With schools facing the challenge of unfinished learning due to the pandemic, the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) is providing access to online books to every K-12 student in the state. Students can use their school credentials to read required and recreational digital books in the OverDrive Education Sora student reading app. Students also now have seamless access to age-appropriate popular ebooks and audiobooks from the Delaware Libraries’ OverDrive digital collection.

The DDOE invested federal Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to provide students with access to educational and popular digital books that will be available to schools and their 144,000 students. The digital collection is available for students to borrow and read on any device inside the classroom, at home and anywhere 24/7. Families will receive their sign-on credentials through their students’ schools.

“We are excited all public school students in Delaware will have the opportunity this summer to immerse themselves in literacy,” Secretary of Education Susan Bunting said.

Said State Librarian Annie Norman, “Delaware Libraries are excited to partner with the Department of Education to share seamless year-round access to eBooks for children and youth.”

Despite a disrupted year in the classroom, the DDOE focused on shifting the narrative from learning loss to unfinished teaching and learning, and from remediation to acceleration to promote action grounded in a growth mindset. As such, the DDOE committed to seeing that all Delaware public schools’ students and staff can access resources to support learning acceleration. The DDOE also partnered with community-based organizations to encourage use of the OverDrive Education reading activities throughout the summer and extended learning. Regardless of where students are, they are receiving high-quality educational services and opportunities to learn, 24/7.

Digital books and on-demand digital class sets in the collection were selected from identified HQIM (high quality instructional materials) curricula. This collection features high-quality curriculum titles adopted by each of Delaware’s districts and charters, plus a digital collection of popular ebooks and audiobooks. Curriculum titles include Llama Llama Time to Share, The Snowy Day, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Esperanza Rising, The Lightning Thief, Patient Zero and The Omnivore’s Dilemma among others. Popular titles for choice pleasure reading include Smile, The Crossover, Miles Morales, New Kid, The Baby-Sitters Club series, Pete the Cat series, One of Us Is Lying, I Survived series, A Scarf for Keiko, Concrete Rose and more. In addition, the collection features ebooks and audiobooks in languages other than English, including translated books and authentic texts from native speakers.

In addition, the DDOE and Delaware Libraries’ partnership allows Delaware students to borrow from both the Delaware Accelerate Learning’s collection of classroom and pleasure reading titles as well as Delaware Public Libraries’ titles. Sora will automatically filter content to only include age-appropriate titles depending on each student’s grade level.

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

DOVER – Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has launched a new law enforcement app, enabling the public to connect with the department’s Natural Resources Police officers, receive alerts, and submit anonymous tips from their smartphones.

“Technology is playing an ever-increasing role in the ways we communicate, and this new Natural Resources Police app offers the public an easy electronic means of reporting crimes and concerns,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “The app also gives our Natural Resources Police officers an efficient new tool to gather tips and share information and alerts with app users.”

Developed by software company tip411, the Delaware Natural Resources Police (DENRP) app encourages the public to provide DNREC’s Natural Resources Police (NRP) with factual and anonymously reported information leading to the arrest of poachers, polluters, and other violators. The app is available for free download by searching “DENRP” via the Google Play Store or the iTunes App Store. The app can be used with 100 percent anonymity, as tip411’s technology removes all identifying information before NRP officers see the tips.

Delaware’s tip411 system enables the public to connect with the three branches of DNREC’s natural resources police to report crimes and hazards to public safety. In addition to enforcing all Delaware criminal and motor vehicle laws as do all Delaware police agencies, DNREC’s three law enforcement branches focus on specific enforcement areas:

Environmental Crimes Unit Natural Resources Police – text keyword ECUTIP
The Environmental Crimes Unit (ECU) investigates environmental violations, primarily focusing on unlawful releases of liquid, solid, and hazardous waste, and air pollution violations. Common complaints include illegal dumping, open burning violations, unlawful asbestos removal, illegal transportation of solid or hazardous waste, and water quality violations for wells, failing septic systems, and illegal disposal of wastewater. The ECU also has a K-9 tracking unit.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police – text keyword FWTIP
Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, including two K-9 tracking units, investigate hunting, fishing, and boating violations; respond to and investigate boating and hunting accidents; respond to poaching complaints through Operation Game Theft; and patrol state-owned boating access areas, fishing ponds and piers, and 19 state wildlife areas encompassing nearly 65,000 acres statewide. F&W NRP officers also conduct marine law enforcement patrols and boating safety checks on Delaware waterways, including the state’s three-mile offshore limit in the Atlantic Ocean.

