DON’T MESS WITH MOTHER NATURE – The contractor for the New Jersey Department of Transportation is taking an innovative approach to address the flooding issue at Brooklawn’s east and west traffic circles by constructing retaining walls. However, as indicated by the arrows in the photo, it seems that water is still making its way onto New Broadway. I suggest considering a six or eight-foot-high retaining wall, which could also provide opportunities for advertising space—just a joke, of course! In all the times we’ve seen various contractors attempt to stop the flooding, this is the first instance where we have witnessed the erection of retaining walls.
(PhillyHistory)(December 2006)–Local meteorologists forecast an exceptionally snowy winter for Philadelphia in 2006-07. As this prediction looms in the minds of the city’s residents, the thought of snow is likely the last thing they want to contemplate. This sentiment probably echoed through the streets of Philadelphia in 1914, especially with the promise of spring just around the corner.
Yet, on the evening of March 2, 1914, and stretching into the early hours of March 3, the snow became the sole focus of conversation among locals. A powerful storm rolled in from the Atlantic Coast, bringing with it a blanket of white that transformed the city. The storm wreaked havoc in New York and Camden and blanketed Philadelphia in heavy, wet snow, creating a picturesque but challenging winter scene. As the snow continued to fall, it became clear that both the beauty and difficulties of winter had once again taken center stage in the lives of Philadelphians.
North Broadway and Essex Street, Gloucester City, NJ
(December 13, 2006)
The above photo shows the fire, while the bottom photo reveals the damage.
GLOUCESTER CITY, N.J. (December 13, 2006) -A Gloucester City seafood restaurant and bar stands in ruins this morning after a devastating fire swept through it overnight, leaving two individuals hospitalized. The inferno ignited at the Pirates Den shortly after 12:30 a.m., engulfing the structure located on the bustling 300 block of North Broadway. This establishment, owned by Brian Cohan, was previously known as Ferry’s Seafood Restaurant.
Firefighters bravely battled the intense flames during a challenging three-alarm response. The inferno caused substantial damage to the restaurant and resulted in one firefighter requiring hospitalization for injuries sustained while combating the fire. Additionally, a patron trapped inside the building was rushed to the hospital due to smoke inhalation. Despite the valiant efforts of emergency crews, who worked tirelessly for over two hours to bring the fire under control, the cause of the blaze remains a mystery. The scene is one of heartbreak for the community that fondly remembers the restaurant’s warm atmosphere and delicious seafood dishes.
GLOUCESTER CITY ,NJ (November 2023)(CNBNews)—William E. Cleary Sr., editor of CNBNews appeared in Gloucester City Municipal Court on Tuesday, November 2023 to answer two trespassing charges for walking around the Cold Springs Elementary School, located at Cold Springs Drive and Market Street, and one theft charge. Cleary took a children’s bench that he thought was trash as it was lying on the asphalt behind the school with other trash next to a trash dumpster. When he learned it wasn’t trash, he contacted the police, returned the bench to the school, and placed it in the same trash pile from which he got it.
At the November 21 hearing he was given two choices: plead guilty or take the matter to trial. He was told by his attorney Justin Moore, whose law office is in Collingswood, he should be prepared to pay heavy fines if he plead guilty. The penalty varies based on the value of the goods. The value of the bench was set at $500. The penalty for a third-degree felony is 3 to 5 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $10,000.
Research for another article led to the current Master Plan for Gloucester City. The Master Plan contains much information which is probably new to most, if not all residents who don’t work for the city. Over the next couple of weeks you will get to know the facts about Gloucester City.
One thing to keep in mind is that there are roughly 4,300 households in our city, of which 3,000 are apartments. Keep that in mind when you read the following.
House Heating Fuel:
Natural Gas 2,948
Bottled Gas 109
Electricity 255
Fuel Oil/Kerosene 818
Coal -0-
Wood 15
Solar -0-
Other -0-
No Fuel Used -0-
Selected Characteristics:
Lacking Complete Plumbing Facilities 16*
Lacking Complete Kitchen Facilities 3*
No Telephone Service 92**
* If someone knows that people don’t have plumbing and/or kitchen facilities, why has the Board of Health not been called?
** As difficult as it is to believe that 92 people in Gloucester City have no telephone service there are homeless and very-low income/senior residents. One way of counting families with no phone service is to count the students in school whose parents provide no home phone number. That doesn’t mean that there is no phone in the household, just that the parents don’t want to hear from the school.
Do you know how old your house is? Obviously, the houses between the railroad and the river are much older than most of the other homes. The web page datauniverse.com shows the year each house was built, though it is accurate for the older homes. The date is “around” or “about.”
The following are the number of houses built in each decade, according to the Gloucester City Master Plan.
GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (JUNE 19, 2023)(CNBNews)–It seems that everyone, every company, city and state is filing for bankruptcy. Just this week there have been bankruptcy sales at Bye, Bye Baby, Harmon Cosmetics, Bed Bath and Beyond, and David’s Bridal. They are just the companies in the Deptford Mall area.
