Delaware

    In Delaware Governor Jack Markell's  annual State of the State speech, he said the rising costs of Medicaid and other health care programs, which account for a significant portion of Delaware's budget, need to be trimmed.

    In Delaware, legislation was recently introduced to raise the minimum age of school attendance to 18-years-old. 

    Representative Debra J. Heffernan, a former Brandywine School Board President, sponsored the bill.

    Heffernan said currently, a 16-year-old is not legally required to attend school in Delaware. She said the current mandatory age of attendance could be a factor in drop-out rates, which only limits young adults' career options.

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     If the legislation is passed, the attendance requirement would occur over a 2 year period, with the minimum age of school attendance set at age 17 for one year.

    Robert Dewey, Vice President for Government Relations for Defenders of Wildlife, discusses what the organization calls Congress' assault on the Endangered Species Act, and the organization's work to secure protection for more than 1,000 endangered species.

    On New Year’s Day, one Delaware couple had an additional reason to celebrate the holiday, as civil unions became legal in Delaware at 10 a.m. on January 1st.

     Lisa Goodman and Drewry Fennell became the first couple to have their civil union solemnized in Delaware, under the Delaware Civil Union and Equality Act. Goodman describes the ceremony and explains what the law means for Delaware's same-sex couples.

    Delmarva Public Radio's Chelsey Pounds reports from the scene of the 24th annual "Punkin Chunkin," held in Bridgeville, DE.

Salisbury, MD – Senator Ben Cardin(D-MD) says he would like to see existing federal money redirected toward programs to help those without jobs.