Happy Labor Day Weekend!

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$10 Million In Federal Grant Comes To Port Of Wilmington

(WDEL) Amy Cherry reports ~ Port of Wilmington gets $10M from feds

The cash-strapped Port of Wilmington gets a federal grant to put towards some much-needed repairs. $10 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation will go towards rehabbing a wharf that dates back to 1923. The wharf serves two critical general cargo berths at the port and will cost more than $13 million. The Diamond State Port Corporation will fund the remaining cost of the project not covered by the grant. The widening of cargo berths is key to the state's agreement with Dole

There is a lot of money floating around - unused - from the Bond Bill Committee etc. from the last several years that was supposed to be used for these repairs and for new cranes. Good to see the Port Corporation is making sure the Port will have enough funds to do what is necessary.

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Meet Delaware's Public Advocate At the CLNCC's Monthly Meeting Set For 7PM September 17th At Prices Corner

Join the Civic League for New Castle County in welcoming Delaware's Public Advocate, David Bonar, as guest speaker at our next monthly meeting!

The CLNCC will meet September 17th at 7PM at the Cranston Heights Fire Company on the Kirkwood Highway, Prices Corner (next to Sears) in the Chiefs' 2nd Floor Meeting Room. Access to the meeting room is at the back of the Fire House, away from Kirkwood Hwy.

http://www.civicleagueforncc.org/

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 Delaware Division of the Public Advocate Outreach

The Division of the Public Advocate is the Delaware agency that advocates on behalf of consumers on utility issues.
The Division of the Public Advocate is reaching out to consumers to provide information about electricity issues and rates, and ways consumers can save money on electric bills.

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Issues On The Environment Update!

Update: another must-read - U.S. Geological Survey reports ~ Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids Likely Harmed Threatened Kentucky Fish Species

Click to watch ~ Delaware Sea Level Rise Awareness Week: Introductory Video

Sierra Club News from Stephanie Herron ~

August was a busy month in the Delaware Chapter and September is already packed with important events! Check out our August newsletter for a recap and As always, email Stephanie.herron@sierraclub.org or call 302-468-4550 with any questions to get more involved, or propose a future event. For your convenience I've included some upcoming events below.  You can always find out more at our website or facebook page.  I hope to see you soon!

Tuesday, September 3, 7 p.m. —  Public Info Session on Newark Power Plant: In responses to demands from town residents, the City of Newark is holding a Community Information Session at the George Wilson Center in Newark, 303 New London Road, Newark, about the proposed 248 megawatt gas power plant/data center on the UD “Star Campus” (formerly Chrysler). Wednesday September 11, 7 p.m. —  Conservation Committee: Join us to discuss and help make decisions on pressing conservation issues at our regularly schedule 2nd Wednesday meeting at the Community Service Building (100 W. 10th St, Wilmington), room 9.  Park for free at our garage, 111 W. 11th St and we will validate. Sunday, September 15, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. — Newark Community Day: Help staff the Sierra Club Community Day table on the UD Green!  This is a fun way to meet new friends, learn more about local conservation efforts and engage new  people in your DE Chapter! (Sign up for 2 hour shifts or another period)

September 16, 9–11 a.m. — Blue Collar Task Force: Buck Library,  Buena Vista State Conference Center 661 S Dupont Hwy, New Castle, DE 19720.  At the first meeting of this group a couple weeks ago it was suggested that a good way to increase blue collar jobs in Delaware would be to loosen or eliminate the Coastal Zone Act. Monday, September 23, 6 p.m. — LEV Public Hearing: DNREC Division of Air Quality will be holding a public hearing on adopting the Low Emission Vehicles portion of California's LEV III Program, something the Sierra Club strongly supports as a way to reduce hazardous air pollution from vehicles.  DNREC Richards & Robbins Building Auditorium, 89 Kings Highway Dover, DE. Wednesday September 25, 6 p.m. — RGGI Public Hearing: Division of Air Quality will hold a public hearing on a proposed amendment to 7 DE Admin Code 1147 relating to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) at Kent County Administrative Complex, Room 220, 555 S. Bay Road, Dover. The amendment include a significant reduction in the total Co2 cap! We will need supporters out in full force to suppose the positive change to the program and oppose Tea Party cries to abolish RGGI all together.

