Delaware took a significant step toward revamping the way it funds its public schools.The Public Education Funding Commission formally voted on its recommendations for a new hybrid model which will increase per-pupil funding for multilingual learners and students from low-income homes.The General Assembly will now comsider bills reflecting these changes and how to implement them.They’'re sponsored by the commission’s chair State Sen. Laura Sturgeon, who joined Delaware Public Media’s state politics reporter Bente Bouthier this week to discuss this new education funding plan.

Christina Park became a city-sanctioned unhoused community site in October 2025, and residents had experienced several issues since its inception.Two snowstorms, organizational issues and faulty tents saw residents displaced and disturbed several times over.Friendship House, a community nonprofit, was brought by the city to oversee the site that is now home to 60 residents. It acknowledged it is still working out the kinks, but reported smoother waters there now -with eight residents moving on to supportive programs or sustainable housing options.Delaware Public Media’s Abigail Lee met up with Friendship House CEO Kim Eppehimer at its offices to learn more about Christina Park, its residents and next steps for its partnership with the city.

A group of 21 states and local governments filed a lawsuit against the United States Environmental Protection Agency, challenging its rollback of a Clean Air Act provision that regulates Mercury and other hazardous emissions from coal and oil-fueled power plants. Delaware joined that lawsuit, which was filed on March 31.To help explain why this case matters and how it impacts the First State, Delaware Public Media’s Jay Shah spoke to Sarah Everhart - Assistant Professor and Director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic at Widener University Delaware Law School.

Piffaro, an ensemble specializing in the music of the Renaissance and early Baroque Eras, returns to Wilmington this month. Its latest concert, "Eagle and Empire," brings in guest artists and takes audiences to colonial Mexico, at a time when the classical traditions of Europe made landfall in the New World.On this week's Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media's Martin Matheny chatted with Piffaro's Artistic Director, Priscilla Herreid about the concert.

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When former U.S. Senator and former Delaware Gov. Tom Carper retired from the U.S. Senate in Jan. 2025, he promised to remain active working on projects focused on “creating jobs that promote clean energy.” This week, Carper and the Delaware Environmental Institute (DENIN) at the University of Delaware formally launched the Carper Collaborative on Climate and Jobs.And Carper sat down with Delaware Public Media's Tom Byrne to discuss this new initiative and what he hopes to accomplish with it.

With the weather growing warmer, nature is awake again and new life is emerging. So are mosquitos. While they can be a nuisance, showering you with itchy bites, the most concerning aspect is the diseases they carry.To get ahead of this, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control applies various methods of controlling mosquito populations, one of which involves chemicals.And while this method may curb the spread of those mosquito-bourne diseases, being exposed to those chemicals are a separate concern of its own to public health - and can affect environmental health.To understand this better, Delaware Public Media’s Jay Shah spoke with Dr. Anneclaire De Roos - a professor of environmental and occupational health at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University – and the Delaware Nature Society’s Director of Advocacy Mark Nardone.

OperaDelaware closes its season next month with a performance of Andrea Chenier, a gripping, passionate tale of love, art, and resistance set against the backdrop of the French Revolution.And, they'll be performing the opera in front of singers, directors, and other opera professionals from across the US, as they host the Opera America conference. On this week's Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media's Martin Matheny speaks with the opera's two leads, soprano Toni Marie Palmertree and tenor Dane Suarez.

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The state of Delaware is taking its next step to regulate and mitigate so-called ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water. Late last month, the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Division of Public Health, and Department of Agriculture delivered an implementation plan – outlining how they plan to cut the presence of PFAS chemicals in drinking water, soil and air.This week, contributor Jon Hurdle digs into that plan and offers a look at where Delaware is heading in its battle against PFAS.