Delaware
Delaware Tourism Office to Reopen the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund – State of Delaware News
Applications Accepted Beginning Aug. 1
DOVER, Del. – On Aug. 1, the Delaware Tourism Office will reopen the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund for applications. Established through the FY24 Bond and Capital Improvements Act, the fund provides financial support to new or existing sports facilities that hold events throughout the year to attract out-of-state visitors and contribute to the state and local economy.
“As a significant economic driver, sports tourism generates millions of dollars and brings thousands of visitors to our state each year,” said Governor John Carney. “This fund provides the opportunity to support new and existing sports facilities to ensure that Delaware remains competitive in the sports tourism field for years to come.”
Delaware has been selected to host a variety of national sporting events, including the USA Lacrosse Youth Nationals, the MEAC Volleyball Championship, the U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships and the state’s first PGA Tour event, the 2022 BMW Championship. The state has also hosted smaller-scale sporting events in lacrosse, football, soccer, softball, baseball and other sports.
“Sports tourism is a $128 billion global industry that is continuously growing, and Delaware faces stiff competition from neighboring states to attract and retain sporting events,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “We welcome the opportunity to reopen this investment fund and provide financial support to our state’s world-class sports facilities so that sporting event operators keep Delaware top of mind when looking for locations for their tournaments and other competitions.”
During the fund’s initial application period from March 1 through April 12, 2024, the Delaware Tourism Office received 18 applications requesting more than $54 million. Available funds totaled $11.3 million and were distributed to four awardees, including Wilmington Sports LLC, DE Turf, Midway Motion & Fitness and STATS Tournaments. The FY25 Bond and Capital Improvements Act provided an additional $10 million for a second round of funding.
“The first round of applications for the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund was incredibly competitive and showcased the variety of facilities hosting a range of sporting events throughout the year,” said Delaware Tourism Office Director Jessica Welch. “We are thrilled to be able to reopen the program for new applications and continue supporting these facilities who contribute significantly to our state’s economic growth and help promote Delaware as a prime destination for out-of-state visitors.”
The Delaware Tourism Office will hold an informational webinar for prospective applicants to learn more about the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund on Thursday, July 25, at 2 p.m. Pre-registration is required.
Applications for the investment fund will be accepted by the Delaware Tourism Office until Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. All applicants must submit a completed original application, along with 10 printed copies and an electronic copy included on a thumb drive, to the Delaware Tourism Office located at 99 Kings Highway in Dover, Del. More information on eligibility, funding requirements and complete program regulations can be found on the Delaware Tourism Office website.
The Delaware Tourism Office, a division of the Delaware Division of Small Business, promotes tourism and economic growth in Delaware. For more information, visit the official Delaware Tourism website at www.visitdelaware.com or call toll-free at 866-284-7483.
###
Media Contact:
Allyson Ennis
Allyson.Ennis@Delaware.gov
Related Topics: Delaware Tourism Office, Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund
Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.
Here you can subscribe to future news updates.
Applications Accepted Beginning Aug. 1
DOVER, Del. – On Aug. 1, the Delaware Tourism Office will reopen the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund for applications. Established through the FY24 Bond and Capital Improvements Act, the fund provides financial support to new or existing sports facilities that hold events throughout the year to attract out-of-state visitors and contribute to the state and local economy.
“As a significant economic driver, sports tourism generates millions of dollars and brings thousands of visitors to our state each year,” said Governor John Carney. “This fund provides the opportunity to support new and existing sports facilities to ensure that Delaware remains competitive in the sports tourism field for years to come.”
Delaware has been selected to host a variety of national sporting events, including the USA Lacrosse Youth Nationals, the MEAC Volleyball Championship, the U.S. Adult Figure Skating Championships and the state’s first PGA Tour event, the 2022 BMW Championship. The state has also hosted smaller-scale sporting events in lacrosse, football, soccer, softball, baseball and other sports.
“Sports tourism is a $128 billion global industry that is continuously growing, and Delaware faces stiff competition from neighboring states to attract and retain sporting events,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “We welcome the opportunity to reopen this investment fund and provide financial support to our state’s world-class sports facilities so that sporting event operators keep Delaware top of mind when looking for locations for their tournaments and other competitions.”
During the fund’s initial application period from March 1 through April 12, 2024, the Delaware Tourism Office received 18 applications requesting more than $54 million. Available funds totaled $11.3 million and were distributed to four awardees, including Wilmington Sports LLC, DE Turf, Midway Motion & Fitness and STATS Tournaments. The FY25 Bond and Capital Improvements Act provided an additional $10 million for a second round of funding.
“The first round of applications for the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund was incredibly competitive and showcased the variety of facilities hosting a range of sporting events throughout the year,” said Delaware Tourism Office Director Jessica Welch. “We are thrilled to be able to reopen the program for new applications and continue supporting these facilities who contribute significantly to our state’s economic growth and help promote Delaware as a prime destination for out-of-state visitors.”
The Delaware Tourism Office will hold an informational webinar for prospective applicants to learn more about the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund on Thursday, July 25, at 2 p.m. Pre-registration is required.
Applications for the investment fund will be accepted by the Delaware Tourism Office until Sept. 13 at 4 p.m. All applicants must submit a completed original application, along with 10 printed copies and an electronic copy included on a thumb drive, to the Delaware Tourism Office located at 99 Kings Highway in Dover, Del. More information on eligibility, funding requirements and complete program regulations can be found on the Delaware Tourism Office website.
