DEWEY BEACH — Turns out zombies will roam the streets of a coastal Sussex County town after all.

The Milton Theatre announced Monday Dewey Beach’s northbeach will hold the annual Zombie Fest next month. It will take place Oct. 19.

The future of the event appeared in doubt earlier this year after the theater failed to reach an agreement with Milton to host it this fall.
However, several companies offered to assist organizers, The theater has partnered with Highway One Companies to bring new life to the event.

The 2018 fest, the fifth iteration of the annual event, drew almost 5,000 people, according to organizers.

“We are thankful for our friends at Highway One Companies for opening the doors of their iconic Dewey Beach venues for Zombie Fest,” Milton Theatre Executive Director Fred Munzert said in a statement. “We can’t wait for our horde of the undead to invade one of the region’s most lively towns!”

In initially canceling the fest in August, organizers wrote on Facebook they were stymied by restrictions from the town and logistical concerns.
“In order to accommodate an expected bigger crowd this year and to make it viable as a FREE event (and keep it downtown), we requested to have a portion of Union St. closed for the festival.

“The plan to have the stage, vendors, and food trucks on the street was not approved.
“We have tried to dramatically ‘downsize’ the event several times to adhere to the restrictions, but we came to the conclusion that it will be too downgraded that it will no longer be able to pay for itself and still contribute to the charities involved.”

The event will be held at northbeach from 4 to 8. At 8, the zombie walk will move the party to Bottle & Cork (for adults only).
The festival previously took place at the Milton Historical Society on Magnolia Street.

The event is set to include live music from Lower Case Blues, Indian River Band, Kategory 5 and more. Also present will be food vendors, retail merchants, zombie makeup stations, a children’s section, a costume contest and the zombie car contest.

Tickets are $10, and children 12 and under enter free.

Organizers are still accepting sponsors, food vendors and merchants for the event.

The festival supports the Milton Theatre Capital Campaign, Milton Public Library, Milton Fire Department and Milton Community Food Pantry. Tickets and further information are available at Miltontheatre.com.

GEORGETOWN — Delaware is headed for a crucial milestone.
“Delaware is closing in on a million people. And we are very close to a magic number that would enable us to have not just one U.S. representative, but two,” U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., said during a news conference on the Green in Georgetown Monday morning.

“For 10 years I was the lone congressman for the state of Delaware. It was a lonely existence. And I want to make sure that when we reach that magic number that we have two, two to do the job that one does today.”
That’s where the United States Census comes in to play.

As it comes around for its once-per-decade counts of local residents, Sen. Carper joined U.S. Census Bureau Director Dr. Steven Dillingham, Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and Sheila Bravo in explaining the importance of participation by Delawareans.

In the census from 2000, 783,600 people lived in Delaware. The next census from 2010 cited a population of 897,934. Population estimates from the Census Bureau suggest continued growth from 2010 to 2018 when it was estimated that the population of Delaware reached 967,171 people.
Sen. Carper and the other speakers also suggested those numbers could be low due to some residents not responding to the census at all.
Lt. Gov. Hall-Long agreed.

“The census is what unites us. The census unites us on every front and matters to the resources that will come back to Delaware. Everyone matters and should be counted – our children to our eldest and those in our communities’ special populations,” she said.

She and Ms. Bravo chair the Hard to Count Population Subcommittee of Delaware’s Complete Count Commission, working to ensure every community is counted in the census within the state of Delaware.

“In Delaware, it’s estimated that the undercount of populations in the 2010 census equated to roughly about $10M of federal funding that did not come into the state, funding that supports our education system, funding that supports seniors, funding that helps children learn to speak English, food programs… and so securing a complete count for census 2020 to ensure that our residents are recognized is an important source of funding to help our communities help those most in need,” said Ms. Bravo, who also leads the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement.

She suggested three actions to take as a community to help Delaware be successful during the census 2020 process.
“The first is to raise awareness as to why it matters,” she began. “The second is to encourage people to participate and the third is to facilitate an easy way for people to participate.”

Dr. Dillingham, director of the U.S. Census Bureau, also encouraged participation in hopes of receiving an accurate count from the First State.
“I want to underscore the census bureau’s unwavering dedication to complete and accurate 2020 census,” he said. “I was very pleased to hear that you’re focused on the hard to count population and that is the focus of the census bureau.”

Hard to count groups, such as those with language barriers or lack of access to basic needs, can negatively impact state-by-state numbers as other speakers claimed.
“We have more language assistance than ever before,” he said as an example of how the census bureau is trying to adapt to the needs of citizens. “We have 12 different languages. You can call by phone to our language assistance centers and in 12 different languages, they can take your information.”

Materials regarding the census can also be viewed in 59 languages, he added.

“So, any group that we are aware of in this country with 2,000 people, actually a little bit less than that, we have materials for you in those languages that will help you complete the census,” he said. “We are focused on counting everyone once and counting them in the right place.”

Once counted, the information is used only for statistical purposes by law, he assured, emphasizing that information also would not be distributed between governmental agencies.

“Information comes in and numbers go out. We do that as a matter of professionalism at the census bureau, but those federal laws are always there if ever needed. But so far, they haven’t been,” he explained. “We know there have been challenges in the census. There always have been challenges and I think we’re better prepared than ever to meet those challenges.”

DOVER — Dover City Council on Monday approved a 0.5 percent lodging tax on hotels and motels within city boundaries that will become effective in 2020.

The one-half-of-1-percent tax will increase incrementally to 1.5 percent by 2022. It will be imposed in addition to the existing 8 percent state tax on hotel and motel stays.

City Council passed the ordinance Chapter 102 — taxation of the Dover Code by inserting a new article VII — lodging tax by a 7-2 vote with Councilmen Roy Sudler Jr. and David Anderson voting against the measure.

The city’s lodging tax was enabled through state legislation passed in June and has been watched closely because it could be stacked with a potential lodging tax under consideration by Kent County Levy Court.

Five people spoke against the lodging tax at a committee meeting on Sept. 10, with no one speaking in support of it.

Nobody spoke publicly about the tax at Monday night’s hearing prior to the vote.

City Councilman Tim Slavin said he believed the council used fair judgement in passing the ordinance.

“We had prepared some amendment language that reflects the spirit of the discussion that we had at the last committee hearing” he said, of the Sept. 10 meeting. “There is one minor adjustment to that. I believe Councilman Anderson made a good suggestion along with Council (President Bill) Hare about the effective date.

