The so-called "mass" clinics are the nation's first partnership between federal and state health agencies.

"This is important because we are getting a large number of people who are at high risk for the complications of H1N1 vaccinated in a short period of time," said Dr. Kevin Yeskey of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

About 1,000 vaccinations were given Friday at Delaware Technical and Community College-Terry Campus in Dover. Other clinics are scheduled for the Delaware Tech-Stanton Campus in New Castle on Saturday and Delaware Tech-Owens in Georgetown on Sunday.

Those considered to be at the highest risk for H1N1 are infants and children six months to 4 years of age; pregnant women; and those aged five to 64 with chronic conditions.

So far, of the 1,791 H1N1 cases reported in Delaware, there have been five deaths and 13 hospitalizations, according to the Delaware Division of Public Health.

And though the number of cases seems to be stabilizing, officials say the public should not get a false sense of security.

"In the last three weeks we've actually seen the numbers going down," said Rita Landgraf, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. "But this is not traditionally the flu season. So we are still reinforcing good hygiene practices as well as prevention through vaccination."

State-wide more than 87,000 vaccinations have been administered.

Despite some concerns about the H1N1 vaccination, Dr. Yeskey says it is safe.

"Yes, this is a safe, effective vaccine and it prevents the disease."

Valero officials cite poor economic conditions paired with significant capital spending requirements and high operating costs as reasons for the closure.

"The decision to permanently close the Delaware City refinery was a very difficult one,” said Valero Chairman and CEO Bill Klesse in a written statement. "We have spent the last year diligently trying to avoid this situation, and I have worked closely with Gov. Markell in an effort to find a different outcome. Earlier this fall, we shut down the gasifier and coking operations in an attempt to improve reliability and financial performance, but the refinery’s profitability did not improve enough. Additionally, we have sought a buyer for the refinery, but feasible opportunities have not materialized. At this point, we have exhausted all viable options."

Valero started informing employees of the decision today and is negotiating with union officials at the plant to determine severance terms.  Valero will begin the process of shutting down the plant, which had been producing 210,000 barrels per day, immediately.  It expects closing the refinery will save the company approximately 450 million dollars next year.

Governor Jack Markell says the state will move quickly to address the closure.  He's directed the Departments of Labor and Health and Social Services to assist workers effected by putting together rapid response teams similar to the ones used earlier this year when the GM Boxwood Road plant closed.

"We need to help those hundreds of dedicated workers put their time and talents to work in a way that helps them and their families." said Markell.

Governor Markell is also asking the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to identify any environmental issues at the facility and work with Valero to catalogue issues the company has responsibility to resolve.

"To protect the health and safety of everyone who lives near the facility, we need to ensure accountability for environmental issues that come from closing a refinery, and we will," Markell said.

DNREC secretary Collin O'Mara has assembled a team of environmental scientists and engineers to over see the shutdown.

"We have been working with the refinery on issues associated with a planned maintenance shutdown of the entire refinery for weeks  and are prepared for it." said O'Mara.  "The orderly shutdown of  the equipment has already begun with the shutdown in October of one of the refinery's major processing units.  the remaining units have been operating at reduced rates and will be taken offline in a manner portective of health, safety and the environment."

Test the Bump

Delaware's lone Congressman Mike Castle may not be a believer in the bump.  Castle appeared on the program in a taped segment that aired November 9.  (Click here to see the interview.)  By coincidence, the very next day the Susquehanna Polling and Research firm started a poll of the U.S. Senate race in which Castle is running.  Fate had established a perfect method of putting the "bump" to the test, or as it turns out, put it to rest.  According to the poll, Castle trails Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden by five percentage points.  That's a drop of 26 points since the last Susquehanna poll in April.  If Colbert had the impact he claims, Castle's numbers should have gone up, especially against a candidate who may or may not be in the running.  (Biden says he's "very seriously considering" running for the Senate, but he doesn't have timetable on when he'll decide.)

Party Foul?

Maybe the problem isn't that the Colbert bump doesn't exist, maybe it just doesn't work for Republican candidates.  Maybe the Colbert bump is partisan.  Colbert plays a conservative commentator on TV, but usually ends up mocking many Republican ideals, which could play more favorably with D's than R's.

