of us saw it as part of everyday life.
The Dover calls are also a sign that some people live in their cocoons and often know or care little about what goes on around them.
Far too many check out the rants about suspicious vehicles and people on NextDoor or Facebook while skipping items that might be of value.
In response, law enforcement has turned to NextDoor and other sites in passing along alerts or other news, knowing it’s the only way to reach some folks.
In another interesting development this week, there were complaints about University of Delaware’s graduation and why the route the president would take before giving his commencement address was not posted.
Even the most ill-informed among us should know that such details are not published for security reasons.
Then again, there are only a few ways in and out of Newark and as police in the college town noted, some roads may be temporarily closed. And yes, there will be a lot of traffic on Friday and Saturday as there is every year.
That does it for my rant.
Here’s hoping you have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend and as noted above, take a moment to remember those service people who made the ultimate sacrifice. – Doug Rainey, chief content officer
