CNBNews Archives: Our Guardian Angels Were With Us Today

William E. Cleary Sr. | Cleary’s Notebook News

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (CNBNEWS)(July 7, 2026)—Sweetie and I were walking in the field across from the Cold Springs today. It was around 8 AM. She was off lead and was healing on my left side. A vehicle came out of nowhere and brushed the side of my right leg. When Sweetie saw the car, she ran towards Cold Springs Drive. Buses and cars were everywhere. Fortunately, she came when I called her. I hooked her to her lead and approached the woman, who was still on her smartphone texting away. She was unaware of what was happening around her. I knocked gently on her window. When I explained to her what had happened, she apologized several times.

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Gloucester City’s Food Trucks and Fireworks To Be Held Thursday

Last Updated: July 1, 2026 – 2:40pm

This year, the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks show will launch from barges on the Hudson River.

Alamy

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (July 1, 2026)–The Gloucester City Celebrations Committee announced today, Wednesday, July 1, that after much deliberation, the City Food Trucks and Fireworks event WILL be held Thursday, July 2, as scheduled.

With the forecast of oppressive heat and humidity predicted for tomorrow and throughout the weekend, the GC Celebrations Committee together with our Office of Emergency Management and Mayor and Council have had long discussions about whether or not to hold tomorrow’s event. Please be assured that we took all factors into consideration.

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Recent Highlights at Gloucester Catholic

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Philadelphia PD Investigating Homicides

Homicide—900 W. Hunting Park Avenue

Philadelphia – Homicide detectives are investigating the fatal shooting of a man inside Hunting Park on Saturday night.

On Saturday, June 20, 2026, at approximately 10:04 p.m., Philadelphia police officers responded to the area of 900 W. Hunting Park Avenue for a report of a person shot inside the park near the baseball field.

Upon arrival, officers located 45-year-old Martin Higgins suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso. The victim was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene by responding medics at 10:41 p.m.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation. No arrests have been made, and no weapon has been recovered.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or submit an anonymous tip by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477). All tips will be kept confidential.

Homicide—1200 W. Hunting Park Avenue

On Friday, June 26, 2026, officers responded to the 1200 block of West Hunting Park Avenue for a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound to the back.

Police transported the victim to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:29 p.m.

No arrests have been made, and no weapon has been recovered at this time.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477).

Gloucester City Power Outage Weather Related, said PSE&G

UPDATE: The power outage was not the reason why electricity was lost in the Riverview Heights section of the city, according to a spokesperson for Public Service Electric and Gas.

iStock graphic

Kathy Hennessy Riley, PSE&G Corporate Communications, said the cause was weather-related. “I wanted to clarify that the traffic light pole that was struck at Broadway and Market Street was not the cause of the local power outage that affected the Riverview Heights section of the City on Monday night.

The outage, which affected approximately 2500 customers, was weather-related. Crews worked to safely identify and address the issue and restore service to affected customers as quickly as possible.”

A thunderstorm was happening in Gloucester City and the surrounding area when the power outage occurred.

Four-Hour Power Outage in Gloucester City

UPDATED

UPDATE: The power outage was not the reason why electricity was loss in the Riverview Heights section of the city, according to a spokesperson for Public Service Electric and Gas.

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (CNBNews) (June 22, 2026)--The traffic light at Broadway and Market Street is apparently the cause of the local power outage that affected the Riverview Heights section of the City. The local police did not report how the light was knocked over. Neither did they release any information on whether there were any injuries. Businesses and residents lost electricity around 2 PM. It was restored at 6 PM.

Traffic lights along Broadway from Kohler Street to Market Street were offline. Many of the businesses along that stretch of highway closed their doors due to not having air conditioning. Residents living in the Carpenter Square Apartments were also affected.

Public Service Electric and Gas first notified customers that the electricity would be restored by 7 PM. Service was restored at 6:10 PM.

Photo by CNBNews reporter Kathy Cleary Underwood

The traffic light at Broadway and Market Street was struck by either a car or a tractor-trailer. Work crews from Public Service Electric and Gas were at this location for several hours. Residents and businesses lost electricity around 2 PM today. Electric was restored around 6 PM. Local police released no information to the media about the incident.

