Home Care In Harrington, DE

Delaware Thunder fans to rally Saturday night at game at Ice Centre in Harrington as Delaware State Fair refuses new lease

Few are even aware Delaware has a minor league pro ice hockey team.

But the Delaware Thunder has a fervent, if small, fan following.

The Federal Prospects Hockey League team has brought wintertime energy and economic vitality to tiny Harrington. The Delaware State Fairgrounds are normally more of a summertime destination, with Harrington Raceway also staging an April-to-October harness-racing calendar.

Now the team’s immediate future is in doubt due to a failure to secure a new lease and fairgrounds officials’ apparent desire to use the team’s Ice Centre home for other activities.

Because of that, the Thunder suddenly has even more devotees. More than 4,000, some from opposing teams, had signed a “Save the Delaware Thunder” online petition as of Thursday morning.

"Kids of all ages have told me that they want to play because of the Thunder," wrote petition signer Remington Dewey, a Sussex Tech High graduate from Bridgeville who learned how to skate and play and coach ice hockey after attending games. "The organization has had an amazing impact on my life and so many other lives in the community."

How did they get here?

The Thunder joined the FPHL in 2019-20 and regularly drew overflow crowds to the Ice Centre, where seating capacity is just 675. FPHL players have solid junior and/or collegiate backgrounds and seek to climb up to the ECHL, then the stronger American Hockey League. Each has teams affiliated with National Hockey League clubs.

The coronavirus pandemic cut that first season short and the Thunder didn’t participate in a shortened and delayed 2020-21 season due to crowd and travel restrictions stemming from COVID-19. They finished last in a seven-team league in 2021-22 with a 9-42-2 record, the only non-playoff team.

In what is now a 10-team league, the Thunder again has the worst record at 8-41-3 with four games remaining, including three at home – Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Binghamton Black Bears and April 14 and 15 versus the Watertown Wolves to close the season. They've averaged 703 fans per game this season at the Ice Centre, where ticket prices range from $12 to $20 for single games.

Charlie Pens, the Thunder’s CEO and president, said the team expected to sign an extension of its expiring lease at an increased rent. Instead, Pens was told earlier this year by fairgrounds officials that the team’s association with the Ice Centre would end after this season in mid-April.

“I don’t think it’s fair, Pens said.

Who is at fault?

According to Pens, it’s Delaware Fairgrounds general manager William DiMondi. He has not responded to a phone message seeking comment.

Fairgrounds officials have said it’s preferred that the ice arena be more available for community access, such as public skating, bumper cars on ice, youth ice hockey, figure-skating lessons and party rentals.

The hockey team has the facility on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. when it would otherwise likely not be used, Pens said, and on 28 Friday and Saturday nights from late October through mid-April for home games. It's those weekend evenings that fairgrounds officials apparently believe would be more lucrative without the Thunder, despite the 700-plus fans filling the arena and purchasing concessions.

“This has nothing to do with ‘We have to have more programming. The programming was suppressed because of us,’” Pens said. “There’s nobody in there skating Monday through Friday at 10 o’clock in the morning. If you have public skating, you’re lucky if there’s five people there.”

Thunder players earn a mere $125 to $500 a week but the team provides housing, medical insurance and some meals, Pens said.

Players, fans for games and visiting teams also frequent Harrington businesses, restaurants and hotels and, presumably, the casino located on the fairgrounds, which boosts the local economy and fuels concern about the team’s demise, he added.

Pens said recent discussions with state government officials could be the impetus toward the Thunder and State Fair Inc. hashing out a new agreement and "doing what's best for the community."

Fans to rally Saturday

Ben Sabean, who works in Dover and lives in Hartly, has enjoyed attending Thunder games since the team’s inception because he loves “having a hometown team you can cheer for,” he said.

“The team has brought a lot to the community,” he added, mentioning players visiting schools and helping in youth hockey programs. “It’s a shame they’re trying to get rid of it.”

Games at the ThunderDome, as fans have come to call the Ice Centre, also regularly benefit various charities. Saturday’s game is Autism Awareness night with a jersey auction aiding Autism Delaware.

Bill O’Brien, an ambassador for the ALS Association of Greater Philadelphia, said “with the Thunder not coming back to the rink next year … that’s about a $3,000 loss for each year going forward” for such organizations.

When Houston Wilson scored a power-play goal with 28 seconds left to give the Thunder a 4-3 win over Columbus (Georgia) in one recent home game, it got so noisy, Sabean said, “it set off people’s Apple watches saying the decibels were too loud. It’s definitely a fun atmosphere.”

Sabean started the petition to drum up support for keeping the Thunder in Harrington. Fans, some carrying hand-painted signs, will arrive early for Saturday’s 7 p.m. game for a rally urging the team’s return.

