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TSD Review Aug 10

TownSquareLIVE Weekly Review – August 10, 2023

Sonja Frey August 10, 2023 Town Square Live, Weekly Review

This Week’s Top Headlines Include:

Lyme disease documentary, event set Friday at Screening Room
Avelo to announce service expansion to tropics Thursday
Want to better understand child’s testing scores? Here’s help
A look at DMA’s Fusco Memorial Stadium

Click on the image below to view the PDF

TSD Review Aug 10 scaled

RELATED STORIES:

TownSquareLIVE Weekly Review – November 23, 202311/23/2023
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Sonja Frey
Sonja Frey

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Avelo Airlines expansionbancroft schoolbid for EV stationsBoro CafeCharles Edward Williamscoaches fieldcommunitydavid baylorDelaware Art MuseumDr. Naveed BaqireducationFaithful Friendsfood and diningfusco memorial stadiumgovernmentHagley plein airIron Hill menuLe Cav dinnersLyme disease documentaryOdessa Ducks stadiumSaint Mark's esportssportsstate dataset on school testingtest scores dismaltips for parentswant to understand test scoresWilmington Learning Collaborative

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    Colonial School District will get four new environmentally-friendly and fuel-efficient buses courtesy of a federal rebate program. (Pexels)

    Colonial School District is adding three electric buses and one propane-powered bus to its fleet, courtesy of an $809,000 federal grant awarded to the state’s Department of Education.  In addition to a quieter ride, electric and propane-powered buses are said to be more environmentally friendly than gasoline-powered ones because they release less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Colonial Superintendent Jeff Menzer said that while the buses will improve Colonial’s transportation services for students and families, bus drivers will benefit, too. “We believe electric school buses not only run cleaner than the typical diesel school bus, but they also run more quietly,” Menzer said. “This quieter environment may be more appealing to bus drivers, giving them peace of mind to more clearly hear things inside and outside of their bus without having to listen to the roar of the louder engine.” The Department of Education won the money after applying for a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Rebate program. The program will provide $5 billion nationally over the next five years to help school districts replace their gas guzzlers with buses that are more fuel-efficient, quieter, and better for the environment. According to the Department of Education, 108 buses in the state are already propane-powered. In late August, Delaware’s Department of Education submitted rebate applications to the federal government for 14 electric and 17 propane-powered school buses. Their requests were split among five districts:  Red Clay Consolidated: 8 electric and 6 propane Brandywine: 7 propane Capital: 3 electric, 1 propane Colonial: 3 electric, 1 propane Caesar Rodney: 2 propane However, Colonial was the only district to be awarded the buses, as the federal program uses a lottery system and Colonial’s request was the first to come up in Delaware’s application, according to Alison May, public information officer at the Department of Education. The primary target of the rebate program is to replace diesel buses that were manufactured prior to 2010. In Delaware, 99% of state-owned buses were manufactured after 2010, and 76% began operating after 2016, according to the Department of Education.  Colonial has a fleet of 80 buses, and three are already propane-fueled.

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  • Proposed Cape Henlopen eatery spawns protests, public forum

    The agency that runs Cape Henlopen State Park is asking for the public’s feedback on a proposal to build a restaurant in the main beach parking lot. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will hold a public meeting to discuss the proposal Monday Dec. 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Cape Henlopen High School auditorium. With hundreds of residents organized to oppose the change, the meeting isn’t likely to be without controversy. The restaurant was proposed after DNREC requested bids to manage the park’s main beach area concessions, which include chair and umbrella rentals and the snack shop in the bathhouse.  According to the agency, the request for proposals was made after visitors indicated on surveys that they’d like to see a higher level of food service and improvements for visitor amenities. La Vida Hospitality LLC — the company behind Crooked Hammock Brewery, Taco Reho, Big Chill Surf Club and Big Chill Cantina — was awarded the contract to manage the main concessions for one year with exclusive rights to negotiate with DNREC for an extension of up to 24 years. According to the Cape Gazette, a grassroots group called the Preserve Our Park Coalition has formed to protest the project. The group has launched a letter-writing campaign and held a protest march on Nov. 13 near the park entrance. “We are opposed to constructing a privately-operated 6,000 square-foot oceanfront restaurant at Cape Henlopen State Park in the main ocean beach parking lot adjacent to the Hawk Watch,” the coalition says on its GoFundMe, which as of Tuesday has raised $2,930 of its $25,000 goal. The group alleges that the proposed restaurant would violate the Warner Grant Land Trust, which says that the lands in the park may not be used for private benefit “to the detriment of such public benefit, subject, however, to use for railroad purposes existing at the time of this Act.” The debate, clearly, will be about whether the proposed restaurant would be “to the detriment of such public benefit.” “Delaware law protects the treasured natural resources of Cape Henlopen State Park as set down in the William Penn grant in 1682 and later clarified by the Delaware General Assembly in the Warner Grant amendment in 1979,” the coalition says on its website. As part of the agreement, stakeholders will research the feasibility of adding a restaurant and new restrooms, with time set aside to allow both parties to conduct due diligence before any final decisions are made regarding the proposed restaurant. According to DNREC, park staff will continue to gather data regarding natural and cultural resources in the area, and seek public input regarding the levels of service provided at the site, such as accessibility, restrooms and improved food service.  Anyone who is unable to attend the Dec. 5 public meeting but wants to give feedback on the proposed restaurant may do so by visiting destateparks.com/contact and selecting “Cape Henlopen Restaurant Proposal” from the Delaware State Parks location drop-down menu.