“The amendment would establish the tax beginning on July 1, 2020, at the rate of one-half of 1 percent for the balance of the calendar year of 2020. And then the rate itself would be 1 percent for 2021 and 1.5 percent for subsequent years. All the revenue we would receive we be accounted for in a Committed Fund Balance account to be used only for infrastructure.”

Councilman Sudler said he voted against the measure after hearing from hotel owners and his constituents.
“At this point I will not be supporting any taxation or lodging tax initiative although I know that one will be coming soon,” he said. “I just don’t believe it’s the right time.

“Although I believe that just because we have the right to do it doesn’t mean that we need to do it or should do it. At this present moment, I will not be supporting the raising of any taxes based on my talks with my constituents.”

Councilman Anderson didn’t vote in favor of the ordinance because he said he wants to see an amendment for the less fortunate added to it.
“I think the motion that is being put forth moves forward in a positive way because we will set a measure of leadership so that we do not end up pricing ourselves to a competitive disadvantage, and I think there’s some very positive feedback,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if (Kent) County didn’t do a full 3 percent, either, so this is a positive step. I’m very happy for this particular action.

“I would like to eventually add an amendment to exclude people (from the tax) who are using the lodging as their permanent home.”
Dover received the ability to impose and collect a lodging tax in late June after the General Assembly approved several bills enabling municipalities as well as Kent and Sussex counties each to do so.

Two separate bills gave the green light to Kent County and the city of Dover each to impose up to an additional 3 percent lodging tax on hotels, motels and tourist homes.

Legislation enabling Kent to raise its tax earmarked the additional lodging tax revenue — an estimated $950,000 — for the Kent County Regional Sports Complex Corp., the nonprofit partnership that owns the DE Turf sports complex near Frederica. Kent County Levy Court, the body that must approve a countywide tax, has not scheduled discussions on the increase.

Joe Fitzgerald, with the Delaware Hotel and Lodging Association, warned against the dangers of adding the taxes to the industry during the Sept. 10 meeting.

“We oppose this tax increase,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “We are concerned about the economic impact of this tax.
“Obviously, if we got to the 14 percent … New York City has a 14 percent lodging tax … Philadelphia. I’m not sure this market can sustain that, and frankly, we’re concerned about the economic impact.”

City Councilmen Fred Neil leant his support to the proposal.
“Should we implement this lodging tax, (hotels) will not pay that tax nor will the city taxpayers,” Councilman Neil said. “It is a lot cheaper to pay the small additional fee than to pay for the gas to travel to New Castle or Sussex County to stay — and more convenient, too.
“If the city uses this additional money for infrastructure, as I hope it will be used, then I regard this as a User Fee that currently falls solely on the city taxpayers.”

This photo was taken by Weston Williams of Felton on Peach Basket Road on Aug. 17.

To contribute your scenic photos of our area, email newsroom@newszap.com. Photos must be at least 200 dpi and include your name, where and when your photo was taken, where you live and your phone number. To see more Scenic Delaware photos, visit the Scenic Delaware section at DelawareStateNews.net.

DOVER – A 21-year-old Dover man turned himself in on Monday and was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Jarmar Richardson earlier this month, authorities said.

Stefan Rush-Wilson was identified as a person of interest shortly after Mr. Richardson, 18, died from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body following an alleged Sept. 12 incident, Dover Police spokesman Master Cpl. Mark Hoffman said.

Officers were called to the 200 block of Harmony Lane (The Village at McKee Branch) at approximately 10:32 p.m. for a shots fired reported and found an injured Mr. Richardson. He was transported to Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital in Dover, where he died from wounds, police said.

A possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony count was also entered. Following an appearance at Justice of the Peace Court 7 in Dover, Mr. Rush-Wilson was held at Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown in lieu of $110,000 cash bond.

UNITED NATIONS — She stepped onto the biggest of global stages to face the most diverse of audiences, and she made it count. “How dare you?” she kept saying to some of the world’s most powerful people. “You are failing us,” she told them.

Sometimes, a moment and a person align. For 16-year-old Greta Thunberg — whether you admire her or dislike her, and there are plenty of passionate partisans in both camps — Monday was that time.

Climate change is a diffuse topic. And in a society trained to consume narratives by movies and TV shows that feature sharp storylines and powerful protagonists and antagonists, it can be difficult to focus on something so vast and all-encompassing.

Thunberg is changing that, and Monday was the pinnacle of her efforts thus far. She navigated the United Nations like a diplomatic pro, her size and age the only indications that she hasn’t been around for years.

A Swedish high school student who started by protesting outside her nation’s parliament, Thunberg has spent recent months in an accelerating bid to cast attention on global warming and its effects on the rising generation.

She made the most of her time in the spotlight of global politics on Monday. Her approach and words enchanted many and disgusted others.

In the latter camp, it seems, may be President Donald Trump, who appeared to jab at her late Monday after her U.N. climate conference appearance.

At 8:36 p.m., after Thunberg’s utterances of doom and gloom reverberated across the warming planet, he produced this tweet: “She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see!”

Thunberg’s supporters say a voice like hers is pivotal to command attention, and that her cause is both selfless and her own. Detractors have said she is being used by climate-change activists and is swimming in waters out of her depth.

“Kids are powerful pawns,” Rich Lowry wrote in the conservative National Review on Tuesday. “There’s a reason that we don’t look to teenagers for guidance on fraught issues of public policy.”

Young people around Thunberg have tended to focus on emotional appeals in recent months, saying older generations’ refusal to address climate change properly is stealing their futures.

Thunberg, though hardly impassive, has made a point of focusing on the science and being prepared with the facts.

On Monday, though, the emotional appeal took precedence. It was a powerful landing.

“This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here,” Thunberg said. “I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you have come to us young people for hope. How dare you. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.”

She added: “We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and yet all you can talk about is money. You are failing us.”

Where Thunberg goes from here is unclear. She has been positioned as a clarion voice; the question is, will she continue to be considered a “youth climate activist”? Or has her U.N. performance this week — at both youth events and the full-on climate conference — elevated her voice even further?

Thunberg seems undeterred by criticism of her activism and her emerging public persona. In an interview with The Associated Press last week, she called such an approach “sad.”

