Delaware

Deaf pastor leads effort to serve and bring people together in Kenton and Hartly

Published

3 months ago

October 10, 2025

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Deaf pastor leads effort to serve and bring people together in Kenton and Hartly

Pastor Rick Kelly at Kenton and Hartly United Methodist churches was born almost completely deaf.
He’s leading efforts to serve those in need in the rural Kent County towns and inviting people to join in service projects and community events.
Programs include “Trunk or Treat” for children in October, the Veterans “Cruz In” car show and veterans information program in November, along with food giveaways for people in need.

Rick Kelly said he might not know the pain or loneliness you’re experiencing, but he’s willing to listen and help because he knows about facing challenges, hardships and feelings of being overlooked and left out.

The pastor at the United Methodist churches in Kenton and Hartly was born almost completely deaf, describing himself as a deaf person with residual hearing, like trying to hear a radio station you can’t tune in clearly.

Now, he’s helping to lead an effort to bring people together in the rural Kent County communities.

During his childhood, he sometimes attended schools for the deaf and he learned sign language.

“I learned to talk fairly well, but that made some people ask if I was really deaf,” Kelly said.

He communicated with some lip reading, closely observing how people reacted and a lot of smiling and nodding, even if he didn’t hear everything that was said.

He just released a book, “Call Me Rick: Grace in the Middle,” about growing up as a deaf person and his struggles and achievements in becoming a teacher, coach and pastor. He also details the hardships and happiness he and his wife have gone through raising a family.

He said his experiences help him relate with people who have been belittled, ignored, patronized and treated unfairly; people with an addiction or in prison and people society labels as different or strange.

In his book, Kelly writes, “Standing with someone in their pain does not mean you agree with every choice they’ve made. It means you refuse to abandon them in the middle of their story. It means you recognize that the image of God in them is not erased by their struggle. It means you choose to believe that grace is stronger than your fear of being misunderstood.”

As part of the effort to help residents get acquainted and to serve and support each other, the Kenton and Hartly churches are teaming up on programs and events.

Kelly said the idea is to “bring people from all walks of life together,” providing “lifelines for people who might otherwise feel forgotten.”

Sunday worship services are at 9 a.m. in Kenton and at 11 a.m. in Hartly, but Kelly said the congregations also want to “meet people where they are.”

The churches host monthly “outreach” events for the community such as an Easter parade and egg hunt, vacation Bible school and a Bluegrass music program.

The next outreach programs are:

“Trunk or Treat” on Oct. 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., when church volunteers offer kids the chance to trick-or-treat from car to car in the parking lot at Kenton United Methodist Church, 74 W. Commerce St. (Route 42), west of Route 300.
Veterans “Cruz In” on Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to noon, where people are invited to show off their vehicles at a car show while veterans can receive help and information on services that are available, also at the Kenton church parking lot.

Opportunities to help and to get help at community service programs

Serving others is one way to feel more involved in the community, Kelly said.

The congregations invite people to events that help children’s hospitals and animal rescue organizations. They’ve delivered protein bars to paramedic and ambulance stations so the workers have something quick to eat during an emergency. They’ve collected backpacks and school supplies for students in need.

At the Kenton church, one of the leaders of the outreach efforts is Kathy Steele.

“Our goal is hopefully that by reaching out to the community, people will want to come to our church and join what we’re doing,” Steele said. “But the main thing is doing our part to help the community and give back.”

She said Pastor Kelly has rallied the congregations in Kenton and Hartly to be more involved in the community.

“He’s really emphasized the outreach programs,” Steele said. “He has a passion for the church and has such beautiful prayers. The text prayer chain is a good example. He always has a wonderful prayer and asks if there’s anything the church can do for you.”

Former Kenton Mayor Jessica Penawell has attended the Kenton United Methodist Church off and on for about five years, but she officially joined as a member this year.

“I remember my first day, I was greeted by everyone and everyone was so welcoming,” Penawell said.

She recognizes the importance of the outreach programs that Pastor Kelly is promoting.

“We’re hoping they bring the community together,” Penawell said. “I think it’s great that the church is doing more things with the town.”

