Multiple Agencies Increase Maritime Safety and Security at Philadelphia Port

PHILADELPHIA-Members of Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay, Coast Guard Maritime Safety and

Security Team New York, Customs and Border Protection and multiple state and local police agencies

increased maritime operations to deter illegal activity within the ports of Philadelphia and

Wilmington, Delaware over the past three weeks.

Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Seth Johnson U.S. Coast Guard District 5 PADET Atlantic City Subscribe14 A member of Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team New York and K9 Ruthie inspect goods in the Port of Philadelphia for contraband, November 13, 2019. Interagency teams brought an increased presence to the ports during November to inspect goods brought in for the holiday seasons.

These combined joint agency efforts were focused on a period of heavy import and export before the

holidays, accounting for more than $1.2 billion of commerce throughout the Delaware Bay watershed.

During this time period, the Coast Guard and partner agencies conducted more than 470 hours of

extensive joint operations that included the inspection of 235 vehicles before export, screening 150

ferry passengers and the pier side examination of 62 shipping containers.

“The Delaware River contributes more than $77 billion dollars in economic value each year,” said Capt.

Scott Anderson, Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay Commander and Captain of the Port. \”These types of

joint operations help unify law enforcement efforts in the port to disrupt, detect, and deter illegal

activities by sharing unique capabilities and resources between agencies.”

In March 2019, an interagency task force seized 537 kilograms of contraband from a commercial vessel at the port of Philadelphia and in June 2019, nearly 20 tons of cocaine was seized, with an estimated street value of $1.3 billion.

The Delaware River port facilities can receive more than 3,000 deep draft vessels each year. There are

more than 70 private and public facilities capable of servicing bulk, break bulk, and containerized cargos.

Philadelphia is the largest North American port for the importing of paper, meat, cocoa beans, and fruit.

The Delaware River is also the largest energy port on the East Coast.

-USCG-

ATTENTION A.C. ELECTRIC CUSTOMERS

Enhanced Outage and Restoration Information Tools Available for Atlantic City Electric Customers

New outage map features provide customers with more detailed and timely information

MAYS LANDING, N.J.

(Dec. 3, 2019) – Atlantic City Electric has made enhancements to its online interactive outage map to provide customers with more helpful information during storm and power outage events. These enhancements can help customers better plan when outage events occur by delivering more weather and system status information during critical events. Some enhancements customers will experience include:

Improved map views through the use of Google Maps

Better insight into the severity and duration of storms through a storm-alert banner posted directly to the outage map, and the option to overlay weather radar on the outage map

An updated interface with greater detail on the start time, cause, geographical impact and estimated restoration for an outage

The ability to bookmark certain views of the map so customers can more easily access the area where their home or business is located

“We know that when severe weather strikes and power outages occur, our customers want personalized information at their fingertips,” said Gary Stockbridge, Atlantic City Electric region president. “The next generation of our outage map delivers an enhanced user experience, helping our customers make informed decisions when their service is impacted and building on our ongoing efforts to better serve our customers.”

Atlantic City Electric’s outage map is available at

atlanticcityelectric.com/outages.

Additionally, Atlantic City Electric’s outage map is accessible through its mobile app for iPhone and Android

smart phones and gives customers the ability to report power outages and manage the type of alert they choose to receive. To download the app, visit

atlanticcityelectric.com/mobileapp.

When an Outage Occurs

Atlantic City Electric urges customers to contact the company immediately if they experience a power outage. Customers can call 800-833-7476 or visit

atlanticcityelectric.com/ReportAnOutage

to report their outage and receive restoration information.

Readers are encouraged to visit

The Source

Atlantic City Electric’s online news room. For more information about Atlantic City Electric, visit

atlanticcityelectric.com

. Follow the company on Facebook at

facebook.com/atlanticcityelectric

and on Twitter at

twitter.com/acelecconnect

Our mobile app is available at

atlanticcityelectric.com/mobileapp

###

Atlantic City Electric is a unit of Exelon Corporation (Nasdaq: EXC), the nation’s leading energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. Atlantic City Electric provides safe and reliable energy service to approximately 556,000 customers in southern New Jersey.

Photo Pop Opening Celebration

PHILADELPHIA, PA (December 2019)–

Photo Pop Philly

is officially open! We kicked off

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

with a holiday celebration that allowed guests to immerse themselves in the interactive exhibit and create that perfect holiday photo. Photo Pop will stay open at

The Bourse

in historic Old City Philadelphia until January 5th!

5th Annual Turkey Day Tailgate

If you joined us at our annual Turkey Day Tailgate on November 24th, you’ll agree that it was a blast! We had an amazing afternoon with our friends, family, and sponsors. There’s nothing like football season, especially when your tailgate is presented by

Philly PR Girl

and O\’hara Home Team, and sponsored by

PrimoHoagies Old City

Somersby Cider

WTSO Wine

, and

Victory Beer

. Thank you to everyone who contributed to our canned food drive and donated to

Philabundance

to help provide food for individuals and families across the Delaware Valley this Thanksgiving.

