The event mixed politics and prayer, as speakers asked citizens to make their voices heard in favor of the project. The proposed offshore wind farm faces steadfast opposition from Delmarva Power, the utility that would be required to buy power from it for 25 years...

"We're a small state on a small planet," said John Hughes, the state's natural resources secretary, during the naming ceremony. "We're at the crossroads. Here at the twilight of the fossil fuel era, we will be wrenched from the dependencies we once took for granted. Without wisdom and guidance, we will suffer, one and all."

The 91-year-old Peterson stood on the deck during the chilly, windswept 45-minute ceremony. Peterson was lauded for his work to get the Coastal Zone Act passed in 1971. The act protected the state's coastline from new heavy industry.

"Global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels, the coal and the oil and natural gas. They are the real global warming culprits," said Peterson, who also is a past president of the National Audubon Society. "It's fundamental Delawareans do something about the problem. Not just talk about it: Do something."

Bluewater says the winds offshore are Delaware's best natural energy resource. Buying offshore wind power would stabilize prices for years to come, even if the price is a little more expensive than buying on the open market, company officials contend...

In an interview, responding to contentions from Delmarva that the Bluewater turbines wouldn't displace many fossil fuel emissions in Delaware, Hughes said the project would start a domino effect of offshore wind farms getting built, which would lead to a wider impact...

Also seen at the event were...Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark South, and numerous environmental activists.

Delaware on-line web link

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John celebrates with constituents on special occasion with a
Delaware House of Representative tribute.

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 John, a former youth soccer and track coach with Kirkwood and Holy Angels.  Eagerly support and sponsors various youth sports activities. Here he is pictured with members of the Brookside Soccer League and the Greater Newark Baseball League.


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John consulting with AFL CIO president Sam Lathem on Economic issues involving job creation and retention in Delaware.










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John always makes time to honor our Delaware Scholars.
Here he is with 2008 Christina District High School Scholars.










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John is dedicated to assisting our seniors and helping make their future affordable and secure.









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John, a full-time State Representative tries to keep up with storm water issues and drainage problems that affect the 25th district.








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Westside Health Dedication

John's activity supports community service provides, such as the Westside Health clinic in the Brookside area that serves thousands of people who cannot afford Health Insurance.









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John pictured with Christina District Teacher of the Year Gretchen Wolfe .










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The News Journal

A state legislator is on a mission to get the word out about free college tuition
available to Delaware high school students while those students are young enough to plan ahead.

State Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark South, is touring middle schools in his district to talk to students about the state's Student Success Equals Degree (SEED) scholarship program for Delaware students pursuing associate degrees at in-state schools. He recently visited eighth-grade classrooms at Gauger-Cobbs Middle School and will head to Kirk Middle School next month. Both schools are in the Christina School District, part of his representative district, and he approached officials there with the idea that eighth-graders need to know about the program before they get to high school.

The qualifications for a two-year SEED scholarship are that a student stay out of trouble and maintain a 2.5 grade-point average through high school. For eighthgraders
to know those qualifications, going in as freshmen, makes it clear what they need to shoot for, Kowalko said.

"If you know about it now, you can prepare yourself," he told a class at Gauger-Cobbs. "It'll pay for your entire tuition for the two-year period. It's not only going to give you the hope to do it, but it's going to give you the means to do it. No one should be denied the right to have an education because they can't afford it."

As he makes his rounds, Kowalko is bringing a successful example with him: Amy McDermott, 19, of Wilmington, who is one of the 643 recipients who received a SEED scholarship last year at Delaware Technical & Community College. She is in her second year of an associate-degree program at the college, and she offers a firsthand perspective to the eighth-graders.

"I know you guys are thinking, 'What am I going to do tonight? Is there a party going on?'" she told one of the seven classes they visited. "But it's important to keep college in the back of your mind."

"There's no competition," she said, motioning to two of the students seated in front of her. "If you and you meet the requirements, you both get to go. It's such a great opportunity to take advantage of, and I'm so glad I took advantage of it."

Principal Amy Levitz, who accompanied Kowalko and McDermott to some of the classrooms, referred to the visits as "a wonderful opportunity for the kids to start thinking about the future."

"You're in the know of one of the best-kept secrets," she told one of the classes. "Obviously, they don't want to keep it a secret, and that's why they're telling you about it in the eighth grade."

The free scholarship, which started last year, provides tuition for full-time students enrolled in an associate degree program at Delaware Tech or the Associate of Arts program at the University of Delaware. The program is open to all Delaware students graduating from high school, with more than 1,500 SEED students nowenrolled at one of the two institutions.

McDermott, who is pursuing a certificate in secondary mathematics education at Delaware Tech, said she plans to transfer to the University of Delaware next year and will seek additional scholarships to help pay her way.

"Since I'm going to be a teacher one day, I don't mind visiting schools," she said following her classroom talks at Gauger-Cobbs. "I just wanted to let them know ho easy it is to get in."

Rae Cave, 13, an eighth-grader at the school who wants to go to college, appreciated the effort.

"I was looking into psychiatry," she said. "I think this will help me out. It's something that can help people if they don't have enough money, or if they think it's a good program."

Kowalko, 62, a first-term representative and long-time union machinist, did not go to college. But he said it is more difficult for today's students to get by with less than a college degree.

"We have to remove the obstacles to the opportunities that are presented," he said. "The biggest obstacle I see to getting an education is hopelessness at an early age. I want to show them that they can.'"

Contact Edward L. Kenney at 324-2891 or ekenney@delawareonline.com.

AT A GLANCE

Of the 643 SEED recipients from last year at Delaware Technical & Community College, 450 are still enrolled. And with the 760 students who were awarded the scholarships this year, there are just over 1,200 SEED students at the college, said Jerry McNesby, its vice president of finance.

The University of Delaware awarded 188 of the scholarships last year, and 83 of those students remain enrolled. With the 233 students who received the scholarships this year, there are just over 300 SEED students at UD, said Johnie Burton, director of the university's office of scholarships and finance.

SEED

For more information about the Student Excellence Equals Degree (SEED) Scholarship, call the University of Delaware at 831-1208 or Delaware Technical & Community College at one of these sites: 453-3706 or the Stanton Campus, 434-5552 for the Wilmington Campus, 857-1042 for the Terry Campus in Dover or 855-1693 for the Owens Campus in Georgetown.