Author: William Cleary Sr.

Life long Gloucester City resident, born in 1944. Graduated from Gloucester Catholic High School Class of 1963. Attended Camden County College. Army National Guard 1964 to 1970. Activated in 1967 during the Newark Riots. Worked full-time at the Gloucester City Post Office from 1967 to 1978. Worked part-time at the Gloucester City News from 1965 to 1977. In 1978 I was named editor of the Gloucester City News and Camden County Record. Purchased the City News in 1985. In 2005 the paper was sold. In 2006 I established Cleary's Notebook. At the age of 81 I remain editor of Cleary's Notebook News writing commentary and reporting the news for South Jersey and Philadelphia regions.

Walmart Joins Philabundance

One in six children now face food insecurity in [MR1]

Pennsylvania, New Jersey communities

PHILADELPHIA, April 8, 2026 — Walmart and Sam’s Club are joining forces with the Philabundance as part of the 2026 Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, a nationwide effort to support hunger relief efforts throughout the Feeding America® network of local food banks. Running April 6 through May 3, 2026, the 13th annual campaign invites customers, members, suppliers and Philadelphia and its surrounding eight counties to take action to ensure everyone has access to nutritious food, with all local donations directly benefiting Philabundance.

“Philabundance is committed to building thriving communities to ensure everyone has access to the nutritious food they deserve,” said Loree D. Jones Brown, CEO of Philabundance. “People are working hard to provide for themselves and their families, but so many need support to put food on their tables. Fight Hunger. Spark Change. is a chance each year for our community to come together alongside our neighbors facing hunger to take action, and we’re grateful to Walmart for partnering with us to make a difference.”

Today, Philabundance distributes food to more than 300 community partners including food pantries, shelters, schools and senior centers, across southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey to support nearly 700,000 people facing hunger. Last year, the organization distributed 44 million pounds of food, equivalent to 37 million meals, and rescued 28 million pounds of food through its Retail Rescue program.

As the need rises across the state, Philabundance will continue to show up for our community but meeting the challenge will require us all. For more than 20 years, Walmart, Sam’s Club and the Walmart Foundation have partnered with the Feeding America network to support hunger relief efforts nationwide, with nearly $300 million in investments and more than 9 billion pounds of food donated by Walmart to the Feeding America network of local food banks and partner agencies.

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Erin DiSandro Receives NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship

Senior Muhlenberg College student-athlete Erin DiSandro of Mount Laurel, NJ has been awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and will be attend medical school at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia after graduation.

Each year, the NCAA awards up to 126 postgraduate scholarships to student-athletes who have completed their final year of athletics competition. The scholarships are distributed three times annually – in the fall, winter and spring – providing 21 total scholarships each to men and women per season. The award is a one-time, nonrenewable scholarship intended to support graduate study at an accredited institution.

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Vineland PD Investigation Into Fatal NY Eve Traffic Accident Ends; Pittsgrove Man Jailed

VINELAND, NJ (Cleary’s Notebook News)(April 7, 2026) — The Vineland Police investigation into the death of Philadelphia Christian Pastor Lance Warren on New Year’s Eve concluded on Friday, April 3, 2026, resulting in the arrest of Donald Hunt Jr., 34, of Pittsgrove. Hunt had been free since the accident, pending the outcome of the accident investigation.

Image source Cleary’s Notebook News

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HELP WANTED: Gloucester City Public Works Seeking Part-time Laborer for City Marina

PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The Gloucester City Public Works Department is hiring for a seasonal position of
Laborer 1 at the Gloucester City Marina. This is a part-time position. The hourly rate is
$15.92.
Applicants must be a resident of Gloucester City and possess a valid New Jersey driver’s
license.
Those interested in this position may apply via email to: Tedesco@cityofgloucester.org,
mail to PO Box 150, Gloucester City, NJ or go to 512 Monmouth Street, Gloucester City,
and fill out an application in-person.
Deadline to apply for this position: April 9, 2026.

Cleary’s Notebook Presents

APRIL CHEERS AND JEERS

Gloucester City Firefighter Settles Lawsuit for $45K

Written by William E. Cleary Sr.

JEER — To the ongoing dysfunction inside the Gloucester City Fire Department

A recently settled lawsuit revealed allegations of harassment, retaliation, and hostility toward an injured firefighter, ending in a $45,000 payout by the city. The details paint a picture of leadership problems that taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for.

The source for the $45,000 payout by Gloucester City is a March 27, 2026, report by Transparency NJ, written by open‑government advocate John Paff. The article details the settlement of a lawsuit filed by firefighter Kyle Jeffries, (photo) who alleged disability discrimination, harassment, and retaliation within the Gloucester City Fire Department. The city agreed to pay $45,000 to resolve the case — $23,804 to Jeffries for emotional distress and $21,196 for attorney fees.

