View Calendar
Submit new Event
Meet The Team
Advertise with Us!
Subscribe
Subscribe
Image
  • Government
  • Culture
  • Business
  • Education
  • Health
  • Police & Fire
  • Sports
  • Weekly Review
ImageImage
TSD Dec 30 Year In Review

Town Square LIVE Weekly Review – YEAR IN REVIEW 2021

Sonja Frey December 30, 2021 Town Square Live, Weekly Review

TSD Dec 30 Year In Review

This Year’s Top Headlines Include:

COMMUNITY

Kids spend afternoon building snowmen for Hockessin nursing home residents
Couple ends 50-states-by-age-of-50 quest in Delaware
Pike Creek auto center, restaurant exchange punches via funny signs
Delaware Museum of Natural History to reopen May 13 with new focus
Hagley damage may hit $2 million, and it has no flood insurance
Bench of stone books honors devoted Hockessin library volunteer
Mt. Cuba studies best way to grow a forest
Kennett book lover buys Hockessin BookShelf to keep store open
‘Miss JoAnne!’ Reading tutor, buddy forge strong relationship
Winterthur’s 2022 Jackie O exhibit to be based on letters in archive

BUSINESS

Covid. Plastic bag ban. And NOW you’re remodeling my grocery store?
For Above Seven, designing workout gear is tiny part of business plan
Talk of raising minimum wage worries restaurants still reeling from COVID-19
Joy from restaurants, customers greets first day of no masks, full capacity
Cult of Trader Joe’s loses their minds over Christiana store opening
New Bear Drive In will be built with cargo containers
Restaurants cut hours as struggle with hiring continues
Somerville Manning forced to move anniversary show because of flooding
Del. utility workers fight labeling as federal contractors, vaccine mandate
New StretchPlex program to offer individualized stretching, massage
Delaware men create pill bottle cap that uses thumbprint to open

FOOD

Win-win: Hottest trend at Delaware liquor stores is local craft brews 
Milford’s Benvenuto invites mixologists to compete in the Thirsty Games
Snuff Mill Restaurant to open in Independence Mall in July
Wilma’s hopes for strike with duckpin bowling, New Orleans dining

GOVERNMENT

After loud rally, silent protestors stand in view during virtual hearing
Dem post equating Blue Lives Matter with white supremacy sets off controversy
Purzycki hints Caesar Rodney statue will return to square
Pro-Business Delaware launches $550,000 ad urging diversity on courts
Shané Darby’s ‘Blue Klux Klan’ post draws fire from mayor, police, council
State to change way nonprofits seek community redevelopment cash
Proposed voting maps draw ire of voters, advocacy groups, GOP
Mail-in ballots, paid leave, police reform top 2022 legislative agenda

EDUCATION

Budget cuts lead UD’s theater head to retire after 2021-22 school year
Friends’ first graders create classroom jobs they apply for, get paid for
DSU’s Tony Allen tapped to head White House HBCU group
For private schools and prospective students, it’s Admission Season
Independence School’s wowzer of outdoor classroom links kids, nature

HEALTH

Hundreds gather to protest ChristianaCare’s vaccine mandate
Mistakes logging vaccine shots may mean Delaware underreported numbers
Chancery Court won’t force ChristianaCare to give COVID patient Ivermectin

SPORTS

Ursuline’s Sue Heiss announces retirement after 40-year career
Blue Coats ditch Caesar Rodney logo in favor of nondescript horse

RELATED STORIES:

Town Square LIVE Weekly Review – May 12, 2022
Town Square LIVE Weekly Review: March 4, 2021
Town Square LIVE Weekly Review: May 6, 2021
Town Square LIVE Weekly Review – July 15, 2021
Sonja Frey
Sonja Frey

