The Delaware Department of Education has announced the recipients of four state merit scholarship programs for the 2018-19 academic year. Merit scholarships are competitive and awarded based on a student’s academic performance, participation in school activities and service to the community. Students may apply for Delaware merit scholarships in their senior year of high school. All four awards are renewable. Three of the programs are memorial scholarships that honor state legislators and provide full tuition, fees, room, board, and books at the public colleges in Delaware. Those scholarships are:

• The B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the former Speaker of the State House of Representatives, is awarded to one student each year enrolling full-time at the University of Delaware. Dana Wilkins, a graduate of Newark Charter School, is the recipient of the B. Bradford Barnes Memorial Scholarship. Wilkins will major in biomedical engineering.

• The Herman M. Holloway, Sr. Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the first African-American State Senator in Delaware, is awarded to one student each year enrolling full-time at Delaware State University. Carissa Thorne, a graduate of Caesar Rodney High School in the Caesar Rodney School District received the Herman M. Holloway, Sr. Memorial Scholarship. Thorne will major in kinesiology.

• The Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the former Speaker of the State House of Representatives, is awarded annually to one full-time student at the University of Delaware and one full-time student at Delaware State University who are majoring in the humanities or social sciences. (Preference is given to political science majors.) Caroline Klinger of private Padua Academy, is the recipient of the Charles L. Hebner Memorial Scholarship at University of Delaware. She will major in political science. Malia Brittingham, a homeschool graduate, is the recipient at Delaware State University. She will major in history.

• The Diamond State Scholarship assists full-time students attending regionally accredited, nonprofit colleges in any state. Winners of the Diamond State Scholarship receive $1,250 per year. For the 2018-19 academic year, 35 students were awarded Diamond State Scholarships. They are listed below by high school:

Media Contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

New 1.15 megawatt solar farm will save WHA $1.2 million and provide clean, renewable energy to housing authority residents

WILMINGTON, Del. – The Wilmington Housing Authority (WHA), joined by Mayor Mike Purzycki, Governor John Carney and other local and state officials, today officially dedicated its new Southbridge Solar Park at 900 South Claymont Street. The 1.15 megawatt solar installation will save the housing authority money and provide clean, renewable solar-generated electricity to WHA residents. The solar array – developed, financed and constructed by New York-based Ecogy Energy— is currently the largest, privately-financed, public housing solar project in the United States.

Located at the site of the former 180-unit WHA Southbridge Extension, the solar farm is estimated to produce 40 million kilowatt hours of electricity over the lifetime of the project. The clean energy produced by this solar project is equivalent to the polluting CO2 emissions from more than 69,000 barrels of oil or nearly 33,000,000 pounds of coal burned. In addition to managing the construction of the solar park, Ecogy Energy will monitor and maintain the facility.

“We’re honored to have been able to authorize this important energy-saving program,” said Karen Spellman, Interim Executive Director of the Wilmington Housing Authority. “Working with Ecogy and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), we have been able to turn an unused lot into a radiant ‘sun-garden’ that will save the housing authority $1.2 million over the life of the energy contract. In turn, we can focus those savings on the needed maintenance of our existing housing stock.”

The savings to the WHA will come from virtual net energy metering, through which the WHA will receive credit for any additional energy being produced to supply multiple WHA-owned properties. The WHA houses ten percent of Wilmington’s population (or approximately 7,000 residents) in 4,000 multiple and single housing units via the Low-Income Public Housing (LIPH) and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) programs throughout the city.

“We’re happy to help celebrate this innovative project, which will create jobs, build on our efforts to promote sustainability, and reduce emissions,” said Governor John Carney. “Thank you to the Wilmington Housing Authority and Ecogy Energy for their leadership in partnering on this important work.”

“I applaud WHA and Ecogy Energy for their commitment to this innovative project,” said Mayor Purzycki. “This project has leveraged private capital to create local jobs, contribute to state and local sustainability efforts, and assist the largest direct provider of affordable housing in Delaware in saving money on energy costs.”

“As a company, we are invested in helping bridge the gap of inequality that exists in owning and using solar energy,” said Ken Becker, Partner at Ecogy Energy. “The Wilmington Housing Authority has stepped into a national leadership position with this project, and will be using the economic benefits of the project to improve housing for our lowest income population.”

The Southbridge Solar Park project is currently a contender for the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Prize as part of the Solar in Your Community Challenge, a $5 million contest that supports innovative and replicable community-based solar business models and programs that will bring solar to underserved communities. The final prize announcement will be made in January 2019.

