Seafood lovers, take note.

The first-ever Inland Bays Oyster Week at the Delaware beaches, featuring a slate of events that culminate in the Delaware Seafood Festival in Millsboro on Saturday, kicks off Monday.

Inland Bays Oyster Week is the result of “a decade of efforts to bring locally grown oysters to raw bars and dinner tables,” a news release from Southern Delaware Tourism said. Southern Delaware Tourism is organizing and sponsoring the week alongside the Delaware Sea Grant at the University of Delaware.

Here’s a rundown of oyster-themed events Aug. 5-10.

Sip ‘n Slurp: Meet the Grower

Big Oyster Brewery, 6152 S. Rehoboth Blvd., Milford, 3-6 p.m., Monday, Aug. 5.

Enjoy a taste of a “Southern Delaware Delicacy,” featuring Nancy James Oysters from Rehoboth Bay, and learn more about aquaculture operations from owner/grower Jordan Nally. Attendees must be age 21 or older. Tickets are not required.

Inland Bays Oyster Experience Eco-Tour

Boat departs from the public dock at 511 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach, 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Aug. 6.

This Cape Water Tours and Taxi boat tour will feature a visit to one of the open-water shellfish lease areas in Rehoboth Bay, where participants will have a chance to learn about the growing process. The 1.5-hour event is open to all ages. Tickets are $14 per person and can be purchased at capewatertaxi.com.

Wine ‘n Brine: Meet the Grower

Lewes Oyster House, 108 2nd St., Lewes, 3-5 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Enjoy Arrowhead Point Oysters from Rehoboth Bay and learn more about aquaculture operations from the owner/operators. Attendees must be age 21 or older. Tickets are not required.

The Science of Aquaculture

University of Delaware Cannon Lab, Room 203, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, 1-2 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 7.

Join Ed Hale, University of Delaware assistant professor and Delaware Sea Grant aquaculture and fisheries specialist, for a look at the “how’s” and “why’s” behind Inland Bays oysters. This is an all-ages event and tickets are not required.

Oyster Hatchery Tour

University of Delaware Cannon Lab, Room 203, 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Take a tour of Delaware Sea Grant’s oyster hatchery in the Delaware Bay and learn what it takes to spawn and grow oysters. This is an all-ages event. Reservations are required.

Arts on the Half-Shell

Delaware Center for the Inland Bays, Delaware Seashore State Park, 39375 Inlet Road, Rehoboth Beach, 6-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 8.

“An unforgettable evening of culinary and visual arts inspired by the oyster” featuring celebrated local chefs including Hari Cameron, culinary director for The Chef’s Table at Touch of Italy; Lewes Oyster House chef Sean Corea; chef Ted Deptula, La Vida Hospitality Culinary director; and Taco Reho chef Billy Lucas. Together, they will create an array of small plates featuring fresh Inland Bays oysters. The evening will also feature a signature gin-based cocktail, and Baltimore-based artist Sherry Insley will present portions of two exhibits.

Tickets are $150 per person. All proceeds from the event will support the James Farm Ecological Preserve education campus project.

More: The artificial Redbird Reef, popular Delaware fishing spot, gets 2 more boats

Delaware Seafood Festival

American Legion Post 28, 31767 Legion Road, Millsboro, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 10.

This all-ages festival will feature live music, vendors, food trucks, beer, a cornhole tournament, a kid’s zone, a shrimp-eating contest, an oyster-shucking contest, and of course, lots of seafood. A portion of the proceeds will support American Legion Post 28. Tickets are $5, with free admission for children younger than 12. Tickets can be purchased at the event or at delawareseafoodfestival.com.

Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.

Delaware State Police are investigating a fatal motorcycle crash that occurred near Millsboro this morning.

Officials said on August 2, 2024, at approximately 8:33 a.m., a Harley Davidson motorcycle was driving northbound on Rockaway Acres Road, a private road, approaching Shiloh Church Road. At the same time, a Chevrolet Tahoe was driving eastbound on Shiloh Church Road approaching Rockaway Acres Road.

The preliminary investigation showed that the motorcycle was making a left turn onto Shiloh Church Road, into the Tahoe’s path of travel. As a result, the front of the Tahoe hit the motorcycle, ejecting the driver. After the impact, the Tahoe left the north side of the road and hit two trees.

The driver of the motorcycle, a 19-year-old man from Georgetown, Delaware was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. His name is being withheld until his family is notified.

The driver of the Tahoe, a 39-year-old woman, and a passenger, a 12-year-old child both from Laurel, Delaware, were not injured.

The roadway was closed for approximately 3 hours while the scene was investigated and cleared.

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Delaware Senate Republicans continue to call for legislative hearings despite a new report from Gov. John Carney administration giving additional details on last year’s theft of taxpayer funding by a former state employee.

The document, which the administration only gave to Senate and House leadership, was circulated to all legislators and made available to the public by top lawmakers.

The report confirmed an exclusive report by WHYY News in May, which revealed former unemployment insurance administrator, Michael Brittingham, stole more than $181,000 from the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund in 2023. The state did not reveal the theft publicly until officials were contacted by WHYY News, following a tip that money had been stolen from the trust fund.

Brittingham took his own life the day he was placed on administrative leave after a supervisor with the Employer Contribution Office informed the Department of Labor’s Human Resources that Brittingham had his assistant, a contractor, issue checks to his LLC, which had the same address as a warrant issued for his arrest. Brittingham, who had been hired by DOL in February 2019, pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $42,890 from the Chimney Hill Homeowners Association in Felton. He underwent a background check shortly after being hired, which is required for people with access to federal tax information.

DOL and the Department of Finance say in the report the investigation ended in August 2023, but the heads of those departments did not report the embezzlement to state lawmakers or the public.

“They answered a lot of questions that nobody asked,” said John Flaherty, spokesperson for the Delaware Coalition for Open Government. “The two questions that we had asked, they ignored, about why they did not report this embezzlement in a timely fashion, why the news media is the one that reported it and whether there are any other instances of embezzlement that they haven’t reported.”

Senate Minority Whip Brian Pettyjohn said there wasn’t a lot of new information in the report and hearings were needed to determine why the embezzlement wasn’t disclosed to lawmakers when it was discovered.

“There are probably still some questions that some members have. There may be questions that, if we announced the hearings, the public ends up contacting us with that we can ask the departments,” he said. “But I think we have a duty as that equal branch of government … to engage in a dialogue and have these questions answered to our satisfaction.”