Virtua Health Announces Two Additions to Philanthropy Board

Marton, NJ…January 12, 2026) Virtua Health, South Jersey’s largest not-for-profit health system, announces two leadership appointments for the Virtua Health Foundation Board of Trustees, effective January 2026. Virtua Health’s philanthropy program raises charitable support from individuals, community organizations, corporations, foundations, and government grants. Philanthropic investments support a wide variety of Virtua’s programs, including community health and clinical services. They also provide nursing scholarships and educational resources for clinicians and improve access to care for the South Jersey community. Virtua Health Foundation trustees play a vital role in the success of this work, serving as ambassadors for the health system’s philanthropic initiatives. In 2025, generous donors invested nearly $13 million in Virtua’s mission.  

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GLOUCESTER COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER

Pet of the Week: Nae!

Meet Nae, a sweet 3-year-old girl who came to the Gloucester County Animal Shelter after her family could no longer care for her. 💜

Nae can be a little shy at first, but once she feels safe, her gentle, affectionate personality really

shines. She just needs a patient, loving home where she can relax and bloom.

She’s anxiously waiting for her second chance and would thrive in a calm, quiet environment with someone who will cherish her.

🐱 Ready to meet Nae?

📍 Gloucester County Animal Shelter

📞 856-881-2828

📄 Adoption applications available online!

Let’s help Nae find the loving home she deserves! 💕🐾

Update on Investigations Into Wildwood Crest Deaths

Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Chief Robert Lloyd of the Wildwood Crest Police Department provide the following update to the investigation into the deaths of two individuals in the Borough of Wildwood Crest. As previously reported, on January 7, 2026, officers from the Wildwood Crest Police Department responded to the 300 block of East Atlanta Avenue, where an adult male and an adult female were discovered deceased inside a residence.

The deceased have been positively identified as Donald Miller, age 79, and Marion Miller, age 79, both residents of Wildwood Crest. Detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, in conjunction with the Wildwood Crest Police Department, continued a comprehensive investigation, which included additional witness interviews, forensic analysis, and post-mortem examinations conducted by the Southern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

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Why Professional Legal Support Matters in the Workplace

Navigating the modern workplace can be complex. From compliance with labor laws to addressing employee disputes, employers face a wide range of legal responsibilities. While many businesses attempt to manage these challenges internally, having professional legal support is crucial for protecting the organization, its employees, and its reputation.

Understanding Workplace Legal Risks

Workplaces today are governed by a web of local, state, and federal regulations. Issues such as wage and hour compliance, discrimination claims, harassment allegations, and employee contracts all carry potential legal consequences if mishandled. Without expert guidance, even well-intentioned decisions can lead to costly lawsuits, regulatory fines, or damage to employee morale. Professional legal advisors help identify these risks before they escalate, offering preventative strategies that save time, money, and stress.

Ensuring Compliance with Labor Laws

Compliance is a cornerstone of workplace legal support. Regulations can change frequently, and businesses must stay up to date to avoid violations. Legal professionals assist in interpreting these rules accurately, ensuring that employment practices—from hiring and termination to overtime policies—adhere to the law. For example, understanding nuances around employee classifications or leave entitlements can prevent inadvertent violations that might otherwise result in penalties. A proactive approach to compliance fosters a stable and trustworthy workplace environment.

Read more: Why Professional Legal Support Matters in the Workplace

Handling Employee Disputes Effectively

Even in the most harmonious workplaces, conflicts may arise. Disagreements over promotions, performance evaluations, or workplace behavior can escalate quickly if not handled correctly. Professional legal support provides guidance on resolving disputes fairly and legally. By advising managers on proper procedures and documentation, legal experts help mitigate the risk of litigation while preserving workplace relationships. This approach ensures that disputes are resolved efficiently, with respect for all parties involved.

