We welcome letters, but must verify names

DOVER — Some notes and quotes between headlines and deadlines …

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The May 26 edition of the Delaware State News ran a letter to the editor with the headline, “Clean Dover up before producing a short film.” The reason we mention that today is that it fell short of our standards for a letter to the editor. We have learned the author was not the person listed. And, now knowing this, we feel it is important to acknowledge the concern to our readers. We owe the public candor and honesty regarding our own performance. We were duped by someone who sent this in via email. We have not identified the real author. There are other recent letters we are reviewing for the same reason. Within our newsroom, we are tightening the letter to the editor verification process. We require name, address and phone number, preferably a listed phone number. (Only the name and hometown are published.) If there is any doubt, the letter will be left out. We will do our best to keep the Opinion page open to as many voices as possible.

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In recent weeks, we have had a number of readers contact us regarding the omission of Parade magazine from Sunday editions. Parade reduced the number of copies available to the Delaware State News. We’re doing our best to remedy this to best serve our subscribers. Certainly, if you feel part of your Sunday newspaper package is missing, contact our Reader Services team at readerservices@newszap.com or (302) 741-8298.

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Music fans will be flocking to Dover this week for the Firefly Music Festival. According to HotelsCombined, the average room rate will be $223 per night June 15-19. A week later: $141. One of the nearby hotels, the report said, is asking $1,777 for a five-night stay.

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Sahil Langote, 11, of New Castle, deserves kudos for his efforts in the recent Scripps National Spelling Bee. The P.S. du Pont Middle School sixth-grade student represented Delaware in the bee. He correctly spelled “prehensile” and “sequential” in the opening rounds, but unfortunately did not score high on the preliminary written test to advance. The bee website said “Sahil has loved reading since his early childhood days, and he likes to read fantasy novels. His favorite subject is science, especially chemistry. Sahil loves music, particularly dubstep music released from NoCopyrightSounds. His favorite song is ‘Why We Lose.’ In addition to playing the piano, Sahil loves to play the harmonium and sing Indian classical music.”

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Kent County has been taking a survey for its Comprehensive Land Use update. Of more than 500 responses, 39 percent ranked creation of job opportunities as the most important issue facing the county. The county should promote business expansion and retention to help with jobs, according to 30 percent of respondents. About 18 percent said the county should refurbish older buildings for new uses. These preliminary survey numbers were shared on June 6.

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There isn’t a clear picture of the state budget emerging just yet. The final night of the General Assembly is June 30. In the headlines over the next 19 days will be talks about income tax, gas tax, prevailing wage, minimum wage and more. Lots of wrangling ahead. Gov. John Carney’s message to legislators to kick off the week: “We can’t responsibly cut our way to a long-term budget solution, or rely on one-time gimmicks that will make our financial problems even worse. “I get it — nobody wants to raise taxes. I don’t either. “But our plan would raise new revenue in a way that’s fair and keeps us economically competitive. It’s time for legislators to step up to the plate, vote on our revenue proposal, or offer a responsible alternative. We can’t afford another short-term, short-sighted solution.”