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- Week 4: Field Hockey, Soccer & Volleyball Rankings Division 2 Field Hockey Rankings School Rankings Last Week's Rankings 1) Delmar 7-0 1 2) Archmere 6-0 3 3) Tatnall 5-0 4 4) Newark Charter 4-0 -1 2 5) DMA 5-0 10 6) Lake Forest 4-1 6 7) Sussex Academy 3-1-1 7 8) Conrad 4-2 NR 9) Woodbridge 4-2 NR 10) Friends 3- 2 NR Division 1 Field Hockey Ranking School Record Last Week's Ranking 1) Cape Henlopen 6-0 1 2) Smyrna 5-0 2 3) Wilmington Charter 3-0 3 4) Middletown 3-2 4 5) Sussex Tech 3- 2 NR 6) Caesar Rodney 2 -2 9 7) Padua 3-2 7 8) Caesar Rodney 2-2 9 9) Sussex Central 4-3 10 10) Polytech 3-3 6 Division 2 Football Ranking School Record High School Ranking last week 1) Caravel 6-0 1 2 ) Saint Mark's 5-0 2 3) Friend's 5-0 5 4) Indian River 4-0-1 4 5) St Andrew's 3-0-1 7 6) Conard 3-0 8 7) Tower Hill 4-1 6 8 ) Sussex Academy 3-1-1 NR 9) McKean 4-2 10 10) Christiana 4-2 NR Division 1 Football Ranking School Record Last Week's Ranking 1) Appoquinimink 3-2 1 2) Salesianum 4-1 2 3) Wilmington Charter 4-0 3 4) Cape Henlopen 6-0 5 5) Caesar Rodney 3-2 6 6) Delcastle 3-0 8 7) Sussex Central 3-2 7 8) Milford 4-1 NR 9) William Penn 4-2 9 10) St Georges Tech 3-3 4 Volleyball Ranking School Record Last Week's Ranking 1) Saint Mark's 6-0 1 2) Smyrna 6-0 2 3) Tower Hill 5 -0 83 4) Newark Charter 5-0 9 5) DMA 5 -0 10 6) Caravel 3-2 8 7) Archmere 3-2 3 8) Wilmington Charter 3-2 NR 9) Cape Henlopen 4-3 5 10) Padua 1-3 10... Read More
- State urges the unvaccinated to get vaccinated to protect economy and schools As the number of COVID-19 cases rises dramatically, Delaware officials Thursday urged the unvaccinated to get vaccinated to protect themselves and to others. Governor John Carney said he is considering requiring state employees to be vaccinated and considering options to make masks mandatory in schools. Carney and Rattay held a public briefing on COVID-19 in Delaware. The delta variant increased the number of daily new cases in Delaware from 20 on June 20, the low point between the winter and spring drops, to 135 on Thursday. The number of new cases has increased by 80% in the past week alone, Rattay said. Last week, she said, 50% of the positive samples the state decided to randomly test came back as the Delta variant. In January, 99% of cases occurred among the unvaccinated, 99.4% of hospitalizations occurred among the unvaccinated, and 98.7% of deaths occurred among the unvaccinated. Carney said the state's main concern for schools is that students age 12 and younger are not yet eligible for the vaccine. Masking students can prevent the spread of infectious diseases among students and staff, keeping more children attending face-to-face classes and allowing schools to remain open. The governor said a decision will be made soon. Rattay predicted that children as young as 12 could be eligible for the vaccine between September and December of this year. Officials said the mandate to vaccinate state employees would include workers in jobs where contact with the unvaccinated is likely, such as state correctional facilities. Carney and Rattay released a slide saying that as of January 1, 99% of cases were among the unvaccinated, 99.4 of hospitalizations were among the unvaccinated, and 98.7 of deaths were among the unvaccinated. State officials said there is a big difference in vaccination rates between those age 65 and older and those younger. Not enough young people are being vaccinated, but they are the ones who end up in hospitals now, Carney and Rattay said. There is also a disparity between residents of the northern and southern states, they said. West Sussex County is of particular concern as Harrington, Greenwood, Bridgeville, Seaford, Laurel, Lincoln and Georgetown meet current requirements of 100 cases per 100,000 or a 10% positivity rate with at least five cases to be declared an area concern officer. Rattay said people who choose not to vaccinate still have a responsibility to mask up and get tested at least once a week. "What would be ideal for all of us in Delaware and across the states is to have a consistent approach," said Rattay. "It still doesn't feel right." Among other things: Carney said that while a "vaccination passport" system, like the mandates currently in place in New York and California, would help the state curb the spread of the virus, none of that is currently planned in Delaware. Carney said the state doesn't have the infrastructure to handle it. The state still recommends that people keep their vaccination records. Last week, the state opened a public portal through the Delvax system to access its own vaccination information and store it on the phone. Rattay said the need for booster vaccines for those already vaccinated is uncertain and there is no immediate plan to make them available to everyone. However, she said, federal officials are expected to say that those who are immunocompromised will need one. "That said, I don't think any of us will be surprised if or when there are additional doses," said Rattay. “Especially with the mutated strains in the community, we're likely to see an enhancer in the not-too-distant future. While we don't know when that will happen, we are planning to make sure that once it happens, Delawares have access to revaccination.
