Non-Surgical Knee Pain and Arthritis Specialists in Carrcroft, DE

The News Journal

An elementary school teacher from the Brandywine School District was arrested and charged with 25 counts of child pornography, a state official said.

William M. Herkins IV, 50, of Claymont, was employed as a teacher at Carrcroft Elementary School at the time of his arrest and was charged with 25 counts of dealing in child pornography, said Carl Kanefsky, with the state Attorney General's Office. Herkins was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 2 and committed to the Vaughn Correctional Center near Smyrna after failing to post $1.25 million secured bail.

STORY: Sex offender sentenced to 15 years for child porn

STORY: New York man accused of 'sextorting' a Delaware child

An undercover investigation by the Delaware Child Predator Task Force into the online sharing of child pornography revealed that Herkins downloaded and shared multiple files of child pornography via the internet over an extended period of time, Kanefsky said.

A search warrant was executed at Herkins’ residence in the Gwinhurst neighborhood on Tuesday at which time detectives seized multiple electronic devices and other related evidence, Kanefsky said.

According to records obtained by The News Journal, Herkins stated he used a torrent program to obtain movies and pornography through the internet. When asked by members of the Child Predator Task Force what type of pornography, Herkins said he has seen "young stuff," specifically involving children.

Court records also show Herkins admitting that an external hard drive and the connecting desktop computer located in the kitchen of his residence is where he stored the previously viewed child pornography.

A forensic preview of those devices revealed more than 25 files of child pornography as defined by Delaware law.

Court records revealed one video featured a compilation of female children ages 4-12 performing sexual acts with adult males.

"The number one priority of the Brandywine School District, or any school district, is the safety of our students and staff," said Alexis Andrianopoulos, a spokeswoman for the school district. "We know that child pornography is terribly harmful to children and at odds with our responsibilities as educators and adults. Therefore, the Brandywine School District will not employ anyone who puts a child in harm’s way, period. We are cooperating fully with the Attorney General’s Office, law enforcement, and investigators in this matter."

Officials with the school district declined to comment further on the matter.

Any concerns about Herkins can be directed to the Child Predator Task Force at 302-739-2030. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed upon further examination.

Contact Alonzo Small at (302) 324-2856 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @P_AlonzoSmall.

Delaware School Closings March 7, 2018

Check back shortly for updated list.

