Delaware

Dover lawmakers are testing Meyer. They need to come together for Delaware | Editorial

Published

11 months ago

February 9, 2025

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Dover lawmakers are testing Meyer. They need to come together for Delaware | Editorial

3-minute read

A News Journal Editorial | USA TODAY Network Delaware Editorial Board
| Delaware News Journal

Gov. Matt Meyer has always billed himself as an outsider — he ran and was elected as New Castle County Executive as such and did so again last year as he sought his party’s nomination for governor.

It’s a calling card for Meyer — and one we broadly admire. As Meyer raced toward the general election’s finish line last fall, we asked the consummate Dover outsider, who has never been elected to a seat in the General Assembly nor served in a gubernatorial administration, if he could win over his Democratic colleagues who control Delaware’s House and Senate.

Meyer was confident, pointing to the squabbles he overcame in his early days in the county executive’s office. He also acknowledged that forging relationships in the General Assembly would take both time and patience.

“We’ll have a legislative strategy,” Meyer told our DelawareOnline/News Journal Editorial Board in October. “Legislatures are complex. The House and the Senate are extremely complex now. I think the spectrum of political views, just among Democrats, is probably as wide as it’s ever been.”

As his administration begins, Meyer’s observation about the atmosphere in Dover has proved prescient.

Meyer and the General Assembly’s leadership are already dueling

As he took office on Jan. 21 at Delaware State University, Meyer took responsibility for a great many things in the First State, not the least of which is the complex administration of the Port of Wilmington. The Port has now become the Meyer administration’s first big challenge as Meyer battles with his fellow Democrats who control the General Assembly.

In the week before Meyer arrived in Dover, Democrats in the General Assembly appeared to take steps to limit his administration’s capacity to manage and influence the board of the Diamond State Port Corp., the public entity that oversees the privately run port:

On Jan. 15, Senate Majority Leader Bryan Townsend introduced a bill that would, in part, strip Meyer of the ability to nominate a chairperson for the board. Townsend’s bill would give the board the power to select its own leadership.
Then, a day before Meyer took office, former Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, in her capacity as acting governor, nominated a slate of new board members for the port — a move seen as a repudiation of Meyer, who defeated Hall-Long in the bruising gubernatorial primary.
Days later, Meyer, now governor, withdrew Hall-Long’s nominees — former Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock, the long-time chair of the port board; Robert Medd, former chair of the Board of Pilot Commissioners; and three labor leaders, James Ascione, William Ashe and Curtis Linton.
In turn, Meyer met resistance from leaders of the Senate. Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola, D-Newark, said he believed that Hall-Long’s candidates for the port corporation board were “viable nominees.” The Meyer administration pushed back, and, in turn, the Senate, through a concurrent resolution, asked the Delaware Supreme Court for “an advisory opinion … regarding whether a Delaware Governor can withdraw nominations submitted by the preceding Governor that otherwise are properly before the State Senate.”

In short, Meyer’s opening days in Dover have been filled with push-pull tumult with colleagues in his own party. It’s frustrating — surely for all those involved at Legislative Hall — but even more so from our vantage point, which sees a Delaware electorate exhausted by the contentious primary and ready for a new day.

Meyer has to break Dover Democrats’ instincts to retaliate

Meyer, now, must live up to his reputation as an outsider and break the political culture of a General Assembly that would re-litigate a primary on behalf of Hall-Long, a much-loved figure in Dover.

While the Supreme Court mulls its advisory opinion on how pending nominations are reviewed by the Senate, we advise Meyer to summon leaders of both houses to find ways to put this spat behind them and to find a compromise on who will be seated on the port’s board. And even if Meyer’s political calculus is such that he’d prefer to wait for an opinion, the reality is that his efforts to build relationships in the General Assembly must move into hyperdrive.

And, at the same time, Democrats in power in the House and Senate must acknowledge Meyer’s election as governor by a majority of voters who want to see Delaware move forward.

