Delaware
Delaware on Main Street Program Grows as 17 Communities Earn National Designations – State of Delaware News
DOVER, Del. – On Monday, the Delaware on Main Street (DOMS) Program, operating within the Delaware Division of Small Business (DSB), presented certificates of accreditation or affiliation to 17 downtown organizations on behalf of Main Street America.
The recognition reflects continued growth in the Delaware on Main Street Program, with two new organizations joining the network between July 2025 and January 2026 and two communities advancing to Main Street America’s highest designation level. Delaware now has six nationally accredited Main Street programs, up from four in 2025, representing a 50% increase in communities earning Main Street America’s top designation.
“I’m incredibly excited to see the growth of this program and so proud of the dedication, passion, and effort that each of these Main Street programs put into economic development and revitalization of their downtown areas,” said Delaware on Main Street Coordinator Anastasia Jackson. “Their tireless efforts show what’s possible when engaged leaders work together to shape places that reflect the people they serve.”
The impact of Delaware’s Main Street programs extends far beyond recognition. In 2025, eleven Delaware on Main Street programs generated more than $306.8 million in local reinvestment, facilitated the creation of 421 full-time and 108 part-time jobs, and helped open 104 new businesses. They also completed 38 rehabilitation projects, 85 public improvement projects, and eight new construction projects. Volunteers contributed more than 29,293 hours to support downtown revitalization efforts.
Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce a list of designated programs that have committed to creating meaningful improvements to their downtowns through the Main Street Approach™.
These designations serve as a powerful advocacy tool, demonstrating to local stakeholders, as well as city, state, and national funders, that a Main Street program has an established position within a nationwide movement. Main Street America’s 46-year track record of economic success and community building has created a lasting impact in communities across the country.
Certificates were presented during the quarterly Main Street meeting held at Middletown Town Hall on Monday, June 29, 2026.
The four programs receiving renewed accreditation are Downtown Wilmington Visions, Downtown Dover Partnership, Downtown Milford, Inc., and Rehoboth Beach Main Street, Inc. The two programs earning accreditation status for the first time are Cornerstone West CDC in Wilmington and Middletown Main Street.
To qualify for Accredited status, Main Street America’s highest designation tier, communities must demonstrate a proven track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach™ and exceptional performance in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
The remaining 11 downtown programs receiving Affiliate status are City of Harrington, City of Seaford, Clayton Main Street, Delaware City, Main Street Laurel, Millsboro Downtown Partnership, Milton Main Street, The Newark Partnership, Town of Elsmere, Smyrna Main Street, and Town of Georgetown.
To qualify for Affiliate status, Main Street America’s second designation tier, communities must demonstrate a strong commitment to the Main Street model and dedication to achieving outcomes in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
According to Main Street America, for every dollar invested in the operation of a Main Street program, an average of $21.73 is reinvested into its downtown and commercial corridor communities.
Together, Delaware’s accredited and affiliate Main Street programs are helping strengthen local economies, support small businesses, preserve historic downtowns, and create vibrant places where residents and visitors want to live, work, and spend time.
To learn more about the Delaware on Main Street Program, visit de.gov/demainst.
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The Delaware Division of Small Business is a service-focused state agency, within the Delaware Department of State, that is committed to helping businesses start and grow in Delaware. Our Regional Business Managers can help you navigate government processes, connect with partner organizations that offer resources to small businesses and identify opportunities to access capital. DSB also oversees the Delaware Tourism Office and the Office of Supplier Diversity
Media Contact
Andrea Wojcik
Division of Small Business
O: (302) 672-6840; C: (302) 554-0060
andrea.wojcik@delaware.gov
DIAA Executive Director David Baylor on Tough Decisions
DIAA Executive Director David Baylor shares his philosophy on making fair, sometimes unpopular decisions for student-athletes and high school sports.
Editor’s note: This is the 11th installment of our Most Influential & Inspiring Delawareans series for 2026. The series continues through summer. To see all of our Most Influential & Inspiring content, visit delawareonline.com/life/delaware-most-influential/.
