Dover – The first two November DUI checkpoints are scheduled to take place this weekend as follows:

• Friday November 1st – Newport – New Castle County DUI Task Force checkpoint
• Saturday November 2nd – Rehoboth Beach – Rehoboth Beach PD checkpoint

Since January 1st there have been over 3,500 individuals arrested for DUI in Delaware this year. Checkpoint Strikeforce is a regional sobriety checkpoint campaign aimed at arresting DUI offenders, by using high visibility enforcement to deter those who would otherwise choose to drink and drive.  The campaign, a six month long effort running through New Year’s Eve, involves setting up weekly DUI checkpoints statewide.

For more information on Checkpoint Strikeforce visit www.ohs.delaware.gov, www.DUIRealTime.com and follow regular campaign updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe  and Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.

Wilmington – As part of a criminal investigation conducted jointly by the Delaware Department of Justice and the Wilmington Police Department, a search warrant was executed on October 22, 2013 at the home and office of 53 year-old Christopher Wheeler in the 1500 Block of Mount Salem Lane in Wilmington.  During the search, multiple computers and other digital media, along with other evidence, were seized.  A forensic examination of the computers and digital media conducted by the Delaware Child Predator Task Force recovered multiple images of child pornography.

As a result of the investigation, Child Predator Task Force detectives secured an arrest warrant yesterday, October 30, charging Wheeler with 25 counts of Dealing in Child Pornography.

Detectives are currently looking for Wheeler.  The Delaware Department of Justice and Wilmington Police Department are asking anyone who may have information to assist in locating Wheeler to immediately contact Wilmington Police Detective Cecilia Ashe at (302) 576-3649.

The joint criminal investigation of the Delaware Department of Justice and Wilmington Police Department is ongoing.

A photo of Wheeler is below.

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DOVER – With the passing of two Delaware leaders, former Delaware National Guard Adjutant General George Kenneth Hastings and former State Representative John McKay, Governor Markell has ordered the American and Delaware flags at state buildings and facilities be flown at half-staff on Friday, November 1 as a mark of respect.

Major General George Kenneth Hastings served six years as Adjutant General of the Delaware National Guard, retiring in 1999 and concluding a life of service in the military. He is remembered in the Guard for his institutional knowledge and for modernization of the National Guard’s force structure. He passed away on Oct. 26.

State Representative John McKay was elected to the House of Representatives in 1974 and served for eight years, representing New Castle County. During his time in the legislature, he served as Minority Whip. He passed away on Oct. 28.

Services for Maj. Gen. Hastings will be held on Friday in Laurel and for Rep. McKay on Friday in Lewes.

The Delaware Division of the Arts Mezzanine Gallery will present an exhibition titled Chocolates by Bill Wolff from November 1-27, 2013. The Gallery, open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is located in the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. There will be a reception to meet the artist on Friday, November 1 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. as part of Wilmington’s Art Loop.

This solo exhibition of Bill Wolff’s work will showcase a series of photographs which suggest the ethereal qualities of landscapes in the early morning fog. The photos were made using a Polaroid 250 Land Camera and expired Polaroid Chocolate peel-apart film. In a time when apps replicate vintage cameras, the chocolate-brown tones and textures resulting from the film’s wet emulsions suggest more emotionally and effectively a heightened sense of silence and mystery that comes with being in natural settings surrounded by fog.

Individual Artist Fellow in Photography, Bill Wolff has exhibited his work regionally and locally. The artist received his PhD from The University of Texas at Austin and currently lives in Bear, DE.

To read an article about Bill, visit the Division’s Individual Arts Fellowship web publication.

The Delaware Forest Service (DFS) funded a downtown streetscape improvement and tree planting project in the Town of Georgetown, highlighted by this week’s planting of 18 new cherry and lilac trees along East Market Street near the Sussex County Courthouse. Total cost of the project was estimated at $37,000. The DFS’ Urban and Community Forestry Streetscape Program – which offers a 50-50 match to recipients – provided $17,000, which Georgetown officials matched with almost $20,000 in project expenses and in-kind services.

In the first phase of the project,  Georgetown’s Department of Public Works spent two weeks removing the old trees, many of which were either poorly adapted to the sites or suffered from disease or other environmental stress. During that time, workers also conducted extensive excavation of the existing soil in the tree pits,  which was eventually replaced with a special 50-50 mix of topsoil and organic matter to help ensure survivability.

The second phase – the actual tree planting – took place under sunny skies this week. Kyle Hoyd and Kesha Braunskill of the DFS’ Urban and Community Forestry Program supervised the work by Bridgeville’s Nanticoke Nursery and Landscaping, which was awarded the contract to provide the soil, supply the new trees, and complete the project according to Forest Service specifications. A total of 18 trees – nine Okame cherry trees and nine Japanese Ivory Silk Lilac trees – were planted in the newly-excavated sites. These two species, though not native to Delaware, were selected for planting by forestry officials for their high tolerance to environmental stresses common to urban areas and the fact that they are unlikely to outgrow the site constraints. The cherry and lilac trees will also provide beauty and visual appeal to the downtown area, providing an attractive climate for businesses and residents alike.

The final phase – installation of new protective tree grates – is expected to take place by mid-November. The existing iron grates, which suffered past damage by motor vehicles or were modified to accomodate the previously over-sized trees – will be replaced at the time the new ones are installed.

For more information, contact: Kyle Hoyd, Urban and Community Forestry Program Coordinator, Delaware Forest Service, 302-698-4578. Email: kyle.hoyd@delaware.gov.