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More monitoring coming to the Delaware City Refinery, resident complaints are encouraged

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More monitoring coming to the Delaware City Refinery, resident complaints are encouraged


Delaware’s largest polluter will soon have an extra set of eyes monitoring its operations.

The Clean Air Council, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization, was recently granted $500,000 to monitor and track the Delaware City Refinery’s emission of air pollutants.

Chemicals that can pose a threat to human health such as benzene and ammonia will be measured every five minutes and made publicly available. The team plans on combining the pollutant data with anecdotal data from nearby residents to better understand the impacts that the refinery’s operations has on public health.

The Clean Air Council applied for the grant funding last year and was officially announced by the EPA Oct. 24. Although, it may take a while for the project to start up. Russell Zerbo, advocate for the Clean Air Council, estimates that the project will officially start next year and last until around 2027.

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Opening soon: Buybuy Baby will reopen this month in Delaware, and raffle off free cribs and strollers

Zerbo said that DNREC, which is in charge of regulating the refinery’s operations, may be spread too thin when it comes to receiving complaints and concerns from residents around the state, especially when it comes to public health concerns.

He hopes that the project team can become a liaison for communicating concerns between the general public and local government.

“We are ready to receive complaints. We want to hear about what you’re experiencing locally,” Zerbo said.

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More: Delaware gets approval to apply for ‘tech hub’ funding. Here’s what to know

Other goals of the project include creating a disaster-preparedness plan with which the group can inform and help the nearby communities and organizing community workshops. The Clean Air Council has also set up a local partnership with Harrison Little Learners Daycare center in Delaware City.

PBF Energy, which owns the Delaware City Refining Company, did not respond to a request for comment.

The future of the refinery

At the end of the project’s three-year run, Zerbo hopes that all of the data can be used to influence the standards set forth in the Refinery’s air pollution permit, which is renewed by DNREC every five years.

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DNREC moved to renew the air pollution permit for the Delaware City Refinery in 2022 pending EPA approval, but seven environmental organizations in and around Delaware filed a petition against the permit’s approval. The petition cited a number of claims including that DNREC did not abide by the proper public hearing processes or address environmental justice concerns.

Over 86,000 people live within a five-mile radius of the refinery, over half of which are people of color and 20% of which are low income, according to EPA data referenced in the petition.

Historically, the Delaware City Refinery has been the state’s biggest polluter and has racked up a number of violations to their air pollution permit, including three in the past year.

Background: Why this Delaware company is again under investigation for what it releases into the air

According to EPA data, the refinery released nearly 5.7 million pounds of pollutants in 2021 including over 15,000 pounds of carcinogenic chemicals.

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The refinery has garnered interest from proponents of green energy in the offshore wind and hydrogen power industries who believe that repurposing the existing infrastructure will make the state more attractive for investments in renewable energies.

Contact Molly McVety at mmcvety@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety.





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Delaware

Supreme Court won’t review Delaware gun control laws, but legal battles continue

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Supreme Court won’t review Delaware gun control laws, but legal battles continue


From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

When Delaware lawmakers banned the sale of assault-style weapons and limited gun magazine sizes to 17 rounds in 2022, firearms rights advocates insisted the new laws were unconstitutional and would not withstand legal challenges.

Sure enough, they promptly sued in U.S. District Court in Wilmington. While the case began winding through the system, they attempted to get a preliminary injunction to prevent the laws from taking effect. But a federal judge rejected that bid, and so did the 3rd U.S. Circuit of Appeals.

Undeterred, a group of gun owners and Second Amendment advocates, including the Firearms Policy Coalition, petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review the lower court decisions.

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But this week, the nation’s highest court declined.

The justices also declined to review federal court decisions upholding Maryland’s handgun licensing requirements, which were a model for Delaware’s permit-to-purchase law that passed last year. The Delaware law is also facing a lawsuit by gun advocacy groups, including the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association.

So with all three Delaware laws still intact — even though the lawsuits remain active — the state’s gun control advocates are ecstatic.

“We’re doing great work in this movement, and the Supreme Court is saying, ‘yeah, you’re doing great work, and it’s constitutional,’’’ said Traci Murphy, director of the Delaware Coalition Against Gun Violence.

Attorney General Kathy Jennings seconded that notion.

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“The gun safety laws that have been passed have been overwhelmingly popular in our state,’’ Jennings told WHYY News. “And so this is yet another failure by the gun lobby to take away those safety measures.”

Attorney General Kathy Jennings says Delaware’s new gun control laws are saving lives. (Cris Barrish/WHYY)

The Supreme Court petition regarding the two Delaware laws asked the justices to consider “whether the infringement of Second Amendment rights constitutes per se irreparable injury.”

Murphy said the only harm is to those who want to sell the expensive assault-style weapons.

