Delaware Newswire
Comprehensive Real-Time News Feed for Delaware.
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DELAWARE: Afro-American Historical Society files complaint with Attorney General
Members of the Afro-American Historical Society have filed a complaint with the state Attorney General's Office accusing Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker of wrongly awarding $1 million to the Delaware Historical Society to establish a black heritage center. Comment?
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Man with knife robs Milltown gas station
A man armed with a knife robbed a Milltown gas station Sunday night, police reported today. The incident happened about 11:15 p.m. at the Valero station, 1327 McKennans Church Road. A 21-year-old clerk turned over cash when confronted by the robber, who then fled on foot. The clerk was not injured. The robber was described as about 5-feet 5-inches to 5-feet 8-inches tall and weighing 150-160 pounds. He was wearing a black hat, black shoes, black hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. State police ask anyone with information to call (302) 834-2630 ext. 6. Tips may be texted with keyword “DSP” to 274637 (CRIMES). Tips also may be submitted anonymously through Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or www.tipsubmit.com. Comment?
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Obama budget to include $31 million for deepening of Delaware River, Bay
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WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama’s budget proposal recommends spending $31 million to deepen the main shipping channel of the Delaware River and Bay, Sen. Chris Coons’ office confirmed. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell and the Delaware congressional delegation have lobbied hard for additional funds. Having the money in the budget proposal, due to be released at 11:15 a.m. today, could make it easier for lawmakers to protect funds for the 103-mile project during the appropriations process. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said last week that it would spend $16.9 million this year to deepen the channel, a $267 million project. “Deepening the Delaware River is really about keeping our region and our nation competitive in the global economy,” said Coons, D-Del. “Deeper waters mean bigger ships can come in and out of the Port of Wilmington. That means new opportunities for businesses in the region and more jobs here in Delaware. I'm glad it's part of the President's budget proposal and will work to protect it in Congress." The project would deepen the Delaware River and Delaware Bay shipping channel to 45 feet from its current 40-foot depth. Project supporters say the dredging would provide deeper-bottomed ships access to ports and refineries in the Philadelphia, Wilmington and South Jersey areas, protecting the region’s economy and giving port interests a stronger hand in competition for shippers. Taxpayer groups and others, however, accused federal officials of using a procedural dodge to fund the latest phase. Corps officials will draw this year’s deepening money from special funds that Congress established in the agency’s budget, allowing members to bypass regular budget procedures. Comment?
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Maid accused of stealing engagement ring
... ft. Robinson lives in Elkton, Md., and was working for Better Maid Cleaning Service, whose employees clean homes in Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey. Comment?
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Electric rates in 9 towns called hidden tax
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The University of Delaware says it pays $108 per megawatt to Newark -- far above the $65 to $75 a megawatt it would pay to Delmarva Power in a suburban location. Comment?
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... for all aspects of audit engagements for the firm. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Delaware Society of CPAs. She also serves on the board of directors of Elementary Workshop Montessori School in Wilmington. Donna Sposa has ... Comment?
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Second round of energy upgrades met with concern
... 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 ... Comment?
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Workshop set on proposed water taxi for Lewes & Rehoboth Canal
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... be a great experience." Potential funding for the project could come from a number of state sources, including the Delaware Land and Water Conservation Trust Fund, the Delaware Economic Development Office and the Department of Transportation ... Comment?
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2 sought in Wilmington carjacking
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The small shop on Main Street in Newark is a big deal, and like area floral and candy shops, it... Ringle asked anyone with information to call police at 654-5151. Tips also may be submitted anonymously through Delaware Crime Stoppers, which offers rewards, at TIP-3333 or www.tipsubmit.com . Comment?
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... and Washington, D.C. -- will be accepted to attend the conference. To date, no applications have been received from Delaware students. Students selected will travel to Washington on July 14-19 to participate in an all-expenses-paid journalism ... Comment?
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Local fans, nation recall Whitney Houston's legendary voice
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... Singer Whitney Houston's sudden death Saturday in California caused a global phenomenon as fans, including those in Delaware, used social media to offer condolences and remember the songstress. "Tears...You were such an icon in my youth. My heart ... Comment?