Thanks to everyone that came out for Turkey Day Tailgate!

NJ Sierra Club Endorses Norcross for Congress

CHERRY HILL, NJ – The Sierra Club endorsed Congressman Donald Norcross, a champion for

environmental protection.

“I strongly believe we must protect and defend our environment from attack, especially from President Trump and his administration. I am committed to working with fellow environmentalists to promote green energy, protect our air and water, and reject efforts to deny climate change,” said Congressman Donald Norcross. “I am proud to be endorsed by the Sierra Club, an organization that knows we must preserve our environment for our children and grandchildren, and fights for our planet day in and day out. I will continue to stand with the Sierra Club and against the Trump Administration’s anti-science agenda.”

As a member of Congress, Donald Norcross strongly supports green energy solutions and is fighting to clean Superfund sites and keep oil rigs away from the Jersey Shore.

“Congressman Norcross is an environmental leader and has championed protecting wild paces. He is an avid outdoors person and supports full funding of the Water and Land Conservation Fund. Congressman Norcross also supports legislation that helps protect open space, our clean water and prohibit drilling off the Jersey Shore. He is a leader on climate change and cleaning up Superfund Sites in New Jersey. Congressman Norcross has been instrumental in moving forward on electric vehicles and renewable energy while fighting air pollution. He is also the only congressman that is licensed to install solar panels. Congressman Norcross has a stellar voting record when it comes to protecting the air we breathe and the water we drink and we proudly endorse him for another term,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

Free Coping With the Holidays Support Groups in December

Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice Offers

Marlton, N.J.

– For most people, the holidays are a happy, festive time of year. But, if you are coping with the loss of a loved one this time of year, the season can be lonely, depressing and often difficult to handle.

Holidays or not, it is important for you to find a way to take care of yourself. The Samaritan Center for Grief Support, a member of the

Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice

Family of Services, announces a number of free, one-time support groups to help those grieving the loss of a loved one to cope during the holiday season.

While there is no charge,

pre-registration is required for each session by calling (800) 596-8550.

For supportive information on how to get through the holidays, register for any one of Samaritan’s local

Coping with the Holidays

90-minute sessions outlined below during the month of December:

Monday December 2

6 p.m. – Samaritan Center – Voorhees – 265 Route 73 South, Voorhees, NJ 08043

Tuesday, December 3

6 p.m. – Cinnaminson Library – 1619 Riverton Road, Cinnaminson, NJ 08077

4 p.m. – Virtua Health and Rehab – 100 Long A Coming Lane, Berlin, NJ 08009

Thursday, December 5

1 p.m. – Fountains at Cedar Parke Atco – 114 Hayes Mill Road, Atco, NJ 08004

Thursday, December 12

2 p.m. – Samaritan’s Center for Grief Support – 5 Eves Drive, Suite 180, Marlton, NJ 08053

6 p.m. – Lutheran Church of Our Savior – 204 Wayne Avenue, Haddonfield, NJ 08033

Saturday, December 14

10 a.m. – Virtua Mount Holly – 175 Madison Avenue, Mount Holly, NJ 08060

Please note that the sessions are subject to change. Please click this link to view the most current schedule:

https://samaritannj.org/resources/grief-support-groups-south-nj/

About Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice:

Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian, independent organization locally founded in Moorestown, New Jersey in 1980. Samaritan is the regional leader for hospice care, palliative (comfort) medicine, grief support and counseling, end-of-life education, and advocacy. Samaritan serves people in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer counties who are coping with the stresses of aging, serious illness or grief in their homes, assisted-living, or nursing home communities and through two inpatient hospice centers: The Samaritan Center at Mt. Holly and The Samaritan Center at Voorhees. Two thrift shops, in Westmont and Pitman, support Samaritan services and programs. Samaritan is accredited by The Joint Commission; a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO); the Home Care & Hospice Association of New Jersey; and is a four-star-level hospice in NHPCO’s We Honor Veterans program, created in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). For more information, visit

www.SamaritanNJ.org

Plastic Bag Ban Bill Up in Senate Budget Tomorrow

S2776 (Smith/Greenstein)

will be up in Senate Budget Committee on Thursday, December 5

. The bill prohibits carryout bags made of plastic film, polystyrene foam food service products, and single-use plastic straws and assesses a fee on paper carryout bags.

“This bill is a major step forward in dealing with plastics and plastic pollution. Plastics are a menace and an existential threat to our drinking water, beaches, and wildlife. Microplastics have already been found near our drinking water supply, so we could literally be drinking plastic. Animals like fish and birds can ingest plastic, and plastic bags have been known to clog storm drains and fill up detention basins, affecting our water quality,”

said Jeff Tittel.

