TOGETHER WITH

☀️ Rise and Shine, 302. If you’re having a bad day, just remember somebody is working your old job right now.

Your 302 Rundown:

  • Car crashes through Two Stones entrance

  • Delaware changes how lost pets are reported

  • Newark targets hundreds of unlicensed properties

Let’s get to it

🍽️ Dinner Club is headed to Hockessin

Dinner Club is headed to Hockessin on Wednesday, August 26.

Since launching in March, Above the Canal has hosted five Dinner Clubs around northern Delaware, with an average of 86 people at each event. For number six, we'll bring together small groups at restaurants throughout Hockessin for dinner, conversation, and a chance to meet people you probably would not cross paths with otherwise.

After registering, you'll complete a short questionnaire that helps us create the dinner groups. We'll handle the matching, restaurant assignments, and logistics behind the scenes.

You'll find out where you're dining the evening before, then meet your group when you arrive.

Wednesday, August 26 at 6:30 PM. Registration is $20 per person, with food and drinks purchased separately.

QUICK POLL

🪑 Dining table or household storage?

Some dining room tables are still doing exactly what they were built to do. Others have quietly taken on a second career as storage space. Tell us what's happening at yours.

NEWS YOU CAN USE

🌉 Delaware Memorial Bridge gets ship collision protection

Source: Delaware Online 🔒 PAYWALLED

The Delaware River and Bay Authority wrapped up a protection project aimed at preventing ships from striking the Delaware Memorial Bridge. The two-mile span connects Delaware and New Jersey and sees around 100,000 vehicles cross it each day.

The bridge has carried close to two billion travelers since opening in 1951.

🚗 Car hits Two Stones Pub

Source: Delaware Online

A car crashed through the front doors of Two Stones Pub’s Ogletown location in the early morning of August 15. The bar and restaurant said no staff were inside when it happened.

The business said it was gathering information, cleaning up, and assessing repairs. No reopening update or damage estimate was included.

🌉 Delaware Memorial Bridge construction brings lane closures

Source: Delaware Public Media

A major construction project will bring new traffic patterns to the Delaware Memorial Bridge starting September 7. Crews will replace 46 bridge joints on the northbound span heading into New Jersey.

The work requires closing the two right northbound lanes continuously. To manage traffic, a cars-only bypass lane will open on the southbound side for drivers heading to the New Jersey Turnpike or Route 40. This configuration leaves three lanes open in each direction.

The first phase of the project is scheduled to finish by November 24. A second phase to replace joints on the left northbound lanes begins in early 2027.

🐶 Delaware adopts national lost pet database

Source: State of Delaware News

The Delaware Office of Animal Welfare transitioned the state's official lost and found pet reporting platform to Petco Love Lost. The shift makes Delaware the first state to adopt the national database statewide.

The new system replaces the state registry launched in 2016. It uses AI photo-matching technology to compare images of lost pets with those found in nearby shelters or communities. Because the database operates nationally, it allows users to search for pets that may have crossed state lines.

State regulations still require brick-and-mortar animal shelters to post found pets to the registry within 24 hours of arrival. Residents can upload photos of their pets to the platform before they go missing to create a faster report if needed.

🚓 Delaware increases impaired driving enforcement patrols

Source: State of Delaware News

The Delaware Office of Highway Safety partnered with state and local police to increase impaired driving enforcement across the state. The high-visibility patrols began August 14 and continue through September 8 to cover the Labor Day travel period.

The campaign targets drivers impaired by alcohol, prescription medications, cannabis, and other drugs. State data shows that nearly one in three fatal crashes in Delaware from 2021 through 2025 involved impairment.

During that same five-year window, there were 91 impairment-related crashes over Labor Day weekend. Officials advise drivers to use ride-share services, call a taxi, or designate a sober driver when making travel plans.

SPONSORED BY CONNOR CREATIVE HOUSE

 🤳 We’ll document your wedding or other special occasion 

Connor Creative House now brings our trusted story-driven content creation approach to individuals and families celebrating life's big occasions, such as weddings, showers and other private events.

We document everything you'll want to remember — candid moments, behind-the-scenes details and guest interactions, delivering raw footage within 24 hours and edited recap videos (Reels) within 48 hours.

View video samples and learn more, or email Krista Connor at [email protected] to reserve your event date.

(And businesses, we're still creating content for your brands, corporate events and social media, too!)

IN BUSINESS

💼 State seed fund backs 60+ Delaware startups

Source: Spotlight Delaware

Delaware's Division of Small Business has pushed funding to more than 60 ventures through the State Small Business Credit Initiative, using $60.9 million in federal dollars awarded to the state in 2023. Recipients range from a hot yoga studio in Fairfax to a Wilmington biotech firm developing AI tools for cell and gene therapy manufacturing.

The program runs four tracks, covering direct equity investments, loan participation, and risk-pooling arrangements for borrowers who struggle to qualify through traditional lenders. BioCurie used $1 million in seed capital to build its software platform and land its first major customer, then pulled in $9.3 million in federal funding afterward.

Division Director CJ Bell said the program is designed to serve both high-growth tech companies and smaller community-rooted businesses. A Dover beer garden, Rail Haus, used the program to refinance a ballooning loan and is now saving roughly $9,000 a month.