“You just have to ignore them because they are just desperately trying to remove the focus from the climate crisis to make it something about me as an individual rather than the crisis itself,” she said. “When they do that, they don’t have any arguments left.”

UNITED NATIONS — Facing growing calls for his impeachment, President Donald Trump addressed the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday and delivered a roaring defense of nationalism and American sovereignty even as he tried to rally a multinational response to Iran’s escalating aggression.

The president implored the world’s leaders to prioritize their own nations, with strong borders and one-on-one trade deals, rejecting sweeping transnational organizations and alliances.

“The future does not belong to globalists. The future belongs to patriots. The future belongs to strong, independent nations,” Trump told a murmuring crowd at the General Assembly. “Globalism exerted a religious pull over past leaders causing them to ignore their own national interests. Those days are over.”

Focusing on the United States’ self-interest, Trump said that the nation’s security was jeopardized by the threat posed by Iran and warned Tehran to stop its aggression toward Washington’s allies in the Middle East.

“As long as Iran’s menacing behavior continues sanctions will not be lifted. They will be tightened,” Trump warned. “The United States does not seek conflict with any other nation. We desire peace, cooperation, and mutual gain with all. But I will never fail to defend America’s interests.”

As speculation mounted that Trump could meet in New York with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, the president raised the possibility of a diplomatic breakthrough, saying “the United States has never believed in permanent enemies. We want partners, not adversaries.”

But while Trump commanded the global stage, momentum was building in Washington among Democrats to impeach the president after it was revealed that he ordered his staff to freeze nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine a few days before a phone call in which he pressured the Eastern European nation’s leader to investigate the family of political rival Joe Biden.

While Trump wants allies to join the U.S. in further isolating Iran, he also seems to be holding to his go-it-alone strategy of using economic sanctions to pressure Tehran to give up its nuclear program and stop attacks that are rattling the Middle East.

In the speech’s first moments, Trump did not explicitly to blame Iran for recent strikes against oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. Iran has denied orchestrating the attack, which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has deemed “an act of war.”

Britain, France and Germany joined the United States on Monday in blaming Iran for the attacks. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, for his part, pointed to claims of responsibility by Yemeni rebels and insisted: “If Iran were behind this attack, nothing would have been left of this refinery.”

Trump also addressed the ongoing standoff in Venezuela, denouncing the oppressive regime and vowing that the United States would “never be a socialist nation.”

The United States and more than a dozen Latin American countries agreed Monday to investigate and arrest associates and senior officials of the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro who are suspected of crimes like drug trafficking, money laundering and financing terrorism.

Trump praised his diplomatic efforts with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, even though the autocrat continues to hold a tight grip on his nuclear weapons. Trump has met Kim for summits in Singapore and Hanoi, Vietnam, and orchestrated a surprise encounter with him in June at the Demilitarized Zone, where he became the first U.S. president to ever set foot in North Korea.

Trump said Monday that another meeting with the North Korean leader “could happen soon.” He provided few details, and it wasn’t clear what officials were doing behind the scenes to set up a meeting to break the diplomatic impasse over the North’s development of nuclear-armed missiles targeting the U.S. mainland.

Trump’s comments, even with few specifics backing them up, are tantalizing because there is extreme interest, especially in Japan and South Korea, in whether Trump and Kim can strike a deal on one of the world’s most pressing standoffs.

This was Trump’s third speech to the world body.

In his speech to the U.N. General Assembly last year, Trump expressed disdain for globalism and promoted his “America First” agenda. Like last year, Trump is expected to showcase strong U.S. economic numbers and talk about how he’s strengthened America’s military.

In his 2018 speech to the assembly, his self-adulation prompted chuckles from world leaders. That barely ruffled Trump, who shares a belief with his supporters that the United States has been asked to do too much for other countries and needs to focus on issues it faces at home.

LONDON — In a major blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Britain’s highest court ruled Tuesday that his decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks in the crucial countdown to the country’s Brexit deadline was illegal.

The unanimous, strongly worded Supreme Court judgment declared Johnson’s order to suspend Parliament “void and of no effect.” The court found that Johnson’s suspension had the effect of limiting debate by lawmakers on Britain’s impending departure from the European Union in violation of Parliament’s constitutional role.

The landmark decision was quickly criticized by Johnson and prompted calls for him to quit from opposition leaders. The Conservative prime minister and Parliament have been at odds since he took power in July with the determination to take Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a divorce deal.

“I strongly disagree with this decision of the Supreme Court. I have the utmost respect for our judiciary, I don’t think this was the right decision,” Johnson said in New York, where he was attending the U.N. General Assembly. “I think that the prorogation (suspension of Parliament) has been used for centuries without this kind of challenge.”

Johnson did not rule out trying to suspend Parliament again.

“As the law currently stands, the U.K. leaves the EU on Oct. 31 come what may, but the exciting thing for us now is to get a good deal. And that is what we are working on,” Johnson said. “And to be honest, it is not made much easier by this kind of stuff in Parliament or in the courts.”

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow welcomed the historic verdict and said Parliament would resume its business Wednesday morning. He said citizens are “entitled” to have Parliament perform its core constitutional duties, which include holding ministers to account and passing laws.

Bercow said there won’t be a Prime Minister’s Questions session in Parliament on Wednesday despite the fact that lawmakers were returning.

Johnson’s office said, due to the ruling, the prime minister will fly back to London overnight from New York, earlier than planned, arriving by the time Parliament resumes.

The harsh tone of the court’s decision, and the unanimous vote of 11 Supreme Court judges, led many to say that Johnson can’t carry on.

“His position is untenable and he should have the guts for once to do the decent thing and resign,” Scottish National Party legislator Joanna Cherry said outside the court.

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn told his party conference that the court decision shows Johnson’s “contempt” for democracy and rule of law. He said Johnson should resign “and become the shortest-serving prime minister there’s ever been.”

“I invite Boris Johnson, in the historic words, to consider his position,” Corbyn told the party faithful in the southern city of Brighton.

Liberal Democrats leader Jo Swinson said the ruling made it clear that Johnson “is not fit to be prime minister.” She said he “acted unlawfully, tried to silence Parliament, tried to silence the voices of the people, because he does not want to be held to account … for his disastrous Brexit policy.”

In this nation without a written constitution, the case marked a rare confrontation between the prime minister, the courts and Parliament over their rights and responsibilities. It revolved around whether Johnson acted lawfully when he advised Queen Elizabeth II to suspend Parliament for five weeks during a crucial time frame before the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline when Britain is scheduled to leave the 28-nation bloc.

