Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. Take the lawsuit filed July 7, 2023, by ACLU Delaware against Attorney General Kathy Jennings and the city of Wilmington over the state’s solicitation and loitering statutes and Wilmington’s loitering ordinance. The ACLU claims the lack of specificity in the current statutes opens the door to selective enforcement. At the same time, …
State should consider dropping plan for tunnel, designers say
Designers involved in the construction of a $22 million parking garage across from Legislative Hall have recommended the state cancel plans to build a private underground tunnel connecting the structures. The tunnel originally was estimated to cost $2 million but will be closer to $3.7 million, partly because its base would lay only 6 feet above sea level in an …
20 Delaware artists given 2024 state fellowship awards
A Wilmington composer was given the Delaware Division of the Arts’ top fellowship award in its 2024 list of state artists. Mark Hagerty was named the 2024 Master Fellow, an honor that somes with a $12,000 stipend for the artist. He was chosen from applications of those who previously had won an Establshed Professional Award and covered the fields of …
State worker health insurance to rise 22%, add $50M cost
The state of Delaware will need at least an additional $50 million dollars in fiscal 2025 to pay for increases in the cost of employee health insurance, which is expected to see premium rises of up to 22%. Ruth Ann Miller, controller general, said the program will have a shortfall of $15 million by April 1 and will need $22 …
Bill banning paying disabled less takes effect this month
Laura Randa started her search for a new headquarters with a list of 232 possible locations across the country before Delaware jumped to the top of the list. “Our final decision to move Toivoa and Toivoa Coaching’s headquarters to Delaware was made when Delaware passed legislation to eliminate subminimum wage for people with disabilities,” Randa said. “We hope to …
Passionate House debates focus on Israel, Gaza conflict
Dueling resolutions about the Hamas attacks in Israel and that nation’s invasion of Gaza drew intense — but civil — reaction on the first day of the 2024 session of the Delaware House of Representatives Tuesday. First up was House Concurrent Resolution No. 80, which noted that the attacks and invasion “resulted in catastrophic and heartbreaking losses of human life. …
Giltner sworn in as sole Republican woman in Assembly
Safety and security on many fronts will be some of the main issues that Valerie Jones Giltner, R-Georgetown, will be paying attention to during her first session of the Delaware General Assembly. Giltner, who was sworn in Tuesday as the Delaware General Assembly’s sole Republican woman, won a special election in December to replace Ruth Briggs King. She resigned before …
Retiree health committee suggestion No. 1: No Medicare Advantage
After nearly facing a revolt of retirees angered by the state’s move to substantially alter their health care, a committee has issued more than a dozen recommendations designed to keep them — and the state’s coffers — healthy. One of the recommendations made by the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee — which met 20 times over nine months — was …
Alan Dershowitz left $5 million in Chancery Court Thursday
Famed lawyer Alan Dershowitz’s lively appearance Thursday in a Delaware Court of Chancery included debating former Harvard student and now Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick and eventually dropping checks worth nearly $5 million onto the defense table. It essentially paid in full what TransPerfect Global owes the Chancery Court. Along the way, the hearing — to decide if Transperfect should …
Brandywine Hundred man rates Delaware cheesesteaks
It is a regional debate that has lasted for generations—which restaurant has the best cheesesteak? After meeting a date at Claymont Cheese Steak in Claymont, Jim Pappas took that question to heart. She shared his love of Philadelphia’s—and therefore Delaware’s—iconic sandwich, and they decided to ask friends and family to reveal their favorite spots. An Uber driver, Pappas also began …