William E. Cleary Sr. | Cleary’s Notebook News
Cheer –Newly appointed Superintendent of School Paul Spaventa found out that not all video tapes of school board meetings were being given to the Local cable Channel 19 for public viewing. Someone either in the administration and/or on the school board was choosing what tapes the public got to view. As soon as it was brought to his attention the superintendent corrected the problem. Thanks Mr. Spaventa for righting a wrong.
CNBNews Named One of New Jersey’s Top Blogs for the Second Straight Year
GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (May 9, 2026)–Cleary’s Notebook News (CNBNews) received a welcome honor this week: Feedspot has once again ranked the site among the top blogs in New Jersey, marking the second consecutive year CNBNews has earned a spot on the statewide list.
Feedspot released its 2026 Best New Jersey Blogs rankings on May 1. The list evaluates blogs across several criteria, including content relevance, subject expertise, posting frequency, and overall freshness. Sites demonstrating the strongest credibility and influence within the New Jersey media landscape rise to the top. Feedspot updates the rankings regularly to reflect the most active and impactful blogs operating today.
This year, CNBNews tied for the No. 12 position. In 2025, the site ranked No. 11 out of 80 blogs, placing it firmly among the state’s most trusted independent news sources.
Founded in 2006 by William E. Cleary Sr., CNBNews has spent two decades delivering watchdog reporting, community news, and commentary across Gloucester City, South Jersey, and the Philadelphia region. Cleary, the longtime former editor and publisher of the Gloucester City News and the Camden County Record, continues to lead the site’s coverage.
Feedspot, a widely used content‑aggregation platform, helps readers follow blogs, podcasts, news sites, magazines, YouTube channels, and RSS feeds from one centralized dashboard. Its curated rankings highlight standout publishers who consistently inform, engage, and serve their audiences.
For CNBNews, the recognition is another reminder of what independent, local journalism can accomplish when it stays committed to accuracy, persistence, and public accountability.
Here are 70 Best New Jersey Blogs you should read and follow in 2026. Subscribe in one place on FeedSpot Reader.
Continue reading “Out of a Field of 70, Clearys Notebook #12”
GLOUCESTER CITY NJ (CNBNews)(July 12, 2012)–Whenever there is an election involving a seat in Congress or in the White House, you can bet your bottom dollar it will be a big year for federal grants to be given out. Even though the national debt is $16 trillion and climbing, the “Washington Elite” doesn’t care; after all, it is not their money they are spending.
For example, in May, a list of 25 towns across the United States receiving money to help pay the salaries of firemen or to rehire firemen was released. The funds were awarded through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program of the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a program that provides $400 million in grants nationwide for rehiring laid-off firefighters and retaining those whose jobs are in jeopardy due to budget constraints.”
Continue reading “CNBNews Digital Archives: Only in America!”GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (April 26, 2026)(CNBNews)–To better keep you informed, we have made a video of the mayor and council meeting’s agenda for your perusal. Normally, we would have copied and pasted the agenda onto our website, but because Gloucester City posts the documents as a PDF each month, that process is very time‑consuming. The raw video is below this article. To pause a page of the agenda, click on the page you want to read.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 PM, Monday, April 27, 2026, at the Police Administrative Building, 313 Monmouth Street, in the courtroom.
The 37‑page agenda contains several items that stand out. For example, the agenda includes a resolution that will introduce the 2026-27 city budget, but the amount of the budget is not included. Also missing from the resolution is the amount of the local property tax; does it increase? If so by how much. Instead, the resolution states that residents can stop at the municipal building if they want to know that information. There was a time when the entire budget would be published in the local paper. And, not too long ago, the city offered a Friendly budget that was easy to read.
Continue reading “Gloucester City Council to Purchase More Vehicles, Raise Employee Salaries, Introduce Budget”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.
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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.
Continue reading “Cleary’s Notebook Presents”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.
Continue reading “E-Scooters and E-Bikes Turn Public Spaces into Hazard Zones”
JEER — To the landlord who treated East Thompson Avenue like a dumping ground
A landlord on East Thompson Avenue left an unsightly pile of trash at the curb six days before the scheduled pickup — a heap that sat there blowing around the neighborhood like a slow‑motion insult. Just a few steps away on South Burdsall Avenue, another pile of recyclables was dumped directly in the street instead of being placed in a proper recycling bin.
Gloucester City’s trash ordinances couldn’t be clearer: household waste and recyclables must be placed at the curb no earlier than 7 PM the night before pickup, and only in secure, watertight containers. The rules also spell out weight limits, container‑cover requirements, and fines that can reach $2,000 for repeat offenders. These aren’t suggestions — they’re laws meant to keep neighborhoods clean, safe, and livable.
