William E. Cleary Sr. | Cleary’s Notebook News
CHEER — To Gloucester Catholic Baseball for Winning Its Fourth Straight Title
The Gloucester Catholic High School baseball team, captured its fourth straight championship, adding yet another trophy to one of the most storied programs in New Jersey. Year after year, the Rams reload, refocus, and rise to the top — a testament to their coaching staff, their work ethic, and the school’s deep baseball tradition.
In a time when many programs struggle to stay competitive, Gloucester Catholic continues to set the standard. Congratulations to the players, coaches, families, and fans who make this run possible.
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JEER — Gloucester City’s $525,000 Mystery Building
Two years ago, on May 30, 2024, Gloucester City’s mayor and council quietly purchased the PNC Bank building, 500 Monmouth Street, without presenting a plan, and without explaining why taxpayers needed another vacant building. Since it was purchased, the property has sat empty for 24 months. Last week, city employees were seen carrying boxes into the building from the Housing Office two blocks away. That’s the first visible activity since the purchase — and still no official explanation.
Meanwhile, in Sierra County, New Mexico, commissioners considering the purchase of their own PNC Bank building did the opposite: they held a public meeting, discussed the price openly, and even negotiated a lower cost. Their city attorney emphasized the importance of transparency and pledged to release more information as soon as the seller allowed it.
Read more: CNBNews JUNE 2026 Cheers & Jeers
Gloucester City residents deserved the same respect — and the same transparency — before mayor and council spent over a $500,000 million of their tax money. According to the cornerstone, the building was built in 1873. So glad it wasn’t it demolished like so many other historical buildings in Gloucester City. However, the steel door placed on the front of the structure makes the property look more like a jail. Why not continue to use the glass enclosure that adorned the entrance for decades? From looking at the photo of the building, we are hoping that plans have been made to power wash the brick facade.
CHEER — Gloucester High’s Girl’s 2026 Softball Team
The Gloucester High School softball team continued its tradition of competitiveness in 2026, delivering a season marked by strong pitching, timely hitting, and the kind of team chemistry that has long defined the Lady Lions program. But, unfortunately, on June 4 they lost the championship game 2-1 to the Bargnegat Bangels. That defeat signaled the end of their 13-game winning streak.
JEER–When will the abandoned Mary Ethel Costello School be put to use?
The Mary Ethel Costello School Building, 520 Cumberland Street, has been sitting empty since 2018. The property, consisting of a building approximately 70,526 square feet in size on a parcel of approximately 1.59 acres, was deeded to the City by the School Board. Before being abandoned, the state gave the District millions of dollars to update the school’s gym. Highland Park School was another building that received over $5 million to renovate it. There were 75 students housed in that property. The School Board needed to increase student enrollment in the high school in order to justify building a $90 million Middle School. That is the story that was told to us by a Board member who didn’t want to be identified. Today the wings in the high school sit empty.
Like other grandiose plans in Gloucester City that never came to fruition, that school and the neighborhood around it were supposed to be redeveloped. But those plans fell apart. Those of us who have lived here for all their lives continually wonder why every town near us can be successful with their development plants, but our Community.
The promises for Gloucester City’s redevelopment began in the 1960’s with Urban Renewal. In the 1980’s a developer proposed building Hollywood East on the City’s Delaware River shoreline. There was King Street Corridor Plan, Gloucester Point, Gloucester Vista, Otts on the Harbor, and most recently Meridia Freedom Pier. The stack of architectural plans for these projects are piled in the attic of the municipal buildings. The cost for these plans are hundreds of thousand dollars
CHEER — To Coach Dennis Barth for a Legacy of Championships
Gloucester Catholic baseball coach Dennis Barth continues to build one of the most dominant dynasties in New Jersey high school sports. With 11 state championships as head coach — plus the one he won as a player in 1980 — Barth has cemented his place as one of the most successful coaches in state history. His leadership, discipline, and commitment to excellence are the backbone of Gloucester Catholic’s baseball tradition, now strengthened by the Rams’ fourth straight state title this season.
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JEER —Yo! Bill. What’s Up with Gloucester City’s Division Street “JUNKYARD”?
Rodger Pierce, the owner of 637 Division Street, was charged $4,272 for the cleanup of his property by the Public Works Department last month. He had appeared in Gloucester City municipal court in January to face charges of violating the housing ordinance. The cost included rental of two dumpsters, disposal costs and manpower, according to Alex Tedesco, Public Works Superintendent. The photo above was taken in December 2025.
