Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How past school battles and shopping booms shaped Wilmington’s streets

Spotted on the Wilmington calendar: Christmas Day Bash!

Patch AM Team's profile picture
Patch AM Team, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
Sunday December 21st Patch AM
Sunday December 21st Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Good morning to you Wilmington! Catch up on our news and events right here. Keep reading to stay in the know. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • How past school battles and shopping booms shaped Wilmington’s streets
  • How a Wilmington traffic stop helped crack a two‑year burglary spree
  • Will your usual Christiana Mall spot now cost you to use?

Also on today's calendar: Christmas Day Bash! and 1 more event.

Find out what's happening in Wilmingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did the balloon say to the doctor? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Wilmingtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Sunday: Mostly sunny and windy, with a high of 46 and low of 23 degrees.
  • Monday: Sun giving way to clouds, temps: high: 38, low: 30.
  • Tuesday: A little morning rain; cloudy, with a high of 45 and low of 35 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• History in News Journal Dec. 21-27 with 1925 holiday shopping report (delawareonline.com) — Wilmington residents get a look back at a pivotal moment when the Neighborhood Schools Committee weighed major changes to how city students are assigned to Red Clay and Brandywine schools, and forwarded options to the mayor and City Council. The archival piece also recalls Mayor Thomas Maloney’s push to keep the Grand Opera House restoration afloat and a booming 1925 Christmas shopping season that packed downtown streets and stores.
   

• Two-Year Burglaries Targeting Restaurants Lead to Arrest After Interstate Chase (mychesco.com) — A man has been arrested after a two‑year string of restaurant burglaries that included an attempted traffic stop and police pursuit starting near St. James Church Road in Wilmington. Delaware State Police say the suspect targeted Asian and Hispanic restaurants in early‑morning break‑ins across multiple jurisdictions before being captured in Maryland and extradited to Delaware, where he now faces numerous charges.
   

• Christiana Mall enforces paid parking, portion supports Brandywine Valley SPCA (wdel.com) — If you park near the food court at Christiana Mall, some of those closer spots now require paid parking 24/7, with rates up to $20 for 10 hours. Most spaces remain free, and for now 10% of the mall’s net proceeds from the Preferred Paid Parking program will support the Brandywine Valley SPCA’s work helping homeless animals across Delaware.
   

📸 Around Wilmington

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Wilmington

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

    Wednesday December 24
  • DCM OPEN 10a-3p
    Delaware Children's Museum , 550 Justison St , Wilmington
    10:00 am
    • Thursday December 25
  • Christmas Day Bash!
    Dogtopia of Wilmington , 2101 Concord Pike , Wilmington
    9:00 am
    • Monday December 29
  • DCM OPEN 10a-5p
    Delaware Children's Museum , 550 Justison St , Wilmington
    • Wednesday December 31
  • Mastering Online Learning: Student Meetup by Online Class Help 247
    221 W 9th St PMB 150, Wilmington, DE 19801
    9:00 am

📣 Wilmington Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Wilmington PatchAM possible:

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Congratulations to CSD’s First Cohort of DEIB Trainers —Christina School District Read on Patch
  • 2025 Christiana Classic Invitational —Christina School District Read on Patch
  • Christina School Board Listening Session - Dec 18 at Pritchett Academy  —Christina School District Read on Patch
  • Changing post topic - would anyone like to adopt a senior cat to help her stay out of the cold?
    Anyone have a large cardboard box I can use for an indoor cat who stays in the garage? (Nextdoor Exmore)
  • Heads up Neighbors!
    I was recently approached online to purchase a desk that I’m selling, but the person wanted me to give her my Zelle account information (under the… (Nextdoor Sherwood Park)
  • Nesco Resource, LLC posted a job opening for CNC Machinist in Wilmington. Apply here.
  • Kentucky Fried Chicken posted a job opening for Team Member in Wilmington. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Wilmington here.

🗞 Nearby News

New Castle

  • New Castle boys basketball plays 1,000th game at the historic fieldhouse (indystar.com)
  • Delaware Lottery Play 3 Day, Play 3 Night winning numbers for Dec. 18, 2025 (delawareonline.com)
  • Delaware small businesses saw $14M through this federal program (delawareonline.com)

Hockessin

Ok Wilmington! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I feel lightheaded!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Wilmington