Jeanine Kleimo

Most readers of the Delaware State News who noted Sunday’s (Feb. 10) article about HUD funds coming into the state to address the needs of the homeless are likely to be surprised at the large amount of money ($8,249,505) and to wonder how much is coming to Dover.

Very little is coming to Dover. Very little is coming to Kent County.

Why? One might ask whether local organizations are doing their job.

The Continuum of Care funding operated by HUD provides resources to construct or to acquire housing for the “most vulnerable” in the homeless population and provides annual operating funds to the programs that continue to operate successfully.

This is a very expensive program, providing residential units and assistance primarily for those who are both homeless and who suffer from mental illness or substance abuse. The funding application process is complex and requires the dedication of considerable professional time and energy to plan for the housing, to secure land and permits, and to arrange for the professional design services that most long-term housing requires along with professional staff to manage the resulting program.

Some of the New Castle County agencies that are successful in securing funding have more than one hundred staff along with operating budgets in the millions. This is a totally different scale from what we have here in the Dover area. For example, the Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing operates with five full-time and five part-time staff on a limited budget. There are no professional grant-writers and fund-raisers able to pursue the demands of the type of application that HUD programs require.

People’s Place will receive funds to pay for some of the rental costs of homeless families and abused women. This will help; but they will experience the challenge of a lack of available apartments at the rents that this program can pay here in Kent County. Some local families and individuals will indeed benefit.

There is no new housing construction in Kent County from these funds. In fact, only one new project is on the list for the entire state, with all other funds going either for “renewals” (i.e. continued operating costs of existing projects) or for Continuum of Care planning along with rental assistance as noted above.

Could Delaware do better? $8 million might go a long way toward housing the homeless, depending on how it is employed. In the past, many individuals with mental illness resided in state-operated facilities that were typically called “mental hospitals” or something similar. Legislative changes “released” their residents, some to local facilities and treatment centers, while others simply became homeless and lacking care. Some are on the street today, while others benefit from the efforts of organizations such as those receiving these HUD funds. What was once a state responsibility has devolved to private organizations, with the most sophisticated and best-funded able to compete for funds to implement federally approved programs and manage what were considered public tasks in the past.

This funding source does not provide for shelters or for affordable housing for homeless individuals and families who are able to work or who have stable income and the capacity to live independently. This largest share of the homeless population is simply not served by this program. Those of us experienced with the local homeless population can applaud the efforts of those who seek to assist the 10 to 20 percent of the homeless population who are unable to become self-reliant, though we hope that some of these resources might come south in years to come. We must continue to work with few established programs of assistance and almost no funds for the construction or acquisition of homes or buildings that could be made available to those who need affordable shelter. Sadly, this infusion of HUD funds does not address the root causes of homelessness despite the optimism expressed.

If you question what we are doing while large federal sums are distributed, this response might be a partial answer. If you want to help us to find solutions to the needs of those who are homeless now in Kent County, please talk with us. We welcome your ideas.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Jeanine Kleimo is chair of the Dover Interfaith Mission for Housing.

Adrian Hunnings of Milford took this photo of the sunrise over Deep Branch Woods in Milford on Feb. 3.

CHICAGO — “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett staged a racist and homophobic attack because he was unhappy about his salary and wanted to promote his career, Chicago’s police superintendent said Thursday.

Before the attack, Smollett also sent a threatening letter that targeted himself to the studio in Chicago where “Empire” is shot, Superintendent Eddie Johnson said.

Smollett turned himself in and was arrested earlier Thursday to face accusations that he filed a false police report when he told authorities he was attacked in Chicago by two men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his neck, police said.

“He took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” Johnson told reporters at a news conference.

“This publicity stunt was a scar that Chicago didn’t earn and certainly didn’t deserve,” he later added.

The FBI has been investigating the letter sent before the attack. Johnson would not say whether Smollett could face charges for that.

In less than a month, Smollett changed from being the seemingly sympathetic victim of a hate crime to being accused of fabricating the entire thing. The 36-year-old was charged Wednesday with felony disorderly conduct, a charge that could bring up to three years in prison and force the actor, who is black and gay, to pay for the cost of the investigation into his report of a Jan. 29 beating.

Johnson maintained Thursday that police treated Smollett as a victim until two brothers they had taken into custody for questioning last week admitted to helping him stage the attack. He said it was the brothers who also explained Smollett’s motive to detectives. Authorities have a check for $3,500 that Smollett paid the brothers, he said.

Smollett, who plays a gay character on the hit Fox television show “Empire,” said he was attacked as he was walking home from a downtown Subway sandwich shop. He said the masked men beat him, made derogatory comments and yelled “This is MAGA country” — an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” — before fleeing.

In describing what police believe actually happened, Johnson made it sound as if Smollett was casting and directing a short movie.

“He probably knew he needed somebody with bulk,” he said of Smollett’s decision to hire the two muscular brothers. Police have said at least one of the brothers worked on “Empire,” which follows a black family as they navigate the ups and downs of the recording industry, and Smollett’s attorneys said one of the men is the actor’s personal trainer.

When it came time to stage the attack, Johnson said, Smollett chose a spot that he believed would be captured by one of Chicago’s many security cameras. “But unfortunately,” Johnson said, “that particular camera wasn’t pointed in that direction.”

The brothers, who are not considered suspects, wore gloves during the staged attack and “punched him a little bit,” Johnson said. Scratches and bruising Smollett had on his face were “most likely self-inflicted,” Johnson said.

In a statement Wednesday, attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said Smollett “enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked.”

Detectives found the two brothers after reviewing hundreds of hours of video. The released images of two people they said they wanted to question and last week picked up the brothers at O’Hare International Airport as they returned from Nigeria. Police questioned the men and searched their apartment.

The brothers, who were identified by their attorney as Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, were held for nearly 48 hours on suspicion of assaulting Smollett.

The brothers appeared before a grand jury on Wednesday to “lock in their testimony,” according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Smollett was charged by prosecutors, not the grand jury.

Speaking outside the courthouse where the grand jury met, the brothers’ attorney said the two men testified for about two and a half hours.

“There was a point where this story needed to be told, and they manned up and they said we’re going to correct this,” Gloria Schmidt said.

She said her clients did not care about a plea deal or immunity. “You don’t need immunity when you have the truth,” she said.

Smollett has been active in LBGTQ issues, and initial reports of the assault drew outrage and support for him on social media, including from Sen. Kamala Harris of California and TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

Referring to a published account of the attack, Trump last month that “it doesn’t get worse, as far as I’m concerned.” On Thursday, he tweeted to Smollett: “What about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA.”

Former Cook County prosecutor Andrew Weisberg said judges rarely throw defendants in prison for making false reports, opting instead to place them on probation, particularly if they have no prior criminal record.

Smollett has a record — one that concerns giving false information to police when he was pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence. According to records, he was also charged with false impersonation and driving without a license. He later pleaded no contest to a reduced charge and took an alcohol education and treatment program.

Another prospective problem is the bill someone might receive after falsely reporting a crime that prompted a nearly monthlong investigation, including the collection and review of hundreds of hours of surveillance video.

The size of the tab is anyone’s guess, but given how much time the police have invested, the cost could be huge.

Weisberg recently represented a client who was charged with making a false report after surveillance video discredited her account of being robbed by three men at O’Hare Airport.

For an investigation that took a single day, his client had to split restitution of $8,400, Weisberg said. In Smollett’s case, “I can imagine that this would be easily into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

Christopher Paul Hasson allegedly stockpiled guns in preparation for a terror attack. (United States District Court/TNS)

GREENBELT, Md. — A Coast Guard officer who espoused white supremacist views, dreamed of mass murder and stockpiled weapons in his basement apartment drew up what appeared to be a computer-spreadsheet hit list of Democratic politicians and TV journalists, federal authorities say.

Lt. Christopher Paul Hasson, who worked at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington on a program to acquire advanced new cutters for the agency, faced a federal court hearing Thursday on gun and drug charges. But in court papers, prosecutors outlined far more serious allegations.

“The defendant is a domestic terrorist, bent on committing acts dangerous to human life that are intended to affect governmental conduct,” they wrote.

Hasson, 49, was arrested last week. Investigators gave no immediate details on how or when he came to their attention.

Federal agents found 15 guns, including several rifles, and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition inside his apartment in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Prosecutors wrote that Hasson had begun the “process of targeting specific victims.” Last February, he searched the internet for the “most liberal senators” and also asked, “Do senators have ss (Secret Service) protection” and “Are supreme court justices protected,” according to the court filing.

Hasson’s list of prominent Democrats included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and presidential hopefuls Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, authorities.

The list, created in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, also included mentions of John Podesta, who was Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Maxine Waters, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Joe Scarborough and CNN’s Chris Cuomo and Van Jones.

