Category: Lenni Lenape

POCOPSON TWP., Pennsylvania (WPVI) — Federal and local law enforcement agencies have been searching for a murder convict who escaped a Chester County, Pennsylvania prison earlier this week.

Danelo Cavalcante has been on the run since Thursday. Here’s everything we know about the case:

The escape

Cavalcante escaped the Chester County Prison at 8:50 a.m. on August 31. He was seen walking on Wawaset Road in Pocopson Township around 9:40 a.m. the same day.

Recent sightings

Police have responded to well over 100 tips from neighbors in the area, including allegations of possible break-ins to residential homes in the vicinity within a one to two-mile radius of the prison.

Cavalcante may have been on the 1000 block of Ballintree Lane on Friday night. There was a report of an attempted burglary around 11:30 p.m. Police are not sure if it was Cavalcante.

Early the next morning, there was a confirmed sighting of Cavalcante on the 1800 block of Lenape Road in Pocopson Township. A resident’s Ring camera captured the convict walking through the neighborhood around 1:43 a.m.

He was observed wearing pants, a white T-shirt and white sneakers, and he had a backpack.

“His appearance has remained unchanged,” District Attorney Deb Ryan said during a Saturday press conference.

Convicted for stabbing former girlfriend

Cavalcante was convicted of first-degree murder on Aug. 16 for fatally stabbing his former girlfriend, Deborah Brandao, 38 times in front of her two young children in Schuylkill Township in 2021, officials said. At the time there was an active warrant for his arrest for an alleged murder that occurred in his native country of Brazil in 2017, according to Ryan.

A jury took just 15 minutes to convict Cavalcante.

He was sentenced to life in prison without parole last week for the fatal stabbing and was set to be transferred to a…

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Ian Redzepagic led a rushing attack that was comfortable all night long for Mountain Lakes.

The senior running back scored two touchdowns during Mountain Lakes 21-16 victory over Lenape Valley in Mountain Lakes.

Lenape Valley (1-1) got on the board first when Tanner Gaboda found the end zone with six minutes remaining in the first quarter. A Mason McClean field goal extended the lead to 10-0 but Mountain Lakes (1-0) was able to settle in.

Ian Redzepagic scored the first touchdown of the year for Mountain Lakes from 17 yards out. He added a fourth-quarter score that put his team up 21-10.

Lenape Valley put together a drive that ended in a McClean touchdown but failed to convert the two-pointer.

Mountain Lakes was able to hang on for the victory and will hit the road to take on Morris Catholic next Friday. Lenape Valley will return home to take on Kittatinny.

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Image via Richard Gaw, Chester County Press.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Kennett Library and Resource Center.

The new Kennett Library and Resource Center officially opened its doors on Aug. 27 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that drew hundreds of community members and elected officials, writes Richard Gaw for the Chester County Press. 

The ceremony lasted for four hours. Those who played crucial roles in the making of the two-floor library gave credit to municipalities, trustees, and private and public contributors as well as community members who supported the library’s fundraising campaign. 

“This day reflects teamwork, collegiality, empowerment, and vision,” said Thomas Swett, chairman emeritus of the library’s Board of Trustees. 

The ceremony kicked off with a ceremonial book being passed from the old library to the new one. It continued with a land acknowledgment ceremony and performance by the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania. 

The ribbon cutting at the new building was followed by remarks by Board President Bradley Peiper, among many others. 

“Our vision now is focused on all the programs and services that this new and expanded space will be able to offer our communities,” he said. 

The library is still requiring $1.7 million to reach its fundraising goal. 

Read more about the Kennett Library and Resource Center in the Chester County Press. 

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Nowadays, it is common, when introducing an event, to say something along the lines of: “We are grateful to the XYZ Indian Tribe for allowing us to hold this gathering on what is really their land.” Universities, bastions of the left, have been particularly intent upon engaging in this practice. For example, Northwestern University offered this “expression of gratitude and appreciation to those whose territory you reside on, and a way of honoring the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial.” Here is another instance: “Princeton (University) seeks to build relationships with Native American and Indigenous communities and nations through academic pursuits, partnerships, historical recognitions, community service and enrollment efforts.  These communities and nations include the Lenni-Lenape people, who consider the land on which the University stands part of their ancient homeland.”

Do the American Indians really own the entire country based upon homesteading, mixing their labor with the land? Not at all. There are now some 350 million people in the country, and there are still vast areas of it that have never so much as been touched by human feet, let alone homesteaded as farms, factories or residences. Before the white man came to the continent the best estimate is that there were only 2-3 million native persons in existence (the lowest estimate is less than one million; the highest, 18 million). It is difficult to see how they, alone, could have accomplished any such task.

