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Recreational marijuana market pushes forward with new regulations and social equity workshops

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Recreational marijuana market pushes forward with new regulations and social equity workshops


The Office of the Marijuana Commissioner (OMC) posts proposed marijuana regulations for public review as strides to open the adult-use market in Delaware continue.

The potential guidelines cover issuing marijuana establishment licenses, inspection and packaging standards, as well as testing methods for the Delaware recreational marijuana market.

Marijuana Commissioner Rob Coupe says the regulations are open for public comment until June 3, and after reviewing stakeholder recommendations, a final posting could be released July 11.

During the Marijuana Control Act Oversight Committee’s February meeting, some members pushed for apothecary-style dispensing — allowing consumers to see and smell the product before purchasing it.

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Coupe says the office ultimately decided to enforce the more common pre-packaged dispensing style for safety reasons, but there is a caveat.

“They would have to explain to us how they’re going to ensure safety of the product, safety of the consumer and how they’re going to do that safely, but if there is a demand for it so to speak, and if the retailer wants to go that way, there will be a pathway for them to get permission to do it.”

He says if all goes smoothly, the adult-use recreational market is still on track to award retail dispensary licenses in March 2025.

In addition to the new regulations, OMC also announces registration is open for its Social Equity Workshops taking place in June of this year.

Social equity licenses are available to individuals who have been arrested for a marijuana-related crime or have lived in a disproportionately impacted area for five of the past 10 years.

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Disproportionately impacted areas include regions in Delaware where there were high rates of marijuana-related arrests or convictions before recreational use was legalized.

Coupe says the workshops will provide an overview of social equity eligibility, banking, taxes, legal matters, real estate and an overview of the marijuana industry.

“We’re actually working on a piece that will likely start in June also, and that will be an online opportunity for folks to confirm that they’re eligible to apply as a social equity applicant,” he says.

Coupe explains that piece is largely dependent on the development of a Social Equity Disproportionately Effected Area Map, which is being created based on marijuana arrest data. He says the map will help applicants determine their eligibility based on where they live.

If an individual qualifies for a social equity license, they will have special discounts and grant opportunities for marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, testing and retail licenses in the state.

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Registration for the workshops can be found here and dates and locations are as follows:

  • New Castle County (6/5/2024) Stanton Campus Delaware Technical Community College (400 Stanton Christiana Rd, Newark, DE 19713)
  • Sussex County (6/12/2024) Owens Campus Delaware Technical Community College (21179 College Dr, Georgetown, DE 19947)
  • City of Wilmington (6/18/2024) Wilmington Campus Delaware Technical Community College (333 N Shipley St, Wilmington, DE 19801)
  • Kent County (6/25/2024) DNREC, Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Hwy SW, Dover, DE 19901





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Delaware

Dozens more Red Lobster locations, including in Delaware, now in jeopardy of closing

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Dozens more Red Lobster locations, including in Delaware, now in jeopardy of closing


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The Red Lobster bankruptcy saga continues, as the company disclosed at least 100 additional locations that the chain plans to close if its bankruptcy plans are approved and leases cannot be renegotiated.

Locations newly at risk include a Red Lobster location in Delaware, and additional locations around the region.

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The company abruptly closed dozens of Red Lobsters last month, in a tally that quickly reached 99 closed Red Lobsters across 28 states as the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections.

Bankruptcy filings in May revealed a grim situation: A 30% drop in guests since 2019, and a mere $30 million in cash on hand against more than a billion dollars in debt to thousands of creditors.

Restaurant closures likely won’t stop at the ones in May, according to bankruptcy filings. Red Lobster wrote in filings last month that it plans to not renew leases in their current form at more than 200 locations, around 40% of Red Lobster locations as of May.

Restaurants on the list of “rejected leases” appear to include restaurants that closed last month, and even some that closed much sooner. But conservatively, this means more than 100 restaurants are still in jeopardy of closing.

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First closures: Dozens of Red Lobsters are closing across 27 states. Are Delaware locations safe?

More: Amid Red Lobster closings, loyal diners ask: Will beloved chain sleep with the fishes?

Plans to close these locations also are contingent on whether Red Lobster is able to renegotiate some leases, and whether bankruptcy plans are approved in their current form.

What Red Lobster locations are in danger of closing in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania?

Neither the Stanton, Delaware, nor Dover, Delaware, location was among those listed as being in jeopardy.

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But among those on Red Lobster’s list is the Talleyville location of Red Lobster, at 309 Rocky Run Parkway across from Concord Mall in Delaware.

The restaurant remains open as of Thursday, June 6, and staff had not been informed of any impending closure.

Other regional locations listed as being in jeopardy of closing include three Pennsylvania locations, three in New Jersey and one in Maryland.

Here’s a list of Red Lobster restaurants in the region that are apparently in jeopardy of closing as Red Lobster continues with its bankruptcy process.

