This story was originally published in October 2022 A suburban New Castle County race for state House is turning into one of most hotly-contested battles of this year’s general election. Incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Ramone, who has been in office since 2009, faces Democrat Dr. Frank Burns for the South Pike Creek seat — one of the last held by Republicans in the …
2022 Rewind: Legislative Hall expansion far from a done deal
This story was originally published in August 2022. A committee assembled to draft plans for a potential expansion of Delaware’s state capitol building spent much of its Thursday meeting reiterating the tentative nature of its work. The committee was established after the General Assembly unanimously voted in 2021 to study and recommend a plan to address Legislative Hall’s technological, security …
2022 Rewind: Supreme Court strikes down vote-by-mail
This story was originally published in October 2022. In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of Delaware has ruled the state’s mail-in voting and same-day voter registration statutes unconstitutional. Neither will be allowed in the Nov. 8 general election. The ruling, which came just one day after oral arguments, is a major defeat for Gov. John Carney and Delaware Democrats. …
2022 Rewind: Republican Party must change to win, leaders say
This story was originally published in November 2022. Republicans did not fare well in Delaware’s 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 …
2022 Rewind: Kowalko says House Speaker killed IG bill
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 Schwartzkopf’s leadership style. That leadership style can be characterized by “coercion, intimidation, incentivizing and reward,” Kowalko …
2022 Rewind: Affordable housing crisis affects middle class, too
This story was originally published in April 2022. Evidence continues to pile up that Delaware is struggling to provide affordable housing: Data released in April by Housing Alliance Delaware says the state faces a shortage of more than 18,000 affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income renters. Also this April, Delaware State Housing Authority announced that eligible Delaware renters …
Get into the holiday spirit with these local craft brews
It’s official: Christmastime is here. But if you’re anything like many of our readers, you’ve been so busy working, shopping for presents and buying groceries that you’re just not feeling the holiday spirit yet. Not to worry. For such a small state, Delaware is chock-full of local craft breweries, and many of them have curated unique winter warmers that (after …
Longest-serving Superior Court judge to retire
Delaware’s longest-serving Superior Court judge will retire after 30 years on the bench, court administrators announced Wednesday. Judge William Carpenter Jr. will step down Dec. 31, 2022, he said in a letter to Gov. John Carney in October. “While it is always difficult to walk away from a job that you have found so rewarding, my time has come,” Carpenter …
Delaware’s minimum wage to rise again Jan. 1
Delaware’s minimum wage earners will get a 12% raise in the new year. The state’s lowest legal salary for most industries is set to increase on Jan. 1 from $10.50 to $11.75 per hour. The wage hike is the second in a four-part incremental increase that will reach $15 per hour by 2025. Last year, the minimum wage went from …
Senate Dems pick up committee seats with larger majority
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. “Legislative committees are an essential part of the legislative process where senators gather public input and determine which bills should move forward,” Sokola said in a news release. “The assignments …