Delaware

There can only be one: Delaware River among three Pennsylvania waterways up for state award

Published

1 year ago

December 17, 2024

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There can only be one: Delaware River among three Pennsylvania waterways up for state award

Three rivers. One award.

Voting is now open for Pennsylvania River of the Year.

The Delaware River, which flows through the Poconos in Northeast Pennsylvania, is up against Perkiomen Creek, a tributary of the Schuylkill River, located northwest of Philadelphia; and the Youghiogheny River in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“We’re thrilled to be nominated for 2025 designation, and we encourage the public to go vote … for the Delaware River so we can really help bring more attention to the outstanding resource that we have in our backyard,” said Mark Zakutansky, a member of the Delaware River Sojourn’s Steering committee.

The committee put the river in the running for the award. It’s made up of organizations, nonprofits, government, individual volunteers and businesses all along the Delaware River.

The sojourn celebrates its 30th year in 2025. The committee hoped for the nomination to help promote the annual paddling and camping trip down the 330-mile river.

“This is not just a celebration of the river, but, also, of all the people that have really dedicated their work lives and personal lives to make it better,” Delaware River Basin Commission spokesperson Kate Schmidt said.

The seven-day sojourn will be held the third week of June, and the event will proceed with or without the designation.

“We ultimately feel that the best way to kind of discover something is to do it,” said Schmidt. “So the best way to discover the Delaware River is to get on it and paddle.”

A quick history

Last year the Allegheny River won the award. In 2023, it was the North Branch of the Susquehanna. The Delaware has won before, in 2011 and 2002; just the Upper Delaware won in 1995.

Its east and west branches meet in Hancock, New York. The river forms an interstate boundary its entire length but the largest part of the watershed is in Pennsylvania. The river ends where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Schmidt says 14.2 million people — almost 4% of the entire population of the United States — rely on the river’s basin.

“For drinking, industry, agriculture, you know pretty much for their daily needs,” she said.

The indigenous Lenape people named the river Lenapewihittuck. They lived in the Delaware Valley, along tributaries of the river. Dutch settlers discovered the waterway in the 1600s and called it the South River.

The English then named the river after Sir Thomas West, the third Lord de la Warr. The Lenape became known as the Delawares.

Winner will receive $10K grant

Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) facilitates the River of the Year program with funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

The winning river’s nominating organization will receive a $10,000 DCNR grant to fund year-long celebrations, including paddling events and community activities

Voting ends Jan. 24. To cast a vote, visit https://pawatersheds.org/about-river-of-the-year/vote-roy/

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Delaware

Elon Musk-Led Overhaul of Delaware Business Law Upheld by State Court

Published

3 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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Elon Musk-Led Overhaul of Delaware Business Law Upheld by State Court

The Delaware Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of an Elon Musk-inspired overhaul of state law that governs most major US corporations, handing a win to company founders, insiders and private equity owners who sought less restrictive business rules.

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Delaware

Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

Published

15 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

RADNOR, Pa. – Authorities say a Delaware County school employee is accused of traveling to Texas to sexually assault a minor he met online.

What we know:

Michael Robinson, 43, was taken into custody near Radnor Middle School where investigators say he worked as a paraprofessional.

Investigators believe Robinson traveled to Tyler, Texas in the summer of 2024 to meet a minor he had connected with online.

Robinson, according to U.S. Marshals, allegedly sexually assaulted the teen over the course of a weekend.

Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

Prosecutors in Smith County, Texas charged Robinson in December with Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under 15-years-old.

Robinson is being held at a Delaware County jail where he is awaiting extradition to Texas.

What they’re saying:

U.S. Marshals in Pennsylvania said Robinson’s arrest shows that “sexual predators will always be pursued relentlessly.”

The Radnor Township School District said Robinson has been placed on leave and will not have contact with students.

“Parents of the limited number of children to whom the employee was assigned were contacted by the administration immediately.”

The district said it is cooperating with law enforcement and has “no information indicating misconduct involving district students.”

Crime & Public SafetyDelaware CountyNews

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Delaware

Rehoboth cancels 2026 Polar Bear Plunge after major snowstorm

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

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Rehoboth cancels 2026 Polar Bear Plunge after major snowstorm

Rehoboth Beach has canceled the upcoming 2026 Lewes Polar Bear Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge as the Sussex County resort town continues dealing with the aftermath of last weekend’s snowstorm, organizers of the annual Special Olympics fundraiser said on Feb. 26.

“Rehoboth Beach is navigating significant challenges because of the snowstorm,” a Special Olympics Delaware email announced. “At present, the boardwalk and all beach crossings remain snow covered and many sidewalks throughout downtown Rehoboth are as well.”

The plunge and 5K had been rescheduled to March 1 after severe weather conditions in late January caused it to be moved from its original Feb. 1 date.

The plunge will not be rescheduled for this year.

Last weekend’s storm brought nearly 2 feet of snow to parts of Sussex, closing hundreds of roads when trees and wires were downed. There were also power outages across the county, including Rehoboth Beach which had to restore power to its wastewater treatment facility.

Plunging for a cause

The polar bear plunge is one of Special Olympics Delaware’s more popular fundraisers, drawing more than 4,000 participants last year.

In recent years, the event has been bringing in more than a million dollars for Special Olympics Delaware. Last year, plunge events drew $1.3 million, just shy of the record-breaking $1.5 million raised in 2024.

Alex Seymore, Special Olympics Delaware’s director of digital media, said the organization had already raised more than $1 million from this year’s event.

“We expect a small impact,” Seymore told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “But again, we’re showing that we’ve raised over a million dollars.

He added they are reviewing how the cancelation will impact them and their services.

“It’s been just a couple hours, so we’re not completely positive how it will impact things in the long run,” he said. “We’re thankful for everybody that’s helped raise this money through this time.”

What is still occurring

While the plunge and 5k and been canceled this year, there are other indoor events that will continue as scheduled:

Feb. 27

4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – pick up packets and souvenir sales for the Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.

Feb. 28

noon to 2 p.m. Fire & Ice in the Atlantic Sands Ballroom, 1 Baltimore Ave, Rehoboth Beach.
2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Restaurant chili contest.
4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – pick up packets and souvenir sales for the Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

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