The Junior League of Wilmington is planning a full-scale Whale of a Sale on Nov. 4. These shoppers were at a mini-sale last year. (Courtesy of Taylor Drainer)

Junior League’s Whale of a Sale is back, big time

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

The Whale of a Sale – which the Junior League of Wilmington calls Delaware’s largest garage sale – will return in full size in November, for the first time in four years. “It’s a little bit of work, but it’s so rewarding, ” league president Taylor Drainer said. “We have fun hanging around with friends, and we enjoy helping parents …

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Confusion strikes Delaware pickleball enthusiasts 

Staff WriterHeadlines, Sports

Pickleball, the popular racket sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong, has been making waves in Delaware over the past few years. With a growing community of enthusiasts and a rising number of courts across the state, the game has captured the hearts of many. However, recently, confusion has struck the pickleball community as the rules governing …

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Study concludes Wilmington isn’t paying employees enough

Ken MammarellaGovernment, Headlines

Wilmington has released a citywide classification and salary compensation study that recommends increasing pay across the board. The $85,000 project resulted in four reports, for executives and managers, nonunion staff, AFSCME Local 320 and AFSCME Local 1102. Mayor Mike Purzycki is asking City Council to amend the fiscal 2024 general operating budget to include new salary ranges from the study …

Wilmington has increased its water/sewer rates by 5.7%. (Pixabay photo from Unsplash)

Wilmington water bills going up. And up. And up. And up.

Ken MammarellaBusiness, Headlines

Wilmington in July increased its water/sewer rates for its customers in the city and the suburbs. And it’s planning to increase them in 2024. And 2025. And 2026. “Water/sewer rates increased on July 1 by 5.7% for all categories of our customers (city and non-city),” said John Rago, deputy chief of staff for Mayor Mike Purzycki. “The projected increases for …

The Newport River Trail is getting $23 million in federal funding. (WILMAPCO )

Feds award $44M for NCCo, Sussex shared-use trails

Ken MammarellaGovernment, Headlines

Multi-use trails to connect Newport with Wilmington and Georgetown with Lewes received $44 million in federal funding today. The Newport River Trail will get $23 million to construct a 2-mile path between Newport and the Jack A. Markell Trail on the Wilmington Riverfront. The Newport River Trail is part of New Castle County’s Connecting Communities initiative and will be a …

Some call center jobs will be at CSC Station. Some will be remote. (Pexels photo by Tina Miroshnichenko)

New call center to hire workers with special needs

Ken MammarellaBusiness, Headlines

A call center is being set up in Wilmington that will focus on the medical industry and on employees with special needs. By the end of 2025, BlindSight Delaware Enterprise plans to hire 227 Delawareans who are blind or visually impaired, have other disabilities, are military veterans and/or live in economically disadvantaged Promise Communities in New Castle, Kent and Sussex …

Wilmington is near the bottom of a new list ranking cities on the best places to raise a family. (Fabian Centeno photo from Unsplash)

Wilmington, Dover called poor places to raise a family

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Wilmington is near the bottom of a new list of America’s best cities to raise a family. It’s 173rd out of 182 cities on the list from WalletHub, a personal finance website. Dover is 139th. In a stunning contrast, WalletHub a few months ago ranked Wilmington eighth on its list of best places to retire. Dover ranked 36th on that …

Wilmington has been called the most affordable city in America. (City of Wilmington photo)

Wilmington called America’s most affordable city

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

“Wilmington, Delaware, is the cheapest city to live in the U.S.,” some new number crunching has concluded. Scholaroo reached that conclusion in ranking 151 cities in eight qualities to come up with the Best Places to Live. Wilmington “has one of the lowest rent costs, and the city has no sales taxes,” the site continued. It does have an income …

Fireworks over Rehoboth Beach. (Butch Comedy's photo courtesy of Rehoboth Beach)

Where you can have a blast at fireworks across Delaware

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

Most Delaware places known for Fourth of July fireworks and other Independence Day activities have announced their plans. Organizers consistently ask for people to arrive early and leave late, and the Delaware Department of Transportation warns that many events close roads, too. In other words, traffic could be bad. Dusk is about 9:05 p.m. on the Tuesday, the Fourth, but …

St. Anthony's Italian Festival. (File photo)

Another St. Anthony’s Festival, another debate on parking

Ken MammarellaCulture, Headlines

  St. Anthony’s Italian Festival has been drawing the crowds to Wilmington since the 1970s, and it’s likely that there have been parking issues all along. “St. Anthony’s has gone too far for this Festival,” Christine Ciccone began her post on nextdoor.com. “Starting tomorrow we are not able to park on 8th & N. Scott St. for 2 weeks due …