I consider myself an adventurer at heart.

Over the last 17 years, my family and I have gone on many adventures up and down the First State. From hiking and cycling around Lums Pond State Park to taking a weeklong getaway to Fenwick Island, we made it a goal to try and explore as much as Delaware as we could, taking in all our new home had to offer.

That’s part of what drew me to being a journalist in the first place: the chance to go somewhere new, meet new people and learn what truly drives them to do what they do.

Whether it was a Lewes restaurant hosting drive-thru movie nights, a Middletown student collecting donated prom dresses or small-business owners pushing for lawmakers to raise the minimum wage, covering Delaware not only allows me to tell the stories that need to be told but also to learn more about a state I have called home for the last several years.

When I first joined The News Journal last summer, there was no shortage of breaking political news: The previous legislative session just ended. Then-Gov. John Carney declared his candidacy for Wilmington mayor, leading to the gubernatorial race. Then-U.S. Sen. Tom Carper announced his retirement, leading then-U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester to run for his soon-to-be-open seat. Several political newcomers vied for vacant positions at Legislative Hall.

Needless to say, there was a lot to explore.

For the last several months, my reporting has taken me to new places across the First State, introducing me to fresh and reacquainting me with familiar faces, and experiencing some traditions and big events: attending the Delaware State Fair in Harrington. Talking with now-U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride in Wilmington. Attending Return Day in Georgetown. Speaking with now-Gov. Matt Meyer while walking through downtown Dover – the list goes on.

With the legislative session underway, a slew of bills have been (re)introduced and potentially could lead to change in the First State – including, but not limited to, enshrining reproductive freedom in the state constitution and reintroducing the end-of-life options act.

Delaware House Rep. Kendra Johnson’s service came from divine inspiration

Don’t get me wrong: It’s not always an easy road. Aside from the constant fear of getting stuck in traffic – which, knock on wood, has happened only once – there’s also one question that continues to linger in the back of my brain: What if?  

Ordinarily, this question wouldn’t bother me. Heading out into the unknown was an adrenaline rush – I thrived on it.

But now, with the current political climate, an air of uncertainty hangs in the air. Thoughts of what might happen, how it might trickle down and who may be caught in the crossfire.

While that question hangs in the balance, and may keep me up at night, I’ve come to learn this is what we as journalists do: We continue to do what we do best. We put ourselves out there, absorb as much as possible and tell the stories that must be written.

This is all part of the process: We have a general idea of where we’re going, but we have no idea what we might encounter – or learn – when we get there.

Because journalism in itself is an adventure – and I cannot wait to see where it takes me next.

One final note: I am the author of The Press Room, a weekly roundup to what’s new, what’s happening and what’s changing in First State politics. As always, if you’re interested in sharing story tips, ideas or observations, please send them my way at omontes@delawareonline.com.

Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. If you have a tip or a story idea, reach out to her at omontes@delawareonline.com.

The governor’s recommended budget includes $937 million for capital improvements, $255 million for transportation projects, $83 million in Grant-In-Aid funding and a $60 million supplemental bill. It calls for investments in areas like housing, education and healthcare.

Meyer is calling for emergency funding for school districts and charters with large numbers of students who are failing to read at a proficient level. He declared a “literacy emergency” in Delaware earlier this year after 8th-grade reading scores dropped to a 27-year low. He is also proposing investing $3 million directly into classrooms while also raising $3 million from private donors to put into the effort as a pilot program.

His proposal also calls for a $12 million increase for affordable housing initiatives, including $6 million for state rental assistance. The plan includes reducing homelessness and streamlining the process for constructing affordable housing.

“I like to say the rent is still too damn high,” Meyer said. “There are 50,000 Delawareans that are rent burdened, meaning they pay more than 30% of their income for housing.”

Meyer’s budget spends $85.5 million on Medicaid and sets aside about $22 million to offset potential federal spending cuts. Delaware and other states have seen federal funding freezes since President Donald Trump has taken office, and the members of the state’s congressional delegation say Republicans plan to cut Medicaid spending.

State Rep. Jeffrey Spiegelman, R-Clayton, said he was concerned that creating the new tax brackets would hurt small businesses at a time when the state was facing economic strain.

“I appreciate the governor mentioning that we want to do all of these things for small businesses,” he said. “We want to get regulation out of the way. We want to take a look at some of these land deserts, these properties that can be developed a little easier, make them shovel-ready. And all these things are great. But at the same time, we’re also turning around saying, ‘Hey, small (and) medium manufacturing firms, we’re going to tax you more to pay for these other things.’”

House Minority Leader Tim Dukes, R-Laurel, said there were things about Meyer’s recommended budget he liked, such as money going into classrooms, using Artificial Intelligence as an educational tool, and housing initiatives.

“The question I think that we’re all left with is, how do you pay for it all?” he asked. “That’s where we’re going to have to kind of go back to the drawing board and figure out what our true initiatives are and what we want to get accomplished here in this fiscal year as we’re laying out the budget for 2026.”

Weeks said there’s just one primary care physician per 2,100 Sussex residents. That’s a significantly higher ratio than in Kent and New Castle counties.

Local leaders believe that bringing a medical school to Sussex County could be part of the solution. State Sen. Russell Huxtable, who represents the 6th District, said a medical school could help attract more doctors to a place that desperately needs them.

“One of the thoughts that people are having is if we establish a medical school in the fastest-growing county where we have additional challenges as far as health care’s concerned … it could help recruit those folks,” he said. “The three hospitals that are in Sussex County would be a great place for those folks to have their residencies, and it could help build the network of medical capacity within the county.”

While a medical school could help, Weeks emphasized that building one from the ground up is not realistic. Instead, the study suggested a partnership with an existing institution to open a branch campus and for hospitals in the area to support each other.

“What it did suggest, and it’s been done in several places around the country, is you align yourself with a current medical school that would consider opening … a branch campus,” Weeks said. “The critical infrastructure element, if you will, for a medical school [branch] is clinical rotations, clinical practice to get into a hospital and actually work with patients.”

The study found that no single health care system in the county — Beebe Healthcare, Bayhealth or TidalHealth — has enough resources on its own to support a medical school. However, if these three systems collaborate and combine their clinical resources for education, they would have the necessary capacity to make it possible, according to the study.

Despite enthusiasm for the idea, finding the money to build and sustain a medical school remains a major challenge.

“Probably the biggest challenge is just simply money,” Weeks said. “It’s just simply the money to build a medical school, simply the money to help the hospitals grow their medical education programs. Those two things, just the financing alone, that’s kind of a big lift.”