We are excited to be partnering with some of our friends to bring you the first DE Sea Level Rise Awareness Week!  Join us to learn about the problem of SLR in Delaware and learn what you can do to help. Visit SOSDelaware.org for full info on these events that are co-sponsored by our chapter, and more!

SEPT 14:  Join up to 150 volunteers to plant trees at serene Blackbird Creek Wildlife Area in Townsend. These native trees will help restore the natural environment, improve soil fertility, and reduce water issues such as erosion and flooding.  Please bring your own shovel, gloves and a water bottle.
RSVP to hannah@delawarenaturesociety.org.

SEPT 18:  Curious about green roofs, rain gardens or tree trenches? Delaware is home to many state-of-the-art green infrastructure installations.  Attend this lecture, cosponsored by our chapter, at the Delaware Center for Horticulture to learn about a variety of green infrastructure techniques at work around New Castle County! Light refreshments & beverages will be served.

SEPT 19: Join us and DNS for our regularly scheduled environmental book club with  a sea level rise/flooding twist!  This month’s book “Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927” by John M. Barry.
SEPT 21: Join fellow volunteers as we begin restoration at the Marian R. Oakie Memorial Wildlife Preserve at Poplar Thicket in Millsboro. This 226-acre property, a mix of farmland, forest, and tidal marsh on the north shore of the Indian River was recently donated to the people of Delaware. Come see this new public preserve and lend a hand in planting 2,000 seedling trees, grasses and shrubs!

For the rest of the info on these events and your recap of our exciting August activities read our full newsletter!!

Plus, fracking and other news ~

(WSJ) Tom Fowler reports ~ Study Shines Light on Tremors and Fracking in South Texas' Eagle Ford Shale 

So much oil and water is being removed from South Texas' Eagle Ford Shale that the activity has probably led to a recent wave of small earthquakes, according to a study that appears in the online edition of the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters
The Wall Street Journal reviewed the findings in advance of publication. The peer-reviewed study's authors suggest that taking oil and water out of the ground allows surrounding rock and sand to settle, triggering small tremors that are typically too weak to be noticed on the surface.
Environmental and community groups have expressed concerns about a link between earthquakes and hydraulic fracturing, a method of injecting water into dense shale formations in order to crack them open and tap into trapped oil.

The new study doesn't find much evidence that the man-made fracturing is causing earthquakes all by itself. The connection is more indirect, the study found: New wells are extracting nearly 600,000 barrels of oil a day and a considerable amount of water as well. Given the scale at which oil is now being removed, enough liquids are being disturbed that rocks are settling and faults slipping, causing the small earthquakes.

Oil production and groundwater wells caused much of the area to sink nearly 30 feet over many years. The Eagle Ford findings contrast with an earlier study of earthquakes in North Texas' Barnett Shale by the same authors. The earlier study cited wastewater injection wells as the likely cause of small seismic events. Other studies have previously linked injection wells and increased seismic activity, including a 2012 U.S. Geological Survey report and a study by Ohio state regulators. The current study is the first large study to link oil reservoir depletion with an increase in earthquakes.

(OutdoorLife) John Huaghey reports ~ Help Conservationists Fight to Sustain Fracking Ban in the Delaware River Watershed

The Delaware River is the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi, flowing freely for 390 miles from its Catskills and Poconos headwaters to the Atlantic Ocean in Delaware Bay, furnishing drinking water for 15 million people in four states.
               
The river's fragile 13,500-square-mile watershed also provides abundant public boating, hiking, camping, hunting and fishing opportunities, especially along its 120-mile upper stretch, which includes such fabled trout streams as the Beaverkill, Willowemoc and East Branch. It's also home to hard-hitting smallmouth bass and a historically significant shad run.
               
But it could all be gone with the stroke of a pen, according to Delaware Riverkeeper Network Director Maya van Rossum, who says support from "the hunting and fishing community" is vital in defending a "tenuous" three-year moratorium on shale oil drilling -- hydraulic fracking -- in the Delaware River watershed.
               
Drilling has been on hold in the watershed since May 2010 when the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) decided to develop its own drilling regulations. The commission was set to vote on regulations in November 2011, but that vote was canceled in the face of overwhelming opposition to any drilling.
               
"Because there are no regulations, there can't be any drilling -- the moratorium still holds," van Rossum said. "But it's tenuous and there is growing pressure to open (the watershed) to drilling."

