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.

The Holt Files: Part One

The Holt Family Arrives in Gloucester City

William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews

CLEARY’S NOTEBOOK NEWS PHOTO

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Holt Marine Terminal encompasses 125 acres of Gloucester City waterfront property.

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (CNBNews)(August 3, 2026)--Driving from North Broadway onto Hudson Street recently, it was hard not to see the giant cranes blocking the skylight as you got closer to the Holt Marine Terminal in Gloucester City. Some of those cranes that towered over the Mill Block properties, located between King Street and Ellis Street, were 20 stories high. There was a constant humming noise emitted from the terminal as we drove on Ellis Street towards Mercer Street.

You have to wonder how the people who reside so close to this terminal deal with the seven-day-a-week operation. When a container ship carrying fruit, meat, or some other commodity arrives, residents in the area are given no consideration. Their only choices are to move or sleep with a pillow over their heads.

Presently, the City has signed an agreement with a real estate developer who plans to build 350 apartments at the former Coast Guard Base, about 100 yards from the marine terminal. The Holt family is fighting the proposal. Their lawsuit claims that the development plan, which would be built just feet from Holt’s office building, would interfere with their operation.

59 YEARS AGO HOLT ARRIVED IN GLOUCESTER CITY

In 1967, Leo A. Holt Sr., the father of Thomas Holt, purchased 37 acres of the former New York Ship property. Interested in the same property at the time was the Camden County Municipal Utlities Authority (CCMUA). Gloucester City Mayor Vince Daily fought against the CCMUA moving into his community. Thank God for Mayor Daily. That agency processes roughly 58 million gallons of sewage every day at its main plant in South Camden. People living near it claim the smell coming from their property is sickening some days.

Holt was an independent truck driver serving Mom and Pop stores. Holt Motor Express had 10 trucks. And they owned 11 warehouses around the Philadelphia and Camden City area. Leo Holt Sr., died in 1968. After his death, his sons took over Holt Motor Express and expanded into the stevedoring business.

THE HOLT FAMILY’S RECENT IMPROVEMENTS AT THE GLOUCESTER MARINE TERMINAL

Continue reading →

CNBNews Archives: The Secretive Gloucester City Mayor and Council

CNBNEWS POINT OF VIEW:

Monday, July 20, 2015

William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews

(THE SECRETIVE GLOUCESTER CITY COUNCIL—At a recent executive session of the Gloucester City Mayor and Council, City Solicitor Leonard Wood gave an in-depth report on the ongoing negotiations with the NHP Foundation and what they are looking to do with financing the purchase of city-owned property at Chatham Square.

CNBNews submitted an OPRA requesting a copy of that report to the council and was told by the custodian of records, Kathy Jentsch, “This matter is currently in the negotiation stage. These materials are in the possession of our attorney for that purpose-attorney-client privilege”.

According to their website, The NHP Foundation (NHPF) owns 30 properties in 12 states and the District of Columbia, totaling approximately 6,000 units of low-and moderate-income. They own two sites in New Jersey: Hollybush Garden, Glassboro (252 units), and Washington Dodd Apartments, Orange (300 units). See website

Continue reading →

Tips & Snippets: Trash Blockade, Flood, Sign Sez, Brooklawn Celebrates, No Power Again

Written By Cleary’s Notebook News Staff

CNBNEWS PHOTO

TRASH BLOCKS SIDEWALK—Why would those responsible for blocking the sidewalk with trash think that this was acceptable? A week ago, on Monday, Sweetie and I were walking on South Broadway towards Brooklawn. We tried to get past the blockade of trash in the photo, but it was impossible. We were left with no other choice but to risk our lives and walk onto nearby Broadway. Fortunately, traffic was light. One has to wonder about the people who piled the trash on the sidewalk that way. Surely they had to see that they were blocking the pathway for pedestrians. Unfortunately, as we travel through our City we have come upon more incidents of people who have no consideration for their neighbors. Their grass needs to be cut, their trash cans are placed in their front yard, and derelict cars with no license plates or registration stickers are parked on their property.

Photo courtesy of Gloucester City Historical Society.

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ–Following a heavy summer rainstorm, youngsters played in the contaminated water that overflowed from the sewers, flooding Market Street and nearby Broadway. Residents in that neighborhood told Cleary’s Notebook News that they saw feces floating on top of the water. The exact date of the photo is not known.

RAW SEWERAGE BACKS UP INTO HOMES IN CAMDEN AND GLOUCESTER CITIES-The Courier Post reported recently that it would cost over $400 million to fix the flooding in Camden City and Gloucester City. In the meantime, raw sewage will continue to back up into homes and flows down city streets. The untreated wastewater spills into watersheds and seeps into popular recreation spots like Cooper River, which is regularly used by rowing teams but is too dirty to swim in. In Gloucester City the raw sewerage can be seen flowing into the Delaware River even on sunny days.