“We just want to show what the team means to us,” he said.

Money-making nonprofit

Delaware State Fair Inc. is a nonprofit organization, aimed at providing a social or public benefit, which Pens said should make it more willing to continue to rent out its Ice Centre to the Thunder.

State Fair Inc. did have more than $9.7 million in total revenue and support for 2021, according to a tax audit.

Of that, $517,918 was from the Ice Centre, including $76,035 from public skating, despite lingering COVID-19 limitations.

Operating expenses totaled $4.9 million for the Delaware State Fair Inc. in 2021.

What’s next for the Thunder?

There have been discussions about building a small arena for ice hockey and other indoor sports in Dover, perhaps at Schutte Park. But that is still several years from actually happening if it occurs at all.

Pens has received overtures from others in Florida and New England, he said, interested in having the Thunder relocate. The FPHL has a large footprint with teams presently in Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, New York and Connecticut plus Delaware.

“I’m fighting like hell to stay in the state of Delaware,” he said. “I love the state of Delaware and I love our fans and our corporate partners.”

Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the new season is now available to stream.

Fans of “The Great American Baking Show” will want to check out the new season of the reality series for a Delaware face.

The new season, which originally aired on ABC, premiered Friday, May 5, on the Roku Channel, and can be streamed there and on the website.

Susan Simpson, 64, from Harrington, is one of nine contestants selected to be on season six of the popular baking competition show.

“The Great American Baking Show,” a spinoff of the original series “The Great British Bake Off” (called “The Great British Baking Show'' in the U.S.), pits amateur bakers against one another during a five-week competition in London. In the end, the last baker standing claims the title of baking champion.

ICYMI:Delaware chef won big on Netflix's 'Pressure Cooker.' Here's how he did it.

While Simpson is making her small screen debut, this isn’t her first time auditioning to be on the show.

Simpson frequently competes in culinary competitions at the Delaware State Fair, and when a group of women mentioned the show to her back in 2015, she knew she had to apply.

“I’m a highly competitive person who loves to bake, and the two just seemed to go together well,” she said.

Although it took her five seasons of auditioning before she got a callback last spring, the opportunity still proved to be a pinch-me moment.

“I got a call that I had been accepted as a contestant, and the person who called me, I asked her to repeat because I thought I wasn’t hearing it right,” said Simpson. “I said, ‘Could you just say that again please? I just want to hear it twice.’ So it floored me!”

A stay-at-home mom since her now-adult children were born and a self-proclaimed homebody, Simpson found it “very unusual” and “quite scary” to be away from her husband for the duration of filming, the first time they have been apart for so long in their 40-year marriage, she said.

But those reservations quickly disappeared when Simpson met the other contestants, whom she was met when she arrived at their housing complex. She immediately knew they were as passionate about baking as she is.

“At our first meeting there in London, I fell in love with everyone,” she said. “It was unbelievable how much we bonded so quickly. It felt to me like we were the American Olympic baking team staying in the UK to compete.”

The contestants even created a group chat to lend a helping hand when someone needed an ingredient or misplaced a kitchen gadget.

The close-knit family they created made it hard to say goodbye to one another as eliminations took place, frequently leaving Simpson teary-eyed, she said.

Simpson describes the filming process as an “exhilarating experience,” adding that one of her favorite parts of being on the show was the adrenaline rush she got every time they walked into the tent.

Having her creations critiqued by show judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, along with other bakers whose cookbooks she has loved for years, was an experience unlike any other, she said.

“I grew and learned so much from them. It was encouragement to me as a baker and how I can grow. I will never forget that,” said Simpson.

Since filming ended, Simpson has become an even bigger fan of the show. And although she no longer lives next door to her fellow contestants, that doesn’t stop them from keeping in touch.

“Since we got back, we have a group chat that we do on WhatsApp and we talk probably every day,” she said.

The group talks about their personal lives, shares recipes and asks questions, and recently met up in Chicago.

“We have had a bond that I would not imagine has lasted now getting close to a year,” she said. "We really have become a baking family.”

With the show premiere finally here, coincidentally on her 64th birthday, Simpson celebrated the special occasion in the most fitting way possible: baking for her family and watching the season debut together.

To take her watch party up a notch, her guests were treated to the first three baked goods she made for the show.

“I’m sharing what I did in the tent, with my family, and they can be eating whatever it is while Paul and Prue critique it,” she said. “That’s my birthday present to myself.”

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at [email protected].

DOVER – After losing its lease at the Delaware State Fair in Harrington, the Delaware Thunder hockey team has big dreams of creating a new home in central Delaware. But there’s a lot of work to do before the idea of a Dover Civic Arena comes to fruition.

