Delaware Government News

The state's contribution to the university's operations budget, which is a recommendation and must still go through legislative approval in the following months, is approximately $112.4 million, a $825,000 increase from last year, according to Bert In a meeting with the state Joint Finance Committee on Feb.

The head of the Department of Corrections says his agency likely won't see significant savings from efforts to reform Delaware's criminal justice system unless those reforms substantially reduce the prison population.

October 2009: At a ceremony at the former GM plant near Newport, Fisker Automotive CEO Henrik Fisker outlines his company's plan to refurbish the factory to assemble a new line of plug-in hybrid sedans, known as Project Nina.

I've been following the National Popular Vote bill with interest since its passage in the Delaware House of Representatives. The House did the right thing and the State Senate should follow. Under our current system of awarding electoral votes, a presidential candidate could win the popular vote in all 50 states by a large margin and lose the Electoral College (therefore losing the presidency). This isn't just a hypothetical theory. It has happened in four of our 56 presidential elections, one being as recent as the 2000 Bush vs. Gore election. Opponents of National Popular Vote state that it would disenfranchise Delaware, but I think it's really the current system that disenfranchises voters by allowing a second-place candidate to become our president. A candidate could win as few as 11 states and gain enough electoral votes to be awarded the presidency. When a candidate could win 39 states and still lose the presidency, something should be changed, and the National Popular Vote bill is a good way to address this. I hope the State Senate moves quickly to pass National Popular Vote. Joseph Bianchini, Dover

Emerald ash borer, nutria, snakehead and brown marmorated stink bug are all on the 'most wanted list,' even though you won't find their mug shots at the post office. These bad guys, plus three additional species, have been named the 'most wanted' invasive species by the Delaware Invasive Species Council. The list includes insects, fish, plants and one mammal, the nutria. 'National Invasive Species Awareness Week runs Feb. 26 to March 3 and our 'most wanted list' is a way to draw attention to invasives and get Delawareans interested in doing their part to reduce the impact of these non-native species,' says Sue Barton, an ornamental horticulture specialist with University of Delaware Cooperative Extension, and vice chair of the council. Almost every Delawarean has encountered the non-native brown marmorated stink bug, which was accidentally introduced into the U.S., probably as a stowaway in packing crates. First spotted in Allentown, Pa., in 1998, it has since appeared in farm fields, orchards, kitchen cabinets and bedroom drawers throughout Delaware and 33 other states. Homeowners may not like having stink bugs in their sock drawers but they don't cause any harm there. However, stink bugs can wreak havoc outside the home. They feed on a wide range of crops and have caused extensive damage to orchards in West Virginia, Maryland and other nearby states. Not as many Delawareans are familiar with the emerald ash borer, but this beetle, too, is a menace. The emerald ash borer, a native of Asia, has destroyed tens of millions of ash trees in Michigan, Illinois and 15 other states. Close to home, it's killed millions of trees in Pennsylvania and has been positively identified in Maryland. The emerald ash borer hasn't been spotted in Delaware yet, which is one of the reasons it made this year's 'most wanted list.' 'It's a lot easier to control an invasive species when it first appears,' says Kendall Sommers, chair of the Invasive Species Council and a planner with the state Department of Parks and Recreation. 'We're trying to be diligent about catching and controlling invasives as soon as they're spotted,' Sommers says. 'It doesn't take long for an invasive to out-compete other species.' The Invasive Species Council is introducing a program that should help control invasives before they take over everything in sight. Last Wednesday the council met to plan the Early Detection Rapid Response Network, to be launched later this spring. The network is an online, real-time system designed to detect invasive species new to Delaware as soon as they appear here. Initially, the network will be open to industry professionals but later will be available to the public. 'Eventually, we'd love to see everyone participate in this network,' Sommers says. 'A hiker will be able to pull out a smart phone and snap a photo of a suspicious species for us to review. If it turns out to be an invasive species, we'll be able to quickly spread the word.' Once established, invasives are like the house guest who never leaves. Take Barton's experience with Japanese stilt grass, one of the most common invasive plants in Delaware. This annual weed is notorious for forming dense mats that spread in open woods, floodplain forests, wetlands and other areas. Eventually these mats grow into a monoculture, crowding out other plants. In Delaware and other places where white-tailed deer are over-abundant the problem is compounded because deer feed on native plants and avoid stilt grass. 'Japanese stilt grass is pervasive in the woods and meadow areas of my property,' says Barton. 'I have tried to control stilt grass by mowing before it seeds and using herbicides, then replanting with desirable species. My only real success story is an area where I planted ferns and pulled stilt grass for about three years.' If you'd like to help battle invasives on public land, sign up for one of the volunteer events taking place during National Invasive Species Awareness Week. Here's a list: « Blackbird Reserve Invasive Plant Weed-Out. Feb. 26. 1-4 p.m. (Rain/snow date: March 11). To register, or for more info, contact Lynn Staub at 735-3600 or lynne.staub@state.de.us. « Cape Henlopen State Park Invasive Plant Workday. Feb. 26. 1-4 p.m. To register or for more info, contact Ashley Kroon at 242-6004 or Ashley.Kroon@state.de.us. « Trap Pond State Park Invasive Plant Workday. March 3, 9 a.m. to noon. To register or for more info, contact Kroon. « White Clay Creek State Park Invasive Plant Workday. March 3, 9 a.m. to noon. For more info, email Linda.Rossell@state.de.us. « Lums Pond State Park Invasive Plant Workday. March 3, 9 a.m. to noon. To register or for more info, contact Kroon.

