The Talk of Delmarva News

Auditor: State Should Be Refunded $24.5-M For Prescription Overpayments

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 22, 2021

Delaware should be paid back $24.5- million it was overcharged for state employees’ prescription drug plan benefits, according to State Auditor Kathy McGuiness. McGuiness released a special report last week which indicated that the state paid 20-percent more in prescription costs between 2018 and 2020, three times the average inflationary rate for prescription drugs. The…

New Community Center Opens In Salisbury

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 22, 2021

Salisbury has a new community center. The Newton Community Center offers programs for children and adults, starting this summer with children’s arts and crafts, creative writing, poetry, music, movies and more. After-school programs and homework assistance will also be available when school resumes. Additionally, Wor-Wic Community College, Salisbury University, Wicomico Public Libraries are collaborating with…

Unemployment Fraud Attempts Escalate In Md.

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 22, 2021

The Maryland Department of Labor said Monday it has found more than half-a-million fraudulent unemployment claims in the last six weeks. A total of 1.3-million fraudulent claims have been flagged in Maryland since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Larry Hogan said the state has been adding new security measures to prevent, detect and…

DRBA Police Officers Now Wear Body Cams

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 21, 2021

Delaware River and Bay Authority Police officers are now equipped with body-worn cameras. The bi-state agency operates the Cape May – Lewes Ferry, the Delaware Memorial Bridge, Wilmington – New Castle Airport, and smaller facilities. Its officers now wear cameras that capture video and audio that is uploaded wirelessly to a secure, cloud-based storage site.…

Uninvited Motel Guest Arrested

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 18, 2021

A Rehoboth Beach man has been charged with burglary and other offenses after helping himself to a motel room key and settling into a room for a stay. According to Delaware State Police, the owner of The Shore Inn on Rehoboth Avenue Extended was away for an extended period of time. When he returned, he…

Days Are Numbered For Indian River Power Plant

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 18, 2021

The coal-fired Indian River Power Plant will be put out of service next year. NRG Energy made the announcement during an investor day presentation Thursday. The decision was made to retire several plants following the recent PJM Interconnection capacity auction. In a statement, NRG said closing the plants was a difficult but necessary decision in…

Auditor: Del. Prescription Program Overspent By $24.5-M

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 18, 2021

Delaware has been overpaying its pharmacy benefits manager for state employees’ prescription drug coverage over a three-year period. The overpayment amounts to $24.5-million taxpayer dollars, according to a special report from State Auditor Kathy McGuiness. “For fiscal years 2018 through 2020, the State of Delaware spent hundreds of millions of dollars on prescription drugs for…

Lighthouse Developers Announce Donation Following Arson Arrest

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 18, 2021

Rising out of the ashes, developers of The Lighthouse in Dewey Beach have announced reopening plans and have made a charitable donation following the arrest of a suspect in the April 2020 blaze that wrecked the property as it was being redeveloped. The Lighthouse was on the verge of opening at the time of the…

Del. Equal Rights Amendment Could Expand

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 18, 2021

Delaware’s Equal Rights Amendment could be further amended to ensure that the rights of Delawareans are equally protected regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. Thursday, state lawmakers and advocates gathered at Legislative Hall to unveil a proposal (HB 199) to add protections to the Delaware Constitution’s equal rights clause. Delaware would become the…

VIDEO : Juneteenth Holiday Proclaimed

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 18, 2021

Today, Juneteenth is being celebrated to recognize the end of formal slavery in the United States. June 19th, 1865, enslaved people in Texas and other remote slave states were informed that they were free people. It is a state holiday in Delaware and Maryland, and many local governments will also not be open today. Worcester…

Del. House Passes Minimum Wage Increase

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 17, 2021

After a series of failed amendments, the Delaware House of Representatives Thursday gave final legislative approval to an increase in Delaware’s minimum wage, to be phased in over several years until it reaches $15 an hour in 2025. The vote on Senate Bill 15 was 26-15. The minimum wage would rise to $10.50 per hour…

5 Arrested For Ocean City Robbery

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 17, 2021

Ocean City Police have charged five suspects in connection with a robbery. Wednesday morning at about 3:47 a.m., officers responded to the 100-block of 27th street and met with an 18-year-old male from Reading, Pennsylvania. The victim indicated that he had exchanged words with five people on a motel balcony, who then confronted him in…

Gov. Carney Signs Bill To Require Black History Instruction In Schools

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 17, 2021

Delaware school districts and charter schools will be required to teach about Black History starting with the 2022-23 academic year. Governor John Carney signed House Bill 198 into law Thursday in Wilmington. Several organizations as well as Africana studies programs at the University of Delaware and Delaware State would be involved in designing the curriculum. Focal…

