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Lacrosse

2022 DIAA girls lacrosse championship round one results

Townsquaredelaware May 19, 2022 Headlines

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  • GOP chair sues Department of Elections over new voting laws

    The chairwoman of the Republican Party of Delaware has filed suit against the state’s Department of Elections over two new laws legalizing mail-in voting and same-day voter registration. GOP chair Jane Brady, who was Delaware’s attorney general from 1995 until 2005, said the new laws violate the state Constitution. “The Constitution provides you must vote in person on election day unless you qualify under very limited conditions to vote absentee,” Brady said during a press conference Friday. “Mail-in voting clearly violates that requirement, as it allows remote voting without declaring or meeting any of those limited conditions.” Gov. John Carney signed the bills during a private ceremony Friday — something Brady pointed to as evidence that Democrats know they’re acting outside of the law.  “Why are the Democrats hiding,” Brady asked. “Why did Delaware Gov. John Carney sign the bills on a Friday — a day notoriously known in politics for the best time to take action regarding matters on which you don’t want much press coverage — in a private signing ceremony?” The answer, Brady said, is that “they know that many Delawareans do not support mail-in voting,” and because “the members of the Delaware General Assembly who voted for this bill know that it is unconstitutional.” Carney’s office could not be immediately reached for comment. There are two plaintiffs listed in the suit. The first is Michael Mennella, a perennial poll worker who claims that the laws force him to violate the Constitution in his capacity as an election official.  The second is Michael Higgin, a Republican candidate for the Delaware House of Representatives.  Higgin claims the new laws will result in fraud, which will “dilute the votes of his supporters and himself,” Brady said.  “The second reason is,” Brady added, “by allowing people to register up until election day, he’s deprived of his opportunity to argue his positions on policy…because he doesn’t even know who’s registered to vote.” The lawsuit, filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery, asks a judge to: Hold an expedited hearing; Declare both laws unconstitutional; Issue an injunction stopping the laws from taking effect; Affirm that plaintiff Mennella is not required to enforce the new laws; and,  Award plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs, as well as any other relief the court feels appropriate. Mennella is a plaintiff in a separate lawsuit, also filed by Brady, challenging the state’s early voting provision. He is married to Delaware Senate candidate Brenda Mennella.  While Brady stressed that the lawsuit is not being brought by the Republican Party of Delaware, it was filed by the Republican chair on behalf of a Republican candidate and a Republican candidate’s husband.  Shortly after the suit was announced, the Republican Party of Delaware sent a press statement with the headline, “We Support Challenges to the New Election Laws.” Mail-in voting Senate Bill 320 creates an opt-in vote-by-mail system wherein voters will have to request a ballot before one is sent. Ballots and ballot applications will never be automatically mailed to voters under the bill. In June 2021, Republicans in the General Assembly effectively stopped the passage of a different bill that would have made no-excuse absentee voting a permanent fixture in Delaware’s elections. House Bill 75, sponsored by Rep. David Bentz, D-Christiana, would have allowed Delaware voters to request mail-in ballots without providing an explanation. But the bill, which sought to amend the Delaware Constitution, failed to receive the required two-thirds majority needed in the House of Representatives. Constitutional amendments are also required to be passed separately during two consecutive legislative sessions. Twelve Republicans voted in favor of the bill in 2019 during the 150th General Assembly. But in 2021, not one Republican voted in favor of the proposal. The Constitution requires voters to provide justification before receiving an absentee ballot. Excuses include being away from the state for work, college or public service, sickness or physical disability, military service or religious tenets in conflict with in-person voting. RELATED: Senate OKs mail-in voting despite claims it violates Constitution Supporters of Senate Bill 320 say vote-by-mail is not the same as absentee voting, and the Constitution grants the General Assembly the authority to “prescribe the means, methods and instruments of voting so as best to secure secrecy and the independence of the voter, preserve the freedom and purity of elections and prevent fraud, corruption and intimidation…” Opponents say that’s a distinction without a difference and when lawmakers failed to amend the Constitution, they developed a workaround to circumvent the law: Senate Bill 320. During the bill’s Senate hearing, Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover, successfully attached an amendment to the bill that requires absentee voters to provide a form of identification — either the last four digits of their driver’s license or last four digits of their social security number. Supporters included Common Cause Delaware, the ACLU of Delaware and the Attorney General’s Office. Thirty-four states provide voters the option to cast ballots by mail. In 2020, 43.1% of the country’s electorate voted by mail. Same-day voter registration Under previous law, Delawareans had until four Saturdays before an election to register to vote. House Bill 25 eliminated that deadline. Eligible voters may now register to vote in primary, special and general elections on the same day they cast their ballots. “Currently, we have an arbitrary deadline several weeks before an election to register to vote, which disenfranchises potential voters,” said Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker, D-Wilmington, when the bill was up for a vote. “Upon missing this deadline, they are unable to cast ballots, even if they meet all other eligibility requirements. This is an outdated and unfair practice.” Dorsey Walker said same-day registration has worked in several other states and is proven to safely and effectively increase voter turnout.  According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, same-day registration has existed in Maine, Minnesota and Wisconsin since the mid-1970s.  Since then, more than 20 states and the District of Columbia have adopted same-day registration. Several other states are contemplating similar laws. In […]