More schools are being added to the list

– The following schools are closed –

ACADEMIA ANTONIA ALONSO ALBERT H. JONES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ALEXIS I. DUPONT HIGH SCHOOL ALFRED G. WATERS MIDDLE SCHOOL AL-HAMD SCHOOL ANNA P. MOTE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL APPOQUINIMINK ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE APPOQUINIMINK ADULT CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS APPOQUINIMINK HIGH SCHOOL APPOQUINIMINK ILC APPOQUINIMINK LOW INCIDENT PROGRAM APPOQUINIMINK PRESCHOOL CENTER ASPIRA ACADEMY AUSTIN D. BALTZ ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BANCROFT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BAYARD MIDDLE SCHOOL BEVERLYS HELPING HANDS ACADEMY BRADER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BRANDYWINE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE – DATA PROCESSING BRANDYWINE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE – MAINTENANCE BRANDYWINE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE – OPERATIONS BRANDYWINE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE – TRANSPORTATION BRANDYWINE COMMUNITY SCHOOL BRANDYWINE HIGH SCHOOL BRANDYWINE SPRINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BRANDYWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BRENNEN SCHOOL (THE) BRICK MILL ELEMENTARY BROOKSIDE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUNKER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BUSH EARLY EDUCATION CENTER CAB CALLOWAY SCHOOL OF THE ARTS CARAVEL ACADEMY CARRCROFT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CEDAR LANE EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER CEDAR LANE ELEMENTARY CENTRAL SCHOOL CHRISTIANA HIGH SCHOOL CHRISTINA – FOOD SERVICES CHRISTINA – NON PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHRISTINA ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE CHRISTINA EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER CHRISTINA EARLY EDUCATION CENTER CHRISTINA OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE (EDEN) CHRISTINA SPECIAL SERVICES CHRISTINA TRANSPORTATION CENTER CLAYMONT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLAYMONT GIFTED PROGRAM CONCORD HIGH SCHOOL CONRAD SCHOOLS OF SCIENCE DARUL AMAANAH Q’AAN MEMORIZATION ACADEMY DAVID W. HARLAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DE DESIGN LAB DELAWARE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF DELAWARE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF ELEMENTARY DELAWARE SKILLS CENTER DELAWARE TARBIYAH SCHOOL DELCASTLE TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL DOUGLASS SCHOOL DOWNES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DUPONT (ALEXIS I.) MIDDLE SCHOOL EAST SIDE CHARTER SCHOOL ELBERT-PALMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EPISCOPOS ACADEMY EVAN G. SHORTLIDGE ACADEMY EVERETT MEREDITH MIDDLE SCHOOL FAME ACADEMY FIRST STATE MILITARY ACADEMY FIRST STATE SCHOOL FOREST OAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FORWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FREIRE CHARTER SCHOOL GALLAHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GAUGER-COBBS MIDDLE SCHOOL GLASGOW HIGH SCHOOL H.B. DUPONT MIDDLE SCHOOL HANBY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HERITAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HIGHER GROUND ACADEMY HIGHLANDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL HOWARD HIGH SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY ISLAMIC ACADEMY OF DELAWARE JOHN DICKINSON HIGH SCHOOL KEENE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL KIRK MIDDLE SCHOOL LANCASHIRE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEASURE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LINDEN HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LION OF JUDAH CHRISTIAN SCHOOL LOMBARDY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOUIS L. REDDING MIDDLE SCHOOL MACLARY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MAPLE LANE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MARBROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MARSHALL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MCLAUGHLIN ACADEMY MCVEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MEADOWOOD PROGRAM MIDDLETOWN HIGH SCHOOL MINISTRY OF CARING GUARDIAN ANGEL CC MOT CHARTER SCHOOL MOUNT PLEASANT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MOUNT PLEASANT GIFTED PROGRAM MOUNT PLEASANT HIGH SCHOOL MT. SOPHIA ACADEMY NCC VOTECH ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE NCCVT ADULT EDUCATION NETWORKS NEW CASTLE COUNTY LEARNING CENTER NEW CASTLE COUNTY VO-TECH ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES NEWARK CHARTER SCHOOL NEWARK HIGH SCHOOL NORTH STAR ELEMENTARY OBERLE (WILLIAM A.) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ODYSSEY CHARTER SCHOOL OLD CAPITOL TRAIL ACADEMY, INC. OLD STATE ELEMENTARY OLIVE B. LOSS ELEMENTARY PAUL M. HODGSON VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE (BRANDYWINE DISTRICT OFFICE) PIERRE S. DUPONT MIDDLE SCHOOL POSITIVE C.H.A.N.G.E ACADEMY PULASKI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REACH-CBIP RED CLAY – MAINTENANCE RED CLAY – TECHNOLOGY RED CLAY – TRANSPORTATION RED CLAY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT – 35 Item(s) RED CLAY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION RED CLAY FOOD SERVICES REDDING MIDDLE SCHOOL RICHARDSON PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RICHARDSON PARK LEARNING CENTER RICHEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SARAH PYLE ACADEMY SHARP CONFERENCE CENTER -MARSHALLTON EDUCATION BUILDING SHUE-MEDILL MIDDLE SCHOOL SILVER LAKE ELEMENTARY SKYLINE MIDDLE SCHOOL SMITH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SPECIAL SERVICES CENTER SPRING MEADOW EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER SPRINGER MIDDLE SCHOOL ST. GEORGES TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL ST. MICHAEL’S SCHOOL AND NURSERY, INC. ST. PAUL’S LUTHERN SCHOOL STANTON MIDDLE SCHOOL STONEWEDGE SCHOOL STUBBS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TALLEY MIDDLE SCHOOL THOMAS MCKEAN HIGH SCHOOL TIME TO LEARN (A) TOWNSEND EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER TOWNSEND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TWILIGHT ACADEMY PROGRAM UNIQUE LEARNING EXPERIENCE HMSCH WARNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WEST PARK PLACE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WILLIAM C. LEWIS DUAL LANGUAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WILLIAM COOKE JR. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WILSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The first day of school is just around the corner, though this year several of Delaware's school districts are starting on different dates, some as early as Aug. 23 and others as late as Sept. 4.

Here's when you can expect to see bright yellow school buses rolling through your neighborhood. All schools have off Aug. 31 and Sept. 3.

Appoquinimink

Sept. 4 - First day for grades K-9

Sept. 5 - First day for grades 10-12

Brandywine

Sept. 4 - First day for grades 1-5, 6, 9 and 12

Sept. 5. - First day for all other grades

Cape Henlopen

Sept. 4 - First day for all grades

Christina

Aug. 28 - First day for all other grades.

Colonial

Aug. 28 - First day for grades 10-12

*Kindergartners will have a split schedule and will either attend school on the 27th and 28th or the 29th and 30th, depending on their last names.

Delmar

Sept. 4 - First day for grades 5 and 9

Sept. 5 - First day for all other grades.

Indian River

Sept. 4 - First day for all grades

Milford

Sept. 4 - First day for all grades

Polytech

Sept. 4 - First day for all grades

Red Clay

Aug. 28 - First day for all other grades.

*Kindergartners will have a split schedule their first week of school.

Seaford

Aug. 28 - First day for all other grades

Smryna

Aug. 28 - First day for grades 10-12

Sussex Tech

Sept. 4 - First day for all students

Woodbridge

Aug. 28 - First day for all other grades.