Crafting Clear and Enforceable Policies

Policies are the backbone of a professional and organized workplace. Legal professionals help draft and review employee handbooks, codes of conduct, and other internal policies to ensure they are clear, enforceable, and compliant with the law. Well-crafted policies provide employees with guidance on expectations, behavior, and procedures, reducing ambiguity and minimizing the likelihood of disputes. Moreover, having legally sound policies demonstrates a company’s commitment to fairness and professionalism.

Supporting Strategic Business Decisions

Legal support is not just about managing risks—it also plays a key role in strategic decision-making. Whether a company is considering mergers, acquisitions, or expansions, legal advisors offer insight into regulatory requirements and contractual obligations. By integrating legal perspectives early in the decision-making process, businesses can avoid pitfalls and make informed choices that support long-term growth.

Why Partnering with Experts Matters

While many organizations handle some legal matters internally, partnering with experienced professionals ensures comprehensive coverage. Firms like Baird Quinn specialize in employment law and workplace compliance, providing tailored guidance that aligns with a company’s unique needs. By leveraging expert advice, businesses gain confidence that they are operating within the law while fostering a positive and secure work environment.

Conclusion

The workplace is a dynamic environment, and navigating its legal landscape requires expertise and vigilance. Professional legal support helps businesses stay compliant, resolve conflicts, and make strategic decisions with confidence. By investing in legal guidance, organizations protect themselves, their employees, and their long-term reputation. Ultimately, professional legal support is not just a safeguard—it’s a strategic asset for any workplace aiming to thrive in today’s complex business world.

The Social Importance of Staying Connected to School Roots

School years form one of the earliest social frameworks most people experience. Friendships, routines, shared challenges, and everyday interactions during that time quietly shape how individuals relate to others later in life. Staying connected to school roots is not simply about nostalgia. It plays an important social role in supporting identity, belonging, and long-term connection in an increasingly fragmented world.

School Roots Provide a Shared Social Language

School environments create a shared social language built from common experiences. Teachers, classrooms, sports days, exams, and everyday routines form reference points that remain meaningful long after school ends. Reconnecting with people from that period allows conversations to flow easily, even after long gaps, because there is already an understood context.

This shared language reduces social friction. It removes the need to explain background or history and allows people to connect from a place of familiarity rather than introduction.

Early Connections Shape How You Relate to Others

Many core social skills are developed during school years. Learning how to form friendships, manage differences, and find one’s place within a group often begins there. Staying connected to school roots helps people reflect on how these early experiences influenced their communication style, confidence, and sense of belonging.

Looking back at school connections can bring greater awareness of personal growth and social patterns that still influence relationships today.

Read more: The Social Importance of Staying Connected to School Roots

Belonging Does Not Disappear With Time

One of the most significant social benefits of staying connected to school roots is the reinforcement of belonging. Even when friendships fade or paths diverge, the knowledge of having been part of a shared community remains powerful.

Revisiting school connections reminds people that they belong to something larger than their current circumstances. This can be especially grounding during life transitions such as relocation, career change, or periods of isolation.

Shared History Strengthens Social Trust

Trust develops more easily when there is shared history. School roots provide that history in a way few other environments can. Even casual classmates often feel easier to reconnect with than strangers because there is an established baseline of familiarity.

This trust does not require constant contact. It exists quietly, ready to be revisited when people choose to reconnect.

School Connections Support Intergenerational Understanding

Staying connected to school roots also supports social understanding across generations. Sharing school experiences with family members helps younger generations see personal history as real and relatable. It humanizes parents and relatives, creating empathy and connection within families.

These shared stories strengthen social bonds beyond the original school environment.

Digital Access Keeps Social Roots Alive

Modern technology has made it easier to stay connected to school roots even when physical distance or time makes in-person reunions difficult. Specialist sites like Classmates help preserve shared history by making it possible to rediscover classmates, revisit memories, and reconnect on one’s own terms.

This digital continuity ensures that school roots do not fade simply because life moves forward.

