newarking

Newark, Delaware, hit the news this weekend in a big way, and World Champion figure skater Kimmie Meissner is at the center of the media blitz. Kimmie won the World Championship this weekend in Calgary, Canada.  She trains at the University of Delaware in their Ice Skating Science Development Center

ABC writes about the rising star in U.S. Performs Well at World Figure Skating.

Reuters calls her a new teenage prodigy in Meissner spices up world championships.

MSNBC talks of her stunning ascent, and notes that U.S. showing at Worlds bodes well for future.

The Chicago Sun-Times says that she “pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Figure Skating Championships history” over in Nothing routine about Meissner’s win.

Google News is showing more than 400 news articles about Kimmie Meissner and this weekend’s championship.   Newarking hopes that the good press continues to roll in, leading up to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.   It would be nice to see Kimmie there.  

Someone vandalized Verizon phone service in the Newark area this weekend, and over 900 homes and offices in town are still without dialtones this morning.  I had to post a couple of emergency notices on web sites a few minutes ago, letting potential customers of those businesses know that there is someone in the offices, but that they can’t receive phone calls.

Verizon is offering a $50,000 reward to anyone who can supply them with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people who caused this problem.  Over 2,000 homes were initially without phone service, and some repairs have been made.

Our local (Philadephia) ABC affiliate showed where the lines were cut yesterday, on the evening news, but the local newspaper hasn’t published that information.   I was watching the broadcast, and I thought they said that there were four points where lines were cut, but the web page is only showing three.

It’s been an odd news week in the First State.  On last Wednesday, $20,000 worth of Red Bull, the energy drink, were taken from a truck that was stolen in nearby Bear, Delaware.  I’m envisioning some very wired individuals destroying the evidence can by can.  I mean, where do you go to sell 628 cans of Red Bull?  

 I’d link to the News Journal article, but I believe that their stories go into their archives after 7 days, and it’s not worth the $2.95 to read the short blurb on the topic, which will need to be paid for in a couple of days.  I wonder if they realize that they could make more money selling advertising, while providing years of back stories that people will view if given access.

Newark will be more quiet than it normally is in the spring this week, with University of Delaware classes on hold for a week while students and educators take Spring Break.  It’s almost so quiet in town that you can hear those phones not ringing.

Maybe I watch too many Disney sports movies, like The Rookie, or Glory Road, or Miracle, but a drama as compelling almost happened at the University of Delaware.

The school fired their basketball coach on March 13th after two seasons in a row in which the team lost 20 or more games.  They then set out to find a replacement, and had talked with a number of candidates.  This morning, we discover that the job had been offered to an assistant coach from Kentucky, and then withdrawn by the University’s Board of Directors.

The reason why?

A previous DUI conviction from two years ago that was discussed during the job interview, before he was hired as coach.  University of Louisville’s head coach, Rick Pitino held a press conference upon learning that his assistant, Kevin Willard, was offered a position as a head coach, and then snubbed for the job.  The Louisville Courier Journal has more, including this quote from Coach Pitino:

“What happened was a mistake, and he owned up to it,” he said. “For this to be pulled from him is very disappointing. And I hope the board at Delaware, I hope they can look themselves in the mirror and I hope they don’t live in any glass houses.

“They just missed out on one of the finest basketball coaches I’ve witnessed in my life. But more important than that, they missed the opportunity to be around one of the finest people I’ve encountered in my life.”  

I can’t help but feel that the University made a mistake with this decision.  An editorial from the Courier Journal, Willard atoned for his mistake; will Delaware?, describes in detail how Kevin Willard has taken the DUI conviction and used it as a lesson for the students he coaches about drinking and driving.  It also discusses his credentials, and his character. 

It sounds like Delaware has missed out on employing a man who would have been an excellent role model to the students who would have played for him.   

I decided that part of the strength of this site will be a transparency to how the site is operated, and how it will grow.   

With the second day of posting comes the addition of a few new links in the column to the right. 

I’ve added links to the Newark Post, the Wilmington News Journal, the UD Review and UDaily from the University of Delaware, and radio station WILM.  I’m hoping that I can find some local alternative news resources, but I wonder if something like that exists.

I know that there are a few blogs in the local vicinity, and I’ll be adding those shortly, and maybe sending an email to their authors saying hello, and letting them know that there’s a new blog in town.

It’s a cold, damp day here in Newark, with clouds covering much of the sky.  Not much of a start for the first day of spring - it looks like winter won’t go easy into the past.  Scattered flurries are expected for this afternoon, though I haven’t seen any yet. 

There’s a lot of tweaking that needs to be done on the site yet, but I’ve found a nice plugin for this software that makes tracking future events easier, and I’ll be trying to implement that over the next few days.  Hopefully, you’ll be able to come to Newarking to find out things to do in town pretty soon.

Like many people, I first came to Newark, Delaware, to attend the University of Delaware.  After earning a degree in English, I decided to stay, and make the town my home.  I attended law school at Widener University School of Law, and worked for the Superior Court of Delaware for a number of years before I left to join an internet marketing firm.

I started this site because I think that there’s a void that needs to be filled online about the town, and the State.  I’m hoping that these pages provide a chance for me to take a look at Newark’s past, chronicle the present, and provide information about future events around town.

If you would like to join me in writing about Newark, please get in touch.