The 2026 Midterm Election is over, and the headline is Democratic success across the board locally and nationally.What issues prompted this “blue wave?” What does it mean for politics here in the First State, and across the country between now and the next election in 2028?To do a post-mortem on what we saw at the polls this week, we checked in with Paul Brewer, University of Delaware communications professor — previously Delaware Politics director at UD’s Center for Political Communication — and a voice we’ve leaned on regularly for perspective on the political state of play in Delaware.

Recently Gov. Matt Meyer’s administration announced a new set of census tracts are being nominated to become Opportunity Zones, eligible for federal funding to spur private investment in underserved areas.And just this week, the U.S. Treasury approved the tracts here in Delaware and across the country.This is the second round of Opportunity Zones and there are some changes to the program.So to help us understand Opportunity Zones, the new features to the program and the expectations for it after the first go-round, we asked contributor Jon Hurdle to take a closer look.

November is in full swing - a time when skies sometimes turn gray, days begin to shorten, and many people's minds turn to the existential. The Mastersingers of Wilmington are doing the same with a concert later this month titled "Media Vita" or "In the midst of life."Anchored around the famous "Requiem" by Faure, the performance presents music that explores life and death, light and dark, joy and sadness.On this edition of Arts Playlist, Martin Matheny is joined by conductor Emily Ballentine Erb and singer and soloist Jordan Barrett for a preview.

There are reasons why many people love Fall and a lot have to do with leaves. The vibrant colors, the sound and feeling of walking on crunchy dried leaves or kids jumping in a giant leaf pile created in your yard.But clearing those leaves from the yard, whether for aesthetics or other reasons, isn’t much fun. Doing it yourself can be a lot of work or it can cost you a bundle to hire someone.So how about some alternatives? Ones with an environmental upside.On this edition of Enlighten Me, Delaware Public Media’s Jay Shah chatted with Concetta Gibson, Co-Founder and President of the Wild Ones Delmarva Chapter, about leaving the leaves this fall.

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Over the years, we spent time on The Green following the plight of the Red Knot — a threatened migratory bird that stops along the Delaware Bay to refuel on horseshoe crab eggs — as they travel from South America where they stay in the winter, to breeding areas in the Arctic.A new study indicates the Delaware side of the Delaware Bay is seeing fewer Red Knots in recent years despite local officials reporting an uptick in Red Knots at Mispillion Harbor this past year.This week, contributor Jon Hurdle dug into these new numbers to try and sort out what they tell about these birds and Delaware’s efforts to protect their migratory habitat.

With Election Day just days way, we examine a growing population that's becoming an important voter base — Latinos.A study of the 2022 midterms showed social media was a major source of information for that group, but also a source of mis- and dis-information.The research co-led by Dr. Marisa Abrajano at the University of California, San Diego showed Latinos were often targeted by Spanish-language social media.To understand how this dynamic impacts the First State, ACLU of Delaware Executive Director Mike Brickner joins Delaware Public Media’s Jay Shah.

Hormonal changes can now be linked to brain health in women, but do they affect brain function?That is the topic of the latest research from the University of Delaware’s Mechanical Neuroimaging Lab which is directed by Curtis Johnson, PhD. The findings, published in a journal called Brain Communications, were spearheaded by first author Katrina Milbocker, PhD who is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab.The team used an imaging technique called Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) which they found could detect hormone-related changes in a part of the brain. They joined Delaware Public Media’s Isreal Hale to explain their research, where they would take it from here and how it could impact women’s health.

Most times, when a musician makes a new recording, they can draw on a wealth of information to help prepare their performance - historical writing by the composer, recordings by other artists over the years, and similar resources. But what if preparing a new record involved not only hours in the practice room, but hours doing original research as well?That was the challenge facing soprano Makeda Hampton, a Lincoln University assistant professor who performs regularly in Delaware, in between performances at the Met in New York City and other appearances around the world.Hampton's new recording, "African Romances" required that kind of in-depth research to present a groundbreaking recording of work of the same name by English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor based on poems by American author Paul Laurence Dunbar. On this edition of Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media's Martin Matheny spoke to Hampton about the music.

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