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New deputy editor Cannon Taylor joins "Beyond the Headlines" to talk about an exciting growth moment for Spotlight Delaware – the launch of Arts + Culture coverage. Cannon discusses his background, the decision to expand Spotlight's coverage, and what you might expect from his arts + culture reporting. Cannon also shares why things like pet dragons, concert audiences dancing like beyblades, and all things odd are sure to catch his attention.  Hosted by Director of Community Engagement David Stradley Spotlight Delaware articles connected to this episode: Delaware Oktoberfest funds historic German cultural club Wilmington celebrates tenacity during Black Restaurant Week Delaware Weekend Spotlight: Hot jams, luchadores and more

Spotlight Delaware deputy editor Karl Baker recently spoke with the three Democrats running to replace longtime Rep. Debra Heffernan in House District 6, which covers the Bellefonte and Edgemoor areas in the northern Wilmington suburbs. The candidates include Rachel "Rae" Krantz, a software engineer and local advocate; Ed Mulvihill, a liquor store owner-operator; and Ralf Santana, a Marine Corps veteran. This audio includes excerpts from their conversations prior to the primary election on September 15th.

Spotlight Delaware reporter Olivia Marble recently spoke with the four Democrats vying to replace Rep. Mara Gorman in the Newark area as she seeks a Senate seat. The candidates include Luann D'Agostino, a dance studio owner; Joe Jasper, a former microbrewery owner; Dave Redlawsk a University of Delaware professor; and Dan Seador, a former paramedic. The winner of the Democratic primary will be the de facto winner of the seat after no Republican filed for the district.

Spotlight Delaware reporter Maggie Reynolds recently spoke with Bryan Shupe and Patrick Smith, who are seeking the Republican nomination for House District 36 in Delaware in the Sept. 15, 2026, primary election.   Shupe is a four-term incumbent who will be looking to defend his seat from Smith, an IT and finance worker who narrowly lost to the incumbent two years ago.   The winner of their primary will face Democrat Andy Gorlich in the November general election.

Spotlight Delaware editors Tim Carlin and Jake Owens recently spoke with Krista Griffith and Rob Bansen, who are seeking the Democratic nomination for House District 12 in Delaware in the Sept. 15, 2026, primary election.   Griffith is a four-term incumbent who will be looking to defend her seat from Bahnsen, a progressive emergency room psychiatrist.

Spotlight Delaware reporter Maggie Reynolds recently spoke with Doug Conaway and Jacki Slonin, who are seeking the Republican nomination for House District 41 in Delaware in the Sept. 15, 2026, primary election. Their opponent, John Atkins, declined to be interviewed without conditions.   The seat is held by Republican incumbent Rich Collins, who is retiring after 12 years of service in the House of Representatives.   Conaway is a retired Army veteran who now runs a construction company, while Slonin is a marketing professional and local advocate. Atkins is a former state representative, who has a checkered legal past but says he has now found a new life.

Spotlight Delaware reporter Maggie Reynolds recently spoke with Matt Bucher, who is seeking the Republican nomination for House District 33 in Delaware in the Sept. 15, 2026, primary election. His opponent, Morgan Hudson, declined to be interviewed.   The seat is held by Republican incumbent Charles Postles, who is retiring after a decade of service in the House of Representatives.   Bucher is a former Milford school board member and Republican Party district chair, while Hudson is involved with her family's construction cleaning business. She is also board president of the Frederica Senior Center.

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.

Spotlight Delaware deputy editor Tim Carlin recently spoke with Alonna Berry and Ruby Keeler Schaeffer, who are seeking the Democratic nomination for House District 20 in Delaware in the Sept. 15, 2026, primary election.   Berry is an incumbent seeking her first full term in the General Assembly after winning a 2025 special election, while Ruby Schaeffer, the wife of a former county councilman and local businesswoman, is seeking to make the race a referendum on land use in Delaware's booming southern region.

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 Brianna Hill recently spoke with Nnamdi Chukwoucha and Shané Darby, who are seeking the Democratic nomination for House District 1 in Delaware in the Sept. 15, 2026, primary election.   Chukwoucha is a four-term incumbent who will be looking to defend his seat from Darby, a progressive Wilmington City Councilwoman who has the backing of the Working Families Party.

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 reporter Nick Stonesifer recently spoke with Dan Cruce and Adriana Bohm, who are seeking the Democratic nomination for Senate District 1 in Delaware in the Sept. 15, 2026, primary election. Cruce is a first-term incumbent who will be looking to defend his seat from Bohm, 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.

Spotlight Delaware reporter Julia Merola joins the "Beyond the Headlines" podcast to discuss her reporting on the first anniversary of Delaware's recreational marijuana market opening.  Merola and host Olivia Marble discuss why there are still no new standalone recreational marijuana shops in the state a year after regulators awarded dozens of licenses, why state revenues were flatter than anticipated and what it's like to report on a subject that you're not that familiar with.