 Pressure to frack, baby, frack   
But it could all be gone with the stroke of a pen, according to Delaware Riverkeeper Network Director Maya van Rossum, who says support from

(AP) ~ Four states’ attorneys general dispute fracking rules

Attorney General Tim Fox said Thursday that Montana is joining Ala­bama, Alaska and Oklahoma in pro­testing Bureau of Land Management plans to regulate hydraulic fracturing on federal land.

Fox said he and the attorneys gener­al from those states sent a letter last week to U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell expressing “serious concerns” and “strong objection” to the proposed rules governing hydraulic fracturing.

Also known as fracking, the technique boosts production from oil and gas wells by pumping pressurized water into the wells to fracture open deposits. The attorneys general argue that BLM fracking rules will duplicate existing state programs and cannot be justified.  

(Cleveland.com) ~ Youngstown man admits dumping toxic fracking waste into Mahoning River

Michael Guesman, an employee of a Youngstown company that stored, treated and disposed of oil and gas drilling liquids, admitted this morning to dumping tens of thousands of gallons of fracking waste

Frackers slash billions in payments to landowners Report: Thousands are receiving far less money than they were promised by energy companies to use their properties. Some are being paid virtually nothing.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/Frackers_.html#YTbFyEfTU0BEg12Q.99

(philly .com) AP reports ~ Frackers slash billions in payments to landowners ~

Frackers slash billions in payments to landowners Report: Thousands are receiving far less money than they were promised by energy companies to use their properties. Some are being paid virtually nothing.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/Frackers_.html#YTbFyEfTU0BEg12Q.99

Frackers slash billions in payments to landowners Report: Thousands are receiving far less money than they were promised by energy companies to use their properties. Some are being paid virtually nothing.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/Frackers_.html#YTbFyEfTU0BEg12Q.99

“They said you’re going to be a millionaire in a couple of years, but none of that has happened,” Feusner said. “I guess we’re expected to just take whatever they want to give us.”

Don Feusner ran dairy cattle on his 370-acre slice of northern Pennsylvania until he could no longer turn a profit by farming. Then, at age 60, he sold all but a few Angus and aimed for
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/Frackers_.html#YTbFyEfTU0BEg12Q.99for a comfortable retirement on money from drilling his land for natural gas instead.

Tar Sands Blockade shared Stand With Julia - Stop TransCanada's Eminent Domain Abuse

Our friend Julia Trigg Crawford suffered a loss in the Texas Courts of Appeals trying to convince a three judge panel that TransCanada, a multinational corporation, shouldn't be able to steal land and destroy homes in East Texas.

She's determined to appeal to the Texas Supreme Court, though. She reflected on her loss:

"Yes, you heard right, the Court of Appeals ruled against us this week, saying TransCanada can take our land through eminent domain because they qualify as a Common Carrier. An interesting assessment, since the Texas Railroad Commission, who rubber stamps these Common Carrier designations, sent a letter saying they do NOT have jurisdiction over Keystone in Texas since it is an interstate pipeline. Hmmmmm.

It took us about 30 seconds to decide to appeal this decision to the Texas Supreme Court, and the wheels are already in motion. As shown by the Denbury case, the Texas Supreme Court has demonstrated great courage and willingness to overturn lower courts' decisions to protect Texas citizens from eminent domain abuse by private corporations.

TransCanada, a foreign corporation, is using weak eminent domain laws to take property for their own private gain from hard-working Texans. Our founding fathers never intended eminent domain to be used for this purpose. As a landowner and an American I support energy independence, but I value individual and constitutional freedoms above all. So, our fight will continue...it about much more than just the Crawford Farm now.

In additional to our appeal, next steps will focus on asking our legislators and fellow citizens to hold public hearings on eminent domain, and expose the many risks these pipelines pose to those of us living along the route. Together we will ask our officials to change the laws that have left me and hundreds of other Texans no other recourse than to battle deep pocketed oil corporation giants in court. And where we find our legislators unresponsive to the wants and needs of the people they represent...well, we elect news ones.

We, the people, hold incredible power, something I think we've forgotten when we watch all the injustice swirling around us. Whether its here in Texas, or in your hometowns around the country, its time to mobilize and create change from the bottom up. Its time to stand up, speak out, and maybe act up.

Onward!"