David Baylor, executive director, Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association
Baylor was hired in July 2023 by the Delaware Department of Education to oversee the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association, which regulates middle and high school sports in Delaware and operates its state championship events. The U.S. Navy veteran and career policeman has guided the organization through a state-government-influenced overhaul aiming to make it more efficient. That has included enlarging the DIAA staff and reconfiguring its board of directors, while overseeing the advent of revised transfer and eligibility regulations and the addition of name/image/likeness opportunities. DIAA also recently approved a new divisional state championship split for 11 sports beginning in 2027-28.
Ryan Carty, head football coach, University of Delaware
Hired as University of Delaware football coach in December 2021, Carty has guided the Blue Hens to a 33-17 record the past four years, with NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoff berths in 2022 and 2023. Carty oversaw Delaware’s difficult transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2025, as the Hens went 4-4 in their first season in Conference USA and 7-6 overall. That included a 20-13 victory over Louisiana in the 68 Ventures Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, Delaware’s first FBS bowl appearance.
Stefanie Whitby, athletic director, Wilmington University
Whitby is in her ninth year as Wilmington University’s athletic director, overseeing one of the state’s two NCAA Division II programs, the other being Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference rival Goldey-Beacom. Wilmington fields seven men’s and nine women’s teams, including a softball team with two straight World Series appearances. Whitby’s own competitive and coaching background led her to Wilmington. She previously had been the men’s and women’s track and field coach at Temple, where she was the first woman to steer a men’s team. Whitby was a state champion sprinter herself at Padua Academy and then ran for Villanova University.
Charma Bell, director of development and programs, First Tee – Delaware
A lifelong volunteer, Bell began helping the LPGA Urban Youth Golf Program as a parent when it served 50 students in 1994. She served as site coordinator, volunteer instructor then program director and helped guide the group’s transition to First Tee – Delaware in 2007. Now in her 32nd year, she is director of development and programs for an ever-expanding organization that reaches more than 25,000 students, teaching life skills and golf at 19 courses in Delaware, two in Maryland and many additional community and school locations throughout all three counties. The Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcaster Association’s Herm Reitzes Award winner for community service in 2017, Bell has seen First Tee participants go on to become doctors, teachers, stay-at-home moms, PGA professionals and business leaders.
Brian O’Neill, NFL player, Minnesota Vikings
When Brian O’Neill was at The Salesianum School, it was hard to foresee him as a two-time Pro Bowl right tackle in the NFL. For one, O’Neill played tight end at Salesianum. Secondly, football wasn’t even O’Neill’s best sport. That’s because O’Neill, who’s 6-foot-7, was named the Delaware Boys Basketball Player of the Year by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association in 2014 − and that was on a team with future NBA star Donte DiVincenzo.
Yet O’Neill was offered a football scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh, where he eventually transitioned to the offensive line, adding about 60 pounds in the process. O’Neill then became a second-round pick of the Vikings in 2018, and a full-time starter early in his rookie season.
Delaware NFL Star Brian O’Neill speaks on his annual football camp
Minnesota Vikings RT Brian O’Neill, and former Los Angeles Rams LB Troy Reeder, both from Delaware, speak on hosting O’Neill’s annual camp.
Through it all, O’Neill and fellow NFL player and Salesianum teammate Troy Reeder, along with Darnell Savage, have hosted an annual football camp at the Titus Sports Performance Academy at the Chase Center in Wilmington. This year’s free event, held June 12, had about 100 middle and high school kids in attendance going through football drills with O’Neill and Reeder providing instruction.
“The people have always been awesome to us here in this community,” O’Neill told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “It’s a great way to say connected.”
DeSean Jackson, Delaware State University football coach
Jackson made the unlikely transition from star NFL wide receiver, including two stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, to head college football coach − without any experience as a head coach at any level. In fact, Jackson was an assistant coach at a high school in California when Delaware State offered him the head coaching job in December 2024.
Yet Jackson led the Hornets to an 8-4 record in 2025. It was DSU’s first winning season since 2012, and its most successful season since 2007, the only time the Hornets made the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. To show how quickly Jackson turned DSU around, the school had gone 2-21 in the two seasons before Jackson took over.