Among the highlights this year were the Easter parade and egg hunt attended by about 400 people and the “Butterpot Awakening” revival Aug. 11-15 attended by about 40 people each night at the Kenton Town Hall in the former Kenton School building.

Food pantries at Kenton and Hartly United Methodist churches

Probably the best examples of programs offering continual support are the food pantries at the Kenton and Hartly churches, offering groceries – and prayer if requested – to people in need.

At Hartly United Methodist Church, the program serves about 20 families each month, usually more during the holidays, said food pantry co-chair Joy Ford.

During the pandemic, the program moved outdoors with drive-up service that worked so well, the congregation decided to continue it.

Along with donations from church members, the program receives food from a variety of businesses and community organizations.

While people of all ages stop by for food, Ford said many are older residents.

“We have grandparents raising grandchildren,” Ford said. “There’s a burden on these folks. Sometimes they’re in poor health. They’re very grateful, very appreciative of our food pantry.”

She’s helped with the food pantry since 2009 and has served as co-chair since 2016.

“We are supposed to be Jesus’ hands and feet,” Ford said. “I want to help others, and this is my opportunity to do that. I always had a desire to do missions in another country, but we’ve got folks who need us right here.”

Along with monthly food assistance, the Hartly food pantry also “adopts” families with children at Christmas, providing clothes and toys along with a gift for the parents.

For information about the food pantries or other church programs, email PastorRickKelly22@gmail.com or see the website www.KentonUMC.org or the Facebook page www.facebook.com/hartlyumc.

Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.

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Delaware

Delaware Department of Technology & Information implements CloudNuro SaaS Management Platform

Published

29 minutes ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Delaware Department of Technology & Information implements CloudNuro SaaS Management Platform

Written by

Distributed by EIN Presswire

Delaware Department of Technology & Information implements CloudNuro to improve its SaaS (Salesforce) governance, cost allocation, and chargeback automation.

State and government organizations face growing pressure to improve transparency and maximize budgets. Delaware is taking a forward-looking, data-driven approach to drive long-term efficiency.”

— Pratul Patel, Chief Product Officer, CloudNuro

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, January 9, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — CloudNuro, the leader in the Public Sector, State and Local Government for the enterprise SaaS, Cloud, and AI governance, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with the State of Delaware Department of Technology & Information (DTI) to modernize and unify Salesforce management across the state agencies.

Under this initiative, CloudNuro will deliver a comprehensive SaaS governance using the FinOps Foundation framework – FinOps-for-SaaS for Salesforce license visibility, cost allocation, and chargeback management. The platform will streamline contract ingestion, automate license-to-usage mapping, and support configurable cost models, including markup, license-based allocation, usage-based chargeback, and hybrid structures. The result is a clear, defensible, and auditable view of technology spending across the state environment.

By adopting CloudNuro’s automated workflows and intelligence-driven governance, the State of Delaware is expected to reduce manual administrative effort. The initiative also creates a single source of truth for Salesforce utilization across agencies and departments, strengthening financial oversight and enabling data-driven budgeting.

Key capabilities Delaware will gain include:
• Single-pane-of-glass view of Salesforce subscriptions, usage, users, and costs across the state
• Centralized ingestion of Salesforce contracts, entitlements, and renewals
• Automated mapping of licenses to actual usage patterns
• Configurable chargeback models (license-based, consumption-based, or hybrid)
• Agency-level dashboards for cost transparency and optimization
• Cross-agency visibility into unused, underutilized, or misaligned licenses
• Standardized governance to support audits, procurement workflows and renewal planning

“We’re proud to support the State of Delaware in bringing financial discipline and transparency to Salesforce governance across agencies,” said Shyam Kumar, CEO of CloudNuro. “This engagement reflects the growing need for accountable, data-driven technology management in the public sector.”

This engagement reflects CloudNuro’s expanding role in supporting public sector digital modernization. By providing automated governance, FinOps-ready cost insights, and seamless alignment with procurement, IT, and finance operations, CloudNuro helps government organizations strengthen accountability, reduce waste, and streamline complex technology environments. The CloudNuro FinOps platform is used by several large public-sector agencies, including Los Angeles Metro, Cook County, DuPage County, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, and the City of Aurora.