—

Key points from the documented settlement

The lawsuit stemmed from a June 2023 training injury and the firefighter’s subsequent treatment while on light duty. In his lawsuit, Kyle Jeffries, who began working for the department in 2014, alleged that he sustained a ruptured nerve in his spine leading to his left leg during a swift water training exercise in June 2023. He alleged that after reporting the injury and seeking medical treatment, he was placed on light-duty status but faced hostility from both supervisors and coworkers.

Allegations included hostility from supervisors, delayed workers’ comp paperwork, and retaliatory shift changes.

The settlement was finalized in August 2025, but publicly reported in March 2026.

The city did not admit wrongdoing, but paid the settlement to close the case. The mayor and council never said a word to the taxpayers who footed the bill for this case.

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TIPS AND SNIPPETS: Growing Up In Gcity, Cleanup of Junk Yard? Train Blocks Traffic

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.

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Investigation Reveals Fatal Waretown House Fire Ruled Accidental, Woman, Age 71, Died

Cleary’s Notebook News (April 3, 2026)-Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Ocean Township Police Chief Michal Rogalski announced that on April 2, 2026, at approximately 3:00 p.m., the Ocean Township (Waretown) Police Department and Waretown Fire Departments were dispatched to a structure fire on Route 9 in Waretown. During a primary search of the structure, emergency personnel discovered a deceased 71-year-old female in a first-floor bedroom in the northwest corner of the structure.

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E-Scooters and E-Bikes Turn Public Spaces into Hazard Zones

William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews Editor

Electric scooters and electric bikes have flooded into Gloucester City and surrounding towns, and the results are becoming harder to ignore. What began as a convenient way to get around has quickly turned into a safety problem for anyone who uses our sidewalks, jogging paths, or neighborhood streets responsibly.

The danger isn’t theoretical. On my daily walks with Sweetie, I’ve had kids on these motorized bikes come up behind us without a sound. These machines make no noise, so you can’t hear them approaching until they’re already on top of you. More than once, a rider has blown past us at high speed, leaving no time to react. In one instance, a teenager on an e‑bike came straight at the dog and me, expecting us to move aside. I was forced to step off the path or be hit. That’s not “sharing the road”—that’s intimidation.

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Repeat Offender Akeem Morton of Lindenwold Guilty of Kidnapping, Attempted Murder

3/18/2026

Camden City, NJ – A jury has convicted a Lindenwold man of kidnapping and attempting to murder his girlfriend in 2024, announced Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay.Repeat Offender Akeem Morton of Lindenwold Guilty of Kidnapping, Attempted Murder.

Akeem B. Morton, 33, was found guilty on March 13, 2026,of 1st-degree Kidnapping and 1st-degree Attempted Murder in reference to a shooting in Gibbsboro. Morton was also convicted of 2nd-degree Aggravated Assault, 2nd-degree Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons, 2nd-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, 2nd-degree Unlawful Possession of Weapons, 3rd-degree Witness Tampering, and 4th-degree Aggravated Assault. The verdict was delivered following a two-week trial in Superior Court.

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Enoch Rembert, age 28, Beats Woman with Baseball Bat, Charged with Murder

3/27/2026

Camden City, NJ (CNBNews)– A Camden City man has been arrested and charged for fatally beating a woman with a baseball bat, reported Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay and Camden County Police Chief Gabriel Rodriguez.

Enoch Rembert, 28, is charged with 1^st-degree Murder in the death of 51-year-old Lisa Mellet of Camden. He is also charged with 3^rd-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.

On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at approximately 11:29 p.m., emergency medical service personnel were dispatched to the area of 5^th Street and Bailey Street in reference to an unconscious woman in the roadway. The woman – later identified as Mellet – was transported to Cooper University Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased at approximately 12:24 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Later that day, the Gloucester-Camden-Salem County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt abdominal trauma and the manner of death to be homicide.

During the investigation, detectives located surveillance video footage showing a suspect – later identified as Rembert – walking to the area of 5^th Street and Erie Street and repeatedly striking the victim multiple times with a baseball bat. After the assault, the victim walked to the area of 5^th Street and Bailey Street and ultimately collapsed. Detectives also learned the suspect and victim were previously acquainted from the neighborhood.

Enoch was taken into custody in Camden and remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Matt Kreidler of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit at (856) 614-8063 and Detective Andrew Mogck of the Camden County Police Department at (609) 519-8588. Tips can also be sent to CAMDEN.TIPS.

All individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.