“The Thunder is the genesis of the drive,” team President and CEO Charles Pens Sr. said. “And the city of Dover is the conduit.”

The city is open to renting or leasing about 7 acres of undeveloped land at Schutte Park off Hazlettville Road for the team to build the “Dover Civic Arena,” City Manager Dave Hugg said. The arrangement would likely be akin to that between Kent County and DE Turf, where a long-term, low-cost lease off Route 1 helped develop athletic fields. But what exactly will be stipulated in that agreement and included in the construction of the arena remains to be seen.

“This is going to be a great facility to have people all over the state and the Delmarva region be utilizing,” Pens said, noting that the plan will be for the arena to be utilized by other sporting events and the public at-large.

Without a place to skate, the Delaware Thunder has gone dormant for at least two seasons, Pens said. Over 4,500 people signed an online petition to save the Delaware Thunder earlier this year in an effort to help the team renew its lease at the Centre Ice Arena. The virtual support did not change the outcome at Harrington, and Pens said current players have entered into a dispersal draft and will likely play for other teams while the Thunder works on building a new home.

The Delaware Thunder is a member of the Federal Prospects Hockey League, a professional minor league organization, and had been skating and leasing rink space in Harrington since its first season in 2019, Pens said. It is unclear exactly why the Delaware State Fairgrounds didn’t renew the team’s lease. General Manager Danny Aguilar could not be reached for comment.

While Pens said he hopes to see the team in its new home in the next two years, city officials said there are no formal plans in place yet.

“I’m an ambitious guy,” Pens said of his proposed timeline.

He said he and team officials are now working to form a nonprofit and a formal board of directors, investment opportunities, corporate partners and getting started on building design.

Pens estimated the project will cost $10 million to $15 million. The idea is not only to include a skating rink venue for the Delaware Thunder and its thousands of fans, but also spaces for other businesses such as a restaurant or pub, exercise facility, a medical office, meeting space and more.

“Dover’s been talking about doing something like this for years,” Pens said.

Hugg said the city has asked Pens and his partners for a business plan in order to move forward. He said the city also is exploring options for potentially helping the effort with financing, by serving as a conduit for low-interest loans for the project.

“It’s super early [in the process], but we are moving forward,” Hugg said. “It’s a great idea. I think it’d be a real asset to the city. We need ice in Kent County.”

On April 10, 2023, Harrington Raceway and Casino (“Harrington Raceway, Inc.,” “Harrington”) filed a notice of data breach with the Maine Attorney General after learning that hackers were able to access confidential consumer information located on the company’s servers for a period of two weeks. Based on the company’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, passport numbers, government identification numbers, and military identification numbers. After confirming that consumer data was leaked, Harrington began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals who were impacted by the recent data security incident.

If you previously provided Harrington Raceway with your personal information and subsequentlyreceived a data breach notification, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. As we’ve discussed in previousposts, hackers carry out these cyberattacks to obtain sensitive information they can later use to commit a wide range of fraud—including identity theft. To learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft and what your legal options are in the wake of the Harrington Raceway and Casino data breach, reach out to a data breach lawyer for immediate assistance.

What We Know So Far About the Harrington Raceway and Casino Breach

News of the Harrington Raceway and Casino data breach is still fresh; however, what we know at this point comes from the company’s filing with the Attorney General of Maine. According to this source, on December 27, 2022, Harrington noticed suspicious activity within its computer system. In response, Harrington launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity experts in hopes of learning more about the attack and whether any consumer information was leaked as a result.

On February 1, 2023, the Harrington investigation confirmed that certain systems within the company’s IT network were accessed by an unauthorized third party. It was also revealed that the unauthorized actor may have stolen some confidential consumer data contained within these files between December 12, 2022 and December 27, 2022.

Upon discovering that sensitive consumer data was made available to an unauthorized party, Harrington Raceway and Casino began to review the affected files to determine what information was compromised and which consumers were impacted. Harrington Raceway completed this process on March 10, 2023. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, Social Security number, driver's license number, passport number, government identification number, and military identification number.

On April 10, 2023, Harrington Raceway and Casino sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.

More Information About Harrington Raceway, Inc.

Harrington Raceway, Inc. is a casino resort and racetrack located in Harrington, Delaware. The company offers slots, table games, and online gaming, as well as an on-site sports book. Harrington Raceway has several restaurants on site and provides a variety of live entertainment. Harrington Raceway and Casino employs more than 553 people and generates approximately $103 million in annual revenue.

