Delaware
Delaware lawmakers revise wetland legislation amid concerns from farmers, developers
Delaware lawmakers are amending a newly introduced measure that aims to provide greater protections for the state’s nontidal, or freshwater, wetlands.
The legislation, sponsored by state Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, comes more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled certain wetlands are not protected under the federal Clean Water Act.
Delaware is the only state in the mid-Atlantic that does not have a nontidal wetland protection program. Since 1988, there have been six failed legislative attempts to protect these resources in the state.
During a legislative hearing Wednesday, environmental groups said state regulations for nontidal wetlands are long overdue. However, developers and farmers voiced concerns that Hansen’s bill could impact anyone who wants to build on wetlands, or whose property contains wetlands.
Hansen said she believes a substitute bill will address those concerns.
“We already have been able to bring together disparate groups that previously had not been able to come to an agreement, and had not come to the table with a willingness to successfully work together,” she said.
“What we heard today with some of the testimony is we need to bring a few more people to the table, as well, which we are certainly happy to do. And we have a head start on it now.”
Also known as freshwater wetlands, nontidal wetlands are found near inland areas and do not have tidal influxes of water. They can be found in several forms, including depressions, rivers and swamps.
Nontidal wetlands make up more than half of Delaware’s wetlands. However, their acres have reduced over time because of threats such as sea level rise, development and agricultural practices.
Delaware law protects saltwater wetlands. However, the state has relied on federal regulations to manage freshwater wetlands with fewer than 400 contiguous acres.
Since the most recent Supreme Court decision, almost half of Delaware’s nontidal wetlands have been vulnerable to development without oversight.
Hansen’s current legislation would allow nontidal wetlands to be managed under the same program as the state’s saltwater wetlands regulations. Under the bill, developers would be required to prevent impacts to freshwater wetlands.
Hansen introduced similar legislation in 2020 after the federal government rolled back protections for freshwater wetlands, but it did not receive support from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
A shooting in Delaware County helped police solve a 2018 murder that happened in Cheltenham Township, officials said Wednesday.
Jihad Henderson, 38, of Philadelphia, was charged with murdering 29-year-old Rithina Torn in a road rage shooting in 2018 in Cheltenham Township, officials from Montgomery and Delaware counties announced.
Henderson was already in prison when he was charged with murdering Torn on Oct. 15, 2018, at the intersection of Dewey Road and Front Street in Cheltenham Township.
In 2024, Henderson was arrested in a shooting outside a Target in Springfield Township, Delaware County. He was convicted on several charges by a jury in the shooting, and that incident led to law enforcement charging him with Torn’s murder.
When the 2018 shooting happened in Cheltenham Township, one fired cartridge casing (FCC) was recovered from the scene and entered in the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), officials said. The NIBIN compares ballistic evidence from recovered firearms and shootings across the United States and notifies law enforcement of any potential leads.
In November 2024, the Montgomery County Detective Bureau was notified that an FCC recovered from the shooting outside Target in Springfield was a potential match for Torn’s murder, officials said.
An investigation by two Montgomery County ballistics and firearms experts found that the bullets from the 2018 and 2024 shootings were fired by the same Glock .40 caliber handgun owned by Henderson, according to officials.
“This arrest is a testament to the power of inter-agency cooperation and our being able to help our colleagues in Montgomery County get justice for Rithina Torn. That would never have been done without the trust, respect and dialogue between our two offices,” Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse said in a statement.
Henderson will be sentenced in the Delco shooting on June 29. He’s awaiting arraignment on first-degree and third-degree murder charges in connection with Torn’s murder. A preliminary hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
Delaware
Sussex County Land Trust Announces Delaware 250 Celebration at Rocking the Docks – Milford LIVE! – Local Delaware News, Kent and Sussex Counties
“Stars Over Sussex” will bring live music, fireworks, food vendors, and a drone show to the Lewes waterfront on July 2 for Delaware 250. (Photo courtesy of Sussex County Land Trust.)
The Sussex County Land Trust announced plans for “Stars Over Sussex,” a Delaware 250 celebration scheduled for July 2, 2026, at the Cape May–Lewes Ferry Terminal in Lewes.
The waterfront event, organized in partnership with Rocking the Docks and Delaware 250, will feature live music, fireworks, food vendors, and a drone light show commemorating America’s 250th anniversary.
Organizers said the event will serve as Sussex County’s signature Delaware 250 celebration ahead of Independence Day festivities.
The evening’s entertainment will include a performance by Fleetwood Macked, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band appearing as part of the Rocking the Docks summer concert series. The event will conclude with a coordinated fireworks and drone show over the Lewes waterfront highlighting patriotic themes, Delaware history, and Sussex County’s coastal heritage.
Ticketed viewing areas will be available at the ferry terminal, though organizers noted the fireworks and drone show will also be visible from several public locations around Lewes, including Lewes Beach, Grain On the Rocks, and nearby waterfront areas.
“This partnership allows us to create something far larger and more impactful than we could independently,” said Sara Bluhm. “By bringing together Rocking the Docks, Delaware 250, community sponsors, and conservation supporters, we’re building a truly unique celebration that reflects the spirit of Sussex County and America’s 250th birthday.”
According to organizers, the drone light show will incorporate synchronized formations and animated imagery tied to patriotic themes, Delaware’s role as The First State, and local coastal culture.
The Sussex County Land Trust also recognized Dogfish Head as one of the event’s early supporters.
“Dogfish Head continues to step up for Sussex County in meaningful ways,” said Bluhm. “Their partnership and early commitment helped us elevate the vision for this event from the very beginning.”
Additional sponsorship opportunities remain available for businesses and organizations interested in supporting the event, according to organizers.
The Sussex County Land Trust expects the celebration to draw thousands of attendees from Delaware and surrounding states as part of the region’s July Fourth holiday events.
Sara Uzer is a journalist from Sussex County with more than 15 years of experience as a writer, editor, and community advocate. She started her career in Washington, DC and has lived in Sussex County for the past five years.
Corporations, partnerships, trusts, limited liability companies, and other “artificial entities” have the right to vote in Delaware elections under some circumstances, a judge said in a novel ruling Tuesday.
Judge Craig A. Karsnitz rejected an ACLU challenge to a charter permitting voting in local elections by the entities that own most of the property in the Town of Fenwick Island, one of several municipalities in the state with similar provisions. Karsnitz dismissed the lawsuit from Delaware’s Superior Court, citing “the principle of one person/entity/one vote.”
“Visions of faceless large corporations or even HAL controlling a small town are frightening and …
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