Delaware

Delaware legislators trying to rewrite state's gun code – 47abc

Published

2 years ago

March 18, 2024

Delaware legislators trying to rewrite state's gun code – 47abc

Delaware recently passed Permit-to-Purchase legislation through its House and Senate, with the bill only awaiting Governor John Carney’s to be acted into law. This came as a win for gun control advocates, as the bill will lengthen the process of acquiring a handgun with more paperwork and background checks. But now, Delaware legislators are taking a step back in order to address the big-picture problem with the state’s gun laws.

Delaware’s gun code stands as an outlier among the other 49 states. State Representative Jeff Spiegleman summarized it by saying “anything that fires anything” is technically considered a firearm in the state’s current language.

Rep. Spiegleman is the primary sponsor of House Bill 357. It seeks to redefine what the state considers a firearm. He said that enforcing the current broad definition can lead to unintended consequences: “What it really means is that we have a real chance of accidentally sending someone to jail for something that common sense says they didn’t do, but the law says they did.”

It’s this tension between common sense and technical language that is at the heart of the bill. Delaware State Sportmen’s Association (DSSA) President Jeff Hague has been in favor of updating the code for nearly a decade. He was appointed by Speaker of the House Valerie Longhurst to the task force that met a number of times over the past year, with the goal of crafting legislation that would refine what Delaware code considers a firearm. Hague said, “As ridiculous as it may sound, even the air cannons they use for Punkin Chunkin would be considered a firearm under the definition.”

HB 357 creates a category separate from firearms labeled “projectile weapons” that would include things like crossbows, air bows, and even nail guns. All of these are objects that can be used as a weapon, but everyone agrees they should not be legally referred to as guns.

Hague drew parallels connecting projectile weapons to deadly weapons in how the law considers them: “It’s much like ‘deadly weapon’. Deadly weapon says ‘includes the following:’ but it’s not an exhaustive list. It’s essentially any weapon that can be used that causes someone’s death. It serves as a guideline [saying] these types of objects can be used and are considered dangerous and it’s illegal to use them in a criminal manner. Doesn’t mean you can’t possess them.”

Rep. Spiegleman said, “We crafted a best-practices approach to this that makes sure: if you rob a liquor store with one of these implements, it’s the equivalent of a firearms violation. But it’s not a firearm.”

The bill currently awaits the House Judiciary Committee.

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Delaware

Delaware will save more than $300M after federal tax decoupling takes effect

Published

8 hours ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Delaware will save more than 0M after federal tax decoupling takes effect

The fiscal year 2027 forecast remained relatively flat from the October meeting. But some expenses declined, including salaries for teachers. Brian Maxwell, state director of Management and Budget, said teacher salary expenses were down because student enrollment has dropped. He said federal immigration policy could be impacting the state’s Multilingual Learners.

“Obviously, there have been a number of students that may not be showing up to class just because of the enforcement of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” he said. “So some of the families may be scared to actually send their kids to school.”

Maxwell said overall enrollment is down, but the number of students needing special education services is up. The next student count is in February.

DEFAC members also discussed the revised Healthcare Spending benchmark. In September, the subcommittee devised a methodology that only used healthcare inflation, resulting in a 7.13% for 2026.

“We all gathered in October and there was a fair amount of concern with that outcome,” said Christen Linke Young, director of Health and Social Services. “So the subcommittee reconvened earlier this month to consider a new approach.”

After adopting the methodology using expected national inflation data and a three-year measure of health care cost growth, the benchmark now sits at 4.9%. But Young said there would be no penalty for hospitals exceeding the guideline.

Gov. Meyer and the state’s largest nongovernmental employer, ChristianaCare Health System, reached an agreement earlier this year in a lawsuit the regional hospital system filed last year. The Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board was created by lawmakers in June 2024 to try to rein in hospital spending. But the agreement, which requires new legislation and the governor’s signature, would strip the board of its authority to approve and modify hospital budgets.

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Delaware

Snow melting soon as Delaware warms after icy blast

Published

20 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Snow melting soon as Delaware warms after icy blast

Delaware may have seen its first snowfall of the season, but it won’t stick around for long.

Despite below freezing temperatures Dec. 15 and Dec. 16, it’s possible that by the weekend there won’t be a trace of snow.

Here’s what to know about this week’s weather and snow melt.

When will the snow melt away?

While Delaware will face freezing temperatures Dec. 15 and Dec. 16, the National Weather Service forecast is calling for a warmup starting on Dec. 17. Here’s the forecast:

New Castle County

Cold weather will continue this evening and into Dec. 16 with lows dropping into the teens. The county will hit 32 degrees on Dec. 16 before dropping to 22 that night. Temperatures start climbing into the low 40s with partly sunny skies on Dec. 17. Highs will hit 51 degrees on Dec. 18. If most of the snow hasn’t melted by that point, it should be gone after rain goes through the area during the overnight between Dec. 17 and Dec. 18. Highs will remain above freezing, hitting 44 on Dec. 18.

Kent County

Lows will drop into the teens overnight before climbing above freezing on Dec. 16. On Dec. 17, Kent County will see partly sunny skies with highs in the upper 40s. It will be mostly cloudy on Dec. 18 with highs hitting 55. There’s a 90% chance of rain during the overnight hours into Dec. 19. The 19th is looking mostly cloudy with highs reaching 47.

Sussex County

After lows hit 19 during the overnight tonight, the high for Dec. 16 will be 38 degrees with sunny skies. Any snow in the southern part of the state will vanish Dec. 17 and Dec 18. Both days will feature sunny skies with highs reaching the low 50s on Dec. 17 and almost hitting 60 on Dec. 18.

What is black ice?

Despite the warm up, overnight temperatures are expected to be below freezing. If you are driving at night, you’ll need to watch out for black ice.

According to The Weather Channel, black ice is a thin layer of ice that forms on roads and is difficult to see. It’s generally found on bridges, overpasses and spots on the road shaded by trees or other objects.

If roadways are wet from rain, snow or fog and temperatures drop below 32 degrees, black ice can form on roadways.

If you hit black ice, you should do the following:

Keep your steering wheel straight.
Do not brake
Take your foot off the accelerator to reduce speed

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Delaware

Delayed openings in Delaware: What schools are starting late?

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Delayed openings in Delaware: What schools are starting late?

Potentially icy road conditions have led every public school in Delaware to announce delayed openings for Dec. 15.

Every public school is operating on some sort of delay, most of which are two hours. The Delaware Department of Transportation already sent out a warning about treacherous driving conditions. Whatever has not dried from the Dec. 14 snowstorm will freeze over as temperatures plunge into the 20s and winds kick up over night.

The following school districts have announced delays.