Delaware
Delaware's Guatemalans seek a brighter future with new leader in their native country
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Thousands have fled Guatemala over the past 60 years, hoping to escape a civil war that lasted from 1960 to 1996. The following years saw rising violence, civil unrest and pervasive poverty.
Over the course of the 36-year-long war, more than 200,000 Guatemalans were killed or disappeared. Indigenous Maya made up 83% of that number of casualties. The U.S.-backed Guatemalan army’s destruction of more than 600 villages further deepens the scars of the country’s history.
Many of those who fled the violence ended up in Delaware. Guatemalans make up the second-largest segment of Latino residents in the state.
Last month, Guatemala’s new President Bernardo Arévalo took office, after promising to battle corruption. With new leadership, what do Delaware’s Guatemalan residents hope for from the new administration?
Aracely Garcia Ramirez is one of those who escaped to the U.S., eventually landing in Newark, Delaware, after leaving Ixchiguán in the San Marcos section of Guatemala near the Mexican border 24 years ago.
She remembers what it was like when the war was raging. She was just 3 years old when she heard soldiers knock at their door and children crying. She saw people running, homes being demolished and even burned.
“Por lo poquito que yo me acuerdo, las personas no podían dormirse en su casa, se tuvieron que quedarse en las noches en el monte y todos tenían miedo porque estaban amenazados de que los ejércitos iban a llegar a quemar sus casa”, ella dijo. “Por ejemplo, la casa de mis padres, la quemaron y la quemaron la casa de mi abuela y pues en ese tiempo, pues yo perdí a mi padre en la guerra, perdimos a muchos familiares”.
“Algo que no se me olvida fue de que cuando llegaron a sacar a uno de mis tíos de la casa, de la cama y enfrente de nosotros lo asesinaron”, ella añadió.
“From the little bit that I remember, people could not sleep in their houses, they had to stay in the hills during the nighttime and everyone was afraid because they were threatened that the army was going to come and burn their houses,” she said. “For example, they burned my parents’ house and my grandmother’s house and, well, at that time, I lost my father in the war, we lost many relatives.”
“Something that I haven’t forgotten was when they came to take one of my uncles out of the house, out of bed, and in front of us, they murdered him,” she added.
When she was 10, Garcia had to end her education at the elementary school level when she moved to the nation’s capital, Guatemala City, for “better opportunities.”
“Por ejemplo, en mi pueblo allá no hay trabajo más que en el campo… Mi pueblo era un pueblo abandonado porque no había buenas carreteras, no había buenas escuelas, no teníamos el apoyo del gobierno”, ella dijo. “En mi pueblo hay una, hay un grupo de personas que se dedican a recaudar dinero para arreglar las escuelas, para arreglar las carreteras, todo lo que necesita el pueblo”.
“For example, in my town, there are no jobs except in agriculture… My town was an abandoned town; there were no good roads, there were no good schools, we did not have the support of the government,” she said. “In my town, there is a group of people who are dedicated to raising money to fix the schools, to fix the roads, everything the town needs.”
Yet, even with the improved job prospects, transportation, and structure in the city, it still fell short of providing a good quality of life. That prompted her decision to migrate to the U.S., mirroring the widespread trend of mass migration out of Guatemala.
The Office of the Delaware State Bank Commissioner has approved Capital One’s $35.3bn acquisition of digital banking and payment services company Discover Financial Services and its subsidiary, Discover Bank.
This approval marks a key step towards completing the merger. The deal, valued at $35.3bn, was initially announced in February 2024.
At close, shareholders of Capital One will own around 60% and Discover shareholders will own nearly 40% of the merged entity.
The deal is expected to create the sixth largest bank in the US by assets and a global payments platform at scale.
Planned to be completed in early 2025, the transaction awaits approval by the shareholders of both companies, as well as the Federal Reserve Board and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
As part of the acquisition, shareholders of Discover Financial Services will receive 1.0192 Capital One shares for each share held.
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Capital One founder, chairman and CEO Richard Fairbank said: “Through this combination, we’re creating a company that is exceptionally well-positioned to create significant value for consumers, small businesses, merchants, and shareholders as technology continues to transform the payments and banking marketplace.”
In July 2024, Capital One unveiled a five-year, $265bn community benefits plan tied to the acquisition.
As of 30 September 2024, Capital One Financial reported $353.6bn in deposits and $486.4bn in total assets.
The company is engaged in providing a wide range of financial products and services to small businesses, consumers, and commercial clients through multiple channels.
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McRib sandwich becomes crime fighting tool for Delco officer
A tense encounter for a Delaware County police officer who used an unusual but tasty method to help a disabled man get the help he needed.
PROSPECT PARK, Pa. – A tense encounter for a Delaware County police officer who used an unusual but tasty method to help a disabled man get the help he needed.
The crime fighting tool? A McDonald’s McRib sandwich.
“He was a little bit excited when we got there,” explained Prospect Park Police officer Samuel Willis, when he was dispatched to Witmer Memorial Field for a man causing a disturbance Wednesday afternoon.
Willis didn’t know what to expect when he arrived.
“It was a subject with disabilities and also suffered with some mental health problems,” he said.
Willis says the disabled man, who was with two aides, was in severe mental distress and yelling. But, instead of responding with handcuffs, a stun gun or a gun, Officer Willis offered the man a meal.
“I asked him if I would be able to get him a McRib and maybe some fries, if that would be able to defuse the situation,” explained Willis.
Willis hopped in his patrol car and drove to McDonald’s on Lincoln Avenue to buy the man a McRib sandwich, fries and a chocolate milkshake. He went back to the park and delivered the meal along with some frank conversation.
“I was able to go back, bring the food to him. You know, kind of sit him down and be like ‘Hey listen, you need to treat your aides with respect,’” said Officer Willis.
And that’s all it took. A boneless pork patty smothered in barbecue sauce with a side of compassion.
“At the end of the day, the least force outcome is the best,” added Willis.
His boss, who trains de-escalation techniques, says the interaction was a veteran move by the officer with about two years with the Department.
“I’m extremely impressed by what he did. I’m extremely proud of what he did. You know, it speaks well for the entire police department and I couldn’t be happier with the results,” said Prospect Park Police Chief Dave Madonna.
It turns out, even McDonald’s got into the act. Once they heard the officer was helping someone in need they donated the meal. “I’m really happy to hear that our food can make a difference in somebody’s day,” said McDonald’s manager, Alexis King.
The man was eventually able to get the help he needed and get home safely. As for the limited time sandwich helping law enforcement?
“Hopefully they’ll keep it on the menu longer,” said Madonna.
According to McDonald’s website, the McRib will only be available until January 28th, 2025.
Longwood shimmers in Christmas lights, with new additions on view
A Longwood Christmas – on view through January 12, 2025 – brings bright lights and lush greenery back to the stately gardens. The results of a years-long construction project are also now open. Timed tickets are required and very limited through the holidays but with more availabilty in January.
Going-out-of-business sales are expected to begin at all Big Lots stores – including those in Delaware – in the coming days as the company closes its businesses, according to an announcement Thursday.
The retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September and closed 340 stores, though none in the First State. The closures were part of a sale agreement with an affiliate of Nexus Capital Management LP, which Big Lots has since announced likely will not be completed.
The company said it still “continues to work toward” an alternative going concern transaction with Nexus or another party. CEO Bruce Thorn said the closures could be reversed if a company sale is completed.
Big Lots has five Delaware stores located in the Wilmington area, New Castle area, Seaford, Dover and Milford. The stores are still open, and no exact closure dates have been released.
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