In accordance with Title 7, Chapter 54, Section 5406(b) of the Delaware Code, the Director of the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Department of State, hereby gives notice of the discovery of unmarked human skeletal remains near Hawks Nest Circle in Lewes, Sussex County. The remains were discovered during construction work on private property.

The number of graves, and the age, gender and ethnicity of the individuals is uncertain. At least three burials are present. Initial study indicates that at least one of the individuals is of European or African descent. The dates of the burials are unknown, but are most likely to be between 1670 and 1900. The Woolgast, Clark, Clement, Oldman, Jacobs, Clarke, Phillips, Thomas, Burton, Wolfe, Gibbons and Willard families owned the land during this time period, but there may have been undocumented inhabitants.

Any persons who have reason to believe they may be next-of-kin to these individuals or have evidence that they have relatives buried in this location should contact the Director, Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, 21 The Green, Dover, DE 19901-3611; telephone 302-736-7400; weekdays between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; no later than Dec. 3, 2014.

-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

(Wilmington, DE) – In his weekly message, Governor Markell highlights the State’s efforts to support and recognize great teachers and their impact on overall student success.
“We all know how important teachers are to our children’s academic success,” said Governor Markell. “By giving great teachers the tools they need to be successful and by fairly rewarding their contributions in our schools, 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/WhIMbDelRnc
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

You can view the Governor’s Weekly Message Transcript: Supporting Great Educators Who Strengthen Our Schools

Crossing the Line video released for Teen Driver Safety Week

Dover- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the US. During Teen Driver Safety Week (Oct 19-25), the Delaware Teen Driver Task Force released a video titled “Crossing the Line”. The video tells the story of a 2012 fatal crash involving 17 year-old Andre Smith who was a passenger in a speeding vehicle driven by 19 year old driver Mar’Kese Marshall-Horsey. Andre Smith was killed in the crash on April 12, 2012 on Route 896 in Middletown.

Andre Smith was a high school senior and star football player at Appoquinimink High School and was to graduate June 13^th, 2012. Unfortunately Andre did not make it to graduation day. After spending the day with friends and on the way home, Andre was riding in the passenger seat when the driver was speeding and lost control of his SUV, swearing into oncoming traffic. The passenger side was struck by another large vehicle, killing Andre instantly.

Speed was one of the contributing factors in this fatal incident said Sean Lugg, Deputy Attorney General for the Delaware Department of Justice. “If it wasn’t for the speed, this collision would not have happened.”

Between 2011 and 2013, drivers aged 19 years and under were responsible for the most speed related injury crashes (22%) in Delaware.  Male drivers accounted for two-thirds (2/3) of those crashes. Kevin M. Bradley M.D., Associate Medical Director of Trauma at Christiana Care Health System, believes young folks are prone to crashes because there is a sense of invincibility and something bad won’t happen to them. “Speed is a factor in injury, because when traveling at a high rate of speed, you are more prone to get into a crash and following that crash you are more likely to have more severe injuries,” Dr. Bradley said.

Nineteen year old Mar’Kese Marshall-Horsey was the driver in Andre Smith’s fatal crash. He was charged with the reckless killing of his friend. “I lost everything; I lost everything and everybody,” said Marshall-Horsey. “One accident put everything out the window.”

The driver is currently serving a 5-year prison term at Howard Young Correctional Facility as a result of his actions that lead to the fatal crash.

“Crossing the Line” documents the consequences that many have suffered as a result of this tragic crash and will also become part of the revised Driver’s Education curriculum to be distributed to all drivers’ education teachers in the State of Delaware.

The video can be viewed and shared on the Office of Highway Safety Arrive Alive DE YouTube channel http://youtu.be/RLiFdKFOkpU.

FRANKFORD, Del. – The Delaware Forest Service plans to conduct a prescribed fire on 74 acres west of U.S. Route 113 near the Town of Frankford, Sussex County. The burning could begin as early as Monday, October 27, though officials estimate the date might be closer to mid-week. The actual date of ignition will depend on local weather and fuel conditions. The land is owned by Delaware Wild Lands Inc., a non-profit conservation organization headquartered in Odessa, Delaware. The prescribed fire will be coordinated by the Delaware Forest Service, which will provide key staff and conduct the burn.