The nominations for the port board, of course, come at a moment of considerable uncertainty for the facility. In October, a federal judge vacated multiple federal permits that would allow for the construction of a $635 million terminal in Edgemoor, a development that would quadruple Wilmington’s capacity for container cargo and allow the port to welcome larger classes of container ships. Supporters of the terminal believe its construction is essential to the future of Delaware’s economy.

Delaware expects its governor and its legislature to work together to advance progress on all manner of public needs. That expectation is not met with ruling Democrats engaging in internal warfare like this flap.

“We can’t play politics with the port or people’s livelihoods,” Meyer said. “For too long, insiders have been cutting deals on the backs of Delawareans, and it’s time we put the best interests of the people of this state first. This is an unprecedented obstruction of the will of the voters, and the law is on our side.”

Governor and leaders of the General Assembly, we expect you to move past this disagreement with compromise — and speed. It’s no time to be distracted by internal squabbles.

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Delaware

Delaware fundraiser to feature Tito Paul, other ex-football players

Published

2 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Delaware fundraiser to feature Tito Paul, other ex-football players

Former NFL player Tito Paul is hosting a fundraiser for the Delaware County Historical Society.
The event, called Game On, will take place on Jan. 14 at the Meeker House and The Barn at Stratford.
Paul will be joined by other former Ohio State and NFL players to share stories and answer questions.

An Ohio State alumnus, a former Cincinnati Bengals player, a Super Bowl champ and an insurance agent walk into a room … but there’s no punchline because they’re all the same person.

Tito Paul is well-known for his gridiron past, which includes playing for Ohio State, where he was selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft in 1995, and winning Super Bowl XXXIII with the Denver Broncos in 1999.

But some folks may not be aware that he’s also a superstar in Delaware County, where his State Farm agency receives consistently high reviews.

Football fans will have the chance to meet Paul at Game On, a fundraiser for the Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) on Jan. 14 at the Meeker House and The Barn at Stratford, 2690 Stratford Road, Delaware. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.

The event will begin with a meet-and-greet from 6:15-7 p.m. in the Meeker House before moving to The Barn for the rest of the evening. A pizza party and soft drinks are included in the admission price, and beer will be available for purchase.

Paul will be joined by friends who also played for Ohio State, the NFL or both for an evening of football stories, NFL experiences and personal accounts of what it means to play in and win a Super Bowl. A Q&A period will follow the discussion.

In addition to Paul, guests will include:

Ty Howard: Ohio State, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans
Michael Wiley: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dee Miller: Ohio State, Green Bay Packers
Mike “Buster” Tillman: Ohio State

Adult tickets for Game On cost $50 for the full event or $35 for the pizza party only. Tickets for ages 10-18 cost $15. Members of the DCHS pay $45 for the full event or $30 for the pizza party only. Tickets are available at bit.ly/3N4frsg.

In the event of a Level 2 or Level 3 snow emergency, the event will be canceled, with a rescheduled date to be determined.

Contact features and entertainment reporter Belinda M. Paschal at bpaschal@dispatch.com.

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Delaware

Young humpback whale washes ashore in Delaware after possible ship strike, officials say

Published

14 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Young humpback whale washes ashore in Delaware after possible ship strike, officials say

A young 32-foot humpback whale washed up on shore along the Delaware coast last week after it may have been struck by a large ship, according to the MERR Institute, a rescue and care facility for marine mammals in Lewes, Delaware.

The whale, estimated to have weighed at least 20,000 pounds, washed up in the Bethany Beach community on Jan. 8 after it had been floating at sea for a couple of days.

Whale likely struck by a ship

The MERR Institute said the humpback whale was in the surf zone throughout Thursday night before heavy equipment moved it to the shore the next day.

Marine officials said the tossing and churning in the surf caused gases to form and inflate the tongue. MERR Institute’s necropsy team then performed a post-mortem examination on Friday, Jan. 9.

