“Pet retention” emphasizes how pets can stay in their homes, rather than being taken in by shelters. (Yerlin Matu photo from Unsplash) 

Animal shelters start to focus on helping pets stay at home

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Humane Animal Partners, an animal shelter that has been serving Delaware for 150 years, is embracing a newish concept among shelters nationwide: pet retention. Instead of admitting every animal in need to the shelter, the nonprofit works with people to help them keep their animals in their homes. Sometimes, that involves resources, such as a food pantry, veterinarian care and …

The Warehouse has renovated its gym and named it The Mac. (The Warehouse)

Wilmington’s Warehouse adds mental health room, improves gym

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

The Warehouse, which calls itself Delaware’s first community center for teens and by teens, has opened a support room for mental health and overhauled its gym. “I’m excited we are opening two spaces that really reflect teen priorities,” Anthony Green, Warehouse teen executive board president, said in a statement. The Warehouse is at 1121 Thatcher St., on the East Side …

University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis at the board of trustees meeting.

University of Delaware president paints rosy picture to board

Ken MammarellaEducation, Headlines

University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis offered a grab-bag of ideas to the UD board of trustees at their semiannual meeting on Tuesday. They include increasing stipends for graduate students (reaching $24,500 to $36,000, depending on how much they teach and other factors), expanding the honors college (“now exceeding 17,000 applications for 600 spots”), “strengthening our entrepreneurship ecosystem” (hopefully increasing …

Metcalf House, Lewes (Courtesy of the Delaware Preservation Fund)

24 buildings share $140K in Del. Preservation Fund grants

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Two dozen historic structures – 15 houses, four churches, three commercial buildings, a school and a lighthouse – have received grants from the Delaware Preservation Fund. Several are open to the public as museums, including Rockwood Park and Mansion, Barratt’s Chapel, the Lydia B. Cannon Museum and the Parson Thorne Mansion. The grants totaled $140,000 – a bigger pot than …

The 24-hour pharmacy is back at the Walgreens in Bear. (Walgreens photo)

Exclusive: 24-hour Walgreens pharmacies returning to Delaware

Ken MammarellaBusiness, Headlines

Good news for Delawareans who need prescriptions overnight: Walgreens has reopened its 24-hour pharmacy in Bear. And its “Seaford and Lewes locations are planned to return to 24-hour Rx services,” said Samantha Stansberry, manager of retail merchandising and marketing communications. DelawareLive.com is the first media outlet to report the news. The Bear store is at 1120 Pulaski Highway (Route 40) …

Porch pirates steal from many people year-round, not just before Christmas. (Element5 photo from Unsplash)

Worried about porch pirates? Here’s what to do

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Security footage from a doorbell camera led New Castle County Police in November to charge a Newark man with stealing packages delivered to other people’s homes. The case involving suspect Michael McKamey, a 58-year-old from Newark, is sadly all too common and of special interest during the holiday gift-buying season. County police investigating thefts in Bellemoor and Maryland Park Apartments …

compost guys

Community composting facility starting in Brandywine Hundred

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Plastic Free Delaware, a group that formed a decade ago to get rid of environmentally unfriendly single-use bags, is now tackling something that forms a quarter of municipal waste: Food scraps. It is creating its first community composting facility in Talley Day Park, behind the Brandywine Hundred Library, and prominently located right across a parking area from the playground. The …

A new study will focus on traffic and development along and near Kirkwood Highway. (Photo by Dough4872 from Wikimedia)

Planners: How would you like Kirkwood Highway to change?

Ken MammarellaGovernment, Headlines

A regional planning agency wants your opinion on the future of Kirkwood Highway in its first comprehensive review of eight miles of the retail and business corridor. “We have never looked at the full Kirkwood Highway/Capitol Trail Corridor for both transportation and land use, in this way,” said Dave Gula, principal planner for the Wilmington Area Planning Council. “To our …

Christmas Schellville drew 163,000 people in 2022. (Schell Brothers)

Ho-ho-ho! Classic Delaware area Christmas traditions await

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines, RSS-Culture, Weekly Review

Here are some memorable spots to mark Christmas in Delaware and just over the border into Pennsylvania. Be prepared: some places required advance tickets, sell out or will be crowded. Longwood Gardens, for instance, drew 572,000 people in 2022 for its spectacular Christmas displays, and Schellville drew 163,000 for its extravaganza. These event run for weeks. There’s a separate list …

A joyous view of Whoville is the focus Joe Daigle's featured gingerbread house at Hagley. (Hagley photo)

Whoville, more Christmas traditions in gingerbread at Hagley

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Brandywine Hundred resident Joe Daigle is sharing his gingerbread artistry across Delaware this year. He became known for it after he won the Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship” in 2022, with friend Sean McGovern, pastry chef at the Urban Outfitters headquarters in Philadelphia. Now, Daigle has created the featured house for Hagley’s sixth annual gingerbread house contest. He’s creating a display …