Delaware has taken one more step toward legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. However, the medical marijuana legislation that went before the Senate in Dover March 31 did not come out exactly the same way it went in.

Legislation to develop a medical marijuana program passed 18-3 to send the measure to the state House of Representatives. The final vote came after State Senator Robert Marshall (D-Wilmington) sponsored an amendment to make medical marijuana available to Delawareans 18 and older who receive a certification from their doctor. The previous legislation would have limited medical marijuana to adults 21 and older.

A piece of Delaware history takes its place in the state’s First State Heritage Park Saturday. The John Bell House on The Green in Dover – the oldest wooden structure in the state capital – will be opened to the public for the first time since work to restore the building was completed.

The John Bell House, which dates to mid-1700′s, was in danger of being lost before it was purchased by Delaware’s Department of State in 2005. The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC) Division of Parks and Recreation then took on the task of restoring the building. With that work completed, it will now serve as an interpretive center the First State Heritage Park – the state’s first urban “park without boundaries” that highlights historical and cultural landmarks in Dover.

Dover is not dead, or dying says Dover Partnership Director Bill Neaton. In fact, Neaton claims the state capital is receiving positive economic news that should bring jobs and growth.

Neaton made that proclamation during a sparsely attended town hall meeting sponsored by State Rep. Darryl M. Scott and State Sen. Brian J. Bushweller in Dover Wednesday night.

Nearly three months into 2011, robberies are down 30-percent in Wilmington.

However, city officials and police are very mindful that 2010 was a record year for violent crime as 27 people were killed and nearly 150 people were shot.

Now, Delaware has developed a plan of action to address violent crime statewide through coordination and prevention measures.

It will start in Delaware’s largest city.

“Operation: Pressure Point” will begin in Wilmington April 1st, when ten State Police troopers will be deployed with city officers to patrol known “hot spots” for about one year.

The following is a timeline of Delaware based banks and their respective name changes through mergers, acquisitions or rebranding. Share this:

With WSFS Bank poised to become the oldest and largest full-service bank headquartered in Delaware, President and CEO Mark A. Turner discussed the responsibilities that go along with that standing.

The following represents the recent growth of WSFS by assets, branches and total number of ATMs. Share this:

On January 11, 1832, a week before Wilmington became a city, the Delaware General Assembly approved a charter for the Wilmington Savings Fund Society (WSFS). A month later, in a small rented room next to Town Hall, the bank opened for business. Minimum deposit, $1. Maximum, $20. Interest, 3.6 percent—a whopping return by today’s standards.

WSFS was not the first bank in Wilmington, nor in Delaware. The Bank of Delaware, founded in 1795 as the Equitable Bank of Delaware, held that distinction. Farmers Bank, another Delaware institution, opened its first Wilmington office in 1814.
Now, with Wilmington Trust crumbling under the weight of disastrous loans to downstate real estate developers and about to be sold to Buffalo-based M&T Bank and with other local competitors gobbled up in acquisitions, WSFS, with assets of nearly $4 billion, stands tall as the largest Delaware-born-and-bred bank headquartered in the First State.

The state’s top-ranked public high school has named a new leader to take on pressing challenges including enrollment caps and financial pressures.

Charles W. Baldwin, 60, will take over as president of The Charter School of Wilmington, a math and science college preparatory school, on July 1. Baldwin, former head of the Delaware Military Academy and Kirk Middle School, was chosen from a field of more than 30 candidates by a committee that included two students.

Baldwin’s experience as principal of a charter school and a traditional public school was an important factor in his selection, said board chairman Irwin J. Becnel Jr. He said Baldwin’s proven fundraising abilities, management experience, and local contacts also were factors.

Governor Markell discusses the progress Delaware has made in education reform one year after winning the federal “Race to the Top” funding competition. Markell was joined by Vice President Joe Biden Monday at Howard High School to tout what Delaware has done with the over $100 million dollars in funds its received to implement its Race to the Top plans.