Dawn of a new day at Red'Arc Farm

Also from the Delaware Riverkeeper Network: The Cary Institute reports ~ Eastern U.S. water supplies threatened by a legacy of acid rain

Millbrook, NY – Human activities are changing the water chemistry of many streams and rivers in the Eastern U.S., with consequences for water supplies and aquatic life, so reports a new study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
In the first survey of its kind, researchers looked at long-term alkalinity trends in 97 streams and rivers from Florida to New Hampshire. Sites ranged from small headwater streams to some of the nation’s largest rivers. Over the past 25 to 60 years, two-thirds have become significantly more alkaline.

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Workers’ Compensation Ratepayer Advocate Position Filled At Department Of Insurance

Commissioner Stewart Announces the Appointment of the Workers’ Compensation Ratepayer Advocate for the State of Delaware

Dover, DE -- Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart announces the retention of Fred Townsend, Esquire as “ratepayer advocate” for the upcoming workers’ compensation rate filing. Pursuant to recently passed legislation Mr. Townsend shall represent the interests of Delaware workers compensation rate-payers during the Insurance Commissioner’s consideration of the rate filing.

 

A member of the Delaware Bar since 1990, Mr. Townsend served as Delaware’s Deputy Insurance Commissioner from 1995-1999. Since returning to the private sector in 2000, his practice areas have included insurance regulation.

 

Commissioner Stewart stated that she “is confident that Mr. Townsend’s background, both in the Insurance Department and in the private sector makes him well suited to represent the ratepayers’ interests during this important step of analyzing the workers compensation rate filing”.

 

Anyone wishing to contact Mr. Townsend should do so via e-mail. Mr. Townsend will be available at ratepayeradvocate@state.de.us.

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Community Alert: Special Request For Vehicle In Working Condition

Kim Burdick sent this along ~

 

From: HaleByrnesHouse@aol.com
Sent: 8/31/2013 12:04:05 P.M.
Subj: IMPORTANT Special Request for assistance finding a vehicle in working condition

 

Hello, All:

 

Many of you are aware that one of our Hale Byrnes House  Board members has a seriously ill three year old grand daughter. The poor little sweet thing has to go back into the hospital and her mother's car has completely died.

 

The family lives way out in the country and we need to find a 4-wheel drive really fast for her mother.  Can you please spread the word that they need a reliable car asap?  Maybe someone has one they are willing to give them or sell really cheap.  It should be tagged so that we know it is still running.

 

Thanks all, for all you do.  Pray for this much beleaguered family and do let us know if anyone has a vehicle they can have.

 

Thanks all for all you do.

 

Kim Burdick

www.halebyrnes.org

 
Please contact Kim at KimRBurdick@aol.com if you can help.

 

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WHYY Interviews Amy Roe - Lack Of Newark Government Transparency Over TDC's Power Plant Proposal A Concern

(NewsWorks) Shirly Min reports ~ Uproar over proposed data center in Newark

“Initially we received a lot of pushback from city officials that they were not going to have a public meeting until final plans had been submitted to the city. And clearly, if final plans are submitted where is there opportunity for the public, or neighbors, to have a voice in shaping those plans,” asked Amy Roe, an activist with the Sierra Club here in Delaware. Roe says it's hard to say if plans for the data center are objectionable because very little information has been made publicly available, but "it’s the power plant that’s causing concern.”

TDC, based in West Chester, PA, develops data centers that can process large quantities of information, meeting companies' IT demands. Building a self-sufficient power plant alongside, TDC says, provides uninterrupted off-grid power to run the data system. In Newark's case, the power plant would be powered by natural gas.
Roe worries about the environmental risks associated with a 248-Megawatt natural gas plant. Although cleaner burning than coal, Roe says natural gas has the potential to produce sizeable amounts of hazardous air pollutants, like nitrogen oxides, precursors to ozone. Other Newark residents worry about noise pollution created by the power plant. 

Those concerns were magnified, Roe says, by the city's seeming lack of transparency throughout this entire process.  “I’m worried about the silence from the city on this project," Roe said. “To learn that your town government has been negotiating for a year for this and none of the neighbors know is very worrisome.”
Newark's Community Affairs Officer Dana Johnston says the city has nothing to share since plans have not been officially submitted. Johnston says the city is simply providing publicity and a space for Tuesday's meeting, where TDC will provide more substantive answers.
Emails sent to TDC asking how much the proposed project will cost and when final plans will be submitted have yet to be returned.
Residents who are not able to attend, can review The Data Centers' responses to questions as well as all documents presented at the meeting on Newark's website at www.cityofnewarkde.us or obtain copies of the same from the City Secretary's Office soon after the session. 

