Home Care In Milton, DE

UPDATE: Jimmie Allen's performance at the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach on Sept. 29 has sold out. Another show – set for Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. – has been added. Tickets may be purchased on the Bottle & Cork's website for $40.

CORRECTION: Jimmie Allen performed at Paradise Grill on July 2. A previous version of the story listed the wrong date. Also, two women filed lawsuits against Allen in May and June. A previous version of the story used the wrong date.

Delaware superstar Jimmie Allen will return "Down Home" to play his first Delaware concert of the year at the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach on Sept. 29.

While Allen performed a short, surprise set recently at Paradise Grill in Long Neck on July 2 for fans, he has not played any scheduled gigs back home since news hit that two women filed lawsuits against him in May and June, respectively, for sexual assault.

Meanwhile, the Milton native filed countersuits last week in Tennessee against the women making the charges, according to USA TODAY, Billboard and People.

Allen filed the counterclaims to "protect my reputation and refute these claims that have caused severe damage to my family, mental health and business," he told People in a statement.

Attorney Elizabeth Fegan, who is representing both accusers and previously brought sex trafficking claims against Harvey Weinstein, told USA TODAY in a statement Friday that her team reviewed the filings by Allen's legal team and they were "what we'd expect – claims that all his encounters with Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 were consensual."

"As a result of numerous false allegations, I have engaged with a legal team to proceed with an appropriate course of action to protect my reputation and refute these claims that have caused severe damage to my family, mental health, and business," Allen said in a statement released Thursday to the Tennessean.

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Tickets for the Bottle & Cork show are $40 and go on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, July 21. The concert is for ages 21 or older.

The musical artist is also featured in a celebrity basketball game for charity in early August.

According to a Milton native who attended Allen's Paradise Grill pop-up, Allen told him he's going on tour in September.

Morgan Hines of USA Today and Craig Shoup of The Tennessean contributed to this report.

If you have an interesting story idea, email lifestyle reporter Andre Lamar at [email protected]. Consider signing up for his weekly newsletter, DO Delaware, at delawareonline.com/newsletters.

Bayhealth held a ribbon cutting for their new Total Care facility in Milton (Photo courtesy of Bayhealth)

Bayhealth, a leading healthcare provider in central and southern Delaware, held a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the grand opening of Bayhealth Total Care, a groundbreaking new facility that aims to revolutionize healthcare delivery in Sussex County.

Bayhealth’s Emergency and Urgent Care Center, Total Care-Milton is the first of its kind hybrid-emergency and urgent care open 24/7 in Delaware. This innovative approach eliminates the confusion for patients who are unsure whether their condition requires emergency or urgent care. The facility also houses walk-in lab services as well as imaging, primary care and specialty care physician offices.

“Bayhealth Total Care represents a significant milestone in our ongoing effort to improve access to quality healthcare in Delaware,” said Bayhealth President and CEO Terry Murphy, FACHE. “We’re committed to making your healthcare experience faster and easier, without asking you to choose between quality and convenience. That’s why we’ve created Bayhealth Total Care, home to many physician practices necessary to manage your family’s health under one roof.”

Sussex County Council President Mike Vincent was also in attendance, and noted the work Bayhealth has done to provide high quality healthcare in an area that has seen continuous growth.

“All of us want to have excellent and convenient care close to home,” Vincent said. “With Bayhealth Total Care, our local communities now have access to emergency and urgent care services – on this side of Route 1 – to get timely care when they need it most.”

One of the key challenges that Bayhealth aims to address through this new facility is the physician shortage affecting the nation. By expanding access to care across the First State, Bayhealth is working towards bridging the gap between patient demand and available healthcare providers. In addition, Bayhealth’s Graduate Medical Education programs are currently training 73 resident physicians, further contributing to the future of all healthcare in Delaware.

“We’ve been recruiting the best talent in medicine from across the country an bringing them to Delaware,” said Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and GME Designated Institutional Gary Siegelman, MD. “Having physician residency programs not only strengthens the caliber of our health system but it furthers the ways we’re able to serve our community in our hospitals and practices – in fact, it equates to more than 15,000 patients annually receiving the care they need when they need it.”

The opening of Bayhealth Total Care is a testament to Bayhealth’s dedication to innovation and patient-centered care. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technology partially funded by generous donors and staffed by a team of highly skilled healthcare professionals, ensuring the patients receive the highest quality of care in a comfortable and convenient setting.

Bayhealth Total Care is located at 18383 Hudson Road in Milton. The facility opened its hybrid emergency and urgent care and specialty care clinicians will be accepting new patients. To learn more, visit Bayhealthtotalcare.org or call 302-725-3500.

Special to Salisbury Daily Times

Conspiratorial theories used to be confined to the so-called “dark web.” Not anymore. They’ve seen the light and gone viral on social media or, more correctly, non-sociable media.

