Category: SOUTH JERSEY

2020 JerseyArts.com People’s Choice Awards!

Camden County\’s very own XPoNential Music Festival at

Wiggins Waterfront Park

, along with a number of other Camden County arts and music organizations, have been nominated for the 2020

JerseyArts.com

People\’s Choice Awards. Also nominated

Mainstage Center for the Arts Harmony Show Choir (Blackwood)

Scottish Rite Auditorium (Collingswood)

Ritz Theatre Company (Haddon Township)

South Camden Theatre Company (Camden)

Symphony in C (Collingswood)

Perkins Center for the Arts (Collingswood/Moorestown)

African American Film Festival (Camden)

Voting opened

January 9th

at

JerseyArts.com/vote

. Support the arts that Camden County has to offer by casting your vote. Don’t delay – voting

ends

February 20

and winners in each category will be announced

on

March 11, 2020

.

Read More.

Impact100 South Jersey to Award $186,000 in Grants to Local Nonprofits

January , 2020

Impact100 South Jersey announced that it will award $186,000 in grants to local nonprofits as a result of it’s fall 2019 collective giving membership drive. Members gathered at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Cherry Hill on Wednesday, Jan 8

th

for the Big Reveal and celebration.  The event was held to share the number of members who joined and the total raised for grantmaking in 2020.  This brings the total funds raised collectively by Impact100 South Jersey members to  $415,000 since 2017.

“The goal in our third year was to increase the number of members women over last year when 155 women each contributed $1,000,” said Membership Co-Chair Angela Venti.  “South Jersey women have embraced collective giving and each year, more come together to generate transformative grants for organizations serving our region.”

Now that the fundraising total has been announced, Impact100 grant review volunteers will begin the process to award one $100,000 core mission grant and two general operating grants for $43,000 to nonprofit organizations that serve in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester or Cumberland Counties.  Grants will be awarded in three focus areas:  Women, Children and Families, Arts & Culture, and Education.

Once the grant review process is complete, members will come together again to hear from finalist organizations and vote to determine which will receive the grants at the Annual Meeting on June 10th.

“We are thrilled that our initiative continues to grow,” said Membership Co-chair Lauren Regina.  “Philanthropy doesn’t have to be for the extremely wealthy. This unique program allows women to give meaningfully and build relationships with others who are like-minded.”

Impact100 South Jersey is a women’s collective giving initiative that strives to recruit at least 100 women who each donate $1,000 with the intention of awarding at least one transformative $100,000 grant to a local organization.

Since launching in 2017, Impact100 South Jersey has awarded a total of $229,000 to Hopeworks ‘N Camden, Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem Counties, Hispanic Family Center of Southern NJ and Ronald McDonald House of Southern NJ.

source:

Community Foundation of New Jersey

NEW JERSEY SPORTSBOOKS’ HOT DECEMBER PUSHES 2019 HANDLE TO MORE THAN $4.5 BILLION

Sportsbooks, online casinos combine to generate nearly $800 million in revenue during booming 2019, according to

PlayNJ.com

(ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.) — New Jersey’s sportsbooks and online casinos performed in December in much the same way they spent the rest of 2019: With new records and more growth. With a strong closing month, which included a near-record monthly sports betting handle, retail and online sportsbooks combined with online casinos and poker to generate nearly $800 million in revenue in 2019, sending New Jersey into 2020 with plenty of momentum, according to PlayNJ analysts.

“Online sports betting and casino gambling should continue on or near its current growth trajectory in 2020,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for

PlayNJ.com

. “Online growth will continue to be a net win for New Jersey’s gaming industry.”

In December, New Jersey’s online and retail sportsbooks collected $557.8 million in bets, falling just short of the record $562.2 million handle set in November, according to official reporting released Tuesday. The December 2019 handle was up 74.7% from $319.2 million in December 2018.

