2024 Year in Review

DELMARVA - Join WBOC as we take a look back at the most-read news stories of the year on WBOC.com as we count down to 2025. We’ll revisit 2024’s headlines in three-month intervals, beginning with January, February, and March to see what stories our viewers were reading most.

January 2024

2024 began with an exciting discovery on the shoreline of Assateague State Park. A centuries-old shipwreck surfaced on the sand, believed to be a remnant from a 19th century ship, just days into the new year. The discovery aligned with Assateague State Park’s efforts to collect data on the movement of shipwreck remnants off Delmarva.

"The hope is that we can use these shipwrecks to gather the data and hopefully backtrack where that shipwreck came from and hopefully use it to discover other shipwrecks as well," said Park Ranger Kirby Brown. 

Piece of Shipwreck

Ultimately, the shipwreck remnant was left in the sands of Assateague with the expectation the waves would eventually reclaim it. 

New legislation drew attention on Delmarva to begin the year, with a bill to allow “human composting” winning initial approval in the Delaware House. Changes to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s (ASMFC) striped bass regulations were also the talk of the peninsula, with some local watermen criticizing the new limits as harmful to their way of life. In Maryland, a Federal Appeals Court decided to reexamine a previous decision to strike the state’s Handgun License Law. Later in the year, the court would ultimately side with Maryland and keep the handgun law in place.

Sadly, January also saw a series of disasters on the peninsula. A devastating fire broke out mid-month at the Plantations Clubhouse in Sussex County. Though a total of 13 local fire crews responded, the damage was estimated to be a total loss at $275,000. Luckily, no injuries were reported.

Plantations Clubhouse “Total Loss” After Friday Night Fire

Officials say the Plantations community's clubhouse is a total loss after a Friday night fire. 

Then, on January 27, a Chesapeake Bay Bridge morning crash involving at least 20 vehicles brought traffic to a screeching halt. One person was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, while 11 others were taken to nearby hospitals. Months later, one woman was charged in connection to the crash.

February 2024

A variety of stories dominated the headlines in February. Maryland Governor Wes Moore started the month off by declaring February 1 as “Unclaimed Property Day,” highlighting the efforts of the State Comptroller’s Unclaimed Property Division to reunite Marylanders with lost or forgotten funds and assets. 

Delmarva’s fascination and love of nature was on full display in February, with an end-of-January story about increased coyote sightings becoming a top-talker. The spike in coyote activity in the First State prompted some to question Delaware laws and the restrictions on hunting the animals. 

Dead Whale Stranded on Assateague

Photo: Anthony Skorochod

Viewer Bonnie Brady sent WBOC photos of the marine mammal approximately 1.7 miles north of the Assateague State Park lot.

February also saw a dead sub-adult humpback whale wash ashore on Assateague Island early in the month. The whale’s carcass was found just under 2 miles from the Assateague State Park lot.

Proposed law changes were once again garnering attention in February. In Maryland, lawmakers weighed shifting the responsibility  of overseeing speed camera traffic tickets from police officers to certified technicians. Some criticized the move, expressing concerns about the legal viability of those tickets should they be issued by non-law enforcement officials. Marylanders also debated a proposed change to registration fees for pickup trucks. The Pedestrian Fatality Prevention Act of 2024 was aimed at promoting pedestrian safety, but some local pickup truck owners voiced their strong opposition and questioned how higher fees could make roads safer.

A Snow Hill food mart was the center of local controversy in February. Food-Rite, the sole grocery store in the town, abruptly closed mid-February after the owner reportedly experienced continual online harassment. Faced with the loss of the local business, the community rallied in support of Food-Rite’s owner and employees, and the decision to close the store was reversed. 

Food Rite

Finally, a feel-good and inspiring story drew Delmarva’s attention in February when 82-year-old Bob Hogg entered his first-ever powerlifting competition in Salisbury. Hogg went on to break the state bench press record for his age, lifting an impressive 77.1 pounds. He also set a new deadlift record at 203.7 pounds.

 

March 2024

A Maryland tragedy made national headlines in March when a large container ship slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, bringing the bridge down completely. Sadly, six construction workers were on the bridge at the time of the collapse and were killed. It would be over a month until the last worker was recovered from the waters of the Patapsco River. Here on Delmarva, neighbors and businesses braced for the economic ripple effects of the Key Bridge’s collapse, hoping the Port of Salisbury could lessen the blow of the Port of Baltimore closing to ship traffic.

FRANCIS SCOTT KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE

Delmarva also had its own transportation pitfalls in March, with rising sea levels and erosion bringing the waves of the Atlantic barreling through the dunes at the Indian River Inlet Bridge onto Coastal Highway. The breach spurred the Delaware Department of Transportation into action as they scrambled to mitigate the flooding and reopen the busy road.

Subsequent breaches in the area would eventually spark federal involvement as officials work to protect Delaware’s transportation infrastructure

Rt. 1 Flooding

A Sussex County, DE man had a terrifying encounter in March when he was ambushed in his own yard by three dogs from a neighboring home. Tyrae Cuffee’s family told WBOC a neighbor asked for Cuffee’s help in corralling their escaped dogs when those dogs attacked him, biting him from head to toe. Police were forced to shoot and kill one of the dogs while the other two were taken into state custody. Tyrae Cuffee would later return home to recover and revealed he was protecting his step-daughter from the dogs when they turned on him. 

In Somerset County, MD, owners of a beloved Princess Anne restaurant found their business without a home after Squeaky’s was asked to vacate the historic Washington Inn and Tavern. Owners Edward and Orlena Wilkes told WBOC they received a 60-day notice to vacate in January, with the Town of Princess Anne citing operational costs as the reason for their decision. The Washington Inn and Tavern has since been purchased from Princess Anne by another business. 

By far the most widely-read story online in March, however, was the saga of the Ridgely Police Department after all of the town’s officers were abruptly placed on leave. According to law enforcement sources at the time, the Maryland State Prosecutor had been alerted to allegations of Ridgely Police not properly disposing of surplus equipment, including guns and cars. In the wake of the police department being suspended, the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office stepped in to assume patrol duties until at least the end of fiscal year 2025. After conducting an investigation, the Maryland State Prosecutor cleared the former Ridgely Police Chief of any criminal wrongdoing, though no Ridgely police officers have yet been reinstated.

Ridgely Town Hall

Digital Content Producer

Sean joined WBOC as Digital Content Producer in February 2023. Originally from New Jersey, Sean graduated from Rutgers University with bachelor’s degrees in East Asian Studies and Religion. He has lived in New York, California, and Virginia before he and his wife finally found a place to permanently call home in Maryland. With family in Laurel, Ocean Pines, Berlin, and Captain’s Cove, Sean has deep ties to the Eastern Shore and is thrilled to be working at WBOC serving the community.

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