Delaware River

In a game-changing move for both the Port of Wilmington and the state of Delaware, officials are pursuing a partnership with a private company or investment group to operate the publicly owned terminal and to expand the port by constructing ship berths on the Delaware River that could cost as much as $500 million. The state-owned Wilmington port touts itself as the largest handler of imported perishable cargo, fruits and vegetables in the United States and as the largest banana port in North America, second only to Antwerp, Belgium, in volume of bananas in the world.

Just downstream from an industrial recycling operation and a stone's throw from a sewage treatment plant, a fisherman casts his line toward the passing barge traffic and watches it drop into the Delaware River. A couple eating lunch watch curiously. "No way would I ever eat anything from there," the woman says. The fishers who frequent the pier in Camden's Waterfront South neighborhood have heard it all before. That they're crazy, that they're going to grow an extra head or get sick from eating what they catch.

A look at the tortured history of Delaware River waterfront development: 1987: The city tries to lure Disney to the waterfront for a $300 million project. 1989: Developer Willard Rouse backs out on a $700 million retail/restaurant/housing development. Former Philadelphia City Councilman Leland Beloff later goes to jail for trying to extort him. 1997: Officials in New Jersey and Pennsylvania express interest in a tram over the river that would have cost close to $42 million.

Stacy Levy makes art by exploiting natural phenomena such as rain and wind. Her two Philadelphia exhibitions, at University of the Arts and Larry Becker Gallery, explore the underappreciated role that water plays in everyday life. "Watercourse," an installation in the university's Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, is really more of a Franklin Institute-style science project, although it's executed with an artist's sensibility. Using several thousand water-filled plastic cups in three sizes (the kind used to dispense cheap wine at art openings)

Two Delaware County men remained missing yesterday after they fell from a 19-foot powerboat Sunday night while making a sharp turn during an outing on the Delaware River, police said. The boat was found in the river shortly before dawn yesterday, but no one was aboard, police said. Carl Gurer, 50, of Ridley Township, and Daniel Devaco, 48, of Essington, were lost about 9:30 p.m. Sunday near Philadelphia International Airport, according to police. A third person, Donna Weber, 32, of Collingdale, also fell from the boat, but she managed to swim to an unnamed island 50 to 100 yards from shore, where she collapsed, according to police.

A tanker unloading at the Sun Refining & Marketing Co. terminal in Marcus Hook yesterday spilled about 150 gallons of light, Nigerian crude oil into the Delaware River. The spill occurred about 6 a.m. as the 865-foot ship, the Nike, began to unload, according to the Coast Guard. Sun Oil Co. employees immediately placed booms around the ship, holding the spill within 10 yards of the vessel, according to Sun spokesman Jeff Peters. "We were lucky," Peters said, "the tide was coming in and the wind was blowing toward shore.

In what could be another blow to the long-delayed deepening of the Delaware River, U.S. House and Senate budget negotiators have restricted an annual federal appropriation for the project, seen as a boon to the region's economy and ports. But Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.) and Pennsylvania port officials said yesterday that the measure would not block the dredging from the current 40 feet to 45 feet once the Army Corps of Engineers decides to begin. The appropriations bill still must be approved by the full House and Senate.

Philadelphia's maritime industry - business executives, labor leaders, and longshoremen waving thank-you signs - cheered today as Army and Pennsylvania officials signed a formal agreement to deepen the Delaware River. Gov. Rendell, calling it "the most important project in the history of the port," said dredging could begin in 10 months. He said the $379 million project would protect existing jobs and create tens of thousands more. Not so fast, said a spokeswoman for New Jersey Gov. Corzine.

A badly decomposed body was recovered from the Delaware River around midday Saturday, Philadelphia police said. The body was found floating by a pier near Delaware Avenue and Spring Garden Street, police said. Marine and rescue units were called to recover the body. Police could not provide the victim's name, sex or other details.

In a game-changing move for both the Port of Wilmington and the state of Delaware, officials are pursuing a partnership with a private company or investment group to operate the publicly owned terminal and to expand the port by constructing ship berths on the Delaware River that could cost as much as $500 million. The state-owned Wilmington port touts itself as the largest handler of imported perishable cargo, fruits and vegetables in the United States and as the largest banana port in North America, second only to Antwerp, Belgium, in volume of bananas in the world.

After nearly two years of litigation, the families of the two Hungarian tourists killed in the July 2010 accident between a barge and a duck boat on the Delaware River will receive $15 million from the companies that owned the vessels. "For the families, no amount can replace their priceless only children," their lawyer, Robert Mongeluzzi, said moments after announcing the settlement in the federal case. Szabolcs Prem, 20, and Dora Schwendtner, 16, who were visiting Philadelphia from Hungary, died in the accident.

Thomas Sully was a Philadelphia artist best known for his portrait paintings. Sully was born in England in 1783, and lived for a time in Virginia, South Carolina, and various parts of New England. He began painting at a young age and turned professional in 1801. After studying under artists such as Gilbert Stuart and Benjamin West, Sully lived and worked in Philadelphia for almost 70 years until his death in 1872. In 1816, the General Assembly of North Carolina approached Sully (and other artists)

The Darby Creek Valley Association will hold its 28th annual spring cleaning of Darby Creek from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Volunteers will gather at 30 sites from Haverford Township to Tinicum Township, Delaware County, where the creek flows into the Delaware River. The 26-mile stream meanders through some of the region's most highly developed and populated areas. For more information, visit www.dcva.org/upcoming.html - Inquirer staff

Firefighters battled a smoky fire in a recycling transfer center on the Delaware River in South Philadelphia for over an hour today before bringing it under control. No injuries were reported in the lunch time fire at the Republic Services Transfer & Recycling Center, 2904. S. Delaware Ave. The fire sent smoke billowing throughout the area, including nearby I-95, and a Hazmat Unit was called in as precaution because of large fuel tank at the facility. The unit's services were not needed.

Police and firefighters rescued a man who drove his pickup truck into the Delaware River in South Philadelphia this morning. The vehicle got stuck in the riverbank and did not sink. It is not known yet if the man deliberately drove the pickup into the river at the foot of Pemberton Street around 8 a.m., or if was an accident. Police initially indicated the man might be intoxicated. He was taken to a hospital for an examination.

A badly decomposed body was recovered from the Delaware River around midday Saturday, Philadelphia police said. The body was found floating by a pier near Delaware Avenue and Spring Garden Street, police said. Marine and rescue units were called to recover the body. Police could not provide the victim's name, sex or other details.

An environmental activists' group filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the organizers of a live-pigeon shoot in Bucks County, alleging that the activity pollutes the Delaware River. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and its head, Maya K. van Rossum, filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia against the Philadelphia Gun Club, which is located in Bensalem. Their complaint alleges that the pigeon shoots, which occur many times a year, pollute the Delaware with lead shot and fragments, as well as dead and injured birds.

The Delaware River Port Authority has wasted millions of dollars of toll payers' money through mismanagement and political cronyism, the New Jersey state comptroller said in a report issued Thursday. Comptroller Matthew Boxer chastised the DRPA for practices such as its much-criticized "economic development" spending and its now-ended free E-ZPass benefits for DRPA executives and their families and friends. Boxer also exposed an insurance payback deal allegedly orchestrated by George E. Norcross III, the South Jersey insurance executive and Democratic Party power broker who is chairman of the board of Cooper University Hospital in Camden.