State Parks Enforcement Natural Resources Police – text keyword STATEPARKTIP
Delaware’s Park Rangers patrol 16 state parks encompassing more than 26,000 acres. Rangers enforce park rules and regulations such as surf fishing regulations, campground policies, trespassing in restricted areas, and hunting, fishing, and boating on state parks properties. Rangers also respond to and investigate visitor injuries, motor vehicle accidents and all other crimes and offenses occurring in or near Delaware’s state parks. Alerts including park closings, special event notifications, and weather advisories also will be available through the tip411 app.

Anyone without a smartphone can send an anonymous text tip via their cell phone to Delaware Natural Resources Police officers by texting the appropriate NRP section keyword as listed above and their message/tip to 847411 (tip411). For more information on the new app, visit de.gov/tip411.

Tip411 users also are advised that DNREC’s new app does not take the place of dialing 911 for immediate emergency response. In the event of an emergency situation, call 911.

To report possible crimes, DNREC’s Natural Resources Police also can be reached by phone:

• Environmental Crimes Unit Natural Resources Police: 24-hour Environmental Emergency Response Line, 800-662-8802
• Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police: Illegal hunting, fishing, or boating activities, 800-523-3336; Operation Game Theft (wildlife crimes): 800-292-3030
• State Parks Enforcement Natural Resources Police: 24-hour dispatch, 302-739-4580

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Newport, Del.– Discovering Delaware went digital to celebrate National American Beer Day as the Delaware Tourism Office (Visit Delaware) unveiled Delaware on Tap, the new smartphone application version of the state’s popular Beer, Wine & Spirits Trail.

The office showcased the app, which is available for free download in the App Store and from Google Play, at Bellefonte Brewing Company Friday morning along with Gov. John Carney and Secretary of State Jeff Bullock, State Sen. Anthony Delcollo and Neil Shea, CEO of Bellefonte.

“Delaware’s more than $3-billion tourism industry is a key driver of the state’s economy, and our thriving craft beverage industry is an important element of that,” said Governor Carney. “Finding new and innovative ways to draw Delawareans and visitors into these small businesses helps to ensure the industry’s growth continues.”

“Craft beverage makers are some of our Delaware’s hardest working entrepreneurs,” said Delaware Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “An application like this is one of the many inventive ways state government can create a climate and community that helps them succeed.”

Delaware on Tap guides visitors and residents through completing the trail. After a user creates an account, the app uses geo-location to allow them to “check in” at a site.

Once they have checked in at any ten craft beverage makers on the trail, the user will receive a prize from the Delaware Tourism Office – a commemorative glass beer mug. Plus, the first 100 people to complete the trail via the app will get a growler cooler bag.

“As the craft beverage industry evolves, so does the Beer, Wine & Spirits Trail,” said Liz Keller, Delaware Tourism Director. “Visitors wanted a smartphone-friendly way to take the trail. We made it happen. Delaware on Tap follows the tourism office’s philosophy of listening to consumers and providing them what they need to enhance their visit to the state.”

The app provides travelers with the opportunity to find what’s nearby, upcoming events, suggestions for places to dine or stay, deals and transportation offerings, including tours and Uber. An in-app photo booth lets users put fun frames and filters on photos they take along the trail and then helps them post the fun shots on social media using #DEonTap.

“We work hard to attract potential customers and get information to them,” said Neil Shea, CEO of Bellefonte Brewing Company. “We’re appreciative of the Delaware Tourism Office’s efforts to assist us and Delaware’s entire craft beverage community with that mission. We frequently see visitors who stop in as a part of taking the Beer, Wine & Spirits Trail, and the new app will help even more beer lovers find us.”

