The Green Tom Byrne

Last fall, the Biden Administration announced substantial federal grants to create a series of “hydrogen hubs.”One hub funded is the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub, or MACH2. It’s receiving up to $750 million to bring together governments and business interests in Delaware, Southeast Pennsylvania, and South Jersey to create a hub with the promise of creating jobs while combating climate change.The U.S. Department of Energy and MACH2 officials are currently holding listening sessions to discuss plans for this hub and get public feedback. And contributor Jon Hurdle reports on the arguments for and against MACH2 heard in these sessions.

While many high school graduates spend time this summer preparing to go college, others take a so-called ‘gap year’ with plans for some sort of sabbatical.Postponing the start of college for a year is becoming more common in the U.S. According to a survey from the nonprofit College Savings Foundation, more than 22% of students now consider gap time before post-secondary education.This week, Delaware Public Media’s Kyle McKinnon sits down with First State native Belin Tate, a freshman at Middlebury College in Vermont who recently took gap time, and President of the Gap Year Association Rae Nelson to discuss gap years.

Early intervention for developmental delays like Autism can make a huge difference, but it’s difficult to diagnose those delays early. Michele Lobo, a University of Delaware associate professor and pediatric physical therapist, is working to change that by creating a new smart baby monitor that helps spot delays earlier in childhood.Delaware Public Media’s Joe Irizarry talks with Lobo this week about the monitor and the importance of detecting developmental delays early.

A photographic exhibition focused on the Harriet Tubman Byway is now on display at Old Town Hall in Wilmington.The exhibit “Landscapes of the Delaware Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway” showcases the work of award-winning Delaware-based photographer Lynn Dilliplane and is on view until the end of this month.In this edition of History Matters, Delaware Public Media’s Kyle McKinnon visited Old Town Hall and met up with Dilliplane, Wilmington’s Historic Preservation Planner Debra Martin, and the Delaware Historical Society’s Chief Curator Leigh Rifenburg to learn more about the exhibit and the Harriet Tubman Byway.

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Shopping malls across the country are remaking themselves as the retail landscape that once led to their growth and popularity continues to shift in ways that leave many of them struggling now.The latest mall to see some major changes is the Dover Mall. Like Concord Mall in North Wilmington, the Dover Mall is trying to find ways to reclaim foot traffic.This week, contributor Eileen Dallabrida reports on the Dover Mall and how it's making a comeback.