Delaware

Delaware Senate leaders and Gov. Matt Meyer face off over control of port

Published

12 months ago

January 26, 2025

Delaware Senate leaders and Gov. Matt Meyer face off over control of port

For Meyer and some of his supporters, allowing Hall-Long to make the recommendations would be a repudiation of the voters who chose Meyer over Hall-Long in last year’s Democratic primary by 10 percentage points. Meyer also beat former environmental protection chief Collin O’Mara in that primary, who garnered about 16% of the vote.

“Those who lose elections don’t get to make appointments,” said Nick Merlino, Meyer’s deputy chief of staff.

“I think that it’s unprecedented for someone who lost an election to be able to make nominations as a consolation prize on their way out,” he said. “It just seems wholly unfair, unfair to the voters of Delaware.”

However, in a letter to Meyer, Senate President Dave Sokola, D-Newark, told Meyer that based on legal research, the nominations are “viable.” But he also invited Meyer to submit his own nominees. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Merlino said the Senate leadership told them the chamber was relying on rulings from court cases in Pennsylvania and Wyoming.

Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend said Hall-Long duly made the nominations during her time as governor and he doesn’t think which governor’s name is on the nominations has a direct connection to the voters.

Townsend did not clearly answer whose nominations the Senate would take up, but left the door open for the Senate to disregard Meyer’s picks in favor of Hall-Long’s.

“Right now we have Gov. Hall Long’s nominees that are submitted to the Senate. Gov. Meyer sent a letter that we believe presented an inaccurate, to put it mildly, framing of the Delaware Constitution and what its powers are,” he said. “Sen. Sokola responded and we’ll move through the process of considering nominees that are before us, whoever the nominees are and whichever governor submits them, we very much want to see people who are committed to what we believe the future of the port can be.”

Townsend also argued that even if Hall-Long was not elected governor last year, senators were. Sokola was not on the ballot last year, while Townsend and Senate Majority Whip Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman ran unopposed.

Meyer will have four cabinet secretaries on the port board — pending expected confirmations by the Senate this month — who are legislatively appointed.

Those include his nominations for Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda, Transportation Secretary Shanté Hastings, Finance Secretary Michael Smith and Department of Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Joshua Bushweller.

In another potential blow to Meyer’s control over the direction of the port, Townsend is sponsoring legislation introduced days before Meyer was inaugurated that would allow the port’s board to elect its own chair without the consent of the Senate. That means the governor would no longer be able to pick the chair, possibly paving the way for former Secretary of State and longtime board chair Jeffrey Bullock to return to the position. He has served on the board since 2009 and has been chairman longer than anyone since the 18th century.

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Delaware

Delaware County’s 250th events aim to boost local economy

Published

12 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Delaware County’s 250th events aim to boost local economy

DELAWARE COUNTY – Delaware County is gearing up for a year-long celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, bringing together community partners for a series of events and programs.

Delaware County’s plans for the semiquincentennial

The Delaware County America 250 Commission hosted a “We the People” party to unveil plans for the upcoming celebrations.

The events aim to educate and connect the local community while drawing visitors from outside Philadelphia to explore the area’s rich history.

What they’re saying:

“Delaware County is not just watching from the sidelines, we are proud to be an essential part of a massive regional and national celebration,” said Christine Reuther, Delaware County Council Vice Chair.

Andrea Silva, director of the Delaware County America 250 Commission, highlighted the diverse themes that will be showcased throughout the year.

Celebrating 250 years of history

The backstory:

Friday’s event celebrated Delaware County’s 250-year history, with different tables reflecting various themes.

Attendees included Colonial Farmstead, Penn’s Woods Winery, and Pathways to Freedom.

The programming will feature over 100 events, including the Battle for Independence: Amazing Race to Brandywine and the Irish America 250 Kick Off on Jan. 14.

The celebrations are expected to leave a lasting legacy, with hopes of boosting the local economy.

“We want to see real economic impact for our local businesses as visitors from around the world come to shop on our main streets and stay in our towns and eat in our restaurants,” said Reuther.

What’s next:

This year’s county event specifics can be found here.

The Source: Information from the Delaware County America 250 Commission.

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Delaware

Wilmington’s first homicide of 2026 claims life of 19-year-old

Published

24 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Wilmington’s first homicide of 2026 claims life of 19-year-old

A 19-year-old man was shot dead in Wilmington’s Southbridge neighborhood in the early hours of Jan. 9, police said.

Wilmington officers arriving to the 200 block of S. Claymont St. about 3:30 a.m. found the teen there.

The teen, whom police have not named, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Anyone with information about this shooting should contact Wilmington Police Detective Derek Haines at (302) 576-3656. People can also provide information to Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or delawarecrimestoppers.com.

Violence by the numbers

This is the first homicide reported this year in Delaware, which last year saw a slight drop in all violent killings.

Delaware police reported 52 people being killed in violent crimes in 2025, a drop of nearly 12% when compared with 59 people killed in 2024, according to a Delaware Online/The News Journal database.

While the number of people killed in homicides statewide is down, the number of people killed by gunfire in Delaware was up in 2025 for the third year in a row.

According to the Delaware Online database, 47 were shot dead in Delaware last year. That was one more victim (46) than in 2024, three more (44) than in 2023 and nine more (38) than in 2022.

Despite the increase in gun-related deaths, there were fewer people shot last year in Delaware for the second year in a row.

Police reported 164 people being shot last year in Delaware. The previous year saw 195 people shot and police reported 210 people being shot in 2023.

This was the fewest people shot in Delaware since 2018, when police reported 146 people being shot statewide.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

MERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

MERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach

A dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach on Jan. 8, according to the nonprofit Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute.

The juvenile male was first seen Jan. 6, floating at sea about 2 miles off the Indian River Inlet, a MERR Facebook post said. The bloated 30-foot whale ultimately beached near a private community in the early afternoon of Jan. 8, the post said.

MERR is attempting to coordinate with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to get equipment to move the whale out of the water and onto the beach to perform a necropsy, the post said. Right now, there isn’t enough information to determine a cause of death.

Delaware saw at least three dead whales last year, in the Indian River Bay, at Delaware Seashore State Park and at Pigeon Point. The first two were humpbacks, while the Pigeon Point whale was a fin whale.

A necropsy on the Delaware Seashore whale found blunt force trauma across its back, indicating it may have been struck by a ship, MERR Director Suzanne Thurman said.

Recently, on Jan. 4, a dead fin whale was found on the bow of a ship at the Gloucester Marine Terminal in New Jersey, which is located in the Port of Philadelphia on the Delaware River.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook.

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