Delaware

Saturday Daily Delawhere [2.28.15]

Filed in Delaware by Delaware Dem on February 28, 2015 • 1 Comment

Bellevue State Park by Abysal Guardian on Flickr.

Friday Daily Delawhere [2.27.15]

Filed in Delaware by Delaware Dem on February 27, 2015 • 1 Comment

H. Fletcher Brown Park in Wilmington at night, by Steve Ives on Flickr.

Thursday Daily Delawhere [2.26.15]

Filed in Delaware by Delaware Dem on February 26, 2015 • 1 Comment

Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk in black and white, by Bob Mical on Flickr.

Yes Red Clay. No Christina. So What’s Next?

Filed in Delaware by Delaware Dem on February 25, 2015 • 34 Comments

Residents in the Red Clay School District approved a measure that would raise taxes .35 cents per $100 of assessed property value over three years to cover increased operating expenses in their budget and provide for improvements in technology, curriculum and student services (the actual cost to the average homeowner in Red Clay once the measure is fully phased in would be $280 per year).

Residents in the Christina School District had two options to chose from, and they said no to both. The first option was a bare bones measure to just “keep the lights on,” and it would have raised taxes .65 cents per $100 of assessed property value phased in over three years. Only 26% of Christina residents voted yes to that. The second option would have raised taxes an additional .40 cents per $100 of assessed property value phased in over four years (so a total of $1.05 per $100), with the additional funds to pay for improvements in technology, arts, and early childhood learning. Only 22% voted yes.

So what’s next?

Wednesday Daily Delawhere [2.25.15]

Filed in Delaware by Delaware Dem on February 25, 2015 • 0 Comments

Dover Air Force Base, in snow, by Stuart Rankin on Flickr.

Markell’s Supreme Court, and a Missed Opportunity.

Filed in Delaware by Delaware Dem on February 24, 2015 • 3 Comments

Nothing explains the Delaware Way more than the recent nomination to the Supreme Court by Gov. Jack Markell (D) of corporate attorney and the son of a former Supreme Court Justice, Collins J. “C.J.” Seitz, Jr., Esquire. Seitz, when confirmed (because there is no if about it in this state), will replace retiring Justice Henry duPont Ridgely.

The Judicial Nominating Commission, in addition to Seitz, also recommended to Governor Markell Superior Court Judge Calvin Scott, who would have been the first African American Supreme Court Justice on the Delaware Supreme Court; and a former Superior Court judge and now an attorney in private practice, Joseph Sleights III.

I think the Delaware Supreme Court could have used a little color, and something more diverse than another corporate attorney.

Tuesday Daily Delawhere [2.24.15]

Filed in Delaware by Delaware Dem on February 24, 2015 • 1 Comment

Mixed messages in a time of crisis, by Curtis Perry on Flickr.

Lavelle Will Not Run for Governor in 2016

Filed in Delaware by Delaware Dem on February 23, 2015 • 5 Comments

Breaking news from Jonathan Starkey at the News Journal:

Republican Sen. Greg Lavelle will not seek the governor’s office next year, according to a letter the lawmaker sent to political supporters. […] Lavelle told supporters this week he “had given a lot of thought” to a run for governor, but said personal commitments prevented him from launching a campaign.

“I have decided that now is not the time for me to take on this challenge,” Lavelle wrote. “At this time, the personal bandwidth just doesn’t exist to create and sustain the time needed to run for Governor, while maintaining and addressing my current and varied responsibilities.”

Monday Daily Delawhere [2.23.15]

Filed in Delaware by Delaware Dem on February 23, 2015 • 0 Comments

The Delaware Memorial Bridge, on El, on Flickr.

Sunday Daily Delawhere [2.22.15]

Filed in Delaware by Delaware Dem on February 22, 2015 • 0 Comments

Old New Castle, by Kristopher Arnold on Flickr.

Saturday Open Thread [2.21.15]

Filed in Delaware, National by Delaware Dem on February 21, 2015 • 9 Comments

Jake Miller at CBS examines how Common Core may become a primary issue for Republican presidential candidates. Eventually, I think it will become an issue in Democratic politics as well. If Kavips has his way, it already has:

Common Core federal education standards are riling the conservative base, and as the 2016 Republican presidential field takes shape, the standards — seen by right wing activists as a federal overreach and a threat to parental rights — are poised to play a big role in the GOP nominating process. That’s doubly true in Iowa, where the kinds of Republican voters most vehemently opposed to Common Core — evangelical Christians, home-schooling advocates, states-rights conservatives — exert considerable influence over the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucus.

The Weekly Addresses

Filed in Delaware, National by Delaware Dem on February 21, 2015 • 5 Comments

In his Weekly Address, President Obama underscored the importance of continuing to grow our economy and support good-paying jobs for our workers by opening up new markets for American goods and services.

In an effort that will surely please education advocates throughout the state, Governor Markell shares his weekly message with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Boy, is Markell’s legacy going to be completely destroyed by his positions on education.

Here is Senator Harris McDowell on Larry Mendte’s Delaware Way’s program, where they discuss crime in Wilmington and the Sustainable Energy Utility Program, as well as Harris’ thoughts on Beau Biden, John Carney and the Delaware’s Game of Thrones.