🗳️ THE DAY IN THE 302: It was Election Day in Delaware, and Delaware showed up — more than 244,000 ballots cast by early afternoon — but the day's heart was in Seaford and Ellendale, where the 17-year-old killed Halloween night finally got her name back: Love Cannon. The morning brought a toddler-snack recall every parent needs to check, Milford's fire-displaced kids back in classrooms, $30,000 for the trades, and Smyrna field hockey's title defense. The evening brought a name for the man killed in Glasgow, shots fired into an occupied Georgetown home, a farmland fund dipped into for bills, a state rep reconsidering his exit, free help with winter energy bills, and volunteers loving on Lewes' beaches. No official election results were posted by the Department of Elections as of the last check tonight, so no winner is claimed anywhere in this edition.
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💔 ELLENDALE — THE 17-YEAR-OLD KILLED SATURDAY NIGHT HAS A NAME NOW: LOVE CANNON, OF SEAFORD
On Sunday we told you a 17-year-old girl from Seaford died in the Ellendale shooting — and that her name was being held until her family could be told. Her family has been told. Delaware State Police released her name Monday afternoon: Love Cannon, 17, of Seaford. 💔
Seaford School District says Love was a senior at Seaford High School and a cheerleader, and the district is making grief counseling and support services available to students and staff. In its statement, the district said: "We recognize that many students and staff members are personally impacted by this heartbreaking loss. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, classmates, teammates, and all those who are grieving."
Hours before the shooting, Love had been working a Halloween event at the Sonic Drive-In in Bridgeville, where she was an employee. Her boss there, Philip Speleos, wrote that she was "laughing and having fun with her teammates, family and friends" — and that having Love on a shift was "guaranteed energy."
Love was one of nine people shot around 10:00 PM Saturday at an outdoor party in the 18000 block of Beach Highway — a private Halloween party that police say had been opened to the public with a cover charge. Eight others were wounded. Nobody has been arrested — State Police say the shooter fired into the crowd from a neighboring property and is still out there.
There is money on the table for answers now: Delaware Online reports the Uvalde Foundation is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the shooter.
A Seaford family is planning a funeral for a 17-year-old who should be planning her graduation. Somebody knows who pulled that trigger. If that somebody is you: Detective B. McDerby — (302) 741-2821 · Delaware Crime Stoppers — (800) 847-3333.
Our hearts are with Love's family, her teammates, and the whole Seaford High community.
Sources: Delaware State Police; Seaford School District; Delaware Online, Nov. 2–3.
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⚠️ PARENTS — CHECK THE SNACK DRAWER: TODDLER BARS RECALLED OVER A CHOKING HAZARD
The FDA is warning families not to buy or serve Once Upon a Farm "Tractor Wheels" organic toddler soft-baked bars — any flavor. Delaware's Department of Public Health shared the warning Monday night. ⚠️
The FDA says it has received several reports of toddlers between 1½ and 2½ years old suffering complete airway obstruction — unable to breathe — after eating the bars. When chewed, the bars reportedly form a dry, sticky mass that standard choking interventions, including back blows and the Heimlich maneuver, may fail to dislodge. Some children needed emergency responders and hospital observation. No deaths have been reported.
The recall covers EVERY Tractor Wheels bar: all three flavors (Apple, Sweet Potato & Spinach · Strawberry, Pumpkin & Beet · Banana, Pumpkin & Cauliflower), all lot codes, all expiration dates. They were sold nationwide at Costco, Target, and Walmart, and online.
If you have them, don't serve them — the FDA says throw them away. The company says unopened product can be returned to the store for a full refund, or contact [email protected]. No other Once Upon a Farm products are part of this recall.
Sources: U.S. Food & Drug Administration; Delaware Department of Public Health.
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🏫 MILFORD — SIX HUNDRED KIDS LOST THEIR SCHOOL TO A FIRE. THIS WEEK, THEY GOT THEIR CLASSROOMS BACK
In the early hours of Sunday, October 25, a three-alarm fire tore through Lulu M. Ross Elementary School in Milford. The building was empty and nobody was hurt — but by sunrise, more than 600 students and 100 staff had no school to go back to. 🏫
Ross students lost a full week of classes while the district scrambled. Here's the plan that got them back: Ross kids are now learning at Milford Middle School, and the district's sixth graders shifted to Milford Central Academy to make room. Classes resumed Monday.
The city pitched in too — Milford City Council waived the demolition and permit fees tied to the fire, and during the closure the Food Bank of Delaware helped run meal hubs for Ross families. Governor Meyer toured the damage himself.