Drew Brown, a vice president of Abundant Healing, goes through some of his marijuana supply in 2010 in Fort Collins, Colo.

Throughout this month of February, Delaware's Republican Party enthusiastically joins this nation's African-American community and all Delawareans in celebrating Black History Month (or National African-American History Month). From Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant to Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald R. Ford, Richard M. Nixon and George W. Bush, America's Republican Party leaders have fought tirelessly against the poison of racism that flows through the veins of far too many people of all political persuasions and affiliations. The Republican quest for smaller, more effective government that eschews the cynicism of crony capitalism and challenges the 'reality' of generational dependency that infects this administration and many in Congress is an honorable goal that serves all men and women equally well. It was President Gerald R. Ford who, in 1976, signed the first presidential proclamation establishing February as Black History Month, setting this month aside to honor the many important contributions African-Americans have made toward making America 'the land of the free and the home of the brave.' Through President Ford's efforts, all Americans are now better able to appreciate the contributions and sacrifices of America's African-American visionaries, patriots, scholars and leaders, many of whom were proud and loyal Republicans. Many of us think of the Republican Party as 'The Party of Lincoln,' and so it is. But ours is also 'The Party of Frederick Douglass' and the party of Harriet Tubman, Carter G. Woodson and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Add to this list many other distinguished and accomplished African-American Republicans such as Mary McLeod Bethune, Jackie Robinson, Lynn Swann, Sammy Davis Jr., Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Justice Clarence Thomas and Alveda C. King, plus thousands of others who have given us so much of which we are so proud today and who have made such a positive difference in each of our lives. After the Civil War, 23 black men (13 of whom were former slaves), were elected to Congress, all as members of the Republican Party. President Richard Nixon's Executive Order No. 11625 made certain the authority of the secretary of Commerce to 'implement federal policy in support of the minority enterprise effort.' President Bush enjoyed a much more diverse assembly of Cabinet secretaries than President Obama, including the first two African-American secretaries of state, the latter of whom being Condoleezza Rice -- the first African-American woman to rise to become third in the line of succession to the presidency. This election year, Democratic opposition to fiscally responsible Republican policies will portray the GOP in many distasteful ways -- and yes, the 'race card' will be played, again and again. Unfortunately, this is to be expected in a hotly contested election year in which the incumbent president has so few positive accomplishments upon which to base his re-election campaign. Black voters are crushed under 13.6 percent unemployment, approximately twice that of white unemployment (7.4 percent), yet Democrats push for raising mandatory minimum-wage requirements, ultimately causing even more unemployment for one of the largest segment of minimum-wage earners: black teenagers. For these reasons and many others, the Republican Party supported 32 African-Americans running for Congress in 2010. This is a contemporary historical truth -- and this is still just the beginning. Meanwhile, allies like the National Black Republican Association continue to lead the way and provide information to voters willing to seek the truth. And here's another 'truth': Obamacare is already raising taxes on the middle class of all races and causing more middle-class unemployment while this administration rewards wealthy investment bankers for their role in creating this great recession, all of which disproportionately affects the African-American community. It's no surprise that millions of Americans are rejecting the opposition's false advertising claims that Republicans are 'for' big business while Democrats are 'for' the people -- which proves once again 'you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.' As more investigations and hearings uncover additional 'pay-to-play' scandals and political corruption in the Obama administration, we in Delaware's Republican Party welcome and embrace politically disillusioned people of all races, all nationalities from all walks of life. I invite all to attend our meetings, get to know and become involved with the party. And then bring a friend -- everyone is welcome in our Republican Party.

