Delaware House of Representatives Democrats on Thursday forced an end to a floor debate so they could pass their speaker’s controversial bill to create a state board to oversee hospital budgets. The move came after three hours of head-scratching gamesmanship in which Republicans essentially filibustered with multiple representatives questioning aspects of the bill and Speaker of the House Valerie Longhurst’s …
Hospital board pay: $40,000 a year to chair, $35,000 to six members
A new version of the bill that would create a board to oversee state hospital budgets would pay the chairman $40,000 a year and the six members at $35,000 a year. a total of $234,694 a year. “For this analysis, average salary costs are assumed to be similar to those of other existing state boards and commissions,” the fiscal impact …
New Castle County to manage Hope Center after audit
This story was originally published by Spotlight Delaware. New Castle County is taking over the operations of the Hope Center homeless shelter from a hotel company that had held the contract to manage the facility ever since it launched during the height of the COVID pandemic. The company, Hersha Hospitality Trust, is the same firm that sold the Hope Center building â …
House GOP condemns Morrison for rape, violence comments
Delaware House Republicans this week condemned Rep. Eric Morrison who, among other things, said in a hearing that racketeering, extortion and bestiality were not violent crimes and that most cases of rape were statutory and not violent.  “While Rep. Morrison is factually wrong–racketeering, extortion and bestiality often involve violence–our antipathy for his declaration centers on his views of sexual assault …
Advances in mammography among Breast Cancer Update topics
The use of artificial intelligence in screening for breast cancers and a little used technique that can efficiently and economically find cancers in women at high risk for that cancer are among the topics to be tackled during the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition’s annual update in May. Dr. Jacqueline Holt, medical director of the Delaware Imaging Network, says that …
Dela-brity Chef Robbie Jester is back on TV
If you peruse the list of upcoming Food Network programs, you might see a familiar name on the list of âChoppedâ contestants. Wearing a red chefâs coat, Robbie Jester of Pizzeria Mariana in Newark stands behind the signature basket of mystery ingredients. Jester is one of the 16 chefs competing on âChopped Battle Italiano,â which will debut on Tuesday, May 28. Chefs Scott Conant, …
Home delivery of wine, beer, cocktails clears another hurdle
A Delaware Senate bill that will allow state residents to have home delivery of alcohol in the form of wine, beer and mixed cocktails from restaurants, brewpubs and taverns is one step closer to becoming a law, despite opposition from Delaware’s liquor stores. Senate Bill 166, sponsored by Sen. Jack Walsh, D-Wilmington, blew through the House Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce …
Symphony readies for a season of music director tryouts
Audiences attending the Delaware Symphony Orchestra’s 2024-25 season will have a say in who is chosen as its new music director. The symphonyâs 119th season will showcase the four finalists for the job: MĂ©lisse Brunet, Filippo Ciabatti, Michelle DiRusso, and Taichi Fukumura, Each will conduct a classical concert, and audience members will be surveyed afterward about how they thought the …
State committee endorses pricey, private garage tunnel
A state building committee voted Friday to build a private tunnel from a planned parking deck into Legislative Hall to allow elected officials to safely walk from secured parking spots into the building without interaction with the public. Right now, the legislators park in marked parking spots with their names clearly marked on them around the capital building. The tunnel …
Meet Bobby Pancake, celebrating High 5 Hospitality’s 20 years
Bobby Pancake has heard it all. The CEO of Newark-based High 5 Hospitality is accustomed to people commenting on his last name, especially since High 5 operates Eggspectation, a Christiana-area restaurant famous for breakfast and brunch. How does he handle it? âI deal with it the same way Kevin Bacon deals with it,â he said. âSo, Iâm Bobby Pancake, and heâs Kevin Bacon. …