Take two clicks and leave us a Google review: Click this link, click the stars, done. Seriously, those two clicks help a lot.

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

📋 Newark targets unlicensed businesses and rentals

Source: Newark Post

Newark city council members supported a proposal to hire additional staff to track down unlicensed businesses and rental properties. The enforcement push follows a city audit that used utility billing records to flag locations where electric and water accounts were registered under different names.

The audit identified 521 potential commercial operations and 198 residential units that may be bypassing local licensing rules. By hiring a fire-protection specialist and expanding an administrative role to full-time, the planning department expects to bring those properties into compliance and generate a net revenue increase of approximately $135,000 annually.

The proposed staffing changes head to a council vote during the fall budget process.

🏗️ JobsFirst accelerator adds broadband and health projects

Source: State of Delaware News

State officials announced the latest projects accepted into the JobsFirst Permitting Accelerator. The program coordinates reviews across state agencies to complete complex permitting within 120 business days.

The newly added initiatives include a Talkie Communications plan to expand gigabit broadband service to unserved homes and businesses in Kent and Sussex counties. ChristianaCare plans to develop two integrated health campuses in Georgetown and Camden, featuring neighborhood hospitals and outpatient services.

Additional projects are expected to join the accelerator program as they are approved. Residents can track the progress of all current initiatives through an online state dashboard.

OPENING ACTS & EXHIBITS

On Mondays, opening acts and exhibits are listed here when they debut. After that, you'll find individual dates in the regular Theatre/Arts listings.

Griffin Theatre Presents: 13 the Musical | St Stephen's Lutheran Church. Griffin Theatre's production of the Jason Robert Brown musical follows 12-year-old Evan Goldman as he navigates a new Indiana school and an ambitious Bar Mitzvah plan after moving from New York City. The 90-minute show (plus a 15-minute intermission) runs with tiered pricing: $20 for adults, $18 for seniors 55 and up or students, and $15 for children 12 and under. Playing Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM, Sunday at 2 PM

Nothing in this section is sponsored. Just things worth knowing. I’ll always flag sponsors clearly.

DOG OF THE WEEK

Say hello to Apple 🐾

Don't let the shy-girl energy fool you. Apple is a 3-year-old large mixed-breed with a white and brown coat and a whole lot of loyalty waiting for the right person to unlock it. She takes her time warming up to new faces, but that's not a flaw. That's just Apple making sure you're worth it.

Once you've passed the vibe check, you've got a devoted companion for life. She also loves spending time with other dogs, so if you've already got a four-legged roommate at home, Apple might just be the perfect addition.

Head over to Brandywine Valley SPCA at 290 Churchmans Road, New Castle to meet Apple and see if she decides you're her person. (Spoiler: you probably are.)

THE HAPPENINGS

Monday

Summer Concert Series: Maya Belardo | Rockford Park. A live outdoor concert by Maya Belardo with food trucks on site and access to the historic Rockford Tower during the performance. Monday at 6:30 PM.

Tuesday

Zoo Tunes: Sam Smick | Brandywine Zoo. A midday concert featuring local musician Sam Smick, free with zoo admission. Tuesday 12-1 PM.

Music in the Plaza: Alfie Moss & Dexter Koonce Project | Brandywine Mills Plaza. A free outdoor music event with the Alfie Moss & Dexter Koonce Project, a conga line, and L's Good Eatins food truck on site. Attendees are encouraged to bring a chair, a friend, and hand-held instruments. Tuesday 5-8 PM.

Wednesday

Zoo Tunes: Jamie Parker | Brandywine Zoo. A midday concert featuring local musician Jamie Parker, free with zoo admission. Wednesday 12-1 PM.

Delaware Kidfest | Claymont Community Center. A kids' party-planning event where parents can meet party vendors, sample food, and see performers in action. Wednesday at 4 PM.

Summer Nights at Hagley - Presented by Dogfish Head | Hagley Museum and Library. A dog-friendly after-work stroll along the Brandywine featuring local food trucks, Woodside Farm Creamery ice cream, and Dogfish Head craft beer. Tickets are $5, free for members and children under six. Wednesday 5-8 PM.

Levitt AMP Wilmington Music Series: Annika Chambers | Tina Betz Urban Artist Exchange. A family-friendly outdoor blues concert featuring award-winning singer Annika Chambers, with food trucks and activities starting at 5:30 PM. Free. Wednesday 7-8:30 PM.

More happenings we couldn’t fit in the newsletter.

Nothing in this section is sponsored. Just things worth knowing. I’ll always flag sponsors clearly.

FORECAST AT A GLANCE

Monday

88 🌡️ 70 | ⛈️ Chance of Showers and Thunderstorms | 19% | 💨 W 0 to 5 mph

Tuesday

87 🌡️ 67 | ☀️ Sunny | 2% | 💨 NW 5 mph

Wednesday

89 🌡️ 70 | ☀️ Sunny | 1% | 💨 W 0 to 5 mph

💧🌡️ Water temperature = 78ºF. Temperature readings taken from the Atlantic Ocean in Rehoboth Beach.

THE NOT SO SHORTLISTS

🗓️ Looking for more than the handful of events featured above?

The full events calendar includes live music, festivals, classes, markets, family activities, community gatherings, and dozens more happenings across Northern Delaware.

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