Also participating in today’s event were State Senator Harris McDowell, City Council President Hanifa Shabazz, 4th District City Council Representative Michelle Harlee, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer, Chairman of WHA Board of Commissioners Steve Martin, Maria L. Bynum of the HUD Wilmington Field Office, and Marie Reed of the Southbridge Civic Association.

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Delaware’s drivers may notice more flowers sprouting up on the state’s nearly 14,000 lane miles of roadside this year. The steep decline of monarch butterflies and other pollinator species is believed to be due in part to loss of suitable habitats. Pollinators are animals that help plants reproduce by moving pollen from one part of the plant to another. Because many crops depend on pollination, pollinators contribute billions of dollars’ worth of value to the economy each year.

Over the past several years, DelDOT implemented changes to its management practices to benefit pollinators. In the past, the agency promoted well-manicured turf grass along the state’s roads. These management practices effectively create food deserts for pollinators who depend on blooming plants. To support pollinators, DelDOT started incorporating more native species and clover into its seed mixes, and has transitioned to a reduced mowing regime. For instance, along portions of SR 1, the agency continues to mow a safety strip adjacent to the road, but land beyond the safety strip is not mowed during most of the growing season. This allows wildflowers an opportunity to thrive, which can benefit pollinators.

“There are numerous areas along our roads throughout the state that we have regularly mowed just to keep the natural growth down. This innovative program allows DelDOT to not only help pollinators, but it reduces the amount of mowing in some areas and provides a much more visually appealing landscape by our roads,” said Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan.

“Conservation is an all-hands-on-deck effort and I’m so glad that DelDOT is committing to being part of the solution for Delaware’s native species decline,” said Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, who chaired the Ecological Extinction Task Force and has been a champion for conservation in the General Assembly. “This is a win-win for the agency, for our environment, for taxpayers, and for motorists who get to drive past miles of wildflowers. It’s also a valuable demonstration to individual landowners, businesses, and neighborhoods that best practices for conservation aren’t just ecologically friendly, but also often look better and cost less than the alternative. I’m grateful to Sec. Cohan and her team for their partnership in protecting Delaware’s pollinators and promoting conservation.”

DelDOT is also partnering with other organizations to create more pollinator habitats. DelDOT’s Roadside Environmental Supervisor, Darin Callaway, created experimental pollinator plots through a partnership with Dr. Susan Barton from the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Program. The results of the experimental plots will inform Delaware’s future pollinator plantings. The agency is also set to break ground on a 43-acre pollinator meadow mitigation site outside of Middletown. DelDOT’s Environmental Planner, Erika Furlong, partnered with DNREC’s Eric Ludwig to design and install the site, and the Delaware Forest Service’s Todd Gsell will help maintain it.

DelDOT has joined 24 energy and transportation organizations to develop a conservation agreement for the monarch butterfly. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) is expected to decide whether or not to list the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act next year. The conservation agreement’s purpose is to facilitate voluntary conservation measures to benefit the monarch butterfly (and other pollinators) by energy and transportation organizations that manage large tracts of land. In exchange, USFWS would provide greater regulatory certainty and help streamline requirements under the Endangered Species Act if the monarch is listed. The efforts are led by the University of Illinois at Chicago and are an outgrowth of the Rights-of-Way as Habitat Working Group.

DelDOT’s pollinator efforts reflect the agency’s commitment to environmental stewardship and to staying in line with industry practices, which increasingly recognize the ecological value of roadsides. At the start of National Pollinator Week, DelDOT hopes residents will help spread the buzz about pollinators and the important role that they play!

To learn more about National Pollinator Week, visit the Pollinator Partnership. 

Guns, Drugs, Burglary Lead To Other Convictions

A murder at the former Gold Club in Wilmington has resulted in a guilty verdict for a New York man that will lead to a sentence of life in prison. Deputy Attorneys General Zachary Rosen and Joseph Grubb secured the conviction against 30-year-old Lamott Matthews of Bronx, NY. In November 2015, Matthews shot and killed 35-year-old William Brown of Wilmington after a brief argument at the club. A Superior Court jury convicted Matthews of Murder First Degree, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited. A judge will sentence Matthews in August. The chief investigating officer was Dan Grassi of the Delaware State Police. Paralegal Stacey Coupe, social worker Kristen Fluharty-Emory, and tech specialist Theodore Griffin of DOJ assisted with the prosecution.