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, the City of Newark has nothing to share? No plans from TDC were OFFICIALLY SUBMITTED? Then how in the hell did the city manager, under Mayor Vance Funk and as far as we know without consent or knowledge of the City Council, manage to send a letter to Alan Levin and DEDO - - - a letter which is a requirement of the grantee in the granting process as proof of local government backing - - - in support of state infrastructure grants for TDC without having had plans submitted for review? It doesn't fly.

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Cooch’s Bridge 6th Annual Battlefield Memorial Ceremony Set For 10AM September 7th

(image - 2012 Cooch’s Battlefield Ceremony)

The Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs shared this Pencader Heritage Area Association events notice ~

Saturday, Sept  7     10:00 to 10:30 AM	6th Annual Battlefield Memorial    Flyer

PHAA Video Collection

Plus later that Saturday, don't miss Lafayette's Birthday Celebration at the Hale-Byrnes House, Saturday, September 7, 2013 at 11:00am in Stanton.

And W3R (Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route) and Kim Burdick shared Revolutionary War and Beyond's photo yesterday ~

On this day in history, August 30, 1781, the French fleet arrives at the Chesapeake Bay to assist the Americans in their assault on British General Cornwallis and his 9,000 troops at Yorktown, Virginia. The arrival of the fleet under Admiral Francois-Joseph Paul, the Comte de Grasse, played a decisive role in the British defeat at Yorktown.

In the summer of 1781, George Washington sat outside New York City, planning his next move against the British. He could either attack the main British headquarters at New York City, or he could attack Cornwallis' army in Virginia. French General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, sat at Newport, Rhode Island with 6,000 troops. The Marquis de Lafayette shadowed Cornwallis in Virginia with another 4,500 troops. Admiral de Grasse was in the West Indies with 28 ships and 3,000 soldiers.

Washington and Rochambeau met in Wethersfield, Connecticut on May 22 to examine the options. Washington favored an attack on New York, while Rochambeau favored an attack on Cornwallis in Virginia. Both wrote letters to de Grasse, asking him to come and assist them. De Grasse received orders from France to sail for America, but he chose to go to Virginia, which was closer. When Washington and Rochambeau found out de Grasse's plans, they immediately began marching their combined armies to Yorktown, while leaving some troops around New York to pretend they were preparing an attack on the city in order to fool the British about their real destination, a ruse which worked.

De Grasse arrived at the Chesapeake Bay on August 30, 1781, five days after a smaller British fleet arrived there looking for him. When the British fleet, under Admiral Samuel Hood, did not find de Grasse there, it sailed on to New York. De Grasse began unloading his troops, but on September 5th, a British fleet of 19 ships appeared off the capes. This fleet, under Admiral, Sir Thomas Graves, was expecting to find a much smaller French fleet that had left Newport, Rhode Island and had been instructed to rescue Lord Cornwallis and his army if necessary.

The presence of the French fleet blockading the bay made the rescue of Cornwallis impossible. The two fleets engaged in the Battle of the Chesapeake on the 5th, which was a decisive French victory. As the two sides maneuvered for the next two days, French Admiral Jacques-Melchior Saint-Laurent, Comte de Barras, arrived from Newport and slipped into the bay with 8 ships bearing heavy artillery and siege equipment. The heavily damaged British fleet was forced to flee back to New York for repairs.

Later in September, Washington and Rochambeau arrived with a combined 10,000 soldiers. Washington met with Admiral de Grasse on his 104 gun flagship, the Ville de Paris, on September 14 and expressed his warmest thanks for his assistance. The Siege of Yorktown lasted for about 3 weeks before General Cornwallis surrendered his 7,000 man army to the Americans. From New York, British Commander-in-Chief, General, Sir Henry Clinton, sent another small fleet with reinforcements for Cornwallis, but the fleet did not arrive at Yorktown until October 24th, 5 days after Cornwallis surrendered.

Learn more about what happened during the American Revolution at our On This Day in History page here: http://www.revolutionary-war-and-beyond.com/on-this-day-in-history.html

Also, from the Wilmington Blue Rocks on facebook ~

The 1st Delaware Regiment did the colors at our game tonight!