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Camden-Wyoming water authority ramps up denial of 'public body' status
In legal documents filed this week, the Camden-Wyoming Sewer and Water Authority expanded arguments that the institution is not a public body under state law and is therefore not required to make its employee pay information available for citizen review. The small Kent County sewer and water utility has repeatedly refused to share its detailed financial information with the public, despite numerous citizen requests dating back two years. Meanwhile, a member of the CWSWA board of directors resigned from the panel and said the institution was vulnerable to fraud by management and would not achieve greater financial transparency without wholesale structural changes. Last April, local legislators passed a bill that amended the state's Freedom of Information Act and explicitly added the utility to the definition of 'public body' in the law. But the CWSWA continued to deny access to records. In August, the Attorney General's Office stepped in and sued the CWSWA on behalf of the Wyoming town treasurer, Georgette Williams, who had asked the authority for employee pay records. In its latest brief, the authority rejected the changes made in the amended law. The legal definition of 'public body' covers agencies that are arms of state or local government, spend public taxpayer dollars or are supported by public funds. Since the CWSWA is an independent utility and is supported only by fees, the definition doesn't fit, the authority claims. The core definition can't be undermined by subsequent legislation, the CWSWA says. '[The amendment] greatly expands the definition of 'public body' to mean whatever the General Assembly legislatively dictates a 'public body' to be; the amendment tries to fit a square peg in a round hole,' read the authority's brief. 'As a matter of fact and law, the amendment is invalid.' The CWSWA also claims that, even if it is deemed to be a public body, the pay records requested by Williams don't have to be disclosed, because the employees are paid with user-fee revenue, not tax dollars. Despite the fact that the CWSWA was created 50 years ago by a majority vote of residents in both towns, and that its own chartering documents refer to the entity as 'public body politic and corporate,' the authority says it's no different than the state's largest private water companies, Artesian and Tidewater. '[T]he employees of the CWSWA are no more 'public employees' than the employees of Artesian or Tidewater,' the brief reads. 'The CWSWA is not an agency or entity of the state of Delaware or any municipality or local government.' A rebuttal brief from the Attorney General's Office is due to Kent County Superior Court Judge Robert B. Young by Feb. 21. After that, the judge can rule on the case, ask for further arguments or set a trial date. Williams said she's not commenting on the case until the judge settles it. 'I'm going to hold back judgment on anything until I get the ruling,' she said. 'I get people calling me all the time asking what's going on, and I say we just have to be patient.' On the same day the CWSWA filed its latest brief, one member of its board of directors tendered her resignation. Tracey Green, one of three board members appointed by the Camden Town Council, read a letter at council meeting explaining her departure and tying it to a major controversy involving town finances. Green, an accountant by trade, said recent reports of a $120,000 fraud scheme allegedly perpetrated by a former Camden town official caused her to consider possible gaps in financial management at the CWSWA. According to police, ex-Town Manager James O. Plumley was able to carry out the scheme because of his status as the sole manager of operations and financial affairs for the town, and by providing false information to elected officials who were supposed to serve as his check and balance. Harold L. Scott Sr., CWSWA superintendent, holds a similar all-encompassing management position, and Green said she isn't comfortable with the board's level of oversight. 'Mr. Scott is in charge of all aspects of the Camden Wyoming Sewer and Water Authority and the control of information to the authority board,' Green's letter read. 'During my tenure on the board, I have tried unsuccessfully to institute changes to the authority and gain better access to financial information.' Green said that, even if the CWSWA is deemed a 'public body' by a judge, the FOIA case will likely have no impact on the overall accountability of the authority. 'While this creates headlines and increases people's frustrations with the authority, the outcome, whatever it may be, will do nothing to create oversight and transparency of the authority and its records,' she wrote. Unless the town governments push for organizational changes at the CWSWA, there is the potential for fraud, Green told Camden's council. 'Real changes need to be made to the authority structure to prevent the possibility of fraud because too much power is held by one person,' she said. Williams declined to comment on Green's resignation, but said the Wyoming Town Council has agreed to hold off on its scheduled reappointments to the board in light of the lawsuit. The Wyoming council took no action on the scheduled reappointment of CWSWA board member Michael Quinn last month, meaning he will continue to serve. 'We made a decision to sit tight,' Williams said. 'We decided not to do anything and maintain the group the way it was.' Comment?