Share this Post

2022 legislative agenda50 states by 50Above SevenAdmission SeasonBear Drive-InBenvenutoBlue Coats new logoBlue Lives MatterbusinessCaesar Rodney statueCampanella's Pike Creek AutomotiveChristianaCarecommunitycraft brewseducationfoodgovernmentHagley flood damagehealthHockessin BookShelfHockessin LibraryIndependence SchoolIvermectinJacqueline Kennedy and Henry Francis du Pont: From Winterthur to the White HouseMayor Mike Purzyckiminimum wage increaseMt. Cubapill bottle capplastic banPro-Business DelawareShane DarbySomerville Manning GallerysportsStretchPlexsue heissSuff Mill restaurantTony AllenTrader Joe'sVaccine Mandatevoting mapsWilma'sWinterthur

Visit Grain Kitchen


Visit Grain Kitchen

You may have missed

  • Senate committee hears Fairness in Women’s Sports Act

      A bill to require Delaware student-athletes to compete on athletic teams or in sports associated with their biological sex was the subject of a raucous Senate committee hearing Wednesday.  Senate Bill 227 specifically aims to prohibit transgender girls — or girls who were born as boys — from playing on girls’ sports teams.  Under the bill, cisgender female athletes, or girls who were born as girls, would be allowed to compete on boys’ sports teams if the sport in question is not available for girls, like wrestling, for example.  “You can be anything you want to be in this great country; the purpose of this bill is not to undermine that privilege,” said Sen. Bryant Richardson, the bill’s sponsor. “The purpose of the bill is to protect the gains in women’s sports that came about almost 50 years ago under Title IX.”  Richardson referred to transgender girls as “male-bodied,” and said that when male-bodied athletes are allowed to compete on girls’ teams, biological girls are at higher risk of injury, because male-bodied athletes are, on average, bigger and stronger. “The inclusion of male-bodied athletes in women’s sports inevitably means that more females lose out,” Richardson, R-Seaford, said. “We have an obligation to defend everyone’s rights. What is wrong is when the rights of some put at risk the rights of others.” The chair of the Senate Health & Social Services Committee, Sen. Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington North, identifies as transgender. McBride is the first openly transgender state senator in the country and the highest-ranking transgender elected official in United States history. She took Richardson’s bill as a personal affront to her identity and said it puts transgender children at risk.  “I didn’t run for this office to talk about transgender identities,” McBride told the committee. “But when legislation comes before me that goes after young people – that goes a step too far.” McBride argued that there are many competitive advantages and disadvantages in high school sports – among them, wealth and access to private coaching, and biological differences between cisgender athletes such as height and weight and athletic capacity.  She asked Richardson if his bill sought to level the playing field by addressing any of those perceived disparities.  “This legislation is aimed at fairness in women’s sports,” Richardson responded. “It’s to protect women’s sports and to protect women against injuries and protect them from losing opportunities for scholarships.” McBride quipped back, “So you believe that I have a biological advantage over Elena Delle Donne in basketball?” Richardson said that’s just one of many examples that could be made to justify an argument on either side. He specifically cited the case of Lia Thomas, a transgender woman who previously swam for the University of Pennsylvania’s men’s team. Thomas’s recent success against cisgender female swimmers has brought renewed attention to the ongoing debate on transgender women’s participation in sports.  The UPenn swimmer has thus become a focal point in a larger political disagreement over the balance between inclusion and fairness.  Democrats protested that Richardson’s bill is a solution in search of a problem – that there have been no instances in Delaware of transgender girls making waves in girls’ sports in the way Thomas has.  Richardson noted a rule passed by the Red Clay School District Board of Education in Dec. 2021 that affirms transgender and gender diverse students’ right to participate in physical education classes and intramural sports corresponding with their gender identity. The rule does not affect athletes on interscholastic competitive sports teams, who must still abide by the policy set by the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association’s board of directors. Under current DIAA policy, transgender students are eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics in a manner consistent with their gender identity under any of the following conditions:  The student provides an official record, such as a revised birth certificate, a driver’s license or a passport, demonstrating legal recognition of the student’s reassigned sex. A physician or social service provider certifies that the student has had appropriate clinical treatment for transition to the reassigned sex. A physician or social service provider certifies that the student is in the process of transitioning to the reassigned sex. RELATED: Amid great tumult, Red Clay passes transgender policy 4-3 The bill is one of at least 35 filed in state legislatures across the country that would limit or prohibit transgender women from competing in women’s athletics.  Republican governors in Indiana and Utah vetoed legislation in recent days that GOP-controlled legislatures in those states passed.  The wave of bills is part of a larger agenda, McBride said.  “The collection of these bills nationally, including this legislation today, seeks to strip away any layer of support that a trans kid may have,” she said. “And the outcome of that strategy is to make life so difficult for trans kids – to make them feel so alone – that some never grow up to be adults.” Sen. Marie Pinkney, D-Bear, took those charges to another level. Richardson, she said, did not bring the legislation forward because he’s concerned about women’s sports – he brought the legislation forward because he doesn’t believe in trans rights, she said.  “What you’re doing is harmful. What you’re doing is deadly,” she told Richardson. “And as someone who represents over 42,000 people – many of whom likely identify as transgender or non-conforming – you should be ashamed of your actions to come before this committee and do harm.” Richardson objected to the suggestion that he brought the bill forward out of some type of disdain for a particular group of people. “I believe in the ‘live and let live policy,’” he said. “You can be anything that you want to be as long as it doesn’t interfere with someone else’s rights and I think in this case, it’s interfering with the rights of young female athletes to…a level playing field.” Richardson called on Thomas Neuberger, a Delaware constitutional, civil rights and sports attorney, to provide testimony on the ways biological girls […]

