Delaware
Coast Guard Responding to Large Barge Fire in Delaware Bay
The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple partner agencies are responding to a barge fire in Delaware Bay on Tuesday after a tug reported that the vessel it was towing had caught fire.
According to the Coast Guard, watchstanders at Sector Delaware Bay received a call at approximately 8:20 a.m. from the tug Douglas J, reporting that the barge under tow was on fire. The barge was reportedly carrying scrap metal.
Authorities are towing the burning barge to a position about two miles off Maurice River Cove, New Jersey, in an effort to move the incident away from the main shipping channel while firefighting operations continue.
The Coast Guard has established a safety zone and issued a Broadcast Notice to Mariners as crews work to contain the fire and reduce potential hazards to vessel traffic in the busy port complex. Multiple fire departments have deployed fireboats to assist with suppression efforts.
No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Responders from Coast Guard Station Philadelphia, Coast Guard Station Cape May, and Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City have been deployed to assist. Partner agencies on scene include the Wilmington Fire Department, Delaware City Fire Department, Philadelphia Fire Department, New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, and Delaware Emergency Management.
The incident follows another major barge fire in the Delaware Bay region in 2022, when a barge carrying scrap household appliances burned for approximately 26 hours in what officials described as the largest firefighting operation in Delaware state history.
Response operations for the current fire remain ongoing.
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Explaining the Delaware Court System
Delaware’s court system is comprised of different branches. Some of them have their own area of jurisdiction and function. 6/4/25
A 30-year-old man has been indicted in the killing of his grandmother, Delaware State Police said.
The grandmother, 72-year-old Elizabeth Fritchey, lived for 12 days after Dempsey Fritchey assaulted her inside the Hyatt House Lewes / Rehoboth Beach hotel on Jan. 29, police said. This is the first time police have publicly acknowledged the woman’s death.
Dempsey Fritchey was indicted by a Sussex County grand jury on April 13 on a charge of first-degree murder, police said. He remains in the Delaware Department of Correction’s custody.
What happened
The Fritcheys were staying at the Lewes-area hotel, located at 17254 Five Points Square, Jan. 29 when police said he began assaulting his grandmother – striking her with his hands and feet.
He then went to the lobby about 5:45 p.m. and told hotel staff that he’d killed his grandmother, police said.
Arriving officers found Dempsey Fritchey near the hotel lobby. He “told troopers that he may have killed his grandmother.”
Troopers went to the Fritcheys’ room, where police said they found the grandmother. She was unconscious and had injuries to her face and head.
Troopers provided her with medical aid until EMS arrived. She was then taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries.
She died on Feb. 10 from the injuries she received during the assault, police said.
Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
Here are some ways you can save on gas
Here are some ways you can save on gas. 12/26/25
After brief respite from increasing gas prices, the trend has reversed − and gas prices rose nearly 30 cents in a single week in Delaware.
Delaware’s 29-cent increase week over week is even greater than the national increase, AAA said. The national average was 27 cents higher on April 30 than April 23.
Gas prices are the highest they’ve been in four years, since late July 2022, AAA said.
Here’s this week’s gas price breakdown as we head into the weekend.
DE, PA, NJ, MD national gas price averages
- National average: $4.30 on April 30. This is 27 cents higher than last week and $1.12 higher than a year ago.
- Delaware average: $4.16 on April 30. This is 29 cents higher than last week and $1.17 higher than one year ago.
- Pennsylvania average: $4.11 on April 30. This is 22 cents higher than last week and 97 cents higher than a year ago.
- Southern New Jersey average: $4.25 on April 30. This is 38 cents higher than last week and $1.28 higher than a year ago.
- Maryland average: $4.21 on April 30. This is 23 cents higher and $1.12 higher than a year ago.
Why are gas prices so high?
Once again, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is playing an outsized role in the increase, AAA said.
But with summer on the horizon, gas is also more in demand.
“As motorists grapple with pain at the pump due to rising crude oil prices, increased seasonal demand and the switchover to more expensive summer blended gasoline are seasonal factors pushing gas prices higher this time of year,” said Jana Tidwell, AAA spokesperson.
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com.
Why is Delaware known as ‘The First State’?
Delaware is known as ‘The First State,’ Here’s why.
Given its historical importance, It is fitting the First Sate — Delaware — will play an integral role in celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
Delaware 250, the organization overseeing Delaware’s celebration of America’s semiquincentennial, and the federal America250 organization set up a series of celebratory events in and around Delaware for the rest of 2026.f
Whether you’re a history buff or want to check out the Fourth of July fireworks show, there’s no shortage of America250 events in the First State to out. Here are a few.
Fireworks in Dover, historical reenactments in Bear highlight DE’s 250 celebration
Delaware 250 arranged over 50 America250 celebrations which range from storytelling to colonial cocktail classes.
Here are a few can’t-miss America250 events to check out in Delaware:
- Dover During the Revolution: 10:30 a.m. Saturday May 2; Delaware Public Archives, Dover
- Fireside chat with A Founding Mother authors Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, 5 p.m. Saturday May 3; Lewes Public Library, Lewes
- In Common Cause: Delaware’s Homefront in the Revolutionary War, 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 6; Georgetown Public Library, Georgetown
- Separation Day 2026 Celebration: 6 p.m. Friday, June 12; New Castle battery Park, New Castle
Delaware will host several fireworks displays to celebrate America’s 250th birthday:
- Dover Days Fireworks 93rd Anniversary: 5 p.m. Friday, May 1; The Green, Dover
- USA 250th Anniversary fireworks show: at dusk on Saturday, May 30; Legislative Mall, Dover
- Fourth of July fireworks: 6 p.m. Saturday, July 4; University of Delaware Athletic Complex, Newark
Freedom 250 events in, around Delaware
Delawareans are within a one-tank trip distance of enjoying several Freedom 250 Semiquincentennial events in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Freedom 250 suggests 16 ways you can celebrate America’s 250th birthday, and here are a few of the best ones:
- Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee Of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving: 8 a.m. Sunday, May 17; National Mall, Washington, DC
- Salute To America 250 Celebration and Fireworks: at dusk on Saturday, July 4; National Mall, Washington, DC
- IndyCar Washington D.C. Street Race: 10 a.m. Sunday, August 23; Washington, DC
Is ‘America250’ and ‘Freedom 250’ the same thing?
America250 is the national, nonpartisan effort to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Congress created the Semiquincentennial Commission in 2016 to plan the celebrations, and the America250 organization is now working with states, museums, local groups and nonprofits on a slate of events meant to help Americans reflect on the nation’s past, celebrate its present and plan for the future.
Freedom 250 is a White House-led initiative to spark interest and create officially sanctioned events related to America’s Semisesquicentennial celebration.
Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending, breaking and service-related topics across the Mid-Atlantic region for the USA Today Network.
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