Robots show up in Delaware’s Walmarts

From Delaware State News

MILFORD — Over the past month, Delaware Walmart shoppers may have caught a rather surprising glimpse of a floor scrubbing machine driving itself up and down the aisles.

In July, the Camden, Milford and Middletown Walmart stores all got autonomous floor cleaners, or “Auto-C,” as they are known.

According to Walmart spokesman Ragan Dickens, these are just the most recent robots the retail giant has introduced in its stores in the state. Walmart began testing several types of robots in their stores across the country in 2018.

Read more:

https://delawarestatenews.net/business/robots-show-up-in-delawares-walmarts/

A proposed tax, just for one nonprofit: Behind the DE Turf bill

From Delaware Online

A new hotel tax in Kent County, if it gets final approval, would benefit the DE Turf athletic complex. Reporters Karl Baker and Sarah Gamard looked into this story with a series of articles.

Connections don’t mean conflict of interest, brothers say

Pushed by Dover Sen. Trey Paradee, the tax law that could inject nearly $1 million a year into DE Turf in Frederica has a notable beneficiary – a private development championed by Paradee’s brother. They both strongly object to any idea that this was intentional.

Read more:

https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2019/08/22/behind-de-turf-bill-new-tax-just-one-nonprofit/2060073001/

Gov. Carney announces new Downtown Development District designations

From Delaware Business Times

Clayton, Delaware City, Middletown and New Castle on Monday were designated Downtown Development Districts, joining Dover, Georgetown, Harrington, Laurel, Milford, Seaford, Smyrna and Wilmington.

Private construction projects within these districts can receive rebates of up to 20 percent of their capital construction costs,from this year’s $8.5 million pool of state funding.

“The workforce of the future wants interesting places to live in and cool things to do,” Gov. John Carney said at a Aug 19 announcement ceremony in Delaware City, also calling the state program “one of the most successful” that he has known in his nearly 30 years in state and local government.

Read more:

https://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/downtown-development-districts-auguest-2019/

Viewpoint: Why Delaware’s economy will remain constrained

From Delaware Business Times

Editor’s Note: The authors participated in our first Delaware Dialogue, published in the July 23 issue, and offered to write the following on the state of Delaware’s economy.

Over the past 10 years, using the standard measures — e.g., output, employment, personal income, annual wages and median household income — the Delaware economy has been performing poorly. Even Delaware’s low unemployment rate, the 11th-lowest among the states, is due primarily to slow growth in the state’s labor force.

Will these slow times pass? After all, the Delaware economy has been hit with some major blows: the closing of two automobile plants, the downsizing of DuPont and AstraZeneca, and the impact of the 2008 Recession on the financial services industry.

Read more:

https://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/economycaesarrodneyview/