    ...
    Read More
  • 5 districts see hefty increase in voter turnout for school board election 

    Five school districts had huge increases in voter turnout in Tuesday’s school board elections, with some doubling or tripling their vote count from last year’s election. At the same time, seven districts with contested races actually saw a decrease in voter participation since last year. Many observers hoped to see the statewide forums and increased interest in what’s happening in schools result in big increases of school board voters. That didn’t happen. That number traditionally has been cited as 10% of a district’s voters and while some districts were up, the tide didn’t rise for every district.  In 2020, 14,999 votes were cast throughout the state’s eight school board election races.  In 2021, 25,805 votes were counted, a 72% increase from 2020, but in a year with 10 races. In total Tuesday, 15,101 votes were cast in Delaware’s 12 races. Per Delaware code, if a candidate is running unopposed, they are automatically declared the winner of the race without an election taking place. The districts with huge voter jumps in 2022 were: Colonial – 280% increase Lake Forest – 260% increase Smyrna – 212% increase Milford – 127% increase Caesar Rodney – 26% increase from 2020 (uncontested seat in 2021 = no election held) Overall, only three districts had more than 5% of their eligible voters show up to the polls – Milford, Lake Forest and Smyrna Of those, Milford had the highest total with 7.84% of voters casting their ballot.. Seven districts with contested races saw a decrease in voter participation since last year, but not as drastic a change as the districts with increased turnout. Those districts were: Delmar – 58% decrease Red Clay – 46% decrease Woodbridge – 40% decrease  Laurel – 21% decrease Appoquinimink – 44% decrease from 2020 (uncontested seat in 2021 = no election held) Capital – 33% decrease from 2020 (uncontested seat in 2021 = no election held) Seaford – 2% decrease from 2019 (uncontested seat in 2021 = no election held, no election in 2020)  School board elections traditionally are meant to be apolitical. The state elections website doesn’t even have a space for a candidate’s party. That didn’t stop national political issues such as critical race theory, gender identity, sex education and banning books being discussed in forums and other places. Instead of illustrating divisiveness, though, groups such as First State Action Fund see the narrative more as the community members voicing their opinions. “​​This was really a community effort,” said Liz Butcher, director of communications for the organization, one of 10 to sponsor statewide forums. “This was everybody coming together to try to get people to understand how important it is to vote in school board elections, and the community is more aware of the stakes of the results.” The Delaware Republican Party endorsed 16 candidates and helped several of them campaign. Jonathan Snow of  Smyrna, and Rita Hovermale of Woodbridge were the only two GOP-backed candidates to win their races. Right-wing organization Patriots for Delaware endorsed 11 candidates. Matt Bucher of Milford  and Dawn Adkins Litchford of Delmar, were their two winning candidates. There are no election “losers,” Butcher said, citing the thousands of people that came out to exercise their right to vote. “Everybody is obviously committed to public involvement and having the ability to make these decisions that shape and mold the future of public education in Delaware,” she said. The preliminary results can be found here. The election should be certified this week. School board election winners will be appointed to their positions on July 1. Under a new state law, they will serve four-year terms rather than the previous five-year ones. Contact education reporter Jarek Rutz at [email protected]