Revenue from sportsbooks reached $29.4 million, down from $32.9 million in November and up 41.4% from $20.8 million won in December 2018. December’s revenue yielded $3.7 million in tax revenue for the state.

For 2019, New Jersey’s sportsbooks combined to generate:

$4.6 billion in bets. Of that $3.8 million, or 83.7%, was generated online.

Revenue of $299.4 million, including $244.5 million online.

State tax revenue of $36.5 million.

In a neck-and-neck race since summer 2019 to be the country’s largest legal sports betting jurisdiction, New Jersey will fall short of Nevada in annual handle. Nevada has generated $4.7 billion in bets through November.

“2019 could very well go down as the last year that New Jersey was eclipsed by Nevada,” said Eric Ramsey, analyst for

PlayNJ.com

said. “From its proximity to the New York market to its pioneering online sports betting infrastructure, New Jersey’s positives as a sports betting market will continue to fuel its growth.”

In December, online betting generated $488.9 million, or 87.6% of the state’s handle, up from 86.5% in November.

FanDuel Sportsbook/PointsBet continues to lead the market, tallying $12.1 million in gross revenue, down from $12.2 million in November. Anchored by DraftKings and Fox Bet, Resorts Digital generated $9.3 million, up from $9.1 million. The online market leaders were followed by:

Monmouth/William Hill/Sugarhouse/TheScore ($1.9 million, even with November)

Ocean Casino/William Hill ($1.2 million, down from $2.1 million in November)

BetMGM/Borgata ($995,096, down from $1.3 million)

Golden Nugget/BetAmerica ($102,524, down from $163,863)

Caesars Sportsbook/888sport ($64,759, down from $455,553)

Tropicana/William Hill ($32,958, down from $71,706)

Hard Rock/Bet365/Unibet (-$294,442, down from $517,252)

FanDuel Sportsbook at The Meadowlands posted $2.4 million in November gross revenue, down from $2.7 million in November, to retain the retail market lead. FanDuel was followed in gross revenue by:

Borgata ($1.3 million, up from $734,240 in November)

Monmouth Park ($617,410, down from $664,468)

Bally’s AC ($108,437, down from $252,778)

Tropicana Casino ($71,460, down from $108,392)

Golden Nugget ($66,306, down from $163,863)

Hard Rock AC (-$51,182, down from $19,837)

Ocean Casino (-$68,035, down from $492,357)

Harrah’s AC (-$107,646, down from $22,565)

Resorts AC (-$406,493, down from $51,278)

“In addition to constant growth, one of the constants in New Jersey’s sports betting market has been FanDuel’s dominance,” Gouker said. “The brands under Resorts Digital have made it a relatively close second in the online market, but it has proven difficult to overcome FanDuel’s advantages, despite the brand recognition that comes from DraftKings and Fox Bet.”

DECEMBER PUSHES ONLINECASINOS TO NEARLY $500 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUE

New Jersey’s online casino and poker industry nearly surpassed $50 million in monthly revenue for the first time in December, completing a year of incredible expansion. Online casino games and poker generated a record $49.3 million in December, up 70% from $29 million in December 2018.

Such growth is hardly an outlier. For the year, online casinos and poker generated a record $482.7 million, up 61.6% from $298.7 million in 2018. And online casinos set monthly revenue records eight times throughout the year.

“Online casino gambling has clearly become one of the biggest winners from online sports betting,” Ramsey said. “In a highly competitive market such as online casino gambling, the cross-selling of online gambling products has successfully kept customers playing.”

Some other important online casino and poker data from the December report:

Online casinos injected $7.4 million into state coffers in December and $72.5 million for the year.

The Golden Nugget, the unrivaled online market leader, took in $17.3 million, outpacing its land-based counterpart ($14.3 million) for the third consecutive month.

The industry generated a $1.6 million per day during the 31 days in December, up from $935,750 per day in December 2018.

Online casino games generated $47.6 million in December, even with November. Online poker posted $1.7 million, up from $1.5 million.

