The First State has plenty of events and buffets for families to celebrate Thanksgiving.

What to expect for Thanksgiving 2023 in Delaware

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Culture

With almost 15% of First Staters expected to travel this weekend, here’s what to know about Thanksgiving travel, weather and more.  Travel AAA Mid-Atlantic, a regional travel agency, expects nearly 150,000 Delawareans to be traveling for theThanksgiving weekend, the third highest travel volume for the holiday since 2001. 91% of First State travelers, or 36,000 people, will be reaching their …

gavel rapist

Brandywine Park rapist Bryron Mayhan convicted on 22 charges

Betsy PriceGovernment, Headlines

A New Castle man convicted of 10 counts of rape, among 22 charges, faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five life sentences, plus 175 years at sentencing in early 2024. Byron Mayhan, 39, described by the Department of Justice as a habitual offender, was convicted Nov. 13 for his May 29, 2020, attack on a woman running in Brandywine Park. …

Principal Bradley Layfield has been fired by the Indian River School District.

Layfield fired by Indian River board over student breast case

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Education

Bradley Layfield, the principal of Sussex Central High School in the middle of a lawsuit over a meme using a student’s exposed breast, has been fired. He had been suspended after a fight in which the breast was exposed and then he, other staff, the school and Indian River School District were sued for allegedly circulating a meme photo of …

Jimmy Strusowski, right, accepting his award for Young Professional of the Year.

Associated Builders & Contractors awards 5 people, 29 companies

Jarek RutzHeadlines, Culture

One of the biggest challenges this year for Jimmy Strusowski of Seiberlich Trane Energy Services has been the company- and industry-wide crisis of getting parts and materials.  Coping with that and other challenges helped him earn the Young Professional of the Year award last week at the Associated Builders & Contractors, Delaware Chapter’s annual Excellence in Construction Awards dinner. “I …

claymont rail front

SEPTA train service starts Dec. 4 at new Claymont station

Ken MammarellaGovernment, Headlines

SEPTA commuter train service to the new Claymont Transportation Center starts Dec. 4, increasing the community’s attractiveness to businesses and residents and reducing hassles for commuting into – and just visiting – Philadelphia The new station is a centerpiece of redevelopment of 425 acres on Philadelphia Pike, just south of the Pennsylvania line, that for decades was a steel mill. …

Sussex Academy soccer George Sapna is attacked by his team after kicking the game winning the DII soccer state championship

Sussex Academy wins first soccer state championship

Nick HallidayHeadlines, High Schools, Sports

DOVER – It was a day to remember at Dover High School on the afternoon of Nov. 18, as Sussex Academy made a little bit of history. The Seahawks outlasted Saint Mark’s, 5-4, in penalty kicks for the DIAA Division II boys championship. It was the first team championship in school history. No. 1 Sussex Academy trailed No. 6 Saint …

Salesianum football BJ Alleyne runs the ball against Smyrna photo courtesy of Donnell Henriquez

Salesianum advances to DIAA football semifinal

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

WILMINGTON – B.J. Alleyne was not going to let something like the Smyrna defense stop him. The Salesianum senior running back, who had already scored four times against the Eagles in their DIAA Class 3A football quarterfinal, lined up in the shotgun on fourth and goal from the 2 with seven seconds showing on the clock. Alleyne took the snap …

holiday lights christmas

Brighten up dark nights with these merry light displays

Betsy PriceCulture, Headlines

If you’re looking for a little holiday magic to brighten up the dark nights of winter, look no farther than the Wilmington Riverfront, where a two-mile stretch of the Riverwalk will be lit up for the Holiday Magic at Riverbright Wilmington. It’s one of more than a dozen of holiday light displays in the region, many of them free, like …

The only Rite Aid in Claymont has closed. (Ken Mammarella photo)

Another Rite Aid has closed, this time in Claymont

Ken MammarellaBusiness, Headlines

Rite Aid’s declaration of bankruptcy in mid-October was quickly followed by the announcement that it was closing two stores in Delaware – in Chestnut Hill Plaza near Newark and at 3209 Kirkwood Highway, near Prices Corner. The only Rite Aid in Claymont – at 2713 Philadelphia Pike – closed Nov. 16, but without any announcement to customers. Rite Aid now …

Smyrna volleyball Elise Carter celebrates after a point during the state championship photo courtesy of Ben Fulton

Smyrna wins first volleyball state championship

Jason WinchellHeadlines, Sports

NEWARK — No doubt, Smyrna got contributions from all six positions on the floor during the DIAA championship match on Thursday night at the Bob Carpenter Center. But the big three — Anna Richardson, Elise Carter and Eliza Schneider — were just too much for Ursuline as the Eagles captured their first state title with a decisive 3-1 win. This …