- Eastside Students in Wilmington Greeted with Cheerful Crowd Corie Priest of the Delaware Office of the Attorney General greets a student returning to Eastside Charter on Tuesday. More than 40 teachers, policymakers and community members came together on Tuesday to form a welcoming team for students returning to Eastside Charter School for the first time since March 2020. The 483 students, mostly minorities, reacted in many ways as they are directed between two rows of cheerleaders in suits waiting to shake hands and elbow their way to the school gates: delighted, confused, shy, a little scared. This is the fifth year that Executive Director Aaron Bass has kicked off the first day of school with a "Suit Up Show Up" honor guard. Five years ago, he asked black professionals to participate as an example of supporting students and what they can achieve through education. He gradually expanded the circle to include community members who wanted to encourage students. "It's really important for kids to see the community rally around them," Bass said. That is even truer now, he said, as the community grapples with the pandemic, rising violence and the impact of flooding on Ida's remnants. Two blocks from the school, the streets were littered with piles of household debris from the flood. Among those on the Eastside were Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, Wilmington City Councilman James Spadola, Senator Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman, D-Wilmington, and Representative Valeria Longhurst, D-Bear, and many members of the Eastside Council. State Rep. Valerie Longhurt, D-Bear, is preparing to take on a returning Eastside Charter student. Purzycki said he couldn't say no to such a huge opportunity. “If you just realize that you have all these bright and magnificent potential little citizens coming in,” Purzycki said, “I think they're getting some love from people who should matter. You know, they're important." Lockman said he thinks the welcome was a boost for the kids. "But I think probably an even bigger boost for all of us is to be able to go out and support them, support the teachers, support great school leaders like Aaron and, you know, just to mark this milestone year that we're back in school," she said. "Things have been so messed up for so long... It's nice to have a good time in the middle of it all. that." Former Judge Charles H. Tolliver IV, a member of the Eastside board, said he thinks the traditional welcome is especially important in today's environment. "People care and want to say have fun, study, because this is the only way out for everyone," Tolliver said. He thought Tuesday's crowd of guests equaled or exceeded the freshman group. About 40 Eastside community and council members showed up to greet the returning children. to the building for the first time since March 2020. Briasia Tann, a third grader, said she was happy to be back in person. "I haven't seen my teachers in a long time," she said. She also said that she was worried that her friends had forgotten about her. Chimere Williams said she is also happy to be back. "It's easier to do the work," he said. Sixth-grader Quiaire Chambers said he wasn't particularly happy to be back in the classroom. He really enjoyed being able to participate in the virtual classes from the comfort of his bed, she said. Bass had a special guest on Tuesday: her mother, Elsa Johnson Bass of Philadelphia, came to attend her official 71st birthday reception. Bass surprised her with an early birthday present the day before, and she said she wanted to surprise him. "The community support is incredible," she said. ... Read more
- A Democrat. A republican. Both Want Inspector General Two lawmakers on opposite sides of the political spectrum have found common ground in their desire to increase transparency and accountability in state government. A bill introduced by Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark South, and Rep. Mike Smith, R-Pike Creek, would establish an independent, nonpartisan office of the inspector general for Delaware. The proposed office would investigate government agencies to identify and eradicate waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, corruption and other conduct contrary to the public interest. The inspector general's mandate would be five years, with the possibility of reappointment for a maximum of 2 additional mandates, with a maximum term of 15 years of service, according to the proposal. Kowalko and Smith previously drafted separate legislation to establish the office, but ultimately decided to join their efforts. "I always thought government oversight and good bills would