The News Journal
Philly’s top-rated pizza coming to Wilmington
One of the top-rated pizzerias in Philadelphia – so popular that the lines of customers have caused neighborhood grumbling – is coming to the First State. The Michelin-recognized Angelo’s Pizzeria will replace Pizzeria Bardea in the DE.CO food hall in...
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Homes, commercial sites are planned near U.S. 301
Construction is set to begin this spring on a mixed-use development on Bunker Hill Road in Middletown, with plans for five commercial buildings, 465 homes plus athletic fields that are already being used by town. St. John Properties, a commercial real...
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Rodney statue will move to Washington
The Caesar Rodney statue, removed from downtown Wilmington’s Rodney Square in 2020, will be moved to Washington, DC, for the nation’s 250th celebrations. h The Trump administration plans to take the Caesar Rodney statue out of storage and temporarily...
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We do a lot of stargazing in the interest of journalism
I’m a lifelong Muppets fan, so I was more than a little excited to hear Disney Plus had dropped a brand-new episode of “The Muppet Show,’’ a 2026 reboot of its classic variety show that ran from 1976 to 1981. If you haven’t seen it yet, everything is...
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Clinton grilling reveals a change among Dems
WASHINGTON – In late February 2016, Hillary Clinton cruised to an overwhelming victory in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary – an unambiguous statement of the former first lady and secretary of state’s dominance over her party as she...
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I-95 cap-and-park plan has yet to move ground
A potential cap and park over I-95 through downtown Wilmington has yet to move ground. The project, which has been researched and conceptualized since 2021, is still in a “concept design” phase, according to a Delaware Department of Transportation...
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Wilmington’s Penn Cinema losing theaters
Wilmington’s independently owned and operated Penn Cinema Riverfront 14 + IMAX may have the biggest movie screen in Delaware, but the cineplex is about to get smaller. The multiplex will shrink from 12 screens down to 10, while retaining its showcase...
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Oysters for the guys, shrimp for the ladies
For around 90 years, the last Friday in February has been the time for anywhere from 900 to 1,000 men to stand (and sometimes do jigs) on a sawdustcovered floor, drink gallons of beer, and shuck and slurp thousands of oysters at the Georgetown Fire...
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Snowstorm brings foot-plus totals and massive outages
Thousands in Delaware — and throughout the region — experienced power outages and other issues Feb. 23 as a powerful winter storm blasted the area, leaving more than a foot of snow in certain spots across the state that impacted roads throughout the...
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Cancer diagnosis, fire hit Middletown eatery
Fire struck a Middletown restaurant two months after one of the owners was diagnosed with cancer, but support from customers and other restaurants is helping the family carry on. “The community has been amazing,” said Ashley Stratton, co-owner...
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Journalism means evolving as tech, audiences change
Hello, everyone! I am Damian Giletto, a multimedia reporter at Delaware Online/The News Journal. I was hired in August 2004 to help launch the online multimedia content that would be published daily on DelawareOnline.com. When I started here 21 years...
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New energy-efficient homes unveiled in DE
The first residential buildings in Delaware to achieve one of the nation’s highest certifications for energy-efficient design were unveiled in Dover on Feb. 19. The North Kirkwood Street “passive house project” features four homes that have been...
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New beer garden eyes opening in the spring
These days, a bitter cold wind blows over the snow-covered plot of land on Wilmington’s Riverfront at Justison and West streets. But in a few months, the barren field is scheduled to transform into the new Constitution Yards Beer Garden, complete with...
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Italian Americans call for statue’s return
Wilmington’s Italian American community appears united in its desire for the return of the Columbus statue. There was a meeting at St. Anthony’s Lodge No. 3012 in Wilmington’s Little Italy neighborhood on the night of Feb. 17 to present the history of...
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Civil rights icon ‘kept the dream alive’
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a towering civil rights icon who battled alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., negotiated global hostage releases and shamed corporations for their lack of diversity and failure to support voting rights, died on Feb. 17. He...
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SHOVEL BRIGADE
The meows came from a cluster of boulders at the bottom of a small ravine. Buried under snow and ice from a late-January winter storm, the dens created by cats at Valley Run apartments in Brandywine Hundred were impossible to make out. But the cries...
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Microbrewery near Smyrna gets site OK
The proposal for a microbrewery and taproom near Smyrna met with “cheers” from the Kent County Regional Planning Commission on Feb. 12 at the county administration building in Dover. h Without any debate, the commission approved the preliminary site...
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A coastal favorite earns national praise
Lewes Oyster House standout seafood spot just went national — named one of USA TODAY’s top restaurants in America.