University of California-San Diego political science professor James Fowler examined this idea in a report published in a journal of the American Political Science Association.  His research found that Democrats saw an increase in fund raising following an appearance with Colbert, while Republicans saw a drop in campaign donations.  "Republicans, if anything, the evidence sort of suggested that they might be harmed by going on this show," says Fowler.  "There almost appears to be a 'Colbert bust' for Republicans who go on the show."  Fowler says it's more difficult to isolate the impact of the 'bump' on an individual candidate.  That's because to get real results, you would have to compare Castle's result from going on the show to another candidate in a similar situation against a possible high profile candidate who did not go on the show.  "So if somebody from the Kennedy clan announced that they are running against someone who went on The Colbert Report, that might be a good comparison.  In this case, it's just hard to know."

The president of Susquehanna Polling Jim Lee attributes Castle's poor showing in the poll not so much to the lack of a "bump", but rather due to his vote against health care reform on the Saturday night before the poll started and before the interview aired.  "I think that some of the media attention on that vote certainly was captured in this survey, since we started this poll literally two or three days following that vote."  Lee says, from what he's read, the coverage of Castle's 'no' vote seemed to be slightly negative.  "One of the reasons why Biden is doing better in this poll among Democrats than back in the spring, is because of that no vote," says Lee.  He says while Castle's vote may have hurt his numbers with Democrats, which have a good majority in registered voters in the state, it may have helped his standing among Republican voters.

First Bump

(WARNING: Self-promotion ahead)  The Colbert Bump may not have helped Castle, but could it be that his possible opponent got a bump of his own?  Beau Biden appeared in an interview on WHYY's Delaware news magazine First (Video here) before the vote and before Castle's appearance on cable.  According to the poll, not only did Castle's numbers fall by 15%, but Biden's numbers shot up by 11%.

Listen:

Hundreds of union workers rallied in the shadow of Pier 98, which is nothing more than a run down remnant of what was the past of the shipping business in Philadelphia. State Representative Bill Keller is a dredging supporter. He says environmentalists who are against the deepening of the river channel need to know research shows the work won't cause any problems.

Keller: There's 12,000 pieces of paper that say this dredge is safe, it's good for the economics it create jobs and has zero environmental impact. There's 12,000 pieces of paper that say that. Science says that. What do they say they want one more piece of paper, it's all bull *bleep*.

Union officials say the dredging could provide thousands of jobs and revitalize the port and the region's economy.

New Castle County still has the highest regional unemployment rate in the state at 8.7%.  Unemployment in both Kent and Sussex County is at8.3%.  For Sussex, unemployment jumped a full percentage point from September to October.  Wilmington's unemployment rate is now up to 13.3%, up from last month's rate of 13%.

Since October 2008, more than 18,000 Delawareans have lost their jobs.  The biggest losses in over the last year were in professional and business services, which were down 4,600.  Wholesale and retail trade lost 3,600 jobs, while the manufacturing sector lost 3,400 jobs.

The national unemployment rate now stands at 10.2%, up from 9.8% last month.

For this unemployed single mother of two, the 30 pound box symbolized survival. "It's really hard to pay my bills right now," Foster says, "I'm thankful for being here."

Foster joined hundreds of others anxiously awaiting the kick-off of Delaware Does More, the second annual winter-long giving campaign. The effort, sponsored by the Food Bank of Delaware and United Way of Delaware, aimed to address the increasing number of Delawareans in need of food assistance.

Food Bank President and CEO Patricia Beebe says the number of Delawareans in need has increased by 30 percent since 2008. "When we did the food drive last year, we knew there would be an upswing of people in need," Beebe says, "but in reality, this year is going to be even worse."

Click on image to view a slideshow.

To combat the growing number of people in need this year, the goal for meal donations was increased to 400,000 pounds, a 100,000 pound jump from last year. It's a boost that the residents of Northeast Wilmington are thrilled about.

Antonio Jones of Wilmington was unsure how he was going to come up with the money for this year's Thanksgiving meal.

The only forms of income in his household are the unemployment checks sent to him and his unemployed wife. "There are a lot of cutbacks, a lot of things we had to let go of," Jones said. One of those cutbacks was on quality of food. He says his family will occasionally eat food from damaged cans bought at a discounted price. "It's real hard but that's how we're making it," Jones says.