Superintendent Travis Moorman has called the fire "catastrophic," and he hasn't sugarcoated what comes next: the cause is still under investigation by the State Fire Marshal, and the road back for Ross is measured in years, not weeks.
But this week, 600 kids are back at desks, with their teachers, in their town. As Moorman put it, that school was a lot more than just the walls. Welcome back, Ross.
Source: Milford School District / reporting verified Nov. 3 (see package SOURCES.md).
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🔧 THE TRADES DON'T TRAIN THEMSELVES — PEPUP PUTS $30,000 BEHIND DELMARVA KIDS LEARNING THEM
PepUp — the propane and fuel company that's served Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia since 1963 — has donated $30,000 to career and skilled-trades education on Delmarva. 🔧
The bigger check stays home: $20,000 went to the Sussex County Vocational Technical School District in Georgetown, funding programs and projects for both high school and adult education students. Another $10,000 went to Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, Maryland.
"Delmarva needs skilled workers to keep homes and businesses running," said PepUp president Nash McMahan. "Schools like Sussex Tech and Chesapeake College help local students build those careers close to home, and PepUp is proud to support them."
Sussex Tech superintendent Dr. Jason Peel: "We are incredibly grateful to PepUp for this generous contribution and their investment in education."
Every one of those students is somebody's future mechanic, electrician, welder, or HVAC tech — trained right here, working right here. That's how a town keeps its own.
Source: PepUp / Sussex Tech, verified Nov. 3 (see package SOURCES.md).
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🏑 SMYRNA FIELD HOCKEY — THE DEFENSE STARTS FRIDAY
The DIAA state tournament brackets are out, and the Smyrna Eagles — the defending Division I state champions — begin their run at a repeat this Friday, at home, against Odessa. 🏑
Smyrna (11-4) drew the No. 4 seed. Odessa (11-4) is the No. 5. The quarterfinal is Friday, November 6, at 2:30 PM in Smyrna.
Win, and the road runs through the DE Turf Sports Complex: semifinals Tuesday, November 10, and the championship games Friday, November 13.
And looming over the whole bracket: Cape Henlopen, the No. 1 seed after a 15-0 regular season — the same Cape team Smyrna beat 1-0 in double overtime in last year's final.
The champs don't get to sneak up on anybody this year. Everybody's coming for them — starting Friday, in front of the home crowd. Go get it, Eagles.
Source: DIAA brackets, verified Nov. 3 (see package SOURCES.md).
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🕊️ GLASGOW — MAN KILLED SUNDAY NIGHT IDENTIFIED: NICHOLAS JONES, 35
Delaware State Police have identified the man struck and killed Sunday night in Glasgow as Nicholas Jones, 35, of the Newark area. 🕊️
Here is what police say happened. Around 7:45 p.m. on Sunday, November 1, Mr. Jones was walking a bicycle northbound on Pleasant Valley Road, near Coopers Drive in Glasgow, when a Hyundai Tiburon traveling in the same direction struck him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, 47, was not injured.
Police have announced no charges in connection with the crash. If that changes, we will update this story — what is here is what the police have said, and nothing more.
Our thoughts are with Mr. Jones's family, and with everyone who knew him.
Source: Delaware State Police, via Delaware Online, Nov. 3.
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🏠 GEORGETOWN — SHOTS FIRED INTO AN OCCUPIED HOME; NOBODY HURT
Delaware State Police say somebody opened fire on a house in Georgetown on Sunday evening — and the people inside were home. 🏠
Troopers responded around 5:50 p.m. on Sunday, November 1, after unknown suspects fired multiple shots that struck the occupied home in the 18000 block of Hunting Club Road, according to the State Police release, posted Tuesday morning. By some mercy, nobody inside was hurt.
The release does not say what led up to the shooting, whether the home was targeted, or whether anyone is in custody — police have not said, and we won't guess. The Troop 4 Criminal Investigations Unit is handling the case, and detectives are asking the neighborhood for help.
If you were anywhere near Hunting Club Road on Sunday evening and saw something that didn't belong — a vehicle, people on foot, anything — detectives want to hear it: Detective L. Coleman, (302) 752-3813, or Delaware Crime Stoppers, (800) 847-3333.
Source: Delaware State Police release, Nov. 3. WBOC also reported the shooting.
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💔 ELLENDALE UPDATE — STILL NO ARRESTS IN THE SHOOTING THAT KILLED LOVE CANNON
Three days after the Halloween night shooting that killed 17-year-old Love Cannon and wounded eight other people in Ellendale, Delaware State Police have announced no arrests. There are still more questions than answers.
Shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, at a private Halloween party in the 18000 block of Beach Highway — a party police say was open to the public with a cover charge, in the words of State Police spokesman Lewis Briggs — someone opened fire from a neighboring property into the crowd. Nine people were shot.
There is some better news in it: the 20-year-old Seaford man who was fighting for his life is now in stable condition. The other seven wounded — two 17-year-old boys from Selbyville; women from Ellendale, Seaford, Greenwood and Laurel; and a 20-year-old man from Seaford — are recovering from injuries that were not life-threatening.
The Uvalde Foundation is offering a $5,000 reward for information, according to Delaware Online. Somebody knows who did this. If you were at that party, or you know something, call Detective B. McDerby at (302) 741-2821 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) 847-3333. Victim support: 1-800-VICTIM-1.
Sources: Delaware State Police; Delaware Online, Nov. 2–3.
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🗳️ ELECTION DAY IN DELAWARE — AND DELAWARE SHOWED UP
By 1 p.m. today, 114,789 Delawareans had voted in person — 69,291 in New Castle County, 25,887 in Sussex, and 19,611 in Kent. (We checked the math. It adds up.) 🗳️
Add in the roughly 129,500 early votes cast before today — more than double the 2022 midterms — and more than 244,000 Delawareans had cast a ballot by early afternoon, with the polls open until 8 p.m. This state did not sit this one out.
One correction worth your attention, because accuracy matters. This afternoon, the Department of Elections confirmed that the 1 p.m. voter-participation report it sent to campaigns and other requesters had errors in it — the department re-ran the report and sent a corrected version. The problems were in the report's data — an empty party column and missing Senate districts among them. To be clear: the errors were in the participation report, NOT in ballots and NOT in vote counting.
What this edition does not have is results, and it won't invent any. As of the Department of Elections' official results page checked at 8:41 PM tonight, total votes cast still read 0 with tabulation in progress in all three counties — so no winner is stated or implied here. Results are their own story, straight from the official count.
Source: Delaware Department of Elections figures, via Delaware Online live coverage, Nov. 3; official results page recheck, Nov. 3, 8:41 PM.
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🌾 NEW CASTLE COUNTY COUNCIL DIPS INTO THE FARMLAND FUND — $2.6 MILLION
Last Tuesday (Oct. 27), New Castle County Council voted 9–3 to take $2.6 million out of the fund that exists to preserve county farmland — and spend it on bills. 🌾
Where the money goes:
• About $1.6 million to the IRS — an arbitrage rebate owed on the county's 2021A bonds, due Nov. 30. Miss that deadline, and the amount could double.
• About $500,000 for tree maintenance after recent storms.
• About $500,000 for rising employee healthcare costs.
That leaves $2.4 million in the preservation fund, out of what was roughly a $5 million fund. The county's finance chief, David Del Grande, says the remainder still covers the farm projects in the pipeline through 2032.
The argument over it is very Delaware. Councilman Brandon Toole voted yes — and still called it a "raid" on the fund. Opponents called it short-sighted and part of a spending trend. County Executive Marcus Henry's office calls it responsible debt management.
Farmland money paying the tax man. One approved amendment does promise to replenish the fund down the road — we'll be watching whether that actually happens.
Source: Spotlight Delaware, Nov. 3 (vote taken Oct. 27).
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🏛️ REP. MIKE SMITH MIGHT NOT BE DONE AFTER ALL
Rep. Mike Smith of Pike Creek — the only Republican state representative in New Castle County — said on Election Day that he's "reconsidering" a run for a fifth term in 2028. 🏛️
That's a reversal. Smith was recently named the next president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, and in September he told Spotlight Delaware that he would not run in 2028 if he won re-election today.
Talking with voters at the North Star Elementary polling site on Tuesday, he said so many constituents have asked him to run again that he's rethinking it — he'll decide in the new year, if he wins today.
Smith, 41, represents House District 22. He says he does not intend to lobby in the chamber role, and the state Public Integrity Commission has given him a letter saying holding both roles violates no ethics rules.
First things first, though: District 22 voters decided tonight whether he gets the chance. This story carries no result — tonight's count is its own story.
Source: Spotlight Delaware, Nov. 3.
