Delaware

Delaware’s ethics watchdog concludes no wrongdoing after declining to investigate

Published

1 year ago

September 29, 2024

Delaware’s ethics watchdog concludes no wrongdoing after declining to investigate

Delaware Coalition for Good Government spokesman John Flaherty said the public should have been informed when the police investigation concluded.

“There’s a lot of people just very concerned over the integrity of the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund,” he said. “When you have a theft of $18[1],000 by someone who previously had stolen from a homeowners association and then he got promoted while overseeing the unemployment fund, it lends itself to troubling questions about how government is operating.”

Brittingham was convicted of felony theft during his employment with the Department of Labor for taking nearly $42,890 between June 2018 and April 2019 from his homeowners association and was serving a two-year suspended prison sentence and probation.

Before the embezzlement became public knowledge, the only sign of trouble with the trust fund was a special report by State Auditor Lydia York. The report called the fund “unauditable” because independent auditors could not prove how much money was in the state’s UI trust fund for fiscal year 2023. It came after accounting firm CliftonLarsonAllen issued a “disclaimer of opinions,” meaning it couldn’t rely on the state’s documentation to confirm bank statements that there was about $390 million in reserve.

“We knew from York’s report there were serious problems in terms of the auditability of the fund,” said State Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, in May. “But to know there were more problems, including theft of funds from the unemployment fund, which is a fund paid for by our businesses that have employees in the state, it’s really disturbing.”

The Public Integrity Commission reviewed the civic league’s request in August and decided to deny the request because the civic group didn’t have standing, which means they were not injured by the lack of disclosure, and a failure to state a claim over which the commission has jurisdiction.

The meeting minutes show the commission characterized the request as “a request for an investigation into [two state employees] for not contacting the media about an ongoing investigation.” Those employees, according to the decision issued to the civics league, appear to be Hubbard and Gisenberger.

The Public Integrity Commission said in its decision and in the minutes that because the two agency heads reported the theft after it was discovered to other state agencies and the U.S. Department of Labor, there was no attempt to “fool” the public and the agencies could delay informing Delawareans if there were concerns about preserving the integrity of an investigation.

Stirk said the reasoning was typical of the “Delaware Way.”

“Pretend it didn’t happen and move on until the next time, when the exact same thing happens all over again,” he said. “And we’ll pretend that, ‘Oh, wow, this has never happened before.’”

While House and Senate Republicans have pushed for hearings, House and Senate Democrats have said the report given to lawmakers in July by Department of Labor and Department Of Finance made it clear to them it was an isolated incident, with no hearings planned.

Stirk and Flaherty are calling for the creation of an inspector general office. Legislation sponsored by State Sen. Laura Sturgeon to do that stalled in committee earlier this year. She said she plans to introduce a similar bill next year that would create the position to examine wrongdoing, waste, fraud and abuse.

“We don’t have an office where, if somebody makes a complaint and it falls within the purview of the inspector general they would do an investigation and they would publish the results of any findings that you know are of public interest,” she said. “It would apply to all branches of government, every executive branch, including separately elected executives, and the legislature.”

Delaware has two independently elected officials – attorney general and state auditor. These two offices also have the ability to conduct investigations, but Sturgeon and supporters of the legislation argue an inspector general does not overlap the duties of those officials and could look into issues where neither have purview.

New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, a Democrat, is seeking the governor’s office in November along with House Minority Leader Mike Ramone, a Republican. Both have gone on record supporting the creation of a non-partisan state inspector general.

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Delaware

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

Published

11 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.

America 250Delaware County

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Delaware

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

Published

23 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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