Challenger Patrick Smith on Wednesday asked for a recount of the vote against incumbent Bryan Shupe in the Republican primary for District 36 in the Delaware House. (Pexels photo by Edmond Dantes)

Challenger asks for recount in House District 36 GOP primary

Ken MammarellaHeadlines

Challenger Patrick Smith on Wednesday asked for a recount of the vote against incumbent Bryan Shupe in the Republican primary for District 36 in the Delaware House. The key issue: one more absentee vote recorded Wednesday for Shupe and the state’s arithmetic on calling for an automatic recount. Smith said in a statement that he filed a petition Wednesday with …

primary

Delaware won’t have a presidential primary this year.

Katie KazimirHeadlines, Government

A bill to eliminate the 2024 Delaware presidential primary on Tuesday passed both the House and Senate with little opposition and was signed into law by Gov. John Carney, all in a matter of hours. Since Donald Trump and Joe Biden are the sole candidates for their parties, there was no need for a primary, said Senate Bill 241 sponsor …

Housing and homelessness

Hearing on housing, homeless leads to promise of attention

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

A joint legislative hearing held by Delaware Senate and Housing committees Wednesday started picking threads out of the tangled wad of factors affecting affordable housing and homelessness in Delaware. The convening of the joint session was clearly a shot across the bow of the state political ship and a forerunner to more state, local and community action on the topics. …

Doctor in healthcare

Benefits subcommittees examine rising costs of health care

Sam HautGovernment, Headlines

Two state health subcommittees focused Monday on the rising cost and utilization of health care. Those costs are the basis of predictions about how many healthcare services employees and retirees will use and are used to determine insurance premiums and more. At a joint SEBC Financial and Health Policy & Planning Subcommittee meeting Monday,  Chris Giovannello of Willis Towers Watson …

Auto-injectors like the EpiPen

Delaware House passes bill to make EpiPens more affordable

Sam HautGovernment, Headlines

The Delaware House unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that would require Delaware insurance plans to cover epinephrine auto-injectors for everyone. Today in Delaware, epinephrine is only guaranteed to people 18 years or younger. If House Bill 54 passes the Senate, all Delawareans would be guaranteed at least one injector in the lowest tier of their insurance. The bill would …

Kowalko Schwartzkopf

2022 Rewind: Kowalko says House Speaker killed IG bill

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

This story was originally published in July 2022. An outgoing Democratic member of the Delaware House of Representatives says House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf blocked his bill to create an office of the inspector general.  Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark, said the move was typical of Schwartzkopf’s leadership style. That leadership style can be characterized by “coercion, intimidation, incentivizing and reward,” Kowalko …

Melissa Minor Brown

Melissa Minor-Brown: ‘I stand on the shoulders of giants’

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

When state Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown won election to the General Assembly in 2018, she knew right away that she wanted to be in leadership.  The Democrat from New Castle got her wish this November when the House Democratic Caucus elected her majority whip, making her the first person of color in Delaware history elected to a leadership position in the …

Short legislative hall

Lawmakers take oaths Jan. 10 but already working

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

Even though Delaware’s state senators and representatives won’t be formally sworn in until Jan. 10, their work begins the day after election day — and so do their paychecks.  Delaware is one of just four states where lawmakers assume office the day after an election. Three other states’ lawmakers assume office on election day, while eight others assume office sometime …

GOP delaware 1

ICYMI: Delaware GOP needs to change, leaders say

Charlie MegginsonHeadlines, Government

Republicans did not fare well in Delaware’s Nov. 8 election. Democrats widened their majority in the state Senate, maintained the balance of power in the House, and won every election for statewide elected offices. In the wake of the Republican wallop, some party leaders are hoping the party will begin to move in a more productive direction — one that …

Kowalko Schwartzkopf

Kowalko: House Speaker killed inspector general bill

Charlie MegginsonGovernment, Headlines

An outgoing Democratic member of the Delaware House of Representatives says House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf blocked his bill to create an office of the inspector general.  Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark, said the move was typical of Schwartzkopf’s leadership style. That leadership style can be characterized by “coercion, intimidation, incentivizing and reward,” Kowalko said, and the inspector general bill is just …