Delaware

Carney declares candidacy in Wilmington mayoral race

Published

2 years ago

April 29, 2024

Carney declares candidacy in Wilmington mayoral race

Gov. John Carney has announced he is officially running for mayor of the city of Wilmington. | DBT FILE PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS

WILMINGTON — With the clock ticking on his last year in office, Governor John Carney has formally declared he has eyes set on a new act for his political career — Mayor of Wilmington.

The governor legally filed for the mayoral race on Monday morning, shortly after he appeared on DETV for a sit-down interview. He has long been exploring the idea, forming a campaign committee for the endeavor last November.

Carney had $107,900.59 in his campaign account between November and December 2023.

“We’ve driven new job creation in Wilmington, invested more than ever in affordable housing, expanded the Port of Wilmington, and built the first new public school in 50 years. As Mayor, I would stick to those priorities and focus on the future of our city,” Carney said in a press announcement late Monday morning.

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki announced last fall that he would not seek a third term in office come November, citing a desire to spend time with his family. That leaves the ballot for Delaware’s largest city set with former city treasurer Velda Jones-Potter thus far.

While not a surprise, Carney’s announcement for the mayoral race confirms a historic run in Delaware politics. If elected, he will be the first governor to move to Wilmington’s mayor. Many governors have gone on to be congressmen, senators or federal appointees if they stayed in public service.

Carney served as Delaware’s representative between 2011 and 2017. Other notable stops on his resume include Secretary of Finance, Deputy Chief of Staff for then-Governor Tom Carper and Lt. Governor to Gov. Ruth Ann Minner.

Carney said he was not considering a run for the Senate. When he talked with the Delaware Business Times in the past, he indicated his next move had to work for his family. The governor has lived in the city for 40 years with his wife Tracey Quillen Carney.

Looking to the future, Carney said he wants to ensure Wilmington’s strength not only as a financial hub but also as a cultural center where families want to raise their children. In the last four years, he’s aimed to improve education, notably through the Wilmington Learning Collaborative, a network of courses across the city that improve outcomes through students as well as educator retention rates.

As governor during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carney was also tasked with allocating a strong portion of the state’s American Rescue Plan Act $925 million funds. He’s allocated $117 million for affordable housing projects throughout the state.

“I will work with state officials, school districts, and community leaders to improve public education in city schools. I will prioritize expanding affordable housing in Wilmington. I will invest in small and minority-owned businesses across the city,” Carney added. “And as we’ve done at the state level, I will protect taxpayer dollars and make sure the city has a strong, sustainable financial position. I’m running for mayor because I love our city – and I believe Wilmington needs an experienced leader to move us forward.”

While the governor embarks on a mayoral campaign, he still has lingering day-to-day business in Dover as the legislative session is still in session.

Carney has already signaled he’s not looking to quietly end his last year in the governor’s mansion. He’s opened negotiations with the U.S. Wind to bring transmission lines to the Indian River Substation in Dagsboro in exchange for possible credits and millions in community causes. Carney has also thrown his support recently behind legislation that would create a framework for Delaware to participate more actively in the offshore wind farm market, be it building a wind farm or partnering with a neighboring state in a power purchase agreement.

Carney has also supported the controversial House Bill 350 which would set up a statewide board focused on evaluating financials for the six major hospital systems in Delaware to ensure that costs fell within the state’s health care spending benchmark. He has repeatedly shared his concerns about the rising health care costs in the state budget; this year’s budget included $200 million to address health care inflation.

Carney will host a campaign kick-off event Monday evening at Delaware Technical Community College in Wilmington.

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Delaware

Search Warrants in Dover Lead to Arrests for Drug and Gun Offenses – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware

Published

3 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Search Warrants in Dover Lead to Arrests for Drug and Gun Offenses – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware

Date Posted: Saturday, December 13th, 2025

The Delaware State Police have arrested 39-year-old Neal Barnes, 52-year-old Anthony James, and 51-year-old Kevin Walker, all from Dover, Delaware, for felony drug and gun charges following three search warrants in Dover.

On December 11, 2025, members of the Kent County Drug Unit executed search warrants at three residences on the 60, 70, and 100 blocks of Vanessa Drive in Dover. The search warrants were obtained following an investigation of Neal Barnes, Anthony James, and Kevin Walker for the distribution of illegal narcotics from their residences. During the search warrants, all three suspects were detained inside their respective homes without incident, and a child was present in Walker’s residence.

