Delaware
Delaware County Black Caucus celebrates Black History Month with all-day festival
Poets, spoken word artists, reggae, jazz and R&B musicians, 15 vendors, entrepreneurs — even a traditional Yoruba Egungun ceremony — were part of the Delaware County Black Caucus’ Black History Month Festival and Bazaar.
Held Saturday at the studios of Nu Millennium Media & Productions in Collingdale, the all-day festival was part celebration and part community builder. Organizers plan to make it an annual event.
“We’re here to celebrate Black folk, Black culture, community and businesses in Delaware County,” Maleata Ragin, event co-chair of the Delaware County Black Caucus, said. “A lot of things happen in Philly but there’s never anything big in Delco so we wanted to do something for people in the county so they can go a few minutes away from home and connect with people in their community.”
Darlene Hill, caucus treasurer, explained that they hope the event grows to the size of the Philadelphia Odunde festival.
Ragin agreed that the intent is to expand and have the festival and bazaar grow each year.
Both she and Rashid Duggan, owner of Nu Millennium studios, spoke about the importance of having people spend time with each other.
“We wanted to provide a day where people can really come out, be together and celebrate from all walks of life, all races, all colors. You don’t have to be Black to be here,” Ragin said.
Duggan added, “We don’t have a big conscious Afro-centric community out here in Delaware County as opposed to Philadelphia and other areas. We really need to insert that into the mix.”
He hoped the day provided good vibes and good energy for all who attended.
“We can come together,” Duggan said. “We’re not alone. We have each other.”
One of the highlights of the day was a traditional Yoruba Egugun ceremony opening the festival.
“No matter where you’re from, you have an ancestor,” Ragin said. “You have a mother, a grandmother, great-grandmother. Just remember to celebrate the people who came before us. That’s a really big thing when it comes to Black culture: celebrating the folks who came before us.”
Ifalana Tami Williams of the Ile Igoke Yoruba Temple of Spiritual Growth and Cultural Center in Wilmington, Del., poured libations at the start of the ceremony, in which audience members were invited to recall those loved ones who had passed.
Williams, who is also owner of the natural health and wellness boutique Karite Naturals in the Springfield Mall, explained that the Egungun is the masquerade representing the ancestors.
“We bring them out,” she said. “We come out and we will sing the traditional Yoruba songs … It’s actually a very spiritual event, normally done in West Africa.”
Williams shared the significance of the ceremony.
“To know that you have ancestors,” she said. “People are gone from the physical world but they’re with you in spirit and that you still need to honor them, you still need to elevate them. They’re with you every day.”
Whether a song on the radio that reminds you of someone or a smell or another sign, the ancestors let you know of their presence, she said.
“The ancestors let us know that they are with us,” Williams said. “They never leave. They are always with you.”
She shared why she wanted to be a part of Saturday’s event.
“Our ancestors sacrificed so much for us and the lives that we have today,” Williams said. “If we don’t share their stories and tell our kids and our kids’ kids who they are, they’re forgotten … There’s a lot going on in the country right now and we’re being forgotten. We have to remember if we don’t remember our ancestors, who’s going to?
Another part of the day included the vendor market featuring Black entrepreneurs.
Dr. Naomi Pereira-Lane, owner of Changing Lanes Learning Center in Collingdale, was featuring books she had authored, including one co-written with her son, Justin.
“It’s about a car who takes a journey but it’s paralleled to kids who come to me who are transformed,” she said of “J.T. Hopper.”
She also featured a journal of her life experiences, including surviving through the pandemic and a nearby explosion.
Her learning center, catered to 3- to 5-year-old’s, has been open for 15 years and features reading, math and STEM.
“I am all-inclusive,” Pereira-Lane said. “I look at how a child comes to me and how we set goals as a family to get them to where they need to be and that we can persevere no matter what the circumstances are.”
Nearby, Shari Williams, aka “the Goddess of Drones,” was at the festival to try to build a drone soccer league in Delaware County.
“Drone soccer is a STEM and aviation program that allows our youth to build a drone, program a drone, fly a drone and then compete with the drone through drone soccer tournaments,” she said.
She explained that kids can start flying them at 12 years old and the programs go up to the collegiate level, as they compete regionally and nationally.
Williams is putting together summer programs and also does career days as well drone piloting programs to pass the FAA exam.
A founding member of the Delaware County Black Caucus, state Sen. Anthony H. Williams, D-8, of Philadelphia and Delaware counties, was pleased to see the engaged involvement of youth.
“To see that it has grown with a younger generation, that they’ve matured and have their own vision, that’s exciting,” he said, noting that the festival and bazaar’s realization was a personal and county accomplishment.
Two people were hurt after a car crashed into a building in Talleyville, Delaware, Monday morning.
The incident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. along the 100 block of Brandywine Boulevard. Police said a woman was driving a light-colored vehicle when she somehow lost control and crashed through the first floor of a realty company.
A fire station is located across the street from where the crash occurred. Firefighters responded in less than a minute and the driver as well as another person were both taken to the hospital. Investigators told NBC10 both victims suffered minor injuries and are expected to be OK.