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State has much at stake in N.J. nuclear safety plan
New Jersey regulators are pressing for expanded spent-fuel safety measures at state nuclear plants, including the three Salem/Hope Creek reactors along the Delaware River, based on a review of lessons learned from Japan's Fukushima reactor crisis. Gov. Chris Christie's Nuclear Review Task force, in a newly released report, also said that New Jersey would work closely with its neighbors on recent changes to federal radiation emergency programs, possibly forming a regional emergency group. Some of the recommendations affect Delaware, including those related to a pending requirement to recalculate evacuation time estimates based on traffic congestion caused by voluntary 'shadow' evacuations outside the traditional 10-mile planning zones around reactors. Delaware residents account for about 70 percent of the population inside the traditional 10-mile evacuation zone around Salem/Hope Creek, a three-reactor complex southeast of Augustine Beach that now ranks as the nation's second-largest nuclear generating station. New Jersey also has a fourth reactor, the aging Oyster Creek plant in Lacey Township, north of Barnegat. Christie formed the task force in March 2011, after offshore earthquakes and massive tidal waves crippled an oceanside nuclear complex in northern Japan. Damage caused by tsunamis triggered partial fuel meltdowns and releases of radioactive water and airborne radiation that spread across the country. Traces of Fukushima's radioactivity eventually were detected in the U.S. Investigators blamed some of the disaster in Japan on the plant's design that left emergency generators vulnerable to flooding, leaving the power station unable to keep its reactor cores or spent fuel safely cooled. New Jersey task force members said the Salem, Hope Creek and Oyster Creek reactors were generally operating safely, with effective emergency plans. But the group's report said state officials and utilities needed to work closely to assure rapid deployment of emergency equipment. It also said plant operators needed to put more emergency diesel pumps in place to provide backup for systems that keep spent fuel rods cool, and recommended expanding the number of communications avenues used for public emergency messages. Joe Delmar, a spokesman for PSEG Nuclear, a unit of PSEG Power, said state task force members visited the Salem/Hope Creek complex earlier this year. 'The recommendations that they made are consistent with a lot of the recommendations from the [federal] Nuclear Regulatory Commission for short-term actions' in the wake of Fukushima, Delmar said. 'We're continuing to explore a variety of options that would enable us to expand our emergency equipment on site, and additional monitoring sources for the spent fuel, as well as other areas.' Norm Cohen, who directs the nuclear power opposition group Unplug Salem, said state evacuation plans were inadequate even before the Federal Emergency Management Agency proposed new time estimates based on voluntary evacuations outside the 10-mile zone. 'Evacuation won't work,' Cohen said. 'We have a lot of two-lane roads here, and places where much of the traffic has to use just one bridge.' The 10-mile zone around Salem-Hope Creek extends as far west as Middletown, nearly to Smyrna in the south and nearly to New Castle in the north. A 15-mile circle around the plant would extend well into Maryland as well as the Bear-Glasgow area and nearly to Garrisons Lake north of Cheswold, in the south. No region in America has so many people living within the overlapping, 50-mile planning areas of so many nuclear power reactors as northern Delaware and nearby areas in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland, according to a review last year of nuclear sites and Census Bureau statistics by The News Journal. Along with Salem, Hope Creek and Oyster Creek, two reactors each operate at Limerick northwest of Philadelphia, Peach Bottom near York, Pa., and Calvert Cliffs on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay near Lusby, Md. Comment?
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An earlier version of this story was incomplete. Fisker Automotive's promise to employ thousands of Delawareans and resurrect the shuttered General Motors factory stands at a murky crossroads -- entangled in the challenges of building a car company from scratch and election-year politics. In 2009, Fisker executives picked Delaware as the place to build plug-in hybrid electric-and-gas cars, bringing hope to a flagging economy and thousands of unemployed autoworkers whose livelihoods were wiped off the map when the state's two assembly plants closed. Lately, however, that optimism is being tempered by the company's financial struggles, an increasingly skeptical public and a sense that Fisker is at risk of becoming a political punching bag in an election year. Last week, the California-based startup disclosed it has been blocked since May from tapping the next installment of a federal loan that is crucial to the fate of its second line of sedans, called Project Nina, that is to be built in Delaware. With the automaker already behind schedule on its first model, Fisker's retooling of the former GM plant near Newport has now virtually ground to a halt, state officials said, as the company seeks to modify performance goals in its loan from the U.S. Department of Energy. Structured in two parts, the loan gave Fisker $193 million to develop the Karma, a luxury sedan now being manufactured in Finland and gradually making its way to customers. The second installment, $336 million, is meant to support development of the Nina, but has been held up by the DOE because Fisker failed to meet certain goals set for the Karma. Fisker is now asking the Energy Department to rework those goals, so that it can get the second part of the loan. That request has run head-on into the upcoming presidential election and the combat zone of partisan politics in the nation's capital, where the role of the federal government in aiding businesses with loans, subsidies or preferential tax status remains a red-hot issue. The DOE is stepping through that path of hot coals gingerly, analysts say. 