Due to an emergency-weather cancellation, three African-American-themed programs, originally scheduled for Jan. 4, 2014 at the state’s downtown Dover museums, have been rescheduled for Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014. Admission for all programs is free and open to the public. For additional information, call the First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries at 302-744-5055.

The rescheduled programs include “Civil Rights: A Dream Deferred: The Past to the Present,” a lecture by Dr. James Newton, University of Delaware professor emeritus of Black American Studies. The lecture, which will take place at 1 p.m. at The Old State House located at 25 The Green, will explore issues of economic equality, poverty, discrimination, housing, education and urban development. Dr. Newton’s lecture is made possible by a grant from the Delaware Humanities Forum, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. In addition to the lecture, screenings of the 2007 documentary film “A Dream Deferred: Remembering the 1968 Occupation” will be given throughout the day beginning at 10 a.m. The approximately 30-minute film depicts the rioting that took place in Wilmington, Del. after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the subsequent nine-month occupation of the city by the National Guard.

Between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., the Johnson Victrola Museum, located at 375 S. New St., will offer the program “Protest Music” featuring guided tours that explore the roots of protest music through original recordings of Marian Anderson, Paul Robeson and others played on authentic Victor Talking Machines.

Finally, the First State Heritage Park Welcome Center and Galleries, located in the Delaware Public Archives building at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., will offer special guided tours at 10 a.m., Noon and 2 p.m. exploring Delaware’s crucial role in the Underground Railroad and on two Delaware leaders who aided in this “freedom enterprise”—Samuel D. Burris and Thomas Garrett. The tours are presented in conjunction with the exhibit “An Illegal Activity: The Underground Railroad in Delaware.”

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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

Based on reports from the National Weather Service regarding the likelihood of snow and ice on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, the Buena Vista Holiday Open House in New Castle, Del. has been cancelled.

Following is information on the original event:

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013
Buena Vista Holiday Open House. One-day-only event featuring one of Delaware’s most historic homes decorated for the holidays, plus craft activities in which visitors can create their own holiday ornament utilizing natural materials. Presented in partnership with the Delaware Nature Society. Buena Vista Conference Center, 661 S. Dupont Highway (Route 13), New Castle, DE 19720. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Free admission. 302-323-4430.

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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 – Attorney General Beau Biden today announced that Robert Hohn and Shannon Watterson, a Newark couple, have received multi-year prison sentences for abusing and neglecting one of their children, a 12 year-old son, over a three-month period last fall.

“The lengthy sentences we sought and that were imposed upon these defendants today reflect the significant harm caused by child abuse and neglect and they send a clear message to child abusers that you will face significant consequences for your crimes,” Biden said today.

Hohn, then age 42, and Watterson, then age 40, of the 100 block of Brookside Boulevard in Newark, were arrested on November 28, 2012 by New Castle County Police and charged with child abuse after a police investigation revealed that their son had been physically abused and become malnourished after they locked him in his bedroom for a three-month period, causing serious physical injury by failing to feed him regularly, neglecting to provide medical care, and failing to enroll the child in an adequate educational curriculum.  In addition, both were charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child for committing child abuse and/or assault against the child in the presence of three other children who were living in the home.  The police investigation was initiated after the victim escaped from his home and responded to the residence of a neighbor, who contacted police.

This morning, New Castle County Superior Court Judge M. Jane Brady sentenced Shannon Watterson to five years and one month in prison and sentenced Robert Hohn, IV to six years and one month in prison.  In addition, Judge Brady ordered both defendants, while incarcerated, to spend 10 days in solitary confinement each year beginning on November 28, the date of their arrest.  She also ordered the pair to have no contact with the son who was the victim of their abuse and ordered them to have no contact with the three other children who lived in the household at the time of their arrest unless approved by Family Court.

Hohn and Watterson were indicted on multiple charges in March, 2013 and both pled guilty to one count of Assault 2^nd Degree and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in September, 2013.  Both defendants have been incarcerated in lieu of $282,500 cash bail since their arrest.

Biden reported that his office has closely monitored the welfare of the abused son who, now at 13 years-old, is happy and well cared for.  “The vast majority of abused children are victimized by parents or others who have responsibility for their care,” Biden added.  “It’s not a child’s responsibility to protect him- or herself, it’s ours and I urge all adults who suspect that a child is being abused or neglected to fulfill their legal and moral duty by contacting the Delaware Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-292-9582.”

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List of the museum’s special events through April 2014 also included

On Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013, from 6 to 9 p.m., the Zwaanendael Museum, located at 102 Kings Highway in Lewes, DE 19958, will kick-off its celebration of the winter-holiday season with the program “Starry Hospitality Night,” an evening of music, festive décor and refreshments capped off with star-gazing in honor of the Delaware-born astronomer Annie Jump Cannon. The event will feature Bill Ayrey, lab manager and company historian from ILC Dover, who will demonstrate the space suit that the company manufactures for NASA. “Starry Hospitality Night” is presented in conjunction with the Lewes Chamber of Commerce’s Hospitality Night in Historic Lewes.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the museum will take part in the Lewes Historical Society’s Christmas Tour of Lewes with the program, “Tour Zwaanendael Museum,” which will provide visitors with an opportunity to explore the site’s exhibits on the Lewes-area’s maritime, military and social history.