The Delaware Tourism Office, a division of the Delaware Division of Small Business, promotes tourism and economic growth in Delaware. For more information, visit the official Delaware Tourism website at www.visitdelaware.com or call toll-free at 866-284-7483.
###
Media Contact:
Allyson Ennis
Allyson.Ennis@Delaware.gov
Related Topics: Delaware Tourism Office, Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund
Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.
Here you can subscribe to future news updates.
A Pennsylvania man is accused of stealing more than 100 skeletons from a cemetery in Delaware County.
Jonathan Gerlach, 34, of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, is charged with abuse of corpse, criminal mischief, burglary and other related offenses, Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse revealed on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Léelo en español aquí
Between November 2025 and Jan. 6, 2026, 26 mausoleums and underground burial sites had been burglarized or desecrated at Mount Moriah Cemetery, which stretches from Yeadon Borough, Pennsylvania, to Philadelphia, investigators said.
As police investigated the thefts, they caught Gerlach desecrating a monument at the cemetery on Tuesday, Jan. 6, according to officials. Gerlach was taken into custody and investigators executed a search warrant at his home in Ephrata.
During the search, investigators recovered 100 human skeletons from Gerlach’s home as well as eight more human remains inside a storage locker, according to Rouse.
“Detectives walked into a horror movie come to life the other night guys,” Rouse said. “This is an unbelievable scene that no one involved – from myself to the detectives to the medical examiners that are now trying to piece together what they are looking at, quite literally – none of them have ever seen anything like this before.”
Rouse said some of the stolen skeletons are hundreds of years old.
“We are trying to figure out exactly what we are looking at,” Rouse said. “We quite simply at this juncture are not able to date and identify all of them.”
Rouse also said some of the skeletons are of infants and children.
“It is truly, in the most literal sense of the word, horrific,” Rouse said. “I grieve for those who are upset by this who are going through it who are trying to figure out if it is in fact their loved one or their child because we found remains that we believe to be months old infants among those that he had collected. Our hearts go out to every family that is impacted by this.”
Sources also told NBC10 the thefts are related to a similar case in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Investigators said they are looking at Gerlach’s online community — including his social media groups and Facebook page — to determine if people were buying, selling, or trading the remains.
Gerlach is currently in custody at the Delaware County Prison after failing to post $1 million bail. Online court records don’t list an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
VENTNOR, N.J. (WPVI) — A Delaware woman is behind bars in connection with a hit-and-run crash in November at the Jersey shore.
(The video in the player above is from previous coverage.)
The incident happened around 6:16 p.m. on Nov. 20 in Ventnor, New Jersey.
READ MORE | Video shows Jersey shore hit-and-run crash that left 92-year-old injured
Police said the 92-year-old victim was struck at Ventnor and Newport avenues. He sustained serious injuries and was transported to an area hospital.
Investigators said the driver, Leslie Myers, 51, of Weldin Park, Delaware, fled the scene after the crash.
She was arrested Wednesday on charges of assault by auto, leaving the scene of an accident and other related offenses.
Myers is being held in the Allegheny County Jail in Pennsylvania, awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
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This story is part of the WHYY News Climate Desk, bringing you news and solutions for our changing region.
From the Poconos to the Jersey Shore to the mouth of the Delaware Bay, what do you want to know about climate change? What would you like us to cover? Get in touch.
Delaware’s top environmental regulators have proposed steps to reduce climate-warming fossil fuel pollution, while protecting residents from threats like extreme heat and floods.
The state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control on Wednesday released its 2025 Climate Action Plan. The nonbinding proposal outlines a path to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, as required by the state’s Climate Change Solutions Act.
Officials said Delaware residents continue to experience the impacts of climate change including severe storms like the 2021 Hurricane Ida, which forced people out of their homes, with some remaining unhoused a year later. In addition, sea level rise and beach erosion has flooded coastal communities and damaged critical infrastructure.
“Flooding, extreme storms and heat damage infrastructure that wasn’t built to withstand these conditions, including our energy systems,” said Susan Love, the agency’s climate and sustainability section administrator. “Sea level rise is drowning wetlands and uplands, and impacting water quality and availability. Damage from storms has increased costs for infrastructure and insurance coverage, and all of these impacts can negatively impact human health as well.”
Recommendations include strategies to reduce emissions from vehicles, industrial activities and electricity production — the source of the state’s top climate emissions.
The plan, which builds on similar goals set in 2021, comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has cut clean energy funding and prioritized U.S. reliance on fossil fuels.
“There is no doubt that the reduced funding in a lot of these areas from the federal government makes these goals and strategies harder to implement,” said DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson. “It is up to us to keep trying to work towards them, even knowing that it’s going to be a little harder to do without the federal resources that even a year ago we thought we could count on.”
Delaware officials plan to promote public transit, electric vehicles and clean hydrogen
The plan calls for increased bus and train ridership while improving access to electric vehicles and charging stations. Though lawmakers repealed a mandate that would have required manufacturers to produce a set number of electric vehicles, DNREC wants to expand programs that incentivize the optional sale of electric vehicles.
However, Love emphasized the state “can’t EV our way out of transportation emission.”
“A lot of work needs to be done as well to reduce the amount that we drive vehicles, by good land use choices, mass transit and making it easier for people to walk, bike and roll to their destinations,” she said.
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