Woo hoo! Our first appearance at the Blue Rocks! We had alot of fun on the concourse and got a nice ovation too! (VIDEO)

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Will The "CVS Focus Group" Support Removal Of Deed Restrictions At Corner Ketch and Paper Mill Road? Find Out 7:30PM September 16th In Hockessin

Calling All Communities!!! 

CVS – Whiteman’s Garage Information Session 

CVS Focus Group Presentation at 7:30PM is on the agenda of the monthly GHADA Meeting Monday, September 16th, 7:00 PM Hockessin Memorial Hall 

Sponsored by Greater White Clay Area Civic League and Greater Hockessin Area Development Association

Councilwoman Janet Kilpatrick sent this along ~

The information session is being held to discuss the proposed CVS on the Whiteman’s Garage property located at 604 Corner Ketch Rd, Newark, DE 19711. 

The big fuss is that Dempsey's Service Center at Whiteman's Garage has ironclad deed restrictions - backed by New Castle County - that were put in place back when the garage owners wanted to expand their business. Now that the owners want to sell the property, the deed restrictions are "in the way".

CVS project attorney Lisa Goodman has been working since at least January 2013 with NCC Councilwoman Janet Kilpatrick and Mark Blake of GHADA allegedly to "find a way to talk the surrounding community into embracing the project by breaking the deed restrictions". I am told they went so far as to orchestrate the formation of a new Civic Umbrella group, the Greater White Clay Area Civic League (WCACL), to ostensibly "help them achieve their ends". Ain't the local scuttlebutt wonderful?

But this much is true and from my direct experience: Mark Blake, the GOP 2012 candidate for County Executive and GHADA and CLNCC officer, told me he had his friend, land use attorney Shawn Tucker, write the articles of incorporation for WCACL pro bono in exchange for other favors done in Hockessin over land use issues (particularly, for running the focus group Blake ran for a year for Tucker to get "community buy-in" for ST zoning requested for Tucker's Walker Farm project). 

Are the by-products of lengthy, drawn-out focus groups a real community buy-in or is it a facsimile, a likeness, a mere astro-turf-styled grassroots fakery?

I attended the NCC Planning Board public hearing in December 2012 where the Walker Farm project was discussed. Focus group leader, Mark Blake and Councilwoman Kilpatrick were adamant in scolding the Board because the Board questioned the project on fundamental inconsitencies with the county's good planning objectives. 

Blake and Kilpatrick, without ever disclosing publicly their involvement in seemingly manufacturing public opinion through a focus group, admonished the Board for claiming that they ALWAYS HEAR how the county wants community input and now, HERE IT IS and how DARE THEY ignore it!

I only found out about these focus groups in May 2013 but I was a witness to this December display of hubris - as if their focus group product was somehow sacrosanct despite - as far as I can tell - NEVER HAVING HAD A COUNTY PLANNER at their meetings to explain the county's best practice and objectives for sound growth principles.

Shawn Tucker will tell you he knows the county code inside and out because he wrote the code while NCC General Manager of Land Use.......Why have a county employee attend his focus group when he so clearly can answer all of the community's concerns.........right? (Kilpatrick subsequently went to inordinate lengths to get her way and get the project approved but that's a story for another day).

State Rep. Paul Baumbach has been attending CVS focus group meetings from their inception and in a phone call Thursday morning, told me that the prospect of a county land use planner attending has never been raised. As he said it, Janet Kilpatrick never recommended inviting a county employee as a resource for the group. 

I told Paul how the focus group for the Walker Farm blind-sided the Planning Board with a proposal that went squarely against best practice and county planning goals and objectives. And about Blake and Kilpatrick's despicable tactic of publicly shaming the Planning Board (you can read it word for word in the meeting minutes or in Adam Taylor's News Journal story). Baumbach got my point and immediately recommended that a county administration staffer attend the next CVS group meeting.

Deed restrictions are always being challenged by developers who would foist their profiteering end game against the will of the community (See: Pike Creek Golf Course vs Dick Beck or Montchanin vs Stoltz)

As for CVS vs Whitemans' Garage, County Executive Tom Gordon is backing members of the community who wish to preserve the use of the land as settled under law. He sent me a copy of the deed restrictions when he heard that there was some doubt raised at Wednesday night's CVS focus group meeting about his support (email me if you want to see it and I will be happy to forward) ~

Attached is a copy of the well written deed restriction with the county…. I will always enforce the deed restrictions.

