Delaware
First State’s top cop vows to appeal ‘extremist’ voting rights court decision
The ruling is the latest in a spate of decisions limiting access to the voting booth. In 2022, a court also struck down same-day registration and no-excuse absentee voting.
Jennings said the elimination of permanent absentee voting, which allows people who are disabled or in the military deployed overseas to not have to apply each time for a mail in ballot, hits the First State’s most vulnerable the most.
“Our military families, Delawareans who volunteer and are sent all over the globe in service of our nation, are now being deleted from the permanent absentee list,” she said “This extreme Republican minority lawsuit has now successfully disenfranchised our state’s most vulnerable and most noble voters, veterans, disabled caregivers and working people, 21,000 of them in the case of permanent absentee voters.”
A spokesperson for the Delaware Department of Elections said deployed military personnel and overseas voters who were on the permanent absentee voter list will now have to apply for an absentee ballot every election cycle.
The permanent absentee law was passed by lawmakers in 2010 and Jennings and Democratic lawmakers point out that Hocker voted for the legislation at the time. He was also a co-sponsor of a bill signed into law in 2009 that would permit military and overseas voters to automatically receive absentee ballot applications and ballots electronically.
Hocker said that he does not support the concept now.
“I don’t like no-excuse absentee voting or mailing absentee voting, I’m totally against it,” he said. “But, let’s do it the right way and make it a constitutional amendment, so we’re not breaking our own constitution.”
A constitutional amendment to enshrine permanent absentee voting was approved once by both the House and Senate in 2019. But some Democrats blame Republican House members, such as Rep. Mike Smith for switching to “no” votes on the second leg of the attempt to pass the amendment through both chambers.
Smith said in a statement that the amendment had a “poison pill” that allowed future changes on voting to be made with a simple majority vote.
“[Democrats] do not want all voices included in the governing process,” his statement said. “They preach equity, they preach inclusion, but they don’t mean it when it comes to governing.”
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?”
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.
Delaware Supreme Court Justice Karen L. Valihura announced Wednesday that she will lead a new corporate law institute at the Wilmington University Farnan School of Law.
She will step down from the bench of Delaware’s highest court in late July, after choosing not to seek reappointment at the end of her 12-year term. She revealed her plans for the next phase of her legal career in a special session of the court in Wilmington.
As well as joining the Wilmington University law school faculty, Valihura will be the founding director of the school’s new Corporate Law, Governance and Practice Institute. …
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