    ...
    Read More
  • Science of reading bill sails through Senate, awaits Carney’s signature
    books reading

      A bill aimed at combating the sharp decline in Delaware’s literacy rates since 2002 swept through the General Assembly. It unanimously passed the Senate Tuesday, following a unanimous vote in the House last week. “I predict that in 10 years we are going to be in the top 10 states in reading proficiency because of what we’re doing here today,” said SB 4 sponsor Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Greenville. Gov. John Carney now has 10 days to either sign or veto the bill. If he chooses to do nothing, the bill passes after those 10 days of inaction. Two amendments were added to the bill.  RELATED STORY: Seaford test scores improve with focus on science of reading One would allow teacher leaders to take on the responsibility for implementing the science of reading curricula, not just a building level supervisor as previously written.  This will give teachers great leadership experience and could help them rise in the pay schedule, something that the General Assembly has recently legislated to try to increase teacher salaries. That first amendment says that not every school has to have a reading coach. There could be a district-level coach floating from school to school in the state’s smaller districts, Sturgeon said.  The second amendment would allow schools and districts to apply to the state to add a curriculum they believe meets that criteria added to the curated list that the state Department of Education will create. “This just strengthens the language that the locals can ask and should be approved for curriculum as long as they meet the core components of evidence based reading,” Sturgeon said.   

    ...
    Read More
  • Body camera training underway in Wilmington as new bill calls for statewide policy

    The bill would require all law enforcement and some correction and other officers to wear a body camera

    ...
    Read More
  • Purzycki, FOP: Congo’s police shaming ‘baseless, abhorrent’
    a screen shot of a man in a suit and tie