The federal public defender’s office, which is representing Hasson, had no comment on the allegations, and no one answered the door Wednesday at the home address for Hasson listed in public records.

Court papers detail a June 2017 draft email in which he wrote that he was “dreaming of a way to kill almost every last person on the earth” and pondering how to acquire anthrax and toxins to create botulism or a deadly influenza.

In the same email, he discussed “biological attacks followed by attack on food supply” as well as a bombing and sniper attacks.

Also, Hasson sent himself a draft letter in 2017 that he had written to a neo-Nazi leader and “identified himself as a White Nationalist for over 30 years and advocated for ‘focused violence’ in order to establish a white homeland,” prosecutors wrote.

Hasson routinely read portions of a manifesto written by Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, a right-wing extremist serving a 21-year sentence for killing 77 people in a 2011 bomb-and-shooting rampage, authorities said.

In their search, federal agents found a container with more than 30 bottles labeled human growth hormone, court papers said. Hasson appeared to be a chronic user of the opioid painkiller Tramadol, authorities said.

Bob Davis, who rents a house Hasson owns in coastal Currituck County, North Carolina, and met him a few times, said he was “absolutely shocked” by the allegations.

“He was a very stern military guy. That’s how I saw him. I truly nothing but respected him. There are people in life who are not 100 percenters. He was a 100 percenter,” Davis said, meaning Hasson worked hard and didn’t slack off. “He portrayed in a very professional manner. He was honorable. … He was a good man.”

Dave Tally of Camden took this photo at Wyoming Lake in Camden on Jan. 27.

Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings said Monday she has outlined reforms aimed at providing a more “fair and equal” criminal justice system for the state.

• This is part of Delaware’s ongoing effort to decriminalize criminal behavior, endanger our communities and empty the institutions. Nowhere in here will you see any reference to criminals being punished for criminal behavior because the criminals are now officially viewed as victims of society and not the other way around. I’m all for a renovation of the criminal justice system, but this isn’t it. This goes overboard and endangers the very communities these politicians are sworn to protect. But keep voting ultra-liberals into office-the life you endanger may well be your own. — B.K. Smith

• Here are some of these new common sense policies for Delaware:

Not to seek prison time or the revocation of driving privileges for those who don’t have enough money to pay civil fines. And will work against the issuance of arrest warrants or revocation of a person’s drivers license when they are without means and fail to pay a fine.

Low quantity marijuana charges are to be only issued civil fines for mere possession, and seeks to lower barriers for criminals with drug problems and mental illnesses to get meaningful rehabilitation. It instructs prosecutors to divert “low-level” offenders in these categories away from probation and jail and toward treatment programs.

Request those charged with misdemeanors be released without having to pay bail unless they are charged with crimes involving violence.

To allow some who were doing life sentences for drug crimes a 2nd chance.

Probation recommendations should also be limited to one year, unless the crime involved is a violent felony and prosecutors are to avoid prison sentences for technical parole violations like a missed curfew. As well, prosecutors are not to recommend zero-tolerance probation conditions for drug and alcohol addiction. — Jim Kelley

•How much more lenient can we be on criminals? When you have dope dealers hitting the streets again the same day they’re arrested and people who have four, five and six DUIs, I think our focus needs to shift to actually punishing people for their behavior instead of catch and release. What’s the point of police arresting people for breaking laws if our DOJ makes it so easy for them to get out and repeatedly offend?— Jackie Veal Cates

•Well you’re viewing two different sides of a three-sided coin actually. Not all people get a fair sentencing. Not all DUI charges are actually brought lawfully. And when somebody is incarcerated in a lot of situations they’re being treated unfairly. That doesn’t mean that all of the incarcerated people have good character or well-intentioned. It also needs to be mentioned that we can’t forget about the institutionalization of incarcerated people. Without rehabilitation there’s a high chance that they’re going to be convicted again. — Tyler Mock

• Show me where the criminal justice reform touched you and the stopping of marijuana prosecution has gone too far. Nowhere in the article did it say rapists, murderers and robbers were going to avoid jail, you know, crimes that have real victims and not just imaginary ones. — Justin Neal Capps

We welcome your opinions, which can be emailed to newsroom@newszap.com or posted under the stories at www.DelawareStateNews.net.

Our young people are Delaware’s greatest asset. It is the role of society, businesses and government to create the conditions to ensure the youth of today become the leaders of tomorrow. And for years, we have done so through the ambitious support of education.

We provide a solid public education to Delaware students, and that K-12 education is filled with choices. Traditional public schools, charter schools and vocational schools all combine to offer a wide variety of options to serve the interests of any student.

Once students graduate, the state again provides support for young people to continue their education, in the hopes that they obtain a college degree and land a rewarding career. We now have a higher education budget in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually supporting Delaware’s college-bound graduates. Many of those students can receive tuition-free educational options at Delaware Tech, Delaware State University and more.

But what if college isn’t the answer? What if a student seeks a career that doesn’t require a college degree? What are we as a society, through our government, doing to help those young people reach for their dreams?

Brian Pettyjohn

The facts are clear. We have a near-total bias toward college in our support of post-secondary training and learning. And that needs to change.

Many of the highest-demand careers in today’s economy do not require a college degree. Credential and certificate programs can lead to careers that pay well. Computer programmers, system administrators, nurses, lab techs, electricians, plumbers, solar energy installers — the list goes on and on. These are well-paying, in-demand careers that students can embark on without the time investment or heavy debt burden that sometimes comes with a four-year degree.

In Delaware, it’s time we stepped in to give these students the boost that we give their college-bound friends. This is why I, Sen. Pettyjohn, with the support of the Delaware Workforce Investment Board and other organizations, will be introducing legislation during this legislative session to create the FAST program.

FAST stands for Focus on Alternative Skills Training, and it is a reimbursement program for new high school graduates who complete a certification or credentialing program approved by the Delaware Workforce Investment Board. The reimbursement will pay for 100 percent of their out-of-pocket costs — after any scholarship or employer participation — up to a per-student cap of $9,000. The admissions qualifications will be based on the current SEED program.

We have both spoken with employers throughout the state of Delaware, and the refrain has been consistent — the jobs exist, but the skill set of the workforce does not. The FAST program will go a long way toward closing that skills gap in a way that is tailored specifically to the demand for jobs in Delaware.

Gary Stockbridge

According to the National Skills Coalition, these “middle skills” certificates in particular have become the fastest growing credential in post-secondary education, making up 25 percent of all postsecondary awards, up from just 6 percent in 1980.

The coalition also cited a study that held that those with technical certifications had stronger employment outcomes than those with associate degrees. And Brent Weil, senior vice president of the Manufacturing Institute, told Washington Monthly in 2013, “In some cases, employers prefer certification over a two-year degree.”

People and organizations across the country and across the political spectrum advocate for policies supporting these non-college students, from The Progressive Policy Institute on the left to the American Enterprise Institute on the right and from foundations like Mike Rowe’s mikerowWORKS Foundation to business groups like the National Skills Coalition.

This is an idea whose time has come and we invite you to help us support our leaders of tomorrow. We are currently seeking input from stakeholders and the general public as we refine the program prior to its introduction as legislation. You can learn more and follow along at FASTDelaware.com.

Brian Pettyjohn (R-Georgetown) is a Delaware state senator representing the 19th District.

Gary Stockbridge serves as chairman for the Delaware Workforce Development Board.

Smyrna’s Jaxson Al-Chokhachy, left, and Indian River’s Ta’Jon Knight wrestle in the 126-pound championship match. Special to the Delaware State News/Jason Minto

SMYRNA — Jaxson Al-Chokhachy looked at the calender and knew there were only a few weeks left in the wrestling season.

The Smyrna High senior still had some things he wanted to accomplish before graduation. It was time to take things up a notch.
And its been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Al-Chokhachy.

In the last two weeks he has played a pivotal part in Smyrna’s Division I dual meet state title, won an individual conference championship and earned the 100th victory of his career.

“I used to take it for granted, not realizing I only had a couple months left of this,” Al-Chokhachy said. “I want to take my time now and savor this while I have it. I figured if I’m going to do that, then I’ll do it the best I can.”

He’ll look to keep that going as the individual state tournament gets underway today at Cape Henlopen High.

Al-Chokhachy is seeded third at 126 pounds. He carries a record of 23-7 into the tournament and is the Henlopen Conference champion.

He earned that title last weekend at Sussex Central High, where he was the second seed. Al-Chokhachy trailed in the first period of his finals match against Indian River High’s Ta’Jon Knight but battled back for a 7-4 decision.

“I haven’t been in a lot of holes this season and had to come back,” Al-Chokhachy said of the title match. “I felt fine, though. I thought I had a better gas tank and could put more pressure on.”