An employee is suing Harrington Raceway & Casino for failing to secure and protect personally identifiable information (PII) in its care. The proposed class action came in response to a recently-disclosed data breach that included employees’ names, social security numbers, and, potentially, other private details.

It’s unclear from the filing whether the lead plaintiff, Jaysin Hoyle, still works at the casino. Hoyle was working as a line cook at the casino at the time of the breach.

Filings for the case appeared on April 17 in a Delaware federal court. The claim alleges that the security breach was “foreseeable” and that Harrington had failed to implement adequate safeguards for employee data, including Hoyle’s.

Suit Claims Harrington Handled Stored Data Recklessly

Situated on the grounds at Delaware State Fair, Harrington Raceway & Casino offers customers harness racing and casino entertainment.

According to the filing, Harrington collected Hoyle’s personal information at the time of hiring. It states:

Despite their duties to Plaintiff and Class Members, Defendant stored their Private Information on a database that was negligently and/or recklessly configured. This misconfiguration allowed files on the database to be accessed without a password or any form of multifactor authentication.

The court filing goes on to explain that Harrington uncovered suspicious activity on its network near the end of December 2022. The casino shut down unexpectedly on Dec 27, 2022, due to “technical difficulties.”

On Feb 1, 2023, the casino released a statement seeming to confirm that there had been an attack. It said unauthorized parties “may have” compromised information between Dec 12 and Dec 27, 2022.

On March 10, a review determined the breach included private personal information.

The suit asserts that Harrington had been reckless and negligent in how it stored that private data:

Private Information was maintained on a database that was not password protected and therefore accessible to any member of the public […] Foreseeably, cybercriminals exploited this obvious vulnerability, exfiltrated Plaintiff’s and Class Members’ Private Information from the database…

Stolen Data Allegedly Posted on Dark Web

According to the plaintiff’s filing, thieves eventually listed the stolen information on the dark web. However, that portion of the claim remains untested in court.

The dark web is an anonymous portion of the internet inaccessible through conventional browsers. Visitors to sites on the dark web need special software and the knowledge to configure it. As a result, it is “the Wild West of the World Wide Web,” used in equal measure by activists in repressive regimes and by criminals.

Many sites on the dark web are effectively black markets for drugs and other contraband. Another common commodity is stolen personal data. Buyers may attempt to use such data for various forms of fraud, such as identity theft or credential-stuffing attacks like the one that hit DraftKings last year. A suspect was recently arrested in that case.

The suit alludes to such possibilities in explaining the damages suffered by the plaintiff:

Given the theft of information that is largely static — like Social Security numbers — this risk will remain with Plaintiff and Class Members for the rest of their lives.

As a remedy, Hoyle is suing for negligence, breach of implied contract, and unjust enrichment on behalf of anyone exposed in the Harrington breach. Specifically, the filing seeks class certification, damages, costs and fees, and a jury trial.

Hoyle also wants Harrington to upgrade its security protocols and processes for collecting and storing private information:

Plaintiff and Class Members have an interest in ensuring that their Personally Identifiable Information, which is believed to remain in the possession of Defendant, is protected from further breaches by the implementation of security measures and safeguards, including but not limited to, making sure that the storage of data or documents containing Private Information is not accessible online and that access to such data is encrypted and password protected.

Injunctive Relief Would Protect Victims Still at Risk

Delaware’s three racetrack casinos offer online casino games through a partnership between 888 Holdings and the state lottery. According to reporting by Delaware Online, Harrington’s online casino was still up and running two days after the physical casino closed due to the attack.

However, beyond a brief statement issued via its Facebook page that Thursday, Harrington said little publicly:

Harrington Raceway, Inc. is currently experiencing technical difficulties that are causing a temporary disruption to gaming and computer systems. We are working diligently to investigate the source of the disruption, confirm its impact on our systems, and restore full functionality to our affected systems as quickly as possible. We have significant resources, including cyber security specialists, devoted to this process and our work to resolve this issue is ongoing.

The casino eventually reopened on Saturday, Dec 31, in time for a planned New Year’s Eve event.

However, data breach notices filed in Delaware and Maine on April 10 indicate Harrington didn’t fully confirm a breach of personal information until March.

Harrington also notified nearly 13,000 affected individuals in an April letter.

Those affected, argue the Hoyle filing, are still at risk.

Unless a Class-wide injunction is issued, Defendant may continue in their failure to properly secure the Private Information of Class Members, Defendant may continue to refuse to provide proper notification to Class Members regarding the Data Breach, and Defendant may continue to act unlawfully as set forth in this Complaint.

Nevada’s Rancho Mesquite Casino faces a similar class action lawsuit that alleges it left its computer network vulnerable to attack before a 2022 breach that exposed the personal information of more than 200,000 customers and employees.