'They've become very careful about keeping companies to the milestones,' Elaine Kwei, an analyst with Jefferies & Co., said of the Department of Energy. 'Basically, they don't want to be seen as throwing good money after bad.' President Barack Obama's administration faces increased scrutiny of any government aid targeted at creating so-called 'green jobs' in the wake of the September bankruptcy of Solyndra, a solar-panel manufacturer that left taxpayers on the hook for a $535 million loan. 'There's no doubt in my mind that the Department of Energy is treading on eggshells since the Solyndra case,' said former Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del. 'I'm just worried they may be throwing out the good with the bad. If they just shut it down because they're panicked over Solyndra, that's a problem.' As the November general election nears, congressional Republicans have used Fisker's $100,000 Karma hybrid as a weapon against Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. It also has drawn fire on the presidential stump in Iowa and New Hampshire. 'The specialty clientele is the 1 percent that the president and vice president continue to criticize,' said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., referring to the nation's richest citizens, who are the target of the populist Occupy Wall Street movement. 'And I don't think we should be subsidizing toys for the 1 percent.' Sensenbrenner has called for an outside audit of the federal loan programs in response to Solyndra's collapse and concerns about Fisker's viability. An independent analysis of the department's various green-energy loan programs released Friday concluded that potential losses are likely to be less than projected by the White House and Congress.The long-term loss on 30 U.S.-backed clean-energy and auto loans might be about $2.7 billion, or $200 million less than the department's estimate, Herbert Allison, a former Treasury Department official, found in his review. Still, any losses put added pressure on Fisker, even with a string of positive performance reviews rolling in for the Karma and production of the car increasing as the firm moves past a minor recall, delayed environmental reviews and slow European clearance of the car for sale. There's a sense among some observers that the company's potential remains vibrant, and that ultimately Fisker has a good chance of prevailing and prospering. Some analysts see prudence and conservative business management at the root of Fisker's decision to ramp down its work to prepare to produce the Nina to preserve cash until Karma sales allow for a drawdown of the second DOE loan installment. But since Fisker is privately held, how pressing its cash crunch is cannot be known. 'What's happening now is every stumble, every burp of these companies that have gotten these loans is going to be scrutinized,' said John O'Dell, a senior editor and 'green cars' expert with the automotive website Edmunds.com. 'It's a vulnerable time for any automaker, especially a new one like this.' Often, the only thing certain about startups is the uncertainty they all face, experts agreed. 'In our business, when you deal with startup companies, whether it's someone starting up a restaurant, a manufacturer of widgets or what could possibly be a worldwide phenomenon for automobiles, they all have startup issues,' said Brian DiSabatino, president of the EDiS construction firm, which is overseeing work at the old GM plant on Boxwood Road for Fisker. Last week, Fisker laid off 26 of about 100 workers who are helping retool the plant, and told subcontractors that they wouldn't be needed for the time being. Fisker's most urgent issue now is getting the cash it needs to finish installing equipment in the plant and get production rolling. In past statements, Fisker has said it expected to churn 100,000 Project Nina cars out of the Boxwood Road plant in 2013, and another 125,000 in 2014. Fisker pushed back the date for planned full production of the Nina by nine months last fall, mostly to reflect the delays it ran into in getting the Karma into showrooms for sale. It twice reduced its 2011 target and late last year revised its target for 2012 sales of the Karma to 10,000. Company officials -- and dealers -- say the car is selling. 'We've already produced 1,500 Karmas and we're building at a rate of 20-25 a day at the moment,' said Roger Ormisher, a Fisker spokesman. Those reduced sales statistics are believed to be part of the reason the DOE hasn't released the loan's second installment. The loan agreement required the company to show it could build and sell the Karma in order to qualify for money to support development of the Nina. The DOE will not release the Karma sales target in the loan agreement, ruling it to be proprietary. The number was blacked out in a copy provided to The News Journal. Gov. Jack Markell has urged the DOE not to let political fallout from the Solyndra meltdown influence its decision on Fisker. “You can’t take them a third of the way and drop them,” said Alan Levin, director of the Delaware Economic Development Office. “I hope it’s not a political decision as much as it is a negotiation.” Markell wrote to Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Nov. 28 to ask the agency to expedite its decision on whether to modify Fisker’s loan. Markell decried “a factually misleading report” by ABC News that Fisker was using the federal loan to manufacture the Karma in Finland when, in fact, the loan provides financing only for domestic-based design and engineering of the Karma. “Overreacting to these factually inaccurate news accounts, political partisans issued the inevitable cries of outrage that resulted in the increased scrutiny of the department,” Markell wrote. “My fear is the partisan squabbling that too often consumes Washington, D.C., may in fact paralyze the process to finalize the modifications to the loan agreement, potentially resulting in Fisker missing its market opportunity for the vehicle to be built in Delaware.” Private support Through it all, Fisker has continued to raise money in private capital markets. In late 2011, the company said, it raised $260 million, bringing the total amount of private equity investment to more than $850 million. In addition, the Delaware Economic Development Office’s Strategic Fund has given