The Mullins of Pike Creek would have benefited from a new medical information initiative called Help Me Grow.

The Sustainable Energy Utility has approved a no-bid contract with a New York firm to guide a second round of renovations to school, hospital, university and government buildings and extend the program to the private sector. But Gov. Jack Markell's office is saying not so fast on a second round, hoping to see evidence the first round of renovations are putting Delawareans to work. The contract with Becker Capital and Finance was signed Dec. 12 by Sen. Harris McDowell III, one of the co-chairmen of the SEU, after the organization's board approved it, said Frank Murphy, the SEU's attorney. Becker, the SEU's financial adviser who assisted during the first round of renovation bonds, was originally selected through an open bidding process, Murphy said. The SEU is not subject to state procurement rules, allowing it to bypass another round of open bidding to retain Becker for a second round, Murphy said. The SEU is a state-created, quasi-public organization designed to reduce energy consumption and promote small-scale renewable energy in Delaware. It receives its funding from a regional cap-and-trade initiative and has some leftover funds from the stimulus. Becker will be paid $110,000, plus expenses, for activities leading up to the bond issuance, as well as a role in the upcoming review of the SEU's finances. Becker also will be eligible to receive up to $50,000 from the bond issuance itself, according to the contract. The SEU is using the public's money and should have followed a more rigorous procurement procedure, said Brian White, who lobbys for state solar installers. White said he was speaking on behalf of himself. The SEU raised $73 million in bonds last year for renovation projects. The private contractors that performed the work guaranteed the agencies receiving the upgrades a long-term savings on their energy bills. The state agencies, in turn, guaranteed the bonds with payments over 20 years from the energy savings they would realize. The state also invested $11.3 million from the Bond Bill, Delaware's traditional method for funding capital projects. The companies winning the contracts to perform work in the first round were Ameresco, Noresco, Pepco Energy Services, Crane, Trane, Johnson Controls and Honeywell. None are based in Delaware, although Murphy said two have offices in Delaware. It was the agencies, not the SEU, that chose the contractors, Murphy said. 'It certainly would have been better to have more Delaware firms working on these, but to the extent the contractors who were awarded work have the ability to use available Delawareans to meet any outstanding needs on their projects, that would be a benefit to the state,' said Markell's spokesman, Brian Selander. The work is expected to generate about 980 construction jobs. Murphy said he didn't know how many had yet been hired, but of those that had been, 'the overwhelming majority of the jobs created were jobs for Delawareans.'

More than 12,000 Delawareans in the Medicare "doughnut hole" saved an average of $757 last year, according to a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, 21 drivers did not heed the warning to use designated drivers on Super Bowl Sunday and were arrested by state and local police officers for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Attorney General Beau Biden is asking the Delaware legislature's budget committee for $1 million more for his agency than is recommended in Gov.

It seems the harder we try to get back to basics, back to our roots --to simplify our lives and... In 2009 and 2010, 354 Delawareans died as a result of opiates or anti-anxiety drugs -- 72 percent more than from heroine, cocaine and alcohol combined.

With David Lee Roth back in the saddle, the album's 13 tracks feel more than a little bit familiar... The gesture was the talk of Twitter - but Tivo said there wasn't a big bump in viewers who played... DOVER -- University of Delaware leaders asked lawmakers at a state budget hearing Monday to increase its funding by $5.4 million.

In Delaware today, 19.8 percent of households are "asset poor," meaning they have little or no financial cushion to rely on if unemployment or another emergency leads to a loss of income, according to a report released recently by the national nonprofit Corporation for Enterprise Development.

If the experience of Nevada casinos during the online poker boom of the early 2000s repeats itself, the poker tables at Dover Downs would see an influx of new gamblers if online poker were legalized in Delaware.

Faced with a mounting death and hospitalization toll, states are racing to pass laws to combat the latest synthetic drug.

"This is Delaware's time to lead," said Gov. Jack Markell during his State of the State address recently.

A study conducted by D.K.Shifflet & Associates Ltd, a research firm. and Vantage Strategy, a consulting firm, determined that tourism in the state of Delaware is a principal economic driver.

Delaware's Division of Public Health announced the completion Dec. 30 of the initial phase of development of Delaware's Statewide Pediatric System through recognition of Delaware's hospitals as Pediatric Emergency Care Facilities.