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McKean students protest change
Students at Thomas McKean High School hope the story isn’t over yet. h Red Clay Consolidated School District has laid out a vision to transition their nearly 60-year-old school into an “Innovation Campus.” That’s not a vocational-technical school,...
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DE students stage walkouts against ICE
Students across Delaware schools have been staging walkouts to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity under a second Trump administration. Young learners from Sussex Central High School joined the ranks on Feb. 11, alongside...
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Delaware’s mystery breakfast meat celebrates anniversary
RAPA Scrapple is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The regional breakfast meat that’s been produced in the Sussex County town of Bridgeville for a century is so beloved in the state that Gov. Matt Meyer has proclaimed February 2026 as RAPA...
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Pot company to make products in Newark
A marijuana manufacturing facility is coming to Newark. Loud Labs, a marijuana company operating in Colorado, Michigan and New Jersey, is expanding into Delaware’s fledgling market after Newark City Council approved plans for a manufacturing facility...
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Once ‘on verge of death,’ now a nurse
She looked in the mirror and spoke the same words as the day before: “I am a cancer survivor.” Zipporah Washington had just been diagnosed with a tumor on her heart. But even in the hospital, the 34-year-old knew she had to live, for her two kids,...
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Kent County could get microbrewery
Amicrobrewery is part of a small shopping center proposed on Route 13 just south of Smyrna town limits. h The application is on the agenda for the Kent County Regional Planning Commission meeting Feb. 12 at 6 p.m., in the county administrative...
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What this reporter learned from running the Boston Marathon
Runners approach each other with the same question: Do you have any races coming up? My answer for the last two years has been the Boston Marathon. I bring that up in this space not to search for praise but because the experience of training for and...
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Granary development to bring 1,350 homes
Most of Sussex County’s new housing developments are happening outside of municipalities, but The Granary, which rivals the size of any development on the county’s agenda, is being built within the town limits of Milton. The 1,350-home, amenity-laden...
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Delaware City data center hits a hurdle
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has put up a roadblock for the proposed data center near Delaware City. This one might be impossible to clear. The state environmental agency said the data center project, Project...
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Newark restaurant, bar is facing alcohol suspension
One of Newark’s newest bars might soon be suspended from selling alcohol a little more than a year after it opened. The Frida Kahlo-inspired Mexican restaurant and bar Casa Kahlo has already built up multiple violations from city and state code...
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FEBRUARY STARTS WITH ICE AND WIND
Ice covers the Christina River on Feb. 1, a frigid winter day that ranged between 13 and 25 degrees Fahrenheit with winds ranging between 14 and 25 mph along the Wilmington Riverfront.
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Indoor golf facility coming to Riverfront
Add a round of indoor golf to the list of things you can do on the Wilmington Riverfront. Wilmington developer Buccini/Pollin Group is adding an 8,000-squarefoot indoor golf venue at 401 S. Madison St. inside the same building as Penn Cinema....
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If it’s local you want, we’ve got it.
Our Sunday refresh offers more local news and sports, as well as “Weekend Exclusive” content to help you navigate your lives. So enjoy your Sunday reading filled with stories that will inspire, educate, inform and entertain you.
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Shutdown still possible despite DHS agreement
Lawmakers appeared to be closing in on a deal endorsed by President Donald Trump to avoid an extended govern ment shutdown, but a key player said a brief government closure may be inevitable as there still was work to be done Jan. 30 as funding was...
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Takeaways as Meyer lays out $6.9B budget
Gov. Matt Meyer delivered his proposed budget to grow business and fuel education in the First State in the next fiscal year. The Democrat proposed a $6.9 billion spending plan on Jan. 29, infusing money into public education, housing, health care and...
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5 Iron Hill brewpubs transferred again
Four months after its locations stopped slinging beers, the oncemighty 19-restaurant Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant chain is still serving up post-bankruptcy twists and turns. For the second time in two months, some of the restaurants have a new...
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Development proposed on Frightland property
The huge farm that includes Frightland south of St. Georges could be turned into a housing development and a business park for distribution centers, warehouses or data centers. An exploratory plan has been filed with New Castle County for the...
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Delaware is coping with storm’s aftermath
First State records up to 10 inches of snow, Driving restrictions are lowered as storm passes, Bridge into Ocean City reopening to vehicle traffic,
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Philly Sports Guy has deep ties to DE
It’s toasty warm inside this Wilmington studio on an arctic afternoon, and outside, most of the city has no clue the famous face-paint-loving superfan, the “Philly Sports Guy,” is back in town. The hype guy at Philly sporting events who doesn’t curse...