Let’s move onto cities. Just the top 10 are New York City, Chicago, Honolulu, Portland, New Orleans, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Miami. It shouldn’t be any surprise that most of these cities are in trouble, they have either defunded their police departments or are being over-run by illegal immigrants.
GLOUCESTER CITY NJ (CNBNews)(June 2023)-In 2021 the state of New Jersey legalized the use and sale of marijuana. Since that time, according to the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, there are 24 dispensaries that sell recreational cannabis in the state, along with 13 shops that sell only medical marijuana.
That legalization has also seen a rush by local governments throughout the state bending over backwards to attract “Doobie Stores’ to open in their communities. For example, the City of Gloucester City passed legislation in January to amend it Land Development law in order to accommodate the marijuana industry. As such the development of the Southport area, which consist of over 100 acres of vacant land along the Delaware River will now be used to cultivate, manufacture, and distribute, marijuana. The new ordinance allows cannabis businesses to operate with Class 1, 2,3,4,5, and 6 licenses (Cultivation, Manufacturing, Wholesale, Distribution, Retail, and Delivery.
For 37 years, the City promoted an idea to develop that once-industrial site into upscale housing, a waterfront marina, and a retail district. The city spent thousands of dollars on architects, engineers, and development plans for that purpose. In 2005, the site was named “THE GLOUCESTER VISTA.” Shortly after, a new Democrat mayor, William James, and the city council were elected, announcing that the area was so toxic it would take over a decade to remove the chemicals.
Hanging over the city’s deal with any marijuana business is a $10.5 million lawsuit filed against Gloucester City in 2021 by Rocco D’Antonio, CEO of Organic Waste, Marlton. In 2010, he was given the go-ahead to build a $30 million compost recycling plant near the old GAF pier. Despite getting initial approval from the City, unforeseeable circumstances led to the agreement falling apart. The case is currently in the deposition phase, and D’Antonio has expressed his readiness to take it to trial in October.
On Wednesday, June 21, the Gloucester City Planning/Zoning Board will meet to decide on a number of different requests, one of which is allowing marijuana to be sold from the former O’Donnells’ Family restaurant/bar at 401 North Broadway.
For those who are new to Gloucester City, the O’Donnells opened their doors in 1923 and sold it in 2009. The popular eatery was known for its Manhattans, clam chowder, seafood, its rye bread baked at Mosteig’s Bakery, and its ice cream cake roll. The small bar, which was usually crowded, was “tucked” away on the side of the building near Warren Street. Many of those customers would travel near and far just to drink an O’Donnell Manhattan cocktail, which was made with secret ingredients.
Since that time, the business has changed hands numerous times. The building and the surrounding parking lot has been empty for two years.
Officials in neighboring Brooklawn are also excited about marijuana dispensaries coming to their town, which has been called unofficially “God’s Little Acre.” In December 2022, INDIGO received approval to open a dispensary at 302 Crescent Blvd. Although the owners of that business said their operation would open in early 2023, the property remains empty.
In February 2023 another dispensary, named High Life, was supposed to be opening soon in the Brooklawn Shopping Center, also located on Crescent Blvd.
Just last month, residents near the abandoned Webers Drive-In, 310 Crescent Blvd., were given notice that Albert Shapiro , the owner of the property, was requesting a letter of interpretation for the limits of the wetland and transition area on the site from the state of NJ. According to the blog South Jersey Observer, Borough Clerk Ryan Giles said the owner wants to use the five-acre property for a cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility.
Recently, Dorothy Philbin, a CNBNews columnist and investigative reporter, penned a column that sums up the sudden rush by local governments to seek marijuana businesses to open in their town.
When it comes to the growing, processing, and sale of marijuana, some towns are saying, “Over here, we want it.” Other towns are saying, “not in my backyard.” Unfortunately, there are some towns where the residents don’t want the pot in their town, but the city/borough leaders do. Pot is taxed, providing more money for our leaders to spend. Woodbury Heights is one of those towns.
The residents of Woodbury Heights were fighting tooth and nail to keep pot out of their community but their leaders were bound and determined to have it. The designated area was the former Nova Bank building on Route 45, just behind the Hollywood Diner. Renovations were just beginning. Unfortunately, overnight between Monday, June 5th, and Tuesday, June 6th, the building was completely destroyed by fire. (June 8, 2023 CNBNews)
GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (May 19, 2022)–I don’t try to hide my disappointment in America’s public education and never will apologize for wanting today’s kids to have the high quality of education we had decades ago. That being said, I also try to be fair and congratulate those who make changes in the right direction. This week I read that “trades” will be reintroduced to Gloucester City schools. A sincere thank you to those who made this happen.