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  • State School Boards Assn. condemns calling mask protests ‘domestic terrorism’

    The Delaware School Boards Association says it was not consulted before national group called for federal help over school mask protests.   The group that represents Delaware’s school boards does not agree with a national group’s characterizing protests over mask requirements and curriculum issues as hate crimes and acts of domestic terrorism. Those protesting are exercising their right to free speech and to approach a local government board, said the Delaware School Boards Association. The National School Boards Association wrote to President Joe Biden on Sept. 29 seeking federal law enforcement and other assistance to “deal with the growing number of threats of violence and acts of intimidation occurring across the nation.” “Local school board members want to hear from their communities on important issues and that must be at the forefront of good school board governance and promotion of free speech,” the national association said in their letter to Biden. “However, there also must be safeguards in place to protect public schools and dedicated education leaders as they do their jobs.” The national association said it was writing on behalf of its state associations and the more than 90,000 school board members who govern the country’s 14,000 local public school districts. But the Delaware association sought to distance itself from the letter in a Thursday press release. “The Delaware School Boards Association was not consulted prior to the release of this letter, nor do we agree with the letter,” said John Marinucci, the group’s executive director. “The comments and representations contained within the letter do not reflect the position of our organization.” Marinucci said he agrees that order must be maintained and that the safety of board members, staff, families and community members must be the top priority during meetings — but the group believes that free speech and the ability of citizens to address their locally elected board members are essential to successful governance. “The bottom line is that the public education system in Delaware is established on the fundamental principle of local authority,” Marinucci said. “The ability for parents and members of the local community to address their school board is a fundamental aspect of local authority.” Efforts to reach several local schools boards were unsuccessful Thursday afternoon. The letter from the national organization called on Biden to authorize an expedited joint review of the protests by the U.S. Departments of Justice, Education and Homeland Security, along with training, coordination, investigations and enforcement mechanisms from the FBI’s national security branch and counterterrorism division. “As the threats grow and news of extremist hate organizations showing up at school board meetings is being reported, this is a critical time for a proactive approach to deal with this difficult issue,” the national group said.  A proactive approach, in the National School Board Association’s view, includes “enforceable actions” under the Gun-Free School Zones Act, the PATRIOT Act, the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the Violent Interference with Federally Protected Rights statute and the Conspiracy Against Rights statute. The group also requested Biden issue an executive order requiring the enforcement of all applicable federal laws “for the protection of students and public school district personnel.” The Delaware Association of School Boards said it continues to provide guidance to school boards on how they can help ensure their meetings run smoothly, even when there are contentious issues on the agenda. Send story tips or ideas to Charlie Megginson at [email protected] or (302) 344-8293.

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  • Delaware opens vaccine pipeline, but says it will follow federal pause on J&J shot

    Also, Division of Public Health announced it will stop using Johnson & Johnson vaccine for the time being

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  • $10 million bequest to fund 80 annual Del. Music School scholarships

      New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, at microphone, was one of many officials expressing their gratitude for the bequest.   A Wilmington music lover has left $10 million to the Music School of Delaware, a donation officials call transformative and say will help fund 80 scholarships a year in perpetuity. Mary Ellen Northrop, a tax analyst who also played clarinet, began contacting a Music School development officer in 2013 asking about the school. Eventually, Northrop said she would like to do something for the school, but wasn’t specific about what. After she died in June at the age of 78, Music School officials were surprised to discover that Northrop had left it the largest gift it has received in its nearly 100 years. “We are beyond thrilled, obviously, to receive this,” said John du Pont, chair of the Music School board, during a livestreamed event Tuesday. The Music School has an annual budget of $2.5 million and about 2,500 students each year. Those at the school never met Northrop, but stayed in touch with her over the years, and were stunned to learn from Northrop’s executor that she had left $10 million. “This is a life changing event that will help a lot of people,” du Pont said. Northrop loved music and participated in programs at  local churches, playing clarinet solos and singing in the choir, a press release said. Music School treasurer Larry Hamermesh said the Mary Ellen Northrop Endowed Fund for Music Education is set up as an endowment account that will generating earnings for the scholarships. Kate Ransom, president and CEO of the school, said that the scholarships will be open to new and current students. “We certainly hope the influx of new students each year is augmented by the availability of these scholarships,” she said. “We want to reach more students, and believe that is what Ms. Northrop wanted.” Assuming a 4% return on the money, the endowment should support about 80 scholarships of up to $5,000 for the first year for students from preschool through twelfth grade, Hamermesh said.  The scholarships can be used  for tuition, voice lessons, instrument purchase or instrumental rental — but not guitars or guitar lessons, per Northrop’s instructions. The scholarships also can be used to participate in the Music School’s ensembles such as a youth orchestra or other musicianship classes at the school. The second year, the scholarship changes to cover 50% of the cost of music education, Hamermesh said. That could mean that the second year of the scholarship would actually pay more than the first year. If, for example, a student is in a program that costs $8,000 a year for instruction, the scholarship would cover $4,000, he said. “It does get complicated,” he said. The scholarships are open to students from public, private and parochial schools, but not charter schools, Hamermesh said. The scholarships also will be targeted to families that have a federal gross income of less than $150,000. The funds for music lessons are not given to families, but go straight to the Music School, he said. Hamermesh said the Music School, which provides lessons up and down the state, hopes to find a way to offer scholarships to guitar and charter school students. The school’s biggest challenge will be finding ways to help the students after the second year of the scholarship, he said. Even so, he said, “We’re extremely excited to be able to see how this could extend the reach of music education in the state of Delaware.” The school did not have a photo of Northrop. “This magnanimous gift will enable the Music School to extend its standard-setting individual and group  instruction to families who otherwise could not participate,” Ransom said. “We are so grateful to Mary Ellen Northrop for leaving a legacy that will make a profound difference in  the lives of young musicians in Delaware.”        

