Ocean City has taken a bruising after water and wind pounded on the town for several days during last weeks nor'easter.

"It was really horrendous, as far as the waves coming over the dunes and everything," said Joe Jenkins, who was visiting his vacation home in Ocean City.

On Friday, Representative Frank Kratovil met with the Mayor of Ocean City and other town officials to see the storm damage and to discuss what federal funding options are available for repairs.

"Economically Ocean City is critically important, not only to this district but to the state. So it's important that we see what the damage is and see what we can do to get the beach back in the condition it needs to be for folks coming here this summer," said Representative Kratovil.

Mayor Rick Meehan, says the most significant damage is along the dune line. He says they lost about 35 percent of the dunes. The Mayor of Ocean City says the Dunes are doing their job, since they started using the system in the 90's they say it's protected the town from water damage. However, after the recent nor'easter the Mayor says the dunes are in need of repair.

"It's essential that the dunes are rebuilt and put back into the same state they were prior to this storm. If we got hit two or three more times it would probably start to cause some significant problems for us," said Mayor Meehan.

The good news is the town was already scheduled to receive close to $3 million for a beach replenishment project in 2010. Now the Mayor hopes Friday's tour with Congressman Kratovil will help secure more federal funds.

Mayor Rick Meehan says the Army Corps of Engineers has completed a survey of the damage previously this week. They are planning to meet with the City Engineer on Monday to determine the exact amounts of sand that were lost and what will need to be done moving forward.

Delaware's Attorney General says he has successfully shut down a drug haven in Sussex County. Beau Biden says the Department of Justice has closed a property on Blueberry Lane near Frankford.He calls the property a "poster child of how drug crime and violence destabilizes neighborhoods and threatens the safety of our families." They've tracked contract drug trafficking among other crimes there in the past.

Police say two 15-year-olds assaulted and robbed another student at Cambridge-South Dorchester High School. They say it happened Thursday in the bathroom. They say the teens took the students cell phone and cash.

The victim was taken to the hospital for head injuries. The suspects are facing several charges and have been released to their parents.

A Maryland man will spend almost 60 years behind bars on a rape conviction involving a 14-year-old. Charles Kane was sentenced to 45 years for the incident from September of 2008. Authorities say he was on probation at the time for a controlled dangerous substance case. He also received 14 and a half years for violation probation.

A Salisbury teen is facing second degree rape charges. Police have arrested 19-year-old Elijah Kellam in connection with an incident back in June. Kellam is accused of assaulting and raping a woman he knew, and refusing to let her leave the home.

He is now facing several charges.

The swine flu appears to be easing up, but experts say don't be fooled, it isn't gone for good.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, with the CDC, says, "We do not know how long this wave will last, whether there may be multiple waves. We know that flu season can last until May."

Experts say the vaccine, while hard to find for some, appears to be effective. The CDC says we could see another rise in cases of the H1N1 flu during the winter months. They say Thanksgiving travel has the potential to increase the transmission if people who are sick don't follow recommendations to stay at home.

Saturday is the 7th Annual Love Thy Neighbor Community Food Drive. Join WMDT and bring your canned goods to the Wal-Mart Supercenter in North Salisbury from 10AM to 3PM. There will be plenty of entertainment plus meet some of your favorite TV and radio personalities. It's a great way to network and help out people in your community.
 

A program is underway at Pocomoke Elementary to help families in need put food on the table this holiday season. On Friday, parents of students at the school were able to pick up a turkey and other traditional goodies needed to make the perfect Thanksgiving meal. The turkeys were donated by the Worcester County Bar Association.

The program usually feeds 125 families each year. The program director says they continue the efforts for Christmas also, with the help of the Worcester County Santa House.

Delaware's Governor is promising to help workers "quickly" after news broke of the Valero refinery closing in Delaware City. Governor Jack Markell has already told Labor officials to activate the same rapid response as when General Motors closed their Delaware plant earlier this year. He says the State will also make every effort to ensure the environmental health and safety of the site to protect families living nearby.
 

Fire rips through a Princess Anne chicken house, causing $25,000 in damages. Fire Marshals say it started Thursday on Loretta Road. Luckily no one was injured in the blaze.

They say an electrical failure is to blame. Crews were able to contain the fire in about 20 minutes.

Virginia seems to be doing well when it come to recycling. A new report says recycling rates remained steady last year. The annual report by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality logs recycling rates of 324 cities, counties and towns and some businesses. Virginia's rate was 38.5 in 2008, the same as 2007. The state's rate is better than the goal of 35 percent by 2010 set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

 

The military is taking steps to learn more about post-traumatic stress disorder. A experiment is underway to try to predict who's most at risk for the disorder. Doctors say understanding underlying triggers might help reduce the burden of those who return from combat psychologically wounded. PTSD is a crippling condition that can emerge after a terrifying event. The disorder affects one in five veterans returning from war.
 