Conspiracies originate both on the far right (Cape May, N.J.) and the far left (Maryland), not to mention those far below (Washington, D.C.). The founding fathers prophetically added DC (for Den of Conspiracies) to the name of our nation’s capital.

Rehoboth Beach's historic fountain

But one doesn’t need to look far afield to find talk of conspiracies. They exist even here on the coast, in Rehoboth Beach for instance, which has long outgrown its 19^th century innocence as the site of Methodist Episcopal camp meetings.

Take, for instance, the recent refusal of that city to consider repairing an historic boardwalk water fountain.

This would not be a big deal except for the fact that the water fountain in question was installed in 1929, which the mathematicians among us will realize is almost a century ago, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

So why did a Rehoboth spokesperson recently say there were no plans to repair it, even going so far as to indicate that no cost estimate for doing so existed because there were no such plans? How low can you go on the funding totem pole?

The fountain was erected as part of a national movement by the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union to provide liquid refreshment other than the type found in local saloons.

A conspiracy involving craft beer, tourism and more?

Who might be behind this opposition to repairing the fountain? One conspiratorial theory points to the Delaware Tourism Office, aided and abetted by the craft beer industry and their fruit of the vine allies.

The former has recently relaunched the Delaware on Tap Trail platform on its website. According to a recent press release, visitors and residents can use it to explore the state’s “many breweries, distilleries, cideries, and meaderies.” In other words, any alcoholic libation that is made with yeasties.

You wouldn’t expect the Tourism Office to undermine this initiative by supporting repairs designed to provide free water to boardwalk visitors, would you?

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Meanwhile, previously bucolic Milton is experiencing significant growing pains. Once known primarily as the home of the Dogfish Head brewery and its Steampunk Treehouse, it has recently seen the type of development found only in its more easterly neighbors, and we ain’t talking wind direction here.

Of Greater Milton and mini 'malfunction junctions'

It has fallen to Milton’s Town Council to prevent their town from becoming a “paradise lost,” to coin a phrase, and that has translated into adapting to the social and economic changes inherent in 3-D (downstate developer-driven) growth.

By approving a granary at Draper Farm, the council has responsibly met the need to feed the expanding population. Now, it has moved on to the challenge of safely moving increasing numbers of residents and visitors throughout what is destined to become Greater Milton.

To that end, the council has recently grappled with, and tied itself in knots over, what ought to be the rather mundane issue of intersection improvements. The goal here being to eliminate what are best described as mini–Malfunction Junctions.

While the councilors ultimately approved most of improvements recommended by DelDOT (who wouldn’t?), they balked at erecting STOP signs intended to create all-way stops at certain intersections.

It’s difficult to know who’s conspiring against these safety measures, or why they would do so.

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It may simply be the underlying character of a town named after John Milton. In addition to being a celebrated 17^th century poet, he was also a well-known advocate of freedom of expression. And what better expresses one’s personality than what and how one drives?

“Rolling stop” advocate might be another group in opposition, although you can’t roll through a STOP sign when one is not there.

Yes, there really is a fountain of youth in Lewes

And speaking of politics, and we were whether you realized it or not, the Fountain of Youth on Pilottown Road in Lewes has become a political hot potato.

According to a commemorative sign there, “Ye Olde Fountain of Youth” was first used by Dutch settlers in 1631. They swiftly established a trading relationship in beaver furs with local Native Americans. The next year the latter attacked and destroyed the settlement and its inhabitants following a conflict over land ownership.

That event prematurely, but decisively, ended a governmental study of the fountain’s medicinal powers before it even got started.

The site is ostensibly now owned by a local branch of the Daughters of the American Revolution, but one has to wonder why. Coastal conspiracists believe they are acting as a front for their sister organization, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union.

What better way to lure men and women away from demon rum than to provide them with a beverage that will ensure eternal youth and the social and economic benefits that will undoubtedly accompany it. Now that’s a really intoxicating thought.

Mike Berger is a freelance writer and retired university administrator with a home in Lewes. Contact him at[email protected].

On October 11, Milford Community Food Pantry (MCFP) held a ribbon cutting for their new facility. The new facility will be used as a distribution center for the food pantry. The ribbon cutting was attended by United States Senator Tom Carper, State Representative Stell Parker Selby as well as city and county officials.

“Before the distribution center, clients were waiting as much as an hour and a half to receive food,” Diane Hake, Director of Communications, said. “We had 17 refrigerators and freezers stored in seven locations, 20 coolers used to transport perishable food to our distribution site and 20 volunteer labor hours each day to set up and break down our temporary sites every day.”

