CNBNews Archives: The Cleary’s of Camden City,

(RELEASED in the 1980’s)

THE CLEARYS OF CAMDEN

201:JAMES FRANCIS CLEARY, (John200, James1) was born on February 10, 1863, in Camden, New Jersey.. (1863-1924); He died August 13, 1924, at 555 Pine Street in Camden, New Jersey of organic heart disease. James was interred on August 18, 1924, at Calvary Cemetery in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The directories of Camden list him at various addresses between 1883 and 1892 near Pine Street, where his parents lived. After the death of his mother, Mary, he was left with lifetime tenancy in a house at 705 South Sixth Street. His occupation changed from laborer to collector to driver for Burnett and Betts, then to work in “wine and liquors” in 1892. From 1893 through 1897, he appears to have been in business for himself with a partner named Corbett. From 1898 through 1905, he lived at 225 Pine Street and was listed as a “bottler.”

His niece, Agnes (Cleary) Weatherby, remembers that he had a ‘soda fountain’ during the early 1920s. A news account in the Camden Daily Courier on Thursday, August 14, 1924, under the headline JAMES CLEARY DIES SUDDENLY, SOUTH CAMDEN MAN DROPS DEAD WHILE SERVING MAN IN STORE,

reads as follows:

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The Impact of the Holt Marine Terminals on Camden, Gcity, and Paulsboro Residents

UPDATED

William E. Cleary Sr. |CNBNews

Why has the Gloucester City Housing Office allowed this to happen?–The present head of the department, Bill Gallagher, is being paid $75,000 plus to enforce the city’s property ordinances. Decades ago, the Holt family planted a row of evergreens along the Ellis Street corridor that runs parallel with the marine terminal. Today, branches from those trees have not only engulfed the pedestrian sidewalk but have gotten so large that they have swallowed up parts of Ellis Street narrowing the width of road. Parking is at a premium in that area and those same trees are blocking cars from parking next to the curb. If the trees were placed behind the fence that would not have happened. Another improvement that would make a big difference is a sound deflection walls along Ellis Street similar to the ones you see on state and federal highways.

Constructing engineered acoustic walls directly along the terminal borders helps intercept low-frequency industrial noise. When integrated with vegetative buffers, these structures force airborne dust and diesel exhaust upward, away from ground-level residential areas.

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The Freedom Pier ‘Boom Doggle’

Gloucester City’s Freedom Pier was unveiled 15 years ago, on September 17, 2011. Approximately 100 people attended the dedication ceremony, including State Senator Donald Norcross; Assemblymen Gilbert “Whip” Wilson and Angel Fuentes; Sheriff and former Mayor Charles Billingham; Freeholder and former City Councilman Tom Gurick; Councilmen Nick Marchese, Jay Brophy, and Dan Spencer; City Historian Dave Munn; School Board President Louisa Llewellyn; and St. Mary’s Church Deacon Frank Crosson.

For over five decades Cleary’s Notebook News has written about the Gloucester City’s waterfront and the many redevelopment plans that promised transformation but ultimately fell short. The first plan presented to the City Fathers came from a North Jersey developer in 1987. He envisioned Hollywood East being built along the City’s waterfront. Mayor and council would not commit to the proposal until the develolper released his financial documents. The developer refused to provide that information until he was named the project developer.

That was followed by the King Street Corridor plan. In anticipation of that proposal the City purchased the corner bar at King and Cumberland Streets and demolished it. They also demolished the former King Theater. Those in charge announced the space were the bar and the theater were would be used for development plan. But that idea never got any further than the architect drawings.

Since then, a litany of proposistions have been announced with great fanfare, only to stall, collapse, or become entangled in lawsuits and political disputes. Those sketches ended up with all the other plans in the attic of the municipal building.

(See a list of those gradiose plans below)

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Gloucester City FD Staffs 2nd Fire Co. at No Cost to Residents

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (October 4, 2026)(CNBNews) — The Gloucester City Fire Department has announced that it will begin staffing a second fire company, a change that allows the department to place a ladder truck in service with dedicated staffing — and to do so without adding to the cost borne by the community.