Unlike a wildfire, a prescribed fire or “controlled burn” is a fire that is intentionally ignited according to carefully-defined weather conditions identified in a prescribed burn plan. Factors such as fuel type, wind speed and direction, and air temperatures are critical elements of the prescribed fire plan, which is designed to maximize safety and control and to effectively disperse smoke away from human populations. For this project, the acreage in the prescribed burn plan has been broken into six smaller blocks to allow more effective control of the project. Prescribed fires are a useful land management tool that can be effective for habitat restoration, site preparation for reforestation or other land conservation objectives, removal of accumulated fuels that could cause future wildfires, and invasive species management without the use of herbicides.

In the past year, the Delaware Forest Service completed nine prescribed fires on a total of 184 acres, including a 90-acre controlled burn on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. In 2013, Delaware Forest Service staff worked with officials from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC) Environmental Stewardship Program to conduct a 16-acre prescribed burn at Brandywine Creek State Park. The previous year, the DFS worked with Delaware State Parks officials to conduct a controlled burn at  Cape Henlopen State Park .

It is possible that some residents or visitors to the area may see or smell smoke. People should not be alarmed; the fires will be carefully monitored. Local authorities will be notified prior to burn days and kept informed throughout burning operations.

Contact: Erich T. Burkentine – DFS Southern Regional Forester and Regional Fire Management Officer – 18074 Redden Forest Drive, Georgetown, DE 19947  Office: 302. 856.2893 Cell: 302.233.1994, email: Erich.Burkentine@delaware.gov

###  

Additional contact: John Petersen, Community Relations Officer, Delaware Forest Service
office: 302.698.4552  cell: 302.233.8180 email: john.petersen@delaware.gov

Executive Order #44 has opened the door wider to more small businesses throughout the state

Dover, DE – The State of Delaware prides itself on its business friendliness and willingness to provide opportunities and access to the small business sector.

The recent signing of Executive Order #44 fosters that spirit of inclusion by establishing a Small Business Focus Program. The program increases access to state procurement opportunities for small businesses of a certain size, which promotes transparency and real opportunities for a broader range of small businesses in Delaware. The program also ensures representation for businesspeople with disabilities so that these individuals are included in the state’s supplier diversity initiatives.

These new opportunities and other small business initiatives will be detailed at the 2014 Delaware Small Business Summit, which will be held on Nov. 18 at Dover Downs in Dover. The half-day program begins at 7:30 a.m.

Executive Order #44, signed by Gov. Jack Markell on March 26, 2014, ensures “representation of minority and/or women business enterprises, veteran-owned businesses and businesses owned by individuals with disabilities.”

“Delaware’s small business sector is crucial to our economy, and we need to do all that we can to make sure that all entrepreneurs have a chance to turn their great ideas into successful companies,” Gov. Markell said. “Across the country, many people with disabilities have not been given the opportunities to build successful careers despite their considerable talents. Our supplier diversity efforts can help ensure they are fairly considered to work with the state. And their success will not only be important to their futures, but also to the future of our state.”

Gov. Markell will be the keynote speaker at the 2014 Small Business Summit, which will include two panel discussions: One with state small business leaders, and a second describing the state’s initiatives towards entrepreneurship and business ownership for individuals with disabilities throughout Delaware. The summit will also feature a presentation on the details of the Small Business Focus Program by the Office of Supplier Diversity.

“The Delaware Small Business Summit will reveal new opportunities created by the Small Business Focus Program for individuals with disabilities and smaller businesses throughout the state,” said Ken Anderson, Director for Entrepreneurial and Small Business Support for the Delaware Economic Development Office and Chair of the Governor’s Supplier Diversity Council. “This program will not dilute opportunities from qualified, traditional supplier diversity constituents, but will now include more small businesses that have previously been excluded from the state’s supplier diversity community. This program and the other recent policy initiatives of the Governor’s Supplier Diversity Council will go a long way toward making Delaware’s state procurement process one of the most transparent, nimble and business-friendly in the nation.”

The Small Business Focus Program established by the order is a race and gender neutral small business program for small businesses of a certain size in six different industry sectors:

• Architecture & Engineering services
• Construction
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Service
• Wholesale

“Delaware’s small business community includes an abundance of high-quality companies, brilliant entrepreneurs and long-standing pillars of our community. To exclude anyone of these entities or individuals would be a disservice not only to them but also to our state,” said Alan Levin, Director of the Delaware Economic Development Office. “This executive order and the accompanying programs created by it are not just about leveling the playing field; it’s about making sure that every business has a chance to compete.”

To register, visit the Delaware Economic Development Office’s website.