A 28-year-old Wilmington woman faces a life sentence for her conviction for a 2017 murder in the city. A Superior Court jury found Deneisha Wright guilty of Murder First Degree, Attempted Robbery First Degree, and 2 counts of Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony. In a separate bench trial, Wright was convicted of Possession of a Firearm By Person Prohibited. In January 2017, officers responded to a report of shots fired near the 2200 block of North Lamotte Street and found 66-year-old Charles May sitting in his pickup truck suffering from gunshot wounds. An investigation showed Wright walked up to the truck, pointed the gun at May and attempted to rob him of pills and money. When May resisted, Wright fired several shots into the cab of the pickup truck, hitting May twice. A Superior Court judge will sentence Wright in October. Deputy Attorneys General John Downs and Rebecca Song prosecuted the case. Sergeant Justin Kreysa of the Wilmington Police Department was the lead investigator. From DOJ, investigator Cliff Dempsey, social worker Crystal Pitts and paralegal Stacey Coupe also were part of the prosecution.

A 35-year-old Wilmington man faces a minimum of 10 years in prison after a Superior Court jury found him guilty of drug and weapons offenses. Deputy Attorney General Timothy Maguire secured the conviction for Robert Potts, aka Tahlal Wal-Ikram, on charges of Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited, Carrying a Concealed Deadly Weapon, Drug Dealing, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. In September 2017, during a traffic stop, police found a gun, ammunition, and drugs in Potts’s car. Potts, barred from having a gun because of previous felony convictions on drug charges, faces between 10 and 64 years in prison when sentenced by a Superior Court judge in September.

Deputy Attorney General Rebecca Song secured a 9-year prison sentence for Myles Harris, 23, of Wilmington, for his conviction on drug and weapons offenses. In March 2017, after an investigation, officers with the Wilmington Police Drugs, Organized Crime, and Vice Division executed a search warrant at Harris’s apartment on Towne Estates Drive and found more than 1,500 bags of heroin, 7 grams of crack cocaine, and a loaded handgun with the serial number destroyed. A Superior Court jury convicted Harris in January 2018 of 4 counts of Drug Dealing Heroin, Drug Dealing Cocaine, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Person Prohibited, Possession of Ammunition by a Person Prohibited, Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial number, and 2 counts of Possessing Drug Paraphernalia. A Superior Court judge sentenced Harris, who was prohibited from possessing a gun because of previous firearms convictions, to 9 years in prison, followed by 6 months of work release or home confinement, then 18 months of probation.

A 22-year-old Laurel man was sentenced to 11 years in prison for his guilty plea to attempted rape and burglary charges. Deputy Attorney General Casey L. Ewart secured the sentence for Tyrone Jenkins-Heath. In May 2017, Jenkins-Heath broke into a home on Penn Street in Laurel, planning to steal items, including the victim’s underwear, and to force the two women living in the home to perform oral sex on him. The defendant’s plan was thwarted when the women fled the house through a bedroom window. In April 2018, Jenkins-Heath pled guilty to 2 counts of Attempted Rape Third Degree and one count of Burglary Second Degree. A Superior Court judge sentenced Jenkins-Heath to 11 years in prison including the completion of the Transitions Sex offender program, followed by 6 months in a sex offender halfway house, then 5 years of probation. Jenkins-Heath must also register as a Tier III sex offender. DOJ administrative specialist Angelique Waters and victim/witness social worker Carla Ennals assisted with the prosecution, and the case was investigated by detectives from the Delaware State Police.

GEORGETOWN — The Division of Public Health (DPH) Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness Section (EMSPS) will host a two-day, operations-based exercise on Tuesday, June 19, and Wednesday, June 20, at Sussex Central High School, 26026 Patriots Way, Georgetown. The purpose of the exercise is to test the division’s ability to operate a shelter for residents who may be displaced or unable to occupy their homes in the event of a disaster.

Area residents will notice DPH staff and emergency vehicles at the Sussex Central High School campus in Georgetown during this two-day timeframe, but should be advised that activities taking place are simulation only, and should not to be mistaken for a real-life event. A site survey and exercise preparation will take place from noon to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 19, and the full exercise will run from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 20.

This full-scale exercise is one of several emergency planning events that are designed to test public health responsibilities during mass care operations. This exercise focuses on the mass care shelter components of a response. The exercise planning team will test several capabilities relating to staff notification, intelligence sharing, and Medical Reserve Corps training. Testing all functions simultaneously will provide evaluators with an accurate assessment of response plans and responders.

“This is a vitally important exercise as it will test our staff’s readiness to assemble and effectively run a shelter in the event of an actual emergency,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. “Our commitment to keeping all Delawareans safe during a disaster is a top priority and one we take seriously. I look forward to a successful exercise over the course of these two days.”

DPH will incorporate the lessons learned from this exercise into existing plans to improve future responses. A critical area during exercises such as this one is to train with partner agencies identified as having a responsibility in emergency planning. DPH continues to partner with federal, state, and local stakeholders to prepare for a seamless response during future events.

For more information about the EMSPS exercise schedule, visit http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/php/excalendar.html.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.