“I am extremely encouraged to see Delaware proactively promoting one of the First State’s fastest growing and most popular industries,” said Sen. Anthony Delcollo, R-Marshallton. “We must continue highlighting the successes of our local businesses that create jobs and opportunity in our state, and that’s what Delaware on Tap accomplishes for this industry.”

The trail started in 2010 with 12 locations, all breweries and wineries. At the time it was called the Delaware Wine & Ale Trail. Since then the trail has grown to include more than two dozen businesses – breweries, wineries, distilleries, cideries and meaderies. The trail passport has racked up 7,200 downloads in seven years – a rate of three downloads every day.

The Beer, Wine and Spirits Trail is one of the Visit Delaware’s five Trails of Discovery. Each gives tourists a unique and thematic way to see the state. The other four trails are: history, outdoor, geocaching and culinary.

The Delaware Tourism Office, 99 Kings Highway in Dover, Del., part of the Delaware Division of Small Business, Development & Tourism, promotes tourism and economic growth in Delaware. For more information, visit the official Delaware Tourism website at www.visitdelaware.com or call toll-free (866) 284-7483.

Media Contact:
Michael Chesney
Director of Communications
Division of Small Business, Development & Tourism
Michael.Chesney@delaware.gov
(302) 672-6827 (office)
(302) 943-9508 (cell)

DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney released the following statement on Thursday, noting the economic benefits of the four-day Firefly Music Festival at The Woodlands of Dover International Speedway.

“Firefly brings tens of thousands of visitors to Delaware from every state and dozens of countries,” said Governor Carney. “Not only does the festival have an impressive annual economic impact on the state, it also provides the opportunity to leave visitors, many of them first-time, with a great impression of Delaware and a desire to explore its endless discoveries beyond The Woodlands. I’m pleased to welcome the artists, vendors and fans. I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable weekend.”

Visit Delaware invites festival attendees to stop by the beach volleyball courts in the Northeast Hub and experience fun statewide attractions during and after Firefly.

With the increase in visitors in and around Dover, residents and visitors are encouraged to use DelDOT’s Smartphone application for up-to-the-minute traffic conditions and to adjust their routes. The DelDOT App is available and can be downloaded free at the Google Play and App Store, search for “DelDOT.” WTMC 1380 AM is also available through the DelDOT App.

Download the free DelDOT app:

App Store: https://goo.gl/OucvFY
Google Play Store: https://goo.gl/dpHCMm

For more information, visit:

Firefly Music Festival’s website at www.fireflyfestival.com
Delaware Tourism’s website at www.visitdelaware.com
DelDOT’s website at www.deldot.gov
Dover International Speedway’s website at www.doverspeedway.com

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Delawareans can now easily find arts and culture events happening today, soon, and nearby with the new “What’s On” smartphone app.

“What’s On” shows an interactive map of Delaware with pins for arts events. Tapping a pin on the map shows an event’s details, contact information, driving directions, and links to the event’s website. Users can also scroll through lists of upcoming events.

The “What’s On” app was developed by Delaware’s Division of the Arts in association with the Delaware Government Information Center (GIC), a state agency charged with helping to connect citizens to government via the internet. Behind the scenes, the app is powered by data from DelawareScene.com, which has been providing arts event information to the public since 2008.

“We are thrilled with this app as it makes the arts even more accessible in Delaware,” said Paul Weagraff, Director of the Division of the Arts. “‘What’s On’ lets you see what’s happening in the arts from your smartphone. People can easily make plans to attend a performance, museum, film, concert or other arts event on the spur of the moment.”

“Many people are last-minute planners,” said Mike Mahaffie, Acting Director of the Delaware Government Information Center. “People launch apps on their phones to see which movies are playing, find places to eat, and figure out what they’re going to do. As part of the State’s eGovernment initiatives, we’re happy ‘What’s On’ makes local arts events a new option for these people.”

“What’s On” can be downloaded at no cost from the App Store and Google Play (search for Delaware What’s On) or by visiting www.delaware.gov/topics/apps.