There is a continuum issue heavily involved in homesteading. How intensively must the land be homesteaded, and for how long, before it can be clearly stated that ownership has been attained? Experts aver that it must be more intense, and less acreage attained for any given amount…

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As part of its suicide prevention efforts, Lenape Valley Foundation will hold a candlelight vigil on Thursday, September 14. The vigil will take place in the courtyard outside the Bucks County Courthouse located at 55 E. Court Street, Doylestown, Pa. at 5:30 p.m. The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature speakers and readings by members of the community and the Bucks County Suicide Prevention Taskforce.

The candlelight vigil for suicide prevention will memorialize the victims of suicide, offer support for family members and friends touched by suicide and offer hope for the future. Community members are welcome and encouraged to attend. The vigil will take place during National Suicide Prevention Week, which is Sept. 10 – 16, and is an annual campaign in the United States geared toward informing and engaging the general public about suicide prevention and the warning signs associated with suicide. The campaign aims to reduce the stigma surrounding the topic of suicide and encourages the pursuit of mental health assistance, while also offering support and resources to those who have attempted suicide.

For more than 60 years, Lenape Valley Foundation has partnered with residents of Bucks County encountering mental health, substance use, intellectual or developmental challenges, providing services to assist them in the pursuit of their personal aspirations and an enhanced quality of life. Lenape Valley Foundation is a private, not-for-profit provider of crisis, information and referral, treatment, case management, residential, consultation and psycho-educational services.

For information regarding Lenape Valley Foundation and its services, please visit www.lenapevf.org or call 215-345-5300.

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Published: 5:28 am EDT August 25, 2023Published: August 25, 2023Updated: 6:58 am EDT August 25, 2023

Image via iStock.

The candlelight vigil for suicide prevention will memorialize the victims of suicide, offer support for family members and friends touched by suicide, and offer hope for the future.

As part of its suicide prevention efforts, the Lenape Valley Foundation will hold a candlelight vigil on Sept. 14. The vigil will take place in the courtyard outside the Bucks County Courthouse, located at 55 East Court Street in Doylestown, at 5:30 PM.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature speakers and readings by members of the community and the Bucks County Suicide Prevention Taskforce.

The candlelight vigil for suicide prevention will memorialize the victims of suicide, offer support for family members and friends touched by suicide, and offer hope for the future. 

Community members are welcome and encouraged to attend. The vigil will take place during National Suicide Prevention Week, which is Sept. 10 – 16, and is an annual campaign in the United States geared toward informing and engaging the general public about suicide prevention and the warning signs associated with suicide.

The campaign aims to reduce the stigma surrounding the topic of suicide and encourages the pursuit of mental health assistance, while also offering support and resources to those who have attempted suicide. 

Learn more about the upcoming vigil at the Lenape Valley Foundation.

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DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Honorable Wendi Thomas of Richboro has been appointed to the Board of Directors at the Lenape Valley Foundation in Bucks County.

As a former Pennsylvania State Representative for District 178 from 2018-22, Thomas has devoted her career to serving as an advocate for mental health.

Among the many committees she has worked on throughout her political career, she notably served as co-chair of the Mental Health Caucus and was appointed to the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Mental Health and the Suicide Prevention Taskforce.

She was recognized as Legislative Champion by Mental Health America (MHA), which honors legislators from across the country for their commitment to mental healthcare reform. She has had a particular interest in highlighting services available for frontline workers suffering from pandemic-related mental health issues and promoting awareness of human trafficking.

Prior to becoming a state representative, Thomas spent her career working in health insurance and health advocacy. In addition, she has been an active volunteer leader in her local community. She was a member of the Council Rock School District Board from 2009 to 2018 and served in numerous positions including president, vice president, finance committee chair and academic standards chair. Dedicating her time and efforts to advancing safety, academics, and resources for children has been a priority of hers.

“I am acutely aware of the shortage of providers in the mental health field for individuals of all ages and I hope to continue to play a role in making quality mental healthcare services available to all who are in need,” said Thomas. “I am excited to keep working within the community for causes that are important to me, and I look forward to serving as an advocate for Lenape Valley Foundation.”