It was the first Henlopen Conference title of his career. He finished as runner-up a year ago as a 113-pounder.

Al-Chokhachy was third in the state last year at 113 pounds before bumping up to 126 this season.

The Eagles needed him at that weight during the dual meet championship round two Saturdays ago.

Al-Chokhachy recorded the key victory late in the dual meet to allow Smyrna to win the Division I title 35-33 over Caesar Rodney. Al-Chokhachy held off Mike Primo for a narrow decision, he was previously 0-10 against Primo before the finals.

Finally, in the semifinals of the Henlopen Conference tournament Saturday morning, Al-Chokhachy picked up win No. 100 of his career.
“It took me to the end of the season but I finally got it,” Al-Chokhachy said.

Thode on a roll

Al-Chokhachy isn’t the only wrestler who has stepped it up in a competitive weight class in recent weeks.

Milford freshman Jack Thode (113 pounds) pinned his way through the conference tournament for his first Henlopen Conference title. Thode was one of three Milford wrestlers to earn a conference championship along with Gaij Copes (160) and Anthony Diaz (220).

“He’s been outstanding,” said Milford coach Don Parsley. “Honestly, all of my finalists have had great years. The three champs — Gaij started us off, Diaz with the victory right there at the buzzer and Jack finishing things with the big pin in the second period. Those guys just work really hard every day in practice and they’re certainly deserving of the opportunity to be champion.”

Thode also played a pivotal role as the Buccaneers won their sixth-straight Division II dual meet state championship two Saturdays ago.

Thode earned a major-decision in the finals against Caravel. He carried that momentum into conferences where his longest match went 2:22.

“It was pretty cool, because we’ve always had hard work in the room and just to see that hard work pays off, it’s a very good feeling,” Thode said. “Seeing everybody in the weight class, I knew that I’ve beaten them before, and I knew they weren’t going to be easy to beat because nobody likes to lose. I just went out there and gave it my all in the match, trying to get it done in the best way to secure it and it just worked out that way.”

Thode is seeded third at states and has a record of 35-6.

Bonus points

• The state championship round is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday night.

• Henlopen Conference wrestlers have eight of the 14 top seeds.

From left, drummer Jon Finney, guitarist Imran Xhelili, lead singer Vincent Torres and guitarist Eric Blackway form the Dover-based rock band Awake at Last. The group recently released its new single “Dead Generation” and comes out with their first full-length album “The Change” in early summer. (Submitted photo)

After a busy 2018, Dover-based rock band Awake at Last is looking at even more schedule-packed 2019.

While last year saw the four-member group play a stint on the final run of the Warped Tour and at the iMatter Festival alongside bands such as Underoath and August Burns Red as well as opening for Asking Alexandria in Louisville, Kentucky, this year has Awake at Last rolling out its first full-length album in early summer as well as performing at shows and festivals across the country.

It’s latest single “Dead Generation” was released earlier this month, and like “Purgatorium,” off of their 2017 EP “Life/Death/Rebirth, it has received steady airplay on Sirius XM Octane satellite radio.

“When ‘Purgatorium’ managed to get on Sirius XM Octane, that really jump started our fan base out there. Then we recorded our first full-length album ‘The Change,’ and that was a long process. So that got us wondering if we were just a flash in the pan. But it was a big accomplishment to get ‘Dead Generation’ on the radio and it let us know that we were going in the right direction,” said lead singer Vincent Torres.

Together for eight years, the band has gotten serious about taking their music to a new level for the last five years.

“The cool thing about Delaware is that it’s withing two-and-a-half to four or five hours of a lot of cool cities where we could put together these schedules and weekend runs and kind of compare and contrast the reception we get in these places outside of the area,” Mr. Torres said.

“I think we always knew we wanted to pursue it professionally and that it had to be done. We love being on the road because it makes us feel independent where we can do our own thing and build up our fan base.”

The band, which also includes guitarists Eric Blackway and Imran Xhelili and drummer Jon Finney, just returned from a 10-day tour, which started in Virginia and wound its way through Florida and Georgia.

They’ll head back out on the road at the end of the March, going through the Midwest and then getting out as far as Texas for the first time in April.

Festivals such as Renegade in Michigan and INKCarceration in Ohio will follow in July.

Three of its members grew up downstate, so that Delaware pride shines through as they take their music across the country.

“I think when we tell people we are from Delaware, it catches them a bit off guard,” Mr. Torres said.

“They’ll either ask if we are from Delaware County since a lot of states have a Delaware County or they’ll start quoting that scene from ‘Wayne’s World’. I think it also surprises people because you don’t see many bands from Delaware out there on the road. The only one I can think of George Thorogood and that’s going back a ways.”

The future touring schedule will be done in support of “The Change.” It was recorded in two weeks last summer in Greensboro, North Carolina.

It serves as a sequel of sorts to the EP, following the same character on a journey through multiple lives.

“We worked with some really good producers who challenged us and fine-tuned us to turn us into more polished musicians,” Mr. Torres said.

Being able to double the amount of tracks on the album as opposed to an EP gave the band a “larger palette to work with,” Mr. Torres said.

“Instead of having to do six straight-ahead rock songs, we could also throw in some ballads, which gave us a chance to write some different stuff and then decide to throw in a slow song here and there.”

He said the band plans to have an album release party in the Dover area in a few months where they would have the chance to play the songs in the order they appear on the album.

“With the way the music industry is these days, it’s like driving down the highway 70 miles an hour and the songs are like billboards you speed past,” Mr. Torres said.

“Someone might catch a single here and a single there. I think attention spans are getting smaller these days where people, except your hardcore fans, don’t sit down and really lock into a full-length album.”

He’s excited for people to hear the record though.

“There’s been a lot of planning and a lot of strategizing for it. It was rough at the end of last year when we were still sitting on it and getting anxious for it to come out,” Mr. Torres said.

“But now things are starting to pick up steam and it’s starting to be really rewarding and worth the wait.”

The attention that the single “Dead Generation” is already getting is part of that process. The song is a wake-up call to stand up and speak with your own voice rather than joining the “Dead Generation.”

The songs of hope on the album are part of a bigger, longstanding effort by the band to reach out to those dealing with mental health issues.

Mr. Torres said everyone in the group has gone through some sort of a mental health challenge throughout his life and they do what they can to support others and also play for events that support mental health causes.

“We meet a lot of kids who are going through bullying or other kinds of problems and we really want to be a voice for them. We’re always willing to do shows that raise money for mental health awareness,” he said.

“A lot of fans message me and I try to give them the best advice I can about staying positive and we try to do what we can to lead by example through our words and songs that can hopefully help people get through those dark times.”

He said he and his band members are certainly staying positive about the future of Awake at Last.

“We’re looking to have that kind of impact where the music industry can’t ignore us. We’re going to continue to put out those positive vibes to move things forward and keep pursuing that dream.”

‘Kitsch in Synch’

“Kitsch in Synch” is Michael Fleishman’s first solo show in Delaware and represents an entire new medium for the Milford artist: cardboard.

On display from until Mar. 19 at the Mispillion Art League, in Milford, he colorful show was inspired by the 300 boxes it took to move Mr. Fleishman and his wife from Ohio to Delaware in 2015 after he retired as a college art professor.

With a MFA in Painting and Drawing, Mr. Fleishman has cycled through many artistic styles during his 40-year career, including editorial illustrations and cartooning. He has also authored eight books on illustration and design, including “Starting Your Career as an Illustrator,” published in 2016 by Allworth Press. He currently teaches art and cartoon classes for kids at MAL, and is an English Department writing tutor at Delaware Technical Community College in Dover.

Mr. Fleishman points out that while the material and cutout approach may be a change of pace, his “technique and subject matter are natural extensions of my love for drawing and painting ductwork, machinery, robotic, and mechanical stuff.”

Mr. Fleishman adds that his exhibit, funded in part by the Delaware Division of the Arts, taps into a material that is so ubiquitous and common, it’s often maligned as being inconsequential.

“I have always been into recycling and upcycling,” he said. “I was taught that you don’t need fancy tools or expensive papers to generate meaningful art. It’s my intention to manipulate this humble surface with ordinary tools to do just that.”

The opening reception for “Kitsch in Synch” is today from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Mispillion Art League, 5 N. Walnut St., Milford.

Dinner, comedy show

St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church will be hosting a dinner and comedy show by Stanton’s 4th Wall on Saturday at the Great Hall.

Tickets are $35 per person. Cocktail hour will begin at 5 p.m. where there will be appetizers and a cash bar. Dinner at 6 p.m. will include a pasta station, mashed potato station, carving station, salad and rolls.

Stanton’s 4th Wall, a family friendly comedy act, will put on a two-hour comedy show consisting of TV comedy skits through the generations.