    LEFT TO RIGHT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT TRIPPI CONGO, MAYOR MIKE PURZYCKI, POLICE CHIEF ROBERT TRACY The mayor of Wilmington and the union that represents the city’s police officers are pushing back against the City Council president’s claims that the department is failing to promote diversity and morale within its ranks.  After leading the City Council to a Jan. 20 vote of no confidence in police Chief Robert Tracy, Council President Trippi Congo upped the ante last week. Congo shared a photo of a trophy that was given to a Black detective by a white male superior which includes an engraved plaque that reads “Whitest Black Guy in the Office Award” and said it illustrated systemic problems within the department’s ranks.  Mayor Mike Purzycki fired back Monday, saying, “City Council president’s baseless attacks on the Wilmington Police Department are doing irreparable harm to the department and to law enforcement in the city. Trippi Congo’s charges were cheap shots — easy to make but with absolutely no specifics — and that’s completely irresponsible for a person in his position.” Attempts to reach Congo for comment were unsuccessful. But the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 1, the group that represents police officers in Wilmington, weighed in, calling Congo’s actions “abhorrent” and said sharing the photo of the trophy was “despicable and self-serving and furthermore has put more than one officer in a position they frankly don’t deserve.” Tracy was appointed by Purzycki in April 2017. The council vote, which passed six to four, recommended a third-party audit of the department’s policies and practices. An online petition expressing support for the chief and police department has since gathered more than 1,100 signatures. Purzycki said that while the trophy was “given in jest to an African American detective who displayed it on his desk,” such behavior “has no place in our police department or any city government office which is precisely what Chief Tracy said last week when he opened an investigation into the trophy matter.” He said race-related jokes are “out of bounds, regardless of how it was intended within the police fraternity.” “But to suggest, without having all the facts as the council president did, that this is somehow indicative of some defect in the culture of the department is patently false and damaging to police-community relations.” RELATED: Wilmington council president goes public with WPD ‘whitest Black guy’ trophy Mike Groark, president of FOP Lodge No. 1, wrote in an open letter that “the council president has no experience nor a frame of reference to comment on anything that goes on within the confines of 300 N. Walnut Street, and certainly has no business or authority to speak on the working conditions, culture or the morale of the officers of the Wilmington Police Department.”  300 N. Walnut Street is the address for the department’s headquarters.  Groark argued that there were numerous options for Congo to have reported allegations of harassment or workplace hostility rather than holding a “vote of no confidence” and publicly shaming the chief. Those options include reporting allegations to police command staff, which includes an African American inspector, three African American captains, a Latino captain and an openly gay female inspector. If he didn’t feel comfortable with those options, Groark said, “he has available to him any of the 18 members of the FOP Lodge No. 1 board of directors, three of which are assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division, including an African American male and female.” Groark said Congo also could have reported allegations to the director and deputy director of the city’s human resources department, both of whom are African American females. “All these options are also available to members of the Wilmington Police Department,” the union president said.  “What is alarming to our members is the fact the council president is knowingly and intentionally not reporting what he is being told in the appropriate manner,” Groark continued. “If he truly cared about the culture and morale of the Police Department and had legitimate concerns about police officer’s health and welfare, he would not have reported an incident directly to his personal Facebook page. He would have used any of the above-mentioned means in order to initiate a conversation with the chief of police or any officer of the command staff.” After sharing the image of the trophy, Congo accused the city’s police chief of demonstrating “resistance and a pattern of failure to provide information when requested, including any ideas to increase communication, transparency, diversity and police reform.” Those critiques represent an about-face from statements Congo made in April 2021 after the city’s police academy graduated its most diverse class of officers in history. Out of 19 graduates sworn in, 10 of them were minorities, including five African American males, one African American female, one Hispanic female and three white females. “Hats off to the mayor and to Chief Tracy for listening to Council, listening to the community, and making this class diverse,” Congo said at the time. “To be representative of the community that we’re a part of, I think it’ll go a long way in those relationships.” Purzycki said Congo “apparently forgotten” that he had congratulated Tracy on department diversity and noted that the upcoming 101st Police Academy is poised to be even more diverse than the last. “The council president ought to be congratulating the two African American police officers with decades of knowledge and experience — Inspector of Administration Charles Emory and Capt. Anthony Bowers — who are in charge of recruitment and have produced these very encouraging academy results,” Purzycki said.  The mayor reiterated that 60% of the city’s police department identify with at least one minority group. Of the department’s seven captains, three are African Americans and one is Hispanic. The department’s two inspectors are a white woman and an African American male.  According to Purzycki, of the 301 current sworn police officers, 104 or 35% are minorities. That includes 56 African American males, 15 African American females, 19 Hispanic males, […]

    ...
    Read More
  • Government |
  • Culture |
  • Business |
  • Education |
  • Health |
  • Police & Fire |
  • Sports |
  • Weekly Review |
Image

Follow Town Square Live

Copyright © 2021 Townsquare Live
Founded in 2011

Copyright © 2021 Town Square Live
 
  • Government |
  • Culture |
  • Business |
  • Education |
  • Health |
  • Police & Fire |
  • Sports |
  • Weekly Review |
Image

    • Government
    • Culture
    • Business
    • Education
    • Health
    • Police & Fire
    • Sports
    • Weekly Review
    • FEEDBACK