Coastal Highway Motel Robbery Investigated

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 17, 2021

A robbery at the Anchorage Inn on Coastal Highway is under investigation. According to Delaware State Police, a man entered the motel Wednesday night at about 9:34 p.m. and asked for change from the front desk clerk. The employee obtained the money from somewhere else in the motel and returned, but the suspect asked for…

Convicted Arsonist Charged With Setting Lighthouse Blaze In Dewey

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 17, 2021

A suspect has been arrested in connection with two serious fires in Sussex County last year, including the April 2020 fire at The Lighthouse in Dewey Beach. The suspect, now serving prison time in Maryland for several arsons there, is also charged with setting a blaze at Aqua Leisure on Wolfe Neck Road in June…

Groups Call For Independent Probe Of OCPD Conduct During Arrests

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 17, 2021

The arrests of four young black men on the Ocean City boardwalk during which officers used force when they resisted are drawing more criticism. The NAACP of Worcester County, the State of Maryland Conference and other organizations gathered Wednesday for a news conference and rally in Annapolis. They called for an independent investigation of the…

Del. Bill Establishes Guidelines For Use Of Opioid Impact Fee

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 17, 2021

The State Senate has passed legislation to establish a prescription opioid settlement fund and a settlement distribution commission that would allocate collected funds toward addressing the opioid crisis. The measure formalizes a structure for administration of Delaware’s first-in-the-nation opioid impact fee. Senator Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown and House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach are co-sponsors of…

2 Teen Boys Shot In Cambridge

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 16, 2021

Cambridge Police are investigating the shootings of two male teenagers. Officers responded to Greenwood Avenue and Camelia Street at about 12:15 a.m. Wednesday. A 17-year-old boy was found with a gunshot wound to the thigh, and was losing a lot of blood. He was flow to University of Maryland Shock Trauma. A 14-year-old boy was…

Update: Sussex Absconder Located

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 16, 2021

Update: An off-duty Milton Police officer apprehended an offender who had fled from a work detail earlier Wednesday, according to the Delaware Department of Correction. The DOC said 21-year-old Brian Sadler of Smyrna failed to return to the Sussex Community Corrections Center from a work detail in Harrington. Sadler of Smyrna was serving for a…

Tombstones Stolen From Greenwood-Area Cemetery

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 16, 2021

Some of the oldest tombstones at the St. Johnstown Cemetery in the Greenwood area have been stolen. Delaware State Police said Wednesday that the groundskeeper has discovered that a total of seven tombstones have gone missing in the past three weeks. Thefts have apparently occurred on a weekly basis. Some of the tombstones date back…

Investigators: Greenwood Bar & Grill Fire Was Set

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 16, 2021

A fire that gutted The Pit Stop Bar and Grill in Greenwood last month was deliberately set, according to the Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office. The fire broke out at about 3:00 a.m. May 18th at the building on West Market Street. Investigators have since determined it was a case of arson. One firefighter suffered…

Community Organization Rallies Behind Survivors Of Cpl. Heacook

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 16, 2021

The family of slain Delmar Police Corporal Keith Heacook gets continuing support from the community, more than a month-and-a-half after he was murdered The Lord Baltimore Lions Club of Ocean View recently delivered a donation at the Delmar Police Department to benefit the survivors. Heacook leaves behind a 12-year-old son. The Lions Club says it…

Salisbury Unveils Open Data Hub

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 16, 2021

The City of Salisbury has launched its Open Data Hub. Mayor Jake Day said the Open Data Hub serves as a central point of access to get information and data about Salisbury government, infrastructure, public safety, transportation and the local economy – as well as parks and recreation and more. “Transparency is an integral part…

Man Charged With Firing Gun Toward Neighbor

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 16, 2021

A Kent County man is charged with shooting at his neighbor. Delaware State Police said an investigation shows that the suspect was visiting with a man and woman and was showing them a .38-caliber revolver he had recently acquired. The man agreed to allow him to fire the weapon at a target on his Felton…

Del. Bill Supports Collective Bargaining For Delmar Police

By The Talk of Delmarva News / June 16, 2021

Delmar Police deserve an opportunity to collectively bargain for better pay and safer working conditions, according to the sponsor of legislation that would clear the way for them to unionize. A bill introduced in the State Senate (SB 181) would clarify that the Town of Delmar is a public employer under the Delaware Police Officers…