Wide array of Wilmington Educators, Parents and Community Leaders Selected to Serve

Wilmington, DE – Today, Wilmington Education Advisory Group Chairman Tony Allen announced the members of the advisory committee formed by Governor Markell through Executive Order 46. The body was created to advise the Governor and his administration on how best to strengthen educational opportunities for all Wilmington students and to support family engagement.

The group convened for the first time earlier this month, and began to review options considered by earlier groups and commissions to improve access to quality public education options. The group will build upon this earlier work and extend it to meet the challenges now facing Wilmington students and families. The group has tasked itself with putting forward clear, actionable, recommendations that address both structural and programmatic barriers impeding the progress of many Wilmington students, especially low-income students.  These barriers not only diminish student achievement in school, they also limit lifelong opportunities for productive and rewarding lives and work.

Dr. Allen, a long-time Wilmington resident, civic leader and bank executive offered the following on the work of the committee, “The work of this advisory group is important, but it is not new.  There is more than 100 years of evidence suggesting that low-income children – from urban and rural environments – can succeed at very high levels but need more in the way academic and non-academic supports to realize their full potential.  Over the last 20 years, there have been specific, consistent recommendations offered in support of the success and well-being of Wilmington children.   Now is the time to translate agreement on recommendations into actions that are implemented.”

The group’s first meeting took place on November 5, 2014, and information on that session is posted here.  The group includes the following citizens:

• Norma Ivonne Antongiorgi – La Academia Antonia Alonso Charter School board member, retired Wilmington teacher
• Mayor James Baker – Former Mayor of the City of Wilmington, Chairman Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League
• Rosemary Banks – retired Wilmington teacher
• Adriana Bohm, Ph.D. – Wilmington parent and School Board Member
• Melissa Browne – Wilmington parent and Pre-K Lead Planner, Relay Graduate School of Education
• Nikki Castle, Ph.D. – research evaluator and founder, East Side Charter School
• Councilman Nnamdi Chukwuocha – education committee chair, Wilmington City Council
• The Reverend Meredith Griffin, D.Min. – education committee chair, Interdenominational Ministers Action Council (IMAC)
• Henry Harper, Ph.D. – retired superintendent
• Susan Hessling – teacher  at Warner Elementary
• Elizabeth Lockman – Wilmington parent and community advocate
• Chandra Pitts – Wilmington parent, community activist, Executive Director of One Village Alliance
• Marco Ramos – Program Coordinator, Latin American Community Center
• Richard “Mouse” Smith – President, Delaware NAACP
• Shefon Taylor – Wilmington parent and Public Allies Alumna
• Cheryl Trawick – retired Wilmington administrator
• Meghan Wallace – former special education teacher
• Shelia Wyatt – retired Wilmington teacher

The following schedule of upcoming meetings of the Advisory Group in Wilmington:

• Monday, November 24th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at Warner Elementary School
• Saturday, December 6th from 8:00am – 12pm at the Community Education Building
• Tuesday, December 9th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm (location to be announced)
• Tuesday December 16th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm (location TBA)

(Dover, DE) – In his weekly message, filmed at the Small Business Summit held at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino, Governor Markell shares how the State is supporting small businesses throughout Delaware, with initiatives like Project Pop-Up and the Small Business Focus Program.

“We know that small companies account for the majority of business sales and job creation, so it’s critical we provide the support and environment they need to thrive,” said Governor Markell. “Hardworking entrepreneurs across ours state have great ideas to serve customers in Delaware, throughout the country, and around the world. By ensuring they have the opportunity to reach their potential, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.”

Every week, the Governor’s office releases a new Weekly Message in video, audio, and transcript form. The message is available on:

YouTube: http://youtu.be/kPT3IvD5wks
Delaware.Gov: http://governor.delaware.gov/podcast_video.shtml
By email: Please contact our press team to subscribe to our press list
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/governormarkell
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/governormarkell

FULL TEXT OF MESSAGE

Strengthening the Economy by Supporting Small Businesses – Governor Jack A. Markell Weekly Message

Delaware’s economy is getting stronger, with job growth outpacing the national average over the past two years. And we must ensure our state’s policies help continue this trend.

We know that small companies account for the majority of business sales and job creation, so it’s critical that we provide the support and environment they need to thrive. That means encouraging businesses of all types, from Miller Metal’s fabrication facility in Bridgeville to BrightFields environmental consulting in Wilmington to Royal Treatments, a home décor and window treatments shop owned by Karen Gill in Smyrna. Karen took advantage of our Project Pop-Up program, which provides small business owners three months of rent-free retail space in vacant downtown properties.She and her husband have now started a second company on Smyrna’s Main Street.