 

Respectfully yours,

Thomas P. Gordon

County Executive
New Castle County Government | Citizens First
87 Reads Way | New Castle, DE 19720

In a few weeks we'll see what is what and, after three-quarters of a year's worth of meetings, how much of the CVS focus group has been led to believe that amending the deed restriction is the best course of action for this quiet little corner of our county. 

I do know that many Pike Creek area residents attending the focus group are NOT in favor of the CVS and a crass commercialization of the corner with a convenience store. Will Goodman, Blake and Kilpatrick have something different to say? If I were a betting girl, I'd be taking bets.

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My Satisfying Bout With A Phone Scammer Phony

I got one of those creepy phone calls (or rather 5 calls) from someone telling me that he knew I was getting popup warning messages from Microsoft about problems in my system and that he could help. I smelled a rat. This person was in a noisy roomful of people and had a very thick Asian-Indian accent - both indicators that he worked in a call center two oceans away from my house. 

I got a bit rude with him - - - how disconcerting to be telephoned by a stranger who claims to have access to my private internet account and wants to sign me up for 'protection services'. Well, the dude didn't like my tone so he called me back to throw some expletives of his own and kept calling for the next few minutes even as I kept hanging up immediately. 

My next call was to the Attorney General's protection services hotline which brought a follow up call the next day where someone took note of my story and contact information and the business name and number of the caller. 

I got one more call from the fakers a few days later so had the satisfaction of telling them off once more with the warning that I'd already reported them and would be calling the Attorney General's office as soon as I hung up. 

Biden’s office alerts Delaware consumers to pair of phone scams

Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden’s office alerted Delawareans today about a pair of scams – one involving phony computer repair calls and the other involving fake consumer debit card problems.

In the first scam, victims receive unsolicited phone calls or e-mails that claim to be from a customer service, help desk representative or technician from Microsoft or other well-known technology companies.  During those communications the scammer claims that the consumer’s computer is infected with a virus and offers to help by gaining remote access to their machine in order to analyze and upgrade the computer’s security software.  However, scammers who are successful in duping the computer’s owner into believing the ruse instead use the remote access to install malicious software that harvests personal data, adjust the computer’s security settings to make the machine vulnerable to threats, and direct the victim to fraudulent Web sites that try to obtain personal credit card information.  Moreover, consumers have reported that the scammers ask for credit card information so they can bill for the fraudulent services.

Biden’s Consumer Protection Unit has received multiple reports of this scam, which has also targeted consumers nationwide.  Any consumers who believe they have already been victimized by this scam are urged to change their passwords for online accounts including e-mail, online banking and credit cards.  Suspected victims should be sure to run a security scan program on their computers and consider installing new security software.

Biden’s office also warned Delawareans Thursday about another scam being reported in other states in the region. In this scam, consumers receive unsolicited calls or text messages warning them of a problem with their bank’s debit cards.  In reality, these are attempts to trick consumers into providing personal financial information to criminals.  The unsolicited calls and texts report that the consumer’s debit card is locked and direct them to call a certain phone number to unlock the card. When victims call the phone number as directed, the scammer obtains their account information in order to “unlock” their cards.

Consumers should ignore these messages. Delawareans who think they have already fallen victim to the debit card scam should immediately contact their financial institution.

Delawareans who receive unsolicited phone calls, e-mails, or other messages that they believe may be a scam should report those communications to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-220-5424 or emailing consumer.protection@state.de.us.

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Public Comment Period For WILMAPCO's Two Billion Dollar Proposed Transportation Improvement Program Extended To Septermber 4th!

Public Comment Sought for Two Billion Dollars in Proposed Transportation Improvements 

Draft amendments to WILMAPCO's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) have been released for public comment. The TIP is a four-year listing of transportation priorities and projects for New Castle County, Delaware and Cecil County, Maryland based on available funding. The TIP is amended each year for New Castle County and for the State of Delaware based on the Delaware Bond Bill.  