For more information and analysis on regulated sports betting and online gaming in New Jersey, visit

PlayNJ.com/news

.

About the

PlayUSA.com

Network:

The

PlayUSA.com

Network is a leading source for news, analysis, and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in the United States. With a presence in over a dozen states,

PlayUSA.com

and its state-focused branches (including

PlayNJ.com

and

PlayPennsylvania.com

) produce daily original reporting, publish in-depth research, and offer player advocacy tools related to the advancement of safe, licensed, and legal online gaming options for consumers. Based in Las Vegas, the PlayUSA Network is independently owned and operated, with no affiliations to any casino — commercial, tribal, online, or otherwise.

DEP MODIFIES HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOM GRANT PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS,

EXTENDS DEADLINE TO PROVIDE MORE FLEXIBILITY TO APPLICANTS

TRENTON – The Department of Environmental Protection has extended by 15 days the deadline for submission of applications for a $2.5 million grant program to fund projects to help reduce the occurrence of harmful algal blooms in the state.

The decision to extend the deadline for the harmful algal bloom management grant program to Jan. 27 follows a meeting last month with potential applicants who were looking for more financial flexibility and improved guidance in order to quickly implement projects to mitigate and/or control harmful algal blooms, also known as HABs.

As a result of this meeting, the DEP has published an updated notice that now allows in-kind services provided by applicants to be credited toward the program\’s matching-fund grant eligibility requirement, thus helping local governments that are working on finalizing operating budgets for this year. The DEP has also provided examples for clarity on what constitutes an eligible match, including short-term operation and maintenance of the demonstration project.

\”Reducing the impacts these blooms have on public health, the environment and our economy is of utmost importance to the state,\” Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe said. \”We fully understand the current budget planning needs of municipalities and counties that are interested in applying for grants and are committed to working closely with them to get these projects launched as soon as possible.\”

In November, Governor Murphy announced a comprehensive harmful algal bloom strategy that includes $13.5 million in funding for local projects that will improve water quality and help prevent, mitigate and manage harmful algal blooms in lakes and ponds.

This effort earmarks $10 million in Clean Water State Revolving Fund money as principal-forgiveness (grant-like) funding for projects that address HABs by improving water quality. The administration is also providing $3.5 million from two grant programs for projects addressing harmful algal blooms.

Specifically, the modifications apply to the $2.5 million harmful algal bloom management grant program, in which the state provides $2 in funding for every $1 invested by the applicant.

In-kind services directly related to the proposed project may now be used to count toward the local match for these projects, but applicants are advised that this may change in possible future grant opportunities and that they should begin budgetary planning accordingly.

Harmful algal blooms, also known as HABs, are not true algal blooms. Rather, they are caused by naturally occurring cyanobacteria that can reproduce to unhealthful levels under certain conditions, including sunlight, nutrients from sources such as fertilizers and improperly operating septic systems, warm weather and stagnant water. They frequently form dense mats, resembling pea soup or spilled paint.

Exposure to blooms can result in a range of health effects, including rashes, allergy-like reactions, flu-like symptoms, gastroenteritis, respiratory irritation and eye irritation. Exposure to a bloom that is actively producing cyanotoxins may result in more serious health effects, including liver toxicity and neurological effects.

People, pets and wildlife are susceptible to adverse health effects if they come into contact with or ingest water that is experiencing a bloom. For more information on harmful algal blooms, visit

www.state.nj.us/dep/hab

In all, more than 70 suspected blooms were reported last year, with 39 confirmed. These blooms resulted in health and water-contact advisories, closures of bathing beaches and, in some cases, had direct impacts on tourism-related businesses.

