First for Friday, October 18, 2013

Port impact

There has been a lot of discussion in recent years about building up the manufacturing and the blue collar work base in Delaware. The economic climate in the last five years has added to that concern. For 90 years, the Port of Wilmington has been a source of blue collar employment, and there is some concern whether that can go on as strongly as in the past. In this week’s First Look, we visit the port to see its impact on the state and what the future holds after a tumultuous year.

First Person: Dave Graham

A letter to the editor last week in the Delaware State News caught our attention. The headline reads “Tea Party Members of Congress Are Real Patriots”. It was written by Dave Graham who has been in the spotlight before as a Republican, then Independent candidate for Governor in 2008 and 2012 respectively. We invited the Smyrna resident with a background in finance to be our First Person this week.

Content Delaware

Last week on First we reported on the Vision 2015 education conference at the University of Delaware. One of the sessions there was to name the I-Educate Teacher for 2013. It’s a program done in coordination with the Rodel Foundation. One of this year’s winning teachers is Tara Amsterdam of Wilbur Academy School in New Castle. Our video partner Content Delaware introduces us to her, and her students.

Delaware Makers: Tina Betz

When she served as the City of Wilmington’s Director of Cultural Affairs, Tina Betz brought us large scale events like the Clifford Brown Jazz Festival and art-on-the-town. But now the classically trained singer who’s performed with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra is taking some time for herself. We bring you Tina Betz, the latest in our series ‘Delaware Makers.’

First Experience: Miniature masterpieces

Art comes in all shapes and sizes, including miniatures. The Rehoboth Art league currently has a juried show of art miniatures on display. These works of art are as amazing as they are small, you may think you’ll need to bring your magnifying glass, but this First Experience gives you a front row seat. It also gives new meaning to the phrase “Good things come in small packages”.