Reconnection Encourages Social Reflection

Revisiting school connections often prompts reflection on how values, priorities, and relationships have evolved. Seeing how others have grown encourages perspective and empathy. These reflections support social maturity and a broader understanding of life paths beyond one’s own.

Such reflection strengthens social awareness rather than trapping people in the past.

School Roots Anchor Identity Over Time

Identity is shaped over many years, and school experiences form one of its earliest layers. Staying connected to those roots helps people maintain a sense of continuity between who they were and who they have become.

This anchoring effect supports confidence and emotional stability, especially in fast-changing social environments.

Why Staying Connected Matters

The social importance of staying connected to school roots lies in continuity, belonging, and shared understanding. These connections remind people that relationships do not lose value simply because time passes. Instead, they evolve quietly, waiting to be rediscovered.

Ways Better Skin Can Boost Your Confidence

Confidence isn’t just about how you think or act. It’s also deeply connected to how you feel about your appearance. One of the most influential factors in self-confidence is skin health. When your skin looks clear, smooth, and radiant, it often translates into feeling more comfortable and self-assured in everyday life. Better skin doesn’t mean perfection; it means feeling good when you look in the mirror. Here are several meaningful ways improved skin can boost your confidence and positively impact different areas of your life.

Feeling Comfortable in Your Own Skin

Healthy skin reduces the urge to hide behind makeup, filters, or certain clothing choices. When concerns like acne, uneven tone, or fine lines are minimized, many people feel more at ease showing their natural face. This comfort allows you to focus less on perceived flaws and more on enjoying conversations, experiences, and connections with others.

Making Stronger First Impressions

First impressions often happen quickly, and while they shouldn’t define you, they do matter. Clear, glowing skin can make you appear well-rested, energized, and confident. Whether you’re meeting new people, attending a job interview, or walking into a social event, feeling good about your skin can help you present yourself with greater confidence and ease.

Improving Self-Esteem Over Time

Skin issues can take a toll on self-esteem, especially when they persist despite at-home skincare products and efforts. Addressing those concerns through professional treatments can be empowering. As your skin improves, so does your perception of yourself. That steady improvement often leads to a more positive self-image and a stronger sense of self-worth over time.

Read more: Ways Better Skin Can Boost Your Confidence

Encouraging Healthier Habits

When people invest in improving their skin, they often become more mindful of their overall wellness. Better skincare can encourage healthier habits such as staying hydrated, maintaining a consistent routine, protecting skin from sun damage, and managing stress. These habits don’t just improve skin; they contribute to feeling better physically and mentally, which naturally boosts confidence.

Reducing Daily Stress and Self-Consciousness

Worrying about breakouts, redness, or premature aging can create daily stress for many people. If this is what you experience, know that improved skin can reduce that mental burden. When you’re no longer preoccupied with how your skin looks under certain lighting or from certain angles, it frees up mental energy. That sense of relief can make you feel calmer, more present, and more confident throughout the day.

Supporting a Youthful, Refreshed Appearance

Healthy skin is often associated with vitality and youthfulness. Treatments that improve texture, tone, and elasticity can help you look refreshed rather than tired. This doesn’t mean changing how you look. Instead, it means enhancing what’s already there. Feeling refreshed can influence how you carry yourself, how you smile, and how confidently you interact with others.

Why Professional Treatments Can Make a Difference

While over-the-counter products play an important role, professional skin treatments can address concerns at a deeper level. Customized treatments are designed to work with your specific skin type and goals, offering results that are often more noticeable and longer-lasting. Having guidance from trained professionals also provides reassurance and clarity, which can make the skincare journey feel far less overwhelming. For those looking to take their skincare to the next level, many people choose dermani MEDSPA® for professional skin treatments.

For someone who isn’t confident about where to take their skincare journey, heading to the professionals is the best direction to take. Rather than being concerned that you aren’t doing the right steps or actions, it gives you more confidence before you even see any results. This all contributes to a more confident you!

