First for Friday, May 22, 2015

Inside Amtrak
The focus of the Amtrak crash in Philadelphia moves to Delaware, specifically, to the Amtrak repair yard in Bear, Delaware. Amtrak’s operations center is in Wilmington. It’s where engineer Brandon Bostian learned to operate a train. In our First Look this week, we report on how Amtrak teaches their operators, and what it’s like to manage a train run.

First Person: Jennifer Cohan
Delaware’s transportation secretary Jennifer Cohan is in the First studio this week. We discuss Delaware’s infrastructure needs and the Republican’s proposal to move DelDOT’s operations budget out of the Transportation Trust Fund and into the general fund.

The Tornoe Spin
Rob Tornoe is a bridge and roads kind of guy. He has the state of Delaware’s infrastructure on his mind. Rob joins us this week to look at that, we also talk deflategate, and Rob introduces us to a new member of the family.

State of Play
Stephanie Hansen and Michael Stafford join us this week to look at DEFAC numbers, could they have been worse? We also talk about an interesting bill that has surfaced from Bryan Townsend, Senator from Bear. He would like to raise the state requirement for the secretary of education, is it a shot against Education Secretary Mark Murphy?

Share Build
For low income residents, the struggle to find for affordable housing can be daunting. In Sussex County, the median home price is around $240,000, which can make buying a home unattainable for many. That’s why a group of Sussex County residents are taking matters- and tools – into their own hands, to build each other’s homes themselves.

First Experience
For First Experience this week, we head to Newark to meet an artist who has used her art training to inform her textile work. Maureen Kamerick is a weaver. She weaves together silk, colors, and textures, and the results are beautiful.