Supreme Court President Brenda Hale said the suspension “was unlawful because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification.”

She said the court’s decision means Parliament was never legally suspended and is technically still sitting. The decision Tuesday followed three days of hearings last week.

The court rejected the government’s assertions that the decision to suspend Parliament until Oct. 14 was routine and not related to Brexit. Government lawyers claimed that under Britain’s unwritten constitution, it was a matter for politicians, not courts, to decide.

The government’s opponents argued that Johnson illegally shut down Parliament just weeks before its EU departure for the “improper purpose” of dodging lawmakers’ scrutiny of his Brexit plans. They also accused Johnson of misleading the queen, whose formal approval was needed to suspend the legislature.

Former Prime Minister John Major, a Conservative like Johnson, said after the Supreme Court ruling that he hoped it will prevent any future prime ministers from attempting to shut down Parliament in order to block it from doing its duty.

“No prime minister must ever treat the monarch or Parliament in this way again,” he said.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s two largest parties met Tuesday to discuss the possibility of forming a unity government, in a long-shot effort to break the political deadlock following last week’s national elections.

The meeting between party representatives comes a day after Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the rival Likud party held their first working meeting since the vote. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin brought them together in hopes of breaking an impasse that could lead to months of political limbo and potentially force a third election in less than a year.

“We took a significant step this evening, and now the main challenge is building a direct channel of communication out of trust between the two sides,” Rivlin told the two rivals. “People expect you to find a solution and to prevent further elections, even if it comes at a personal and even ideological cost.”

Israel’s president is responsible for choosing a candidate for prime minister after national elections. That task is usually a formality, but it is far more complicated this time since neither of the top two candidates can build a stable parliamentary majority on his own.

Rivlin summoned Gantz and Netanyahu for another summit Wednesday before making his decision. No breakthrough is expected, and it is unclear which way Rivlin is leaning.

On Tuesday, negotiators from the two parties met for what they described in a joint statement as a “matter-of-fact” meeting “held in good spirits.”

Gantz’s centrist Blue and White came in first in the elections, with 33 seats, trailed by Netanyahu’s Likud with 31. With smaller allied parties, a total of 55 lawmakers have thrown their support behind Netanyahu, against 54 for Gantz, leaving both men short of the required 61-seat majority.

A unity deal between the large parties, with a rotating leadership, is seen as perhaps the only way out of the gridlock. That’s what Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, is insisting upon. Lieberman, who controls eight seats, has refused to endorse either candidate and is demanding they join him in a broad, secular unity government that excludes the ultra-Orthodox parties — Netanyahu’s long-time partners. A former aide and ally of Netanyahu, Lieberman forced the Sept. 17 repeat vote by refusing to join Netanyahu’s coalition and robbing him of his parliamentary majority.

Both Netanyahu and Gantz have expressed support for a unity government but have deep disagreements over its agenda and who should lead it.

Gantz insists he should go first and has vowed not to partner with Likud so long as Netanyahu is at the helm, citing the prime minister’s legal predicament. Israel’s attorney general has recommended charging Netanyahu with a series of corruption-related charges and is expected to make a final decision following a hearing with the prime minister early next month.

Netanyahu, seeking protection from prosecution, believes he should remain as prime minister and has signed a deal with his smaller allies, including ultra-Orthodox parties, to negotiate as a “bloc.” The joint statement noted that while Netanyahu’s negotiator, Yariv Levine, claims to represent all 55 members of the right-wing bloc, Gantz’s negotiator, Yoram Turbovitch, views Levine as representing only Netanyahu and the Likud.

“It is going to be very hard, if not downright impossible, to form a government based on the two larger parties, when one of them drags its satellite parties along with it,” wrote columnist Nahum Barnea in the Yediot Ahronot daily. “That’s like a bride who wants to bring her brother, cousin, neighbor and rabbi along with her to the consummation of her marriage. It won’t work.”

Greta Thunberg, 16, stepped onto the biggest of global stages to face the most diverse of audiences at the United Nations, and she made it count. “How dare you?” she kept saying to some of the world’s most powerful people. “You are failing us,” she told them.

A Swedish high school student who started by protesting outside her nation’s parliament, Thunberg has spent recent months in an accelerating bid to cast attention on global warming and its effects on the rising generation.

•Global warming is the biggest scam the left has ever put on citizens. — Brady Allen

• The left wants a child to speak for them? And also want to be taken seriously? — Ryan Fenimore

• Amazing. Grown men and women treating a young lady like this. All because they are blind followers of rhetoric and misinformation or lack the ability to respect and understand the message she is giving. She is representative of what our future children will be concerned with. — Dennis Norwood

• The young lady was fed the climate change crap by leftist adults. She didn’t develop her concerns and fears on her own. — Philip L Puschel

• This is a form of child abuse and her parents should be ashamed of exploiting her for the climate change zealotry. — Rob Holley

• Do people actually realize the United States accounts for less than 1% of all the plastic in the oceans, is currently leading in the reduction of carbon emissions of all industrialized countries, and all of this is because of our oil and gas industry, not from unreliable alternative energy sources like solar and wind? I will never criticize someone (including a kid) for wanting to protect the environment but you’re basically preaching to the wrong audience. Go to China or India and preach there. — Shawn Knox

• It’s truly despicable that leftists are using this girl as a tool to help promote their agenda, let alone have her show such disrespect for the president of the United States. She will probably receive a full ride to the university of her choice, compliments of George Soros, for her scripted rant. — Kim Taylor

• I can’t believe how many adults are willing to bully a child. Whether she is right or wrong; whether she has “leftist” or “right wing” parents; whether she is autistic or not, it is totally unacceptable to treat her that way and that is what is wrong with the world today. — Kathy Spring Jordan

• Feeling sad for this young girl who should be going to school and playing with her friends with no worries banging around in her head. — Kathy Phillips-Page

• Shame on her parents for letting her do that. Much too young to not only be in that position, but also much too young to understand the world around her and put together that narrative. Shame on her parents. — Sheila M. Smith

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

There seems to be a disconnect between the condition of Delaware’s economy and the focus of Delaware’s political leaders.

In a recent article, the Quartz Daily Brief used U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data on output (Gross State Product) to examine the pattern of recessions among states since the end of the Great Recession (2007-08).

The definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of decline in inflation-adjusted Gross State Product.

Surprisingly, about half the states experienced two recessions since 2010. Delaware was among the leaders having experienced six recessions since 2010, including five straight quarters of Gross Product decline in 2010-13.

The Caesar Rodney Institute has previously reported that Delaware is creating jobs at barely half the rate of the national economy — and most of the new jobs are low-wage.

Delaware per capita income has gone from 13% above the U.S. average to 3% below.

According to the Bureau of Census, inflation-adjusted median household income in Delaware went from $70,220 in 2000 to $58,046 in 2016. This was the largest decline among the states and translates to a 17% drop in purchasing power for the median household.

What has been the focus of Delaware’s political leaders in the face of this economic struggle?

• Banning plastic bags from Delaware’s grocery stores

• Grinding ideological axes with President Trump to block enforcement of our immigration laws

• Pressing ahead with a 70% increase in the minimum wage

• Raising electric rates with the promise of green jobs

• Acting to allow Delaware counties and cities to impose a lodging tax

• Allowing the use of handheld sparklers

Regardless of the merit of the many issues taken on by Delaware’s politicians, one hopes that in the immediate future more serious attention will be given to promoting economic development.

Dr. John E. Stapleford
Director of Center for Economic Policy and Analysis
Caesar Rodney Institute

Delving into the world of pharmaceuticals is not an easy feat, but it is a necessary one.

Access to affordable, quality health care is critical in not only Kent County, but across our state, and it has been my goal to break down barriers and red tape associated with a key piece: medication costs.

The rising cost of prescription drugs force Delawareans to make difficult choices every single day: Do I pick up my diabetes medication or pay my rent or buy groceries? It’s not a fair choice. That’s why I’ve fought to hold pharmacy benefit managers accountable with my colleagues and Delaware Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro.

You might ask – what is a pharmacy benefit manager and how does it impact my medication cost? In short, it impacts a lot. Pharmacy benefit managers are vastly unregulated third-party drug administrators that act as middle men between health plans, pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacies. They can manage coverage, negotiate discounts and savings and process pharmaceutical claims. In fact, two-thirds of the 6 billion prescriptions that are written each year in the United States are processed by a PBM.

However, instead of slicing red tape and working for the consumer, the unregulated nature of PBMs proves to be detrimental, allowing them to shake up the market and pocket any prospective drug savings instead of passing them on to the consumer. The lack of transparency is problematic, which is at the root of our successful legislative efforts.

HB 194, which was passed and signed into law this year, requires PBMs to register with the Delaware Insurance Commissioner and permits the office to examine their affairs, issue cease-and-desist orders based on certain fraudulent acts or violations, and impose fines and action plans if needed. PBMs also must maintain records of services provided and establish a more transparent appeals process for pharmacies if they are not reimbursed correctly.

Basically, the new law puts consumers – not profit – first. And we have done more to put money back into residents’ pockets rather than lining the pockets of the industry.

I’ve championed HB 24 to eliminate “pharmacy clawbacks” that allowed PBMs to keep the difference if the total cost of a medication is less than an individual’s co-pay. We also pushed HB 425 last year, which removes barriers so pharmacists can speak to patients about the most affordable price for their medication. Both bills have been signed into law, and I’m proud that we’ve taken these steps.

However, we cannot remain complacent. Even though we’ve made progress, ensuring Delawareans have access to affordable medication still takes collaboration and creativity. That’s the goal of my new Pharmacy Reimbursement Task Force. We will be taking a deep dive into pharmacy benefit manager practices and reimbursements, where there have been concerns to both consumers and pharmacies.

As chair of the task force, I’ll be leading the efforts to study pharmacy reimbursement practices in Delaware, and across the country. We owe it to the residents of our state to fight for their best interests, increasing access and affordability to needed medications. Our residents deserve to pocket any savings, not over-bloated, under-regulated big pharma middle men. And our residents certainly don’t deserve to be taken advantage of. I look forward to our continued efforts and discussion to that end.

EDITOR’S NOTE: State Rep. Andria Bennett, D-Dover South, represents the 32nd District in the Delaware House and is Vice-Chair of the House Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce Committee.

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump on Tuesday, acquiescing to mounting pressure from fellow Democrats and plunging a deeply divided nation into an election year clash between Congress and the commander in chief.

The probe centers on whether Trump abused his presidential powers and sought help from a foreign government to undermine Democratic foe Joe Biden and help his own reelection. Pelosi said such actions would mark a “betrayal of his oath of office” and declared: “No one is above the law.”

Pelosi’s brief statement, historic yet presented without dramatic flourish, capped a frenetic stretch on Capitol Hill as details of a classified whistleblower complaint about Trump have burst into the open and momentum has shifted swiftly toward an impeachment probe. The charge was led by several moderate Democratic lawmakers from political swing districts , many of them with national security backgrounds and serving in Congress for the first time.

After more than two and one-half years of sharp Democratic criticism of Trump, the formal impeachment quest sets up the party’s most urgent and consequential confrontation with a president who thrives on combat — and injects deep uncertainty in the 2020 White House race. Trump has all but dared Democrats to take this step, confident that the specter of impeachment led by the opposition party would bolster his political support

Trump, who was meeting with world leaders at the United Nations, previewed his defense in an all-caps tweet: “PRESIDENTIAL HARRASSMENT!”

Pelosi had barely finished speaking as he began a mini-blizzard of tweets assailing her announcement.

At issue are Trump’s actions with Ukraine. In a summer phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy , he is said to have asked for help investigating former Vice President Biden and his son Hunter. In the days before the call, Trump ordered advisers to freeze $400 million in military aid for Ukraine — prompting speculation that he was holding out the money as leverage for information on the Bidens. Trump has denied that charge, but acknowledged he blocked the funds, later released.

Biden said Tuesday, before Pelosi’s announcement, that if Trump doesn’t cooperate with lawmakers’ demands for documents and testimony in its investigations the president “will leave Congress … with no choice but to initiate impeachment.” He said that would be a tragedy of Trump’s “own making.”

The Trump-Ukraine phone call is part of the whistleblower’s complaint, though the administration has blocked Congress from getting other details of the report, citing presidential privilege. Trump has authorized the release of a transcript of the call, which is to be made public on Wednesday .

“You will see it was a very friendly and totally appropriate call,” Trump said.

