Delaware
Kensington outreach group travels to Wilmington, Del. to look for lost homeless they helped
The City of Philadelphia has been working to clean up Kensington for several years now, but in the process, people who once lived on the streets there are moving to other cities. And, outreach groups are losing track of the people they were working to take care of.
NBC10’s Johnny Archer went out with one group, Operation Save Our City, on Wednesday night as they tried to search for missing people in Wilmington, Delaware.
“I’m trying to figure how many of my folks from Kensington ended up here,” said Rosalind Pichardo.
The outreach group said they are concerned because some of the folks who have gone missing won’t get the resources they need.
The group went to a homeless encampment in the Christina Park neighborhood of Wilmington and handed out bananas and Narcan.
“This current drug supply is so dangerous,” Pichardo said. “Other cities might not know how to deal with detox and withdrawal from this current drug supply, and if we get folks back home to deal with their condition, they have a chance to survive.”
Since the City of Philadelphia started cleaning up Kensington under Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration, many unhoused people have left Philadelphia.
NBC10 investigators reported last month that the City of Philadelphia was buying one-way bus tickets to send unhoused people out of the city.
A program from the city that buys one-way bus tickets for Philadelphia’s unhoused population is using taxpayer money to fund it. NBC10 investigative reporter Claudia Vargas looks into the reasons why.
But neighboring communities are feeling the impact.
Wilmington Mayor John Carney said his city is one of them.
“It’s just not right for these other places to send their folks to Wilmington,” Carney said last week. “The constant influx from cities and towns makes it hard for us to care for the population here. And most importantly, it’s unfair for the city residents who live in these neighborhoods.”
Pichardo said the solution to cleaning up Kensington should not be sending people some place else.
“This certainly can’t be the solution to cleaning up Kensington,” she said. “Rerouting people to other cities to make it another city’s problem.”
NBC10 reached out to Mayor Parker’s office on this issue and has not yet heard back.
Operation Save Our City said they did not find any of the people they were looking for on Wednesday night, but they will be back on Thursday to continue their search.
Delaware
From parrandas to Three Kings, Southern Delaware welcomes Puerto Rican traditions
The songs themselves carry history. Albarrán shared one verse: “alegre vengo de la montaña,” meaning “I am happily coming from the mountain to sing to my friends.” In Puerto Rico, many families — especially those living in the mountains — would literally travel down together, singing from home to home.
Puerto Rican music is also having a surge, Albarrán said, with traditional rhythms gaining attention alongside global stars. As artists like Bad Bunny elevate plena and bomba on major stages, she sees new opportunities to reintroduce these sounds to children who may have grown up far from the island.
“These are rhythms that we normally sing, and it’s not just during Christmas, but there’s a whole generation of kids that have either been raised or born here stateside that have not been exposed to these rhythms, these songs,” she noted.
To nurture that connection, The Culture Club PR is hosting a parranda on Dec. 12 at their Milford location. While it won’t include the full house-to-house walk of a traditional parranda, families will learn the music, instruments and customs so they can take part next year.
The celebrations continue Dec. 13 with Splash Around the Town Christmas at Splash Laundromat in Georgetown, where children can dive into crafts, story time and fun with community leaders — all part of the club’s mission to make cultural learning accessible.
“I would love people to get in touch with their roots, with their identity, and celebrate our uniqueness. Whatever culture we’re focusing on, whether it’s Puerto Rican, whether it’s Icelandic, whether it is Brazilian, whatever culture we’re focusing on, I want kids to be open and appreciative of what makes us different and the things that make us the same.”
All events lead toward the organization’s biggest celebration: the Fiesta de Reyes on Jan. 4 in Milford — a Three Kings Day tradition that, for many across Latin America and the Caribbean, represents the original Christmas story.
Delaware
Which Delaware Kirkland’s stores will become Bed Bath & Beyond? What we know
Bed Bath & Beyond is officially back in former Kirkland’s locations, which could bring changes for Delaware shoppers.
Bed Bath & Beyond announced Nov. 24 the acquisition of The Brand House Collective, a furniture and decor chain that used to be known as Kirkland’s. The $26.8 million deal is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of next year, according to a Brand House Collection news release.
The Brand House Collective announced in September it had also sold Kirkland’s intellectual property to Bed Bath & Beyond for $10 million.
As part of the merger, The Brand House Collective will convert about 250 of its stores into Bed Bath & Beyond stores over the next two years. In addition, more than 40 underperforming Kirkland’s stores will close in early 2026, the company said.
Bed Bath & Beyond had been bouncing back after it filed for bankruptcy in 2023 and closed all of its physical locations. For the past two years, Bed Bath & Beyond has continued online sales.
The first renewed Bed Bath & Beyond Home opened in Brentwood, Tennessee, on Aug. 8. The addition of “Home” at the end of its new store’s name is a twist on the Bed Bath & Beyond and Kirkland’s Home names.
What will happen to Delaware’s Kirkland’s stores?
The Brand House Collective has not yet announced the full list of locations that will close in 2026, nor which would be converted into Bed Bath & Beyond. A request for those locations from Delaware Online/The News Journal did not receive an immediate response.
Delaware has three Kirkland’s stores that can be found at the following locations:
- Rehoboth Outlets: 35000 Midway Outlet Drive, Rehoboth Beach
- North Dover Center: 1033 N. Dupont Highway, Dover
- Christiana Fashion Center: 3150 Fashion Center Blvd., Christiana
Bed Bath & Beyond closed all Delaware locations following bankruptcy
After the housewares and home decor retailer filed for bankruptcy in 2023, Bed Bath & Beyond closed its two Delaware locations in the Christiana Town Center and on Route 1 in Rehoboth Beach.
The town center’s Buy Buy Baby, a chain owned by Bed Bath & Beyond, also closed in 2023.
Sophia Voight is a growth and development reporter. Reach her with feedback and story tips at svoight@delawareonline.com.
Delaware
Driver wanted for allegedly running over man, killing them on Delaware road
A driver is wanted after allegedly hitting and killing a man early Saturday morning in Wilmington, Delaware.
According to Delaware State Police, around 1 a.m., troopers were called to New Linden Hill Road, east of Pike Creek Boulevard, for a reported welfare check after several drivers saw a man in the travel lanes.
Police said callers reported that the man was intermittently lying and sitting in the roadway. The circumstances surrounding why he was in the roadway remain under investigation.
Shortly after the initial 911 calls, police said it was reported that an unknown vehicle traveling eastbound on New Linden Hill Road struck the man and fled the scene.
At this time, there is no available description of the fleeing vehicle, according to police.
The man, a 42-year-old from Bear, Delaware, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Police ask anyone who witnessed the crash, has surveillance or dash-camera footage, or has relevant information about the vehicle involved to contact Master Corporal R. Kunicki at (302) 365-8417.
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