WHY IT MATTERS
Community pride begins at home. When someone leaves trash out for nearly a week, it doesn’t just create an eyesore — it chips away at the dignity of the block. It tells your neighbors their street isn’t worth respecting. It invites rodents, scatters debris, and sends the message that Gloucester City is a place where standards don’t matter.
And here’s the real frustration: the City already has ordinances on the books to prevent exactly this kind of behavior. If those laws aren’t going to be enforced, then what’s the point of having them? Residents who follow the rules shouldn’t have to live with the consequences of those who don’t.
Cleary’s Notebook News photos
CHEER-To the Gloucester City Lions Club and the Gloucester Little League organization for replacing the torn American Flag and the POW Flag at the LL field and at the Johnson Blvd Jogging Park. Kudos also to Bruce Parry for his help.
WHY IT MATTERS Continue reading “Cleary’s Notebook News March 2006: Cheers & Jeers”
William E. Cleary Sr. | CNBNEWS
PHILADELPHIA, PA (February 14, 2026) — An MSC cargo ship departed the Port of Philadelphia on Saturday morning as three tugboats worked in unison to turn the massive vessel around in the ice‑covered Delaware River. Two tugs pulled from the bow while a third pushed from the stern, slowly rotating the ship through sheets of broken ice created by the recent cold snap.
The dramatic maneuver underscored both the scale of modern container vessels and the skill required to navigate them through winter river conditions.
Read more: MSC Cargo Ship Departs Philadelphia Port Amid Icy River Conditions—
The Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has steadily expanded its relationship with the Port of Philadelphia in recent years. Its maiden call at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal occurred on April 27, 2022, when the MSC Michaela, a 6,730‑TEU container ship, arrived as part of MSC’s Indus 2 service.
The Indus 2 route provides Philadelphia shippers with direct connections to India, Italy, Spain, and Portugal — a significant advantage for regional importers and exporters seeking faster, more efficient access to global markets.
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Members of the Holt Family, operators of the Holt Marine Terminal in Gloucester City, were onboard during the 2022 inaugural visit of the MSC Michaela. Their involvement reflects the long-standing partnership between Holt Logistics, PhilaPort, and international carriers seeking dependable East Coast gateways.
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“Shippers want more efficient options and this new India/Med service fits perfectly into our wheelhouse,” said Jeff Theobald, Executive Director and CEO of PhilaPort.
Sean Mahoney, PhilaPort’s Director of Marketing, noted that securing the Indus 2 service was years in the making. “We have been working on attracting a service like Indus 2 for a while. Our terminal operator, Holt Logistics, has really done a great job with the customer base and made this service a reality.”
Officials say Philadelphia continues to play a major role in helping international supply chains adapt to global logistics challenges, offering shippers alternative routes and reliable port performance.
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Photo caption: On the Bridge of M/V MSC Michaela Voy#: 211A – Pictured (L to R) CBP Inspt Damiani, Sean Mahoney – PhilaPort, James Walsh – PhilaPort, Tom Holt – Holt Logistics, MSC – Capt. Carlo Fortuna, Christian Holt – Holt Logistics, Phillip Holt – Holt Logistics, CBP Inspt Mason
For more information on this service, contact: marketing@philaport.com
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CHEER–GIVE PUDGE’S PUB A TRY
We had lunch today at Pudgy’s. A delicious cheesesteak with fried onions and mushrooms on a seeded roll. It was big enough for two people, and the price was very reasonable. For an appetizer, Connie and I picked clams casino; the filling was delicious. Give them a try; you won’t regret it.
JEER — To Public Works supervisors across South Jersey
Twelve days after Mother Nature dumped 10 inches plus of snow on the region, many street corners still look like miniature Alps. Pedestrians trying to cross the street are forced to climb over frozen piles because the corners were never cleared. And while the snow will eventually melt, the sewer grates buried under those same mounds won’t magically unclog themselves. When the thaw comes, the water will have nowhere to go — creating the same flooded intersections we see after every storm.
In years past, public works crews used front‑end loaders to remove these piles. This year, the silence is deafening. Where are the supervisors who are supposed to oversee this work, and why aren’t they making sure the basics are being done?
Maxim Dewolf/U.S. Air Force)
1. Major airfield upgrades are in the works for the U.S. military’s base in Greenland even as a diplomatic crisis between the United States and NATO allies in Europe ratchets up over President Donald Trump’s push to take control of the territory. The plan calls for spending up to $25 million for a new runway lighting system, river crossing bridge and related projects to improve flight operations at Pituffik Space Base, the military’s Arctic hub, according to a new government solicitation for bids. The territory has emerged as a geopolitical flashpoint. On Saturday, Trump upped the ante in his push to acquire Greenland, saying he will impose new tariffs on several European countries in lieu of a deal for the United States to take possession of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.