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ACES 8TH Grade Class Annual Fundraiser

BROOKLAWN, NJ (CNBNews)This is our 10th year for Stuff a Scarecrow! Let’s make it our best one yet! This is an open house at the Brooklawn Community Center and you can come anytime between the hours of 5pm to 8pm to decorate your scarecrow. If you would like to prepay and take your scarecrow with you to keep at your house then that is an option too! Please click the link below and fill out the Google form so we know you are coming and can be prepared. Please bring whatever you will be dressing your scarecrow in. We do have some clothes and accessories but it’s first come first serve for them. We will have a snack stand and hot dogs available for sale as well. Please come out and support our Alice Costello 8th grade class!

https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSeHEdXmWPU…/viewform

Waterfront Wealth vs. Public Health: The Heavy Cost of Holt’s Gloucester City Shipping Hub

Cleary’s Notebook News

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (September 27, 2026)— As industrial logistics hubs expand along the Delaware River waterfront, the critical trade operations of marine container terminals come at a severe cost to adjacent residential neighborhoods. For frontline communities living under the shadow of heavy port infrastructure in South Jersey, the environmental footprint is defined by a continuous influx of air, water, noise, and land pollution.

The Gloucester Marine Terminal (photo courtesy of Holt Logistics)

The intersection of private shipping infrastructure and state operations forms the backbone of this regional economic engine. Headquartered right here at the Gloucester Marine Terminal on King Street, the family-owned Holt Logisticshas been a dominant maritime force since 1926. Today, the company also acts as a primary private operator for major assets owned by the state-run South Jersey Port Corporation (SJPC), including Pier 5 at the Broadway Marine Terminal in Camden and the newer Paulsboro Marine Terminal. While these public-private partnerships handle millions of tons of cargo annually and drive regional logistics growth, their round-the-clock operations concentrate localized environmental hazards directly in residential backyards.

The 1996 Waterfront Lease Controversy

Nowhere is the complex and highly transactional relationship between Gloucester City and its largest corporate tenant clearer than in the history of the 1996 ninety-nine-year lease agreement.

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Sgt Yeager (RET) Top Dog, Enjoying the Good Life

Oct. 3, 2019 | By Katie Lange |

A Marine sits on a wooden bench in gravel, petting a black Labrador retriever whose chin is in the Marine’s lap.

Sgt. Yeager is living his best life – hanging with his family, playing with his human siblings and giving love in return for some snuggles, just like any K-9 combat veteran deserves.

A black dog licks the face of a smiling woman as she squats down to hug the dog. In the background is the U.S. Capitol building.

Sgt. Yeager, a retired Marine Corps explosives detection dog, licks the face of adoptive mom Caroline Zuendel outside the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

“He’s a lover,” said Caroline Zuendel, the 13-year-old Labrador retriever’s adoptive mom. “He’s been a source of joy in our lives.”

But the earlier days of Sgt. Yeager’s life weren’t nearly that simple. He’s seen things that most people might never get over.

“We didn’t know his story until we got him,” Zuendel said.

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Despite Holt Lawsuit, Delaware Terminal Starts Construction

William E. Cleary Sr. | Clearys Notebook News

WILMINGTON, DELAWARE (September 18, 2026)–Located at the former Edgemoor industrial site, DCT will handle containers, retail goods and perishable commodities, nearly doubling container capacity across the Delaware River port complex. The terminal will also provide ocean carriers and cargo owners with access to Class I rail services and major highways, including I-495, I-95, I-295, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

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CNBNews Archives:…BARNARD AVE WORK DISGRACEFUL

Peyton and Me Meandering Through Gcity and Beyond…

By William E. Cleary Sr.

Covering The South Jersey, Philly Region and Surrounding Communities

February 27, 2023

THE DONKEY PATH —

DOES ANYONE KNOW? Why has it taken over six months to repave Barnard Avenue in Gloucester City? It can’t be weather related since this winter has been mild. There have been weeks when no construction work was done on the street. According to Barnard

Regarding the Barnard Street repairs, Brian Morrell, the acting City Administrator/Police Chief, promised the residents living on that DONKEY PATH that the work would start at the beginning of January 2022. However, the long-overdue work didn’t begin until September 2023, nine months later. Residents have been putting up with the dirt and dust from the construction crews all this time. On Monday, January 30, another infrastructure crew dug up the street again.

That street, along with others in the Riverview Heights area, has been neglected by the past and present Democratic mayor and council for decades. The incumbents have no competition, so they have no need to live up to their promises. Which explains why the streets in this area and across the City have been patched so many times. Gigantic holes in these streets with water pouring out of them are a common occurrence.

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Two Suspects Rob ACE Hardware Store

CLARK TOWNSHIP NJ (June 3, 2026)(CNBNews)–Two suspects are being sought for allegedly shoplifting items from an Ace Hardware store, 26 Westfield Avenue, in Clark Township on May 28. Supposedly, the suspects fled toward Rahway in a black Jeep SUV minutes before a Clark Township Police Officer arrived at the scene.