Crews removed the vehicle and boarded up the damaged building. They continue to investigate the cause of the crash.
Delaware
Delaware-based dark money group ‘Alabama Patients First’ unleashes TV, digital attack on Blue Cross Blue Shield
A brand-new, out-of-state dark-money group launched an attack on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama over the past week, and has already invested over $320,000 in negative television advertising alone.
During some of this weekend’s largest SEC football matchups, including Alabama vs. Oklahoma, the group ran a shock-style message that is now being pushed to Alabama voters more aggressively than any political campaign could afford to spend on television at this point in the 2026 election cycle.
According to business filings, “Alabama Patients First LLC” was formed in Delaware on December 11. The state is known for its Teflon business privacy laws. LLCs are not required to publicly list their ownership or members, making it an ideal vehicle for dark money to reach its target.
Since its formation, the group has been busy in Alabama.
Using a “Paid for by Alabama Patients First” disclaimer, the group aired television advertisements, launched a website, and directed SMS marketing campaigns directly to voters, igniting a costly media attack against the state’s leading insurer.
“They make a killing off telling you ‘No.’ Blue Cross Blue Shield: ‘No.’ That’s Blue Cross “B*******,” the ad says.
A station-by-station breakdown of the Alabama Patients First TV buy across multiple Montgomery-area outlets, including WSFA, WAKA, WCOV-TV, WNCF, and others, totals $226,071.
The group also spent $102,000 across Birmingham, Huntsville, and Dothan media markets.
The buy spans six weekends, ranging from its first airing on December 14, with a much smaller spend scheduled after January 1, to a wind-down on January 18, 2026.
By comparison, in the Montgomery media market, the group spent $211,633 in December and just $14,438 in January.
In total, the out-of-state group has spent at least $328,071 on pushing the TV spot to Alabama residents.
Alabama Patients First’s TV spend isn’t the whole tab, either. The professional fees required to deploy such an operation likely reach into the millions – and the timing is striking.
The attack on Alabama began the same week that Jackson Hospital and Clinic, Inc. initiated a high-visibility litigation campaign against BCBS of Alabama.
Jackson Hospital and its lender, Atlanta-based Jackson Investment Group, are on the clock for a December 31, 2025 bankruptcy court deadline to secure $100 million in public funding, which would help satisfy a debtor-in-possession (DIP) agreement the two signed earlier this year.
Yellowhammer News requested information from officials at Jackson Investment Group, Jackson Healthcare, and Jackson Hospital to confirm or deny a connection between the hospital’s lending relationship and the creation of Alabama Patients First.
At the time of publication, those requests went unanswered.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama did respond to the negative ad blitz in a statement on Monday afternoon.
“The ads are an intentional misrepresentation of how we do business,” Sophie Martin, Director of Corporate Communications for BCBS of Alabama, said.
“Based on the timing of the ads, we believe they are nothing more than an improper attempt by Jackson’s investor-lender to improperly influence litigation.”
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
Claiming lottery in Delaware
18 states have laws that allow national lottery prize jackpot winners to remain anonymous, but is Delaware among them?
The Delaware Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 results for each game:
Winning Play 3 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing
Day: 5-6-7
Night: 4-9-0
Check Play 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 4 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing
Day: 8-8-0-2
Night: 6-7-3-8
Check Play 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Multi-Win Lotto numbers from Dec. 21 drawing
01-08-13-16-18-24
Check Multi-Win Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 21 drawing
11-24-27-38-46, Lucky Ball: 15
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Play 5 numbers from Dec. 21 drawing
Day: 6-2-3-4-3
Night: 0-7-5-3-8
Check Play 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Sign the Ticket: Establish legal ownership by signing the back of your ticket with an ink pen.
- Prizes up to $599: Claim at any Delaware Lottery Retailer, in person at the Delaware Lottery Office, or mail your signed ticket and claim form; print your name/address on the ticket’s back and keep a copy/photo for records. By mail, send original tickets and documentation to: Delaware Lottery, 1575 McKee Road, Suite 102, Dover, DE 19904.
- Prizes up to $2,500: Claim in person at Delaware Lottery Retailer Claim Centers throughout Kent, Sussex and New Castle Counties.
- Prizes of $5,001 or more: Claim in person at the Delaware Lottery Office (business days 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with a photo ID and Social Security card.
- For all prize claims, directions to the Delaware Lottery Office are available online or via mapquest.com for a map.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Delaware Lottery.
Can I claim a jackpot prize anonymously in Delaware?
Fortunately for First State residents, the Delaware Lottery allows winners remain anonymous. Unlike many other states that require a prize be over a certain jackpot, Delawareans can remain anonymous no matter how much, or how little, they win.
How long do I have to claim my prize in Delaware?
Tickets are valid for up to one year past the drawing date for drawing game prizes or within one year of the announced end of sales for Instant Games, according to delottery.com.
When are the Delaware Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Play 3, 4: Daily at 1:58 p.m. and 7:57 p.m., except Sunday afternoon.
- Multi-Win Lotto: 7:57 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: Daily at 10:38 p.m.
- Lotto America: 11:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Delaware Online digital operations manager. You can send feedback using this form.
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