Spotlight Delaware Podcasts

Spotlight Delaware reporter Brianna Hill recently spoke with Frank Cooke and Pam Salaam, who are seeking the Democratic nomination for House District 16 in Delaware in the Sept. 15, 2026, primary election. Cooke, a four-term incumbent who represents District 16 stretching from Wilmington's Southbridge community down Route 9 to Old New Castle, will look to defend his seat from a rare primary challenge from Salaam, a healthcare worker backed by the Working Families Party. The winner will face Republican Enala Mwashitete in the November general election.

Three political newcomers sat down with Spotlight Delaware to discuss their Democratic primary campaigns for House District 9, where longtime Republican Rep. Kevin Hensley is retiring. The seat is a target for Democrats to flip as they seek a House supermajority. The candidates include Ayanna Khan Flowers, the founder, president, and CEO of the Delaware Black Chamber of Commerce; Gemma Lowery, a community advocate with two decades of experience in the healthcare industry; and Michelle Wall who served on the Appoquinimink Board of Education for a decade. The winner will face Republican Jamar Money in the November general election.

Spotlight Delaware reporter Nick Stonesifer recently spoke with Ray Seigfried and Shay Frisby, who are seeking the Democratic nomination for Senate District 5 in Delaware in the Sept. 15, 2026, primary election. Seigfried is a first-term incumbent who will be looking to defend his seat from Frisby, a progressive challenger backed by the Working Families Party.

Spotlight Delaware hosted a debate Aug. 18 in Wilmington for the three Democrats vying for the party's nomination in the Sept. 15 primary election. Incumbent Attorney General Kathy Jennings faced challengers Dwayne Bensing, the former legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware, and Patty Rickman, a domestic abuse survivor turned advocate and author. Each candidate answered a dozen questions from Editor in Chief Jacob Owens around criminal prosecution, civil rights litigation and public transparency of law enforcement over the course of more than an hour of conversation.

After several months, we're pleased to have Olivia Marble back on the podcast to discuss data centers and Delaware's energy market, and there's been a whole lot happening on that front in recent months. She recently wrote an article summarizing the Delaware General Assembly's efforts this year legislating around data centers and energy. We'll talk more about that, as well as how the governor and Delaware's counties are wrestling with the issues as well.

Spotlight Delaware typically doesn't cover a lot of breaking news. But on June 16th, our team jumped into action when a shooting occurred at ChristianaCare's Wilmington Hospital around 3:30 in the afternoon. Editor-in-Chief Jacob Owens joins the "Beyond the Headlines" podcast to discuss how the team covered this major event in Delaware's biggest city and the unique considerations around reporting on breaking news. Jake also shares why Spotlight hasn't done as much breaking news coverage as other media outlets – and whether that might be changing. Hosted by Director of Community Engagement David Stradley Spotlight Delaware article connected to this episode: Suspect identified in ChristianaCare Wilmington Hospital shooting

This podcast brings you one of the five discussions that took place at Spotlight Delaware's Health Care Summit on University of Delaware's STAR Campus on April 29th, 2026. HOSPITAL LEADERSHIP C-Suite representatives from Delaware's three largest health care systems – Bayhealth, Beebe Healthcare and ChristianaCare – discuss how their institutions are working to address the largest health challenges in the state. Panelists: Dr. William Chasanov, Senior Vice President and Chief Health Systems Design Officer, Beebe Healthcare Dr. Emmanuel Mensah, Chief Medical Officer, Medical Group, ChristianaCare Dr. Gary Siegelman, Designated Institutional Official for GME, Bayhealth Moderated by Jacob Owens

This podcast brings you one of the five discussions that took place at Spotlight Delaware's Health Care Summit on University of Delaware's STAR Campus on April 29th, 2026. DOWNSTATE DEMAND The health care challenges facing the state are multiplied in rural areas, due to geographically remote populations and fewer care facilities. What are providers and advocates doing to navigate the difficulties confronting downstate communities? Panelists: Dr. Fabricio Alarcon, Chief Medical Officer, La Red Health Center, and Founder/Owner, Atlantic Family Physicians Peggy Geisler, Executive Director, Sussex County Health Coalition Steve Leonard, President/CEO, TidalHealth Moderated by Maggie Reynolds

Health reporter Nick Stonesifer talks about a historic moment in Delaware health care – the announcement of who will be running the state's first medical school. Nick discusses how he goes beyond the press releases and the press conferences to detail the contours of a major policy announcement, and gets into the big unanswered questions behind the medical school project. He also details how he builds relationships – online and in person – with industry leaders and "the person on the street" to develop thorough perspectives in his health care coverage. Hosted by Director of Community Engagement David Stradley Spotlight Delaware articles connect to this episode: Thomas Jefferson University to run Delaware's first medical school What to know about Delaware's new medical school

Spotlight Delaware education reporter Julia Merola joins the "Beyond the Headlines" podcast to discuss the outcomes of this year's statewide school board elections, the issues that were in play with them and what they might mean for the future of districts around Delaware.

Spotlight Delaware recently held its "Spotlight On: Data Centers" event at Wilmington University in Dover. It featured local and regional experts speaking about the impacts of those energy-hungry facilities on local economic development, energy infrastructure and environmental sustainability. One particular panel discussion, led by land-use reporter Olivia Marble, included four legislators who have been central to debates around data centers in their respective states. Get panelists' insights here in "Spotlight On: Data Centers - Part 1," and follow our show to easily tune in for Part 2. Subscribe to Spotlight Delaware's daily email newsletter for work like this and more, from across the First State at spotlightdelaware.org/newsletter. Our reporting is made possible by readers like you. Your support helps keep our work free and accessible to all Delawareans. Give today to keep local reporting going strong: spotlightdelaware.org/support.

Education reporter Julia Merola and health reporter Nick Stonesifer join "Beyond the Headlines" to talk about their recent investigation into the Rockford Center, a private behavioral health hospital in Newark which has been cited by state regulators in recent years for giving children medications without their or their parents' consent. Julia and Nick discuss their more than six month process to develop this report. They share how they connected with the families and employees featured in the article, why investigations like this take so much time, and detail their fact-checking process. Finally, they reflect on how reporting these kinds of stories impacts them personally as journalists. Hosted by David Stradley.

Colby Cox is a fourth-generation Miltonian who left his mark on his hometown two decades ago, when he built Cannery Village. Today, the master-planned community surrounds the Dogfish Head brewery and helped launch the intimate, mixed-use development concept to Delaware. He's recently kickstarted work on his latest Delaware project, The Granary at Draper Farms – a massive project on Milton's southwest side, which will likely double the town's population in the next decade. Cox discussed the project, how he approaches building a community, how to view Sussex County's building boom and more in a sit-down interview with Spotlight Delaware.