Delaware

Delaware weekly roundup: Watch the gubernatorial debate; VFA closure fallout; Fasting-growing local companies – Technical.ly

Published

2 years ago

August 21, 2024

Delaware weekly roundup: Watch the gubernatorial debate; VFA closure fallout; Fasting-growing local companies – Technical.ly

Welcome to the roundup of the latest from Delaware’s tech and entrepreneurship scene. Want this in your inbox? Subscribe for free.

Gubernatorial candidates debate in Dover

Delaware’s six candidates for governor — three Democrats and three Republicans – spoke out at the Delaware Journalism Collaborative’s first debate of the season last week.

Though an attempt at broadcasting the debate from Dover Public Library simultaneously in both English and Spanish didn’t work out as planned, a full video of the event is now available, with Spanish transcription.

➡️ Check out the recap and watch the video here.

VFA alumni keep building entrepreneurship

The closure of Venture for America, a program that put entrepreneurial fellows into cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, Miami and Birmingham was a disappointment for everyone involved. Many of the 1,400 alumni and fellows are determined to keep the momentum going, despite the downturn in VC funding to startups that contributed to the org shutting its doors.

One upside: With no more org rules, entrepreneurs in non-VFA places like Delaware may have an opportunity to get involved.

➡️ Read my report on the aftermath of VFA’s closure here.

Leveraging data to find solutions on the ground

So many big geospatial datasets, so little time — or really, so few professionals trained to leverage the wealth of information they contain. That’s why Temple University’s Geography, Environment and Urban Studies Department runs three professional science master’s degree programs that train more experts in the field.

Students in these GIS programs learn to harness the power of existing data to find novel approaches to urban and regional planning, public health, environmental assessments and other issues. If you’re into mapping and want to make an impact, this program could be for you.

“I feel like a lot of the social sciences are about defining problems,” a department professor told Technical.ly. “But with GIS, I feel like we’re kind of flipping that and figuring out solutions to the problems.”

➡️ Find out more about Temple’s GIS grad programs

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News Incubator: What else to know today

• Out of the 19 companies in the 2024 Inc. 5000 listed as being in Delaware, 11 are actually located here. That’s the result of out-of-state companies using DE-incorporated addresses and local mailboxes as their business address. [Social media post]

• Democratic National Convention attendees from Delaware support the Harris/Waltz ticket. Still, there are mixed emotions in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s exit from the race. [New York Times]

• The Philadelphia Inquirer endorses Matt Meyer for governor of Delaware, citing projects like the Hope Center and Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long’s financial controversies. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

• Chemours opened an electric vehicle battery lab at the Discovery Hub at the University of Delaware STAR Campus. Ten employees will start developing battery electrodes using Chemours’ existing Teflon research. [Delaware Business Times]

• The Delaware Department of Education released a guide for navigating AI in the classroom and avoiding problems like plagiarism and information bias. The guide is the culmination of an eight-month effort with the state’s Council on Educational Technology. [Town Square Live]

• CP Cases, a UK-based manufacturing company with a subsidiary in Frankford, which was a location project of the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, has been 87% acquired by the global firm Lagercrantz. Delaware-based US general manager Peter Gill and founder Peter Ross will retain 13% ownership in the company’s shares. [Delaware Prosperity Partnership]

• Phish’s four-day Mondegreen Festival in Dover last weekend drew about 45,000 people from as far as New Zealand and Japan. Many said they’d come back to Delaware — at least if Phish returns for another festival. [The News Journal]

• Attack ads on Delaware candidates for governor are often funded by out-of-state PACs, whose millions dwarf the candidates’ local fundraising. One of the biggest donors is NYC-based TransPerfect CEO Phil Shawe, who’s had a beef with the Delaware Chancery Court for nearly a decade. [Spotlight Delaware/The News Journal]

• Norwegian company AquaCon is turning the old Bainbridge Naval Base west of Newark on the edge of Cecil County, Maryland into a $320 million salmon farm. The project will be built in two phases, starting next year. [Delaware Business Now]

• The New Castle County Vocational-Technical School District upgraded its St. George’s High School facility with solar panels on rooftops and fields, funded by an Energize Delaware Grant. The company contracted to install the panels, Seiberlich Trane Energy Services, said 50% of its service engineers graduated from the Vo-Tech district. [WDEL]

• A local photographer captured the northern lights on the Delaware Bay. While the 2 a.m. light show was partially visible to the naked eye, the bright pink and yellow in the photo were produced using a 10-second exposure on an iPhone 15 Pro Max. [The Cape Gazette]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Wednesday, Aug. 21 — It’s Bizness Time with Full Carbon, Stitch House Brewery, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. [Details]

• Thursday, Aug. 22 — 3rd Annual HBCU College Fair, Teen Warehouse, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. [Details]

• Saturday, Aug. 24 — Milk & Honey Small Business Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. [Details]

• Tuesday, Aug. 27 — Delaware Journalism Collaborative U.S. House of Representatives Debate with a live stream, 7 p.m. to 8:30 pm [Details]

• Tuesday, Aug. 27 — DEBCC: Know Your Rights as an Undocumented Business Owner online seminar, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. [Details]

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Delaware

After changing Delaware’s library system forever, she’s stepping away

Published

9 hours ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

After changing Delaware’s library system forever, she’s stepping away

For most, 41 years of service is more than enough. For State Librarian Annie Norman, though, even retirement can’t slow her down.