Fisker a $21.5 million grant and loan package. So far, roughly $17.9 million has been disbursed. If the Energy Department balks at paying out the remainder of the federal loan, Fisker will have to rely on private investment or bank loans, funding mechanisms that are even less certain than the federal loans. Some blame the Energy Department for expecting too much of Fisker. “I think the goals have been too high and too fast,” especially considering that similar projects have faced the same challenges, said John Gartner, research director for the “green” car market at Pike Research. Yet there’s also some sentiment that Fisker could move ahead with Project Nina without the federal loan. “There’s enough already invested both in private capital and the DOE loans that despite the setback, there is optimism,” Gartner said. Others are less worried about the department’s willingness to continue the loan. “It could be tremendously polarizing and politicized, but I don’t think they’re going to pull the plug on them,” said O’Dell, the “green cars” expert with Edmunds.com. The political attacks on Fisker and other fledgling companies developing alternatives to fossil-fuel vehicles have miffed observers of the clean-energy movement. “Frankly, it would be the equivalent of the Internet sector finding themselves under political attack in the early ’90s as they emerged or automobile companies coming under attack in the early 1900s as they were becoming competitive with horse-drawn carriages and trains as a mode of transportation,” said Josh Freed, vice president for clean energy at Third Way, a centrist Washington, D.C., think tank. Others question state and federal governments’ decisions to lend money to Fisker in the depths of a recession, when politicians of all stripes were looking for ways to create jobs and mollify concerned voters. “It’s rife with politics instead of very unemotional decisions based on returns on investments, who’s on the line and who’s got skin in the game,” said Delaware House Republican Leader Greg Lavelle, who voted for the state loan to Fisker as a member of the Council on Development Finance. And there’s a feeling in conservative circles that the government has no business extending credit to an unproven company. “All businesses are risky, but it’s up to the proper risk-takers to take those risks,” said John Sigler, chairman of the Delaware Republican Party. “And the government is not the proper risk-taker. The entrepreneur is the proper risk-taker in a capitalistic system.” Still, the loan program once had bipartisan support. Fisker’s federal loan comes from a $25 billion program to fund the development of alternative vehicle technologies. Democrats who defend government-backed green jobs are quick to note that the fund was established under a 2007 law signed by Republican President George W. Bush. “No matter who did what ... they did have the role of government confused,” Sigler said. Democrats believe Republicans are trying to score political points by demonizing Fisker and the loan program. “It is disappointing, but not surprising, that some would try to seize on this setback for political gain,” said Emily Spain, spokeswoman for Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del. While insisting he doesn’t want Fisker to fail, Sigler said his criticism is aimed at having a national debate on government’s role in the free market. “No one that I know of wants Fisker to fail,” he said. “The question is what happens tomorrow with the next round of government picking winners and losers.” Delaware Senate President Pro Tem Anthony DeLuca, a Newark-area Democrat, notes that tax incentives and government-backed loans “are not new concepts” in the world of economic development. “I think scrutiny of these agreements can and should be expected, but given this is an election year, there are likely also some critics out there who are driven purely by political motivation,” DeLuca said in an email. Positive signs Political concerns aside, there’s some evidence that the loan issues will be resolved. Levin has said that the DOE and Fisker have come to terms on the new milestones, and that the next loan installment is being finalized. DOE officials would not comment on private negotiations. Auto analysts see it as an issue that’s tempestuous, but temporary. “There will be scrutiny and there will be noises made,” O’Dell said. “It has obviously slowed them down and will continue to slow them down for a little while.” It’s also likely the loan delay won’t be the last hitch for a company that must contend with so many other federal and state issues, from emissions to safety, Gartner pointed out. “It’s much easier, let’s say, if you were doing a software startup,” he said. “Competing in the auto industry, the bar is much higher.” In the end, the true challenge for Fisker won’t be the Energy Department or political controversy, Gartner believes. It will be achieving solid and sustainable sales numbers. “The company does have a fairly good reputation for what they’ve delivered so far,” he said. “It’s just that: Can they deliver long-term in the automotive space? I think the jury’s still out on that.” If its past behavior is any indication, Fisker is a startup that seems to be running its operations right, DiSabatino said. “The telltale sign of a bad startup company is that they spend recklessly, they’re overly optimistic and they string you out with nonpayments,” DiSabatino said. “Fisker has not shown us any sign of that reckless behavior. Frankly, they’ve shown us quite the opposite. They have been crystal-clear with the pace that the project would move and they’ve been that way from the beginning. They are very thoughtful and frugal about the way they spend their money, and they have paid all of their bills in a very timely manner.” Levin urges skeptics who will listen to “give them the chance” to succeed. “What I tell them is the shortest way to fail is not to try,” Levin said. Delaware House Speaker Robert Gilligan, D-Sherwood Park, expects the naysayers to howl if Fisker’s plans at Boxwood Road collapse. “Everyone knew from day one that there was no certainty,” Gilligan said. “But why in the world would you not try to get a local plant like that open? It’s worth the risk. It’s worth the chance you’re taking.” Comment?