And now, Jackson said he hopes to build on that success, both on the field and off. The school signed Jackson to a new contract last December that runs through the 2028 season.
“Just two days before Christmas (in 2024), I began the next phase of my professional career, as a first-time head coach, in a community I did not know, with players I did not recruit,” Jackson said in a statement upon signing his new contract.
“It was not easy, but it was important. Giving my whole self to these young men and representing one of the best Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the country has been a high honor and one I do not intend to take for granted. We have some unfinished business to take care of on the field, and I am proud to be a part of the athletic transformation taking place at the school.”
Jordan Skolnick, University of Delaware athletic director
Jordan Skolnick went from “interim” to the official athletic director in January, taking control of an athletic department that just completed its first full season in Conference USA. The conference plays at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of college football. The Blue Hens made a successful transition, reaching a bowl game in their first season at FBS. That brought exposure, not to mention revenue, to the athletic department. All the while, Skolnick oversaw the transition to paying college athletes, a massive amount of change within the last year alone.
So yes, it has been a whirlwind ever since Skolnick became the interim AD in March 2025 following Chrissi Rawak’s abrupt resignation. Skolnick came with Rawak from Michigan in 2016. His first was as senior associate athletic director for development, helping to raise the funds necessary to renovate Delaware Stadium and build the state-of-the-art Whitney Athletic Center. Now, Skolnick oversees every aspect of athletics in a rapidly-changing sports environment.
“There are ways we have to evolve and adapt,” Skolnick told Delawareonline/Delaware News Journal in February. “That’s the challenging part. It’s also really exciting because I believe we can find a way to do it that is going to stay true to who we are, but also creatively innovate in some ways that gives us an advantage.”
Nah’Shon ‘Bones’ Hyland, Minnesota Timberwolves
Nah’Shon Hyland has never forgotten his Wilmington roots, even though the city was a tragic part of his life that nearly derailed his basketball career long before he reached the NBA. In March 2018, Hyland escaped a fire by jumping out of a second-story window. He tore his patellar tendon while jumping from the fire that destroyed the family’s Wilmington home. Hyland’s grandmother and 11-month-old cousin died in the blaze, and he was told by the doctors that he wouldn’t play basketball again.
Not only did Hyland, known as “Bones” because of his slender stature, recover to play basketball at St. Georges Technical High School (his number was retired in a 2023 ceremony), he got a basketball scholarship to Virginia Commonwealth. Hyland then became a first-round draft pick of the Denver Nuggets in 2021. Hyland has since played for the Los Angeles Clippers and for the Minnesota Timberwolves this past season, becoming a key player off the bench for an NBA playoff team.
In addition, Hyland has always given back to the Wilmington community that helped raise him, in his annual “Tressi Community Day,” a free basketball showcase to highlight top local basketball talent for middle school and high school players. Hyland began the annual summer event in 2021. Last summer, it was held at Brown-Burton Winchester Park in Wilmington. In addition to middle and high school basketball games, there are inflatables, face painting and a variety of food options for everybody who attends. A date for the 2026 event has yet to be set.
Verizon has fixed its mobile phone issue that started the afternoon of Aug. 8, the company reported in the evening.
Verizon mobile phone customers had been reporting outages, according to Downdetector website.
At 4:16 p.m., 10,820 reports of Verizon problems had been made on the site.
About 4:30 p.m., 87% of reports were about mobile phone issues while 5% were mobile internet and 5% were 5G home internet.
Verizon advised its wireless customers to restart their device if they were still having a problem.
Reports on the Downdetector site had ranged largely from New York to Washington, DC, but also included other areas such as Boston and Chicago. Many users said they could not make or receive calls.
Customers can check the status of service for their address at verizon.com/support/check-network-status/.
Built in 1886 as a schoolhouse, the building was later a bait shop
Closed for nearly four years for structural work, the interpretive center reopened to the public on May 17, 2026.
The Delaware history column features excerpts from The News Journal archives including The Morning News and The Evening Journal. See the archives at delawareonline.com.
20 years ago, The News Journal, Aug. 9, 2006
Wintherthur cuts 10 percent of staff
Winterthur has cut about 61 jobs, or 10 percent of its total employment, as part of a restructuring of its nearly 25-year-old catalog business, the museum said Tuesday.
