Secretary Pritzker will tour Delaware manufacturers and will be featured guest at manufacturers roundtable discussion

Wilmington, DE – Governor Jack Markell, U.S. Senator Chris Coons, and U.S. Congressman John Carney (both D-Del.) will host U.S. Secretary of Commerce and member of President Obama’s Cabinet, Penny Pritzker to celebrate National Manufacturing Day on Friday, October 2. National Manufacturing Day is a growing movement dedicated to overcoming the industry’s shared challenges, encouraging careers in one of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, and inspiring the next generation of manufacturers. The group will tour two of Delaware’s most creative manufacturers in the morning and will host a roundtable discussion at Hagley Museum.

Sen. Coons is co-chair and founder of the Manufacturing Jobs for America Initiative, a package of legislation that would help manufacturers grow and create jobs, and refocus Washington’s attention on the 11 million Americans still looking for work. The bills come from more than twenty senators from around the country, and center on four general themes: strengthening America’s 21st century workforce, opening markets abroad, creating the conditions necessary for growth, and expanding access to capital.

The tour will start at Newark-based Accudyne. Established in 1996, Accudyne designs and develops one-of-a-kind equipment and processes for each customer’s specific requirements. The tour will take guests through the design, fabrication, assembly, and testing phases of one of their products. Accudyne currently has 35 employees. The location of the second phase of the tour will be at fifth-generation manufacturer and woman-owned business, M. Davis. Founded in 1870 as a tinsmith shop, M. Davis today is a full-service industrial construction company, providing design and build, fabrication, engineering and maintenance for national and international clients in industries that include oil and gas, chemical, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical. Last year, the company earned $53 million in revenue, and their CEO, Peggy Davis Del Fabbro, received the Women’s Business Enterprise Star Award, honoring exemplary women business leaders, from the WBE National Council.

“To lead in the global economy, we must engage the next generation of workers and excite our youth about the potential of a career in manufacturing,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. “At the Department of Commerce, we created Manufacturing Day to help the public, and young people in particular, understand that manufacturers are innovative, inventive businesses, where workers develop and use the latest technology and build lasting, middle class careers. The commitment of our nation’s manufacturers to host events on Manufacturing Day provides Americans with a better understanding of modern manufacturing, and highlights the importance of a strong manufacturing sector to our nation’s long-term economic health.”

“I am looking forward to hosting Secretary Pritzker and her staff in Wilmington on National Manufacturing Day, and showing her how Delaware is leading the way on connecting manufacturers to new young workers,” said Sen. Coons. “Her work and advocacy on behalf of American manufacturing and her understanding of growing manufacturing jobs in Delaware and across the country is imperative in expanding our middle class.”

“We need to make things in America again to grow our economy and create jobs for the middle class,” said Congressman Carney.  “That’s why I helped introduce the Make it in America agenda in the House.  And why I’m glad Secretary Pritzker is visiting Delaware to mark National Manufacturing Day.  It’s a chance to recognize manufacturers doing great things in our state, and to focus on creating more manufacturing jobs to benefit consumers, support workers, and strengthen the economy.”

“Manufacturing Week provides an opportunity to both celebrate the important contributions of this industry, while reinforcing Delaware’s commitment to support its evolution, recognizing a strong manufacturing sector today looks different than in decades past,” said Governor Markell. “We are delighted to host Secretary Pritzker and showcase our ongoing efforts in this field.”

Your coverage is invited.

WHO:             Governor Jack Markell

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker

U.S. Senator Chris Coons

U.S. Congressman John Carney

WHEN:            Friday, October 2, 2015

Media should arrive at 9:00 a.m. ET

WHERE:           Wilmington, DE

RSVP:              Members of the press wishing to attend must RSVP to publicaffairs@doc.gov

SCHEDULE:

9:30 a.m.              Accudyne Systems tour

210 Executive Drive

Newark, DE 19702

11:25 a.m.           M. Davis tour with engineering students

200 Hadco Road

Wilmington, DE 19804

About Secretary Pritzker:

Secretary Pritzker is a key member of President Obama’s economic team, with 27 years of private sector experience. Since taking office, she has worked closely with the business community and helped advance the President’s priorities of expanding growth and opportunity for all Americans. Guided by conversations with more than 1,500 CEOs and business leaders, and over one-third of the Fortune 500 CEOs, Secretary Pritzker has developed the “Open for Business Agenda.” This bold strategic plan and policy blueprint  for the Commerce Department focuses on expanding trade and investment, unleashing government data for economic benefit, spurring innovation, protecting the environment—and executing these priorities with operational excellence as careful stewards of taxpayer dollars.