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In US, many in love with independence
DELMAR, Md. -- If Tom Longo Jr. wants to walk around naked in his home, he can. If he wants to turn up his stereo at 4 a.m., he can do that, too. The 69-year-old retiree has been divorced since 1995, and has no present plans to re-marry. 'I've thought about it, but I'm really happy being a bachelor,' Longo said. Longo said the model of a traditional nuclear family is gradually fading away. 'One, it's frightfully expensive to have kids and to look forward to educating them,' he said. 'Also, there are discouraging things going on in the world that show a less-promising future for our kids than we had growing up.' Christina Brown of New Church said she has spent a majority of her life traveling and has learned to be completely independent. The 47-year-old is not sure where a man would fit in her life. 'There's a period in your life when you settle on who and what you are and you go with it. If you can be self-sufficient, why get married?' Brown said. 'I have total freedom. There's some loneliness from time to time, but I work with horses and help out my folks, and it keeps me crazy busy.' Longo and Brown aren't alone. The latest U.S. Census data show a clear increase in people who are separated or divorced, or have never been married. In Delaware, Census figures show 62 percent of people over 15 years old are separated, divorced, widowed or have never been married. Eric Klinenberg, a professor of sociology at New York University, is the author of a new book titled 'Solo Living: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone.' In the book, Klinenberg explains why living in families, though traditional and almost universal on this planet, is experiencing the unplanned and effective attack of solo living. 'Our cultural preference for living autonomously is a key reason why today more than 11 million elderly Americans live alone, and why in the coming decades many millions more will do so,' he writes. David Alston Jr., associate professor of social science at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, said data suggest that while 90 percent of the population will eventually get married, they are just waiting longer to do so for several reasons, most of which are associated with finances. Alston said 50 years ago, women got married at 20 years of age. Now, most women wait until they're 25 or older because they're going to college and pursuing careers. Also, he said, most people wait until they're financially stable enough to get married, or they simply opt to live with their partner to cut living expenses, and forgo marriage. 'Over the last 30 years, the transformation of the economy moving from manufacturing to service/knowledge-based definitely impacted families,' he said. Margo Kushner, an assistant professor of social work at Salisbury University, said a large majority of today's younger adults watched their parents get divorced and are very careful to not make the same mistake. 'They're cautious about marriage, they stay single longer, they fear making the same mistakes their parents made, and they worry about feelings of rejection,' Kushner said. Comment?
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Attorney General H. Albert Young was a civil rights hero
February, being Black History Month, is an appropriate time to revisit the civil rights struggle in the United States and, more particularly, in the state of Delaware. Granted, there is still prejudice among some individuals, but there is no longer state-supported racial injustice, such as poll taxes and the separation of races in public schools. This is a time to recognize heroes in the fight for racial justice, one of whom was my father, the late Attorney General H. Albert Young. I read with interest the Jan. 3 front-page article entitled, 'As a student in '54, he [Orlando Camp] was part of history.' The article made a passing reference to my father. It was reported that both he and William P. Frank 'both Jewish, were charged by some as pushing the integration agenda.' When Orlando Camp said that 'Delaware missed an opportunity to become a leader,' perhaps he was too young to understand the crucial role that Attorney General Young played in the Milford event. Young was indeed a leader because, immediately after the Brown v Board of Education decision, he refused to accept Georgia Attorney General Eugene Cook's invitation to him and other attorneys general affected by the decision to attend a meeting to see how they could circumvent the decision. Young responded by saying that he would only attend a conference that would implement, and not circumvent, the decision, as integration was the law of the land. Other jurisdictions made every effort to avoid implementing the decision, including Virginia, where I now reside, which went as far as privatizing all of its public schools to avoid integration. While there is no question of the trauma that these 11 youngsters suffered, my father, who, together with his family, was subjected to threats of physical harm. The News Journal archives will show a photograph of Attorney General Young in an automobile after he argued in court to integrate Milford, where jeering racists were shown shaking their fists at him. Years later, after enforcing the Brown decision, Sen. John J. Williams, known as 'the conscience of the Senate,' came to my father's office, without an appointment, and said that my father had every right to throw him out, but that he wanted to apologize for failing to support him during those troubled times when Attorney General Young was principled enough to make the right decision that was so unpopular to many vocal and hateful people. The article also referred to Bryant W. Bowles, the president of the National Association for the Advancement of White People, who was also its founder. How well I remember Mr. Bowles. There was a photograph at the time, which was published in Time Magazine, of Mr. Bowles holding up his blond blue-eyed child and saying that he would never permit his daughter 'to attend a school with any nigger no matter how much Hymie Yanowitz [my father's name when he immigrated at a young age to the United States from Russia] fought for integration.' There was reference to Bowles attending rallies, but what is noteworthy was that on the day of his only daughter's wedding, Attorney General Young directed the state police to have Bowles arrested as soon as his airplane landed to charge him with inciting a riot. If anyone thought these were idle threats, they would be interested to learn that many years later Bowles was convicted in Texas of first-degree murder for killing his brother-in-law. It is no wonder that when I was a sophomore at Colgate, a year after my father left office, Thurgood Marshall, to whom I introduced myself, said of my father, 'We sure do miss General Young. He was a man of courage.' And during the 50th anniversary of Brown v Board of Education, Jack Greenberg, who argued on behalf of the NAACP, and is now a law professor at Columbia University Law School, told the 700 attendees at the University of Delaware, where he was the keynote speaker: 'I want all of you to know that Attorney General H. Albert Young was a heroic figure in the fight for racial justice in the United States.' Comment?
