Delaware
House lawmakers in Delaware approve $5.6 billion budget for fiscal year starting July 1
PHILADELPHIA – House lawmakers in Delaware voted Thursday to approve an operating budget of more than $5.6 billion for the fiscal year starting July 1, an increase of roughly 10% over this year’s operating budget.
Lawmakers also approved a separate budget supplement totaling $194.5 million in one-time funds for next year.
House members voted 32-8 for the operating budget and 33-7 for the supplemental bill. All dissenting votes were cast by Republicans, some of whom expressed concern about the increase in spending.
“That 10 percent is now baked in,” said Republican Rep. Lyndon Yearick, referring to the Legislature’s practice of using one year’s budget as the starting point for the next year’s spending.
“That level of an increase is not only going to make the next-year budget harder, but the following year and the following year,” Yearick warned.
Republican Rep. Ruth Briggs King of Georgetown, a member of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee, acknowledged that the spending plan represents “one of the largest increases we’ve ever had.” She asserted, however, that the government must keep pace with “unprecedented inflation” and compete for workers.
Both spending bills now go to the Senate.
The budget bill includes pay raises ranging from 3% to 9% for state employees, depending on their pay grades. Employees making less than $50,000 a year will see pay increases between 7% and 9%, while those making roughly $100,000 or more annually will get a 3% pay raise. Teachers, school counselors and school librarians will get salary increases of 9%.
Those pay increases follow pay hikes ranging from 2% to 9% that government workers received this year.
The fiscal 2024 budget also includes more than $100 million in additional funding for Medicaid, $29 million to meet projected school enrollment growth, and $10 million to increase subsidies for child care providers. Lawmakers also approved more than $4 million in initial funding to reflect passage of bills legalizing recreational marijuana use, and authorizing a state-licensed and regulated marijuana industry. Democratic Gov. John Carney allowed the legislation to become law without his signature, having vetoed a legalization bill last year.
“By passing a budget, it enables us to do so many good things for so many people,” said House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, a Rehoboth Democrat.
The operating budget is $124.5 million higher than what Carney proposed in January, while the one-time supplement is $130 million less than what he recommended. The change in the supplemental bill represents a decision to address a deficit in the state’s group health insurance plan with recurring operating funds over several years, rather than a one-time lump sum. As a result, lawmakers added $48.6 million to the operating budget for group health insurance premiums.
The second major change to Carney’s recommended operating budget is an increase of $48.7 million to address expected growth in Medicaid expenditures. That’s in addition to $69.1 million in one-time funds for Medicaid in the supplemental bill, which also includes $51 million for state retiree health benefits.
“These areas are increasing exponentially each year,” Briggs King warned.
“Some of this is not sustainable … I just see it very difficult in the future doing this,” she added.
Meanwhile Thursday, the Legislature’s capital budget committee finished drafting a $1.4 billion spending plan for construction, maintenance and transportation projects. The committee added $120 million to the capital budget Carney recommended.
The revised capital budget includes $354 million for transportation projects, which is $32 million more than Carney recommended. The committee also added $45 million for the state’s “community reinvestment fund,” half of the $90 million that was allocated for this year. Carney’s proposal included no money for the fund, which provides grants to county and local governments, and nonprofit organizations for capital projects.
The committee also added more than $15 million for community initiatives in Wilmington, Dover and Newark, and $12 million for a sports tourism capital investment fund. Panel members also approved $15 million for a biomanufacturing research and education center at the University of Delaware, and directed that the university spend $6 million of its total capital funding on upgrading its softball field.
Members of the Joint Finance Committee will reconvene next week to consider a bill providing grants of taxpayer money to community organizations, nonprofit groups and volunteer fire companies. Carney has proposed a grants package of $59.8 million, down from this year’s record $69.4 million.
Delaware
State Police Investigating Fatal Crash in Wilmington
The Delaware State Police are investigating a fatal crash that occurred last night in Wilmington that left one man dead.
On December 24, 2024, at approximately 7:28 p.m., a blue 2009 Hyundai Elantra was traveling northbound on Thompson Bridge Road, north of Guyencourt Road. For reasons under investigation, the Hyundai traveled into the southbound lane of Thompson Bridge Road, and into the path of a black 2015 Mazda 6 that was traveling southbound. As a result, the front of the Hyundai struck the front of the Mazda in the southbound lane of Thompson Bridge Road. After the initial impact, the Mazda traveled in a northeast direction and came to a stop near a tree line. The Hyundai remained in the roadway due to being disabled and was subsequently struck by a white 2018 Kia Sportage traveling southbound on Thompson Bridge Road.
The preliminary investigation revealed the two occupants of the Hyundai were outside of the vehicle after the initial collision, and one of the occupants was struck by the Kia.