With the new location, Hake stated that clients were now waiting just 15 minutes, an 80 percent decrease. Food is stored in one refrigerator and one freezer at one location. There are no longer coolers needed to move food since it is already set up at the center as well as a 50 percent reduction in setup and breakdown time.

“Milton is a great place to live and work,” Senator Carper said. “It’s also a community of neighbors. I was honored to spread the word about its newest initiative, the Milton Food Pantry, made possible thanks to generous donors and the American Rescue Plan.”

MCFP distributes fresh and non-perishable food items on the first and third Monday of each month. They turn no one away who comes to receive food and have been in business for almost 10 years. Opening in 2014, MCFP has distributed more than 752,000 meals to individuals in Kent and Sussex County. The first year they were open, they provided meals to an average of 81 individuals at each distribution and, today, are serving 316 per distribution.

“We have continued to implement a drive-through model of distribution that has proven efficient and safe for our clients and volunteers,” Hake said. “Despite food costs rising, we have been able to purchase and provide foods to those in need.”

The interior of the new Milton Community Food Bank distribution center

MCFP partners with the “Teach a Person to Fish Society” which provides chef-prepared meals and fresh produce as long as it is available as well as Delaware “Unite Us” to accept referrals. In addition, MCFP works with other Delaware based foundations and organizations, including the Milford Lions Club and Panera Bread.

Feeding America states that almost 100,000 people in Delaware face hunger each year. This includes one in seven children, one in ten people and one in fifteen senior citizens. Over the past year, MCFP has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of families needing services. MCFP does not just serve Milton as they have had clients from Lewes, Houston, Seaford, Frederica, Bridgeville, Georgetown, Ellendale, Magnolia, Dover, Bridgeville, Milford, Laurel, Felton, Harbeson, Harrington, Greenwood, Lincoln, Millsboro, Camden and Delmar.

“We still need support,” Hake said. “With on-going support, we will continue to serve those that need us. I ask that you continue to publicize our work through social media and word of mouth. We are continuing a capital campaign to help cover building costs throughout 2023-2024.”

Learn more about MCFP by visiting www.miltonpantry.org where you can also donate.

Country star and Milton native Jimmie Allen, who was slated to speak at Delaware State University's commencement Friday, is being sued by his former day-to-day manager for sexual abuse and assault, according to a federal civil lawsuit filed Thursday in Nashville.

Allen, who won the 2021 New Artist of the Year Award at the Country Music Awards and was a 2022 Grammy nominee for Best New Artist, also was removed from this year’s CMAFest performance lineup where he was set to play on June 11, according to Rolling Stone, and suspended from his label, Stoney Creek Records/BBR Music Group.

DSU issued a statement Thursday evening saying Allen notified them he would not be participating at Friday’s undergraduate commencement, where he was scheduled to be the keynote speaker.

“The University respects Mr. Allen’s decision and is grateful that Congresswoman U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester has agreed to address the graduates,” according to the statement.

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Word of the lawsuit comes less than a month after Allen announced that he and his wife, Alexis Gale, are separating while also expecting another child together later this year.

Through a statement provided by his attorney, 37-year-old Allen confirmed that he and the plaintiff had a sexual relationship but claimed that it was consensual.

“It is deeply troubling and hurtful that someone I counted as one of my closest friends, colleagues and confidants would make allegations that have no truth to them whatsoever,” Allen’s statement reads. “I acknowledge that we had a sexual relationship — one that lasted for nearly two years. During that time she never once accused me of any wrongdoing, and she spoke of our relationship and friendship as being something she wanted to continue indefinitely. Only after things ended between us, did she hire a lawyer to reach out and ask for money, which leads me to question her motives. The simple fact is, her accusations are not only false, but also extremely damaging. I’ve worked incredibly hard to build my career, and I intend to mount a vigorous defense to her claims and take all other legal action necessary to protect my reputation.”

The 18-page lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by Allen's former day-to-day manager, who is identified as Jane Doe. Her lawsuit seeks compensatory, incidental, consequential and punitive damages, as well as attorneys' fees and costs.

Also named in the lawsuit are Wide Open Music, an artist management company based in Nashville and its founder Ash Bowers, who is also Allen's principal manager.

Producer assigned to Allen

When the woman was assigned to Allen, the lawsuit claims Bowers warned her that the Delaware native was known to push inappropriate sexual boundaries.

Bowers, according to the lawsuit, told her "Allen was promiscuous but 'harmless,' implying that it was inevitable that Allen would make sexual advances."

Bowers and WOM staff treated Allen's sexual harassment as normal, even though the lawsuit says there was nothing normal about it.

"WOM did not adequately warn or prepare Plaintiff for, or protect her from, the extreme sexual harassment, abuse, grooming and manipulation she would endure in order to keep her job," the lawsuit claims.

