A 34-year-old Newark motorcyclist has died following an evening crash May 5 in Ogletown, Delaware State Police said.

The motorcyclist’s name was withheld by police on May 6 until his family could be notified.

The Ogletown crash is one of six fatalities that have plagued officials across the state since May 4, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation. Officials added that between the night of May 5 into the morning of May 6, was the deadliest 12 hours on Delaware roads in nearly six years.  

“It’s certainly alarming to have more than 15% of our total fatalities to date this year happen over the past four days,” C.R. McLeod, a DelDOT spokesman, told Delaware Online/The News Journal.

Other fatal crashes that occurred in that 12-hour span include:

• A motorcycle crash in Stanton that left a 29-year-old Wilmington man dead when he ran a red light and his Harley-Davidson Sportster struck a Nissan Rogue at the Churchmans Road intersection with Center Pointe Plaza about 7:20 p.m. May 5, Delaware State Police said.
• A crash in Dover that killed a 26-year-old woman who struck a tree about 1 a.m. May 6, Dover police said.
• A 23-year-old Millsboro woman was killed when she failed to navigate a curve on Coastal Highway north of Lewes about 1:30 a.m. May 6, Delaware State Police said.

Late spring is prime strawberry season in Delaware, and we’ve gathered all you need to know to embark on a strawberry-picking adventure.  

With clear skies and plenty of sunshine, picking a bucket of Delaware’s official fruit is a great family outing or something fun to do with friends, while also supporting local farmers. 

Before you go, make sure you check the weather forecast, pack a water bottle and apply sunscreen. It is also recommended that you wear closed-toe shoes when picking produce on the farms.  

For anyone who is new to the world of strawberry picking, all you have to do is pinch the green stem between your thumb and index finger, then lightly pull and twist at the same time. 

A few more key tips for a successful berry bounty include picking only strawberries that are fully red, looking through plant beds that are less picked over and not picking any berries with white tips, green berries or strawberry flowers.  

To help your strawberries last longer, refrigerate them as soon as possible after picking them and only wash them right before you plan to eat them. If you won’t be using them soon after picking them, wash them, remove the stems and freeze them. 

Now that we’ve gone through the basics, here are several local farms ready to provide a day full of strawberry picking: 

Fifer Orchards, Camden

Recognized as a Delaware century family farm, having opened in 1919,  Fifer Orchards in Camden offers strawberry picking Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the U-Pick experience. U-Play admission features yard games perfect for families, with picnic tables and restrooms for public use. Saturday admission requires an all-inclusive Spring Fest ticket.   

You also can stop by the Farm Store to purchase local goodies and a selection of the orchard’s fresh fruits and vegetables.   

If you find yourself getting hungry after picking strawberries, the Farm Kitchen building sells lunch and dessert items including cider doughnuts, strawberry ice cream, apple cider slushies and homemade strawberry shortcakes.    

Looking for another u-pick offering? Fifer Orchards Provides u-pick blueberries in June and July from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and u-pick peaches on Fridays and Saturdays in July and early August from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. U-pick flowers are available from July to mid-August Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The farm uses its Facebook page to keep guests updated on daily picking conditions and orchard offerings.  

1919 Allabands Mill Road, Camden, (302) 697-2141; fiferorchards.com/.  

Hundred Acre Farms, Smyrna  

Hundred Acre Farms in Smyrna is located on about three acres of land and focuses on fruits, vegetables, bees, small batch jams and Christmas trees. Purchased in 1938, the farm is nearly a century old. 

A stretch of the Delaware Canal in Solebury Township, Bucks County, has turned into a foul-smelling scene, with hundreds of dead and decaying fish, swarms of flies and growing concern among residents and visitors.

The canal, which typically flows alongside the Delaware River, has dried up for several miles, leaving behind what witnesses describe as an unsettling and unusual sight.

“It smells. You can see all the flies, the dead fish,” Brian, a weekly visitor from Doylestown, said. “So, it’s disappointing.”

Residents say the affected stretch runs from New Hope to the Centre Bridge area, appearing unusually dry and lifeless.

“It’s a long stretch,” Brian said. “It certainly looks cataclysmic with how dry it looks.”

Without water, fish have died in large numbers, attracting flies and creating an unpleasant environment along the towpath, a popular destination for walkers, joggers and bicyclists.

“It’s very sad and very disturbing,” Gina Roche, who lives in New Hope, said. “It’s not good for tourism in the area either because nobody wants to walk or bike on the path when it smells like this.”

Roche said she has seen similar conditions in the canal before, but never this severe.

“I think about all the wildlife that it’s destroying,” she said. “The last time this happened, there were turtles crawling out of the mud, dead fish flapping on the basin of the canal. And it’s so unnecessary.”

The cause of the problem appears to be mechanical. About 2 miles north near Centre Bridge, a pump designed to divert water from the Delaware River into the canal was found knocked over and nonfunctional.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources provided a detailed statement:

“The Center Bridge pump at Delaware Canal State Park was found knocked over and determined to be non-functional. The Center Bridge pump is responsible for bringing water into the New Hope section of the canal. The river levels in the Center Bridge area of the canal are normal for this time of year, and no known storm event impacted the pump.

River conditions must first recede and stabilize to allow staff to safely return the pump to an upright position. In addition, electrical issues have been identified with the switch that controls the pump.

Once the pump is restored to position, staff will proceed with further electrical diagnostics and necessary repairs.

Current conditions indicate that water levels in New Hope are decreasing. With minimal precipitation forecasted, canal water levels are expected to continue to drop, so we are hopeful to upright the pump soon. We will provide updates on timelines for returning the pump to service as soon as possible.”

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Officials have not identified a definitive cause of the damage, though a spokesperson said it may have been struck by debris in the river.

In the meantime, the dry canal continues to impact both the local environment and quality of life.

“Very concerned,” Edward Leydon of Solebury said. “This is a real key feature of living here and visiting here.”

Officials say conditions are improving slightly, but there is no immediate timetable for when the pump will be fixed or when water will return to the canal.