The News Journal | by Sarah Gamard Wawa, the beloved convenience chain that ranks among the top grocery store locations in the First State, will be giving up plastic shopping bags in Delaware come 2021. But it’s unclear what other stores will and won’t keep plastic bags when Delaware becomes the next state to ban the single-use bags at major supermarkets and retail stores. That’s because the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is struggling to enforce the requirements of the state’s current plastic bag recycling laws, which […]

The News Journal | by Karl Baker Lawmakers in Dover last week quietly gave the state authority to hand over millions in taxpayer dollars to developers. Buried 30-pages deep in the epilogue of the state’s bonding legislation, the new legal authority stated that Delaware can help to fund 3% of the construction of facilities that cost at least $75 million and would eventually employ 500 workers or more. No developer or property was identified in the bill. But numerous sources confirmed that lawmakers approved the language in order to give […]

Delaware State News | by Matt Bittle DOVER — The first leg of the 150th General Assembly is in the books. Going into session late Sunday afternoon, lawmakers wrapped up business early Monday, marking an uneventful end to the 2019 legislative session. After failing to finish until around 5 a.m. or later four years in a row the legislature concluded business just after 1 a.m. this time. Gov. John Carney signed the capital bond and grant-in-aid bills Monday at 1:40 a.m., allowing everyone to head home. Because this is just […]

The News Journal | by Karl Baker Delaware on Monday approved a $1.6 million taxpayer grant for FMC, an $11 billion agricultural chemical company that plans to build a greenhouse at its Newark-based research headquarters and hire 13 new employees. While state officials argue that such incentives encourage investment in Delaware, FMC officials declined to say whether they would build the greenhouse even without the taxpayer cash. Also at Monday’s meeting of the Delaware Council on Development Finance, the state approved a $50,000 grant to a Newark chemical startup that […]

Delaware Public Media | by Sarah Mueller More examples of possible misuse of state funding at Odyssey Charter School are coming to light. The Delaware Department of Education placed Odyssey on formal review last month after complaints it misused state funding and conflicts of interest involving the American Hellenic Educational Association. But now Odyssey School Board member Elias Rigas says former board president Dimitri Dandalos authorized $177,000 in additional construction work on AHEPA’s Ithaka Early Learning Center without the board’s knowledge. It previously acknowledged spending $91,500 on the center. It […]

Delaware State News | by Matt Bittle DOVER — The House of Representatives approved the $4.45 billion operating budget Thursday, along with a $62 million supplement. By a 41-0 vote, the chamber sent the measure to the Senate. Senators could consider the bill Tuesday, one of the four regularly scheduled legislative days remaining. The spending plan, Rep. Quinn Johnson told his colleagues in the House, includes substantial investment in education and pay raises for state employees. The Middletown Democrat also touted the budget’s fiscal discipline, noting lawmakers set aside tens […]

Delaware Public Media | by Sophia Schmidt Unionized commercial cleaners, labor organizers and lawmakers gathered in Wilmington Friday in support of a $15 dollar minimum wage. The state’s current minimum wage of $8.75 an hour rises to $9.25 in October. A bill that would gradually raise Delaware’s minimum wage to $15 is being routed through a second state senate committee — and senate leadership says the earliest it will get a vote is next January. “We’re still feeling hopeful,” said Daisy Cruz, Mid-Atlantic district director for 32BJ of the Service […]

Delaware Public Media | by Sarah Mueller Legislation adding higher tax rates for wealthier Delawareans is unlikely to get a floor vote again this year. Delaware has a graduated income tax rate. It rises incrementally in brackets – until it reaches $60,000 when the rate tops out at 6.6 percent. That means people making $60,000 and $1 million pay that same top rate. Under legislation sponsored by State Rep. John Kowalko (D-Newark), state would add a 7.1 percent bracket for people making more than $125,000 and a 7.85 tax for […]

Delaware State News | by Matt Bittle DOVER — The House passed legislation Tuesday that would make the “unsafe” storage of a firearm a criminal offense. Four Democrats joined with the entire House Republican caucus to oppose the bill, which was approved by a 22-19 vote to the ire of the dozens of gun-rights advocates watching in the chamber. The measure now goes to the Senate. Currently, state law includes a Class B misdemeanor of unlawfully permitting a minor access to a firearm, applicable when an individual under age 18 […]

The Philadelphia Tribune | by Zoë Read Large retail stores in Delaware are required to have an onsite recycling receptacle so customers can dispose of their plastic bags responsibly. But volunteers collected 1,946 plastic bags during the state’s annual Coastal Cleanup Day last year. Moving to protect sea animals and wildlife from litter by reducing the use of plastic bags, Delaware’s House voted 33-7 to advance legislation limiting the availability of single-use plastic bags. If the Senate passes the measure, it would take effect in January 2021. The bill sponsored […]