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WINTER STORM SWEEPS ACROSS U.S.
Read the latest at dFlawarFonlinF.com, and in the a subscriber-only feature in your eNewspaper.
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Meyer addresses progress amid ongoing challenges
Gov. Matt Meyer highlighted state achievements across areas like crime reduction, job growth and rising corporate investment in his State of State address on Jan. 22. Crammed inside the House cham ber, lawmakers and guests huddled together to hear...
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What we know about incoming snowstorm
A winter storm poised to drop the most snow the state has seen in a decade could be bearing down on Delaware this weekend − but it is far from a lock. Models have pulled snow totals north, and the beaches could see some mixing during the storm, whose...
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Meyer says he’ll focus on affordability in 2026
Gov. Matt Meyer is kicking off the next season of fiscal planning. Delaware’s governor has spent his last year signing landmark legislation, from medical aid in dying and medical debt relief to universal school breakfast. Meanwhile, the Democrat’s...
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Work begins on luxury apartment complex
Construction has begun on a $40 million luxury apartment complex located near Wilmington’s Happy Valley and Trolley Square neighborhoods. The apartment complex will be built at 1021 Gilpin Ave., near a CVS Pharmacy and right off the I-95 exit. The...
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Skratch aims to copy Scratch MaGoo’s mojo
For nearly three decades, Scratch MaGoo’s was one of the most popular bars in Wilmington’s Trolley Square area. It was the kind of place where a shoulderto-shoulder crowd surrounding the bar didn’t turn you away; it drew you in, promising a night of...
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Shopping center seen for vacant Dover land
A long-vacant site along busy Route 13 in Dover could be the site of a shopping center, with one tenant already signed. The Dover Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the revised site development plan for the DuPont Plaza shopping center...
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B E AU T Y, B O U N T Y A N D B I R T H D AY
K I C K I N G O F F A M E R I C A’ S 2 5 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y
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Demolition on Rehoboth boardwalk getting a pause
The north side of the boardwalk and Rehoboth Avenue will remain half-demolished this summer. Demolition efforts to make room for the planned One Rehoboth hotel will be delayed until September, Rehoboth Beach officials announced. Two buildings, a...
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Lawsuit seeks halt on animal adoptions
A recent federal lawsuit asks a judge to bar Delaware and its animal welfare contractor from adopting out any more of the nearly 100 animals seized in September from a backyard animal rescue near New Castle. The lawsuit was filed just before Christmas...
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New Kent Family Court nearing its completion
A new Kent County Family Court in Dover is just months away from completion, with more space and more security features, and it might give some people a sense of déjà vu. That’s because it’s similar to the Sussex County Family Court that opened in...
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Dead humpback washes up near Bethany Beach
A dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach on Jan. 8, according to the nonprofit Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute. The juvenile male was first seen Jan. 6, floating at sea about 2 miles off the Indian River Inlet, a MERR...
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Concord Mall is looking past its ‘quieter period’
Concord Mall lures shoppers across the border with its tax-free shopping, but the mall has long struggled to attract and maintain tenants within its walls. The shopping center along Concord Pike in Brandywine Hundred is the state’s second-largest mall...
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‘Your daddy was a hero’
Josh Snook was nervous to speak in front of thousands of people on Jan. 5. Looking over a podium at rows and rows of uniforms that packed the Bob Carpenter Center, he was worried he wouldn’t be able to find the right words to describe the other Cpl....
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Smyrna landmark is closing for 2nd time
ASmyrna landmark, a garden center for 55 years, is going out of business for the second time. h Homestead Gardens is closing about five years after reopening the former Ronny’s Garden World site on Route 13 North between the Smyrna Rest Area and Wawa....
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Meet Voight, growth and development reporter
It’s been over a month since I traded the view of the Mississippi River along Wisconsin’s western border for an entirely different waterway, the Delaware River. In that time, I’ve learned a lot about my new state. For instance, Wawa is the regional...
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Trump vows U.S. action if Iran kills protesters
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump vowed the United States will intervene if Iran kills peaceful protesters as demonstrations in Iran prompted by the country’s struggling economy entered its sixth day. “If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful...
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White Clay Creek Country Club in Stanton shuttered
White Clay Creek Country Club, an 18-hole championship golf course in Stanton, was set to close on Jan. 1, according to a letter sent to its members. In a Dec. 30 letter to its members, General Manager Ryan Kidwell said the club was closing, but they...
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Big events on calendar for 2026
As a new year dawns, many Americans are reflecting on 2025, a year marked by historic events including the inauguration of a president, the appointment of the first American pope, and major pop culture moments like the release of “Wicked: For Good” and...