Trump has sought to implicate Biden and his son in the kind of corruption that has long plagued Ukraine. Hunter Biden served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company at the same time his father was leading the Obama administration’s diplomatic dealings with Kyiv. Though the timing raised concerns among anti-corruption advocates, there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either the former vice president or his son.

While the possibility of impeachment has hung over Trump for many months, the likelihood of a probe had faded after special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation ended without a clear directive for lawmakers. Democratic House committees launched new inquiries into Trump’s businesses and a variety of administration scandals, but all seemed likely to drag on for months.

But details of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine prompted Democrats to quickly shift course. By the time Pelosi addressed the nation on Tuesday, about two-thirds of House Democrats had announced moving toward impeachment probes.

After Pelosi’s Tuesday announcement, the president and his campaign team quickly released a series of tweets attacking Democrats, including a video of presidential critics like the speaker and Rep. Ilhan Omar discussing impeachment. It concluded with a message for the Trump faithful: “While Democrats ‘Sole Focus’ is fighting Trump, President Trump is fighting for you.”

Pelosi has for months resisted calls for impeachment from her restive caucus, warning that it would backfire against the party unless there was a groundswell of public support. That groundswell hasn’t occurred, but Pelosi suggested in comments earlier Tuesday that this new episode — examining whether a president abused his power for personal political gain — would be easier to explain to Americans than some of the issues that arose during the Mueller investigation and other congressional probes.

The speaker put the matter in stark terms on Tuesday: “The actions of the Trump presidency revealed dishonorable facts of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of his national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections.”

Caesar Rodney High captured a tight second set before topping Indian River, 3-0, in volleyball on Tuesday evening.

The Riders won by scores of 25-17, 25-22, 25-19 in the non-divisional match.

The loss snapped a four-match winning streak for the Indians (4-2) while CR (4-2) won its third in a row.

Raychel Ehlers (19 kills, 5 digs), Camryn Ehlers (2 aces, 20 assists) and Jessica Amezcua (15 digs, 1 ace) led IR.

Dover 3, Sussex Academy 0: The Senators (6-0) remained unbeaten after downing the Seahawks, 25-8, 25-17, 25-15.

Cape Henlopen 3, Lake Forest 0: The Vikings topped the Spartans by scores of 25-12, 25-14, 25-23.

Cape Henlopen was paced by Emily Lamb (6 aces, 10 digs) and Jocelyn Leach (5 aces, 4 digs). Kathryn Knarr, Breahna Kusen and Rileigh Wilson had four kills apiece.

Milford 3, Seaford 0: The Buccaneers topped the Blue Jays by scores of 25-17, 25-6, 25-18,

Milford was led by Shelby Ohlig (6 aces, 1 kill), Juliana Diaz (5 aces, 1 kill, 3 assists) and McKayla Ryan (3 kills, 3 aces, 1 block).

Sussex Central 3, Woodbridge 0: The Golden Knights posted the victory by scores of 25-2, 25-9, 25-16.

Brenya Reid had eight kills for Central with Victoria Jacobs adding six. Katelyn Evick (7 aces, 1 kill) and Makenna Messina (5 kills, 1 ace).

Boys’ soccer

Dover 2, Lake Forest 1: Pedro Gonzalez and Marquice Hannah scored first-half goals for the Senators (1-4), who earned their first win of the season.

Dover finished with edges 16-5 in shots and 7-1 in corner kicks.

The Spartans’ Ethan Kazimir stopped five shots.

Polytech 2, Delmar 1: Dermot Williamson netted a pair of first-half goals before the Panthers held off the Wildcats.

Christian Cote made six saves for Polytech, which out-shot Delmar, 11-7. Both teams had two corner kicks.

Trevor Gibson scored a second-half goal for Delmar.

Cape Henlopen 1, Indian River 0: Conner Hochrein’s goal in the 25th minute stood up as the Vikings handed the Indians (4-1) their first loss of the season.

Alan Marin-Quiroz made three saves as Cape out-shot IR, 5-3. Both squads had three corner kicks.

The Indians’ Bastian Perry made four saves.

Caesar Rodney 6, Laurel 0: Spencer Ott tallied three goals to pace the Riders.

Lyod Coutilien (2 assists), Monroe Hite and Rocky Edmond (1 assist) also scored goals for CR, which out-shot the Bulldogs, 28-2.

Jailon Gillespie made 15 saves for Laurel.

Sussex Academy 2, Sussex Central 0: Kyle Berdini and Adison Browne both scored goals as the Seahawks won their fourth game ein a row.

Cole White made 10 saves to earn the shutout so Sussex Academy as Central finished with advantages of 12-6 i shots and 5-3 in corner kicks.

Angel Castellanos-Ventura made four saves for the Knights.

Milford 2, Woodbridge 0: Samuel Dominguez and John Joseph Watson Pierre each scored a goal as the Buccaneers (6-0) remained unbeaten.

Milford in held advantages of 7-3 in shots and 6-1 in corner kicks.

Sussex Tech 8, Seaford 0: Patrick Short and Jonathan Rocco netted three goals each to lead the Ravens.

John Whealton (1 assist) and Jaasiel Nunez also scored for Sussex Tech, which out-shot the Blue Jays, 20-3.

Seaford’s Zane Adams made 10 saves.

Field hockey

Dover 2, Appoquinimink 0: Superia Clark had a goal and assist as the Senators (4-2) won their fourth game in a row.

Ally Manifold also scored for Dover, which held advantages of 14-1 in shots and 9-4 in corners.

Caesar Rodney 2, Seaford 1: Peyton Shields scored twice, tallying the game winner with 18:23 remaining for the Riders.

Goalie Maya Gray made five saves for CR, which held edges of 17-8 in shots and 10-4 in corners.

Jada Evans scored a second-half goal for the Blue Jays with Madelyn Breitenbach stopping 13 shots.

Lake Forest 0, Polytech 0: Spartans’ goalie August Lewis made 15 saves as the two squads played to a tie.

The Panthers, who got six saves from Raegan Thomas, out-shot Lake Forest, 15-6.

The Spartans held an 8-7 edge in corners.

Sussex Tech 2, Woodbridge 0: Remi Devine and Lilly Short tallied goals to lift the Ravens.

Kayla Brady made three saves for Sussex Tech, which out-shot the Raiders, 7-4. The Raiders also held an 8-3 edge in corners.