“This bill is important because it will ban single-use plastic bags and polystyrene containers. It also should not allow fake reusable bags. It will also allow paper bags during the transition before phasing them out slowly.”

The bill would prohibit the use of single-use plastic carryout bags in stores and food service businesses, and would ban food service businesses from offering single-use plastic straws. It would also ban the sale of polystyrene and would prohibit food service businesses from selling or providing food packaged in polystyrene containers.

“We need this legislation because it not only bans plastic bags, but also polystyrene and the offering of plastic straws. Polystyrene is dangerous to human health because it contains carcinogenic chemicals such as benzene and styrene, and it has been found in breast milk. It is harmful to the environment because it is not recyclable and does not degrade. Plastic straws pollute our oceans and beaches. Last year, New Jersey found that more than 80% of their trash is plastic and found an increase in plastic straw waste by 59%,”

said Tittel.

“By reducing how much plastic we use, we can also reduce fracking and fossil fuel use. Plastics are made from natural gas, which means more fossil fuel use, more pipelines, and more fracking.”

Plastics have become a bigger and bigger problem that affects our environment. Rutgers scientists found densities of about 28,000 to more than 3 million plastic particles per square kilometer in the Passaic and Raritan River. In New Jersey, towns like Paramus, Bayonne, Hoboken, and Jersey City are all passing plastic bag ban ordinances. The Sea Bright Council passed a strong ban on plastic bags and balloons last night.

“People are fed up with plastic pollution filling up their storm drains and threatening their drinking water. More than 40 towns have started taking action with local plastic bans, isn’t it time for New Jersey’s Legislature to stand up and be as bold as places like Jersey City and Sea Bright? We need this comprehensive statewide ban to more effectively combat our plastic pollution,”

said Jeff Tittel. “

By reducing how much plastic we use, we can also reduce fracking and fossil fuel use. We cannot wait any longer. Our legislature needs to move quickly before our plastic waste problem gets worse.”

Rutgers-Camden Students Engage in Conversation about Diversity/Inclusion

TO THE POINT

CAMDEN – A

Rutgers University‒Camden

speaker series aims to help students feel comfortable while they are learning and developing friendships and support systems on campus.

“Beyond the Mill” provides a welcoming environment for the campus community to join host

Oscar Holmes IV

, an associate professor of management, and other faculty and area business and community leaders to discuss thought-provoking topics involving diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“I get a lot of gratification out of publishing my own diversity, equity, and inclusion research and reading others’ research on the topic, but diversity and inclusion work doesn’t stop or start at publication,” says Holmes. “My goal for ‘Beyond the Mill’ is to provide a healthy place for identity exploration, identity growth, and a catalyst to eliminate systemic oppression.”

Sophomore Emanuel Rodriguez says that by addressing issues about identity, orientation, relationships, and finding community, the “Beyond the Mill” program helps to make the campus an inclusive space for everyone.

The accounting and finance major from Camden believes that the program prepares students to handle issues that they will encounter in the workplace. “Whether you are a black male entering a workforce full of white males, a homosexual trying to fit in with society, or a woman trying to break the glass ceiling, you might face some difficult challenges. Open conversation helps prepare us for those challenges.”

Launched in the fall of 2018 in collaboration with the

Rutgers‒Camden Office of Diversity and Inclusion

, the program has featured topics such as race in college admissions, LGBTQIA+ identities within the university setting, and the #MeToo movement and eradicating sexual harassment and assault.

“I really feel that the program is the best way to get many different people together in the same room to learn about these topics,” says Holmes.

The program’s executive producer, TiAira Neal of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, works with Holmes to publicize the “Beyond the Mill” series to the campus community.

On Oct. 2, “Beyond the Mill” kicked off its second season with a program in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, featuring attorney Jason Hernandez of the Rutgers Immigrant Community Assistance Project and Trisha Trinidad, a Rutgers–Camden undergraduate student and president of the Latin American Student Organization.

A discussion on how to have conversations about race was held on Nov. 6, featuring Patricia Kline, a lecturer in the Rutgers School of Business–Camden, and David Cheatham, the president of Transform Communications.

On Dec. 4, the program features Mary Beth Daisey, Rutgers‒Camden vice chancellor for student affairs, and Patrick Wallace, associate director of the Campus Center, for a discussion on being an effective ally to anyone who feels marginalized. The program is open to the entire campus community.

The programs are taped and available for viewing any time on the

Office of Diversity and Inclusion

website. “Life is hectic and people have many demands on their time,” says Holmes. “So I tried to make it as accessible to as many people as possible.”

