By William E. Cleary Sr.
REMEMBERING THE “GOOD OLD DAYS” — Howard “Butch” Shaffer rolled up from Hilton Head, South Carolina, to meet a few of his childhood buddies at the Brooklawn Diner on Thursday, April 2. For a moment, it felt like Gloucester City in the 1940s and ’50s all over again — a town where everyone knew your name, your father’s nickname, and which streetlight you were supposed to be home by.
Back then, our little community ran on corner stores, church bells, and the kind of front‑porch gossip that traveled faster than any newspaper. World War II was winding down, the Korean War was starting up on the other side of the world, and kids like us were more worried about stickball games, jukebox music, and whether we had enough change for a Coke.
So when the five of us squeezed into that diner booth, it wasn’t just a reunion — it was a time machine. Of course, since we’re all hard of hearing now, most of the conversation sounded like an Abbott and Costello routine performed underwater. Every other sentence was followed by the classic refrain: “What’d he say?” The waitress probably thought we were rehearsing for a comedy act.
On the left are Marty Sherry and Bob Bevan. Across the booth sit Bill Cleary, Butch Shaffer, and Bill Tourtual — five guys who grew up in a town so close‑knit it could’ve been scripted by Andy Griffith and directed by Ron Howard. The hair is thinner, the hearing is shot, but the laughs come just as easy as they did when gas was cheap, music was loud, and Gloucester City felt like the center of the universe.
DIVISION STREET JUNKYARD MAY BE DEMOLISHED SOON
(April 3, 2026) (CNBNews)--Last November, distressed residents living in the 600 block of Division Street, Gloucester City, reached out to Cleary’s Notebook News about Roger Pierce, the owner of 637 Division, being allowed to build a junkyard in their neighborhood. We asked Pierce if he had a City permit to store the items in his side yard. He purchased the property four years ago for $175,000. Pierce said that after he moved into his new home, he began to renovate it. He claimed that the items piled in his side yard are from inside his house. He had to move that stuff outside to make the improvements.
According to the City Housing Office, Pierce has been cited several times for violating the housing code. And, has been fined thousands of dollars. The City’s Public Works Department will supposedly remove the junk sometime next month. A lien in the amount of the cost for removal will be placed against the property.
Last December, we spoke with Officer William Johnson from the Gloucester City Police Department, who is assigned to the Housing Office.
“Mr. Pierce, a disabled veteran, has been fined multiple times for violating the city’s housing code. Currently, the total amount of fines he owes exceeds $5,000. He is scheduled to appear in municipal court in January. At times he doesn’t make sense. He claims to have served in Vietnam, but when that war was occurring, he was only six years old. I think the judge will order the City’s Public Works Department to clean up the property. If that happens, a lien will be placed against his property.”
On Thursday, April 1, CNBNews submitted and OPRA request to Gloucester City’s Custodian of Records seeking copies of court records and citations issued to this property owner.
DID GLOUCESTER CITY APPROVE THE OPENING OF A JUNKYARD ON DIVISION STREET?
GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (NOVEMBER 26, 2025)(CNBNEWS)A EYESORE AND A FIRE HAZARD!—In the heart of the 600 block of Division Street, a homeowner has transformed their property into a veritable trash heap, carelessly accumulating refuse for the past four years, according to the occupant. Distressed residents living nearby have reached out to CNBNews, voicing their frustration over this unsightly blight on their residential neighborhood. One concerned resident has reported making repeated complaints to the police department, fire department, and housing office, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. “If this mountain of trash ignites, it threatens to engulf the entire row of homes adjacent to this person’s property.”
DID THE CITY OF GLOUCESTER APPROVE THE OPENING OF A JUNKYARD ON DIVISION STREET?
Broken Down Train Causes Traffic Hazards
GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (April 3, 2026)–A Conrail locomotive carrying over 100 tanker cars broke down mid-morning in Gloucester City, blocking the Kohler Street, Market Street, and Cumberland Street railroad crossings. Local police were stationed throughout the immediate area, directing traffic. One has to wonder if, in an immediate emergency, the block railroad crossings would have any effect on fire or police responders. Above, Tanker cars stretch across the Kohler Street RR crossing into the nearby community of Brooklawn.
The following alert was posted on Friday, April 3, on the Gloucester City PD Facebook page. A similar alert from the Alice Costello School, Brooklawn, also appears below.
A Conrail Train broke down this morning, Friday, April 3, 2026. The train is blocking the crossings from Cumberland Street to Koehler Street. The train will be stopped for several hours waiting for repairs. The crossings from Monmouth Street to Essex Street are clear. Plan accordingly.
The Alice Costello School, Brooklawn, published the alert below
(ACES) Good morning! Due to a train being stuck on the tracks, there will be no pedestrian crossing at any of the train crossings. The police are strongly suggesting that students be picked up by a parent. There will be a police presence at the circles to help pedestrians navigate.