The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to drain a popular fishing pond near Delaware City.

Plan to drain Delaware City pond upsets sportsmen’s group

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

A pond just outside Delaware City is scheduled to be drained and eventually filled with dredging spoils, eliminating a popular spot for fishers and hunters. The Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association says that people learned about the plan in June from a handwritten cardboard sign stating: “Attention: area will be in the process of being dewatered/drained within the next few weeks. …

Hiking along the Brandywine. (State of Delaware)

Del. ranks 8th among states for outdoor exercise

Ken MammarellaHealth, Headlines

Delaware is No. 8 on a new list of best states for outdoor exercise, a fitness website has concluded. Total Shape measured 16 factors: national parks; weather; coastline; parks; temperature; boats and water sports facilities; beaches; sports camps and clinics; kayaking and canoeing attractions; ski and snowboarding facilities; surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing facilities; outdoor activities; hiking trails; biking trails; golf …

Families rely on fast internet access that 5G promises.(Sofatutor photo from Unsplash)

1st State called 2nd best on 5G (and it’s fairly cheap)

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Delaware is the second-best state for 5G cellular coverage, some number crunching of federal data concludes. But it has second-worst availability of broadband with speeds of at least 1,000 megabits. And online access is relatively cheap in the First State. Internet access is a must-have for many families, and it’s in the news with President Biden in June announcing a …

The Jester Artspace will be in a Grubb Road farmhouse that dates back to at least 1849. (Ken Mammarella photo)

Big plans: Creating Jester Artspace in Brandywine Hundred

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

The people creating the Jester Artspace have big plans for a small(ish), long-abandoned building. “It’s slow going,” said board president Alan Baseden, who grew up across Grubb Road from the old farmstead that they are renovating, with the help of New Castle County. “A lot longer than I expected.” When the building gets its certificate of occupancy, Baseden hopes that …

The Newport River Trail is getting $23 million in federal funding. (WILMAPCO )

Feds award $44M for NCCo, Sussex shared-use trails

Ken MammarellaGovernment, Headlines

Multi-use trails to connect Newport with Wilmington and Georgetown with Lewes received $44 million in federal funding today. The Newport River Trail will get $23 million to construct a 2-mile path between Newport and the Jack A. Markell Trail on the Wilmington Riverfront. The Newport River Trail is part of New Castle County’s Connecting Communities initiative and will be a …

The Newport site makes facility produces liquid chromatography columns. (Agilent Technologies)

Agilent to expand Newport manufacturing site

Ken MammarellaBusiness, Headlines

Agilent Technologies Inc. has announced a plan to invest nearly $22 million to expand its lab-based manufacturing site in Newport. The site employs 110 today, according to the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, and Agilent expects the number of jobs to increase by 20% over the next 10 years. The company has received a $693,000 grant from the Delaware Strategic Fund, contingent …

Some call center jobs will be at CSC Station. Some will be remote. (Pexels photo by Tina Miroshnichenko)

New call center to hire workers with special needs

Ken MammarellaBusiness, Headlines

A call center is being set up in Wilmington that will focus on the medical industry and on employees with special needs. By the end of 2025, BlindSight Delaware Enterprise plans to hire 227 Delawareans who are blind or visually impaired, have other disabilities, are military veterans and/or live in economically disadvantaged Promise Communities in New Castle, Kent and Sussex …

Wilmington is near the bottom of a new list ranking cities on the best places to raise a family. (Fabian Centeno photo from Unsplash)

Wilmington, Dover called poor places to raise a family

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Wilmington is near the bottom of a new list of America’s best cities to raise a family. It’s 173rd out of 182 cities on the list from WalletHub, a personal finance website. Dover is 139th. In a stunning contrast, WalletHub a few months ago ranked Wilmington eighth on its list of best places to retire. Dover ranked 36th on that …

Wilmington has been called the most affordable city in America. (City of Wilmington photo)

Wilmington called America’s most affordable city

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

“Wilmington, Delaware, is the cheapest city to live in the U.S.,” some new number crunching has concluded. Scholaroo reached that conclusion in ranking 151 cities in eight qualities to come up with the Best Places to Live. Wilmington “has one of the lowest rent costs, and the city has no sales taxes,” the site continued. It does have an income …

Fireworks over Rehoboth Beach. (Butch Comedy's photo courtesy of Rehoboth Beach)

Where you can have a blast at fireworks across Delaware

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Most Delaware places known for Fourth of July fireworks and other Independence Day activities have announced their plans. Organizers consistently ask for people to arrive early and leave late, and the Delaware Department of Transportation warns that many events close roads, too. In other words, traffic could be bad. Dusk is about 9:05 p.m. on the Tuesday, the Fourth, but …