For 65 years, Lenape Valley Foundation has partnered with residents of Bucks County encountering…

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About the Native American Advancement Corporation

The Native American Advancement Corporation (NAAC) is a focus organization on behalf of the advancement and development of all North American Natives. Its constituent organizers chartered NAAC as an expression of a need to promote the Native Americans’ interests by ensuring support, addressing issues of concern, and promoting self-sufficiency. ​NAAC’s focus is charitable, educational, and service-oriented agency based in Bridgeton, NJ Cumberland County. We aim to create opportunities for land preservation, cultural preservation, training, employment, revenue, financial literacy, homeownership, home rehabilitation, maintenance, and repair programs, for Cumberland, Gloucester, Salem, Atlantic, and Cape May counties.

About the Green Acres Program

Green Acres’ mission is to achieve, in partnership with others, a system of interconnected open spaces, whose protection will preserve and enhance New Jersey’s natural environment and its historic, scenic, and recreational resources for public use and enjoyment. The Green Acres Program was created in 1961 to meet New Jersey’s growing recreation and conservation needs. Together with public and private partners, Green Acres has protected well over a million and a half acres of open space and provided hundreds of outdoor recreational facilities in communities around the State.

About New Jersey Conservation Foundation

New Jersey Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, statewide organization devoted to preserving land and protecting nature throughout New Jersey’s rural, suburban, and urban landscapes for the benefit of all. Since 1960, we have preserved more than 140,000 acres of open space, farmland, and parks. We also manage 17 nature preserves, conduct public outreach and education programs, and advocate for sensible land use and climate policies that will protect the health of New Jersey communities for generations to come. For more information, go to www.njconservation.org.

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“Pretendians” — like the three University of Kansas professors whose claims to be members of Indian tribes have recently been debunked — are only part of the problem.

Shawnee Chief Ben Barnes

According to Shawnee Chief Ben Barnes, the Government Accountability Office and reporting by the Los Angeles Times, there are hundreds of fake tribes bilking millions of dollars annually from taxpayers.

Barnes said a GAO report from 2010 shows 26 separate federal programs which are being defrauded by 24 fake tribes that are not federally recognized.

GAO report 12-358 says federal agencies awarded more than $100 million in funding to the 26 non-federally recognized tribes for fiscal years 2007 through 2010.

The report said that the majority — some $76 million — went to the “Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina” which has state recognition, if only partial federal recognition, and is actively pursuing federal recognition.

The report was careful to note that most program recipients are, in fact, federally-recognized tribes and that funding to non-recognized tribes accounted for only about 2.7% of the $2.6 billion spent over the four years studied — which is still a considerable sum.

Most of the grant funds are distributed by various federal agencies to non-profit organizations under the various “tribes.”

As an example, the Department of Health and Human Services distributed funds to two non-federally recognized tribes in New Jersey during the 4-year review period — the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Indians of New Jersey and the Powhatan Renape Nation. 

While there have been a couple of “concurrent resolutions” regarding the “tribes,” the resolutions do not have the force of law, and the GAO report says the New Jersey Commission on Native American Affairs has been at pains to make clear neither tribe has state recognition — let…

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DOWNINGTOWN—The West Chester Green Team welcomed some young explorers to learn about the ever-changing environment.

After 4 inches of rain, Sandy Moser, lead gardener and program director at Bondsville Mill Park, welcomed the Green Team’s Legendary Lenape stream explorers to Bondsville Mill Park and directed them to the best spot to access Beaver Creek.

Water moved swiftly and, on a hot summer day, the park was the perfect place for a group of stream explorers. Girls and boys, tots and teens, moms and dads and some grandparents joined Faith Zerbe, water watch director at the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, in examining the health of the stream.

Courtesy of SANDY MOSER

Faith Zerbe checks out Beaver Creek. (Courtesy of SANDY MOSER)

Two fourth graders and a granddad volunteered to wade in and scoop up water and sediment to be examined under the microscopes that Zerbe had brought for the task.

“The more insects we find and the greater variety, the healthier the stream,” Zerbe said.

Volunteers identified four different kinds of mayflies, net spinning caddisflies and pouched snails in their snapshot of the creek. Moser noted that the stream is clean and healthy.

This tributary of the Brandywine was once a camping and fishing site for the Lenape and later boasted five mills and manufacturing of a variety of goods, including upholstery fabric.

The last mill closed in the 1960s and now the derelict buildings are returning to their glory as a local park and environmental education center.

Courtesy of SANDY MOSER

Rob Montgomery explores in Bondsville Mill Park. (Courtesy of SANDY MOSER)

“Our primary goal is…

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