New Jersey American Water Invests $725,000 in Runnemede Infrastructure

CAMDEN, CITY  N.J. – JAN. 14, 2020 –

New Jersey American Water

will replace approximately 4,800 feet of aging 6-, 8-, and 12-inch water  main in Runnemede beginning this week. The company will upgrade the aging water lines, installed in the 1950s, with new, 8- and 12-inch ductile iron main along the entire length of Lindsay Avenue, Washington Avenue, Haverford Avenue and Ardmore Road from Lindsay Avenue to Washington

Avenue. The project also includes replacing five fire hydrants and 99 utility-owned service lines along the pipeline route.

This $725,000 investment will continue to advance water service reliability and increase water flows for household consumption and fire protection in this community. This improvement is part of New Jersey American Water’s multimillion-dollar initiative to accelerate the

renewal of water infrastructure

that has reached the end of its useful life in more than 100 communities across the state.

New Jersey American Water’s local, qualified contractor, Pioneer Pipe Contractors Inc., will begin work on or about January 16 and expects to finish by the end March 2020, weather permitting. Work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Work outside of these hours is not anticipated unless required to maintain project schedule. Final street restorations will be completed in the summer of 2020.

For the public’s and workers’ safety, traffic restrictions and/or alternating traffic patterns are likely to occur during work hours. All emergency vehicles and local traffic will be allowed access during construction. New Jersey American Water values the safety of its workers and advises drivers and pedestrians to take caution in the vicinity of work sites.

About New Jersey American Water

New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 2.7 million people. For more information, visit

www.newjerseyamwater.com

and follow New Jersey American Water on

Twitter

and

Facebook

.

About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,100 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to more than 14 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit

amwater.com

and follow American Water on

Twitter

,

Facebook

and

LinkedIn

.

How to Take Care of Your Backyard

(Gloucestercitynews.net)(January 16, 2020)–When you have a backyard in your home, it’s crucial that you take care of it. The last thing you are going to want is a patch of overgrown mess behind your property. Not only will this look bad, but you won’t be able to use it to its full advantage either. When guests come over you’ll be embarrassed about the look of your yard, and the longer you leave it, the harder it will be to tidy.

image courtesy of unsplash.com

Many people don’t really know how to take care of a backyard. They may never have had one before, or perhaps someone else always looked after it in the past. It could be that you don’t have a ‘green thumb’ and you’re just not confident in yard work. However, it isn’t so difficult to keep your yard looking neat and tidy and usable. Here are some tips.

Get Help

The first thing to do when you have a backyard that needs taking care of is to work out which jobs you can do yourself and which you are going to need professional assistance with. It will depend on your level of physical fitness, your budget, and how much time you have. You could get a gardener in to do all the work, or you might just want a

tree company Lake Mary

to come in and ensure the trees in your yard are safe and tidy.

This is the first step you should think about when you want to take care of your yard. Once you know what you need to do and what someone else can do, you can determine a plan of action to get it all completed in a reasonable time frame.

Keep it Clear

It’s easy for a backyard to become full of debris and trash over time. If you’re renovating the interior of your home, for example, your yard could be where you store your equipment and everything that really needs to go to the dump. Or it might be that you have children and they leave their toys and games all over the lawn.

The debris in your yard might not even be manmade. Leaves that fall can turn into mulch and become slippery and unsightly, so making sure you

rake them up

and remove them is important.

The clearer your yard is, the more enjoyable it will be. Even if you don’t do anything else to it, keeping the trash out of your yard is a good idea.

Use Fertilizer

If you really want to take care of your yard then using fertilizer to ensure the plants, flowers, fruit, vegetables, saplings — or anything else you might choose to plant outside — grow well is a great option.

Fertilizer gives your backyard the right amount of extra nutrients that it can’t get elsewhere, and this stimulates growth. To have your backyard looking its best, fertilizer is always going to work for you, and it’s cheap too — if you can speak to a farmer or stables about collecting their

horse manure

, you might even get it for free.