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Alzheimer's Act needs government support
We are writing to call attention to an issue of critical importance to the residents of our state: Alzheimer's. It is estimated that 26,000 Delawareans currently have Alzheimer's disease, and this number is growing at a staggering rate given the large percentage of our population over the age of 65. Alzheimer's impacts not only those afflicted with the disease, it is also a tremendous strain on caregivers. And the problem doesn't stop there -- this is also an issue for employers who must deal with both the increased health care costs resulting from more employees who will get the disease as well as lost productivity from caregivers who may need time away from their jobs to care for loved ones. We are grateful to our state's congressional delegation, each of whom supported the passage of the National Alzheimer's Project Act. This law provides for the creation of a national strategic plan for Alzheimer's. This plan is within our grasp but we need the nation's leaders to fulfill their commitment and implement a plan that will change the trajectory of this disease -- for the millions today living with it and the millions more tomorrow who may face it. We need to urge our federal government to finish the job and draft a plan soon. Alzheimer's can't wait. As Alzheimers' Ambassadors for Delaware, we encourage your readers to sign a petition to President Obama at www.alz.org/petition. Please help us stand up and call for action by supporting this effort. Henry Alisa and Mike Walker, Wilmington Comment?
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Not enough minorities in UD Lifelong Learning
Last week, I began attending classes at the University of Delaware's Lifelong Learning Center, which provides a variety of classes for senior citizens. As I entered Arsht Hall, I was amazed by the lack of people of color participating in the lifelong learning process. Of the approximately 500 students attending classes that day, I only encountered one person of color. What a travesty! What an opportunity missed! What is going on? Is this one of the last vestiges of institutional racism in Delaware or is it an issue of reverse racism or some other problem? Has significant outreach been done by the University to attract senior people of color? If so, has the Osher Center been panned by the minority community for some reason? Are the courses not appealing? Is the cost too high? Are people unaware that scholarships are available? As I see it, a significant problem of some sort exists! I do not claim to have answers but I do know that many rich and wonderful opportunities for learning are not being utilized by senior persons of color. What has happened? What needs to happen? Tony Sokolowski, Wilmington Comment?