The Great Hall at St. Andrew’s is located at 425 N DuPont Highway, Dover. Tickets can be purchased online through Eventbrite, or by calling Sarah at (302) 222-4886

Desegregation in Dover

The Friends of Old Dover, Dover’s local history and preservation society, will welcome Dr. Reba Hollingsworth, a 1945 graduate of Delaware State College High School for Colored Students and a guidance counselor at Dover High School for 22 years, to speak from her experience of how the Dover community went through the process of desegregating its public schools.

Her talk, which culminates Black History Month in Dover, will be held in the Dover Public Library, 35 Loockerman Plaza, from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday. There is no charge for admission.

Globetrotters on track

Looking ahead, The Harlem Globetrotters, the legendary basketball team that wows fans of all ages with its ball skills, trick shots, comedy and more, will perform free shows in Dover International Speedway’s FanZone on Sunday, May 5 as part of the Monster Mile’s 50th anniversary celebrations, track officials announced this week.

The Globetrotters will perform before that day’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at 2 p.m.

The May 3-5 NASCAR tripleheader weekend includes the NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash race on Saturday, May 4 and the JEGS 200 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series race on Friday, May 3.

The Globetrotters, first organized in the 1926, perform more than 400 shows around the world each year with its distinctive red, white and blue uniforms. The exhibition team is known for its colorful personalities, audience interaction and supreme basketball skills.

Keep up to date on all 50th anniversary announcements and schedules by visiting DoverSpeedway.com or calling (800) 441-RACE.

Now showing

New in theaters this weekend is the animated sequel “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” and the wrestling comedy “Fighting With My Family.”

On DVD and download starting Tuesday is the animated “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and the supernatural film “The Possession of Hannah Grace.”

To share news of your entertainment group, venue or event, contact Craig Horleman at 741-8224 or chorl@newszap.com.

Dover’s Kerianne Smith and Polytech’s Courtney Turner reach for a rebound in the first quarter of Thursday night’s game at Polytech. Delaware State News/Marc Clery

Dover High jumped out a 12-point first-quarter lead before downing Polytech, 54-46, in Henlopen Conference Northern Division girls’ basketball on Thursday evening.

The Senators, who led 30-17 at halftime, finish the regular season at 10-10 after beating the Panthers for the second time this year.

Polytech finishes its schedule with a record of 11-9. The brackets for both the DIAA girls’ and boys’ basketball state tournaments are slated to be determined today.

William Penn 71, Smyrna 66: Jayla Smith poured in 34 points in the Eagles’ season-ending loss.

Smyrna (2-18) trailed by only a point before being out-scored, 21-17, in the fourth quarter.

Jennifer Sloven added 17 points for the Eagles.

Dover’s Tamyah Jones, Polytech’s Courtney Turner, and Dover’s Kerianne Smith battle under the boards in the second quarter.

St. Mark’s 39, Sussex Tech 38: The Spartans rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to edge the Ravens.

Janiya Stevens netted a team-high 12 points for Sussex Tech, which finishes the regular season at 14-6.

ECHS@DSU 39, Sussex Academy 34: The Hornets end up with a record of 8-12 after the victory.

The Seahawks went 5-15.

Campus grad nets 1,000th point: Deja Justice, a 2016 graduate of Dover’s Campus Community School, recently scored her 1,000th career point for Brethren Christian School in Clinton, Md.

Justice is the granddaughter of Wilbur Justice, an inductee of Delaware’s Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame.

Boys’ basketball

Mt. Pleasant 64, Woodbridge 48: The Green Knights led by only seven points at halftime before putting the contest out of reach in the second half.

The Blue Raiders finish the regular season with a record of 12-8.

College basketball

MEN, Gwynedd-Mercy 101, Wesley 84: The No. 4 Wolverines fell behind by 28 points at halftime before losing to the top-seeded Griffins in the Atlantic East Conference semifinals on Thursday night.

Gwynedd-Mercy (18-8) will host the league’s inaugural championship game on Saturday.

Wesley, which finishes the season at 13-14, trailed 48-20 at intermission before out-scoring the Griffins 64-53 in the second half. The Wolverines led for only 45 seconds, early in the contest.

Brian Cameron, who netted 48 points in the Wolverines’ first-round tournament win over Cabrini on Monday, tallied 38 on Thursday. He was 8-of-12 from three-point range and also had six assists.

Evan Anderson scored 19 points with Terrence Braxton adding 13 for Wesley, which split its two regular-season meetings with the Griffins.

All five Gwynedd-Mercy starters finished in double figures led by Courtney Cubbage with 36.

College indoor track

Hornets compete in MEAC meet: Precious Igwebuike led Delaware State’s women on the first day of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday in Landover, Md.

Igwebuike finished eighth in the long jump with a leap of 5.28 meters. She was ranked as the eighth-best long jumper in the conference heading into the meet.

Katarzyn Rosikon placed 10th in the 5,000-meter run after clocking in at 19:57.36.

On the men’s side, DSU’s Roderick Brown finished in eighth place in the long jump after posting a mark of 6.78 meters.

The meet resumes today at 9 a.m. with the men’s heptathlon. The women’s pentathlon will start at 9:20 a.m. The first running event, the prelims of the women’s 60-meter hurdles, will start at noon.

Paige Thompson plays the lead character, Ella, left, while Rebecca Wisniewski is the Fairy Godmother in Milford High School’s production of “Cinderella.” The musical, with songs by Rodgers and Hammerstein, starts Thursday. (Delaware State News/Marc Clery)

MILFORD — A timeless tale of oppression, triumph and, of course, true love, is set to hit Milford High School’s stage starting Thursday.

Students involved with the Milford Drama Club have worked hard to prepare the classic musical, “Cinderella,” for audiences, while refining their characters and learning new tricks.

“This is the Broadway version of the show that is based on the television film starring Julie Andrews,” said English teacher and theater producer Erica Snyder.

“It is a fun, updated retelling that takes the fairy tale we all know, adds classic Rodgers and Hammerstein music, and mixes it with a more modern spin on the princess.”

“This Cinderella, she’s not like the Disney Cinderella. She has different opinions and she’s more politically involved, actually. And it’s hard to try to convey that and still have the typical Cinderella vibe I would say. So, I hope I can get across how diverse she is because she’s a different character,” said freshman Paige Thompson, who plays the lead role of Ella.

Sophomore Dylan Phillips plays Topher, the prince, alongside Paige.

“The prince is definitely very naïve at the beginning of the show. But by the end of it, he’s become more mature. I hope I can convey that correctly, too,” he said.

Sophomore Dylan Phillips as Topher, the prince, and Paige Thompson, as Ella, share a moment on stage.

The pair have been involved in productions through the high school and Milford Central Academy for several years and know their home stage well.

“I guess around the time we both started doing it at the academy, a year before, they started letting academy kids join the high school productions,” Dylan explained.

“It’s definitely challenging, but it’s a good challenge. I think after all of this is over, I’ve learned something from this, which is always a good thing.”

Dylan and Paige aren’t the only young cast members ready for their new roles.

Other student performers include Mary Jocelyn Argo, Brianna Bailey, Jacob Elliot, Jakob Faulkner, Jesus Gomez, Marlee Lorraine Gray, Kevin-Lee Harding, Anna Hatfield, Raine Hendricks, Abby Lincoln, Caitlyn Maloney, Hadley O’Day, Elizabeth Pierce, Hali Pierce, Logan Redden, Danae Martinez Romualdo, Sienna Tamburo, Aryanna Tangaro, Haley Thompson, Jace Thompson, Isabella Rosa Tyrrell, Mystery Villa, Anastacia Weilenmann, Rebecca Wisniewski and Natalie Zelano.

“I am excited about bringing this story to our stage and presenting some magical moments,” said director Carissa Meiklejohn said.

Performances will take place Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 28-March 2. Each day will include an evening show at 7 p.m. There will be an afternoon matinee Saturday, March 2 at 1 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door for $5 for students 18 or younger, $6 for seniors 60 or older and $8 for all others.

The students and staff involved in the production are confident their performances will reignite the magic hidden inside the story.

“I hope they like it,” Dylan said. “Be prepared for an awesome performance.”

DOVER — In 2018, the General Assembly unanimously passed legislation to raise the hourly rates the state pays to subsidize services provided by caregivers for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

The bill phases in increases for the caregivers, who are also known as direct support professionals, so that over a three-year period the reimbursement would grow from 75 percent of the hourly market wage established in a 2014 study to 100 percent.

Advocates hailed its passage, with one nonprofit calling it a “milestone” and supporters speaking of the good it would do in helping attract and retain direct support professionals, benefiting both those employees and the population they care for.

