Delaware
Lt. Govenor announces educational awards for Black students
Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long announced STAR-Delaware Merit, an essay-based award program, to help support Black students. | PHOTO COURTESY OF LT. GOVERNOR OFFICE
WILMINGTON — Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long announced a new educational awards program to support Delaware students from minority communities on April 10.
STAR-Delaware Merit is a statewide essay-based merit awards initiative coordinated by Lt. Governor Hall-Long’s Office and participating public school districts.
A study by the Black Education Research Collective (BERC) at Columbia University’s Teachers College, takes a look how the pandemic affected the education of Black students, citing the importance of schools responding to the social, emotional, and academic needs of Black students.
STAR-Delaware Merit seeks to directly engage sixth to eighth graders from minority communities through creative writing around their higher education aspirations. As part of the program, qualifying students can submit essays to share their educational dreams, including what classes they are taking to help achieve those dreams. Students are eligible for $100 – $150 awards. The initiative is funded solely through private dollars by the STAR Scholarship Foundation and philanthropist Paul Peck, which has supported student aspirations in other states like Montgomery County, Maryland.
“Schools lay the foundation for the success of our children, and it is paramount to support our students in their quest to follow their dreams. That’s the beauty of this new initiative: We are encouraging our kids to envision their future and how they can achieve it by putting pen to paper,” Lt. Governor Hall-Long said in a press release. “I am so thankful for Paul Peck, the STAR Scholarship Foundation, and the Delaware school district leaders who will be piloting this initiative for their students. I look forward to seeing our kids’ dreams take flight with the support of mentors and an inclusive school environment.”
Participating public school districts will share information with their school communities and vet applications. Here are the inaugural participating school districts in the soft launch:
- Red Clay School District
- Christina School District
- Colonial School District
- Capital School District
- Caesar Rodney School District
- Laurel School District
School districts with any questions should reach out to the Lt. Governor’s Office here.
Is Jersey Mike’s the new fast‑food king? How it beat Chick‑fil‑A
Jersey Mike’s beats Chick-fil-A for top customer satisfaction in ACSI study; praised for fresh, made-to-order subs.
Plans for one of the nation’s most popular fast-food chains to open a location in the city of Delaware are moving forward.
Chick-fil-A is planning a new 5,033-square-foot restaurant with a double drive-through lane on a nearly 2-acre site on Delaware’s east side.
The development plans are headed to Delaware City Council after the city’s Planning Commission approved them July 1.
This location would be the first Chick-fil-A in the city of Delaware, but not in the county. The chain has a location in Lewis Center and three in the Polaris area, according to the company’s website.
The popular chicken restaurant, a Chipotle location and other to-be-announced restaurants and retail are part of a new Trailhead Crossing development planned on the eastern edge of Delaware near Sunbury Road (State Route 36) and Sky View Lane, documents indicate. City council approved rezoning the site in February.
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The restaurant will include 92 indoor seats, an outdoor patio with 20 seats and 68 parking spots, planning documents show.
An internal access drive connecting to Sky View Lane from the west and Biltmore Drive from the north will be built within the site and will connect to all the lots within the Trailhead Crossing development. The access from Sky View Lane will be right-in/right-out only. The site will not have access directly from Sunbury Road, city documents state.
Chris Tebbe, an engineer with the Dublin-based firm Tebbe Civil Engineering, didn’t know an exact opening date for the restaurant, but said once plans are approved by the City Council, crews will be working on the location this year into next year.
Delaware County and eastern Columbus suburbs reporter Maria DeVito can be reached at mdevito@dispatch.com and @mariadevito13.dispatch.com on Bluesky and @MariaDeVito13 on X.
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 10:19PM
ASTON, Pa. (WPVI) — Summer camps are in full swing, and on Wednesday the Action Cam was in Aston, where kids are getting some hands-on learning at Delaware County Technical School.
Middle school students are exploring career pathways as they build, cook, design and create in state-of-the-art classrooms.
They are doing everything from carpentry to cosmetology.
By the end of camp, the kids will create STEAM-based projects that they can take home.
Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Across the State Trained AmeriCorps VISTA members will be on-site at 21 Delaware Libraries providing walk-in assistance for digital literacy
DOVER, Del. — The Delaware Libraries today announced the launch of a 10-week summer program aiming to support Delawareans on digital literacy.
The AmeriCorps Digital Literacy Specialists assist the public with computer and technology questions, including completing online applications, navigating websites, and building basic digital skills. As patrons become more comfortable, specialists can introduce them to the many free computer training programs and learning resources available through Delaware Libraries including in-person classes. This project is an initiative of the Division’s Social Innovation Team.
“Libraries are proud to expand their digital literacy specialist supports this summer with a presence in 21 Delaware Libraries,” said Dr. Annie Norman, State Librarian of Delaware. “The digital landscape is ever evolving, and the Delaware Libraries stands at the ready to help Delawareans navigate AI, software skills, social media concepts, and more.”
There is no appointment needed for a meeting or to ask a question to a Specialist.
The Specialists are trained to support many concepts, including:
- Essential Software Skills
- Personalized Assistance
- Workplace Technology
- AI – Understanding & Help
- Basic Computer Skills & Classes
- Social Media Help
- Navigate Internet, Avoid Scams
- Using Tech in Daily Life, Device Help
- Learning Express, Northstar Certification
- And Much More!
Visit DelawareLibraries.org/Digital to view a full schedule of Specialists. For more services visit DelawareLibraries.org/GetConnected!
Delaware Libraries offer specialty library cards for every age group, including a My First Delaware Library Card for birth to age 5, a Super Library Card for children ages 6–12; a Teen Delaware Library Card for ages 13-17 and Delaware Library cards for everyone.
Sign up for a Delaware Library Card today! It’s Easy! It’s Free! It’s Online!
Instructions in Spanish are also available. (En el sitio web de las bibliotecas de Delaware se pueden encontrar instrucciones en español para obtener una tarjeta de biblioteca gratuita de Delaware)
Programming celebrating the Delaware Libraries’ 125th anniversary will continue throughout the year.
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