Confidence That Goes Beyond Appearance

Ultimately, better skin isn’t about meeting unrealistic standards. It’s about feeling comfortable, capable, and confident in your own skin. When you feel good about how you look, it often carries over into how you speak, how you engage with others, and how you show up in your daily life. Investing in your skin can be an investment in your confidence, helping you feel more like your best self.

Big Wins for American Families as Gas Prices, Mortgage Rates Plummet

As 2026 begins, President Donald J. Trump’s America First agenda is making more progress delivering real, tangible relief to American families, with gas prices falling to their lowest levels in five years and mortgage rates dropping sharply. These declines — driven by the Trump Administration’s relentless pursuit of energy dominance and housing affordability — are putting money back in Americans’ pockets and making the American Dream more attainable than ever.

Gas drops its lowest price in years — again.

Gas prices have hit their lowest levels since 2021, with the national average declining for the seventh straight week. According to GasBuddy, the average price for regular gas is below $3 per gallon in 43 states, below $2.75 per gallon in 30 states, and at or below $2.50 per gallon in 17 states. In fact, Americans can even find gas below $2 per gallon at certain stations in at least 19 states.

This relief is putting real money back in Americans’ pockets: motorists are on track to spend $11 billion less on gas in 2026 compared to 2025, with the average household saving hundreds annually and overall gas spending as a share of disposable income reaching the lowest in two decades.

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Gloucester Catholic Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2026 Inductees!!

Gloucester Catholic High School will host its 4th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at Sapphire Grand Ballroom in Deptford, NJ, the Hall of Fame Executive Committee has announced.

Proceeds from the Hall of Fame Banquet benefit Gloucester Catholic High School.

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Closure: Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Angling Category Southern Area Trophy Fishery

FISHERY: Angling Category Southern Area Trophy Bluefin Tuna (the southern area is defined as the area south of 39°18’N. lat. (off Great Egg Inlet, NJ), outside of the Gulf of America). More information on this area can be found in the Amendment 13 Compliance Guide. Please note, that the Angling category fishery for school, large school, or small medium bluefin tuna (27 to <73”) remains open in all areas except for the Gulf of America, which is designated as bluefin tuna spawning grounds and where NOAA Fisheries does not allow targeted fishing for bluefin tuna.

The Angling category bluefin tuna trophy fisheries for the Gulf of America, Southern New England, and Gulf of Maine areas remain open. CLOSED: January 13, 2026, 11:30 pm – December 31, 2026 REASON FOR CLOSURE: Based on the best available landings information, the southern area trophy subquota has been reached and exceeded. PERMITS AFFECTED: Highly Migratory Species Angling category permitted vessels and Highly Migratory Species Charter/Headboat permitted vessels fishing recreationally in the southern area (defined above). Recreational fishermen aboard vessels with an Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Angling category or Highly Migratory Species Charter/Headboat permit (while fishing recreationally) may not retain, possess, or land large medium or giant Atlantic bluefin tuna (i.e., measuring 73 inches curved fork length or greater) in the southern area from 11:30 p.m. January 13, 2026, through December 31, 2026. COMMERCIAL: Not affected by this closure. Learn More

 

 

 

Gov. Murphy signs bill to ban cellphones in classrooms

Gov. Phil Murphy speaking at Ramsey High School on Jan. 8, 2026, before signing a bill that will ban cellphones in K-12 classrooms beginning next school year. (Photo by Jake Hirsch/Governor’s Office.)

By :Sophie Nieto-Munoz

New Jersey public school districts will be required to bar their students from using cellphones and other smart devices during school hours under a bill signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy Thursday.

Murphy, a Democrat whose second term ends on Jan. 20, had made banning phones during class a priority of his final year in office. He signed the bill during a ceremony in Ramsey High School, where classrooms have been phone-free for a year already.

Murphy said that within four months of Ramsey High School’s cellphone ban, nearly 80% of teachers reported increased engagement in class and a majority of the faculty observed greater student-to-student interaction, fewer classroom distractions, and more attentive students.

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