“The only reason people are advocating for access to assault weapons is to line the pockets of the gun industry,’’ Murphy said. “They make more money when they sell bigger weapons. The only irreparable harm that’s happening, if you even consider it to be irreparable, is to people who are losing out on the money they would have made by selling weapons that are designed to kill people.”

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Though the high court declined to weigh in, David Thompson, the lead attorney for the firearms rights advocates, told WHYY News that the fight on that principle isn’t over.

“We continue to believe that a deprivation of rights secured by the United States Constitution constitutes irreparable injury, and we look forward to vindicating that principle in future litigation,’’ Thompson said.



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‘Delaware is home’: President Joe Biden pens letter to First State as he leaves office

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‘Delaware is home’: President Joe Biden pens letter to First State as he leaves office


I once saw a greeting card that read: “Home is where you start”. That’s a pretty simple statement, and also, a pretty profound thought.

Home is the place where the tracks of your character and the DNA of your value system are laid down – it’s the place that surrounds you and protects you.

It’s an incubator: through its windows you get a glimpse of the world before you have to step out into it – you can see The Possibilities – and when you are ready – when it is time, you walk out its door into that world – to become all you can be – all you are capable of.

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Delaware is home. 

And now for the final time, Jill and I, nurtured and chiseled by the State, have come home to stay – with gratitude and love for the opportunities you have given us to listen, to learn, and to lead.

You celebrated with me in 1972 when I was elected to the US Senate at 29 years old – you mourned with me 6 weeks later at the death of my wife and baby daughter. Your grief washed over me and helped heal my soul – and 5 years later, your joy at my marriage to Jill sealed my heart.

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You marched with me in parades from Hockessin to Laurel, you ate with me at the Italian and Greek festivals, manned the booth with me at the Harrington Fair – stood beside me when I was bent but not broken, stood behind me when I need that extra push of courage, stood in front of me when I needed to listen and follow your wisdom.

You, my fellow Delawareans, have been the wind beneath my wings. We are a nation of promise and possibilities, of dreamers and doers, of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. That’s what you showed me.

So Delaware, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you. It has been the privilege of my life to represent you, as a County Councilman, US Senator, Vice President of the United States and President of the United States.

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Because of you, Delaware will forever be written on my heart.

I’ll see you back home. 

Joe Biden is the 46th president of the United States and a lifelong Delawarean. He will be returning to the First State when he exits office on Jan. 20.



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Delaware Lottery Mega Millions, Play 3 Day winning numbers for Jan. 14, 2025

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Delaware Lottery Mega Millions, Play 3 Day winning numbers for Jan. 14, 2025


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The Delaware Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025 results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Jan. 14 drawing

04-14-35-49-62, Mega Ball: 06, Megaplier: 3

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Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Play 3 numbers from Jan. 14 drawing

Day: 7-2-9

Night: 2-4-2

Check Play 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Play 4 numbers from Jan. 14 drawing

Day: 6-6-6-0

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Night: 0-7-1-7

Check Play 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Multi-Win Lotto numbers from Jan. 14 drawing

05-11-16-20-23-24

Check Multi-Win Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 14 drawing

03-06-17-26-39, Lucky Ball: 04

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Play 5 numbers from Jan. 14 drawing

Day: 0-7-2-7-6

Night: 8-7-4-7-9

Check Play 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

  • Sign the Ticket: Establish legal ownership by signing the back of your ticket with an ink pen.
  • Prizes up to $599: Claim at any Delaware Lottery Retailer, in person at the Delaware Lottery Office, or mail your signed ticket and claim form; print your name/address on the ticket’s back and keep a copy/photo for records. By mail, send original tickets and documentation to: Delaware Lottery, 1575 McKee Road, Suite 102, Dover, DE 19904.
  • Prizes up to $2,500: Claim in person at Delaware Lottery Retailer Claim Centers throughout Kent, Sussex and New Castle Counties.
  • Prizes of $5,001 or more: Claim in person at the Delaware Lottery Office (business days 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with a photo ID and Social Security card.
  • For all prize claims, directions to the Delaware Lottery Office are available online or via mapquest.com for a map.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Delaware Lottery.

Can I claim a jackpot prize anonymously in Delaware?

Fortunately for First State residents, the Delaware Lottery allows winners remain anonymous. Unlike many other states that require a prize be over a certain jackpot, Delawareans can remain anonymous no matter how much, or how little, they win.

How long do I have to claim my prize in Delaware?

Tickets are valid for up to one year past the drawing date for drawing game prizes or within one year of the announced end of sales for Instant Games, according to delottery.com.

When are the Delaware Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Play 3, 4: Daily at 1:58 p.m. and 7:57 p.m., except Sunday afternoon.
  • Multi-Win Lotto: 7:57 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
  • Lucky for Life: Daily at 10:38 p.m.
  • Lotto America: 11:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Delaware Online digital operations manager. You can send feedback using this form.



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