Code Blue Issued in Newark

Mayor Ras J. Baraka and Department of Health and Community Wellness Director Dr. Mark Wade are activating a “Code Blue” for Monday afternoon, December 2, 2019 through Tuesday afternoon December 3, 2019.

“Code Blue” is called when temperatures reach 25°F or lower without precipitation, 32°F or lower with precipitation, or a wind chill factor of 15° or lower.

‍

“Newark is preparing for snow and cold temperatures early this week,” Dr. Wade said. “We will meet nature’s challenge with the strength and resilience that defines us. I urge our residents to take precautions to keep their homes safe and be safe when they are out and about, and to check on their neighbors, especially the disabled, children, and the elderly.”

‍

In addition, Dr. Wade reminded residents of the hazards of cold weather. “Several layers of warm clothing and protection against moisture and wind are important, even though weather may not seem to threaten cold injury. Gloves and socks should be kept as dry as possible. Insulated boots that do not obstruct circulation are essential in very cold weather. Warm head covering is particularly important, since 30 percent of heat loss is from the head,” he added.

‍

“We are expected to endure temperatures as low as 27°F and residents should take measures to ensure their safety at home and when outside of their home,” said Dr. Wade.

‍

The City is reminding residents that there are emergency shelters operating during the extreme cold weather that have partnered with the City to provide overnight sheltering.

For more information about sheltering services, contact the shelters listed below or the Department of Health and Community Wellness, Division of Social Services at

(973) 877– 9481, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The City offers the following tips on keeping homes safe and coping with extreme cold weather:

· Keep the house heated to a minimum of 68 degrees. The temperatures inside the walls where the pipes are located is substantially colder than the walls themselves. A temperature lower than 68 degrees will not keep the inside walls from freezing.

· Identify the locations for the main water shutoff in your home. Find out how it works in case you have to use it.

· Open hot and cold faucets enough to let them drip slowly. Keeping water moving within the pipes will prevent them from freezing.

· Check on seniors to make sure that they are warm and dry.

· Stay indoors as much as possible.

· Check all windows and doors for drafts. Place plastic if you feel a draft.

· Do not leave space heaters unattended.

· Do not use generators indoors.

· It is illegal to use kerosene heaters indoors.

· Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.

· Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

· Never use your oven to heat your home.

· Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

· Take inventory of emergency items.

· Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms monthly.

· Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by checking and cleaning your furnace and chimney regularly and ensure you have proper ventilation and the exhaust pipe is free of debris.

The City of Newark Housing Code requires all property owners to supply heat from October 1 through May 1 between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. at a minimum inside temperature of 68°F, and between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. at a minimum inside temperature of 65°F.

To report no heat or hot water in your apartment, call the Division of Code Enforcement at (973) 733-6471.

Anyone with questions about the City’s heat ordinance or any other Newark municipal policy or program can contact the Newark Non-Emergency Call Center at

(973) 733-4311

, from

8:00 am to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday

Shirley M. Carter (nee Smith), – 84, of Ocean City, formerly of Westville

Passed away on Sunday, November 24, 2019 at The Shores at Wesley Manor. Born in Philadelphia, PA, she was formerly of Westville, NJ moving to Ocean City, NJ 10 years. Mrs. Carter worked as Executive Secretary for Pennsylvania Bell Telephone in Philadelphia, PA for 30 years. Surviving are a son, Charles E. Carter, Jr. (Leslie) of Somers Point, NJ, three grandchildren, Patricia Beck, Kristen Carter and Charles E. Carter, III, four great grandchildren, Kaydence Beck, Jeffrey Beck, Jr., Makenzie Beck and Addisyn Beck.

A Memorial Service will be offered Saturday, December 7th at 11 o\’clock from Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 30th Street at Bay Avenue, Ocean City, NJ where friends may call from 10:30 am until the time of service. Memorial contributions in her memory may be made to Grace Hospice, 105 Fieldcrest Avenue, Ste. 402, Edison, NJ 08837. For condolences to the family, visit

www.godfreyfuneralhome.com

David A. Baxter, Jr., of Bellmawr.

David A. Baxter, Jr., on December 2, 2019, of Bellmawr. Age 74.

Reunited for Eternity with his beloved wife, the late Helen (nee Buckholdt). Devoted father of Natalie Hartey and David A. Baxter III. Loving Pop-Pop of Caitlin, Shane, Erin, David IV, Steven, Matthew, and Morgan. Dear brother of Joan Bozarth. Loving uncle of Scott, Brian, and Susan.

There will be a viewing from 9am to 10:30am Saturday morning at GARDNER FUNERAL HOME, BELLMAWR, 200 S. Black Horse Pike, Bellmawr, NJ 08031.

Funeral service 10:30am Saturday at the funeral home.

Interment Arlington Cemetery at Pennsauken.