I read so many Facebook posts from the boys of the 1960s discussing their woodshop or metal shop adventures and telling what they made. Girls took sewing and cooking classes. Because I took sewing classes I made all my own clothes through high school and college plus bridesmaid’s dresses and more. There is so much value to these classes. We learned how to make something. We learned to take pride in what we made.
GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (May 15, 2022)–Just about everyone knows that there is a baby formula shortage. Many of you are experiencing it. What is happening? This is America and every day we look more like a third-world country rather than the richest and most powerful nation in the world.
So, what is the story behind the story with the formula shortage? Let’s start with a few facts. The United States makes 98% of the formula we use. This is a good thing; it keeps jobs in America and we have much more control over the quality and distribution of the product. The majority of formula is used by WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) recipients. The federal government has a contract with Abbott Company to supply the formula for WIC and SNAP (formerly food stamps) administrated through the states. The states give a “discount” to Abbott et al. up to 85% This is very profitable for Abbott and the federal and state governments don’t really care because it is “We, the People” who pay for it.
Each year between and four babies are reported with infections from a bacteria called cronobacter sakazakii. Never before has a plant been closed. The closest I was able to find for the number of babies who became ill this year was four. Two babies recovered and two died. So, at some point the government closed the plant for inspection. This was the right thing to do. However, I could only come to an inspection date between January 31, 2022 and March 18, 2022. What was the time span between the disclosure of the problem, the decision to close the Michigan plant, the inspection and conclusion? We don’t know.
At the point it was determined to close the plant there should have also been a plan for an alternate source of formula. There are other U.S. based companies; but there is no evidence that this was done. We have to be more careful than usual because these are our babies, not IPhones or clothes, etc. In the past it was found that the Chinese were putting melamine into their formula. We grey hairs remember unbreakable dinnerware called Melmac which was taken off the market because it caused…yes, cancer. Where we get the replacement formula is essential but did anyone look right here in America?
According to the Washington Examiner, May 13, 2022 the inspection is complete, the results are in but the Food and Drug Administration won’t specify the exact criteria for full approval to re-open Abbott’s Michigan plant. The inspection found some of the bacteria but none in the processing area. Samples of the formula were completely free of the bacteria. Everything sounds good.
Bacteria, like humans and all other living things, has its own DNA. Scientists were able to determine that the bacterial DNA in the babies did not come from the closed plant. So why hasn’t the FDA provided a date or even criteria for a full opening?
This is where you have to take off your scientist’s hat and put on your lawyer’s hat. On May 12, 2022 the Washington Post issued a headline about the “faux outrage” over this supposed problem. The term “faux outrage” is outrageous in itself but the article went on to say there is no real formula shortage. “They” were just following the law. Fortunately, The Post printed excerpts from the law. In my opinion, for what that’s worth, it all has to do with politics and money. Here’s what happened:
In 2015 The Obama administration passed a law pertaining to illegal immigrant minors. They have to be read their rights (a minor immigrant understands his rights?) The law goes on to detail their rights as food, clothing, and shelter and a ton of other rights the average citizen doesn’t have. Last year, 2021, The Biden Administration updated the law. Read the next sentence very carefully! The update specified that the government had to supply illegal immigrant children with “baby formula and milk.” The Washington Post wrote the article with a “see, there’s no problem – we’re just following the law.”
President Biden can solve the problem with the stroke of a pen. I am usually against Executive Orders. I feel Presidents use them to make law that would normally not get through Congress. In this case I am exasperated that President hasn’t already signed an executive order to alter the “formula or milk for illegal babies” to “Give the illegals formula or milk after all the citizen and legal resident babies have been fed.”
GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ –Years ago, I took a Criminal Justice course at St. Joseph’s University. The instructor was a captain of the Philadelphia Police Department who brought his police-issued laptop with him to every class. The first thing he told us was that what he was going to present was the truth and he had and would show us the documentation to prove it. He said that if anyone was easily offended, this was the time to drop the course.
That was one of the best courses I took in my long educational career and one thing that I took away from the course and stayed with me was “The Broken Window Theory.” Many times, I read on Gloucester City Facebook pages that this is not the city in which many of us grew up. I’ve lived here for 70 years, and I can attest that the Gloucester City of today is not the Gloucester City of years gone by. The difference? The Broken Window Theory.
TRENTON, NJ (April 27, 2022)(CNBNewsnet)–In New Jersey the Democrats and Republicans are actually working together on the unemployment problem. They might as well hold up signs reading “election year, our friends and we want your vote.”
Many State Senators have formed a new committee to investigate the Department of Labor have said the same things. The residents they represent, every single one, complained that they never got through on the phone and no one ever called them back. They heard everyday “There is no one [at the Dept of Labor] to talk to. After weeks of being ignored the claimants would go to their state representatives for help. State Senator Michael Testa (R-CM) claims to have helped thousands and thousands of people and finally had to dedicate staff just to do the job of the Department of Labor.