Woodbridge’s Alyssa Anthony had two saves.

Sussex Central 2, Sussex Academy 1: Carly Collins scored the game winner with just nine seconds left to lift the Golden Knights. Collins scored both Central goals.

The Seahawks’ Isabella Kwan tied the game with 14 minutes remaining.

College soccer

WOMEN, Loyola 2, Delaware State 1: Hannah Hoefs scored the winning goal in the 98th minute to give the Greyhounds the overtime win.

Delaware State (0-10) evened the match on a goal by Mary O’Conner in the 54th minute. The goal, on a penalty kick, was the team-best second of the season for O’Conner.

The Hornets were inches from winning the match in regulation when a free kick by O’Conner from 50 yards away hit the crossbar above the out stretched arms of Loyola goal keeper Paige Sim.

The loss overshadowed a stellar performance by Delaware State goalie Fabrea McCray (Indian River), who recorded eight saves, including six in the second period. Loyola out-shot the Hornets 16-2.

MEN, Wesley 6, Brynn Athyn 0: The Wolverines (5-3-1) netted all six of their goals in the second half.

Six different players scored for Wesley, which finished with advantages of 27-1 and 9-0 in corner kicks.

College golf

Wesley places sixth: The Wesley College men’s golf team took sixth in Monday’s Dickinson Fall Invitational.

The Wolverines recorded a score of 329 with senior Josh Covey leading the squad with a 75, his lowest collegiate score. John Riggins followed with a 79, his first score in the 70’s in his college career.

Drew University won the tourney with a score of 294.

Clayton Bedwell took this photo while fishing in the Lewes Canal.

To contribute your scenic photos of our area, email newsroom@newszap.com. Photos must be at least 200 dpi and include your name, where and when your photo was taken, where you live and your phone number. To see more Scenic Delaware photos, visit the Scenic Delaware section at DelawareStateNews.net.

DOVER — A 21-year-old Dover man turned himself in on Monday and was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Jarmar Richardson earlier this month, authorities said.

Stefan E. Rush-Wilson was identified as a person of interest shortly after Mr. Richardson, 18, died from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body following a Sept. 12 incident, Dover Police spokesman Master Cpl. Mark Hoffman said.

Officers were called to the 200 block of Harmony Lane (The Village at McKee Branch) at approximately 10:32 p.m. for a shots fired report and found an injured Mr. Richardson.

He was transported to Bayhealth-Kent General Hospital in Dover, where he died from wounds, police said.

According to a probable cause affidavit police viewed surveillance video of the alleged incident and found that four persons exited a vehicle at the same time.

Mr. Rush-Wilson was identified as exiting the driver’s seat, police said. Mr. Rush-Wilson allegedly charged towards a person whose name was redacted in court documents “and began discharging an unknown firearm at (name redacted) striking him, causing him to collapse to the ground at the rear of the vehicle as (names redacted) fled the area.”

Also, according to an affidavit, “[T]he video then shows Stefan Rush-Wilson run northbound out of the camera frame. “A brief time later Stefan Rush-Wilson re-enters the camera frame running towards (name redacted) who is still collapsed on the ground and fires additional rounds striking him.”

A possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony count was also entered. Following an appearance at Justice of the Peace Court 7 in Dover,

Mr. Rush-Wilson was held at Sussex Correctional Institution in Georgetown in lieu of $110,000 cash bond. A preliminary court hearing was scheduled for Friday at 8:30 a.m.

GEORGETOWN — On Friday, Sussex County employees set foot along roadways in the drive to beautify Sussex County.

The volunteer response and its results are being hailed as a huge success, with plans for another litter clean-up drive next year.
“The end result exceeded everyone’s expectations,” said Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson Tuesday in a presentation to county council.

The effort, staged in conjunction with the Employee Benefit Committee as an extension of the county’s employee appreciation luncheon, was organized by Michael Costello, the county’s government affairs manager.
“I want to personally thank Mike and all the volunteers who made this inaugural event a tremendous success,” said Mr. Lawson. “Based on the response and the results, we hope to plan another cleanup effort in 2020.”

Five teams of county employees participated in the cleanup that was part of the Keep DE Little Free campaign.

More than 40 employees – including council members Irwin G. Burton III and John Rieley and Mr. Lawson – spent that Friday afternoon collecting trash along five roads around Seaford, Georgetown, Millsboro and Dagsboro known for their high volume of litter and debris.

The county collected 169 bags of trash as well as larger items, including televisions, furniture and coolers.
Delaware’s Department of Transportation provided supplies and picked up the trash.
“I will say … it was a very good experience,” said Mr. Burton. “At 50 miles an hour you don’t see any trash; you see very little. But man, was there a lot of trash. So, it was a good experience.”

“This was an excellent opportunity for team-building among county employees. Every single department was represented … in one way or another, volunteering or helping along the way,” Mr. Lawson said. “It was a great exercise for us, and in the end the community benefited by having cleaner roads. We hope to duplicate this effort next year sometime in five different places and five different roads. It was a great success; a lot of kudos to Mike Costello.”

Gov. John Carney’s “Keep DE Litter Free” initiative was launched in late April.

For more information on how you can help, visit https://governor.delaware.gov/litter-free/.

GEORGETOWN— Prosecutors have rested their case in the first-degree rape trial of an ex-University of Delaware baseball player accused of multiple sexual assaults.
A state police detective who interviewed 23-year-old Clay Conaway after his arrest last year was the final witness to testify for the prosecution.
Under defense cross-examination Tuesday, the detective said Conaway waived his Miranda rights and willingly talked about his June 2018 encounter with the 21-year-old woman. In the interview, Conaway repeatedly denied having intercourse with the woman and said he thought she was a nice person.
Defense attorneys began their case by asking one of the woman’s friends about their exchange of texts about Conaway and other men leading up to the day the woman drove to his house.
Conaway’s mother also took the stand.

DOVER — Dover City Council voted Monday night to keep the ball rolling toward construction of a combined Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins eatery at 2920 N. DuPont Highway.

The new store will be sandwiched between a Wawa convenience store and Lumber Liquidators off the highway in north Dover.

Council voted unanimously to adopt an annexation of the property and a rezoning of the site to C-4 (Highway Commercial Zone — city of Dover classification) from what had been BG (General Business Zone — Kent County classification) to help the business move forward in its construction process.