“The work is never done; there’s always something to do,” she said. “I’m going to have to continue to help in other ways.”

Norman will step away this fall after 24 years as the Delaware state librarian and director of the Delaware Division of Libraries.

Throughout her tenure, Norman made waves; the director helped create the Delaware Library Consortium, which allowed all of Delaware’s Public libraries to share items, and brought the library system along during a wave of technological change. For these achievements, she was named to the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame in 2016 and appointed by President Joe Biden as a member of the National Museum and Library Services Board.

We spoke with Norman as she wraps up an accomplished career about her proudest achievements, and the state of libraries in 2026.

Question: As you look back on your tenure, what was your proudest accomplishment?

Answer: What I’ll be known for more than anything is probably the statewide library catalog and consortium. The politics of bringing all of those libraries together, after years of there being four separate library catalogs in Delaware, took about eight years. More recently, I think bringing the school libraries into that catalog is going to be really significant. We’ve got more than 50 school libraries to be a part of the statewide catalog, something we think can really help with the literacy crisis in this state.

One of the biggest challenges of your tenure was adjusting to the large wave of technology that came about. How have you and the Delaware libraries handled it?

It’s been very systematic. We have a great IT team that helps manage for us, as well as the state funding 100% of library technologies. The growth of the iPhone has certainly had a huge impact on literacy, but we’re really just working hard to bring back the excitement of reading.

The Delaware libraries’ programming have always been a popular resource. How important do you view these offerings to local communities, and will they continue to expand?

Yes, libraries are about enrichment, which means helping support people in things like entrepreneurship, education and innovation. We’ve had libraries start up job centers, which were so successful we could expand to entrepreneurship, and even help with more basic social needs, by starting a “social innovation team” to help with more of the social services-type work.

Where we still struggle is we can only help people access Delaware systems to help with their needs, not fix things within those systems. For that reason, we always encourage these systems to work with us, so the Delaware library system can fit everyone’s needs.

Cuts toward libraries just occurred in New Castle County, with the potential for more to come. How will the library system look to stay afloat?

Because of the economy, because of federal changes, things can get difficult, it’s not the first time we’ve experienced budget cuts. We’ve progressed significantly over the years, but there is much more work to do, and I don’t know that the public understands how critical libraries and librarians are to literacy.

The power of walking into a library and being able to choose what you want to read for a child is powerful, and until people understand that, we can’t achieve our literacy goals.

Adam Denn is an intern reporter for Delaware Online/The News Journal. You can reach him at apdenn@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

Thousands moving to Delaware County fuels need for more housing

Published

20 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Thousands moving to Delaware County fuels need for more housing

DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio — People in Delaware County said it feels like new housing developments are popping up on every corner.

WSYX

“What haven’t you noticed, right? The whole area just exploded,” said Scott Shonebarger.

Scott Sanders, the executive director of the Regional Planning Commission, said companies like Intel and other industries are a main driver for thousands of people moving to Delaware County.

With the big boom comes an urgent need for more housing.

John Wicks is the developer at Real Property Design and Development.

He has spent over a decade building homes for families in Delaware County.

Wicks said the Olentangy School District is one of the hottest spots for new homes.

“I started with one high school up until the 90s, then now we’re up to four up to five different high schools so it’s just a big draw,” said Wicks. “It’s a beautiful community.”

The district has grown into the fourth largest in Ohio with a new elementary school opening next year, and a fifth high school in 2028.

Wicks said the growth has presented some challenges over the years like labor shortage and some opposition.

“It’s become a big issue for a lot of people that live in and around these areas. They tend to oppose new growth and new development, so restrictions have gotten a little bit harder. Costs have obviously gone up over the last 20 years,” said Wicks.

The planning commission says between 275,000 and 350,000 people could call Delaware County home by 2040.

That’s up from 214,000 in 2020.

Scott Shonebarger said he supports growth but wonders when is enough.

“I mean to a certain extent I think you know at some point right you have to have some sort of boundaries I think, getting into the fact that now you have five high schools,” said Shonebarger. “What’s the limit?”

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Delaware

Officer shoots, kills 19-year-old in Wilmington, Delaware, during foot chase, police say

Published

1 day ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Officer shoots, kills 19-year-old in Wilmington, Delaware, during foot chase, police say

Updated on: June 25, 2026 / 6:25 AM EDT
/ CBS Philadelphia

Police in Wilmington, Delaware, shot and killed a 19-year-old man Wednesday night.

The incident happened in a residential area near 24th and Jessup streets just after 11 p.m., Wilmington police said in a news release. The person who was shot has not been publicly identified.

Officers were monitoring a large crowd gathered outside when they saw a man exit a home with a handgun and point it toward the crowd, police say.

When officers approached the man, he ran away and a foot pursuit began, police say.

At some point in the chase, an officer fired their weapon and hit the 19-year-old. The man was taken to a local hospital, where he later died.

Police say they recovered a loaded gun from the man and that the officer was not injured.

Video filmed at the scene shows a crowd of residents gathered outside after the shooting.

Police are asking anyone with more information to come forward. The shooting is under investigation by the Delaware Department of Justice and Wilmington police.

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