Wednesday Open Thread [11.20.13]

Wednesday Open Thread [11.20.13]

15 Comments
The U.S. Census Bureau has released a slew of data on state-to-state migration showing that Americans have become significantly less mobile than they used to be, with just 11.7 percent moving in the last year, near historic lows. But, among that nearly 12% of Americans, the interactive chart shows where they are going. Delawareans are moving to Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvanians are moving to Delaware. Delaware gained 34,757 people through migration, and lost 25,149, making it a gainer state.
The 62 Project: #’s 24 & 38

The 62 Project: #’s 24 & 38

37 Comments
Kim Williams is among three newcomers who have displayed extraordinary promise during the 2013 legislative session. Consider the number 24 as merely a placeholder as it reflects her lack of time in Dover. She's moving higher. Not only does she have the right profile for a citizen-legislator, she has demonstrated that conscience and effectiveness are not mutually exclusive. Trey Paradee has been the single greatest disappointment to progressives among the 2012 newcomers. Despite expressing support for equal rights for same sex couples back in 2008, Paradee voted against marriage equality. He largely opposed most gun control measures. He has helped to bury a minimum wage increase in the House Business Lapdog Committee. Now, while he technically did not 'go back on his word' on gay marriage (the initial comments dealing with civil unions), he diligently 'worked the refs' to create at least a sense of good will from progressives, including me. He convinced me that this district was not the stereotypical Kent County district of 20 years ago, and then voted as if it was. Fool me once...
Red Clay School District Bucks The Class Size Law

Red Clay School District Bucks The Class Size Law

20 Comments
So this happened:
Parents and educators have fought for years to keep class sizes small. But as school populations grow, those efforts run into physical and financial barriers. Sometimes schools run out of space and face difficult decisions. In most cases, there are two solutions: Build more classroom space and hire more teachers (which usually means raising taxes or moving money from other priorities) or approve a waiver allowing more students in classes than the law says is ideal. In the past few years, most Delaware districts have asked their school boards to approve waivers – and boards have always agreed. That changed last week when the Red Clay School Board rejected its district’s request, deadlocking in a 3-3 vote.
Color me surprised.  And while I completely understand the difficulties districts face following this law, it is a law.  An unfunded, feel good law, but a law nonetheless. That said... I like what the RCCD board did. 
Another Year and We Are Still Not Close to Fixing Wilmington’s Violence Problems

Another Year and We Are Still Not Close to Fixing Wilmington’s Violence Problems

6 Comments
This Sunday featured one more Special Report from the NJ on the current state of violence in Wilmington: A Legacy of Crime Threatens Wilmington's Progress; Wilmington Mayor Wants to Overhaul Police Force to Reverse City's Crime Trend; and Florida City's Police Force Gets Out From Behind Desks is the reporting package on offer. There's alot to think about here and I'm not sure that I can do one more piece on using the policing assets we have better. But I have a few random thoughts:
In Which We Find Chip Flowers Changing the Credit Cards Story AGAIN

In Which We Find Chip Flowers Changing the Credit Cards Story AGAIN

44 Comments
Delaware State News reports on the Chip Flowers' travel document dump, and we find that that the State Treasurer still can't quite wrap his mind around the escalating mismanagement of these credit card issues. For one (and the most jawdropping to me), we find that Flowers wants us to know that he lost all of those receipts because the corporate world he came from has differing standards:
Not keeping the original receipts was a mistake that Mr. Flowers acknowledged, and he attributed the discarded receipts to following the general policies of corporate business during his transition to public office in 2011.