About National Manufacturing Day

Manufacturing Day℠ is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. Although Manufacturing Day officially occurs on the first Friday in October—this year is October 2, 2015—any day can be a Manufacturing Day.

MFG DAY addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is — and what it isn’t. By working together during and after MFG DAY, manufacturers will begin to address the skilled labor shortage they face, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry.

Supported by a group of industry sponsors and co-producers, MFG DAY is designed to amplify the voice of individual manufacturers and coordinate a collective chorus of manufacturers with common concerns and challenges. The rallying point for a growing mass movement, MFG DAY empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive.

###

Smyrna – The Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) is monitoring Hurricane Joaquin, and is in communication with its partners at the National Weather Service, and the National Hurricane Center.

The forecast track for Joaquin is uncertain at this time, but it is reasonably sure that the tropical system will have an impact of some kind on Delaware over the weekend.  It is too early to tell exactly what that impact will be.

Here is the latest from the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, NJ…

“A dangerous weather pattern is developing for our region. Threats include very heavy rainfall, inland river flooding, as well as major coastal flooding with heavy surf and beach erosion. These impacts will be felt this week from a storm system affecting the region. There is now also the potential for major impacts from Hurricane Joaquin affecting the region this weekend into early next week.”

“Many locations saw one to two inches from last night’s rainfall. Additional rainfall amounts over the next seven days of 4 to 10 inches are possible for the region, with some locations seeing locally higher amounts.”

“Additional rainfall amounts of 4 to 10 inches will result in a greatly increased threat of flash flooding as well as inland river flooding. If we get the higher rainfall amounts, some of the flooding will be severe.”

“Starting Thursday, winds will become northeast and intensify. Wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph are possible over inland locations. Wind gusts of 45+ mph are possible in coastal areas. If Hurricane Joaquin directly affects the region, hurricane force winds are possible.”

“Moderate coastal flooding is possible on Thursday. Moderate to major coastal flooding is now possible on Friday with the strong northeast winds. This is in advance of any impacts from Hurricane Joaquin. If Hurricane Joaquin directly affects the region, major to record coastal flooding is possible.”

“Heavy rainfall will impact the region again Thursday night into Friday, along with the risk of inland river flooding and major coastal flooding. The most likely timeframe for impacts from Hurricane Joaquin affecting the region is Sunday into Monday.

Never…never ever drive into flooded roadways. Take action now to mitigate the effects of flooding…check storm drains and sewer grates along curbs near your property to assure that they are clear of leaves debris that could cause backups and flooding.

While it is not raining, check rain gutters and spouts on your home to make sure they are cleared of leaves and small branches.

High winds are also on the way so make sure that loose items in the yard are secured.

Check and update your Home Emergency Kit. It’s a good idea to have a radio capable of receiving NOAA forecasts.

For tips on how to prepare, log on to ready.gov.

DEMA will send updates as they become available.

Libraries offer partnerships, services, and programs to support the blind and visually impaired

WHAT: The Delaware Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and Delaware Library Access Services (DLAS) are kicking off the national Meet the Blind Month Saturday, October 3, 2015, from 11am – 1pm at the Dover Public Library.

WHO: The event will be emceed by NFB Delaware Chapter President, Debbie Briddell.  The event will also feature remarks by Senator Brian Bushweller and a proclamation by Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen.  This event is free and open to the public.

