Monthly Archives: January 2012

At Urban Promise Academy, love and learning go hand-in-hand.

Before he enrolled in Urban Promise Academy (UPA), Pete Gaddis didn’t have a prayer of finishing high school. “I failed 10th grade,” he says. “If I didn’t get it, nobody cared.” Pete had spent time at both Thomas McKean and Alexis I. duPont High Schools, where he was an indifferent student. He didn’t do his homework. He felt lost, bored and ignored in class. At UPA, there is no room to hide. Pete, 17, is one of three juniors in the fledgling Christian secondary school, which offers academic and spiritual guidance to teens on the brink of flunking out or dropping out of high school. ...More

NCCo Executive Clark says county on “firm financial footing” in State of the County address

New Castle County Executive Paul Clark believes the county is on “solid ground” financially and, after making “some tough decisions in the past year,” finds itself on a “positive and secure path” forward. In the first State of the County address of his 14-month term, Clark shared with County Council members and the citizens of New Castle County the challenges his administration faced in the past year, and steps taken to address those challenges. Clark also outlined several initiatives he intends to pursue in the coming year, including a “jobs stimulus program." ...More

Delaware gets feedback from feds on Race to the Top efforts

Delaware is moving right along with Race to the Top education reform, despite a few challenges faced during the program’s first year, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Delaware has "made a great deal of progress while also facing some setbacks." Delaware Department of Education Secretary Lillian Lowery was "pleased" with the report that she said offered no surprises. ...More

Kevin Wade launches bid for U.S. Senate

Republican Kevin Wade is officially in the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Delaware currently held by Sen. Thomas Carper (D). Wade formally announced he will challenge the incumbent Democrat in front of family, friends and Republican Party supporters at the historic Court House in City of New Castle Monday. Carper is seeking a third term in the Senate in 2012. ...More

Legislators begin to form 2012 agenda

The 146th session of the Delaware General Assembly resumes January 10th. What’s in store for 2012? It’s an election year, and the first year of campaigning under new legislative district maps redrawn in the redistricting process. Money matters may lead the agenda once again, although lawmakers still have other pressing issues to address. ...More

Governor Jack Markell Weekly Address: January 6, 2012

State legislators return to work in Dover next week. In his weekly message, Governor Jack Markell looks back at the 146th General Assembly's accomplishments in 2011 - the first year of its two year session. He also looks forward to working with state legislators in 2012 to build on those accomplishments and meet the challenges the state faces. ...More

Fisker plant in Delaware on track despite Karma recall

Fisker Automotive said it’s pressing ahead with plans to build a new hybrid-electric car in Delaware despite the recall of an existing model to resolve concerns about a fire risk in its battery. The California-based company still plans to make prototypes of the new model at the refitted GM plant in Wilmington starting in late 2012, and to start selling the car to the public in mid-2013, said Fisker spokesman Roger Ornisher. ...More

Preparing to move into a new home, Layton Prep offers students a place to thrive.

For years, Mahnia McMullen-Woolfolk’s quest for a school where her son could learn and thrive was a lesson in frustration. Her 16-year-old son, Amani, has ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. McMullen-Woolfolk’s quest took a fortuitous turn at a nail salon, where she spied an ad for a summer program at Layton Preparatory School, a tiny independent school, while leafing through a magazine. ...More

Whodunit? Mother-son mystery writing team with Delaware roots keep real identities under cover

Fictional Scotland Yard detective Ian Rutledge tackles murder cases throughout Britain, from London to Cornwall to Dorset to Durham, giving readers both a delicious mystery and a post World War I travelogue. His creators, however, have a Delaware background. Caroline Todd lives in Delaware while co-author Charles Todd, her son, grew up here. (He now lives in North Carolina.) Together, as Charles Todd, they pen the Ian Rutledge novels. ...More