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Open Family Court hearings will spur strong legislative debate
Expect a sharp debate when the General Assembly considers whether more or all Delaware Family Court hearings should be open to the public. The Legislature next month will be asked to create a 'Blue Ribbon Task Force' just to study that issue. But even the possibility that opening the last partly closed constitutional court in Delaware is bound to muster powerful arguments on both sides. It's not the first time for such a study. The 1997 legislative session created a similar task force, which presumably issued a recommendation by March of 1998. Sen. Bruce Ennis of Smyrna believes it recommended against opening the court, but he can't be sure because so far no one has found a copy of that report. Too many task force and commission studies have been ignored over the years. I think the 2013 Legislature will make a decision when this task force reports. Ennis introduced his Senate Concurrent Resolution 21 during last year's first session of the 146th General Assembly, with the understanding it would be considered this year. The resolution was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, and he expects the full Legislature to consider it when it returns from the Joint Finance Committee hearings. Ennis is also a member of that committee. He says the resolution will be amended to set a deadline for a report to the next General Assembly. The resolution, which specifies a broad membership, has bipartisan sponsorship of the four legislative members of the Commission on Family Law, which asked for the study. In addition to Democrat Ennis, they are Republican Senate minority whip Liane Sorenson of Hockessin, Republican Rep. Mike Ramone of Middle Run Valley and Democrat Rep. Stephanie Bolden of Wilmington. The Senate resolution says 'the integrity of the Family Court process could be enhanced by opening court proceedings.' It points to a 1974 Supreme Court exception in a divorce case when it ruled that the Delaware constitutional provision that 'all courts shall be open' was 'not directed to the question of public trial.' Family Court did not become a constitutional court until 1997. The Commission on Family Law carefully avoided taking a position, asking only the task force review open versus closed court proceedings in Delaware and surrounding states. Delaware's Family Court has many jurisdictions beyond divorces cited by the Supreme Court. The public is probably most familiar with its hearing charges against juvenile criminal/delinquency suspects, and those cases are generally open. But the Family Law Commission points out that 'custody/visitation, guardianship, adoption/termination of parental rights, dependency/neglect, paternity, and divorce-alimony/property division' are all presumed closed. The Family Law Commission, created in 1984, has been meeting in public four times a year and issues annual reports. It is tasked with studying and evaluating domestic relations laws and the procedures of the Family Court. Minutes of its May meeting illustrate the sharp division of opinion. Speaking forcefully for open hearings was Eileen King of the national group Justice for Children. 'What's watched works,' she said, that judges should be observed and that 'public scrutiny to see regularity/irregularities would allow for the review of change.' Attorney Shauna Hagan said interested parties are already admitted into the courtroom if everyone agrees, but that three psychologists with whom she spoke before the meeting all said no immediately. 'California recently noted that there is harm done by allowing the public into all courtroom proceedings,' Hagan pointed out. Tania Culley of the Office of Child Advocate told the meeting that any change should focus on what is in the child's best interest, and she listed eight factors to be considered. In an interview with Delaware Law Weekly, Chief Family Court Judge Chandlee Johnson Kuhn said she welcomes a 'well-researched and intelligent decision,' based on a fresh look to see what other states and jurisdictions are doing, and that she would 'support whatever the legislature asks us to do.' I wait to hear the debate because I am also undecided but feel judges should retain discretion on specific cases. Many Family Court hearings do not involve children and I wonder whether intra-family squabbles need public scrutiny. Comment?
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Anyone still using their old-school fireplace is likely to call a chimney sweep to keep things clean. But the folks at Flame-Tech are hoping people increasingly think of them when it comes time to repair and maintain their more modern fireplace appliances. Today, variation is the rule in fireplaces, said Bill Buckley, the company's CEO. The company, started in 1998 and based in New Castle, offers expertise in hundreds of different fireplace appliance manufacturers. With so many makes and models, there's a lot of specialized knowledge needed to maintain the fireplaces, Buckley said. Buckley said he knows of no other company specializing in the repair of the full range of modern fireplaces. For instance, laying carpet right up to the glass doors, normally a fire hazard, is OK with some models, he said. And with others, it's OK to have wood touching the exterior of the fireplace, while others require tile or marble, Buckley said. Flame-Tech technicians are trained to determine whether there's anything that could reasonably catch fire, Buckley said. Is there wood in the construction of the chimney or mantel, or the decorative surroundings that, once it dries enough, could catch fire? Fireplaces have changed over the years, he said. Open-front fireplaces are rarely built anymore in homes -- they suck heated air out of the house at too high a rate, he said. With some of the newer fireplaces, like natural wood burners and some natural gas or propane logs, the combustion byproducts, including smoke and carbon monoxide, vent up the chimney like they always have. Others, like with the more fuel-efficient gas or propane versions, can send their exhaust through a simple vent out the back wall -- no chimney required. It's rare to find a modern fireplace installed correctly, Buckley said. Common problems include putting too large of an appliance in too small a fireplace, he said. Each technician spends between three and six months apprenticing with a veteran member of the crew. All technicians, no matter what experience level, travel each year to be trained by companies whose products have evolved. Every technician is certified by the National Fireplace Institute and most major manufacturers. 'We spend a small fortune in training,' said Jerry McCarthy, the company's chairman. Many companies service what they sell, but especially after the warranty runs out, it's better to rely on Flame-Tech to fix it because the manufacturer's emphasis is on the sales side, not repair side, Buckley said. Flame-Tech's competitors are mostly plumbers and HVAC technicians who can't keep up with the many changes in the industry the way a specialist can, he said. The company, which also sells fireplaces, has six employees at its New Castle headquarters, which serves the entire state of Delaware and the surrounding area. It established its first franchise in southern Chester County, Pa. Between the two, they've served close to 10,000 clients. The company is now looking to the Middletown area for an upcoming expansion, and its owners have dreams of going national. 'Getting this done right is all we care about, making sure Mrs. Smith is safe in her house,' Buckley said. Comment?
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