  

The draft amended TIP contains 19 percent more funding than the FY 2014-17 TIP, approved in March 2013. Newly added roadway projects include:

• Cavaliers Mitigation - build berms and vegetative walls next to the Cavaliers apartments alongside I-95
• SR 4, Christina Parkway: SR 2-SR 896 - add two eastbound lanes on Christina Parkway from SR 896, South College Avenue to SR 2, Elkton Road 
• Nine new bridge preservation projects

The TIP public comment period will extend through September 4. Residents wishing to submit comments can:

• Mail to WILMAPCO at 850 Library Ave., Suite 100, Newark, DE 19711
• Submit comments via email to wilmapco@wilmapco.org 
• Visit our "virtual public workshop" at  www.wilmapco.org/tip

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The Argument For Increasing The Minimum Wage

Update from the DE Green Party on yesterday's strike and rally! 
 
From the Daily Kos ~  Fast food workers strike in 60 cities

Thousands of fast food workers went on strike Thursday in 60 cities. Stand with them and send them a message of support here: http://bit.ly/143pRfJ

Thanks to the Economic Policy Institute for the image.

Plus, Media Matters for America writes ~ Fox's Payne Distorts Argument Against Minimum Wage Increase

Discussing today's fast food strikes, Fox News hosts and contributors are aghast at the idea that corporations have any responsibility to the people who work and make money for them. Apparently the ideas of basic humanity and decency are beyond this network.

Fox News: Corporations Don't Owe A Debt To Employees

Fox's Charles Payne attempted to discredit fast-food workers' planned attempt to organize for union representation and a higher minimum wage by falsely claiming workers are arguing for a sliding scale of extra income.

And, (WDEL) Mellany Armstrong reports ~ Fast food workers stage rallies for better pay in Delaware

Click here to watch video of this story.

Workers and supporters at the Burger King on Concord Pike in Wilmington held signs and chanted that they can't live on $7.25 an hour. Christopher Harding of New Castle has four kids and a wife. "They're making a lot of money, and I don't see why they can't up the money just a little but, know what I mean? So that people could actually live," he said. Jennifer Buford wants Burger King to show her the money. "There's no full-time, we get no benefits, no raises, no nothing. $7.25 for a whole year. I live check to check, literally, check to check," she said.   ........The workers are also calling for the right for form a union. State police were on the scene to make sure the driveway stayed open for customers.

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More On Tuesday Night's UD STAR Campus "Wolf 1 Project" Data Center Power Plant Informational Meeting

(Amy Roe's "corrected" City Hall announcement)

TDC has met with many of our local politicians who tell me that the company will have lots of 'good' answers for us next Tuesday (7PM - George Wilson Center, 303 New London Road) in response to questions about water, noise and air pollution. I am not holding my breath.

(Newark Post) Josh Shannon reports ~ City sets meeting on power plant proposal

The Data Centers, LLC, based in Pennsylvania, has announced initial plans to build a 900,000-square-foot data center and power plant on the former Chrysler site, now referred to as UD’s Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus. The so-called “Wolf I Project” would bring 290 jobs to the 272-acre site on South College Avenue. According to a grant proposal the company filed earlier this year, the gas-fired power plant will produce more energy than the fiber-optic data center needs, leaving some available to flow into the grid to be sold to the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation, a wholesale utility that powers Newark, New Castle, Middletown, Clayton, Smyrna, Dover, Milford, Lewes and Seaford. However, the 248-megawatt power plant has faced significant opposition from nearby residents who fear additional pollution and other ramifications. Several have addressed city council at recent meetings........Tuesday’s meeting will feature a presentation by Data Centers officials, followed by a question-and-answer session. The meeting will also be videotaped and shown online and on the city’s Channel 22 public affairs broadcast.

........According to City Solicitor Bruce Herron, council’s approval is not needed for the plan. “An electric generator which exists for the primary purpose of supplying electricity to the Data Center building, which is clearly a permitted use under Sec. 32-23.1(a)(5), is an accessory use/building which is permitted under 32-23.1(a)(13). The electric generator would be ‘incidental and subordinate to the {use} of the main building on the same lot’ which is how our Code defines accessory building/use. Section 32-4 (a) (1) and (2),” Herron wrote in a July 10 memo to mayor and council. “Standing alone, the words “Utility distribution” and “electric” in 32-23.1(a) could be interpreted to include an electric generator.However, the proposed generator would be built because of and will support the Data Center building. Therefore, there is no need to engage in this analysis since it qualifies as an accessory use.” That memo was obtained by Roe through a Freedom of Information Act request and provided to the Newark Post. Earlier this month, council approved hiring an outside lawyer to draft a second opinion on the issue. As of Wednesday, the city has not received that second opinion, city spokeswoman Dana Johnson said.

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