carney jones-potter wilmington mayoral race

Jones-Potter expects to face status quo in Wilmington mayor race

Karl BakerGovernment, Headlines

This story was originally published on Spotlight Delaware.  In 2017, then-newly elected Mayor Mike Purzycki sat on a stage close by to Velda Jones-Potter as she gave her inaugural speech as Wilmington City Treasurer. The two held an amicable relationship at the time, Jones Potter said – with both of them new to being elected politicians and facing a city that …

governor

Governor’s race is seeing big money – from the candidates

Karl BakerGovernment, Headlines

  This story was originally published on Spotlight Delaware.  The three-way race to become Delaware’s Democratic candidate for governor is gearing up to be among the most expensive and competitive in recent history – and much of the money is flowing from the candidates’ own personal bank accounts. In December, Collin O’Mara, Delaware’s former chief environmental regulator, loaned his fledgling campaign $750,000 – …

An audit of Delaware's unemployment insurance fund found deficiencies in its processes that make it unauditable, according to a new report. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS

Experts: ‘Unauditable’ Delaware unemployment fund brings risk

Karl BakerHeadlines, Government

Delaware’s hefty unemployment insurance fund appears to be poorly managed, in need of more staff, and may not be able to track companies that fail to pay into the system, according to a panel of national accounting experts. But, it does not appear to be at risk of failing to pay jobless claims into the near future. Get the latest …

zoning

Rezoning plan withdrawal isn’t end of New Castle County land use debate

Karl BakerGovernment, Headlines

New Castle County’s biggest political firestorm in recent years erupted last fall when hundreds of concerned residents packed into government offices and local fire halls to denounce proposals for mega warehouses near Middletown, a multi-story office building in Alapocas, and hydrogen fuel facilities between Delaware City and New Castle. In response, County Executive Matt Meyer, who is running to be …

veterans housing

Veterans housing project imperiled as developers spar in court

Karl BakerCulture, Headlines

In the fall of 2022, David Mosley, the affable but embattled CEO of the Delaware Center for Homeless Veterans, told the New Castle County Council that his plan to build 60 apartments for struggling military Veterans and their families was just a first step in a coming wave of housing construction for vulnerable people. Mosley’s comments followed the council’s unanimous …

tire port of delaware

Year after tire pile helped topple port operator, solution nears

Karl BakerBusiness, Headlines

The massive tire piles at the Port of Wilmington’s Edgemoor property that last year stoked fears among neighbors of mosquito infestations and rubber fires may finally be getting removed in the coming month, port officials said during a public meeting Friday. Yet, why tires still remain and how many have been removed to date is not entirely clear. That is, …

amtrak spotlight

Amtrak to invest millions in controversial Wilmington site

Karl BakerBusiness, Headlines

In 2022, a government watchdog said a Wilmington office building Amtrak bought for a lofty $41 million was structurally unfit for its intended use, and that the rail company’s goal of saving money by moving hundreds of workers to the site rested on unrealistic assumptions. In spite of the critique from the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, rail company executives persisted …

Bloom Spotlight Delaware

Bloom Energy plans to move some Delaware jobs to Mexico

Karl BakerBusiness, Headlines

Bloom Energy, the fuel cell producer that a decade ago promised to revitalize the state’s manufacturing sector, announced last week that it will move a slice of its Newark operations to Mexico at the end of 2024. The decision is one part of the California company’s plan to restructure amid increasing debt and continuous financial losses, according to its annual …

electricity salem lawsuit

Fish v. electricity: Could Salem nuclear plant be shut down?

Karl BakerCulture, Headlines

A judge in an obscure administrative court in Trenton, N.J., is set to hand down a ruling that could end a challenge to the Salem nuclear plant’s ability to pump billions of gallons of water out of the Delaware River each day. The case, which strikes at the heart of the mid-Atlantic electricity ecosystem, pits a tenacious environmental group against …