be a bipartisan issue," said Kowalko, who is not running for re-election. “A good legislator, no matter what party he is in, will understand that the more openness and oversight we have, the more people will trust us, which makes it easier for us to do our jobs.” Smith said he looked at Kowalk's account and compared it to his own and decided it would be better suited as one. "You can never make a perfect policy," said Smith, "but I thought I could add more value to it by paying the bill rather than trying to compete in similar endeavors when we both have the same common goal." While the corruption charge against State Auditor Kathleen McGuiness was not Kowalk's reason for introducing the bill, he said it underscores the need for an independent office to investigate allegations of waste, fraud and abuse. for those who come forward to file a complaint or indictment, he said, pointing to allegations of witness intimidation in the McGuiness case. said it has been working for nearly two years, would create an office with distinctly different functions than the auditor, Kowalko said. Many have asked him why the state has both. "This is mismanagement, fraud and even the agency's failure to do good business," he said. "The auditor's office is pretty tight on cash - whether the money is in the wrong place, whether the agency might have misplaced the money or put it in the wrong category. That's a pretty definitive and narrow definition of liability." Under House Bill 405, a nonpartisan selection committee would give the governor three candidates for consideration. The governor would select the candidate and send it to the Senate for confirmation. Asked how the election committee could be nonpartisan and apolitical, Smith said, "That's really the hardest answer of all." "I think it's one of those things where you look at people who haven't been involved in politics," he said. "Community leaders who haven't donated money or participated in campaigns and had no government employment in our state." By maintaining those standards, Smith said, lawmakers will be able to remove "the most implicit bias" and make the selection committee as independent as possible. "Will any shape be perfect? Absolutely not," he said. "But there are people who are not politically motivated, and we just have to make sure those are the people we bring into this role." Smith and Kowalko worked with the Delaware Coalition for Open Government, a group whose stated mission is to promote and defend the people's rights to transparency and accountability in government. "We hope they get a fair hearing before the House Management Committee," said John Flaherty, who sits on the group's board of directors. "And we hope that the three Democrats on the committee see fit to allow the entire House to debate and speak on this issue, even if they don't support the concept." Flaherty recalled that a similar bill passed the House by 35 votes in favor in 2007, but "when it went to the Senate, the Democrats in the Senate put it in somebody's drawer", it was never voted on. He said the bill faced strong opposition from Senate Democrats at the time because Governor Ruth Ann Minner was a Democrat and some felt the bill was directed against her. "We now have another Democrat in office and Democrats may find this bill aimed at the governor," Flaherty said. "That is not the case, so we hope they look beyond their partisan interests and look to the public interest in allowing this bill to be fairly heard." If the law is approved and signed, the selection committee will have to start working immediately. The Office of the Inspector General is expected to be operational by March 1, 2023. The tax filing, which details how much the project is expected to cost taxpayers, has not yet been completed. Kowalko said he plans to meet with the Comptroller General's Office on Tuesday to present figures that will help the office formulate a cost estimate. "Good governance and transparency are at the heart of the public interest," Smith said. "I think whenever you have a one-party government and you have some bloated government agencies and the public wants to have a better view and a better interaction with the government, it's a good opportunity to have an independent agency - as independent as possible - where you can. they have a front door so they can clear some of your doubts." ." HB 405 has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, which meets on Wednesday. The bill has not been on the committee's agenda as of Tuesday morning, though it could be put on the agenda before the House meeting. "If there's a fair hearing, I'm confident it will pass the House," Flaherty said.