Mega Millions Jackpot Reaches $103,000,000

Thousands of New Jersey Players Win Prizes

TRENTON (Jan. 15, 2020) – The Mega Millions jackpot has rolled to $103 million! James Carey, New Jersey Lottery acting executive director, announced that in the Tuesday, Jan. 14, drawing, 27 players matched four of the five white balls drawn making each ticket worth $500. Four of those tickets were purchased with the Megaplier option, multiplying the prize to $1,000. Moreover, 25,740 other New Jersey players took home $107,974 in prizes ranging from $2 to $400, according to Carey. The winning numbers for the Tuesday, Jan. 14, drawing were: 09, 11, 13, 31, and 47. The Gold Mega Ball was 11, and the Megaplier Multiplier was 02.

The next drawing will be held Friday, Jan. 17, at 11:00 pm. All New Jersey Lottery Mega Millions tickets must be purchased before 10:45 pm to participate in the drawing. Mega Millions tickets cost just two dollars; by adding the Megaplier option for an extra dollar per play, players can increase their non- jackpot winnings up to five times. Mega Millions tickets are sold in 46 participating jurisdictions. Drawings are held on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Burlington County Chiefs of Police Association New Executive Board Members

BURLINGTON CITY NJ (January 15, 2020)The Burlington County Chiefs of Police Association is pleased to announce the names of their new Executive Board members for 2020.

The members will be sworn to their new positions at the annual Installation Dinner starting 6:00pm on Friday January 24, 2020 at the Café Madison, 33 Lafayette Street, Riverside, NJ 08075.

Riverton Borough Police Chief John B. Shaw Jr. will take the oath of office of President of the Chiefs Association during a ceremony at the banquet.

The remainder of the 2020 Executive Board of the Chiefs\’ Association being sworn in consists of:

1

st

Vice President – Medford Lakes Chief Robert Dugan, 2

nd

Vice President Westampton Township Chief Stephen Ent, Secretary- Lumberton Township Chief Nicholas Peditto, Treasurer – Chesterfield Township Police Chief Kyle Wilson, Sergeant-at-Arms Bordentown Township Chief Brian Pesce.

In addition to the swearing-in of the new board, the Chiefs\’ Association will also present the

Richard Dreby President’s Award

for service to the Chiefs\’ association and the Burlington County Police Chiefs Association College Scholarship Assistance Awards.

The Burlington County Police Chiefs\’ Organization and its members work toward the overall enhancement of law enforcement practices throughout Burlington County.

Joan M. Wood (nee Williams), of Williamstown, formerly of Gloucester City

Joan M. Wood (nee Williams), on January 15, 2020, of Williamstown, formerly of Gloucester City. Age 68.

Loving companion of Raymond “Skip” Bellows. Devoted sister of Frances Monahan (Phil), Donna Williams (Robert), Debra Williams (John) and the late G. Robert Williams, Lynda Thiel and Josephine Wiltsey. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and friends.

Joan loved playing Bingo and going on casino trips.

There will be a viewing from 9 to 11am Wednesday morning at GARDNER FUNERAL HOME, RUNNEMEDE.

Funeral Service 11am at the funeral home.

Interment Bethel Memorial Park, Pennsauken.

Family requests in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Joan’s memory to American Lung Assoc., 55 W. Wacker Dr., Suite 1150, Chicago, IL 60601.

Feel like you’re stuck in a rut in life?

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (January 16, 2020)–Feel like you just don’t have what you need to live

the life God has called you too?

This years annual prayer & praise night theme is from 1st Peter 1:3, \”WE HAVE ALL WE NEED\” and will feature short testimonies of physical healing, healing from grief, recovery from financial ruin and homelessness, and freedom from anxiety and addiction.

Epiphany Church and Highland Park Church invite you to join us for our second annual night of prayer and praise 5 pm Saturday, February 22nd at Highland Park Church on Market and Baynes across from Cold Springs Elementary School.

“By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory.” 2 Peter

1:3

Pastor Joe Marlin

Epiphany Church of Gloucester City

(856) 432-2118