Louise Ngido, a middle school teacher in the Cape Henlopen School District who also participated, spoke passionately about the impact of mass deportations on students and families. As someone who works at a school where almost half of the student body is either immigrants or the children of immigrants, she’s seen the fear gripping her community.

“I’m really concerned with the possibility of schools becoming places where [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] can enter and detain children. I find that very terrifying,” Ngido said. “Children should never be used as pawns … the school is not the place, [it] is not the venue. It is meant to terrorize parents and to terrorize children, but to terrorize parents even more through their children, I think is inhumane,”

It’s already hard assimilating to a new country, she said. She also drew attention to the importance of legislation protecting sensitive locations, such as schools, churches and hospitals, from immigration enforcement.

“My understanding is that no location will be off-limits anymore,” she said. “There used to be kind of safe havens — places you couldn’t touch, like a hospital, a school, [or] a church. Places that were sacred. That if ICE wanted to detain a person, they couldn’t do it at those locations. And I agree with that. I think there are certain sacred places, if you’re sick, you should be able to go to a hospital. My husband works at a hospital. That should be a safe space. You should be able to go and have a baby at a hospital and not worry about ICE taking you away or separating you from your child.”

The training sessions provided Vincent and Ngido a sense of solidarity and actionable resources.

“There are people very knowledgeable about these issues,” Ngido said. “The program helped me understand the rights of our children, our staff and what our roles can be. It’s a huge learning curve, but I’m committed to sharing what I’ve learned with my colleagues.”

Vincent, who had never approached a legislator before, admitted that stepping into advocacy was outside her comfort zone.

“Face to face is a lot harder for me,” she said. “But I’m willing to do it because it’s that important. If I can be a part of the thing that happens, I want to be.”

A snow squall warning has been issued for parts of central Ohio, bringing potentially dangerous driving conditions.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington issued the warning until 7:45 p.m. for parts of Franklin, Delaware and Licking counties.

Specifically, the warning is for Interstate 270, U.S. 62, U.S. 40 and U.S. 36 near Columbus; Interstate 70 and US-40 near Newark and U.S. 62 near Johnstown.

The Ohio Department of Transportation asked drivers to use caution and give their workers room on the roads.

Delaware residents can purchase raw milk directly from local dairy farms, following legislation that took effect in September 2024. The law allows consumers to buy unprocessed, unpasteurized and unhomogenized milk directly from dairy producers with the proper permits.

The legislation aims to support Delaware’s dairy farms while providing consumers with more choices in dairy products. However, health officials emphasize the importance of understanding the risks and facts about raw milk before making purchasing decisions.

What is raw milk?

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized — a process that involves heating milk to a high temperature for a certain amount of time to kill harmful bacteria and pathogens. Proponents of raw milk argue it is a healthier, more nutritious option than pasteurized milk. Some consumers believe raw milk contains beneficial enzymes, probiotics and more natural vitamins that are destroyed during pasteurization.

Pasteurization involves heating beverages to kill disease-causing organisms. This process was first applied to milk in the late 1800s to combat public health threats like listeriosis, typhoid fever and tuberculosis. Today, pasteurization is a standard practice in the dairy industry to ensure milk is safe for consumption.

Raw v. pasteurized milk: 5 things to know

Health officials at the FDA and CDC warn that raw milk can contain pathogens that can cause serious illness. The risks of consuming untreated milk far outweigh any potential benefits. Here’s what to know:

1. Nutritional value: According to the FDA, pasteurization does not significantly change milk’s nutritional value. Both raw and pasteurized milk contain the same essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
2. Safety considerations: The CDC and FDA warn that raw milk can contain harmful bacteria and pathogens that pasteurization normally eliminates. These include E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria.
3. Lactose content: If lactose intolerant, switching to raw milk won’t help. Both raw and pasteurized milk contain the same amount of lactose.
4. Allergies: Milk allergies are caused by proteins that remain unchanged whether the milk is raw or pasteurized. Switching to raw milk will not prevent allergic reactions.
5. Health claims: While some advocate for raw milk’s health benefits, scientific research has not confirmed any advantages of raw milk over pasteurized milk.

Raw milk and bird flu

Delaware’s law allowing raw milk sales comes as bird flu continues to spread across the country.

Dairy cattle, a significant source of human exposure to bird flu, play a key role in monitoring efforts. The virus’s discovery in dairy cattle across 16 states prompted the USDA to institute a proactive milk testing program. There are 15 dairy farms in the First State, as reported by researchers at the University of Delaware’s farm management program. Delaware joined the National Milk Testing Strategy earlier this month to ensure dairy products remain free of contamination.

In December, officials found several wild geese infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, along Delaware’s coast in Sussex County. Although most healthy individuals recover from illnesses linked to contaminated milk or bird flu exposure, severe or life-threatening symptoms can occur. In January, the U.S. reported its first death from H5N1 bird flu. The victim, a Louisiana resident over 65 with underlying health conditions, fell ill after contact with wild birds and a backyard flock.

This story was written with contributions from USA TODAY reporter Karen Weintraub. You can contact Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com.