CNBNews JUNE 2026 Cheers & Jeers

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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🥎 GLOUCESTER HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL — 2026 SEASON RECAP

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (CNBNews)(June 4, 2026)–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.

Senior pitcher Mackenzie “Mac” Turner was the heart and soul of the team. A four‑year varsity starter, Turner finished her career with one of her strongest seasons yet, posting a sub‑3.00 ERA and striking out more than 120 batters. Her leadership in the circle kept Gloucester in nearly every game, and her presence will be missed next spring.

Offensively, the Lions were powered by junior catcher Riley Thompson, who led the team in batting average, RBIs, and extra‑base hits. Thompson’s ability to control the running game behind the plate made her one of the most valuable two‑way players in the conference.

Sophomore infielder Emma Russo emerged as one of the team’s breakout stars, hitting over .350 and playing stellar defense at second base. Freshman outfielder Kayla Jennings also made an immediate impact with her speed and fearless approach at the plate.

The highlight of the season came in a dramatic walk‑off win against a top‑ranked opponent, when Thompson ripped a double into the left‑center gap to score Russo from first. It was the kind of moment that showed the Lions’ resilience and competitive spirit.

With Thompson, Russo, Jennings, and several key underclassmen returning, Gloucester High softball enters 2027 with momentum — and the expectation that they’ll be right back in the hunt for a conference title.

According to Max Sports, Gloucester High couldn’t carry there season success into the playoff game against the Barnegat Bengals. They fell just short of the Bengals , 2-1. The Lions’ defeat on June 4 signaled the end of their 13-game winning streak.

Their overall record for the season was 21-3; 10-0 in Colonial-Liberty

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CNBNews Archives: Gloucester City’s Nov. 2 Council Race

Gloucester City, NJ(August 30, 2021)(CNBNews)— The November 2 election in Gloucester City will have three different groups offering candidates for the positions on the council that are open. When Mayor Dan Spencer resigned suddenly in April, he still had a year and a half left on his four-year term. His resignation set up the following chain of events. Democrat Councilman at large Pat Keating stepped down from his position and was appointed to the mayor’s seat until this November’s election. The fact that there were two unexpected openings on the council seems to have got two former mayors with different philosophies thinking about getting back in the arena.

Those two mayors are Bob Bevan, who was elected in the 80s to two terms as an independent, and Charles (Chuck) Billingham, who was elected in the mid-90s as a democrat.

Former Gloucester City Mayor Robert Bevan’s candidate for Pat Keating’s council-at-large seat is Sarah O’Brien; she is very involved in a youth program called Community Rocks, which teaches art and music to kids, according to Bevan. Continue reading “CNBNews Archives: Gloucester City’s Nov. 2 Council Race” →

CNBNEWS MEMORIES: The Original Gloucester City Breakfast Club

William E. Cleary Sr. | Cleary’s Notebook News

THE ORGANIZERS OF THE BREAKFAST CLUB: In 2006, Charlie Pitzo had an idea about getting together once a month with his friends for breakfast at a local restaurant in Gloucester City. The 16 gentlemen above were invited to the first meeting held at the former Jim’s Pizzeria Restaurant, Broadway and Mercer Streets, Gloucester City, to discuss the idea. Charlie’s idea took off, and over the next couple of years, the group grew. At one meeting, they had over 40 people in attendance.

First row: from left to right, Skip Grandizio, Charlie Tourtual, Jack Perscheitti, Howard “Butch” Shaffer, Charlie Pitzo, George Cleary Jr.

Second row: Lonnie Letgus, Ron Raube, Harry Walker, Sam Chew, Harry Blymer.

Back row: Bill Cleary Sr., Ron Raube, Joe Miller, Joe “JukeBox” DiGiacomo, Al DiGiacomo, Stu Rechard.

All of the men were born and raised in either Gloucester City or Brooklawn. The majority graduated from Gloucester High and the others from Gloucester Catholic.

Out of those 16 men, we know for sure that the following have moved on to Gabriel’s Cafe in the sky. They include: Grandizio, Tourtual, Pitzo, George Cleary, Raube, Miller, Walker, Chew, Blymer, Joe and Al DiGiacomo.

Even though Vincie Boy had passed some time ago we could still feel his spirit walking among us that day.