Delaware
Delaware’s federal representatives come out against Trump-backed food stamp cuts
Rep. Sarah McBride reflects on her first 100 days in office
Rep. Sarah McBride, who was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2024, recently sat down to reflect on her first 100 days in office. 4/18/25
Delaware’s federal delegation was fired up at the Food Bank of Delaware on Friday morning.
The state’s Democratic federal delegation stood in front of volunteers of the food bank and spoke out against cuts to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, or food stamps. Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Chris Coons, and Rep. Sarah McBride spoke at a press conference on July 11 at the Newark facility to address the passage of the Trump-backed “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” which features major cuts to Medicaid and SNAP eligibility.
They said 37,000 Delawareans could lose access to SNAP benefits.
“Last week, President Trump signed into law his so called Big, Beautiful Bill, which is going to have ugly consequences,” Coons said. “It will cost people their health care and their food. 37,000 will lose access to help making sure they’re not hungry.”
It is the largest cut to the program’s history, taking away over $186 billion through 2034, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Food stamps have been around since the Great Depression era, and SNAP was made permanent under President Lyndon B. Johnson.
The Delaware delegation voted against and said it intends to mitigate how cuts to SNAP affect Delaware. Coons said he will find ways to collaborate with state leaders. For him, it starts with educating people about what is actually in the gargantuan bill.
“I want to make sure that to the extent I can get answers out of the administration, I’m helping the state understand exactly what the impact is going to be,” Coons said.
SNAP benefits will be harder to come by with the new law because of expanded and stricter work requirements and a larger burden on individual states to provide assistance. It could have far-reaching consequences on lower-income families and individuals.
Census data estimates that 10% of Delaware residents live in poverty. For Blunt Rochester, the bill was “deceitful.”
“There is a reality that in Delaware, nearly half of the families that are receiving SNAP have children in them, and children can’t learn if they’re hungry,” she said.
McBride spoke about the cuts to the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which created cooperative agreements to provide funding for state governments to purchase foods produced within the state or region to help support local, and regional producers, according to the USDA.
She said the “win-win” program in Delaware was vital to supporting small farms in places with limited access to nutritious food.
“They dismantled the infrastructure that helps fuel our economy and feed our communities,” McBride said at the press conference “This is a betrayal. This budget portrays our values as Americans, and it portrays our values as state leaders.”
The Food Bank of Delaware is concerned about a rise in demand and less federal assistance to give it a boost. The Food Banks’s Vice President of External Affairs Chad Robinson said the cuts to SNAP and other food assistance programs will make it more difficult to put food on the table for some people.
“These cuts represent the equivalent of 6 billion meals, which is the amount that Feeding America gave nationally last year,” Robinson said. “So we’re going to do everything we can to make sure the Delawareans have an opportunity to have the food on their table that they need.”
McBride brought Newark resident Elizabeth Morales and her daughter with her. Morales said SNAP benefits gave her a way to get back on her feet despite being laid off in 2023. She called the cuts “theft,” and dispelled the notion that SNAP benefits are a “handout.”
“It doesn’t discourage people from working, whether they’re working, looking for work, or just trying to get through a hard season,” she said. “It helps people stay afloat.”
Shane Brennan covers Wilmington and other Delaware issues. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at slbrennan@delawareonline.com.
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.
How to report a crime to Delaware Crime Stoppers
This video details what Delaware Crime Stoppers is and how to report a crime. 8/25/23
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.
Humpback whale beaches and dies at Delaware Seashore State Park
The Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute will perform a necropsy.
A dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach on Jan. 8, according to the nonprofit Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute.
The juvenile male was first seen Jan. 6, floating at sea about 2 miles off the Indian River Inlet, a MERR Facebook post said. The bloated 30-foot whale ultimately beached near a private community in the early afternoon of Jan. 8, the post said.
MERR is attempting to coordinate with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to get equipment to move the whale out of the water and onto the beach to perform a necropsy, the post said. Right now, there isn’t enough information to determine a cause of death.
Delaware saw at least three dead whales last year, in the Indian River Bay, at Delaware Seashore State Park and at Pigeon Point. The first two were humpbacks, while the Pigeon Point whale was a fin whale.
A necropsy on the Delaware Seashore whale found blunt force trauma across its back, indicating it may have been struck by a ship, MERR Director Suzanne Thurman said.
Recently, on Jan. 4, a dead fin whale was found on the bow of a ship at the Gloucester Marine Terminal in New Jersey, which is located in the Port of Philadelphia on the Delaware River.
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook.
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