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  • IRS: Delaware’s $300 rebate will be federally tax exempt
    Tax rebate Delaware General Assembly

    The $300 state tax relief rebate that nearly 800,000 Delaware residents received in 2022 will not be taxed by the federal government. The Internal Revenue Service said Friday that the First State is one of 21 states whose rebates will not be included in income because they are designated as qualified disaster payments. The General Assembly authorized the payments last year, on the heels of two years of complaints from Republican members that the state’s record high surpluses should mean tax breaks for residents instead of only splurge spending by the state. Legislators contended it was needed to help people still recovering from losses during the coronavirus pandemic and because of rising gasoline prices and widespread inflation. Then in January, House Democrats moved to classify the tax rebate as a qualified disaster payment, and the House Bill 25 blew through the House and Senate before they took their February break. Rebate cost state $180 million The money also is not subject to Delaware income taxes. House Minority Leader Rep. Lyndon Yearick, R-Camden, Wyoming, in a January press release that he hoped the General Assembly “can retain the bipartisan cooperation demonstrated on this measure as we look to further help working Delawareans struggling with higher inflationary costs.” RELATED STORY: Did you receive your $300 tax rebate? RELATED STORY: House moves to keep $300 rebate from being taxed The Delaware program was estimated to cost more than $180 million, which was funded through a budget surplus. The IRS announcement Friday said it had “determined that in the interest of sound tax administration and other factors,” Delaware residents didn’t need to report that money on federal tax returns. Other states whose payments were related to general welfare or disaster relief included California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Some Alaska, Georgia, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Virginia residents also will be able to benefit from the ruling, if they meet certain requirements.  

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    Hell’s Belles is a new bakeshop on Union Street in Wilmington. (Courtesy of Yesenia Taveras, director of communications for Wilmington City Council)

    Wilmington’s Little Italy section has been home to some of Delaware’s most iconic bakeries. Take, for instance, DiFonzo’s, which opened here in 1945. After the Wilmington site closed in 2004, Black Lab Breads moved in. Meanwhile, Sheila Papa opened Papa’s Pastry Shop in 2001. Stephanie Grubb recalls each bakery. “As a kid, I remember coming down and going to all the different shops on Union Street that aren’t here anymore,” said Grubb, who lives in Bellefonte. “There’s so much history on this street, and people always remember it as having bakeries.” Grubb and her partner, Hannah Schoenbach, are keeping the legacy alive. On Feb. 3, the partners held the grand opening for Hell’s Belles Bake Shop at 600 N. Union St. — Papa’s Pastry Shop’s old location. Seizing opportunities Grubb and Shoenbach met while working at De La Coeur, a café specializing in pastries and breakfast. The café had an original location on Lovering Avenue in Wilmington’s Forty Acres community and a second location in Independence Mall on Concord Pike. Although the Forty Acres site had just eight tables, it was regularly packed. The suburban store was just getting started when the COVID pandemic hit, initially shutting down indoor dining. Owners Gretchen and Alex Sianni closed both sites in spring of 2020. Now jobless, Schoenbach, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, and Grubb decided to open a business. “We weren’t sure if it would be a takeaway model or an online business — or what it would be,” Grubb said. To start, the entrepreneurs sold pastries at Westside Farmers Market at Cool Spring Park. Meanwhile, they investigated a lease on Papa’s old space, which had been vacant for nearly seven years. Welcome to Union Street The partners, who had to buy all new equipment, are pleased with the location. “There are so many small businesses on this street — it’s a great spot to be,” Grubb said. One of those businesses is Sweet Somethings Dessert Shop, which opened in 2004 at 1006 N. Union St. Among Sweet Something’s offerings is specialty cakes. There’s no competition there. “We want to stick with pastries predominantly,” Grubb explained. “We try to offer cake by the slice — lemon pound cake, almond cake or bundt cake — but if anyone wants something more elaborate, we refer them to another shop.” Instead, Hell’s Belles’ customers will find croissants, cookies, hand pies and crumb bars. Challah is available Fridays and Saturdays. Babka and cinnamon buns are available on Saturdays. Hell’s Belles is open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. David St. Clair, who lives nearby, is already a fan. “If you loved [De La Coeur] … you get to support this place as it grows and ripens,” he said. “La Colombe coffee is a must.” Bakery facing forward Meanwhile, Hell’s Belles’ wholesale business has been winning accolades from vendors. “Everything Hannah and Steph have made for us so far has been simply amazing,” said Dwayne Foster, co-owner of Mercury Café & Teahouse in New Castle. “Their quality and flexibility have made it so easy to work with them. We are so lucky to have found them.” The bakery also provides treats to the new Scout Café in Wilmington’s Triangle neighborhood, and they hope to sell them to Lucky Shot Coffee Co. when it opens in Trinity Vicinity. “It doesn’t get any better — local, small women-owned business, outstanding product and the best people to deal with,” said Nick Quaabar, owner of Scout Café. “That’s a win all around for me.” But retail is just as important; the shop has a seating area and display cases. And this summer, Hell’s Belles will again be a farmers market vendor. In the future, the owners may increase savory options, such as breakfast sandwiches. Time will tell, but for now, the future looks sweet.

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