WHEN: Saturday, October 3, 2015, from 11am – 1pm

WHERE: The Dover Public Library, 35 Loockerman Plaza, Dover, DE 19901

WHY: Meet the Blind Month is a nationwide campaign to increase awareness of, and support for, the blind and visually impaired. During this month, NFB members spread this message by conducting a variety of outreach activities that will create opportunities for people to meet the blind of their communities. Delaware Library Access Services provides books in Braille and audiobooks in accessible formats for the blind and physically handicapped residents of Delaware. DLAS is the Delaware regional branch of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) of the Library of Congress.

CONTACT: Sonja Brown, Delaware Library Access Services, 302-257-3000, sonja.brown@delaware.gov

About:
The Delaware Division of Libraries, a state agency dedicated to unleashing the potential in all Delawareans in partnership with Delaware Libraries, offers free access to the online catalog (delawarelibraries.org), Wi-Fi, computers/internet, eBooks, programs/classes, community partnerships, and more.

Dover, Del. – State Auditor, R. Thomas Wagner, Jr., is pleased to report that MOT Charter School and Thomas A. Edison Charter School consistently got it right by establishing and following internal controls, which helped ensure compliance with rules and regulations. The same cannot be said for Delaware College Preparatory Academy (DCPA) and Kuumba Academy Charter School (KACS).

The DCPA Board President claimed she made an unrecorded related party loan to the school. As part of her response to the otherwise untraceable arrangement, she provided a letter dated August 2011 in which she approves her loan to the school. The lack of appropriate accounting and related party disclosure aside, she stated she was not aware of the “why and how’s of the [$11,252.87 in] transactions” for which she was reimbursed. The Board President’s reimbursements were highly questionable as legitimate business expenses given the nature of the transactions and the missing or poor quality supporting documentation. The Executive Director of DCPA also received $18,025.78 of which $11,740.87 (65%) lacked supporting documentation to justify the reimbursement. At one point DCPA’s Board President writes “…I am not following why DCPA needs to justify expenses incurred to run its business…”

Kuumba Academy Charter School (KACS) processed payments made in addition to the employees’ salaries for the same work already included in their job descriptions. This arrangement took place for the Head of School, the Assistant Head of School, and a custodian to provide payments for the same services they were employed to perform. In the case of the custodian, his contract was almost as much as his salary as a full-time employee. During the same period, a Managing Director of a CPA Firm held a contract to perform the “Financial Director” responsibilities for the School at a cost of $4,000.00 per month.

A copy of the complete report can be found at: Charter School PCard and Personal Reimbursements Inspection.

For more information, please contact Kathleen A. Davies, CPA-PA, CISA, CGAP, CGFM, CFE, Chief Administrative Auditor, at 302-857-3919 or kathleen.davies@delaware.gov.

Dr. Senad Cemerlic, an anesthesiologist and owner of ABG Pain Clinic located at 1609 South State Street in Dover, was arrested on six counts of felony health care fraud on Sept. 22, 2015. The arrest follows a lengthy investigation by the Department of Justice Medicaid Fraud Control Unit into various billing schemes perpetuated between November 2012 and September 2013 at the clinic.

Following a tip to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit hotline in 2013, an investigation was conducted into Dr. Cemerlic’s billing practices for patient in-office testing, examinations and treatment allegedly provided at the clinic. With the assistance of federal and state partners, including agents from the US Department of Health and Social Services, Office of Inspector General, DOJ investigators identified extensive patterns of alleged fraud throughout 2012 and 2013.

The alleged health care fraud by Dr. Cemerlic includes billing for services never provided to patients, submitting claims for services and testing that were not medically necessary, billing for tests and equipment provided by an outside laboratory vendor, and “upcoding,” or submitting claims for procedures and tests with higher reimbursement codes than the actual procedures or tests performed. The alleged fraudulent claims were submitted to the Delaware Medicaid program, as well as to Medicare and third-party private insurers.

“Fraudulent billing for services not rendered is one of the factors in health care costs being too high, and finding and prosecuting cases of Medicaid fraud is one of the key priorities I have set for our office,” said Attorney General Matt Denn. “I want to recognize the efforts of Deputy Attorney General Tina Showalter and Chief Investigator Pat Corcoran of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for their work resulting in this arrest.”

Cermerlic was released on $112,000 unsecured bail, with conditions that he not practice medicine, or have patient contact. He was also ordered to surrender his passport.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.