A heavy rainstorm on July 6, 2026, dumped almost four inches of rain in an hour and caused Camden County’s sewer system to back up, causing floods and over 150 calls for emergency help, officials said.

Videos posted online showed flood waters breaching storefronts and basements.

Camden County says it now has a plan to fix the longstanding issue, but it’s going to take more than a decade to complete and a huge sum of money to pull off. The Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA), a government agency located in South Camden, is responsible for wastewater treatment and regional sewage management. Since the 1970s, Camden County residents have paid that agency millions of dollars to fix the sewerage problem and flooding. When it was first proposed, the CCMUA was going to build its wastewater treatment plant in Gloucester City, where the Holt Marine Terminal is today. READ MORE

Continue reading →

WEATHER ALERT FOR NEW JERSEY

Cleary’s Notebook News…

(GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ)(July 28, 2026)–According to the Mount Holly National Weather alert, all of New Jersey is under a severe weather alert beginning today, Tuesday, at 2 PM.

Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 80. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New rainfall amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch possible.

Continue reading →

Sherman Place Historic District Moves Forward

It’s not uncommon for Laura Foord to overhear compliments from passersby on the grand Queen Anne and gingerbread Victorian homes in her neighborhood in Jersey City Heights.

“They say, ‘Oh my God, I never knew this place existed in Jersey City,’” Foord said. “And you can see that it makes people happy.”

Continue reading →

Board of Commissioners Celebrate Groundbreaking

Commissioner Jeffrey Nash will join local elected officials to break ground on the next section of the Camden County LINK Trial, a 0.4-mile segment from Somerdale Road to Wakonda Road that will stretch from Somerdale to Hi-Nella.

This is the second LINK Trail section to enter construction in 2026, following the ongoing development of a 1.1-mile segment between Merchant Street in Audubon and Station Avenue in Haddon Heights. The project is being funded in part through a $525,000 Bikeways Grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Construction is expected to begin on August 3 and will be completed in 180 days.

Continue reading →

Two Arrested in Gloucester City Charged with Alleged Roles in Prostitution Scheme

TRENTON — Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) announced today that two people were charged with racketeering, kidnapping, human trafficking, and other crimes in connection with their alleged roles in a prostitution scheme.

Continue reading →

Nextdoor’s Indefinite Ban on CNBNews Raises Serious Questions About Fairness and Transparency

William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNews Editor

UPDATED:

Last week, Cleary’s Notebook News (CNBNews) received notice from Nextdoor Neighbor, the neighborhood‑based social media platform, that our account had been banned. The stated reason: three short snippets of press releases we posted allegedly violated their guidelines.

We immediately appealed. On Saturday, July 25, 2026, Nextdoor issued its final decision:

“Appeal not approved: Account indefinitely suspended.”

No explanation. No citation of a specific rule. No opportunity for correction. Just a permanent ban.

Local Reviewers With the Power to Silence You

Nextdoor relies on local “Reviewers” — ordinary users granted extraordinary authority — to censor posts, remove publishers, and suspend accounts. Because Nextdoor is a privately owned company, it has the legal right to remove anyone it chooses. But the way this ban was handled raises legitimate concerns about bias, personal grudges, and selective enforcement.

Continue reading →

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Damn Local Politics

I shall continue to voice my opinions until the day I stop breathing. For many years I have been involved in our community. First as a Concern Citizen then as your Mayor. I am presently very concerned with the direction our beloved city is heading.

There are more businesses leaving out town than there are coming into Gloucester City. Over the last several years, we have gone from a proud hard-working, blue-collar, middle-income community to a none-working low income town.

Who can we blame for this?

Continue reading →

Bucks County Deputy Sheriff Charged with taking Photos of Naked Prisons

(July 21, 2026)–A Bucks County Deputy Sheriff was formally charged on Monday with secretly photographing naked prisoners while in custody, disseminating those images to co-workers and personal contacts, and then lying to investigators in an attempt to cover up his actions, Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan announced on Monday. Ryan Gaffney, who was terminated from the Sheriff’s Office last month, was charged Monday morning with official oppression, unsworn falsification to authorities, possessing an instrument of crime, and obstructing the administration of law or other government function.

The charges were filed via summons, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Aug. 10. The criminal charges stem from an investigation launched by the Bucks County Detectives on March 31, 2026, after receiving a referral from the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office, which commenced a concurrent internal affairs investigation following a complaint regarding Deputy Gaffney’s on-duty conduct. According to the affidavit of probable cause, on January 30, 2026, Gaffney and four other uniformed deputies executed an arrest warrant for an adult male at his residence in Middletown Township. The male was suffering from a mental health crisis and was located upstairs in a bedroom, naked from the waist down.

Continue reading “Bucks County Deputy Sheriff Charged with taking Photos of Naked Prisons” →