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Newark approves recreational weed dispensary, still ways to go before opening

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Newark approves recreational weed dispensary, still ways to go before opening


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Newark remains on track to be a competitive city for recreational marijuana in Delaware.

Two marijuana-related ordinances were approved at the Nov. 25 City Council meeting. The Council updated the city code regarding adult recreational use to match state law, as well as approved a special use permit for the eventual operation of a recreational dispensary in the city.

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A special use permit allowing Fresh Delaware to operate in the city as a recreational marijuana business with cultivation, manufacturing and retail was approved with a unanimous vote.

“I think that Newark City Council can take a lot of pride in the fact that there are other towns and counties that are literally lost in the wilderness on this because they didn’t get things done in time,” Mayor Jerry Clifton said.

Fresh Delaware moves to open retail dispensary

Fresh Delaware and the area surrounding it was re-zoned to allow recreational marijuana cultivation, manufacturing and retail in August, but it required a special use permit from the city. Now, Fresh Delaware only has the state’s conversion process left to complete before it can shift from medical-only sales.

City council members uniformly had positive reviews for the representative of Fresh Delaware present at the meeting.

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“You were a good neighbor,” Councilmember Corinth Ford said.

Fresh Delaware cultivates and manufactures its own product, and has an additional location in Seaford. It is one of the 13 medical dispensaries in the state. There is another area in Newark zoned to allow recreational marijuana business toward the Maryland border.

Fresh Delaware is on track to open for recreational sales in the spring, according to the state Office of the Marijuana Commissioner. Spring is the statewide goal for retail openings, though the store still has a ways to go on its conversion track.

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Where other Delaware cities stand

As Newark approves a recreational business, other cities in the county are behind.

Wilmington has been back-and-forth on bans, buffers and zones while New Castle County government is discussing possible buffers for retail locations in December. Other cities in Delaware, including Rehoboth, Lewes and Bethany, banned retail altogether.

Wilmington recently asked the state to change the law to get a cut of any sales tax, but Mayor Jerry Clifton said he wants to take a wait-and-see approach on how the state government responds to its request.

Newark mirrors state code in recreational usage

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The council updated the city code around recreational usage, updating its code to match the state. The city code now reads that people 21 and older can privately use a personal quantity of 12 grams or less of concentrated cannabis, or cannabis products containing 750 milligrams or less of delta-9 THC.

Public use is still a criminal misdemeanor, however, and using while under 21 years old is a civil violation. Smoking marijuana in public also violates state law. City solicitor Paul Bilodeau said private consumption can include someone’s backyard.

Some council members had ideas about how to regulate potential parties where the smell could spread from multiple smokers, but no official action was taken on those ideas.

The ordinance was approved unanimously by City Council.

“We are in a strange world where it is legal to consume marijuana in private, but it is illegal to buy it,” Bilodeau said.

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Power outage number tops 13,000 in Delaware County as storm hits

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Power outage number tops 13,000 in Delaware County as storm hits


Storms hit Saturday shortly before 3 p.m. in Delaware County with limbs down on lines, wires down, plus lightning strikes, and quickly nearly 8,000 PECO customers were without power.

There was an accompanying deluge as well in parts of the county, with many low-lying areas flooding. The power outage number continued rising to 10,365 by 3:10 p.m., and to over 13,000 by 3:30. By 4 p.m. that number began to decline.

The first lightning strike dispatch was to a house in the 100 block of Edgewood Avenue in Haverford Township, and crews were dispatched minutes later to the Five Guys on Town Centre Drive in Concord Township.

Crews arriving on both scenes reported nothing was evident, but they would investigate further, according to radio traffic.

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Fire stations were also sent to a water rescue in the 2800 block of East County Line Road in Haverford. Police arrived first and reported that half the vehicle was underwater. The officer soon located the driver, who had gotten out and made it to safety, according to radio traffic.

Police, fire and ambulance dispatches continued rapid fire at 3:30 p.m. PECO was asked to respond to numerous locations. Numerous alarm calls were also received at the county communications center.

A National Weather Service-issued severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for eastern Delaware County until 3:30 p.m. There was also a flash flood warning for the same area until 6:45 p.m.

One rainfall measurement was available at 3 p.m. That was St. Davids, where 0.71 inch of rain was recorded in less than 45 minutes, eventual reaching eight-tenths of an inch.

The Philadelphia International Airport recorded 0.32 inch of rain.

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Sunny skies were expected to dominate the weather for the workweek, with high temperatures rising into the 90s on Wednesday and likely to stay there at least through Friday.



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New information on “sophisticated cybercriminal attack” against Delaware County

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New information on “sophisticated cybercriminal attack” against Delaware County


Saturday, July 11, 2026 1:40PM

New information on "sophisticated cybercriminal attack" against Delaware County

MEDIA, Pa. (WPVI) — There is new information about what is being called a “sophisticated cybercriminal attack” against Delaware County.

According to officials, hackers were able to gain limited access to the county’s network and some of the data stored on it.

They are working with cybersecurity experts to learn the extent.

The sheriff’s office, district attorney, libraries and county council have all been dealing with disruptions since the attack on June 26.

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The county’s internal networks are now up and running, and work is still ongoing to reinstate external-facing county services.

Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Investigation underway after controversial traffic stop in Delaware

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Investigation underway after controversial traffic stop in Delaware


DOVER, Del. (WPVI) — Delaware State Police are investigating a controversial traffic stop making the rounds on social media.

The video shows a trooper forcing a woman out of her car, slamming her to the ground, punching and tasing her.

It happened on July 7, in Dover, Delaware.

But Delaware State Police say the video doesn’t tell the whole story. They released a statement to provide what they call necessary context and clarity.

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State police say the woman, identified as 38-year-old Sierra Hopkins, was initially pulled over in the area of S. Bay Road and Lafferty Lane in Dover for having suspended tags, no car insurance, and no driver’s license.

She was issued citations and let go, but then stopped again minutes later by the same trooper on E. Lebanon Road, who decided to follow protocol and have her car towed.

State police say he did this because Hopkins had been cited for the same violations five days earlier.

Things quickly escalated during this stop, with police stating she refused to leave her car, resisting, kicking and scratching the trooper in the face.

It all happened while several juveniles were in the car.

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“This is such a vulnerable and tender moment… I’m sure her children were present, which brings another cause of concern because that’s trauma,” said Fleur McKendell, President of Delaware NAACP State Conference.

McKendell says her organization is pushing for a full and thorough investigation.

“It’s really deeply concerning. It’s evoked a lot of strong emotions from myself, my organization, as well as the public. I think it’s important to understand the full context of the content we have viewed before reaching conclusions, so I’m very eager to review available video footage and the circumstances that preceded and occurred during that incident,” says McKendell.

Delaware Governor Matt Meyer is also weighing in on this confrontation.

He released the following statement to Action News:

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“Every law-enforcement officer is entrusted with a duty to protect, to serve, and to uphold the dignity and rights of every person, in every community. Policing relies on trust. That trust is not automatic; it is earned every day through mutual respect, integrity and transparency. The people of Delaware deserve transparency, and this administration will not turn away from that responsibility.”

Hopkins was later charged with assault of a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest; driving without a license, endangering the welfare of children and other registration violations.

State police did not mention the current status of the trooper.

Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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