Now, Jones says he is relieved to be bringing home dinner for the holidays. "This box means hope, it's a blessing," he says with a smile.

While the Food Bank of Delaware has been flooded with increased demand, Beebe says the organization is still fortunate despite hard times. The amount of food being donated has increased this year, in addition to a growing number of volunteers. However, Beebe says she is also seeing a spike in the number of volunteers in need of assistance this holiday season.

Since the origination of Delaware Does More, more than 1.8 million pounds of food and $377,000 have been collected for Delawareans affected by the economic downturn.

The mobile food pantry will be delivering meal boxes to underserved areas in Delaware throughout the winter season. Find out more information about Delaware Does More.

"We're all thrilled with the opportunity we have to expand in Wilmington."  said AutoTeam Delaware owner Michael Uffner. "We love Wilmington.  It's our home.  We think there's plenty of opportunity here."

Uffner says opening the Kia dealership will preserve or create 8 jobs at AutoTeam Delaware, which employs about 100 people.

"That may not be Fisker Automotive that's going to do thousands hopefully (producing cars at the old GM Boxwood Road plant), but  if we can do a little bit here and a little bit there, then we'll all benefit from it," Uffner said.

Wilmington Mayor Jim Baker (D) agrees.  "People forget that small businesses and small gains make up the country more than the big giants we  keep talking about," Baker said.  "I really appreciate this growth in our city."

Kia of Wilmington is AutoTeam Delaware's fourth dealership, joining Delaware Cadillac, Delaware Saab and Delaware Subaru.

The company has been selling cars in Wilmington since 1916, when it started as Delaware Motor Sales.

The remodel comes more than three years after the mall went through a rough patch with two anchor stores, Strawbridge's and Lord and Taylor shutting down.  Their departure made space available to give the mall a much needed revamp, according to mall manager Steven Chambliss.

"It appeared dated.  Although the mall had high traffic, and its sales were some of the highest in the country, you couldn't tell when nobody was here because it looked tired and dated."  Chambliss says the new stores reflect the move o more high end offerings.  "The tenants are a little more sophisticated."  He says it's all part of an effort to provide a wide variety of stores to meet every shoppers needs.

The mall's reconstruction didn't come together without help.  New Castle County Executive Chris Coons says it took a partnership of state and county officials to encourage redevelopment.  "It was the predictable business environment, and the cooperation between the state, the county and all the different agencies, that convinced them to continue to invest in this redevelopment."  Coons says the reconstruction created hundreds of construction jobs.  It's also helped reinvigorate a property that he says is "hugely important to our state's economy."

The reinvestment effort isn't over yet.  "It's just gonna get better from here," says Chambliss.  About 80% of the new stores are now open.  Thursday, mall officials announced plans for brand new stores, many of them will be brand new to Delaware.  They include LEGO, White House Black Market, and The Cheesecake Factory, which will all open in 2010.  Coming in 2011 is Delaware's first Nordstrom store.  The department store will occupy 138,000 sq. ft.

Health care issues have plagued Delaware's prison system for years, with a series of lawsuits and even federal investigations.  DOC Commissioner Carl Danberg says the latest RFP will allow vendors to provide just a portion of prison health care service, rather than bid to provide all health care needs of inmates.  "We expect this flexibility, and the increased competition it is expected to provide, will foster improved medical care and cost savings," says DOC Commissioner Carl Danberg.

St. Louis-based Correctional Medical Services has been providing health care for Delaware inmates since 2005.  Danberg says the company's performance over the last three years has been "deficient" in areas.

All 994 appointments in New Castle County have already been taken, but slots are still available in Kent and Sussex County.  82 spots are available in Kent County, while more than 534 appointments are still open in Sussex.

Director of the Delaware Division of Public Health Dr. Karyl Rattay says the clinics are the most efficient and convenient way to get those who are at risk vaccinated.  "We want to avoid people who are already at high risk for the flu having to stand in long lines in the cold and rain."  Getting those at risk, especially those with other medical problems,  has been a priority for Division of Public Health.  That's because all five Delawareans who've died from H1N1 complications have had underlying health conditions that made their sickness fatal.