It’s just a matter of time before the Omicron variant of COVID-19 shows up in Delaware, state officials say. The virus strain has been found in surrounding states, but has not yet been detected in Delaware, said Dr. Karyl Rattay, director of the Division of Public Health. And they’ve looked. The state lab routinely pulls random samples of positive …
COVID cases, hospitalizations rise; no Omicron yet detected
Fears of a COVID-19 winter surge in Delaware seem to be validated by quickly escalating numbers of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths in recent weeks. Vaccinations, while rising, are not keeping pace with the number of cases, hospitalizations and death, which are largely among partially or unvaccinated. The good news: The state has not yet found any cases …
Delaware LIVE Weekly Review – November 14, 2021
Hover over the image below and a gray bar pops up at the bottom—scroll through the pdf, use direction arrows, zoom in or out, download the PDF, or view in full-screen mode. This Week’s Top Headlines Include: HEADLINES Del. utility workers fight labeling as federal contractors, vaccine mandate Townsend to restart police department, with Milford man as chief Milford man’s …
State hopes to inspire Delawareans to plant tree for every resident
Delaware has a new initiative to add to the state’s number of trees. Photo by Felix Mittermeier/Pexels In the state’s new initiative to plant a tree for every Delawarean, 20,110 are in the ground or will be soon. That leaves about 950,000 trees yet to be planted. The Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative, called TEDI for show, was announced …
Carney extends school mask mandate through Feb. 8
State mask regulations will remain in place at Delaware schools through Feb. 8. Faculty, staff, students and visitors in Delaware’s K-12 public and private schools will be required to wear masks inside school buildings until at least Feb. 8, 2022. Gov. John Carney announced Wednesday that he will extend the emergency mandate in order to keep children protected against …
Juneteenth joins Thanksgiving, MLK Day as official state holiday
Opal Lee, left in gray, watches Gov. John Carney sign the bill making Juneteenth an official state holiday. Juneteenth is now an officially recognized state holiday in Delaware. The holiday commemorates the date on which the last enslaved African Americans in the United States were emancipated, on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the signing of the …
Teens aging out of foster system to get free college tuition
Holding the signed House Bill 123 behind Gov. John Carney are, left, Daykia Hunter-McKnight and Mayda Barrios. Children who spend all or part of their teen years in Delaware’s foster care system will now be able to attend state public colleges and universities free of charge. Under House Bill 123, signed into law by Gov. John Carney Thursday, foster youth …
State COVID funds to provide bonuses for healthcare workers
Delaware will give hospitals, longterm care and state facilities $75 million to pay worker bonuses. Delaware will spend more than $75 million of federal COVID-19 relief funds for hospitals, long-term care centers and state operated facilities to provide hiring and retention bonuses to workers. The money is aimed at alleviating staffing shortages in the medical field by enabling providers …
Senate to reconvene to consider nominations Wednesday, redistricting Nov. 1
The Delaware Senate will go into special session Wednesday to consider Gov. John Carney’s nominations, and Nov. 1 to look at draft redistricting maps. Photo by Brian K. Leonard. The Delaware Senate has been called on by the governor to return to Dover Wednesday for a special session. Gov. John Carney called the one-day session to have the Senate …
Carney picks former Brandywine superintendent for state education post
Dr. Mark Holodick has been nominated to replace Dr. Susan Bunting as secretary of education. Photo by DigitalElements/Pixel Gov. John Carney announced Tuesday he will nominate the former superintendent of Brandywine School District as the new secretary of the Delaware Department of Education. Dr. Mark Holodick lead Brandywine for a decade before going to work at the University …