But the measure does not bind the General Assembly to fund those increases, and Gov. John Carney’s proposed budget marks only a small increase in the rate.

His plan for the fiscal year starting July 1 would bump the state funding from 81.2 to 83.3 percent of the market rate at a cost of just under $2 million to Delaware’s General Fund.

That hike, many advocates said during a Joint Finance Committee hearing Thursday, is not enough.

Officials from the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services detailed to lawmakers on the committee their agency’s work and budgetary needs, followed by testimony from more than a dozen members of the public. Both direct support professionals and parents of individuals with disabilities urged JFC to increase the rates beyond what Gov. Carney recommended.

Facing hardships

“I have faced many hardships throughout the years, too numerous to mention all,” Tamika Crosell, who has worked as a direct support professional since 1995, said. “I have had times where I had to choose whether I should pay my rent in full and chance having my car insurance canceled or buying unhealthy, cheap foods just so I can stretch my paycheck…

“I have also left this field once or twice because there were other jobs that pay more, and I know of many others who have done the same. Those of us who are passionate about supporting individuals with disabilities are being forced to look elsewhere for employment even though that is not where our hearts are.”

Direct support professionals help adults who have conditions such as autism, Down syndrome or cerebral palsy. Care can include assisting them in finding employment or something as basic as feeding or bathing them. It is, many speakers said, a demanding job but also a rewarding one. One thing it is not is lucrative, advocates note.

At 81.2 percent of the 2014 market rate, most direct support professionals are subsidized by Delaware to the tune of $10.35 per hour — just $1.60 more than the state’s minimum wage.

The low pay creates tremendous turnover and necessitates some direct support professionals work two jobs to make ends meet. That turnover can be difficult for care recipients, many of whom need a stable routine.

“My son Eddie’s agency recently lost a couple of highly qualified individuals who had to leave to make a living wage for a family. Eddie asked me why they left. I told him they needed more money. He told me, ‘I need them. I have money. I can share with them,’” said William Drake.

As of December, the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services was serving slightly more than 4,900 individuals, about 74 percent of whom lived at home. According to a 2015 study from the University of Colorado, about 26 percent of Delawareans with intellectual or developmental disabilities lived with a family member who was at least 60 years old.

“These aging parents, including my wife and me, cannot provide a place to live for our adult children indefinitely,” said Jehangir Vevai, whose daughter Katy has special needs. “This is a terrifying thought for all of us.

“What will become of our beloved children? Where will they live when we can no longer care for them? Will they be able to keep their jobs and live in their local communities? Or will the state have to reopen institutional beds to meet the future need for residential services?

Feeling of dread

“Our feeling of dread for the future grows worse when we think of the DSPs who work for very little pay, because we wonder if there will be enough of them to care for the thousands of children who are going to outlive us.”

The Department of Health and Social Services last month completed a study recommending raising the wage benchmark from $12.75 to $14.11 for caregivers offering residential- and facility-based services and to $15.06 for those providing outside daily care. For employees in the fields of community participation, supported living and supported employment, it calls for increasing the hourly pay from $17 to $18.84.

Counting the $2 million in the governor’s recommended budget and the federal funds it would leverage, the state would subsidize caregivers at about 66 percent of the 2019 benchmarks.

“The rates all still increased, it’s just a matter of being further away from the goalposts,” division Director Marie Nonnenmacher told JFC.

Fully subsidizing the market rates would cost about $93.6 million more, and although federal funding would cover more than half of the increase, the added expense to the state would still exceed $40 million.

While pricey, it’s a cost Delaware must pay, several people said Thursday.

“Let this be the legislature that does the right thing, the legislature that funds the system as necessary and preserves a workforce that benefits us all,” said Micki Edelsohn, whose son Robert has intellectual and developmental disabilities as a result of an injury at birth.

“Until that happens, I, like thousands of other family members across the state, will remain awake at night worrying what will happen to our loved ones when we are gone.”

WILMINGTON — A convicted murderer’s 2017 trial was properly conducted, the Delaware Supreme Court determined Tuesday, and a life sentence will thus continue.

Abdul T. White was deemed responsible for the shooting death of a Milford man on Aug. 8, 2015, during a home invasion made in the search for a supposed large amount of marijuana.

John H. Harmon, 40, was shot to death and three men fled without finding any drugs, according to an eight-page order.

White contended that a mistrial was warranted due to alleged evidence issues, documents and information not supplied by prosecutors, along with introduction of the defendant’s “Duct Tape Bandit” tattoo before the jury.

At the jury trial, White testified that while he was in the house he had not shot Mr. Harmon.

He also claimed to be forced into the incident because of a $20,000 debt to another defendant.

Duct tape was used during the crime, the Court ruled, “and the risk of prejudice did not substantially outweigh its probative value.”

White unsuccessfully pointed to then-Delaware State Police ballistics expert Carl Rone’s handling of evidence early in the case, which was followed by discipline and resignation from state employment.

The state was unaware of any alleged misdeeds until two months after Rone was convicted and the ballistics expert did not testify at tria

DOVER — More than 350 blood donors are needed daily to maintain an adequate supply for patients in 19 hospitals throughout the area.

When fewer pint donations are collected on one day, more are needed the next to compensate to keep up with a never-ending demand.

On Thursday the Blood Bank of Delmarva made a public call for assistance due to “experiencing a significant shortage of blood donations due to ongoing winter weather, seasonal illnesses, and the recent snowfall which caused cancellation of blood drives and forced donors to cancel appointments. We need help from the community to replenish our blood supply.”

According to Director of Donor Recruitment and Marketing Karesa Fleary, “We have less than a three day’s supply of all blood types.

“It is urgent that people give blood today because blood is going out the door faster than it is coming in.”

A seven-day supply of stored blood is optimal, so there’s currently less than half what’s needed, Ms. Fleary said.

This week’s snow call forced collection centers to close and Ms. Fleary described the past two weeks as “particularly challenging.” Scheduled blood drives as schools – where 25 percent of donations are made – added to the shortage.

“Hospitals have needs every day, in addition to traumas that can’t be foreseen,” Ms. Fleary said.

Smyrna High School will host a collection on Feb. 28 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event is closed to the public and donations will come from students and staff.

According to Ms. Fleary, 0 positive blood is the most transfused type, with the 0 negative universal variety the most in demand. Actually, though, “We need all types,” Ms. Fleary said.

“We are in a very critical situation currently,” Ms. Fleary said. “We have very few products on the shelves.”

Appointments aren’t needed, and a visit typically takes about 75 minutes from start to finish. Registration and medical screening comes first, followed by a 15-minute pint donation and rest and relaxation to boost the hemoglobin level. Cookies and juice are served.

The Dover Collection Center at 221 Saulsbury Road is open from 12:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The facility is closed Sunday. Other Blood Bank locations are in Newark, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and Salisbury, Maryland.

Appointments can be scheduled by calling 1-888-8-BLOOD-8 or online at delmarvablood.org.

Notes on blood donations

According to the Blood Bank of Delmarva:

• Make sure you eat your regular meals and drink plenty of fluids (limit caffeine intake) prior to donation.

• The volume of fluids will adjust within a few hours of your donation. The red blood cells will be replaced within a few weeks.

• Red blood cells, used for traumas, have a 42-day shelf life. Platelets, the clotting element in the blood that is used for cancer and leukemia patients, have a shelf life of 5 days. Plasma, which is mainly used for burn victims, has a shelf life of one year.

• The type of blood donation you make will determine the wait time for the next donation. If you donate: Whole blood—every 56 days Double red blood cells—every 112 days Platelets—every 14 days

• The blood supply has never been safer. Every blood donation is tested for 11 infectious diseases and conditions, including Hepatitis B and C, HIV, Syphilis, West Nile Virus, and Chagas Disease.

GEORGETOWN — Sussex County leaders have given the financial green light to apply to have the county-owned airport and its industrial and business parks designated a foreign trade zone, hoping duty and tariff incentives will increase lease clientele and spur economic development.

County Council at its Feb. 19 meeting voted 5-0 to authorize Sussex County Economic Development Director William Pfaff and Delaware Coastal Airport Manager Jim Hickin to work with the county’s legal partner to apply for foreign trade zone designation.

This investment is not to exceed $25,000, which is primarily legal costs. Funding will come from the county’s contingency, Sussex County Finance Director Gina Jennings said.

Council’s action followed a Nov. 13 presentation by Patty Cannon, a grantee administrator with the State of Delaware’s Division of Small Business, and attorney Scott Taylor of Miller & Company P.C., the customs and trades firm used by the state of Delaware for the application process.

In today’s global market, foreign trade zones assist companies in several ways, including reduction of costs, paperwork and delays while enhancing greater efficiency. Foreign trade zones can also help attract and retain manufacturing, processing and distribution.

