Today marks the first day of March Madness.

As basketballs are bouncing all across America, one road in Delaware has some new orange balls hanging from the sky to keep drivers and infrastructure safe.

The Chapel Street Railroad Bridge in Newark is only 12 feet tall and since 2005 there have been 60 reported incidents where trucks have gotten stuck under the bridge.

Every bridge strike could mean a major disruption on the busy rails that run through town.

“Clanker” balls were installed on the north side of the bridge and the south side balls will go up soon.

The clankers are a series of bright orange and heavy-duty plastic balls that hang at the clearance height down the street before the bridge.

The bridge will also get the same treatment as nearby Casho Mill Road with clankers, sensors, lights and a lot of warning signs.

Casho Mill Road was Delaware’s most frequently hit bridge but crashes have gone down significantly since the balls were installed in 2022.

DelDOT says their clankers at Milford and Delaware Park have worked well but it’s not perfect.

There have been instances where people driving trucks will hit the balls, slow down, look to see what happened but then continue to drive under the bridge anyway.

One popular theory among some is that a few of the strikes are by University of Delaware students who are moving in or out and they are not used to driving rental box trucks.

The clanker balls have been so successful in Delaware that other states have asked DelDOT about their creative solution.

Another set of clankers is scheduled to go up at Low Rail Bridge in Newport.

100 Years Ago, 1926: Organization of a cleanup commission was perfected by a group of businessmen and citizens representing various service clubs interested in the sanitary and civic welfare of Chester during a conference held yesterday afternoon in the office of Walter H. Craig, city commissioner and superintendent of parks and public property in City Hall. Mr. Craig was unanimously chosen chairman of the commission, the personnel of which includes T.J. Sproul, representing the Rotary Club; James P. Hopkins, Chester Real Estate Board; J.V. Wingert, Exchange Club; Charles Hopkins, Business Men’s Association; Ellwood J. Turner and Charles Connors, Kiwanis Club.

75 Years Ago, 1951: The 50 evacuees from Strath Haven Inn on Saturday night were accommodated with great speed by two county Red Cross disaster units. Mr. and Mrs. J. Passmore Elkinton, 741 Harvard Ave., Swarthmore, opened the facilities of their home to the weary, elderly persons. The Elkinton cottage is about 150 feet from the north end of the inn. The evacuees were taken into the Elkinton home and at one time there were as many 30 located there. The Elkintons gave out blankets and extra clothing so the thinly-clad could keep warm. Mrs. Elkinton served cookies and coffee.

50 Years Ago, 1976: Delaware County Judge Clement J. McGovern Jr. has been advised by the attorney for Frank A. Metzger, accused in the 1974 slaying of his estranged wife, that a motion for change of venue will be withdrawn. Judge McGovern said today that the trial will be rescheduled for March 29. Metzger was originally set to go on trial March 8.

25 Years Ago, 2001: From Neal Zoren’s TV column: Students from Upper Darby High School will visit Channel 10 on Wednesday as part of a national Television Literacy Day program sponsored by the local chapter of those folks who bring you the Emmy, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Upper Darby is one of the best schools in the region when it comes to acquainting its students with a larger world. Its theater and choral programs always seem to garner attention. It’s good to see the school has this chance to add media literacy to subjects it can offer its students.

10 Years Ago, 2016: At a council meeting ceremony, Upper Darby police Criminal Investigator Philip Lydon joined a prestigious group of officers who received the Dennis McNamara Memorial Award. Mayor Thomas Micozzie announced in conjunction with the award that state Rep. Jamie Santora, R-163, was working towards naming a portion of Lansdowne Avenue from State Road to School Lane in memory of McNamara.

— COLIN AINSWORTH

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. (AP) — President Donald Trump is paying his respects on Wednesday at a Delaware military base as the remains of six U.S. service members killed in the crash of a refueling aircraft are returned to their families.

It will be the second time since launching the war with Iran on Feb. 28 that the Republican president will attend the solemn military ritual known as a dignified transfer, which he once described as the “toughest thing” he has had to do as commander in chief.

READ MORE: U.S. military says all 6 airmen in refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq are dead

Upon landing in Dover, Trump was greeted on the tarmac by Col. Jamil Musa, Commander, 436th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base, and Col Martha “Jeannie” Sasnett Commander, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, Dover Air Force Base and headed to the ceremony — which was closed to the press.

All six crew members of a KC-135 Air Force refueling aircraft were killed last week in a plane crash over friendly territory in western Iraq while supporting operations against Iran. They were from Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Washington state.

“Every person on that aircraft carried a weight most Americans will never see, and they carried it with professionalism, courage, and a level of quiet excellence that deserves to be recognized,” retired Lt. Col Ernesto Nisperos, a friend of one of those killed, said in a text message Wednesday.

The crash brought the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members. About 200 U.S. service members have been injured, including 10 severely, the Pentagon has said.

READ MORE: Dignified transfer for Kentucky soldier who was 7th U.S. service member to die in Iran war

Trump last traveled to Dover Air Force Base on March 7 for the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members who were killed by a drone strike at a command center in Kuwait. He saluted as flag-draped transfer cases containing the remains of the fallen service members were carried from military aircraft to vehicles waiting to take them to the base’s mortuary facility to prepare them for their final resting place.

“It’s the bad part of war,” he told reporters afterward. Asked then if he worried about having to make multiple trips to the base for additional dignified transfers as the war continued, he said, “I’m sure. I hate to do it, but it’s a part of war, isn’t it?”

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said that the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace” over Iraq but that the loss of the aircraft during a combat mission was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.” The circumstances were under investigation. The other plane landed safely.

The crash killed three people assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj. John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, who served in Birmingham, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Linse Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.

Klinner, who left behind a wife, a 2-year-old son and 7-month-old twins, was known for his steady command and goofy nature, as well as a willingness to help others. Pruitt’s husband described her as a “radiant” woman who lit up the room. Savino was a friend, mentee and “source of positive energy” who was proud of her Puerto Rican heritage and inspired young Latinas, said Nisperos, who is serving as spokesman for her family.

“She had had this warmth that made you feel seen, a strength that showed up in everything she touched, and a spark — that spice — that made her unforgettable,” Nisperos said. “If you knew her, even for a moment, you knew you were in the presence of someone who was going to change the world.”

The three others were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio: Capt. Seth Koval, 38, a resident of Stoutsville, Ohio, who was from Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, who lived in Columbus; and Master Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus.

Koval grew up dreaming of becoming a pilot, according to his wife, who described him as a loving, generous “fixer of all things.” Angst’s family said his life was defined by service, generosity and “a genuine love for people.” Simmons loved confiding in his 85-year-old grandmother and working out with her, Sen. Jon Husted said Tuesday, when he and Sen. Bernie Moreno honored the Ohio airmen on the Senate floor.

“To the mom and dad of these three young soldiers, I can’t even process what you’re going through. I can’t even imagine the emotions that you’re feeling,” Moreno said. “Just know that America is grateful beyond words for the sacrifice that your heroic young sons made.”

Associated Press writers Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.