Delaware

Delaware EARNS officially opens for enrollment

Published

1 year ago

July 8, 2024

Delaware EARNS officially opens for enrollment

Delaware EARNS, the state retirement fund program, is projected to have 3,900 employers and almost 39,000 employees enrolled. | PHOTO COURTESY OF ADOBE STOCK

WILMINGTON — Delaware EARNS, the state-sponsored retirement plan, officially opened for enrollment on July 1 with hopes of bridging the state’s retirement savings gap.

Two years after legislation passed to establish the Delaware Expanding Access for Retirement and Necessary Saving program, or DE EARNS, employers with five or more employees —regardless of full-time or part-time status — now have to sign up and provide a retirement plan option.

Administered by New York based Vestwell State Savings, Delaware EARNS is structured as an automatic payroll deduction which is put into an Roth individual retirement account. Based on federal rules, there are annual contribution limits for how much an employee can put into an IRA. Those under 50 years of age can save up to $7,000 in their IRA while those over the age of 50 can save up to $8,000. Lower limits may be applied depending on various tax situations.

The program is funded by employees and facilitated by employers; employers can opt out if they offer their own plan like a 401(K). The deadline for employers to opt out or enroll is Oct. 15.

For the past year, the Delaware State Treasurer’s Office has been on an information campaign throughout the state and spent time meeting with several local chambers of commerce on how the program works. Colleen Davis, the state treasurer, once estimated that there are between 150,000 to 200,000 Delawareans who have not been offered a retirement plan through their employer.

Most of those employees were considered in the low and low-to-moderate income bracket. The National Compensation and Benefits Survey also found that 54% of Delaware employers do not offer retirement plans.

“The reason why the treasurer’s office got involved in this issue is that we’re facing a retirement savings crisis,” Delaware EARNS Program Director Ted Griffith said. “We have many workers that aren’t saving anything, and it’s not a problem unique to Delaware. But we can help do something about it by giving them access to start that fund through work. There’s research that shows that if someone does have a retirement plan that can contribute to payroll, they’re 15 times more likely to start one.”

Griffith also said it’s a societal issue as well as a workplace issue. With Delaware’s senior population continuing to rise, the Pew Charitable Trust and Econsult Solutions Inc. found that the state was on track to spend an additional $55 million per year over the next 20 years on programs like Medicaid due to insufficient savings.

“Not only can we help create a pathway to help people be more self-sufficient and financially empowered, we’re reducing the burden on the state over time,” he said.

Delaware is one of a few that has mandated retirement plans at various stages, either active or in the process of development. Colorado was among the first, and surrounding states like Virginia and New Jersey have also opened enrollment for similar plans, RetirePath Virginia and RetireReady NJ, respectively.

The First State has also joined a consortium of states, led by Colorado, to maximize Delaware EARNS’ potential to pool resources when it comes time to set up these programs to work. That can translate to savings for the account holders.

While it’s still early, Delaware EARNS has about 12 employers already enrolled as part of a pilot program. Based on projections done by the Pew Charitable Trust, it’s anticipated that 3,900 employers and almost 39,000 employees will be enrolled in the program.

“We’re excited for the future, because not only will this help the savings gap, it’ll help with the wealth gap,” Griffith said. “It’s going to give Delawareans who may not have a chance to invest a way to do that.”

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Delaware

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

Published

10 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

22 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.