Project Pop-Up is part of our comprehensive approach to encourage small business growth. We’ve cut and modified state regulations; doubled the availability of research and development tax credit for small companies; and helped them develop relationships with partners around the world. Our efforts will only have their full effect if all small businesses have a fair chance to prosper. It’s why I was proud to announce the Small Business Focus Program, which helps state agencies consider small companies when purchasing the goods and services that they need. And it ensures that businesspeople with disabilities, as well as companies owned by women, minorities, and veterans, compete for state contracts on a level playing field.

Hardworking entrepreneurs across ours state have great ideas to serve customers in Delaware, throughout the country, and around the world. By ensuring they have the opportunity to reach their potential, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.

Delaware’s economy is getting stronger, with job growth outpacing the national average over the past two years. And we must ensure our state’s policies help continue this trend.

We know that small companies account for the majority of business sales and job creation, so it’s critical that we provide the support and environment they need to thrive. That means encouraging businesses of all types, from Miller Metal’s fabrication facility in Bridgeville to BrightFields environmental consulting in Wilmington to Royal Treatments, a home décor and window treatments shop owned by Karen Gill in Smyrna. Karen took advantage of our Project Pop-Up program, which provides small business owners three months of rent-free retail space in vacant downtown properties.She and her husband have now started a second company on Smyrna’s Main Street.

Project Pop-Up is part of our comprehensive approach to encourage small business growth. We’ve cut and modified state regulations; doubled the availability of research and development tax credit for small companies; and helped them develop relationships with partners around the world. Our efforts will only have their full effect if all small businesses have a fair chance to prosper. It’s why I was proud to announce the Small Business Focus Program, which helps state agencies consider small companies when purchasing the goods and services that they need. And it ensures that businesspeople with disabilities, as well as companies owned by women, minorities, and veterans, compete for state contracts on a level playing field.

Hardworking entrepreneurs across ours state have great ideas to serve customers in Delaware, throughout the country, and around the world. By ensuring they have the opportunity to reach their potential, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.

(DOVER, Del.—Nov. 20, 2014)—The museums of the State of Delaware will be sponsoring seven special events during the month of April 2015. A full schedule is included below. All programs are free and open to the public. For additional information, call 302-744-5055.

Administered by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the six museums of the State of Delaware—the New Castle Court House Museum, the John Dickinson Plantation, the First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries, The Old State House, the Johnson Victrola Museum and the Zwaanendael Museum—tell the story of the First State’s contributions to the history and culture of the United States. Through displays, exhibits and special programs, the museums explore how the state’s distinctive physical environment, in combination with the people who came to live there, gave Delaware an identity that is different from any other place.

Special events, April 2015
Note: Recent program changes are highlighted in brown.

Thursday–Saturday, April 9–11, 2015
Lewes Tulip Festival. City-wide series of activities celebrating Lewes’ Dutch heritage including Dutch games, crafts and a display of Delftware ceramics at the Zwaanendael Museum. Sponsored by the Lewes Chamber of Commerce. Downtown Lewes. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 302-645-8073.

Saturday, April 11, 2015
Demonstrations by the Thistledown Fiber Arts Guild.Program explores spinning, weaving, knitting and other fabric arts. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Program 1–3 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Friday, April 17, 2015
“ ‘Over There’: How Victor’s Musical Industry Influenced the Nation During World War I.” Two-part program begins with a lecture on the contributions of the Victor Talking Machine Company to the war effort to be presented at the Dover Public Library, followed by a presentation at the Johnson Victrola Museum on Victor’s World-War-I-era recordings played on authentic Victor Talking Machines. Partnership between the library and the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Program begins at 7 p.m. at the Dover Public Library, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover. 302-736-7030.

Saturday, April 18, 2015
Dutch-American Friendship Day. Discover Delaware’s Dutch roots and learn how that connection is alive today. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Saturday, April 18, 2015
“The Story of Dinah.” Program explores the life and craft of Dinah Patten, an accomplished spinner and enslaved person owned by the John Dickinson family. A hands-on activity will accompany the program in which the audience learns how to prepare wool for spinning. Partnership between the Dover Public Library and the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Dover Public Library, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover. 2 p.m. 302-736-7030.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Earth Day at the John Dickinson Plantation. Explore the natural beauty at the home of the “Penman of the Revolution,” enjoy tours of the colonial-revival garden and create a scented sachet. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Activities 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Saturday, April 25, 2015
King’s Day. Celebration of the birthday of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in a program that will also explore royal titles and Delaware’s Dutch connection. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-645-1148.

Exhibits and displays, April 2015
In addition to special programming, the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is presenting the following exhibits and displays:

Ongoing
“Delaware and the War of 1812.”Exhibit examines the service and sacrifice of Delawareans of 1812 to 1815, and the important role that the state played in a conflict that helped shaped the development of the United States.Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. from April 1–Oct. 31. Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. from Nov. 1–March 31. 302-645-1148. Note correction to museum hours.

