DELMARVA - With 2024 just around the corner, WBOC invites you to look back on Delmarva’s year and the news we covered across the Peninsula. This week we’ll revisit some of our most notable and most-read and watched stories of the year by three-month intervals, concluding with the final quarter of 2023. You can read about the top stories of the first quarter of 2023 here, second quarter here, and the third quarter here.
October 2023
The very first week of October saw a very peculiar guest on Delmarva who had neighbors flocking to Accomack County with their binoculars. At least one flamingo was spotted near Assateague Beach in the first days of the month, and WBOC’s social media and website were abuzz with viewers’ and readers’ excitement over the typically tropical transient. Assateague Park staff told WBOC that the arrival of the flamingo could have been due to storms in the Atlantic that had disrupted its migration path.
Two of our top stories in October dealt with drug-related crime. The first came early in the month with the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office announcing the arrest of a Salisbury, MD pair for alleged possession and distribution of a large amount of fentanyl and other drugs. The second, and October’s most read story on the web, came about two weeks later, this time in Milford, DE. Milford Police told WBOC a 35-year-old had been arrested on various drug charges after he was stopped and searched in a Wawa parking lot.
News from across the Chesapeake also piqued interest in October, with Delmarva neighbors following closely along with the manhunt for an escaped inmate in Montgomery County, VA. The suspect, Naseem Isaiah Roulack, was later captured in Fairfax County after six weeks on the run.
(Courtesy: Virginia Department of Corrections)
The town of Laurel, DE sadly lost a second high school student to gun violence in 2023 when an October 29 shooting took the life of 18-year-old Kylee Robinson. Robinson was found at a home on 7th Street suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and would later die at a nearby hospital. The horrific shooting also injured a 15-year-old and a 13-year-old and sparked urgent questions in Laurel on how to curb violence in the community. At the time, police said multiple suspects were at large, and arrests in connection with the deadly shooting have yet to be announced.
Earlier in the month, another high school student’s life was tragically lost, this time in a car crash in Salisbury, MD. 16-year-old Carter Figgs, a Delmar High School student, was killed in an early morning crash on S. Salisbury Blvd on October 9th. Another teen was listed in critical condition as a result of the incident. Figgs’ death left the Delmar community reeling, drawing huge crowds to vigils and the teen’s funeral.
November 2023
November’s most popular story online occurred in Magnolia, DE when an Amazon truck driver seemingly ignored a family’s driveway and drove right over their lawn - twice. The family managed to catch the driver in the act both times. Later that month, the same driver would again drive over lawns instead of the driveway, this time in Felton, DE, leaving visible tire tracks in one yard.
A series of crashes were reported in November that were widely-read, two of them unfortunately fatal. The first occurred on November 19th in Dover when two cars collided on North DuPont Highway. One of the drivers, a 50-year-old man from Camden, DE, later died at the hospital. On November 25th, WBOC reported on a crash involving an SUV and a four-wheeler in Frankford. The two men on the four-wheeler were thrown off the vehicle onto the road. One of them, 22-year-old Gabriel Dorman, died at the scene. The driver of the SUV would later be charged with first degree murder.
A controversial mural of Frederick Douglas in Easton, MD gained wide attention online in November as well. Though the couple who put the mural up told WBOC the mural, which depicts Douglas in modern day attire and pose, and the conversation surrounding it continued the relevance and power of Douglas. Douglas’ fifth-generation nephew, however, found the mural disrespectful.
(WBOC).
Another controversy, this time in Ocean City, MD grabbed Delmarva’s attention when a neighbor took to a council meeting to request a ban on unattended political flags from the resort town’s beaches. The woman had previously tried to remove the flags herself and said she was confronted by the flags’ owner.
November also saw WBOC take a deep-dive into ethics complaints against the Delaware Department of Agriculture. The Delaware Public Integrity Commission (PIC) investigated staff within the Dept. of Ag after complaints that farm animals seized in neglect or abuse cases by the Department had been entrusted to unqualified employees instead of established rescues. The Commission found those employees had been paid significant amounts of money for taking the animals in, all of which perished according to lawmakers. Delaware’s Secretary of Agriculture, Michael Scuse, was formally found to be in violation of state codes of conduct by the PIC.
Finally, the Thanksgiving arrival of a great white shark off the waters of Delmarva had the full curiosity of the Peninsula. The 9-foot juvenile shark, named Anne Bonny, has since moved on from her visit to Virginia’s Eastern Shore and was last pinged on December 28th off the coast of South Carolina.
December 2023
Uncovered history was a topic of wide December interest on Delmarva when a local historian unveiled to WBOC an extremely rare photograph of Harriet Tubman. Alex Green, an expert in Tubman’s history, said he found the image while sorting through his archives. Green told WBOC he believed the photograph was taken in 1907, just five years before the Civil Rights and Suffragette icon passed. Though the photograph is a copy of the original, Green said it was no less significant and still speaks to Tubman’s resilience and determination.
(WBOC).
Weather once again returned to the headlines in December, with a relentless heavy rain drenching Delmarva mid-month. Coastal Flood and Wind Advisories were posted on Sunday, December 17th in numerous coastal areas. On Monday morning, Delmarva awoke to find those advisories well-warranted. Flooding was widespread across the Peninsula, with roadways becoming impassable - some even for days.The floods sparked conversation in many communities as to how to mitigate the effects of such storms in the future.
A shooting at a Wawa on December 2nd drew particular notice in the final month of the year. Dover, DE police told WBOC an investigation was underway into a shooting that left a 45-year-old wounded on Forrest Avenue. Police said the man was returning to his car when he heard gunshots, then realized he had been struck in the upper body. A suspect in that shooting was eventually arrested, with police alleging he had murdered another victim and saying the shootings were random ambushes.
Other widely-read crime stories in December included alleged mail theft in Kent County that led to two arrests. Delaware State Police told WBOC that they had found multiple items of mail and packages in the suspects’ vehicle, many of them with the names of victims living in the Wild Quail Golf and Country Club community of Camden-Wyoming. Both suspects were charged with felony theft from a victim over the age of 62.
WBOC viewers and readers also took interest in a bank robbery in Seaford, DE. Authorities said a suspect had given a bank employee a note demanding money at the M&T Bank on Sussex Highway. He fled after receiving an undisclosed amount. The suspect would remain at large for days, until police later announced the arrest of a man they say robbed the same bank twice.
Courtesy: Seaford Police Department
Delaware’s gun laws were also a very hot topic at the end of the year, with a story on possible Permit-to-Purchase legislation coming in as the most-read story of the month. The law, which would require Delawareans to complete a training course within five years before being able to purchase a handgun, gained significant traction on WBOC’s website. Delaware Republicans especially took issue with the possible law, who said Democrats advanced it without any public input or hearings. The law is expected to be a priority in the Delaware House agenda in the new year, though, just as with gun laws in neighboring Maryland, may face weighty legal pushback.
Previous: Third Quarter Review
WBOC thanks all of our viewers and readers for turning to our broadcasts, website, app, and our socials throughout the year and for making us Delmarva’s News Leader. We look forward to continuing to bring you the top stories throughout 2024. Happy New Year, Delmarva!