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  • ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ dancer performs male, female roles

    Lauren Blair Smith sometimes portrays a woman in the national tour of “Fiddler on the Roof,” coming to Wilmington this week. Sometimes, she’s one of the guys. Smith, who snagged the role as a dancer and understudy to two of the featured characters right out of college, dances as a woman in the first big musical scene, “Tradition.” Then she pulls up her pants and jumps in with the guys for “To Life.” “You can definitely spot me,” she says. “I’m like just over 5 foot and all the guys are probably at least 6 foot.” “Fiddler on the Roof” follows a Jewish family with five daughters of marriageable age, with minds of their own about who they’ll marry. They live in a 1905 Russian town that the military is trying to push Jews out of. The musical will play Thursday through Saturday at the Playhouse on Rodney Square, 1007 N. Market St., with matinees Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $48-$107. The best tickets left are Friday and Saturday nights. The musical is nearly 60 years old, and Smith said one of the things she’s realized is how much its themes continue to resonate in today’s world, including dealing with change, women’s rights and ethnic cleansing. After each show, the cast tells the audience that it’s dedicating the performance to Ukraine and its people, who are fighting Russia. At 23 and just out of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Smith had returned home to Singapore after graduation last year when she got a call from her teacher. He told her that producers were casting “Fiddler on the Roof” and he thought she was a good fit. So did the producers. Smith, who was born in San Francisco, moved to Singapore with her family when she was 3. She ended up in North Carolina for university after attending a summer dance intensive there between her junior and senior years at Singapore American School. Officially, Smith’s degrees are a bachelor’s in fine arts in contemporary dance and a minor in arts entrepreneurship. When she returned to Singapore, she founded her own dance company and became a Lincoln Center Kenan Fellow. She’s managing the company from the road and just finished the fellowship, which required the six fellows to create a show together, Smith said during a phone call from the airport in Columbia, South Carolina. Until she signed on with “Fiddler,” Smith said she had no idea dancers could create a career in traveling shows. She’s already been asked back for next year’s tour and could imagine doing it for several years. But having a steady job in a place like New York and Singapore would be great, too, she said. “Life sometimes can throw you some curveballs, so I’m excited to see what happens,” she said. Smith hasn’t been home since she started the tour in October. She now only gets to go home during summer, when she stays for a few months. That makes managing her dance company and its summer intensive program a bit tricky. She’s determined, though, to offer dancers there the opportunity to push their craft with something like summer intensives, to which she didn’t feel like she had access to in high school. The lengthy absence from her family and the city she considers home haven’t been an issue, she said. “I do miss them, but I think when you’re on tour, you create a sort of family within the cast and the crew and the musicians,” she said. “It’s such a supportive system and we all become like family” The cast explores cities and goes on hikes together, she said. “We’re always up to look for new ice cream spots,” Smith said. She’s also enjoyed seeing parts of the United States that she’s never seen and never dreamed she’d see. “That in itself is such a gift, and I’m very lucky and very grateful,” she said. Smith said she’s played one of the sisters, Shprintze or Bielke, about 30 times, which is about one-sixth of the shows she’s done. It was usually because of COVID-19, she said. The actors often don’t find out until about 30 minutes before the curtain that they will be doing another role, she said. The version of “Fiddler” that’s coming to Wilmington is based on a well-received Broadway revival of a few years ago. Smith says most theatergoers seem to be most wowed by the dream sequence. It pops up when the father makes up a nightmare to convince his superstitious mother that the older daughter should not marry the old butcher that the mother wants her to. “The costumes are amazing for that number specifically and I love just everything about it,” she said. She also really likes “Tradition,” the opening number. “It’s just an incredible way to delve into this world,” she said.

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