Delaware

  • 309 Rocky Run Parkway, Talleyville

Maryland

(Columbia, Gaithersburg, Laurel and Silver Spring locations already closed)

  • 2314 N Salisbury Blvd, Salisbury

New Jersey

(Bridgewater, East Brunswick, Ledgewood and Lawrenceville locations already closed)

  • 3003 Route 130 South, Delran
  • 4411 Black Horse Pike, Mays Landing
  • 211 Route 17 S, Paramus

Pennsylvania

(Erie location already closed)

  • 935 Wayne Ave., Chambersburg
  • 425 W. DeKalb Pike, King of Prussia
  • 4766 McKnight Rd., Pittsburgh



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Saved from the sea on D-Day, see chaplain kit at Fort Miles ceremony Saturday

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Saved from the sea on D-Day, see chaplain kit at Fort Miles ceremony Saturday


A Lewes priest will serve as the keynote speaker at a D-Day commemoration ceremony at Fort Miles in Cape Henlopen State Park on Saturday.

D-Day marks U.S. troops’ June 6, 1944, entry into World War II. Some 156,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches in northern France that day, and throughout the Battle of Normandy, 40 Delawareans and over 125,000 Americans were killed. Fort Miles, now a park and museum, defended the U.S. coastline during the war and for decades after.

The ceremony, set for 11 a.m. on the Fort Miles overlook, will feature the reading of the names of each Delawarean killed in Normandy, the Mason Dixon VFW Post 7234 Honor Guard and Air Force veteran bagpiper Lani Spahr.

Keynote speaker Rev. Carol Flett, of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lewes, will bring with her a special chaplain kit.

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More: On 80th anniversary of D-Day, Delaware WWII veteran recalls his mission with ‘ghost army’

Flett was mentored by the late Morris F. Arnold, an Episcopal priest that was among the soldiers who stormed the beaches on D-Day, a Southern Delaware Tourism news release said. As he attempted to get to safety, Arnold’s chaplain kit fell into the sea, but he somehow managed to both retrieve it and survive, the release said.

Later elected Suffragan Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, according to the release, Arnold gave that kit to Flett. It will be on display at the Fort Miles Museum the day of the ceremony.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.

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Open govt. group urges Del. lawmakers to hold hearings on taxpayer funds theft

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Open govt. group urges Del. lawmakers to hold hearings on taxpayer funds theft


The Delaware Coalition for Open Government (DelCOG) is calling on the General Assembly to hold oversight hearings into the theft; they’ve also accused two state agencies of violating the law by not including the information in recent reports.

DelCOG Board Member John Flaharty said the letters fail to provide enough transparency or accountability to the public.

“The only confusion is why they haven’t followed state law,” he said. “And why they didn’t disclose this embezzlement in a timely fashion over a year ago was when this happened.”

A Department of Labor spokesman did not respond to a request for an interview of Hubbard or an attempt to get more information about the letters, including questions about communicating transparently with the public and whether the July report will be made public.

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“As noted in the letter to legislative leadership, the Department of Labor and the Department of Finance are committed to ensuring that the General Assembly has accurate information and access to a full accounting of findings and actions to date and our recommended path forward,” DOL spokesperson Alejandro Bodipo-Memba said.

WHYY’s reporting also showed that Brittingham, who started with the DOL in February 2019, had been promoted into supervisory roles despite a felony conviction later that year for stealing more than $42,000 from his homeowner’s association.

Brittingham took his own life shortly after being placed on administrative leave.

The DOL previously confirmed that the police investigation has ended and the funds have not been recovered.

Senate Republicans released a statement last week saying they agreed with DelCOG and called for a legislative branch investigation. They also said they had met with the DOL and the Division of Unemployment Insurance’s administrative team.

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“While we appreciate the department’s openness and willingness to meet, we believe, as elected leaders, that we must perform a separate inquiry to both rectify the issue and reestablish trust between the Department and the public we serve,” the release said.

House Republicans had no comment then. But Wednesday, Minority Leader Mike Ramone said he would support a task force that would look at the embezzlement by Brittingham to see what can be done to prevent it from happening again.

“And my concern is that the voters, the taxpayers, looking at this … it shakes confidence,” he said. “We should be looking into it, that’s our job. If we look in and find more, we don’t not look into so we don’t find more, we look into it [to] see if there is more. If it’s there, we expose it and we create barriers, so it can’t happen again.”

Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Valerie Longhurst and Senate President Pro Tempore David Sokola, said the letters provided new details and that they would read the July report before evaluating whether more action was needed.

“The legislature takes its oversight role seriously, and upon receiving the promised Department of Finance report, may consider calling a joint Labor Committee hearing to review the findings and ask additional questions,” the joint statement read.

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Flaherty said they are repeating their call for a hearing.

“I think what we need to have is some kind of oversight hearing where we can get to the bottom of this and they can come and they can testify under oath about what they did, and why they felt that comply with state law,” he said.



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