The News Journal | by Sarah Gamard Even as Delaware eases its coronavirus restrictions, Gov. John Carney is still facing pressure from Republican officials and business interest groups who want a faster and more rigorous reopening. Delaware’s business-friendly reputation isn’t meshing well with the state of emergency closures meant to mitigate the spread of the deadly coronavirus — especially as nearby states are lifting some of their restrictions sooner. Criticism of the administration’s reopening strategies has shed light on a growing political divide ahead of the 2020 elections over how […]

The News Journal | by Karl Baker Three years ago, Delaware officials celebrated a partnership that was to use private dollars to shoulder most of the cost of a new transit hub next to the Wilmington train station. Earlier this week, the Wilmington bus hub opened, but not only did taxpayers bear most of its cost, Delaware’s bus agency, DART, must pay $50,000 a year in rent to a private company that today leases the property from the state for $1. In interviews in 2016 and early 2017, John Sisson, […]

The Philadelphia Inquirer | by Joseph N. DiStefno Amazon has confirmed some details of a much-expected new warehouse center at the former General Motors plant site just west of Wilmington. On Tuesday, Amazon pledged “more than 1,000 full-time jobs” and a first-floor, robotics-heavy 820,000-square-foot operations center at the site, where developer Dermody Properties has filed plans to build as much as 3.8 million square feet, making it potentially larger than any current Amazon center. Dermody built another center for Amazon near Bridgeport, Gloucester County, in 2018. Amazon also erected its […]

The Huffington Post | by Roque Planas Somewhere, there may be documents that shed light on allegations of sexual harassment and assault leveled by a former aide against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. But if they exist, it will be difficult to unearth them. Tara Reade, who served as a staffer to the former vice president when he was in the Senate, says Biden sexually assaulted and harassed her in 1993. Biden has repeatedly and forcefully denied the allegations, telling the press to request documentation from the National Archives […]

The News Journal | by Sarah Gamard Delaware’s state revenue forecast continues to plummet, and officials warn that they could have to make cuts to government programs if they can’t more freely spend the federal aid they received from Congress to fight the pandemic. The state expects a $784.5 million decline in revenue over the next two fiscal years, based on the latest estimates reported on Monday by the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council. Much of that money had already been squared away in the governor’s spending plan for […]

The News Journal | by Meredith Newman As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Delaware continues to climb and the first deaths have been reported, many residents are looking for answers. “Could Delaware please provide more detailed info of what towns, within each county, that have confirmed cases of the virus?” asked Milton resident Cindy Black. “I’d like to know if any cases are in my town? “Maybe this info could help flatten the curve?” she said. Others are asking: How many tests have been conducted? Does the state […]

Delaware Public Media | by Nick Ciolino Schools are closed in Delaware amid concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus, but many child care providers are staying open. The state of Delaware issued guidance to non-public child care providers earlier this week recommending they stay open. The state cites a CDC recommendation and data showing out of 74,000 cases of COVID-19 in China, only 2 percent under the age of 19. The guidance also recommends increasing sanitary practices at child care centers. Jill Fredel is Director of Communications for […]

First State Update | by Staff Writer Newark State Representative John Kowalko is taking issue with the “Guidance for Childcare Providers on Coronavirus” provided this morning. by the Delaware Health and Social Services (DHSS). Kowalko said the press release from DHSS sent out regarding childcare should be rescinded immediately. It wasn’t sourced adequately and the sources quoted were outdated or inaccurate. You are doing harm if you encourage daycares to stay open to spread this virus, Kowalko said in an email to the agency. Governor Carney did the right thing […]

The News Journal | by Natalia Alamdari Both the University of Delaware and Delaware State University receive millions in state tax dollars each year, with UD taking home the bulk of that higher education funding. Both offer lower tuition rates and prioritized scholarships for students from Delaware. Both are categorized as public universities on national college ranking lists. Most people would assume that Delaware’s largest universities are public institutions. But they’re not. UD has a private charter and DSU is a private corporation. That means that even though both schools […]

Dover Post | by Sarah Gamard When House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf announced earlier this month that his staff has been researching livestreaming Delaware General Assembly debates for more than a year, a lot of people were surprised. Some were even incredulous. “I don’t know what Schwartzkopf is trying to make out of whole cloth, but it’s not anything other than a figment of his imagination to say that we have been working on this for a year,” said Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark, who is a member of Schwartzkopf’s caucus. “I’ve […]