First for February 3, 2017

Future of the Queen
World Cafe Live at the Queen will close it doors in May, six years after opening in Wilmington. Last week’s announcement has many worried about the Queen Theatre’s future on Market Street. What happened, and what this means for downtown Wilmington is the subject of this week’s First Look.

Hostage situation
The week’s news in Delaware was overshadowed by the prison hostage situation at the James Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna. Our entire Delaware team reported the story. Here’s a portion of the news conference Thursday morning after the situation ended.

The Governor’s week
The Governor’s week began with the first of his budget reset meetings. It was a promise Governor Carney made on the campaign trail and in his inaugural address. His first session took place in Wilmington. The goal was to listen to all ideas, and figure out the best way to close a $350 million budget gap.

The Senate race
As if Governor Carney doesn’t have enough to deal with, let’s throw in another item. And that would be the make-up of the Delaware Senate. When Bethany Hall Long resigned her Senate seat to become Lieutenant Governor, it meant the Senate was tied at 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. The three candidates looking to fill the seat debated this past Wednesday. It was hosted by WDEL radio. Topic one, the economy.

Peter Spencer
Last month, Lisa Blunt Rochester became the first African American to represent Delaware in Congress. The foundation for that historic moment was laid in Wilmington more than 200 years ago by the man who some call Delaware’s first civil rights leader, former slave Peter Spencer.

Tobaco report
A national tobacco report reveals the state has earned mixed grades regarding how it deals with smoking and tobacco related products. While Delaware failed in some categories, and made significant progress in others, the report shows that it still has some work to do.

First Experience: Cigar box guitars
After retiring from a stress filled job Thom Allen needed something to do. He discovered how to make cigar box guitars. Now Thom spends his retirement years making and selling his homemade creations. First Experience visits his Georgetown home to see and hear.