We were told by the Housing Office that the resident had appeared in municipal court numerous times since 2022. We requested the Custodian of Records, Vanessa Little, to provide us with the following: the dates Mr. Rodgers appeared in municipal court, and the total amount he has been fined. We asked if Rodgers was current with his property taxes, and if not, how much does he owe? If the city filed and liens against the property. If so we want copies of the liens. Our OPRA was submitted on May 26 and we received a partial answer to our request on June 8. A follow-up story will be forthcoming after we receive the answers to all of our questions. Not all of our requests are mentioned here.
The Google Map photos of 637 Division Street were taken in 2022
CHEER — The end of the horse-drawn carriage business in Philly
Supporters were celebrating the passage of a bill that will outlaw horse-drawn carriages in Philadelphia. The ban would take effect after Mayor Cherelle L. Parker signs it into law.The city’s last operating horse-carriage business, 76 Carriage Co., ceased operations in 2023, but people have taken noncommercial horse carriages to South Street in recent weeks.
Last week a carriage horse dropped dead in New York’s Central Park.
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JEER —So many scams target senior citizens.
Incidents of fraud have exploded, with older adults suffering the greatest financial impact from fraud last year, according to the FBI’s 2025 IC3 Annual Report. Americans age 60 and older reported losses of $7.7 billion — about a 60 percent increase from 2024. In comparison, those in their 30s and 40s reported $4.6 billion in losses.
The AARP states these figures don’t represent fraud’s real impact: In December 2025, the FTC reported that losses in a single year may have reached $196 billion when accounting for underreporting. But there are ways to protect yourself, including staying up on the latest schemes and following the advice listed below. Also consider adding the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline phone number, 877-908-3360, to your contacts, so you’ll have it if you need to call us to report a scam attempt or get more advice on how to prevent scams and identity theft.
Earlier in the year, we were targeted by someone who posed as a TD Bank investigator. He wanted us to allow him access to our checking account. Fortunately, we didn’t fall for his scam. Even so, we had to change our checking account number. Even though we visited the Social Security office in person to make the change, we still didn’t receive our direct deposit check for four months. As you can imagine, it was a financial nightmare.
CHEER — To the Gloucester City Public Works Crew for Quietly Keeping the Town Running
While City Hall stumbles through half‑explained building purchases, the Public Works crew continues doing what they always do: keeping the streets clean, fixing potholes, maintaining parks, and responding to issues without fanfare. They’re the definition of “show up and get it done,” and they deserve recognition for it.
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JEER — To PNC Bank for Abandoning Neighborhood Branches Without a Transition Plan
PNC continues closing branches across New Jersey and the Philadelphia region, leaving seniors, small businesses, and residents without local banking access. ATMs and apps don’t replace human service, especially for older customers. If a bank wants community loyalty, it should act like part of the community. One PNC Branch in Washington Township uses a video machine to make transactions. The teller who appeared on the video screen was located in Texas.
CHEER — To Local Volunteers Who Stepped Up for Spring Cleanups
From neighborhood groups to church youth teams, volunteers across Gloucester City and Brooklawn spent their weekends picking up trash, trimming overgrowth, and refreshing public spaces. These are the people who make the community look cared for — not because they’re paid to, but because they take pride in where they live.
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JEER — To the Rising Number of Unanswered OPRA Requests Across South Jersey
Several towns in the region — not just Gloucester City — are dragging their feet on public records requests. Delays, denials, and “we need more time” responses are becoming the norm. OPRA exists for a reason: to keep government honest. When towns treat it like an inconvenience, taxpayers lose.
CHEER — To the Alice Costello School Community for a Smooth Start to Construction
With the groundbreaking for the school’s multi‑million‑dollar upgrade now underway, parents, staff, and students have handled the disruption with patience and cooperation. Big projects bring big headaches, but the community has shown real resilience.
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JEER-Why would anyone think it was okay to leave grass clippings and trash in the middle Thompson Avenue?
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The answer to the question is…the guilty party knows that they won’t be fine, and no one in authority really cares about COMMUNITY PRIDE in Gloucester City. Such a sorry situation. The debris was lying there early Sunday, morning, and as 7 PM Sunday night it remains in the same spot.
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