“This is all about job creation: How can we create more jobs?” said Mr. Pfaff. “We’re trying to lease lots in our Delaware Coastal Business park. I think that is a tool in our toolbox that we can use as a marketing tool.”

Under federal trade zone (FTZ) designation and activation, foreign and domestic merchandise may be moved into zones for operations, not otherwise prohibited by law, including storage, exhibition, assembly, manufacturing, and processing.

Foreign trade zone sites are subject to the laws and regulations of the United States as well as those of the states and communities in which they are located.

Under zone procedures, the usual formal entry procedures and payments of duties are not required on the foreign merchandise unless and until it enters for domestic consumption. At that point the importer generally has the choice of paying duties at the rate of either the original foreign materials or the finished product.

Domestic goods moved into the zone for export may be considered exported upon admission to the zone for purposes of excise tax rebates and drawback.

Mr. Pfaff said the door opened when a foreign trade zone inspector was stationed at Dover Air Force Base.

“One reason why we haven’t been able to do it in the past is because of our proximity to an inspector. They have to be within a 45-minute drive of us,” Mr. Pfaff said. “And the fact that they have placed one at Dover Air Force Base, that sort of opened the window for us. So now, we are within driving distance of an inspector.”

Mr. Taylor and Ms. Cannon, who both toured the proposed designation site, recommend that the county designate the entire blueprint – the airport, industrial park and new business park – and activate just a warehouse that the county would set up to use.

Additionally, Mr. Pfaff said a few of existing owners of businesses at the airport complex were polled to see if there would be an advantage for their businesses to be designated a foreign trade zone.

“We had about four businesses show up at the meeting,” said Mr. Pfaff. “There was some interest.”

The Delaware Coastal Business Park, located on approximately 77 acres, has several tenants with other openings. “We have two and the third one ready to sign,” said Mr. Pfaff, adding the county has some vacant lots in its industrial park. Those, he said, are primarily wooded lots and would “take a little bit more to clear. We do have some potential there.”

The FTZ program is administered by two federal agencies.

“It needs two federal agencies to oversee it because it is such a big deal,” said Ms. Cannon. “Essentially, if we get approval from the U.S. Department of Commerce Foreign Trade Zone board to identify a parcel or building in Delaware as a foreign trade zone, then we go and get Customs and Border Protection under Homeland Security to actually approve and activate that and the state concurs that this is a good use at that location. So, essentially that little parcel, or that little building is considered for the purposes of importing and exporting as being outside U.S. territory.”

The first thing the federal government will do is ask the state to look at a proposal and say, ‘Is this a good use of that location?’ It’s almost always ‘yes.,’” said Ms. Cannon.

An example of rejection, Ms. Cannon said, would be “if we got a request from a North Korean company …. maybe the manufacture of explosives and they wanted to do it next to one of your hospitals or next to one of your elementary schools. We would say, ‘That is not a good use of that location.’ But other than some really profound reason why we would say ‘no’ it’s almost always going to be a ‘yes’ from the state perspective.”

The second step is to forward the matter to the U.S. Department of Customs Foreign Trade Zone Board.

Mr. Pfaff offered an example of how foreign trade zones can benefit companies.

“I always give the example if we were manufacturing bicycles, assembling bicycles out at the airport. Most parts are imported. So, let’s say the tires have a 10-percent tariff and the chain has a 5-percent traffic and the handlebars have a 3-percent tariff. If you are assembling that bicycle in a foreign trade zone you would not have to pay those tariffs on the product,” said Mr. Pfaff. “Once that product is assembled, you pay a tariff on the bicycle itself, and I use the example it could be 5 percent, so you end up saving money because you get a reduced rate on the finished product.”

As an entity that would have a warehouse for multi-users the county ‘s annual fee would be $5,000. “Your $5,000 a year is for that warehouse that we hope you would consider having,” said Ms. Cannon. “If one of your tenants wants to start being activated — you’ve already designated the area, but you want them to activate their warehouse because you don’t want to take responsibility — they would then have to pay $10,000 year.”

The county is working to identify the best warehouse option.

“That is something we’re working on now, to find one of our buildings out there that we can convert to a warehouse. Once we get the designation then activation is very easy,” said Mr. Pfaff. “Even all our businesses out there that are importing products to manufacture an end-product they can also set that up that as well for their individual businesses and not have to pay the import tax until the product leaves that foreign trade zone area – then they have to pay the tariff on it.”

“From the warehouse storage standpoint, we may potentially have manufacturers within the region that are importing foreign goods that they don’t want to have to pay the tariff up front. They want to have those goods in-house,” said Mr. Pfaff. “If we have a warehouse that we designate, a warehouse that we can lease in our foreign trade zone territory then they won’t have to pay the tax either, only once it leaves the foreign trade zone designation.”

Miller & Company PC is exclusively a customs and trade law firm that deals with import clients and sets up foreign trade zones in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The FTZ program has been around since 1934 but “wasn’t used widely until about the 80s,” Mr. Taylor said.

More than 3,300 companies are in program in the U.S., including the likes of Astra Zeneca, with 600 billion dollars of imports received in all foreign trade zones collectively, according to Mr. Taylor.

“We have very stringent rules,” said Mr. Taylor. “The good news about these foreign trade zones is there is a higher level of security. U.S. Customs knows what goes in and out. It’s all done electronically so they have visibility. They know what is in the building at any given time and when it goes out and where it’s going.”

“What this does really is it supports communities by supporting U.S. manufacturing jobs, creating or retaining those jobs,” said Mr. Taylor during the November presentation.

“But for the warehousing, I can tell you the last six months has been pretty phenomenal to watch all of the new warehouses going in because of these new tariffs that the President has implemented across the board.

“It is a tool to defer the customs duty payment on those tariffs for small business, medium size businesses and larger businesses. But also, there is even a small portion of export activity, you can avoid the tariff.”

Mr. Taylor said the foreign trade zones program “is being used more than ever because of these new tariffs. And these tariffs are maybe another reason from the airport’s standpoint to get this in place.”

The county is hoping to land FTZ designation this summer.

“In terms of our paperwork we pretty much have our paperwork together because we gathered a lot of that during the shutdown,” said Mr. Pfaff. “My hope is that by June or July, if the government works the way I wish they would work, we would hope to hear something.”

Mr. Pfaff said the initial plan was to have had the foreign trade zone proposal “on the agenda in December but with schedules it was sort of hard to get it on in December. And then, we had a government shutdown.”

DOVER — Dilapidated buildings and antiquated systems have Delaware Technical Community College administrators seeking support from legislators. With Democratic Sen. Harris McDowell’s sponsorship behind them, Delaware Tech leaders were hoping to pass Senate Bill 50 this year.

The measure would create a Community College Infrastructure Fund to help finance mounting maintenance concerns at each of the four campuses in the state through a statewide property tax.

Supporters say it would effectively save the college from a “$100 million deferred maintenance crisis,” according to Delaware Tech President Dr. Mark Brainard.

Mixed reactions and the withdrawl of support Wednesday morning by one of the bill’s co-sponsors, Rep. Stephen Smyk, R-Milton/Lewes, led Dr. Brainard to send legislators a memo Thursday evening requesting SB 50 be stricken completely.

The memo read, in part, “After meeting this week with a few of our most ardent supporters in the General Assembly, I have decided to ask Senator McDowell and Representative Osienski not to seek passage of Senate Bill 50 at this time.”

Their fight isn’t over yet, though, as Rep. Kevin Hensley, R-Middletown/Townsend, announced another bill now in circulation at Legislative Hall, with a different solution in mind.

A news release from Rep. Hensley on Thursday stated that he “has drafted legislation that would serve to provide Delaware Technical Community College with the ability to fund capital improvements without requiring Delaware residents to shoulder the costs of these projects.

Mark Brainard

Rep. Hensley will introduce legislation that gives DelTech the authority to issue bonds to finance the cost of major and minor capital improvements, deferred maintenance, and the acquisition of related equipment and educational technology.

The bill establishes the Community College Infrastructure Fund to pay the principal and interest on such bonds. The legislation also provides a mechanism, but not an obligation, for the state to provide matching funds for minor capital improvement projects consistent with existing matching provisions for public education.”

Rep. Smyk is sponsoring the bill along with Rep. Hensley and Rep. Mike Ramone, according to the press release.

“It’s my job to represent the people in my district,” Rep. Smyk said in a newsletter to his constituents. “Since this bill [SB 50] was first introduced about a month ago, many of my constituents have shared their concerns with me. After listening to them, I realize that I made a well-intentioned mistake when I initially supported this measure. I believe in DelTech and its mission to make life-changing education available to Delawareans at an affordable cost. Thousands of our citizens have improved their lives because of the opportunities the DelTech provides. I remain committed to supporting that work.”

