• A Delaware bill would allow candidates and elected officials to use campaign funds for security.
• The measure comes amid a national rise in threats and violence against public officials.
• Covered expenses would include security systems and personal security, but not firearms.
• Funding for these protections would come from voluntary campaign contributions, not taxpayer money.

Delaware candidates and elected officials may soon be able to use campaign funds to protect themselves on and off the campaign trail.

A House bill introduced June 4 would allow funding for security costs for Delaware officials and candidates. Lawmakers said those expenses would be covered through voluntary contributions, not taxpayer dollars.

Nationally, the bill arrives during a fraught period for public officials. In recent years, several lawmakers in other states have been targets of politically motivated violence, resulting in serious injuries, property damage and, in some cases, deaths.

In Delaware, lawmakers didn’t point to any local examples, but said many legislators are on edge. A 2024 research report from the Brennan Center for Justice found that 43% of interviewed state lawmakers experienced threats, as well as 18% of local officials. 

Some public officials in that research said they were less likely to hold public events, work on contentious topics or even run for higher office.

The Delaware bill mirrors similar proposals introduced across the country aimed at improving safety. At the federal level, candidates and officeholders — along with their families and staff — are already allowed to receive such protections. 

To advance, the bill will need to clear its final committee and the Senate floor before June 30. Otherwise, lawmakers start all over again next session, after the midterms.

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‘A responsibility to act’ 

Campaign expenditures in Delaware are currently limited to mostly advertising, food and refreshments, as well as attendance at political events and travel expenses. 

If passed, House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown’s bill would cover several security-related expenses, include:

• Electronic security systems located in a candidate’s home or office 
• “Personal security,” a category the Delaware Department of Elections said it would further define if the bill passes.
• Cameras, fences or “other comparable security-related equipment” 

These funds can also be used to help protect their families in certain circumstances, Minor-Brown told Delaware Online/The News Journal. 

They cannot be used to pay for firearms, however. 

House Minority Whip Jeff Spiegelman raised a concern about this during the bill’s June 11 hearing in his chamber, calling guns another matter of defense.

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Fellow sponsor House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris said the choice was not to include firearms in the bill, saying this could lead to discomfort for many, and potentially do more harm than good.

Minor-Brown also said candidates covered in this bill must have filed for office and currently be campaigning. Additionally, the New Castle Democrat said money must come from voluntary contributors.

No officeholder or candidate is required to abide by this measure, Harris told lawmakers, as the use of funds will remain “entirely optional.” 

The bill comes as lawmakers nationwide have faced rising intimidation and violence in recent years.

This includes former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who, alongside her husband Mark, were shot and killed in what officials described as “a politically motivated assassination” last year, as reported by USA TODAY.  

In Pennsylvania, Governor Josh Shapiro’s home was the target of an arson attack last April.  

More than 12,000 users are reporting the outage with the cable service run by NBC’s parent company, according to Down Detector, a platform that tracks such outages based on users’ reports.

Much of the outages seemed to be concentrated in New Hampshire, Texas, Delaware, Wyoming and Maine, according to the outage map shown on Down Detector.

According to Down Detector, 77% of the customers reported issues with the cable TV services, 12% with the broadband internet and 8% with TV streaming.

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The map showed outage reports concentrated in Boston, New York City, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami and large parts of Florida.

In the north, Minneapolis and Chicago reported the most outages. While in the South, Houston was affected. Customers from Denver also reported a significant number of outages.

In the east coast, most outages were reported up north. Portland Salem and Seattle reported a large number of outages. Additionally, the areas around San Francisco and Carson City reported outages.

Here’s the map of the Comcast outage per Down Detector, as of 4:28pm ET.

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For instance, one such post on X read: “Hello! Thank you for contacting the Xfinity support team. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience due to the service interruption. Please DM us with your first and last name and your complete service address, so we can assist you further.”

Thus, those seeking a solution to the problem may send their service details and the disruption that is happening to Xfinity.

Comcast’s Xfinity is one of the largest cable and broadband services in the US. It serves around 11.27 million traditional cable TV customers in the Unites States. Its broadband user base is approximately 31.25 million strong.

This is a developing story.

Looking for a nice stroll this summer?

These six trails have been recognized as some of the best in Delaware.

New Castle County trails

Michael N. Castle Trail at the C&D Canal 

• Length: 8.7 miles
• Surface: Paved

Named for former U.S. Rep. and Gov. Mike Castle, the trail follows the C&D Canal’s north shore. It can be walked, biked and even traversed by horseback. It had four trailheads: Delaware City, St. Georges, Biddle Point and Summit Bridge.

Mill Creek Greenway Trail

• Length: 3.8 miles
• Surface: Paved

The trail, popular with dog walkers, winds through the woods of Pike Creek. Its eastern trailhead starts across from the Delcastle Driving range on Mill Creek Road and continues to the western trailhead near the tennis courts of the North Pointe neighborhood.

Kent County Trails

Pondside trail at Killens Pond

• Length: 2.6 miles
• Surface: Packed earth

The Pondside trail is an easy-to-moderate hike that has numerous side connector trails that can get you views of Killens Pond. The trail can be accessed via the main parking lot, the Nature Center parking lot or the overflow lot on the south side of the campground.

More great walks: Favorite Delaware spots for after‑work walks as extra daylight returns

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

• Length: 12 miles driving; various length walking trails
• Surface: Mixed

The Wildlift Drive at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge can be driven, biked or walked, though there are also five walking trails along the wildlife drive. The shortest are a quarter-mile and lead to towers, while the longest is 2.7 miles. The car entrance is on Whitehall Neck Road, with walking trails accessible from various spots within the refuge.

Sussex County Trails