Delaware State Police have identified the woman killed in a two-vehicle crash near Townsend late on Feb. 8 as 69-year-old Laura Thomas.

Thomas, of the Magnolia area, was a front-seat passenger of a Toyota Sienna that was on northbound Dupont Parkway, getting ready to turn left onto Summit Bridge Road about 11:40 p.m., police said.

Initial story: 69-year-old woman dies in two-vehicle crash near Townsend, police say

For reasons under investigation, police said the Toyota turned left and into the path of a Nissan Altima that was southbound on Dupont Parkway. The Nissan collided with the Toyota.

Thomas was taken to a local hospital, where police said she was declared dead.

The Toyota driver, a 43-year-old Dover woman, and her three other passengers were taken to area hospitals where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The Nissan driver, a 50-year-old Townsend man, was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.

Police continue to ask anyone who witnessed the crash to contact investigators by calling (302) 365-8484, sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central began the first of a three-game homestand with a 58-44 MEAC women’s basketball win over Delaware State at McDougald-McLendon Arena on Monday.

It took a quarter for the Eagles to find their rhythm but an 18-1 run that stretched through two quarters put the Hornets away.

“We got off to a slow start but we eased our way right into the way we want to play,” NCCU Head Coach Terrence Baxter said. “I’m proud of my ladies for getting this win and we got two more to get this week.”

Trailing 19-17 in the second quarter, Aysia Hinton, who set the program single-game three-point record with 12 last week, began the spurt with a three-pointer. Aniya Finger capped the run with a layup for a 35-20 lead. The Eagles’ defense stymied the Hornets into 0-4 shooting and five turnovers during the spurt.

The Eagles weren’t through, however. Their lead ballooned to 55-32 after an 11-0 run early in the fourth quarter.

Finger scored 16 points and added 10 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double in MEAC games. She scored 14 points over the taller Hornets’ frontline on 5 of 6 shooting in the pivotal third quarter.

“Aniya has been picking us up big time,” Baxter said. “We bring Aniya off the bench so she can’t get in early foul trouble.”

Jasper scored a career-high 13 points of 4 of 7 shooting.

“Natalie has been big for us right before Christmas break until now,” Baxter said. “When she stops thinking, she is tough to guard and she is a great defender as well.”

“Going into this game, I felt like I had to sort of get my get-back,” Jasper said. “I felt like last game, I didn’t show up. I wasn’t my same self offensively and defensively. I told Coach Bax that is not going to happen again.”

Hinton contributed eight points, including two three-pointers, and five rebounds and Dianna Blake totaled six points, five rebounds and three blocks, which tied a career high for her.

“We set the tone on defense with Dianna,” Baxter said. “Dianna is going to always defend and rebound. That is what she specializes in. She controls the middle. That’s what she has been doing all year.”

The inside trio of Finger, Blake and Morgan Callahan (8 rebounds) won the rebounding battle 46-36 over a huge Delaware State frontcourt featuring two forwards standing 6-2 and 6-3.

“We realized we had to push them off the block,” Blake said. “They weren’t really shooting the ball so as long as they weren’t close to the basket, we were good.”

The Eagles limited Delaware State to 30.2 percent shooting and forced 20 turnovers. NCCU shot 32.1 percent but was 17 of 24 from the free throw line for 70.8 percent.

“Our defense and rebounding set the tone for the rest of the day,” Baxter said.

NEXT UP

The Eagles are back at home on Thursday, Feb. 12, against Morgan State at 6:30 p.m. They will be looking to avenge a 64-63 loss to Morgan State in Baltimore last month.

For more information on NCCU Athletics, visit NCCUEaglePride.com.

 

The accolades

One of the organization’s earliest priorities was creating stable housing for people in recovery.

“We felt that we needed some place for folks in recovery to go, to live, and so that they could [live] in a drug-free situation where they could recover. So, we felt it was important to try to get some housing,” he said. “At first, we rented some properties and got folks into them. Then gradually, we were able to get our own houses so that they could have a place to live and we could support them in that way.”

Over time, atTAcK Addiction moved from renting properties to owning them. At its peak, the organization owned five recovery homes across Delaware. Recently, two of those homes were transferred to Impact Life, a nonprofit partner that continues to provide recovery housing and services.

But housing was only one part of the Keisters’ mission.

From the beginning, advocacy and policy reform were central to their work. Keister said atTAcK Addiction helped pass or support more than 10 pieces of legislation focused on addiction and recovery.

“We really were concentrating on policy,” he said. “The very first one, we all went to Dover to talk to whoever would listen regarding the 9/11 Good Samaritan law.”

The law protects people from arrest when they call for help during an overdose.

Similarly, Keister is proud of his efforts to pass the naloxone bill in Delaware, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

“Another one was the naloxone bill. We were about the 17th state to have naloxone available to individuals … it has made a difference,” he said. “It is something that reverses opioids and it is something that has saved a lot of lives.”

In addition to legislative work, the nonprofit focused on community outreach. The organization hosts and attends events across the state to reduce stigma surrounding substance use disorder. It also helped push for the nation’s first Opioid Impact Fee Fund legislation, which provides direct funding for treatment and recovery in Delaware.

Each year, the nonprofit also hosts an annual 5K on the first Saturday in March in Old New Castle — around Tyler Keister’s birthday — to honor loved ones lost to addiction and celebrate those in recovery.

Since atTAcK Addiction was founded in 2013, more than 4,500 people in Delaware have died from overdoses. However, recent data shows signs of progress. In 2024, the state recorded its first major decline in overdose deaths in more than a decade, dropping from 527 deaths in 2023 to 338 in 2024.