Spotlight Delaware is pleased to share two podcast series with you.
Beyond the Headlines will take you inside the story and into the minds of our reporters, sharing insights beyond what shows up on our website and in our newsletters. The podcast is hosted by David Stradley, Director of Community Engagement.
Delaware Newsmakers provides you with longform, conversational interviews with key figures in the First State. The podcast is hosted by Jacob Owens, Editor in Chief.
Episodes from 2026 can be found on this page. Catch up on episodes from last year HERE.
Beyond the Headlines: Covering Protests at Christina Park
(April 23, 2026)
Wilmington reporter Brianna Hill visits “Beyond the Headlines” to talk about how she has been covering Christina Park, the location of the city-sanctioned encampment for unhoused individuals located on Wilmington’s East Side. She discusses the unique challenges of reporting at the park, how she has built contacts with the residents, whether her coverage style differs if she knows other reporters are present, and more.
Articles connected to this episode:
Tensions flare as Wilmington officials move the Christina Park homeless encampment
Protests again stall the Christina Park tent overhaul
Beyond the Headlines: Investigating the Rockford Center
(April 8, 2026)
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.
Article connected to this episode:
Families, ex-staff allege improper sedation at Rockford Center
Beyond the Headlines: On the Waves with Leipsic Watermen
(March 26, 2026)
Tim Carlin, deputy editor for southern Delaware, is the guest for this episode of “Beyond the Headlines.” While Tim’s work for Spotlight normally has him roaming Legislative Hall in Dover, he joins the podcast to discuss the time he spent on the Leipsic River and the Delaware Bay reporting for his article In Leipsic, watermen have toiled for generations to dredge the deep.
Tim shares how he developed his sources among the community of watermen, what his experience was like on Leonard “Limbo” Voss’ boat, and why Spotlight readers can expect to see more stories of “joy, wonder and discovery.”
Delaware Newsmakers: Granary developer Colby Cox
(March 16, 2026)
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.
Beyond the Headlines: Campaign finance ahead of 2026 Midterms
(March 13, 2026)
Deputy Editor Karl Baker joins “Beyond the Headlines” to mark the beginning of 2026 election season with a discussion about money – specifically how Delaware’s political parties finance their operations.
Two of Karl’s recent articles have taken on the topic through a bipartisan lens: “Longtime court critic quietly funds PAC controlled by House Speaker,” and “Delaware’s GOP projects strength after months of turmoil.” In the podcast, Karl discusses what these two developments say about the state of money in Delaware politics and shares how hel tracks these trends.
Beyond the Headlines: Inside the Loitering Debate – Dover & Wilmington
(February 26, 2026)
Since late 2024, municipalities across Delaware have been struggling with how to pass and enforce ordinances related to loitering and panhandling. The cause of the struggle was an agreement reached between the Delaware Department of Justice and the ACLU directing police in Delaware to no longer enforce current loitering and solicitation laws in public spaces.
Wilmington reporter Brianna Hill and Rural Communities reporter Maggie Reynolds join the podcast to discuss how this issue has been showing up in Delaware’s two biggest cities. The decisions Dover and Wilmington reach could provide a template for how other towns in Delaware try to address the issue.
Articles connected to this episode:
Jennings talks updated loitering bill, lawmakers express frustrations
Debate grows as Wilmington crafts new loitering ordinance
Dover residents, officials divided ahead of panhandling vote
Beyond the Headlines: Reflecting on the Property Reassessment Data Map
(February 19, 2026)
Editor-in-Chief Jacob Owens talks about Spotlight Delaware’s months-long project looking at the results of Delaware’s first reassessment of property values in more than 40 years. Working with Tech Impact, Spotlight produced an interactive map showing how the state’s tax burdens and property assessments have shifted in that time.
In his accompanying reporting, Jake highlights questions around the outcome of the reassessment prompted by the data map, including whether the reassessment will help Delaware achieve equity in education funding.
Beyond the Headlines: Shining a Light on the Housing Needs of Disabled Adults
(January 29, 2026)
Reporter Julia Merola joins the podcast to discuss her article ‘Afraid to Die’: Parents of Disabled Adults Struggle to Find Housing. The article profiles three families who are concerned they will not be able to provide supportive housing for their adult children with disabilities before the parents pass away.
Merola shares how a previous article built trust and connections in the disability community that led directly to this article, how she worked to draw readers into an issue they may not have personal experience with, and why she thinks a profile like this has strong news worthiness even though it’s not breaking news.
Beyond the Headlines: Reporting on Homelessness
(January 15, 2026)
In the last week of 2025, five members of Spotlight Delaware’s reporting team created a five-part series on Homelessness in Delaware. At a time of year where news readership normally dips, this series resulted in some of the Spotlight’s highest readership numbers in several months. In this episode, reporters Olivia Marble, Brianna Hill and Nick Stonesifer discuss the collaborative nature of reporting on this issue and how the team worked to ensure that the voices of people experiencing homelessness were centered in this series. Plus, how losing your photo SD card can end up being a blessing in disguise.
Articles connected to this episode:
Homelessness Series Archives
Beyond the Headlines: 2025 Reporter Reflections
(December 24, 2025)
In this last “Beyond the Headlines” episode for 2025, each member of Spotlight Delaware’s nine-person reporting team reflects on the stories that meant the most to them in the year. From government accountability to long-term investigations, community profiles to breaking news, learn what stuck out to our reporters in 2025. Moms, farmers, politicians, abuse victims and more are all featured in these reflections.
Articles connected to this episode:
Delaware abuse victim rescued from ICE deportation
Delaware soybean farmers remain optimistic amid dropping prices
Years of violations, but few consequences for MeadowWood
Wilmington mom struggles to secure therapy for son with autism
A decade after Bradley abuse case, survivors still seek help
Trans youth face care crisis in Delaware as health options shrink
Late-night compromise ends legislative standoff over offshore wind
DelDOT investigating land deal struck with a chief planner’s business partner
Democrats feud over Sussex chair’s sex offender past
Beyond the Headlines: Concerns Around Redding Consortium Redistricting Plans
(December 11, 2025)
Education reporter Julia Merola talks about the Redding Consortium for Educational Equity and specifically its process to make a recommendation for reworking school district boundaries in Wilmington. She recaps the background of the consortium and the details of the December 16th vote to move forward with a redistricting plan. Julia also discusses why the work of the consortium, which had been flying under the radar, has recently been receiving a lot more public focus – and with that, some public confusion and public pushback.
Plus, learn when being a 4’11” reporter has downsides.
Articles connected to this episode:
What is the Redding Consortium?
‘We were bulldozed’: The history of Wilmington’s school system