For public-sector IT leaders, CloudNuro delivers a modernized approach to SaaS and cloud governance – purpose-built for the scale, rigor, and compliance needs of state operations.

About CloudNuro Corp:
CloudNuro is a leader in Enterprise SaaS Management Platforms, giving enterprises and government unmatched visibility, governance, and cost optimization. Recognized twice in a row by Gartner in the SaaS Management Platforms Magic Quadrant and named a Leader in the Info-Tech SoftwareReviews Data Quadrant, CloudNuro is trusted by several public sector and government agencies, including Cook County, DuPage County, City of Aurora, Los Angeles Metro, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, State of Delaware, and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

As the only Unified FinOps Platform for the Enterprise, CloudNuro brings AI, SaaS and IaaS management together in a unified view. With a 15-minute setup and measurable results in under 24 hours, CloudNuro gives IT teams a fast path to value.
For more information, visit www.cloudnuro.ai.

Media Contact
Shyam Kumar
CEO, CloudNuro
📞 +1 630-347-0833
✉️ shyam.kumar@cloudnuro.com
🌐 www.cloudnuro.ai

Shyam Kumar
CloudNuro Corp
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Delaware

Delaware County’s 250th events aim to boost local economy

Published

13 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Delaware County’s 250th events aim to boost local economy

DELAWARE COUNTY – Delaware County is gearing up for a year-long celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, bringing together community partners for a series of events and programs.

Delaware County’s plans for the semiquincentennial

The Delaware County America 250 Commission hosted a “We the People” party to unveil plans for the upcoming celebrations.

The events aim to educate and connect the local community while drawing visitors from outside Philadelphia to explore the area’s rich history.

What they’re saying:

“Delaware County is not just watching from the sidelines, we are proud to be an essential part of a massive regional and national celebration,” said Christine Reuther, Delaware County Council Vice Chair.

Andrea Silva, director of the Delaware County America 250 Commission, highlighted the diverse themes that will be showcased throughout the year.

Celebrating 250 years of history

The backstory:

Friday’s event celebrated Delaware County’s 250-year history, with different tables reflecting various themes.

Attendees included Colonial Farmstead, Penn’s Woods Winery, and Pathways to Freedom.

The programming will feature over 100 events, including the Battle for Independence: Amazing Race to Brandywine and the Irish America 250 Kick Off on Jan. 14.

The celebrations are expected to leave a lasting legacy, with hopes of boosting the local economy.

“We want to see real economic impact for our local businesses as visitors from around the world come to shop on our main streets and stay in our towns and eat in our restaurants,” said Reuther.

What’s next:

This year’s county event specifics can be found here.

The Source: Information from the Delaware County America 250 Commission.

America 250Delaware County

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Delaware

Wilmington’s first homicide of 2026 claims life of 19-year-old

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Wilmington’s first homicide of 2026 claims life of 19-year-old

A 19-year-old man was shot dead in Wilmington’s Southbridge neighborhood in the early hours of Jan. 9, police said.

Wilmington officers arriving to the 200 block of S. Claymont St. about 3:30 a.m. found the teen there.

The teen, whom police have not named, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Anyone with information about this shooting should contact Wilmington Police Detective Derek Haines at (302) 576-3656. People can also provide information to Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or delawarecrimestoppers.com.

Violence by the numbers

This is the first homicide reported this year in Delaware, which last year saw a slight drop in all violent killings.

Delaware police reported 52 people being killed in violent crimes in 2025, a drop of nearly 12% when compared with 59 people killed in 2024, according to a Delaware Online/The News Journal database.

While the number of people killed in homicides statewide is down, the number of people killed by gunfire in Delaware was up in 2025 for the third year in a row.

According to the Delaware Online database, 47 were shot dead in Delaware last year. That was one more victim (46) than in 2024, three more (44) than in 2023 and nine more (38) than in 2022.

Despite the increase in gun-related deaths, there were fewer people shot last year in Delaware for the second year in a row.

Police reported 164 people being shot last year in Delaware. The previous year saw 195 people shot and police reported 210 people being shot in 2023.

This was the fewest people shot in Delaware since 2018, when police reported 146 people being shot statewide.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

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