Many supporters cheered the decision on social media in the hours after their announcements.

“It’s a multi-million dollar whack-a-mole game where you’re trying to protect the health, quality and safety of the students and faculty. Eventually, you get to a point where there’s no catching up,” Dr. Brainard told the Delaware State News earlier in February.

The cost of deferred maintenance and campus improvements topped off at around $38.5 million back in 2006. By April 2015, it skyrocketed to $87 million, he added. The costs are projected to increase to more than $100 million by 2020.

Photos provided by the institution show off major issues such as parking lots that flood easily, cracks in brick walls, poor drainage, broken HVAC units and leaky roofs among other mechanical and structural concerns.

Created in 1966 by the Delaware General Assembly, some of the oldest buildings owned by Delaware Tech date back to the 1940s and need substantial repairs.

Steve Smyk

Along with donations, the college receives funding from the state of Delaware’s yearly budget and bond bills. In fiscal year 2019, Delaware Tech received just over $81 million for its operating budget and another $10 million from the bond bill for deferred maintenance and other capital projects — $6,500,000 of which come from capital fund bond authorizations and $3,500,000 from general funds.

But college officials said those allocations do not address the nearly $100 million needed for deferred maintenance and no mechanism currently exists for Delaware Tech to generate those funds like other public institutions.

Delaware State University and the University of Delaware both receive money from the state of Delaware each year, like Delaware Tech.

Delaware State University received more than $35 million in the budget from fiscal year 2019, while the University of Delaware received more than $120 million. Like Delaware Tech, they each also received $10 million in the bond bill.

“The governor and legislators were very generous in the bond bill,” Dr. Brainard said, but added that more is still needed to start impacting the growing amount of deferred maintenance at the college campuses.

Taxes raised through the Community College Infrastructure Fund would have made the funds needed from each county for maintenance problems in those respective counties available to college leaders. According to SB 50, the tax was capped at 6.5 cents.

The proposal, as it has in the past, was greated with mixed reactions from the public and legislators.

“You’ll find no bigger advocate for Delaware Tech than me,” Rep. Ruth Briggs King, R-Milford, said in early February.

“But this is without a referendum with a board that is not regulated. It’s taxation without representation. I live in a district they just had a referendum that didn’t pass. They couldn’t vote for that referendum for fear of a Delaware Tech tax.”

A Delaware Tech graduate herself, she said the biggest concern in her district was a raise in property taxes benefitting Sussex Tech taxpayers. A second or third increase in property taxes could be crippling to some of her constituents.

“Delaware Tech is not getting the support it needs. They can’t just go back and up their tuition, I know that. But I think this is a slippery slope. If you allow one agency to do this, who’s going to be next? Maybe we need to look at the overall tax structure in Delaware because this is opening up Pandora’s box,” she added. “A big difference, too, is that local referendums say when the tax can drop off. This bill does not have an end.”

Sen. Harris McDowell supports the concept. He sponsored Senate Bill 50 during this general assembly and once before in 2015 when it died during session.

SB 50 was voted out of the Elections, Government & Community Affairs Committee with four votes on its merits this session before Dr. Brainard sent his memo requesting legislators not pursue that bill further..

SB 50 would have allowed the college’s board of trustees, for which each member was appointed by the governor and approved by a majority of the state senate, authority to issue bonds to finance capital improvement projects, deferred maintenance and the purchase of needed equipment and educational technology. It would also establish the Community College Infrastructure Fund to pay for the principal and interest on those bonds.

An additional local property tax would have been authorized by the bill, capped at 6.5 cents per $100 of a home’s assessed value. It would take effect in 2021 and not reach its full cap for several years, according to Dr. Brainard, who added that money raised through the tax increase would need to stay within the county from where it originated.

If passed, Delaware Tech’s Vice President for Finance Jerry McNesby said the tax increase was to start at 1.7 cents per $100 dollars of a property’s assessed value.

The impact on the average homeowner in Kent County, based on an average residential assessed value of $38,731, would be about $6.58 for the first year. In Sussex County, the average homeowner, with an average residential assessed value of $20,483, would pay about $3.69 for the first year, he added.

In contrast, Rep. Hensley said his bill, which has not been released publicly yet, would allow the board to made necessary bond and financing decisions without the need for a property tax increase.

“I don’t believe that there is anyone that argues that Del Tech has significant infrastructure needs. I’ve heard from many constituents about their concerns over the statewide property tax that is included under Senate Bill 50. As a result, I felt the portion of this bill that allowed for bonding authority should be introduced as a separate measure to create a mechanism to fund these initiatives. I feel strongly that Del Tech ought to have the ability to address their capital needs without putting the burden of paying for those improvements on the backs of Delaware taxpayers.”

Dr. Brainard said Delaware Tech will “remain laser focused” on their mission and will continue working toward a solution to their maintenance needs.

“We’re not going after this legislation to go after a brand-new, high school type construction. Deferred maintenance is fixing a leaky roof, dealing with antiquated systems, air handlers constantly breaking down… This building [office of the President], we had to put a tarp overtop our servers every time we have a rain storm,” Dr. Brainard said in early February. “We have four locations [spread out over] the three counties with a value of over $400 million. So, when our facilities folks sit down every year with industry folks to talk about the industry standard for maintenance, the industry standard is between three to four percent of the value of the assets. For Delaware Tech, that’s about $12 million per year, the experts say. When, in reality, it’s about $4 million on average.

“The immediate impact is the quality of learning. If the HVAC systems are not operating correctly, air quality suffers. We have computers all over, $80,000 mannequins in the health lab. It’s pretty scary to think about water intrusion. It’s impacting the ability to keep classrooms open.”

The needs of the college also means they cannot focus on adding buildings to create new programs unless help is offered. Donors recently came together to help make a diesel mechanic program a reality.

“I would say that for the past five years, the peninsula has been having a desperate need for diesel mechanics. Our mission is workforce. They look at us and say, ‘What are you doing?’ And our response is that we’re at capacity. And local employers are going to Florida for auto technicians,” Dr. Brainard said. “The good news is that we experienced success last year in securing a grant for a world-class facility to expand options for auto technicians.”

The town of Middletown also donated a facility to the college for heavy equipment operator and diesel mechanic programs.

Without those funds and donations, the college president says those programs most certainly wouldn’t be on the horizon for Delaware Tech.

“We didn’t serve our students very well and we sure as heck didn’t serve the business community very well, but we didn’t have a choice,” he said. “That’s the real impact. We have an entire industry that needs certain types of employees. They’re continually asking us what we’re going to do about it. And we’re limping along to try to find a way to fix the roof and air handlers.”

As of press time, SB 50 was still on the Senate ready list. Rep. Hensley’s proposed legislation is not available yet.

MIDDLETOWN — A 20-year-old Philadelphia man was charged with first-degree attempted murder regarding a July 1, 2018 shooting incident, Middletown Police spokesman Capt. William Texter said.

Marquis James was taken into custody by Middletown and Newark police on Feb. 14 after an arrest warrant was obtained, authorities said. Other charges included four counts of first-degree reckless endangering and aggravated menacing each, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and first-degree conspiracy.

Police said shots were reportedly fired in the area of East Main and South Cox streets after two persons exited a green sedan and approached another vehicle passing by. Several shots were fired into a vehicle with several occupants said. No Injuries were reported.

Mr. James received a total of $277,000 secured bail and was transported to the Howard R. Young Correctional Institution in lieu of bail.

Police asked anyone with information to contact Detective Julia Fabbroni at 376-9959 or Julia.Fabbroni@cj.state.de.us.

Theft of $122,000 alleged against Amazon employee

MIDDLETOWN — A 25-year-old Newark man was charged with theft greater than $100,000 from his Amazon employer, authorities said Thursday.

John Montoro was also charged with two counts falsifying business records and attempted theft greater than $1,500 between July 2018 and February.

The property loss was listed as $102,322.68. According to Middletown Police, an additional attempt to fraudulently obtain $20,000 was unsuccessful.

Mr. Montoro was arraigned and released after receiving a $53,000 unsecured bond.

Police asked anyone with information to contact Detective Adam Starrett at 376-9950 or Adam.Starrett@CJ.State.DE.US.

Poaching, weapon charges follow hunting probe

SMYRNA — A 65-year-old Smyrna man was charged with firearms felonies and deer poaching following an arrest on Monday, DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police spokesman Lt. John McDerby said.

Melvin J. Durand was charged with 19 counts of possession, purchase, ownership or control of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited for prior violent crime or felony, and one count each of possession, purchase, ownership or control of a deadly weapon by a person prohibited for prior violent crime or felony and possession or transportation of an unlawfully taken antlerless deer.