The city’s planning department said the C-4 zoning is consistent with development in the area and with the land use designation of “commercial.”

City Planner Dave Hugg said a couple of challenges exist for the Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins project to move forward.
While the site off the east side of U.S. 13 does receive electricity from the city of Dover, water and sanitary sewer are not served by the city at the site of the new business. Currently, the property is served by an on-site well and septic system. Water and sanitary sewer are only available on the opposite side of U.S. 13.

“It is a parcel of property on the east side of U.S. 13, kind of at the north edge of Dover, currently in (Kent) County,” Mr. Hugg said. “It’s a bit unusual that property’s being developed in Kent County, but ultimately being annexed into the city in order to have access to one or more city services.
“In order to expediate and facilitate their redevelopment of this old commercial property, we and the county agreed that it made more sense to go ahead and do the development.”

The developer, NewWind Properties, said that it understands that it will have to eventually obtain Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT)/city of Dover approval to connect the sanitary sewer on the opposite side of U.S. 13.
That issue is critical as utility crossings of U.S. 13 are strongly discouraged by DelDOT and only approved with special approval by District Public Works.

Mr. Hugg said he is confident all the issues will be ironed out.
“The unusual circumstances in that we are asking the council to approve both of these ordinances to be effective when the final building permit from the county is issued, at which time they can make the application for the addition to city sewer service and then additionally city water service,” he said.

“Both utilities are a limiting factor and they are on the west side of the highway. There are plans in effect to bring the sewer system to them initially and with DNREC’s (Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s) approval and the city and Levy Court’s approval, to allow (the business) to continue to use the on-site well until such time as that well is either at capacity or for whatever reason not usable, at which time they would need to bring water to the property.”

At the time when the existing well fails, the business will be required to connect to the city’s water distribution system across the highway.
The property owner will be held responsible for the costs associated with tapping the sanitary sewer and/or water mains, extending services to the property, payment of impact fees and obtaining permits.

The building where the new Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins is currently being completely refurbished was most recently used as an office for a title loan company adjacent to Maxwell Street in the DuPont Manor development. However, it has been vacant for several months.

The area where the new business will be located is dominated by highway commercial development.
The city’s planning department said the Comprehensive Land Development Plan proposes to continue U.S. Route 13/113 as the major commercial corridor in central Delaware and that few vacant developable parcels exist within this area.

However, the potential exists for the redevelopment of older retail stores and strip shopping centers – such as the course that Duncan Donuts/Baskin Robbins is taking.
The Comprehensive Plan encourages the renovation and adaptive reuse of older structures within the highway corridor as a means of restoring property value, preventing blight and demolition by neglect, and enhancing the overall image of the highway environment.

Mr. Hugg said city council’s annexation/rezoning vote on Monday night will help the Duncan Donuts/Baskin Robbins project move forward.
“It is our expectation that this is the second property along that stretch or in the general area that is annexed,” Mr. Hugg said. “Public Works has worked diligently with (the developers) in terms of their access to the utilities and Kent County has been very supportive on the permit side.

“The agreement of annexation anticipates that until they’re annexed they won’t be able to get the city services, but once their building permit is completed and they’re able to satisfy that requirement, then the annexation and subsequent rezoning under these proposals would take effect.”

DOVER — While heated reactions built on social media Tuesday night, about a half dozen people polled at a Dover-area convenience store about the impeachment inquiry at evening rush hour weren’t yet aware of the news.

But Milford resident Steve Halstead had heard the latest development in President Trump’s clash with House leaders and as he filled his vehicle with gas, he shrugged off the query.

“Honestly, whenever I see this stuff it’s just at the point where it’s exhausting,” he said. “I don’t know if it’ll actually go the distance to a full impeachment, but the Democrats better have something really substantial. Otherwise, they’re going to look really stupid right before the 2020 election year.”

Recalling the 1998 impeachment of then-President Bill Clinton, Mr. Halstead said, “I’ve already seen this show.”

“They had Clinton dead to rights on his sexual hijinks, but he ended up staying in the White House — no problem,” he added. “At the end of the day the Republicans looked stupid for pushing it, the Democrats looked stupid for backing a degenerate — and we all looked stupid for watching the whole freak show on TV. I think I’m gonna tune out for this one.”

Delaware politicans reacted to the news that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry against President Trump along party lines.
Rob Arlett, the Delaware chairman for the Trump campaign in 2016, dismissed the announcement as “nothing other than a media stunt” and an instance of “pandering to the far-left base of the Democratic Party.”

Mr. Arlett, who remains a steadfast supporter of the president and was at the White House last week, said Democrats are simply playing politics. By doing so, he said, they are disappointing most of the country.
“This is a stunt that will eventually lead to (Joe) Biden’s demise and the president’s re-election because there is nothing here that is factually based,” he said.

Delaware Republican Party Chairwoman Jane Brady, the state’s former attorney general, said impeachment proceedings are “going off half cocked, without … full evidence” and she questioned the whistleblower whose concerns about Ukraine led to the announcement from House Democrats.

State Sen. Colin Bonini, a Dover Republican who, like Mr. Arlett, spoke at President Trump’s rally in Harrington days ahead of the 2016 presidential primary, was also critical of Democrats.
“The inmates are running the asylum in the Democratic Party,” he said late Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and U.S. Sen. Thomas R. Carper, both Democrats, expressed sentiments that the process could bring forth facts.
“Our founders disagreed on a great many things, but the one thing they agreed on is that they did not want an all-powerful king. No President is above the law. While the President has broad deference when it comes to conducting U.S. foreign policy, he does not have the authority to undermine Congress or pressure a foreign government to help him smear a political opponent. President Trump and his administration must comply with the ongoing investigations and provide Congress – a coequal branch of government – with the information it is entitled to under the law, including the whistle-blower complaint,” Sen. Carper said in an email Tuesday.

“The American people deserve the truth.”
Rep. Rochester posted a message on Facebook Tuesday supporting an inquiry that had nearly 150 comments within an hour.

The post read, “While I was of the opinion in July that we had sufficient facts and evidence to move forward with an impeachment inquiry, these latest developments underscore the need and urgency of that inquiry. It appears that the President of the United States and his allies attempted to pressure a foreign government into investigating a domestic political adversary. Congress needs to see the full whistleblower complaint that the Administration is illegally withholding immediately. The American people deserve to see the full picture of this President’s conduct — an impeachment inquiry allows us to do just that.”