Protester march on Main Street Group shows s~pport for ~lack Lives Matter tnovement CRIME 'It's certainly Child's upsetting' death Eagle Scout honored days afterpr~ectwasvandalized prompts By KARlE SIMMONS Suspect [email protected] lawsuit Nicholas Cifolelli spent four years planning, fundrais­ ing and building a memorial at Newark's Veterans of Country club, captured Foreign Wars Post 475 for his Eagle Scout project, but it took only minutes for someone to vandalize it city sued over Man accused in According to Newark Police spokesman Lt. Bill Har­ grove, someone damaged the bronze-colored statue of drowning attempted abductions St. Michael - the patron saint of the military, police, Pg. 3 firefighters and paramedics - that was originally on a By KARlE SIMMONS pedestal in the middle of the memorial. [email protected] It was discovered in pieces at approximately 2 p.m. on II SPORTS Independence Day in the parking lot of city hall, which . The family of a 4-year-old is located next to the VFW building on Veterans Drive. girl who drowned last year Cifolelli, 18, of Elkton, Md., said he found out about after falling into an irrigation the incident last Thursday, the day he was scheduled to pond at the Newark Country be honored by the VFW for his hard work. Club is suing the country "My dad called me and I was like, 'You're kidding club and the city, claiming me,"' he said. both entities failed to protect He said he only finished his Eagle Scout project six the child from harm. months ago, but it took years of planning starting his The lawsuit, filed in Dela­ freshman year at Elkton High School. He said he knew ware Superior Court last right away he wanted to build a memorial honoring vet­ month, stems from an inci­ erans. dent that occurred on June New ero "A lot of people do projects at schools and churches 13, 2015, when 4-year-old and parks," he said. "I wanted t9 do mine for the people Mariah Neveah Selby was begins who are the reason we have all of that" at a private party outside Cifolelli took inspiration from the Vietnam Veterans NEWARK POST PHoTo sv KARlE siMMoNs the George Wilson Center Memorial in Washington, D.C., and got to work on Nicholas Cifolelli, 18, of Elkton, Md., stands in front of the memorial with her father. The city-run New coach leading Newark he built at VFW Post 475 in Newark. On Independence Day, football summer workouts See VFW someone took lhe statue of St. Michael off the pedestal in the See LAWSUIT Page 11 center, damaging one of its wings. Page 10 Pg.9 I BUSINESS ~"' City pions • Competitively cr{Jckdown Priced Third-party firm hired to track down unlicensed businesses Pg. 6 2:·_· -- lOCAl NEWS NEWARK POST FILE PHOTO The city has agreed to annex this 5.5-acre wooded lot adjacent to Fairfield. A Wilmington couple is· purchasing the land and plans to divide it into two lots for single-family homes. Council approves controversial annexation of Darien Road property By KARlE SIMMONS the city's sewer system for acres in question, as woods. on their properties and [email protected] their new home. The vote The Halls want to subdi­ the animals that call the passed 6 to 1 with Council­ vide the property and build woods home. One Fairfield A Wilmington couple's man Stu Markham in oppo­ their home on 4.25 acres, resident complained about dream to build their home sition. leaving the remaining 1.25 seeing the Hall's proposed COVER EO on a wooded lot near Fair­ The Halls are seeking to acres for the future con­ driveway from his house, BRIDGE FARMS field is coming true. buy the 5.5-acre property at struction of a second single­ instead of the trees and flow­ On Monday night, council 0 Darien Road, which is one family home, but nearby ers he is used to, while other agreed to annex the land - of three adjoining parcels residents don't want to see it neighbors said they enjoy previously part of Covered owned by the estate of How­ developed at all. taking walks on the wooded Bridge Farms in New Castle ard Arnold. Arnold and his During an emotional plan­ property. County's jurisdiction - into wife, Anna, had a house on ning commission meeting in "We're not trying to be the city in order to give Da­ one parcel and left the rest May, neighbors expressed NIMBYs, but this is a very WEST vid and Eileen Hall access to of the land, including the 5.5 concern about the impact special piece of property," RA CH FAI f'IHO said Stamford Drive resi­ dent Douglas Gordon. CHRJSTIAH5f£AD The planning commission ended up unanimously rec­ ommending council approve the annexation. On Monday, council re­ viewed the plans, and the NEWARK POST GRAPHIC BY JOSH SHANNON Halls took the opportunity This map shows the Darien Road property annexed into to address some of their Newark on Monday. neighbors' previous con­ cerns. a portion of 1.25-acre back see," she said. David Hall said building parcel to improve the wild­ Councilman Mark More­ his house and a driveway life and bird habitat. head asked the Halls if they running from Darien Road Furthermore, the Halls would be willing to extend in Fairfield will require are voluntarily deed restrict­ the deed restriction to pro­ crews to cut down approxi­ ing the property to two tect the property longer mately 65 of the nearly 400 RH-zoned lots to allow only than 10 years. trees on the site. He has one single-family detached "I'm deeply concerned consulted with arborists to dwelling per lot and agree about the future," he said, design his plans to affect not to build any structures but the Halls were not on as few trees as possible and within 35 feet of the east­ board. They said they want promised to preserve what ern/southern property line flexibility in case they need he can to give his neighbors :1008 Capitol Trail (Rt.2). for a period of 10 years. Any to sell the land later on. privacy and keep the wood­ future changes to the zoning Councilwoman ]en Wal­ Newark, DE 19711 (Between Polly Drummond & land intact will require applicants to get lace was in favor of bringing Possum Park Roads) "I think everybody that approval from council. the parcel into Newark so knows this parcel is attract­ Eileen Hall said deed re­ that the city can have some www.BiueHenCarWash.com ed to the beauty of it, the stricting the property was say in how it is developed, natural state of it," Eileen important to the residents as opposed to it being in the Hall said. who previously opposed the county. As for the loss of view, she project "I see this as the best case said they are planning a one­ "If someone were to come scenario for this property, Hours: story home with a walkout in and build five homes, and I also appreciate the fu­ Mon-Sat 7am-7pm, basement and underground that's something that could ture owners' willingness to Sun 9am-5pm utilities. They will also cre­ happen and that's some­ be so understanding of the ate a wildflower meadow on thing they don't want to neighbors," she said. Police arrest suspect in attempted abductions By KARlE SIMMONS when a man entered the [email protected] apartment building and grabbed her from behind. The man accused of try­ He put a chemical-soaked ing to abduct two women rag around her mouth and from downtown parking attempted to drag her out­ lots last week is side, but the wom­ now behind bars. an fought back and Joseph B. Rudge, escaped, Spadola a 35-year-old home­ said. less sex offender, The suspect left . was taken into cus­ on foot but struck tody this weekend again four hours when a Newark later at Main Tow­ Police Department ers, a senior citizen SWAT team raided RUDGE apartment complex a home in the 1200 next door to Colo­ block of North Claymont nial Garden, police said. Street in Wilmington, Lt. Spadola said the man at­ Bill Hargrove said. tacked a 61-year-old wom­ Rudge was charged with an as she was getting out two counts of second­ of her vehicle in the park­ degree attempted kidnap­ ing lot just' after 3:30 a.m. ping, two counts of offen­ July 4. He grabbed the sive touching, attempted woman's neck and mouth theft, second-degree at­ and attempted to force her tempted carjacking, at­ back into her vehicle. tempted theft from a vic­ She, too, fought off the tim over 62 years of age attack, and the suspect ran and failure to re-register away. as a sex offender. He was Both women declined committed to the Howard medical attention. R. Young Correctional In­ After the incidents, po­ stitute in lieu of $48,700 lice released a description secured bond. of the attacker as well as The charges stem from video taken from two sur­ two incidents that oc­ veillance cameras at Main NEWARK POST PHOTO BY JOSH SHANNON curred in downtown New­ Towers, and it didn't take Police said a 61-year-old woman was attacked in the parking lot of Main Towers just after 3:30 a.m. July 4. ark, the first of which came long for someone to recog­ at 11:20 p.m.