Mr. Durand was arraigned at New Castle County Justice of the Peace Court 11, where he was released on an unsecured bond.

As a result of the arrest and a search of Mr. Durand’s residence, 18 firearms, ammunition and a compound bow were seized, authorities said.

Domestic argument leads to firearm charges

SEAFORD — A 25-year-old Seaford man was charged with firearms violations following a domestic argument between family members early Thursday morning, Seaford Police spokesman Senior Corporal Eric Chambers said.

According to authorities, Djemsley Florestal was arrested after officers were called to a residence in the 300 block of North Pine Street shortly after midnight. Police said he had possessed a bag that was discarded inside of an outside trash can. When officers located this bag they discovered two revolver handguns, one semi-automatic handgun, a large fixed blade knife and a large amount of ammunition for the handguns, police said.

Mr. Florestal was found to be a person prohibited from possessing and type of firearms or deadly weapons due to previous criminal convictions, authorities said.

Mr. Florestal was presented before Justice of the Peace Court and committed to the Department of Correction in lieu of $75,100 cash bail.

He was also found to have several active capias issued for his arrest from the Sussex County Court of Common Pleas and Sussex County Superior Court.

DOVER – Unbeaten Dover High earned the No. 2 seed in the DIAA boys’ basketball state tournament bracket that was announced this afternoon.

No. 4 Caesar Rodney also earned a first-round bye when the 24-team tourney gets underway on Tuesday. A total of eight downstate schools made the bracket.

Sanford is the No. 1 seed.

In boys’ first-round games involving downstate teams, No. 9 Sussex Tech hosts No. 24 Milford; No. 20 Delmarva Christian goes to No. 13 Tower Hill; No. 18 Lake Forest goes to No. 15 Christiana; No. 19 Woodbridge goes to No. 14 Mt. Pleasant and No. 22 Delmar travels to No. 11 William Penn. All games start at 7 p.m.

In Thursday’s second round, Dover will host the winner of the Lake Forest/Christiana game while CR will host the winner of the Tower Hill/Delmarva Christian contest.

The Northern Division champion Senators are hosting South champion Lake Forest today at 8 p.m. in the Henlopen Conference title game.

In the girls’ bracket, three downstate squads – Woodbridge, St. Thomas More and Cape Henlopen – all earned first-round byes as one of the brackets’ top-eight seeds.

In Wednesday’s first-round matchups involving downstate teams, No. 16 Delmarva Christian hosts No. 17 Ursuline; No. 24 Lake Forest goes to No. 9 St. Georges; No. 13 Sussex Central hosts No. 20 Tatnall and No. 10 Sussex Tech hosts No. 23 Wilmington Friends.

In Friday’s second round, No. 4 Woodbridge will host the Sussex Central/Tatnall winner; No. 6 St. Thomas More hosts the Howard/Newark Charter winner and No. 8 Cape Henlopen hosts the Lake Forest/St. Georges winner.
St. Elizabeth is the top seed in the girls’ bracket.

One difference with this year’s schedule is that quarterfinal games will not be played at the Carpenter Center this year because both the University of Delaware men’s and women’s basketball teams have home games on those dates.

The boys’ quarterfinals will be played at four neutral sites. The girls’ quarterfinals will be split between two sites – Dover and St. Mark’s.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL
DIAA state tournament
First round
Tuesday, Feb. 26
Games start at 7 p.m.
17-St. Andrews (15-5) at 16-Appoquinimink (13-7)
24-Milford (12-8) at 9-Sussex Tech (14-6)
20-Delmarva Christian (18-2) at 13-Tower Hill (14-6)
21-A.I. DuPont (12-8) at 12-Newark (14-6)
18-Lake Forest (15-5) at 15-Christiana (12-7)
23-Middletown (9-11) at 10-St. Mark’s (15-5)
19-Woodbridge (12-8) at 14-Mt. Pleasant (16-4)
22-Delmar (14-6) at 11-William Penn (13-7)
Second round
Thursday, Feb. 28
Games start at 7 p.m.
Appoquinimink/St. Andrews at 1-Sanford (16-4)
Milford/Sussex Tech at 8-Salesianum (11-9)
Delmarva Christian/Tower Hill at 4-Caesar Rodney (15-5)
A.I. DuPont/Newark at 5-St. Georges (14-6)
Lake Forest/Christiana at 2-Dover (20-0)
Middletown/St. Mark’s at 7-St. Elizabeth (11-9)
Woodbridge/Mt. Pleasant at 3-Caravel (15-6)
Delmar/William Penn at 6-Glasgow (15-5)
Saturday, March 2
Quarterfinals
At neutral sites.
Semifinals
Thursday, March 7
At Carpenter Center
Finals
Saturday, March 9
At Carpenter Center

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
DIAA state tournament
First round
Wednesday, Feb. 27
Games start at 7 p.m.
17-Ursuline (7-11) at 16-Delmarva Christian (15-5)
24-Lake Forest (16-4) at 8-St. Georges (16-4)
20-Tatnall (10-10) at 13-Sussex Central (13-7)
21-Tower Hill (11-9) at 12-Wilmington Christian (13-7)
18-Archmere (12-8) at 15-Mt. Pleasant (12-8)
23-Wilm. Friends (12-8) at 10-Sussex Tech (14-6)
19-Wilm. Charter (13-7) at 14-Delcastle (15-5)
22-Newark Charter (11-9) at 11-Howard (16-4)
Second round
Friday, March 1
Games start at 7 p.m.
Ursuline/Delmarva Christian at 1-St. Elizabeth (17-3)
Lake Forest/St. Georges at 8-Cape Henlopen (17-3)
Tatnall/Sussex Central at 4-Woodbridge (20-0)
Tower Hill/Wilm. Christian at 5-Caravel (12-8)
Archmere/Mt. Pleasant at 2-Sanford (16-4)
Wilm. Friends/Sussex Tech at 7-Hodgson (16-4)
Wilm. Charter/Delcastle at 3-Conrad (15-5)
Newark Charter/Howard at 6-St. Thomas More (16-4)
Quarterfinals
Sunday, March 2
Games at Dover and St. Mark’s
Semifinals
Wednesday, March 6
At Carpenter Center
Finals
Friday, March 8
At Carpenter Center

Three years ago, Aaron Green proved he was the top male swimmer in the Middle Atlantic Conference.

Nobody was able to knock the Caesar Rodney High grad off that spot ever since.

Now a senior at Widener University, Green was named the MAC Swimmer of the Year at the conference’s championship meet last weekend.

Green is the first swimmer to win the award three seasons in a row.

Green won the 100 freestyle title for the third straight year, matching his NCAA ‘B’ cut time in the event with a time of 45.05 seconds. It is the sixth year in a row that a Widener swimmer won the event.

In the 400 freestyle, Green swam a leg of the Pride’s winning team that was clocked in 3:08.9. Widener finished second in the team standings.

The NCAA Division III Championships will be held in Greensboro, N.C. on March 20-25.

UD can lock up spot

The Delaware men’s basketball team (8-7 CAA, 16-12 overall) can guarantee itself a top-six spot in the CAA Tournament when it plays a 5 p.m. game at Drexel (6-9 CAA, 12-16 overall) today.

The rivalry game is being televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia and Washington.

Finishing in the top six in the league would mean the Blue Hens don’t have to play a first-round game in the league tourney on March 9-12 in Charleston, S.C.

The home team has won the last seven meetings in the UD-Drexel series. Of course, in the Hens’ last trip to Philadelphia last February, they blew a record 34-point lead against the Dragons.

Starting guard Kevin Anderson, who has missed the last two games for personal reasons, is listed as questionable for today’s game.

Gelof’s debut

Cape Henlopen High product Zack Gelof sure made a good first impression in his debut game with the University of Virginia baseball team last week.

Gelof batted leadoff for the Cavaliers in the season opener against No. 3 Vanderbilt. He went 4-for-5 with two doubles, four RBI and two runs scored.

Gelof has started at third base in all four of Virginia’s game on the young season. He is batting .33 and leads the team in runs (five) and doubles (three).

Notes

• Wesley College junior guard Brian Cameron became the first Wolverine to score over 700 points in a season, finishing with 721. He averaged 26.7 points per game.

• Delaware State hosts UMES today at 2 p.m. in women’s basketball with the men’s game to follow. The Hornets have had 12 days off since their last game.

• Former Delaware football player Dorrell Green was recently named the superintendent for the Red Clay School District. He’s the fourth former UD athletic who is a superintendent in the state, joining Heath Chasanov (Woodbridge), Kevin Dickerson (Milford) and Dan Shelton (Capital).

David Clendaniel of Magnolia took this photo of Cape Henlopen from Herring Point on New Year’s Day.