Delaware

RISE salutes Rep. Paul Baumbach for bills on Medicare privatization for Delaware retirees

Published

2 years ago

January 12, 2024

Press Room

RISE salutes Rep. Paul Baumbach for bills on Medicare privatization for Delaware retirees

3-minute read

John Kowalko
| Special to the USA TODAY Network

A special heartfelt thank you to state Rep. Paul Baumbach from all retirees and RISE members for HB 281 and HB 282. Just look at all those sponsors he has gotten onboard and more have signed on since he prefiled:

As far back as mid-August in 2022, when Councilwoman Lisa Diller and I decided to found RISE Delaware, we realized that it would take a massive, organized effort on everyone’s part to stop the state of Delaware from imposing its Medicare Advantage plan on its current and future retirees. Joined by Connie Merlet we decided to formally create and incorporate the entity “Retirees Investing in Social Equity” known as RISE Delaware.

We agreed that retirees must organize and force a change in the Carney administration’s plan to privatize Medicare. The state plan being proposed at that time would impede the health care access for over 28,000 state pensioners including state of Delaware retirees and retired Delaware teachers, as well as college and university faculty covered through the state of Delaware’s health benefits — including police and firefighters and other first responders. Please refer to my guest post of Aug. 18, 2022 in the Delaware State News for more details.

RISE Delaware organized its first rally on Oct. 4, 2022 at the Lewis Redding Building in Wilmington and despite a driving rainstorm more than 50 people showed up to protest the proposal to take away their promised benefits. We scheduled another rally on Oct. 12, 2022 in Dover at Legislative Hall and more than 150 people attended to support and vocalize their opposition to the Medicare privatization plan that the administration was threatening them with. RISE hosted numerous other rallies and engagement sessions with legislators. On June 13, 2023, we held a rally in Dover at Legislative Hall with well more than 150 people in attendance. The Delaware State News did an excellent job of covering these rallies and an important point was raised. As a RISE cofounder and rally organizer I was obligated to remind those in attendance not to rely on ongoing litigation for their benefits to be honored, instead insisting that retirees reach out to their elected officials to take legislative action. This is what I said:

“The battle is not going to be won solely by the courts. It’s going to be by laws changing towards taking action. So, as much as we need to fight in the courts to preserve, at least temporarily, our rights, that is not where the war is going to be won.”

During 2023, RISE Delaware held several other rallies against Medicare Advantage throughout the state. The rallies and social media efforts have helped the organization develop a network of retirees who have generously supported the legal efforts of RISE.

Despite the success of the lawsuit granting our organization a temporary stay of the Medicare Advantage mandate, we. At RISE, had always been aware that a permanent solution to stopping this privatization effort would have to come via legislators passing laws that would guarantee fairness and health care access for all current retirees and spouses and for future retirees.

More perspective: Enough is enough: Delaware retirees deserve health benefits they were promised

Now I’d like to recognize and thank a special legislator, Baumbach, who, as the vice chair of the Retiree Healthcare Benefits Advisory Subcommittee, also realized that a permanent solution would have to be made in law. Baumbach took legislation that state Rep. William Carson Jr. and I had worked on together and crafted into a more formidable and doable group of bills that would benefit all retirees current and future. These bills are HB 281 and HB 282. I cannot overestimate the debt of gratitude all of us retirees owe to Baumbach but be assured that now is the time for all RISE members, activists, and supporters to email, hard-mail and call their representatives and senators and tell them to support and vote for these two very important pieces of legislation.

John Kowalko is a retired state representative who represented the 25th district and is a cofounder of RISE.

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Delaware

Delaware County’s 250th events aim to boost local economy

Published

10 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Delaware County’s 250th events aim to boost local economy

DELAWARE COUNTY – Delaware County is gearing up for a year-long celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, bringing together community partners for a series of events and programs.

Delaware County’s plans for the semiquincentennial

The Delaware County America 250 Commission hosted a “We the People” party to unveil plans for the upcoming celebrations.

The events aim to educate and connect the local community while drawing visitors from outside Philadelphia to explore the area’s rich history.

What they’re saying:

“Delaware County is not just watching from the sidelines, we are proud to be an essential part of a massive regional and national celebration,” said Christine Reuther, Delaware County Council Vice Chair.

Andrea Silva, director of the Delaware County America 250 Commission, highlighted the diverse themes that will be showcased throughout the year.

Celebrating 250 years of history

The backstory:

Friday’s event celebrated Delaware County’s 250-year history, with different tables reflecting various themes.

Attendees included Colonial Farmstead, Penn’s Woods Winery, and Pathways to Freedom.

The programming will feature over 100 events, including the Battle for Independence: Amazing Race to Brandywine and the Irish America 250 Kick Off on Jan. 14.

The celebrations are expected to leave a lasting legacy, with hopes of boosting the local economy.

“We want to see real economic impact for our local businesses as visitors from around the world come to shop on our main streets and stay in our towns and eat in our restaurants,” said Reuther.

What’s next:

This year’s county event specifics can be found here.

The Source: Information from the Delaware County America 250 Commission.

America 250Delaware County

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Delaware

Wilmington’s first homicide of 2026 claims life of 19-year-old

Published

22 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Wilmington’s first homicide of 2026 claims life of 19-year-old

A 19-year-old man was shot dead in Wilmington’s Southbridge neighborhood in the early hours of Jan. 9, police said.

Wilmington officers arriving to the 200 block of S. Claymont St. about 3:30 a.m. found the teen there.

The teen, whom police have not named, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Anyone with information about this shooting should contact Wilmington Police Detective Derek Haines at (302) 576-3656. People can also provide information to Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or delawarecrimestoppers.com.

Violence by the numbers

This is the first homicide reported this year in Delaware, which last year saw a slight drop in all violent killings.

Delaware police reported 52 people being killed in violent crimes in 2025, a drop of nearly 12% when compared with 59 people killed in 2024, according to a Delaware Online/The News Journal database.

While the number of people killed in homicides statewide is down, the number of people killed by gunfire in Delaware was up in 2025 for the third year in a row.

According to the Delaware Online database, 47 were shot dead in Delaware last year. That was one more victim (46) than in 2024, three more (44) than in 2023 and nine more (38) than in 2022.

Despite the increase in gun-related deaths, there were fewer people shot last year in Delaware for the second year in a row.

Police reported 164 people being shot last year in Delaware. The previous year saw 195 people shot and police reported 210 people being shot in 2023.

This was the fewest people shot in Delaware since 2018, when police reported 146 people being shot statewide.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

MERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

MERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach

A dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach on Jan. 8, according to the nonprofit Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute.

The juvenile male was first seen Jan. 6, floating at sea about 2 miles off the Indian River Inlet, a MERR Facebook post said. The bloated 30-foot whale ultimately beached near a private community in the early afternoon of Jan. 8, the post said.

MERR is attempting to coordinate with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to get equipment to move the whale out of the water and onto the beach to perform a necropsy, the post said. Right now, there isn’t enough information to determine a cause of death.

Delaware saw at least three dead whales last year, in the Indian River Bay, at Delaware Seashore State Park and at Pigeon Point. The first two were humpbacks, while the Pigeon Point whale was a fin whale.

A necropsy on the Delaware Seashore whale found blunt force trauma across its back, indicating it may have been struck by a ship, MERR Director Suzanne Thurman said.

Recently, on Jan. 4, a dead fin whale was found on the bow of a ship at the Gloucester Marine Terminal in New Jersey, which is located in the Port of Philadelphia on the Delaware River.

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

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