      A Delaware State Police employee has been arrested.
      Finisha Mills of Dover turned herself in on charges that she intentionally filed false information regarding a registered sex offender's status.
      Police say they received a tip that Michael Tilghman was living at Persimmon Tree Apartments in Dover.
      But, Tilghman was listed as homeless.
      Police say the apartment belongs to Mills and she was in a relationship with Tilghman.
      Mills is free on bond and has been suspended without pay.
      Tilghman is charged with one count of Failure to Verify Sex Offender Registry.

Eastern Correctional Institution is cancelling visitation this weekend. That's because of a lockdown at the prison for what's being called "security searches." Officials there say it's part of a periodic search. They say while it isn't being done specifically because of an inmate stabbed to death earlier this month, they will still be looking for evidence in the crime.

The lockdown is in effect until further notice.

A Fruitland man is headed to prison for sex offenses involving minors. Russell Burnett pleaded guilty earlier this month to the crimes and will spend 15 years behind bars. The charges involved three children, two eight-year-olds and one 11-year-old. He was accused of attacking the girls in his yard and at his home in April.

Burnett is also currently awaiting trial on federal charges involving child pornography.

Civil Rights organizations are asking Virginia's Governor to take action before he leaves office. They want Governor Tim Kaine to sign an executive order restoring the rights of nearly 300,000 felons. Virginia is one of only two States that permanently strip felons of their civil rights like voting, serving on juries or holding public office.

Kaine has said he would consider such an order before he leaves office in January.

Maryland's Comptroller is asking people to shop local for the holidays.
Peter Franchot toured the quaint Town of Easton Thursday, pushing his message. He says shopping locally helps provide jobs, which brings in more business and eventually gives shoppers more options. Senator Richard Colburn joined the Comptroller on his stroll through the Town.

He agrees with Franchot, "It's important for every downtown whether it's Downtown Salisbury, Cambridge, Denton or Easton to have a vibrant downtown but it's really hard to do with the Wal-Mart's, the shopping centers, etc."
 

The Town's Director of Economic Development, Maureen Scott-Taylor, said, "Our downtown businesses can't survive just on visitors coming in, we need our local citizens to come downtown."
 

Comptroller Franchot is also planning to tour other downtown areas in the State. On December 1, he will visit downtown Cambridge.

"We Support Our Troops" is a message that Americans spread loud and clear. But what about when they come home? For nearly 130,000 veterans that is when the real trouble begins.

"I was a veteran. I spent 23 years in the Air Force and a lot of folks don't understand why first off a person can become homeless, and they really don't understand why a veteran becomes homeless," said Rich Pokorny, the so called "founding father" of the Home of the Brave.

For 14 years, it's been the only homeless shelter in the State of Delaware. Inside, there are 15 beds, and the support the veterans need to rebuild their lives. The only rules are no drugs and no alcohol.

"If it wasn't for the Home of the Brave, I have no clue where I would be," said homeless veteran Glenn Leichliter.

Physical disabilities and mental health problems like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder make it tough for some vets to adjust to life after battle.

"At Home of the Brave, we tell them we give them a hand up, not a hand out," said Pokorny.

The shelter provides clothing, transportation, and meals. But, perhaps most important, the director acts as a liaison between the vets and the Veteran's Affairs Office.

"All you have to do is ask for help and that was my hardest problem," said Harry Wells, a veteran living at the Home of the Brave.

The average stay lasts about 30 days. But, when it's time to move on, the Home of the Brave doesn't let the veterans go empty handed. More times than not, the shelter helps furnish their next home through donations. The Director says this program is saving lives and proving to veterans that they do have support, even after they've served their country.

To find out how to help the Home of the Brave program, call 302-424-1681.

So many people buy gift cards for the holidays, now there's a card where a portion of the money goes to charity. It's called the "Give Card."

You choose the card value from $25 to $250 and you choose the value of the donation starting at $5. The person you give the card to picks the charity and can use the rest of the money anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted.

Facebook users now have the chance to shine a spotlight on a local charity. JP Morgan Chase is letting Facebook users help decide how to giveaway $5 Million. The 100 charities that get the most votes by December 11 will each receive $25,000. Then, in the program's second round, one of the 100 will get a million dollar grant. Five runners up will get $100,000. To nominate a charity, click on 47 weblinks.