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🏠 FREE HELP CUTTING YOUR ENERGY BILL — AND A LOT OF DELAWARE FAMILIES DON'T KNOW IT EXISTS
Heating season is coming, and there's a state program that will insulate your attic, seal your ducts, and weatherstrip your doors — free — if your income qualifies. 🏠
It's DNREC's Weatherization Assistance Program. Certified contractors start with a home energy audit, then do the work: insulation, air sealing, duct sealing, even safety items like smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Households that go through it cut their electricity, heating, and water-heating bills by 10% to 40% or more, at no cost to income-verified applicants.
The program serves 250 to 400 Delaware households a year and has helped more than 3,000 since 2013. Renters can qualify with the landlord's OK, and mobile homes are covered too.
Cape Gazette highlighted the program this week — good timing with winter on the way. Check if you qualify at de.gov/wap, or call the DNREC State Energy Office at (302) 735-3480.
Sources: DNREC; Cape Gazette, Nov. 3.
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🏖️ THE LIGHTER SIDE — LEWES GOT SOME LOVE THIS WEEKEND
Summer's crowds have gone home, but the work isn't done. The Delaware Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation held a post-season beach cleanup in Lewes this weekend, volunteers picking up after a busy summer season. 🏖️
Nobody's getting paid, and that's the point. "This is a local chapter, and we are all volunteers, so no one is getting paid, but we're just coming out here because we care," chapter treasurer Micah Sklut told WMDT.
Cleanups are just part of it — the all-volunteer chapter also turns out for community events and climate meetings, all aimed at keeping Delaware's beaches the way we like them.
Somebody's got to love this coastline after the tourists leave. Turns out, it's the neighbors.
Source: WMDT, Nov. 3.
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🕯️ STILL MISSING 302 — HELP BRING THEM HOME
No change overnight: the Delaware State Police Missing Children page was read in full this morning and the roster is unchanged. The board holds at 15 names. Day counts below are for Tuesday, November 3 (the day a person vanished counts as Day 1). 🕯️
• SADIE WORD, 17 — Newark — missing since Sun, Nov 1 — Day 3 — Tips: New Castle County PD, (302) 573-2800
• LISA DUONG, 17 — New Castle — missing since Fri, Oct 30 — Day 5 — Tips: New Castle County PD, (302) 573-2800
• MELEAH FULTON, 16 — Wilmington — missing since Tue, Oct 27 — Day 8 — Tips: Wilmington PD, 302-654-5151
• ROBERT PARDUCCI, 72 — Georgetown — missing since Sun, Oct 25 — Day 10 — Tips: Delaware State Police Troop 4, (302) 856-5850
• RACHEL CHASE, 16 — New Castle — missing since Sun, Oct 25 — Day 10 — Tips: New Castle County PD, (302) 573-2800
• MILAN HOBBS, 14 — Newark — missing since Thu, Oct 22 — Day 13 — Tips: New Castle County PD, (302) 573-2800
• ADRIANA PABLO, 16 — Laurel — missing since Fri, Oct 16 — Day 19 — Tips: Delaware State Police Troop 5, 302-337-1090
• JAYCE BRIDDELL, 15 — Dover — missing since Thu, Oct 15 — Day 20 — Tips: Dover PD, 302-736-7111
• KYLE TORRANCE, 13 — Wilmington — missing since Jul 7 — Day 120 — Tips: New Castle County PD, (302) 573-2800
• JACHAELA CARROLL, 15 — Wilmington — missing since Apr 2 — Day 216 — Tips: Wilmington PD, 302-654-5151
• SINCERE TURNER, 17 — Wilmington — missing since Sun, Aug 24, 2025 — Day 437 — Tips: Wilmington PD, 302-654-5151
• NYASHA DORSEY, 13 — Wilmington — missing since Sun, Aug 10, 2025 — Day 451 — Tips: Wilmington PD, 302-654-5151
• BERNARD WHITE, 15 — Newark — missing since Mon, Jul 21, 2025 — Day 471 — Tips: New Castle County PD, (302) 573-2800
• NATHAN STEVENS, 13 — Wilmington — missing since Sun, Jul 20, 2025 — Day 472 — Tips: Wilmington PD, 302-654-5151
• KIYAEJA BLUNTSON, 11 — Wilmington — missing since Fri, Jun 6, 2025 — Day 516 — Tips: Wilmington PD, 302-654-5151
Two Gold Alerts closed safely on Monday and never reached the board: Serenity Harrington, 15 (located — New Castle County PD, Nov. 2) and Zachary Plummer, 27, of Dover (located — Delaware State Police, Nov. 2).
We're the megaphone, not the tip line — sightings go to the police number listed for each case, always.
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That's the day in the 302. We'll be back tomorrow night with the next one.
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