During a search of Barnes’ residence, detectives found the following items:

Approximately 2.76 grams of cocaine
Approximately 99.76 grams of crack cocaine
9mm handgun and ammunition
.38 caliber handgun and ammunition
Digital scales
Drug paraphernalia

During a search of James’ residence, detectives found the following items:

Approximately 19.88 grams of crack cocaine
Approximately 52.59 grams of cocaine
Drug paraphernalia
$2,472 in suspected drug proceeds

During a search of Walker’s residence, detectives found the following items:

Approximately .69 grams of heroin
Approximately .35 grams of methamphetamine
Approximately 11.77 grams of crack cocaine
Approximately 31 ecstasy pills
Approximately 14 acetaminophen and oxycodone hydrochloride pills
Approximately 21 buprenorphine and naloxone sublingual films

Barnes was arrested and taken to Troop 3, where he was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2, and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $57,000 cash bond.

Neal Barnes

Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Tier 3 (Felony)
Possession of a Controlled Substance, Tier 3 (Felony)
Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance (Felony)
Possession of a Firearm/Destructive Weapon if Previously Convicted of a Violent Felony (Felony) – 3 counts
Possession of a Controlled or Counterfeit Substance except Human Growth Hormone without a Prescription
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

James was arrested and taken to Troop 3, where he was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2, and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $146,000 cash bond.

Anthony James

Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Tier 3 (Felony)
Possession of a Controlled Substance, Tier 3 (Felony)
Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Tier 2 (Felony)
Possession of a Controlled Substance, Tier 2 (Felony)
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Walker was arrested and taken to Troop 3, where he was charged with the crimes listed below, arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2, and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on a $39,500 secured bond.

Kevin walker

Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Tier 2 (Felony) – 2 counts
Possession of a Controlled Substance, Tier 2 (Felony) – 2 counts
Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance (Felony) – 2 counts
Possession of a Controlled or Counterfeit Substance except Human Growth Hormone without a Prescription – 5 counts
Endangering the Welfare of a Child by Committing a Drug Offense with a Child in the Dwelling

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Disclaimer: Any individual charged in this release is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Delaware

PennDOT, hardware stores prepare for first snow of season in Delaware Valley

Published

15 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

PennDOT, hardware stores prepare for first snow of season in Delaware Valley

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Crews and customers across the Delaware Valley are gearing up for the region’s first accumulating snowfall of the season, expected late Saturday into Sunday morning.

PennDOT says it has more than 100,000 tons of salt ready and plans to deploy over 400 trucks across the region for this event.

Road crews began brining operations Friday, which will continue through the weekend with plowing on Sunday.

READ MORE | Accuweather Alert: Light snow to blanket the region Saturday night into Sunday morning

“Maybe 1 to 3, maybe a little bit more depending on how the storm tracks,” said Brad Rudolph of PennDOT.

He added that timing is key with the snow beginning to fall on Saturday night, while many may be out and about, and with thousands expected to travel to Lincoln Financial Field Sunday for the Eagles game against the Raiders.

Preps underway for first snow of the season in Delaware Valley

“People are going to travel, they’re going to need to take it slow. We’re going to push back snow from travel lanes, we’ll make the roads passable. They may not be completely clear of snow and ice, something to consider,” Rudolph said. “We expect this storm to push out relatively early Sunday, well before that Eagles game, but we still might have some cleaning up to do. We’ll be working long after this snow is done.”

At Stanley’s Hardware in Roxborough, workers spent Friday unpacking boxes and moving thousands of pounds of salt and other supplies to fill commercial and individual orders.

“Our aisle is filled right now. We have tons of skids of rock salt, ice melter, shovels,” said Joe Jaconski of Stanley’s Hardware.

Customers were already stocking up.

“We have food, we have shovels, just had to get some salt just to make sure we’re keeping the sidewalks nice and safe for everyone,” said Matt Skomsky of Roxborough.

Customers were steady at Stanley’s Friday, and business is expected to pick up through the weekend, but managers say don’t wait to get ready.

“I recommend just being ahead of it. Try to beat the storm because when the storm comes, it gets very busy in here-the lines wrapped around,” Jaconski said.

PennDOT urges drivers to keep their distance from plow trucks and check the forecast before heading out.

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Delaware

Done Deal: 695 Delaware Avenue – Buffalo Rising

Published

2 days ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Done Deal: 695 Delaware Avenue – Buffalo Rising

Ellicott Development has expanded it local property portfolio. Ellicott’s 4628 Group Inc. purchased 695 Delaware Avenue on Wednesday for $1.025 million. Fred Kaplan Living Trust was the seller. The 8,454 sq.ft., three-story barn-like structure with mansard roofed addition is occupied by media production and marketing firm Crosswater Digital Media. It was the home of WKBW radio for a number of years. The property totals 0.4 acres in size with a large parking lot fronting Delaware Avenue.

The property is bookended by the Westbrook Apartments and Wilcox House apartment buildings, both ten-story structures. It sits across the street from 700 Delaware, the former Computer Task Group Building Ellicott purchased in 2018 and is now occupied by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.