Officials said the whale had subdermal hemorrhaging and a broken jaw on the right side, and that an injury of that nature is often associated with a large ship strike. Officials said the whale was likely still alive when it was struck by the ship.

MERR Institute officials said the whale was buried on the beach, which is “the most common practice for the disposition of the body. These large whales cannot be safely towed out to sea, so burying them on the beach allows them to become an important part of the beach ecosystem.”

“This was a tragic event, and we would like to thank everyone who helped to support us in our examination of this whale,” said MERR executive director Suzanne Thurman. “MERR’s volunteers were as wonderful as ever, and worked tirelessly to assist in examining the whale in a very short window of time. We would also like to thank DNREC for providing heavy equipment resources for towing and burial of the whale. They were able to tow the whale up onto the beach so we could safely examine it, and their staff was indispensable in helping us to position the whale so that we could get as much information as possible.”

Thurman continued, “And last but certainly not least, we would like to thank the very kind homeowners in Ocean Ridge. They looked out for our volunteers by sending down coffee and doughnuts, letting us use their bathroom, and for showing so much caring and compassion for this beautiful animal. We always appreciate the fact that we live in a community that cares so much about the ocean and its creatures.”

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Delaware

See how much homes prices fell in Sussex County recently

Published

1 day ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

See how much homes prices fell in Sussex County recently

Newly released data from Realtor.com for October shows that potential buyers and sellers in Sussex County saw slightly lower home sale prices than the previous month’s median of $475,000.

The median home sold for $472,500, an analysis of data from Realtor.com shows. That means October, the most recent month for which figures are available, was slightly down from September.

Compared to October 2024, the median home sales price was down 4.1% compared to $492,450.

Realtor.com sources sales data from real estate deeds, resulting in a few months’ delay in the data. The statistics don’t include homes currently listed for sale and aren’t directly comparable to listings data.

Information on your local housing market, along with other useful community data, is available at data.delawareonline.com.

Here is a breakdown on median sale prices:

Looking only at single-family homes, the $490,000 median selling price in Sussex County was up 3.2% in October from $475,000 the month prior. Since October 2024, the sales price of single-family homes was slightly down from a median of $490,445.Fifty-four single family homes sold for $1 million or more during the month, compared to 36 recorded transactions of at least $1 million in October 2024.

Condominiums and townhomes is the same sales price during October to a median of $450,000 from $450,000 in September. Compared to October 2024, the sales price of condominiums and townhomes was down 9.1% from $495,000. Ten condominiums or townhomes sold for $1 million or more during the month, compared to 14 recorded transactions of at least $1 million in October 2024.

About recorded home sales in Sussex County in Delaware

In October, the number of recorded sales in Sussex County dropped by 10% since October 2024 — from 482 to 434. All residential home sales totaled $285.4 million.

Across Delaware, homes sold at a median of $399,995 during October, up 2.6% from $390,000 in September. There were 1,072 recorded sales across the state during October, down 15.8% from 1,273 recorded sales in October 2024.

Here’s a breakdown for the full state:

The total value of recorded residential home sales in Delaware decreased by 3.4% from $553.6 million in September to $534.7 million this October.
Out of all residential home sales in Delaware, 6.72% of homes sold for at least $1 million in October, up from 5.11% in October 2024.
Sales prices of single-family homes across Delaware increased by 2.8% from a median of $408,500 in September to $419,900 in October. Since October 2024, the sales price of single-family homes across the state was up 5% from $400,000.
Across the state, the sales price of condominiums and townhomes dropped 7.4% from a median of $345,450 in September to $320,000 during October. The median sales price of condominiums and townhomes is down 5.9% from the median of $340,000 in October 2024.

The median home sales price used in this report represents the midway point of all the houses or units listed over the given period of time. The median offers a more accurate view of what’s happening in a market than the average sales price, which would mean taking the sum of all sales prices then dividing by the number of homes sold. The average can be skewed by one particularly low or high sale.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Realtor.com. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us.

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