Delaware
Thousands of chicks found abandoned in USPS truck in Delaware have been adopted by families, farms
Thousands of chicks found abandoned inside a postal service truck for three days have gone to new homes, according to the Delaware shelter that had cared for them, with the last batch picked up on Thursday morning.
All the surviving birds, estimated as more than 5,000 chickens — it was too hard to get a specific count — plus some others like turkeys and quails, were primarily adopted by local families, rescues and farms, according to First State Animal Center and SPCA.
The chicks were part of a 12,000-bird shipment left unattended in a truck at a Delaware mail distribution center. Trapped in high temperatures without food or hydration, thousands died, according to the state Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Postal Service has said it is investigating the “process breakdown” that occurred.
For more than two weeks, the surviving birds had been cared for at an overwhelmed First State Animal Center and SPCA, said John Parana, executive director. As a no-kill operation, the shelter would not take adopters planning to use the birds for meat, Parana said. Some of the adopters took hundreds at a time, hoping for egg-laying hens, while others took them as pets.
Stephanie Bruzdzinski adopted a handful of chicks after her daughter learned about their situation.
“She was very upset and wanted to help out,” said Bruzdzinski, who was similarly shocked when she heard the news. “She doesn’t like when things aren’t getting taken care of.”
The birds originated from Pennsylvania-based Freedom Ranger Hatchery’s weekly bird shipment to clients around the country, and due to biosecurity concerns, the hatchery cannot take the chicks back, a company spokesperson said.
The U.S. Coast Guard and multiple partner agencies are responding to a barge fire in Delaware Bay on Tuesday after a tug reported that the vessel it was towing had caught fire.
According to the Coast Guard, watchstanders at Sector Delaware Bay received a call at approximately 8:20 a.m. from the tug Douglas J, reporting that the barge under tow was on fire. The barge was reportedly carrying scrap metal.
Authorities are towing the burning barge to a position about two miles off Maurice River Cove, New Jersey, in an effort to move the incident away from the main shipping channel while firefighting operations continue.
The Coast Guard has established a safety zone and issued a Broadcast Notice to Mariners as crews work to contain the fire and reduce potential hazards to vessel traffic in the busy port complex. Multiple fire departments have deployed fireboats to assist with suppression efforts.
No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Responders from Coast Guard Station Philadelphia, Coast Guard Station Cape May, and Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City have been deployed to assist. Partner agencies on scene include the Wilmington Fire Department, Delaware City Fire Department, Philadelphia Fire Department, New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, and Delaware Emergency Management.
The incident follows another major barge fire in the Delaware Bay region in 2022, when a barge carrying scrap household appliances burned for approximately 26 hours in what officials described as the largest firefighting operation in Delaware state history.
Response operations for the current fire remain ongoing.
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Tuesday, March 10, 2026 9:34AM
MINQUADALE, Del. (WPVI) — The DMV in Wilmington, Delaware is reopening at 8a.m. Tuesday.
This comes after the deadly shooting of State Trooper Matthew “Ty” Snook, 34, in December 2025.
A man walked into the facility and shot and killed Snook.
The DMV said service at the Wilmington location will be by appointment only for now. The Delaware City, Dover, and Georgetown DMV locations will continue to offer walk-in service to customers.
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