Delaware

Tractor-trailers hitting Delaware County bridges disrupt business, delay trains

Published

2 years ago

January 21, 2024

Tractor-trailers hitting Delaware County bridges disrupt business, delay trains

PROSPECT PARK, Pa. (CBS) – Salvatore Mini was at work on Jan. 4 when his surveillance camera captured a tractor-trailer hitting the railroad bridge outside his store.

Mini is the owner of Mini Reef, an aquarium store at Route 420 and Maryland Avenue in Prospect Park.

“That was a good hit. It was a loud bang,” Mini said. “It actually shook the building.”

The driver was able to back up, but the crash sheared off the top of the truck. The road was shut down for two hours, making it hard for customers to get to Mini’s store. Over time, those lost sales add up.

“It hurts. I mean, when you’re a small business, you depend on literally every customer who walks in that door,” Mini said. “So if I lose just one sale, I can feel it.”

The borough of Prospect Park is searching for a solution to the decades-old problem of oversize trucks hitting the railroad bridge. It creates problems for drivers and Amtrak passengers.

Prospect Park Police Chief Dave Madonna says there have been 21 bridge strikes over the last two years, despite clear signs saying the clearance is 12 feet 6 inches.

“In the vast majority of times, these are truckers who are either not paying attention to the sign or perhaps don’t even know the full height of their rig,” Madonna said.

Police cite the drivers for failing to obey signs. Then Amtrak, which owns this bridge, sends a bill to the trucking company for repairs and delays on the Northeast corridor.

“Unless you make this a no-truck street or with some kind of indicators out there, I think they’re just going to keep doing it,” Mini said.

In a statement, PennDOT said, in part, “Amtrak could possibly work with the local municipality to install a warning system to prevent substantial damage to their bridge structure.”

But Amtrak said: “Warning signs/systems upgrades are the responsibility of the road owner, not the railroad.”

“This issue intersects with federal, state and local officials here. We can’t take it on all by ourself. I think all these stakeholders need to come to the table and we need to find a solution,” Madonna said.

Radnor has a similar problem on the King of Prussia Bridge, with a clearance of just 10 feet 10 inches.

The township is in the process of installing a dangling metal sign before the bridge so that if a truck hits it, it’ll alert the driver to stop and turn around.

There are other types of warning systems out there, including infrared beams that can send a wireless signal that triggers flashing lights to alert drivers that their truck is too tall.

People in Prospect Park believe either one of these options would work.

“We’re all small businesses here on the street,” Mini said. “So it affects every one of us,” Mini said.

Madeleine Wright

Madeleine Wright is a bilingual general assignment reporter for CBS News Philadelphia. She joined the team in January 2022.

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Delaware

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

Published

12 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

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

Press Room

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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Delaware

Trump Accounts for kids; are they available in Delaware?

Published

2 days ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Trump Accounts for kids; are they available in Delaware?

President Donald Trump touted his Trump Accounts for kids platform during his State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, months before the savings account program goes live this summer.

Roughly 63% of parents open bank accounts for the newborns and young children according to The Financial Brand, showing that in general, opening a bank accounts for your child is a good idea.

But what, exactly, are Trump Accounts for kids, and does it make sense for you to open one for your child? Here’s everything you need to know.

Trump Account for kids explained

The IRS explained in a memo Trump Accounts will be available for any children under 18, with $1,000 seed money available for newborns and very young children.

That account will be seeded with federal government funds.

“A Trump account is a type of traditional individual retirement account that is established for the exclusive benefit of an eligible individual and that is designated at its establishment as a Trump account,” read the IRS’ Trump Accounts memo. “Upon an election under the pilot program, $1,000 is paid by the Secretary to the Trump account of an eligible child.

“An eligible child means a qualifying child who is born after December 31, 2024 and before January 1, 2029, who is a U.S. citizen, and for whom no prior pilot program election has been made.”

The Trump Accounts website confirms parents do not need to make a contribution, but can deposit up to $5,000 a year into the interest-bearing account.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in comments published Jan. 28 a single $1,000 deposit into a Trump Account at birth should grow to an estimated $500,000 by the age of retirement.

When will Trump Accounts for kids lunch, and can I apply in Delaware?

Trump Accounts for kids will go live on Monday, July 5, and parents in Delaware are allowed to apply for the nationwide offering when it opens.

Until then, you can visit the Trump Accounts website to add your name to the email list to get an update when the service goes live.

The IRS and U.S. Department of the Treasury released Trump Accounts guidance you can read before opening an account.

Problems with Trump Accounts for kids

While opening a Trump Account for your child may seem a good thing, TIME uncovered a few problems with President Donald Trump’s namesake account service.

“The program may be open to every child, but its benefits will flow overwhelmingly to families with the means to contribute thousands of dollars a year. What could have been a leveling tool instead risks becoming a widening wedge between the haves and the have-nots,” read a portion of TIME’s take. “For a family living paycheck-to-paycheck that is unable to add anything beyond the government’s $1,000 seed deposit, the balance reaches just $5,839 by age 18. “

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies echoed much of that sentiment, and said Trump Accounts for kids will have the opposite effect from its stated goals.

Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

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