VOL. 11 NO. 7 NEWS HEADLINES IN MEMORIAM - County remembers victims of Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Celebration include speeches, music, patriotism. Pages 2, 3 PUBLIC HEARING CANCELLED Public and zoning commission's hearing on annexation will be rescheduled. Page 5
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2006
50 cents
Two police officers are recognized, promoted By Tony E. Windsor
POLICEMAN HONORED - Area chief is recognized for his quick thinking. Page 4. NEW STORE IN TOWN - With more room, Good Samaritan Outreach thrift shop can expand its inventory. Page 10 MOST WANTED FACES - New faces will be appearing on Most Wanted posters in Delaware. They may not be what you'd expect. Page 21 OFF THE CHARTS - You won't believe how high the Blood-Alcohol Content was for one driver pulled off the highway. Page 39 OPEN HOUSES - Local real estate agents have a great selection of homes to visit this weekend. Pages 8-9. READY FOR FOOTBALL? The Laurel and Delmar varsity football teams opened the season on the road last weekend while the Laurel and Delmar Pop Warner teams were both home. Football coverage begins on page 41.
Two of Laurel’s finest were the center of attention at ceremonies held recently at town hall. During the Tuesday, Sept. 5, meeting of the Laurel Town Council, Police Chief Jamie Wilson promoted two of his police officers, Patrolman 1st Class Brian Komlo and Lt. Ricky Richardson. Komlo, a 12-year veteran of the Laurel Police Department, was promoted to the rank of corporal. He started with the police department in 1992 and in 2002 left the force for a short time. He came back on the squad in April 2004. In making the promotion presentation, Wilson lauded Komlo as a “vital part” of the department.
‘Capt. Ricky Richardson is a well known fixture in our community and he is receiving a well-deserved and long overdue promotion.’
INSIDE THE STAR © Business ......................6 Obituaries ..................26 Bulletin Board............28 Opinion.......................58 Church........................24 Pat Murphy.................54 Classifieds .................32 People ........................57 Education...................12 Police..........................39 Entertainment ............22 Snapshots..................50 Gourmet .....................49 Laurel Socials............51 Health .........................16 Letters ........................52 Sports.........................41 Lynn Parks .................19 Tides/Weather............59 Mike Barton................51 Tommy Young............44 Movies ..........................7 Tony Windsor ............55
Jamie Wilson Laurel chief of police
“It gives me great pleasure to congratulate him on his promotion to the rank of corporal,” Wilson added. The presentation made to Lt. Ricky Richardson was a surprise to the 18year veteran of the Laurel Police Department. Richardson’s family was invited to the ceremony and Wilson proclaimed that the honors are “deserved and long overdue.” Richardson has been promoted to the rank of captain. He started his career with the Laurel Police Department in October 1988. In his career he was road officer and canine handler and eventually moved into Continued on page 4
CLOWNING AROUND AND AROUND - The 30th Annual Delmarva Day in the Park Festival was held last Saturday in State Street Park in Delmar. Above, a pair of clowns join some local children on the festival’s kiddie train. See additional photos, page 50. Photo by Mike McClure
At end of high-speed chase, police arrest two for theft, forgery By Tony E. Windsor A local construction contractor took matters into his own hands recently when his fiancée was the victim of a robbery. On Saturday morning, Sept. 9, John Whitby, of John Whitby Concrete Company, was at a work site in Lewes when he received a call from his distressed fiancée, Jody Beth Miller, who informed him that her pocketbook had just been stolen. According to Whitby, his fiancée, who works as a hair stylist at Ray Adkins Hair Studio in Seaford, made what for her was a traditional stop at the Laurel Exxon station in Laurel at about 7 a.m., before heading to work. While in the store, she said, she noticed that a female customer in front of her in the checkout line was acting somewhat nervous, even at one point leaving the store without taking her purchase. After leaving the store and heading to her job, Miller realized her pocketbook was missing. She had left it in
the passenger side front seat of her car. Because this was a new car and she was not completely familiar with it, Miller got out of the car and thought she had locked all the doors before entering the store, but had actually locked all doors except the driver’s door. She believes that a companion of the women who had been acting strangely in the store that morning had waited outside while the woman went in the store and, during that wait, stole the pocketbook out of Miller’s car. Once realizing the pocketbook was stolen, Miller quickly called her fiancé, her credit card companies and her bank. Meanwhile, Whitby, knowing his fiancé was upset, left his work site in Lewes and headed toward home. Driving on U.S. 9, just east of Laurel, Whitby called the Exxon Store on his cell phone and asked if the cashier had a description of the vehicle that may have been involved in the robbery. “The cashier remembered that this vehicle had been parked outside the Continued on page 5