Starting in May 2020, Allen sexually harassed the day-to-day manager openly during photoshoots, public appearances and performances, according to the lawsuit. Allen also made public comments about her status as a single female, her innocence and how "hot" she looked, the suit claims.

"He did so from the stage, in front of the production crew and public audiences," the lawsuit claims. "During debriefings after performances, Allen would ask Plaintiff personal sexual questions, including whether she was a virgin."

Because the woman lacked knowledge and experience regarding sex and workplace behavior, the lawsuit claims she relied on WOM's and Bowers' direction "that this was normal and harmless behavior."

Lawsuit includes claim of rape

In March 2021, after filming an “American Idol” episode in which Allen appeared, the lawsuit says the woman attended a dinner with Allen and industry executives.

While she drank only a couple of glasses of white wine, the woman said, she does not remember anything after dinner and lost consciousness. When she woke, the lawsuit says, she was naked in her hotel room with Allen insisting she take Plan B as soon as possible. Plan B is an emergency contraceptive that helps prevent pregnancy within 72 hours after unprotected sex.

Disoriented and confused, the woman was bleeding vaginally and she realized that she had lost her virginity "through no choice of her own and felt she'd betrayed her faith,” the lawsuit says.

Despite her being disoriented and injured, the lawsuit claims, Allen insisted she go with him to the nearest drugstore to purchase Plan B.

"After rushing to the drugstore and returning to the hotel, Allen opened the pack of Plan B and supervised Plaintiff while she took the medication," according to the lawsuit. "Afterwards, Plaintiff started to leave. On the way out, Allen grabbed her and forcibly kissed her goodbye, whispering, 'You’re mine now.'"

The woman, who felt completely numb, was terrified that if she reported this to Bowers, she would be fired like the manager before her.

'Snitch' gets fired

While at a filming in April 2021, Allen opened a pornography website on the woman's WOM-issued computer, according to the lawsuit.

Shocked, the woman immediately closed the browser and shut the laptop, the lawsuit claims.

However, Allen's hair and makeup assistant witnessed the incident and reported it to Bowers.

Allen ensured the hair and makeup assistant was fired for being a "snitch," according to the lawsuit, which added that the country singer required anyone he hired to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

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After this, the lawsuit says, Allen's sexual harassment of the woman "significantly increased"to include grabbing her breasts or buttocks from behind or harassing her to engage in sexualconduct.

"Jimmie Allen put his hands down her pants in public," according to the lawsuit. "When she tried to push him away, he held her down."

When the day-to-day manager drove Allen to and from events, the lawsuit says, he sexually abused her everywhere they went, including at red lights, in green rooms and on airplanes.

"He raped her in private while choking her," the lawsuit says. "He videotaped multiple sexual encounters in order to blackmail her to stay silent."

Around Feb. 15, 2022, while in Honolulu, the woman almost collapsed on set and was rushed to theemergency room.

There the woman spoke to the emergency room doctor and told him about the "vicious cycle withAllen," according to the lawsuit. The doctor advised the woman to "run" and get far away from Allen, documenting her vaginal trauma.

Retaliation for reporting

In March of last year, the lawsuit says the woman sat with Bowers and began to tear up as she explained how she felt humiliated by Allen.

Bowers told her it would be best if she confronted Allen one-on-one and that Allen “would suffer” if she were to leave her job.

The lawsuit claims that neither WOM or Bowers investigated to what extent the woman was being harmed by Allen. They also did not take any action to protect her, the suit says.

Allen, however, continued to sexually harass and assault the woman, who court records say became increasingly depressed and anxious.

"She felt she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and considered committing suicide," the lawsuit says. "She was pushed to her breaking point."

When she sat with Bowers on Oct. 4, 2022, she told him she could not put up with Allen's abuse any longer and asked that she be reassigned.

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Bowers scheduled a follow-up meeting with her on Oct. 7, 2022, in which she disclosed the details of Allen's abuse, according to the lawsuit.

"I can’t hear any more of this,” the lawsuit claims Bowers said. He then took a break.

Later that day, Bowers texted the woman, telling her she was being placed on leave and that "she should not come into the office, and he had to think about his options," according to the lawsuit

Bowers scheduled another meeting 19 days later, where WOM fired her.

What is Jimmie Allen being sued for?

Her lawsuit brings six counts against Allen, including sex trafficking, battery, assault, false imprisonment, and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. She also brings six counts against Wide Open Music and its founder for participation in a sex trafficking venture, negligent failure to warn, negligence, gross negligence and emotional distress charges.

Delaware Online/The News Journal's sister newspaper in Nashville, The Tennessean, reached out to Wide Open Music for comment. Wide Open Music and its founder do not yet have an attorney listed in online court records.

Reporter Kelly Powers contributed to this story. Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or [email protected].