*Kindergartners will have a split schedule their first week of school.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL FAVORITES

3 tips that will make the back-to-school transition that much easier

Delaware parents clip coupons, shop deals to save on back-to-school supplies

Find – or donate – free school supplies in Delaware

Contact Jessica Bies at (302) 324-2881 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @jessicajbies.

Looking for more education news? Visit delawareonline.com/education. Submit story ideas at delonline.us/2i2tugB.

Carrcroft Elementary School Principal Mark Overly was livestreaming to all his students in all of their classrooms Tuesday morning, with a head of hair that had been growing unaltered for about 18 months, a promise he'd made to them at the start of the pandemic.

"When we shut down in 2019, obviously, that was pretty traumatic and very different for all of us. And so I kind of made a joke about it, that I won't cut my hair until all the kids come back," Overly said. "Fast forward, now it's 2021. Today's the first official day for all of our kindergarteners and first through fifth graders coming back. And so now, it's time to cut all the hair off."

Joined by Wilmington's Casey Newman of Classic Barber Shop with 18 years in the profession under his belt, and Crofty the Carrcroft crocodile, Overly sat calmly and watched as a year-and-a-half's worth of locks littered the floor over the course of 20 minutes.

He said it started just as a way to visualize the passage of time while they were kept apart to keep each other safe.

"How I looked at it was, something exciting to keep going until we can get all of our kids back in school. So we're super excited to have all of our kids here today at Carrcroft," he said, adding this was a rare look for him. "Once in high school [I grew it out], but never this long before, so it's been interesting. It's been a really fun experience. But it definitely is different than having really short hair."

While it's been fun and he's enjoyed the different experiences the long hair has allowed, like letting his daughter braid it, he said his wife was also looking forward to seeing it gone as well. Overly said it was an interesting experience because they didn't realize at the beginning for just how long the pandemic would drag.

"We thought it'd be pretty quick end to the pandemic, and hopefully to get kids back in. And it was kind of a tease last year too, because we were able to get most of our kids back here, but not all the kids," he said. "It is very emotional to have all the kids back, because we need kids back in school. I mean, teachers love interacting with the kids. I love being in front of them. Zoom was a great way to interact, but this is this is the best way to teach kids."

For his part, Newman, whose wife is friends with a PTA member and has seen Overly in the shop previously with his children, said it wasn't the worst hair he'd seen since life started moving back to a greater sense of normalcy.

"You should see some of the hair that we've done since everybody's been back," Newman said. "It's been people with some long hair, and some messed up hair."

After it was all over, Overly said he felt a little lighter, but expressed that it was slightly emotional to let go of such a visual representation of the time that's passed since they were all last together.

"I was definitely a little anxious, and it's been a while since I've sat and gotten my hair cut. I have sensitive ears, too, so I was a little nervous about that. [Newman] did an amazing job. Plus, I really liked having long hair, it's been interesting, but I am excited to get back to short hair," he said. "I feel really light. I can sense it. I can't really see it right now, but I can sense that it's gone...especially when I see it all over the floor."

It will also let him get a few extra minutes of sleep each day, he said.

"Well, I like just being able to kind of roll out of bed and just go. I felt with long hair, I'd use some product to make it look good, keep it out of my my eyes," Overly said. "I think I'll be able to be a little bit more efficient getting out of bed and getting moving in the morning."

Hybrid Meeting with Anchor Location Visit this link for the agenda.

In accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCR), the City of Wilmington’s Water Division today announced the launch of a new online survey to help City water customers identify and report lead water service lines on their private properties or inside their homes and businesses. The Water Division is currently conducting an inventory of its own municipal water service system looking for lead lines and will report the results to the EPA by October 16, 2024.

Go to the Lead Service Line Inventory page for more information.

Injury concerns for Wilmington’s sanitation employees prompted an immediate change in the City’s trash collection policy. The City will only collect trash that is placed in a City-issued, industrial-strength trash container. The City will NOT collect privately purchased trash bins with lift bars. These trash bins are sometimes labeled as Toters or Toter Carts. The non-regulation carts have become a serious liability resulting in more than a dozen injuries to Sanitation Department workers. While City-issued carts were engineered to prevent the metal crossbars or lift bars from becoming detached, the store-bought bins are not as sturdy and are dangerous.

Any resident who does not currently have a City-issued trash cart is urged to call 311 or visit www.WilmingtonDE.gov/311 and the City will deliver a free cart as quickly as possible.

The Department of Public Works provides a variety of services which touch the daily lives of all city residents and a substantial portion of New Castle County residents.

Submit a non-emergency request for service (e.g. special pickups, water quality test) or log a complaint online. The request or complaint will be routed to the responsible division within the Department of Public Works. The issue will be investigated and the necessary steps will be taken to resolve it.

The Department of Public Works and the Department of Planning and Development are pleased to present the history of Wilmington's water system.

Visit this link: From Creek to Tap: the Story of Wilmington's Public Water System to read about it.