Finally, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013 at 2 p.m., the museum will offer a program in celebration of the 150th birthday of the noted Delaware astronomer Annie Jump Cannon.

Current exhibits at the Zwaanendael Museum include “A Seaborne Citizenry: The DeBraak and Its Atlantic World” which tells the story of His Majesty’s Sloop DeBraak, a British warship that sank off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798; and “Delaware and the War of 1812” which examines the service and sacrifice of Delawareans of 1812 to 1815, and the important role that the state played in a conflict that helped shape the development of the United States as a nation.

Following is a complete schedule of Zwaanendael Museum special events through April 2014. Admission is free for all events listed. For additional information, call 302-645-1148.

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013
“Starry Hospitality Night.” Holiday-themed program includes star-gazing in celebration of Delaware astronomer Annie Jump Cannon plus Bill Ayrey, lab manager and company historian from ILC Dover demonstrating the space suit that the company manufactures for NASA. The evening will also feature music, festive décor and refreshments. 6–9 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013
“Tour Zwaanendael Museum.” Enjoy the museum’s festive holiday-décor. Event held in conjunction with the Lewes Historical Society’s Christmas Tour of Lewes. 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013
“Annie Jump Cannon.” Celebrate the 150th birthday of the noted Delaware astronomer. Program at 2 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014
“Delaware’s Decades—the 1940s: ‘Ft. Miles.’ ” Lecture by Dr. Gary Wray on the World War II-era military installation on CapeHenlopen. Part two of an eight-part series exploring decades in Delaware’s history. Program at 2 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014
“Delaware’s Decades—the 1950s: ‘Menhaden Industry in Lewes.’ ” Lecture by Tom Brown, Lewes Historical Society volunteer and former archivist with the National Archives. Part three of an eight-part series exploring decades in Delaware’s history. Program at 2 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 15, 2014
“Delaware’s Decades—the 1960s: ‘History of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.’ ” Lecture by J. Fred Coldren, former business manager of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and historian for the 50th anniversary of the ferry. Part four of an eight-part series exploring decades in Delaware’s history. Program at 2 p.m. Museum open 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Thursday–Saturday, April 10-13, 2014
Lewes Tulip Festival. City-wide series of activities celebrating Lewes’ Dutch heritage including Dutch games, crafts and a display of Delftware ceramics at the Zwaanendael Museum. Sponsored by the Lewes Chamber of Commerce. Downtown Lewes, DE19958. 302-645-8073.

Saturday, April 19, 2014
Dutch-American Friendship Day. Discover Delaware’s Dutch roots and learn how that connection is alive today. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 26, 2014
King’s Day. Help celebrate the birthday of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in a program that will also explore royal titles and Delaware’s Dutch connection. 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

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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

Delaware AG signs onto multistate brief filed with U.S. Supreme Court

Wilmington – Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden has joined 33 of his colleagues in arguing to the U.S. Supreme Court that federal law allows victims of child pornography to recover full financial restitution from predators who produce, posses, or trade sexually explicit images of children.

“Child abuse, especially abuse related to child pornography, can have significant and long-lasting effects,” said Biden, who as Attorney General created the state’s Child Predator Task Force to track down and arrest those seeking to prey on kids, and successfully pushed for increased penalties for the possession of child pornography. “Victims deserve full restitution to help them recover.  It is the right thing to do and we believe it is the law.”

The Attorneys General made their argument in a “friend of the Court” brief filed Wednesday in the U.S. Supreme Court case Paroline v. Amy Unknown, urging the nation’s highest court to uphold a 2012 federal appellate court ruling that ordered a convicted child pornographer to pay restitution to a victim depicted in images he possessed.  In the case before the Court, the victim was raped as a young girl by her uncle who took photos of the abuse and traded the pornographic images online with others, including Doyle Randall Paroline.  Paroline pled guilty in 2009 in federal court to one count of possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of children and was sentenced to two years in prison. Among the images of child pornography found on Paroline’s computers were those depicting Amy’s sexual abuse, and Amy’s counsel sought financial restitution from the defendant.  That request was denied by federal District Court but, on appeal, the U.S Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that Amy was entitled to full financial restitution from Paroline under the federal Mandatory Restitution for Sexual Exploitation of Children Act of 1994.  The Supreme Court is currently considering Paroline’s appeal of this ruling.

Images depicting child sexual abuse are often traded through online networks for months or years after they are produced, contributing to significant and ongoing harm to victims and extended treatment.  Restitution can help recover an array of these costs, including medical care, psychological care, other therapy and rehabilitation, housing, lost income, transportation and child care.  The courts have rarely awarded victims of child pornography full restitution, often finding that the victims cannot prove exactly what losses resulted from an individual pornographer’s actions.  Biden and his fellow Attorneys General believe that the federal law has clear language mandating full restitution by predators who victimize and re-victimize children.

The states signing the brief, in addition to Delaware, are: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, , Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington State, West Virginia, and Wyoming, and the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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