The words âlove festâ and âlegislative hearingâ rarely appear together, but that was the tone during a Delaware Senate Housing & Land Use committee hearing this week on a five-bill affordable housing package submitted by Sen. Russell Huxtable (D-Lewes). Sen. Marie Pinkney, D-Bear, even said sheâs never seen such minimal opposition to legislation like the housing package. It was promoted …
Gov. John Carney‘s proposed 2025 state budget of $6.1 billion pours $2.1 billion into education, $2 billion on healthcare for employees, retirees and Medicaid recipients, and $129 million into environmental initiatives. It’s another record state budget, up nearly 9% from 2024’s $5.6 billion. Nearly 65% of the growth in the budget over last year’s is salary policy and health-related costs, …
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. âOur final decision to move Toivoa and Toivoa Coachingâs headquarters to Delaware was made when Delaware passed legislation to eliminate subminimum wage for people with disabilities,â Randa said. âWe hope to …
A special election to fill the now-vacant 37th Delaware House of Republicans seat in will take place Dec. 21. The seat represents Georgetown and Millsboro in Sussex County. The former occupant of that seat, former Rep. Ruth Briggs King, resigned last week after receiving a certificate of occupancy for a house she was building just over the district line. Briggs …
This Weekâs Review Includes: Kitchen table issues expected to be focus of 2024 election New worry: âCrime touristsâ who target expensive homes for thefts Wilmington police to hand out wheel locks for Kias, Hyundais Miltonâs Zava adds dinner; alfresco beach dining heats up Delaware still working on 32,000 tax refunds, new system 10 First Staters win national awards in tech …
This story was originally published in November 2022. Republicans did not fare well in Delawareâs 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 …
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 Schwartzkopfâs leadership style. That leadership style can be characterized by âcoercion, intimidation, incentivizing and reward,â Kowalko …
Leaders in the Delaware Senate have revealed the body’s committee assignments for the 152nd General Assembly which begins in January. Senate President Pro Tempore-Elect Dave Sokola announced the assignments Monday. âLegislative committees are an essential part of the legislative process where senators gather public input and determine which bills should move forward,â Sokola said in a news release. âThe assignments …
Itâs not uncommon for state Rep. Ruth Briggs King to be the only woman in a room full of men. The Georgetown lawmaker is the only female legislator in Delawareâs General Assembly who belongs to the Republican Party. She doesnât let that get in the way of representing her constituents.  In fact, she sees it as an opportunity. âThere have …
A Republican lawmaker hopes 2023 will be the year Delaware legalizes the direct shipment of wine. Rep. Mike Smith, R-Pike Creek, authored a bill in the last General Assembly to allow Delawareans to have wine shipped directly to their homes. The House Economic Development Committee released the bill but it was not allowed to the House floor for a vote. …