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Hundreds remember fallen state trooper
Delaware State Police Cpl. Matthew T. “Ty” Snook was remembered at a vigil on the Georgetown Circle on Dec. 28. The 34-year-old Hockessin resident was killed Dec. 23 by a gunman at the Division of Motor Vehicles near New Castle. Another candlelight...
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NEW IN TOWN
Along Middletown-Warwick Road on Middletown’s west side, new businesses seem to be popping up every month following additions in the past year or so like Target, Hobby Lobby, Sprouts, PetSmart, Outback Steakhouse and Chili’s. Now in the next several...
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New face behind the lens
I’ve always had a passion for creating videos. It started when I wrote crime dramas in sixth grade, filmed on an iPod touch and edited in iMovie. I’ve been telling stories most of my life. I was excited to turn this passion into a career, and that...
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Turning Point USA picks up ground on campuses
Apair of students stood in the Indiana University Indianapolis student center asking a simple legal question: “Is ‘hate speech’ protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution?” Students slowed to read the white board, and many shuffled toward...
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State trooper killed at DMV identified
Delaware State Police have identified the trooper who was shot and killed at a DMV south of Wilmington on Dec. 23 as Cpl. Grade One Matthew T. “Ty” Snook, a 34-year-old man from Hockessin. Snook, who went by Ty or Tyler, was working an overtime...
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Angel Tree program sees giving boost
During the holidays, some enjoy passing out presents while others choose to volunteer. This year, a social media trend encourages people to do a mix of both. People have flocked to stores to participate in the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, a...
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Hockessin offers rural scene for home buyers
While just minutes from Wilmington, Newark, I-95 and U.S. Route 1 in Pennsylvania, the Hockessin area in northwestern New Castle County has a more rural setting, dotted with neighborhoods, stores and restaurants. Existing homes or move-in-ready new...
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Sulfur dioxide leak continues trend
After more than 30 pollution incidents this year, over 20 of which the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control deemed “extremely hazardous,” another sulfur dioxide incident has occurred at the Delaware City...
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Delaware reassessment reporting falls in a cycle of lessons unlearned
Delaware was caught “failing the test of fairness.” So read the hammer on a special report from The News Journal in 1995, commanding the Sunday edition front page in April. A staff reporter, Robert Moore, broke down results of analyzing some 250,000...
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Plan to repurpose historic Montchanin inn blocked
A doctor’s plan to buy the historic Inn at Montchanin and convert it into a long-term rehabilitation center for brain-injured patients was denied Dec. 18 by the New Castle County Board of Adjustment. The board voted against granting an area variance...
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Health care partnership dropped
Six months following their announcement, ChristianaCare and Virtua Health have “mutually agreed” to terminate an expansive multistate partnership. The two health care networks first entered into a nonbinding letter of intent back in July to “explore...
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‘Christmas miracle’
A month after she was hired as a seasonal sales associate at Burlington, Shatyra Streeter was called into the department store manager’s office and began thinking she was maybe in trouble. But what was awaiting the Wilmington single mother was a...
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Offshore wind farm project scores legal wins
Plans for a wind farm located off the Delaware coast may soon see the light of the day. Throughout the course of the last legislative session, state Democrats pushed for a bill to overturn a recent Sussex County Council decision to reject a permit...
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Georgetown facilities to receive upgrade in 2026
By this time next year, the Georgetown Police Department will move from an old button factory on North Race Street to a brand-new building on University Drive. “It’s going to be like night and day,” Georgetown Police Chief Ralph Holm said. The Sussex...
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Some holiday traditions are made to be broken
The holiday season is all about family … and for many families, that means rich traditions passed down through generations. Well … this is not one of those stories. One of my proudest holiday moments was actually killing a family tradition. Let’s...
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New ownership revives Ladybug Music Festival
The Ladybug Music Festival, once thought gone, is preparing for a comeback after it was announced Dec. 12 that the festival has been sold by cofounder Gayle Dillman. The new ownership is under I.D.E.A. (Igniting Delaware Edutainment Association) to...
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Beebe Healthcare adds 3 mobile clinic vehicles
To serve Sussex County’s 950 square miles, Beebe Healthcare’s mobile fleet has expanded from one vehicle to four. Transportation barriers, housing instability and limited access to traditional health care facilities have made mobile health care a...
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A familiar face will stay on as UD leader
Delaware’s largest university has appointed its 29th president, now just the second woman to hold the post in its nearly 282-year history − and her name should come as no surprise. Laura Carlson will officially assume the title, as approved in a...
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