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County councilman says Newark data center plan paused after deal

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County councilman says Newark data center plan paused after deal


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  • A New Castle County councilman says he brokered a non-binding handshake deal to pause a data center project near Newark.
  • The deal depends on the county approving an exploratory plan that would grandfather the developer into previous zoning rules.
  • The developer, Shelbourne, has not commented on the informal agreement to consider other uses for the site.

This story was produced by Spotlight Delaware as part of a partnership with Delaware Online/The News Journal. For more about Spotlight Delaware, visit www.spotlightdelaware.org.

New Castle County Councilman Tim Sheldon says he recently brokered a handshake deal to pause a data center development project near Newark. 

Sheldon, who represents the Newark area, said the deal followed private negotiations with the developer’s prominent Delaware attorney, Shawn Tucker, who told him the New York-based developer behind the project, Shelbourne, agreed to consider the Newark site for uses other than a data center. “This is my art of the deal,” Sheldon said.

But the deal is dependent on the county finalizing an approval for an exploratory plan application from the developer, which would grandfather the land into zoning rules that existed prior to this year, Sheldon said.

That means the developer would not have to follow the county’s recently-passed data center regulations if the company ultimately decides to build a data center there. Since the property’s zoning already allows data center projects, the county likely does not have the legal authority to deny that exploratory plan application. An email sent between Sheldon and Tucker, dated June 10, shows that Tucker agreed to pause the data center project under those conditions. 

Neither Tucker nor Shelbourne representatives responded to requests for comment about this deal.  

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Last year, Shelbourne filed documents with the county that showed plans to demolish the existing White Clay Center office and industrial buildings and construct a three-building data center campus that covered about 850,000 square feet. 

After the filing, the plans became wrapped into a larger community backlash in northern Delaware against the growth of the data center industry. Neighbors have voiced fears that such data centers would use too much water and energy, and be too noisy. 

Sheldon’s handshake agreement is not binding, and the developer still has the legal right to build a data center.

New Castle County General Manager of Land Use David Culver said he saw the email from Tucker but has no other information. 

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Sheldon noted that the agreement is between him and Tucker — and not with the county as a party. He further stated that if he decides not to run for reelection in 2028 or loses to a challenger, “it may be null and void.”  

“If I’m not there, there’s no promises,” Sheldon said. 

Asked if he would try to secure an official county deal barring a data center on that property, Sheldon said the project is “too far in the process” and he doesn’t want to risk the progress he’s made. 

He said he will instead work to find another company to lease or buy the land. He said in a text after the interview that the deal is “the best I could’ve got.” 

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“Nobody else has  even done this much and it seems like I’m getting hammered because I did something,” Sheldon said in the text. 

Sheldon said an Amtrak train maintenance site will open next door to the White Clay Center property in the next few years, and he thinks the track upgrades needed for that project could make the neighboring site more attractive for manufacturing. 

Delaware Public Media reported last week that Alstom, which conducts maintenance on Amtrak’s high-speed Acela trains – will open a new facility on 1601 Ogletown Road, next to the White Clay Center office and industrial buildings. 

Alstom did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

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What’s the status of data centers in Delaware?

Beyond Shelbourne’s proposal, several other building projects proposed in Delaware could become data centers. 

The biggest is Project Washington, a 1.2-gigawatt data center campus planned for the land just north of the Delaware City Refinery. It would use enough energy to power almost a million homes.

That plan faced a major setback in March after a state board unanimously upheld Environmental Secretary Greg Patterson’s decision that the project is not permitted under Delaware’s Coastal Zone Act, a landmark law designed to limit heavy industry along the state’s shorelines.  

Developer Starwood Digital Ventures was expected to appeal that decision, but it is unclear whether it will. Representatives from Starwood did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Another potential data center plan is slated for land near the southern approach to the St. Georges Bridge off U.S. Route 13. The St. Georges project includes the land that hosts the popular Halloween attraction Frightland.  

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County records show plans for three distribution centers covering 3.6 million square feet on farmland, along with 150 homes.  

The records say the buildings will be warehouses. But project engineer Verdantas also submitted letters to the county suggesting that the buildings could be a data center campus. 

Delmarva Power filings this winter showed two other potential data center projects. But Technical.ly reported that only one of those projects is still on the table, which would be located in Harrington. City officials are still in the preliminary stages of discussions about that plan, according to the report.

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Delaware

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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