A ship collision protection is among the capital projects planned by the Delaware River and Bay Authority. (Delaware River and Bay Authority)

Expanded Wilmington Airport among DRBA’s $132.7M capital plan

Ken MammarellaBusiness, Government, Headlines

  The Delaware River and Bay Authority will spend $6.6 million to improve and expand the Wilmington Airport terminal, according to its five-year capital investment plan. That is one of 120 major improvement projects costing $132.7 million at the Delaware Memorial Bridge, the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, the Forts Ferry, the Millville Executive Airport, the Cape May Airport, the Delaware Air …

road sign

DelDOT has no plans to end its humorous road signs

Ken MammarellaGovernment, Headlines

It wasn’t considered funny when the feds told the states that their road signs can no longer be humorous. The new standard – described on Page 519 of the 11th edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways – made the front page of The Wall Street Journal on Jan. 11. Ever since, writers have …

A library branch is named after its prominent Brandywine Hundred location. (Ken Mammarella photo)

Roof, HVAC work to close Brandywine library for 3 months

Ken MammarellaCulture, Government, Headlines

  The Brandywine Hundred Library is closing for three months to replace its roof and its heating, ventilating and cooling system. New Castle County is planning to close the library from Feb. 1 through May 1. During that time, it will open the Claymont and Woodlawn libraries seven days a week, with extended hours. “This project has been needed for …

Pink Electrical Services in Clayton is a recent winner of an EDGE grant for small businesses. (Courtesy of Kathy Collison)

EDGE grants give Del. entrepreneurs money – and advice

Ken MammarellaBusiness, Government, Headlines

  When businesses run by Kathy Collison and Donny Legans won EDGE grants from the Delaware Division of Small Business, they got more than a lot of money. They got a lot of good advice. “The biggest takeaway is that the application process forces you as a new business owner to think through a lot of things that you didn’t …

train A study starts in 2024 to resume passenger rail service from Wilmington (shown in this photo) or Newark to downstate Delaware. (David Wilson photo from Wikimedia Commons)

DelDOT to study restoring passenger rail service downstate

Ken MammarellaGovernment, Headlines

A Delaware Department of Transportation unit has received a federal grant of up to $500,000 to study bringing back passenger rail service to the Delmarva Peninsula. “The Diamond State Line will provide rail service south from Wilmington or Newark through Dover to Harrington, and then continue southbound along one of two potential routes, based on the presence of existing railroad …

Mariah Ghant and Robert Tombari are Delaware Shakespeare's new artistic and managing directors.

Delaware Shakespeare names artistic, managing directors

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Delaware Shakespeare has selected a familiar face and a newcomer to lead the 21-year-old group. They are Mariah Ghant, artistic associate and literary manager for the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, as artistic director and Robert Tombari, program director of Goshen (Indiana) Theater, as managing director. When David Stradley decided to resign as Del Shakes artistic director, the Del Shakes board …

“Pet retention” emphasizes how pets can stay in their homes, rather than being taken in by shelters. (Yerlin Matu photo from Unsplash) 

Animal shelters focus on helping people keep pets

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Humane Animal Partners, an animal shelter that has been serving Delaware for 150 years, is embracing a newish concept among shelters nationwide: pet retention. Instead of admitting every animal in need to the shelter, the nonprofit works with people to help them keep their animals in their homes. Sometimes, that involves resources, such as a food pantry, veterinarian care and …

The Warehouse has renovated its gym and named it The Mac. (The Warehouse)

Wilmington’s Warehouse adds mental health room, improves gym

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

The Warehouse, which calls itself Delaware’s first community center for teens and by teens, has opened a support room for mental health and overhauled its gym. “I’m excited we are opening two spaces that really reflect teen priorities,” Anthony Green, Warehouse teen executive board president, said in a statement. The Warehouse is at 1121 Thatcher St., on the East Side …

University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis at the board of trustees meeting.

University of Delaware president paints rosy picture to board

Ken MammarellaEducation, Headlines

University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis offered a grab-bag of ideas to the UD board of trustees at their semiannual meeting on Tuesday. They include increasing stipends for graduate students (reaching $24,500 to $36,000, depending on how much they teach and other factors), expanding the honors college (“now exceeding 17,000 applications for 600 spots”), “strengthening our entrepreneurship ecosystem” (hopefully increasing …

Metcalf House, Lewes (Courtesy of the Delaware Preservation Fund)

24 buildings share $140K in Del. Preservation Fund grants

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Two dozen historic structures – 15 houses, four churches, three commercial buildings, a school and a lighthouse – have received grants from the Delaware Preservation Fund. Several are open to the public as museums, including Rockwood Park and Mansion, Barratt’s Chapel, the Lydia B. Cannon Museum and the Parson Thorne Mansion. The grants totaled $140,000 – a bigger pot than …