The D-Day invasion of Normandy is remembered as an American triumph and the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. On Saturday, June 7, 10:30 a.m. the Delaware Public Archives will commemorate the 70th anniversary of this pivotal day in American and World history with a special program at the Archives about the battle. This program will explore elements of the battle often left out of the narrative including the high level of risk and uncertainty faced by American officers and the sacrifices made by the troops on the blood-soaked beaches. How did these soldiers survive situations in which they had to sometimes offset the miscalculations of their superiors with their own raw courage? What was it like, on June 6, 1944, to ride the first troop transports onto the beaches, to land by parachute in the French countryside, or to have to wait in England to find out if the mission had succeeded or failed? Join us at the Delaware Public Archives for this program and find out.

The program is free to the public. No reservations are required. For more information, contact Tom Summers (302) 744-5047 or e-mail thomas.summers@delaware.gov.

The Delaware Public Archives is located at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard North in Dover. The Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room is open to the public Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. On the second Saturday of every month the research room is open from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Wilmington – The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has announced an immediate closure of Bridge 1-813 over the Christina River on 1-495.

DelDOT is closing the bridge today because an inspection showed four of the 37 support columns are tilted as much as four percent out of vertical alignment. The bridge is closed as of 6:00 p.m. today.  This will cause a significant impact to the traveling public, and we are coordinating with local, state, and federal partners to provide information as we receive it. Our bridge engineers and consultant are on the scene and are placing tilt sensors to monitor the bridge.

I-495 will be closed northbound at Terminal Avenue and message boards are in place on I-95 and SR 1 and Rt. 13. Local northbound traffic can stay on I-495 to Terminal Avenue. I-495 southbound will be closed at the Pennsylvania State Line.  Southbound traffic will be directed to take I-95 southbound.

DelDOT received a report about an anomaly with a column late Friday. An inspection crew was sent out first thing Monday morning. Additionally, a notification was received from a DelDOT Equipment Operator Monday morning who noticed a shifting of the concrete barrier on the road surface. After reviewing the data and pictures, our bridge engineer recommended closure until further investigation can be done.

Bridge 1-813 over the Christina is a concrete deck on steel beams, built in 1974.  It was last inspected in October 2012, and bridges of this type are inspected every two years. This section of I-495 carries approximately 90,000 vehicles daily.

Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

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Georgetown – Attorney General Beau Biden’s General’s Consumer Protection Unit has secured the arrest of 42 year-old Eric Lepkowski on multiple charges in a scheme to defraud a 68 year-old Sussex County homeowner.  Lepkowski turned himself in on Friday, May 30 at DSP Troop #4 and was booked on one count of Home Improvement Fraud, one count of Theft of a Senior, three counts of Unlawful Use of a Credit Card, and three counts of Identity Theft.  He was arraigned via videophone by JP Court #2, and was released after posting $10,000 secured bond.

Earlier this year Biden’s Consumer Protection Unit initiated an investigation of Lepkowski, of Windy Acres Lane in Millsboro, after receiving a complaint that that he had defrauded a Rehoboth Beach homeowner in a home improvement scheme between February and August of 2013.  The investigation revealed that Lepkowski, who markets himself as a contractor doing business as First State Home Services, convinced the victim to pay him $1,600 up-front for labor and materials costs, secured permission to charge the victim’s credit card $5,000 to cover all future labor costs, and convinced the victim to place $600 in an account at Lowes in Lepkowski’s name to purchase materials for projects for the home renovation project.  Lepkowski secured verbal permission to use the victim’s credit card number for additional material purchases at Home Depot and Lowes, and continued to demand additional payment for labor.  In total, the victim ultimately paid Lepkowski more than $10,000.

After repeated attempts by the victim to obtain copies of store receipts for materials purchases from Lepkowski were unsuccessful, the victim obtained them personally from the stores.  A review of the receipts revealed more than $1,500 in unauthorized purchases, including materials not needed or used on the condo project, personal items, and tools purchased that were unknown to the victim which were not needed for this project.  In addition, the investigation revealed several unauthorized charges from the victim’s credit card to Lepkowski’s Square One credit card charging account before Lepkowski ultimately ceased working on the still-uncompleted project.

Subsequent review of Lepkowski’s work revealed that hardware and other construction materials purchased specifically for the project had not been installed and that his work had not been completed to code.  Moreover, it was determined that Lepkowski is not licensed in the City of Rehoboth and was not licensed by the State to perform electrical and plumbing, which were both part of the scope of work for this project.

Biden’s office urges other consumers who may have been victimized or have information to share with authorities to contact Special Investigator Dan Daly in the Consumer Protection Unit at (302) 752-3215.  Additional alleged victims have been identified by investigators and the investigation is ongoing.

A booking image of Lepkowski is attached.

Eric Lepkowski was previously convicted of Home Improvement Fraud in 2009.

The Attorney General’s Office cautions the public to be alert for home improvement scams, and to help avoid them by making certain that contractors are bonded and maintain any required licenses for mechanical work, follow up on references, inquire with friends and neighbors about a contractor’s reputation, and never pay for work up front.  If consumer suspect they are victim of home improvement fraud contact the Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-220-5424.

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Delaware pollution reductions have proven this approach can be successful

 Wilmington, DE – Governor Jack Markell released a statement today supporting the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement of a proposed regulation to combat climate change by reducing power plant carbon pollution by 30 percent by 2030.

“The impact of climate change is clear, from rising sea levels to more powerful and frequent extreme weather events that put Delaware families and businesses at risk. We have an obligation to address the root cause of these changes and that means limiting carbon pollution from our power plants.

“I applaud the President for taking bold action with an approach that achieves significant emissions reductions while maximizing flexibility for states and power companies to make the changes that work best for them. I know this approach can work because we’ve seen its environmental and economic benefits in Delaware. By shutting down or fuel-switching our dirtiest power plants, we achieved faster emissions reductions than any other state while reducing energy bills through efficiency, and creating opportunities for research, manufacturing, and construction jobs. Importantly, the EPA encourages more partnerships like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in which Delaware and eight other states have joined to reduce carbon pollution from power plants by more than 40 percent since 2005.

“This effort can provide the catalyst to make the dramatic changes necessary to protect our communities and transition to a clean energy economy. We cannot afford to wait.”

Nominations for the 2014 Governor’s Awards for the Arts are now being accepted. These prestigious awards recognize the contributions of individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions and a lasting and profound impact on the artistic and cultural life of Delaware.

A reception and awards ceremony will be held in October 2014 to honor those selected by the Governor’s Awards Selection Committee. Nominees should be individuals with legal residence in Delaware or an organization or business based in Delaware. Division staff, Arts Council members, members of their families, and previous recipients are not eligible for nomination.

Nominations are now being accepted in the following categories:
Individual – artist, arts educator, arts administrator, arts advocate, arts patron
Organization – arts organization, business, government, media
Collaboration – two or more of the above entities working together in and for the arts

Complete information about the Governor’s Awards for the Arts, nomination form and instructions are available at http://www.artsdel.org/govawards/. The deadline for the submission of the nomination packets is Friday, June 20, 2014.

Questions can be directed to Sheila Ross 302-577-8284.