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Delaware lawmakers approve reassessment fix for tax errors

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Delaware lawmakers approve reassessment fix for tax errors


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One of the two Delaware Senate bills designed to fix issues that arose in the 2025 reassessment of all First State properties now heads to Gov. Matt Meyer on Jan. 29. 

The passed bill would allow New Castle County to carry out “a quality control review” of select property assessments with any clerical or actual errors, as well as nonresidential properties valued at or more than $300,000 “that decreased from their previously assessed value, or whose tax value is 25% less than its most recent sale price,” among other requirements, as previously reported.   

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Many commercial properties received a tax break due to the recently assessed property tax values, while many with residential properties – including small-business owners – saw a spike in their tax bills.   

An additional House amendment, which clarifies that the review parameters listed in the bill do not limit New Castle County “to otherwise make revisions and corrections” to county property assessments, and that the county can conduct additional review “where it appears that an error or mistake in valuation may have occurred,” was introduced. This amendment later cleared the floor by a voice vote.

The bill cleared the full House floor, with 35 lawmakers in support, 3 against and 3 not voting.

The amended bill then returned to the Senate chamber, where members suspended rules and passed the bill at the end of session. Fifteen state senators voted in favor, while six abstained from voting.

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This comes with only days to spare, as Romer wanted to pass this legislation before lawmakers break for Joint Finance Committee hearings.

Doing so would allow counties enough time to adjust and get to work before the next tax bills go out, she explained.

The second of these bills would grant the financial offices of New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties the subpoena power to fix future property reassessments.   

The bill would give these bodies a little more authority to press properties – particularly the nonresidential kind – for more information when modifying assessments based on the frequently used income approach. Legislators have previously insisted such power would be used sparingly.

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Despite being on the full floor agenda, has not yet made an appearance.

Joint Finance Committee hearings are scheduled to begin Feb. 3. This will mean the legislative session is on hold until March 10.

It is not yet known when the second of these bills will be heard next.

Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. If you have a tip or a story idea, reach out to her at omontes@delawareonline.com

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Delaware

Massive crane tipped backwards at construction site in Delaware

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Massive crane tipped backwards at construction site in Delaware


A massive crane at a construction site along I-295 in New Castle County, Delaware, tipped backward.

SkyForce10 was over the scene on Wednesday, April 29, where a massive crane could be seen leaning backward with all its wheels in the air:

It is unclear at this time if anyone was injured and how the crane tipped backward.

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FBI offers reward in search for missing Delaware County man

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FBI offers reward in search for missing Delaware County man


FOLCROFT, Pa. (WPVI) — The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the disappearance of a Delaware County, Pennsylvania man.

Isiah Jenifer, 29, has been missing since last summer.

Jenifer’s sister reported him missing to police on Aug. 28 after she said she had been unable to reach him and learned that no one else had heard from him.

“It’s not like my brother not to be at my house, and we received a few phone calls that nobody had heard or talked to him, and I checked his location – his location wouldn’t update,” Kayla Jenifer said.

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Police said Isiah Jenifer was last seen on the 1500 block of Chester Pike in Folcroft. His family said that location was a Wawa.

According to Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse, investigators were able to track Jenifer’s phone after he disappeared.

“We were able to track his phone down to the city of Chester. That’s the last time his whereabouts were known,” Rouse said.

Sources said a car Jenifer was believed to have been in was later found in Chester, with blood matching his DNA discovered under one of the seats.

Authorities said the investigation stalled after that discovery, and no arrests have been made in the case.

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Rouse said the FBI’s involvement and reward offer reflect the urgency of the investigation.

“It’s all hands on deck when someone is missing, and I appreciate our federal partners offering us this reward. We want help,” he said.

Jenifer’s family said the past eight months have been filled with uncertainty as they wait for answers. They also noted that Jenifer was on parole for a drug-related crime in 2019 and said it was unlike him to miss reporting to his parole officer.

His sister, Rhea Jenifer, emphasized that regardless of his past, he remains deeply loved.

“No matter what he was then, he was someone that we loved. He was a little brother. He was a big brother. He was an uncle, he was a son, he was a nephew,” she said.

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Rouse said investigators are hoping someone with information will come forward, whether to help reunite Jenifer with his family or to provide them with closure.

“We’re hoping for a happy ending to this. And obviously if the happy ending isn’t available, we’re hoping to bring justice to his family,” he said.

The FBI said Jenifer has ties to multiple communities. In addition to Folcroft and Chester, he has connections in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.

Investigators said they are hopeful someone, somewhere, can help bring him home.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office at (215) 418-4000 or at tips.fbi.gov.

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Mezzanine Gallery presents Kira Krell’s “Stone Formations”

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Mezzanine Gallery presents Kira Krell’s “Stone Formations”


Krell’s textured abstract works invite viewers to slow down and reflect on the enduring presence of the natural world.

 

Wilmington, Del. (April 28, 2026)The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present Stone Formations, a solo exhibition of new work by Kira Krell, on view May 1-29, 2026. An opening reception will be held Friday, May 1, from 5-7pm, in the Mezzanine Gallery, located in the Carvel State Office Building at 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. Admission is free and open to the public.

“Stone Formations” guides viewers from volcanic deserts to coastal shorelines through a series of layered, relief-like paintings that trace geological time and place. Krell builds her surfaces by combining sand, plaster, and earth pigments, adding, subtracting, and distressing these materials to achieve textures that appear weathered and time-worn. Intricate details emerge through dry brushing and mark-making with acrylics and pencils, revealing the inner structures of the geological forms she studies. Fascinated by the permanence and strength conveyed by natural landscapes, Krell offers an impression of steadiness and belonging – a counterpoint to the pace and instability of contemporary life. The exhibition invites viewers to pause, breathe, and reflect on the enduring presence of the physical world.

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The Mezzanine Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Admission is free.

About the Artist

Kira Krell is an abstract artist based in Townsend, Delaware, whose practice centers on multi-layered surfaces and material exploration. Born in 1973 in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, Krell grew up in a creative family that valued hands-on making, and spent more than a decade traveling internationally as a missionary, experiences that continue to shape her connection to physical environments and place.

Krell began painting during the COVID-19 pandemic, after challenging herself to try drawing. Working with watered-down craft paint, a pen, and an empty CD sleeve, she created her first line-and-wash work. That experimental process led her to canvas and to her current abstract style. Since formally developing her practice in 2021, Krell has refined her work through specialized workshops and ongoing research into historic materials, including plaster and earth pigments.

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In 2024, she presented her first solo exhibition, Beauty in Brokenness, at the Newark Arts Alliance Gallery in Newark, Delaware. Her work has also been shown at the Bethany Beach Arts Festival and in group exhibitions at the Newark Arts Alliance. Krell is the recipient of a 2024 Artist Opportunity Grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts and the Delaware State Arts Council. Her paintings are held in private collections in Europe and across the United States.

About the Mezzanine Gallery

The Mezzanine Gallery, located on the second floor of the Carvel State Office Building (820 N. French Street, Wilmington, DE), is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The gallery highlights the work of Delaware’s Individual Artist Fellows, showcasing a diverse range of artistic talent throughout the year. For more information, visit https://arts.delaware.gov/mezzanine-gallery.

Images in the banner: “Rockport Shore” (2026), plaster, pigment on canvas, 18”x24”. 

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Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications

302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@delaware.gov

About the Delaware Division of the Arts
The Delaware Division of the Arts is an agency of the State of Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.

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