Ongoing
“Emeline Hawkins: Her Journey From Slavery to Freedom on the Underground Railroad.” Exhibit chronicles the compelling story of Emeline Hawkins and her family and their 1845 odyssey on the Underground Railroad from slavery in Maryland, through Delaware to freedom in Pennsylvania. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. Mon.–Sat., 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-323-4453.

Ongoing
Sculptures by Charles Parks. Display of works by the noted Wilmington artist featuring historical and political figures including a Minute Man, and presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George W. Bush. New Castle Court House Museum, 211 Delaware St., New Castle. Mon.–Sat., 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. 302-323-4453. Recently added display.

Ongoing
“A Seaborne Citizenry: The DeBraak and Its Atlantic World.” Exhibit utilizes artifacts recovered from His Majesty’s Sloop of War DeBraak, a British warship that sank off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798 to tell the story of the vessel, its crew and the historical context within which it operated in the Atlantic World of the late 18th century. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. from April 1–Oct. 31. Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. from Nov. 1–March 31. 302-645-1148. Note correction to museum hours.

Ongoing
“Simple Machines.” Exhibit demonstrating the six “simple machines”—incline ramp, screw, wedge, pulley, lever and wheel—that constitute the elementary building blocks of which many more-complicated machines are composed. John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover. Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. 302-739-3277.

Ongoing
“Simple Pleasures: Picnic, Play and Dance.” Display of original Edwardian and roaring-20s fall and winter fashions and sporting attire that reflect the spirit of the liberated “modern” woman as depicted in the Downton Abbey television series. From the collections of the state of Delaware. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover. Mon.–Sat., 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. 302-744-5055. Note change in display title and description.

Ongoing
“Simple Pleasures: Play and Dance.” Display of original Edwardian and roaring-20s fall and winter fashions that reflect the spirit of the liberated “modern” woman as depicted in the Downton Abbey television series. From the collections of the state of Delaware. Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes. Tue.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Sun., 1:30–4:30 p.m. from April 1–Oct. 31. Wed.–Sat., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. from Nov. 1–March 31. 302-645-1148. Recently added display.

-End-

Contact:
Jim Yurasek
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
Phone: 302-736-7413
E-mail: Jim.Yurasek@delaware.gov
Web: http://history.delaware.gov

DOVER – The federal government should adopt rules that protect consumers from mandatory arbitration clauses in important contracts, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden and his colleagues in 15 other states wrote in a letter sent this week to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The mandatory arbitration clauses are inserted by financial institutions into critical contracts for essential financial products, such as credit card, payday loan and checking account agreements. The language either has the effect of prohibiting the consumer from pursuing a claim against the financial institution in court or makes it prohibitively expensive by restricting the consumers’ rights to form a class-action lawsuit. Also, unlike court proceedings, arbitration matters are usually decided in secret and the decisions are not publicized.

As the chief consumer protectors of their states, the Attorneys General asked CFPB Director Richard Cordray to protect consumers’ fundamental rights to assert their claims in court in their letter.

“The need for regulations to protect the public interest has never been so great,” the Attorneys General wrote. “Over the past decade, judicial decisions and business practices have diminished consumers’ rights and bargaining power with respect to contracts for financial services. ”

The letter, which was organized by Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, was sent to the CFPB as part of the agency’s research into mandatory arbitration clauses. The 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requires the agency to conduct extensive research before determining whether mandatory arbitration clauses are harmful to consumers before issuing any regulations.

“As Delaware’s chief consumer protector, it is my job to speak up for Delawareans and look out for their interests,” Biden said. “We have made significant progress in strengthening Delaware’s consumer protection laws. The federal government also has an important role to play in protecting consumers. These mandatory arbitration clauses can be harmful to consumers and can deprive them of important rights.”

Financial institutions tuck the arbitration into the fine print of contracts and consumers often are not even aware of what they are agreeing to. Financial institutions often make it mandatory that consumers agree to submit to the arbitration process before opening a checking account or issuing a credit card, so consumers often have no real way to negotiate or otherwise insist on protecting their rights.

“Mandatory pre-dispute arbitration is procedurally unfair to consumers, and jeopardizes one of the fundamental rights of Americans; the right to be heard and seek judicial redress for our claims,” the Attorneys General wrote to Cordray, himself a former Ohio Attorney General. “These contractual requirements are neither voluntary nor readily understandable for most consumers.  Often consumers do not recognize the significance of these provisions, if they are aware of them at all. “

In addition to Delaware, Massachusetts and Kentucky, the following states also signed onto the letter: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

A copy of the letter is available here on Attorney General Biden’s Web site:  http://1.usa.gov/1xGl6WS