The museum is re-evaluating its gift catalog, one of two operations that make up a high-end catalog business that at one time propped up Winterthur’s finances and acted as a marketing tool for the renowned museum founded by Henry Francis du Pont.
All but six of the jobs that were cut were in the catalog call center and warehouse, located in New Castle since 2002.
Catalog operations … were turned over last week to a company “with expertise in that area,” said Tara Thuene Davis, the museum’s director of marketing and communications. …
“The catalog operations were experiencing some of the same challenges that the entire direct-mail industry has been experiencing in recent years. It just wasn’t as profitable as it was in previous years,” Davis said. “It’s been a downward spiral.”
The museum … sold such items as vases, jewelry, decorative plates, teapots, ornaments and stationery.
Also from 20 years ago, The News Journal, Aug. 11, 2006
Former MBNA site sold for $32 million
A group of prominent Greenville businessmen have agreed to pay $32 million to buy the 19-acre corporate campus on Del. 100 in Greenville formerly occupied by MBNA Corp.
Greenville Corporate Centre LLC, an investment group that includes two du Pont family members, beat out a handful of competitive offers, said those involved in the deal.
Real estate brokers said the price is one of the highest paid for a suburban building.
The property, acquired in January by Bank of America after it bought MBNA, is considered the premier suburban office property in Delaware, said Leigh Johnstone, senior vice president at Grubb & Ellis, a Wilmington real estate service company. The 138,000-square-foot building was built by Columbia Gas Systems. It was completely renovated by MBNA after the credit card bank bought it in 1996.
Ken Musi, a Greenville real estate developer involved in the investment group, said no tenant has been signed for the building.
50 years ago, The Morning News, Aug. 13, 1976
Wilmington councilmen fume at Housing Authority expansion plans
The troubled Terry Apartments at 25th and Broom streets again snatched the spotlight at a City Council meeting last night when council members learned that the Wilmington Housing Authority wants to buy them for public housing.
The authority is also applying to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for permission to buy the Briarwood Apartments at 2307 N. Harrison St. and 35 private homes, most of them in northwest Wilmington.
Council members are angry about losing valuable tax revenue from the properties if they become public housing. Neither they nor assistant city solicitor Michael P. Maguire knew any details of the WHA plan or the present status of the private homes in question.
Councilman Richard V. Pryor, D-2nd, termed the plan “appalling,” as he wielded a copy of a letter discussing the proposed acquisitions sent to HUD by Paul Welk, director of development modernization for the WHA.
Such projects “will seriously undermine the capability of the city to sustain itself,” he said, because it would reduce tax revenues.
Citing a long-standing city gripe, he said, “It will place more and more burden on the city of Wilmington with no effort by the county or state to assume their fair share” of public housing costs.
100 years ago, The Evening Journal, Aug. 13, 1926
Kent County unable to pay its bills
Kent County Levy Court finds itself financially embarrassed, as indicated at the weekly meeting when the court failed to pay the current bills due to lack of funds. They were held over until some future date.
When County Comptroller W.H. Poore presented his weekly report, he reported that the general fund was depleted and that some action would be necessary to procure funds before the bills could be paid.
The Levy Court has already borrowed $55,000 which will have to be paid back as soon as the revenue from taxes is received.
At the present time there are outstanding bills amounting to $3,000 and the weekly bills to be presented will increase that amount each week.
Over $300,000 is required this year to pay interest and redeem bonds.
Also from 100 years ago, The Evening Journal, Aug. 13, 1926
Third ferry added to popular New Castle line
The ferry steamer Baltic, formerly operated on the Pennsylvania Railroad route between Philadelphia and Camden, N.J., was purchased at private sale yesterday by the New Castle-Pennsville Ferries Inc., and will be put in operation over the present weekend.
A 15-minute schedule between New Castle and Pennsville, N.J. will be inaugurated.
The Baltic is the second additional boat purchased by the company in less than a year from the time it began operating the ferry route.
When the company first began operations on Sept. 1, 1925 with one boat, the schedule called for hourly trips between the two terminals.
Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.
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