The town of Smyrna has a multimillion dollar budget deficit that it will try to combat by raising the taxes of local residents. Sheldon Hudson, town manager, said the Smyrna Town Council originally thought the deficit would be $8 million, but the Budget Committee has since clarified that it has shrunk to the tune of about $6 million, $2 million …
Kent County residents first to see new property values
Kim Patterson Luton of Dover got a Christmas present nobody would want: A letter detailing the new reassessment of her family’s property. The letter, which arrived in mid-December, concerned property built in 2005 and long assessed at $59,300. Under the new evaluation, her home is assessed at an eye-popping $419,300. “My husband and I are seniors and living on fixed …
Delaware school fair on Jan. 27 part of national choice week
An all-day event for students to explore the various educational opportunities in Delaware is coming to a state college later this month. The National School Choice Awareness Foundation is having dozens of school fairs across the country in January for National School Choice Week 2024. Independently planned by local organizations, these events provide parents with the opportunity to meet with …
Sexual touching charges lead to suspension of masseuse license
A Sussex County masseuse has been charged with multiple counts of unlawful sexual contact after his clients complained, and police continue to seek any other people who were affected. Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock announced Wednesday his suspension order of Robert D. Leech of Sussex County. According to the order, the establishment was named Fusion Wellness and Spa and was …
Educator pay raise proposals to get joint hearing Jan. 11
Delaware’s General Assembly will have its first public look and discussion about proposed educator pay raise recommendations next week. At 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, the House and Senate education committees will come together to listen to a presentation on the final report from the Public Education Compensation Committee. Watch the meeting here. The 15-person compensation committee – made of …
US Wind offers 5 Delaware beach towns $2 million each
A national offshore wind energy development company is making its case to Delaware’s coastal towns. US Wind, Inc. recently presented a package of community benefits for Delaware’s coastal residents to the Delaware Association of Coastal Towns. The community benefits package includes a stream of annual payments over 20 years, worth $2 million dollars to each town. The payments would begin …
School choice window closes next week
Parents have eight days to submit applications if they wish to send their children to a school outside of their residential district or assigned school. Delaware is one of the 13 states in the country that allows families to apply for their children to attend any public school – district or charter – rather than sending them to the neighborhood …
Taylor Swift economics workshops launched at UD
The Swiftie lore has reached the University of Delaware. The largest university in the First State has recently introduced a Taylor Swift-themed data visualization course for undergraduate students. “Data Enchanted: Transforming Numbers Into Knowledge” is taught by Kathryn Bender, an assistant professor of economics who wasn’t a huge Taylor Swift fan herself until doing research for the class. “So I …
Turn your Christmas tree into rich soil by doing this
Keep the holiday cheer alive while transitioning to 2024 and help conserve and improve Delaware’s soil by recycling your Christmas tree. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) are asking First Staters to give their real trees to a yard waste recycling site rather than dumping them off in landfills. The …
First Day Hikes: get active on New Year’s with these trails
You can get 2024 off to a vigorous — or ambling — start by taking part in one of the annual free New Year’s Days hikes at Delaware parks. They range from flat, easy courses to more challenging ones. You can even bring your favorite mug to Rockwood Park on Monday, Jan. 1, and the museum staff will make you …