The driver of the Hyundai has not been determined at this time. The Hyundai was occupied by a 22-year-old man from Wilmington, Delaware, and an unidentified man. The 22-year-old man was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name is being withheld until his family and relatives are notified. The second occupant of the Hyundai was taken to an area hospital by EMS, where he was admitted for critical injuries.
The driver of the Mazda, a 45-year-old man from West Chester, Pennsylvania, was not injured.
The driver of the Kia, a 31-year-old woman from Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, was taken to an area hospital by EMS for non-life-threatening injuries.
The roadway was closed for approximately 5.5 hours while the scene was investigated and cleared.
The Delaware State Police Troop 2 Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate this incident. Troopers are asking anyone who witnessed this collision to please contact Master Corporal R. Kunicki by calling 302-365-8417. Information may also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.
If you or someone you know is a victim or witness of a crime, or you have lost a loved one to a sudden death and need assistance, the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit / Delaware Victim Center is available to offer you support and resources 24 hours a day through a toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). You may also email the Victim Services Unit at [email protected].
The post State Police Investigating Fatal Crash in Wilmington appeared first on Delaware State Police – State of Delaware.
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Delaware
Bob Dylan’s ex-wife is from Delaware? He has family history with the First State
Billie Eilish signs a fan’s chest during Firefly set
The fan held a sign asking Billie Eilish to sign their chest.
USA TODAY Handout
Bob Dylan’s new biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” is a reminder that an ex-wife of the music legend is from Delaware, although she doesn’t appear to be in the film.
But more than that, Dylan, who is now 83, has also performed in the Small Wonder multiple times, and his son has gigged here, too.”A Complete Unknown” hits theaters Christmas Day. Whether or not you plan to see the film, here’s a look at Dylan’s history with Delaware.
Bob Dylan takes Firefly record from Paul McCartney
Most Delawareans probably recall Dylan’s last concert in the First State, held at Firefly Music Festival in The Woodlands of Dover on June 17, 2017. Dylan became the oldest performer to headline the festival at age 76, a title previously held by Sir Paul McCartney, who played Firefly on June 19, 2015, just one day after his 73rd birthday.
Bob Dylan’s ex-wife Sara Dylan is from Delaware
Just like Dylan’s new movie is titled “A Complete Unknown,” very little is “known” about his ex-wife Sara Dylan. But we do know she was born in Wilmington as Shirley Noznisky and married the folk legend in 1965. The couple divorced in 1977, according to People.com. The pair had four children together, including The Wallflowers frontman Jakob Dylan and director Jesse Dylan.His ex-wife inspired songs such as “Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” from Bob Dylan’s landmark double-album “Blonde on Blonde” and “Sara” from 1976’s “Desire.”
Sara Dylan was directed by Bob Dylan in his movie
Sara Dylan played the role of Clara in the 1978 film that Bob directed and starred in titled “Renaldo and Clara.” The film is described on IMDB as “Bob Dylan on tour with the Rolling Thunder Revue in 1975; concert footage, documentary interviews and bizarre improvised character scenes.”
Jakob Dylan followed in Bob Dylan’s Delaware footsteps
Like father like son, Jakob Dylan’s band The Wallflowers also performed on the main stage at Firefly (although they didn’t headline it as the elder Dylan did). But Jakob has bragging rights for being the first Dylan in the family to play Firefly because he was there in the festival’s inaugural year, which is the first and only year it was held in July. The Wallflowers played Firefly on opening day: July 20, 2012.
Bob Dylan played other Delaware concerts before Firefly
Although Firefly was Dylan’s biggest concert in the First State, it certainly wasn’t his first rodeo here. The superstar graced the stage at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark on Nov. 20, 1999, and April 12, 2013. Sandwiched between those shows, he played a concert at the legendary Kahunaville in Wilmington on June 8, 2004, per Setlist.fm.
What is Bob Dylan’s ‘A Complete Unknown’ about?
“A Complete Unknown” is a biopic about Bob Dylan starring Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning. The film follows Dylan’s four key years from 1961-1965. According to IMDB’s cast list, it looks like Sara Dylan isn’t featured in the film.
The project includes footage shot nearby in Cape May, New Jersey, this past May. Vintage cars took over the streets for the film, and signage changed the Jersey city into the scene of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.
That Folk Festival scene was inspired by Dylan’s historic moment when he famously flipped the script and played an electric set at the festival, a move that was met with a chorus of boos from the crowd, History.com reported.
Where can I watch Bob Dylan’s ‘A Complete Unknown?’
For theater locations, visit fandango.com.
News Journal reporter Ryan Cormier contributed to this report, and so did Kaitlyn McCormick of the Cherry Hill Courier-Post, a sister publication of The News Journal.
If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at alamar@gannett.com. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.
Delaware
Fire heavily damages logistics business in Newark, Delaware
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