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Category: New Jersey News

  • Craig LaBan reviews Barclay Pies | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    Craig LaBan reviews Barclay Pies | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    Hello, Cherry Hill! 👋

    Finding a good gluten-free pizza can be a challenge, but Barclay Pies has risen to it, according to Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan. Also this week, the township has banned large-scale data centers, the former chief baking officer at Classic Cake is opening a nearby cake shop, plus, the latest on roadwork throughout the township.

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    Barclay Pies sets a new standard for gluten-free pizza

    A gluten-free pepperoni pizza at Barclay Pies. Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer

    Gluten-free pies that don’t look like cardboard circles and mozzarella sticks that are safe for non-gluten-eaters to enjoy? Barclay Pies is serving up versions of both that are far tastier than many of their contemporaries, according to Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan.

    He recently reviewed the roughly year-old Marlton Pike pizza joint and he’s not the only one impressed by the shop’s high-hydration crusts dusted with cornmeal. The shop has gained buzz among the gluten-free community, so much so that gluten-free pies make up about a third of all Barclay’s orders.

    Here’s what LaBan liked about the Detroit-style offerings and how they stack up to their gluten-filled counterparts.

    💡 Community News

    • In case you missed it, large-scale data centers have been banned from being developed in Cherry Hill after township council voted on a zoning ordinance amendment at Monday’s meeting. The Inquirer’s Lacey Latch has the details.
    • The former site of Roma Bank at 1951 Route 70 East could soon become a medical office complex. The developer will go before the planning board on Monday for variance approval for a 6,000-square-foot space for up to two tenants.
    • Roadwork continues on Kenilworth Avenue, and Haddonfield-Berlin, Kresson, Springdale, and Old Orchard Roads, causing closures, detours, and delays. Here’s the latest.
    • After months of searching, Chabad of Cherry Hill West has found a new home in an office building on Chapel Avenue, near AMC Theatres, Philadelphia Jewish Exponent reports.
    • The township mailed tax bills for the second half of 2026 last week and has extended the grace period until Aug. 19.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • Kwame Morton is the second-highest paid superintendent in Camden County, according to state budget data for 2025-26. He had a base salary of $242,925, putting him behind Winslow Township’s superintendent and ahead of Camden City’s. That figure ranks 91st statewide, according to the Courier Post.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • Al DiBartolo, the former chief baking officer at Classic Cake on Evesham Road, is opening his own 900-square-foot bakery within Del Buono’s Pastry Shop, which is set to debut in Haddon Township late next month. DiBartolo’s Kakery will have grab-and-go cakes, as well as custom and wedding cakes.
    • Quickway Japanese Hibachi opened this week at Ellisburg Shopping Center. The eatery serves bento boxes, sushi, poke, and hibachi dishes.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🕺 80s and 90s Party: Throwback hip hop and R&B tunes will dominate this dance party. ⏰ Saturday, Aug. 1, 6-10 p.m. 💵 $24.71 📍 Vera

    🎧 Cherry Hill Record Riot: Browse dozens of tables of albums. ⏰ Sunday, Aug. 2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 💵 Prices vary 📍 Holiday Inn Philadelphia-Cherry Hill

    🫧 Mr. Foamtastic Foam Party: Kids can play in suds outside the library. ⏰ Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2-3 p.m. (Rain date: Aug. 7) 💵 Free 📍 Cherry Hill Public Library

    🚓 National Night Out: The community event will feature demonstrations, food, games, and music. ⏰ Tuesday, Aug. 4, 6-8:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Croft Farm

    🗓️ Looking for more things to do? Check out our guide to ongoing South Jersey events.

    🏡 On the Market

    An updated century-old bungalow

    The exterior of 106 Linderman Ave. in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
    The exterior of 106 Linderman Ave. in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.Tory Schroff, Keller Williams Realty – Moorestown

    Built in 1926, this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the Barlow neighborhood has been recently updated and features two spaces to connect to the outdoors. In the front, there’s an enclosed porch, while out back, a deck leads to the yard and a detached two-car garage.

    See more photos of the home here.

    Price: $389,900 | Size: 1,500 SF | Acreage: 0.14

    🗞️ What other Cherry Hill residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • Strong storms prompt tornado and flood warnings in the Philly region

    Strong storms prompt tornado and flood warnings in the Philly region

    With the atmosphere behaving like a shaken bottle of champagne, potent storms crossed the Philly region Tuesday night, prompting tornado and flood warnings.

    The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for parts of Chester and Delaware Counties and northern Delaware. The warning area included Chester city and Wilmington, where a funnel cloud reportedly was sighted, the weather service said.

    It was not yet known if any twisters had touched down.

    The federal Storm Prediction Center, which issued the general twister advisory, also had the entire region under a severe thunderstorm watch until 10 p.m.

    The weather service also had posted numerous flash-flood and severe-storm warnings. The agency posted a report of “multiple” homes flooded in West Brandywine Township, Chester County,

    Rainfall this summer has been maddeningly capricious, but this time it appeared that the entire region is going to win some share of the rain lottery proceeds, wanted or not.

    “I think this is the type of setup where everyone is going to get rain,” said Marc Chernard, senior branch forecasters with the federal Weather Prediction Center, in College Park, Md. The center had Philadelphia and its neighboring counties targeted for “excessive rainfall” potential.

    The National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly has a flash-flood watch in effect until 2 p.m. Wednesday, with a general 1 to 3 inches expected across the region.

    For flood potential, what would matter would be the rainfall rates, and it’s possible the skies could wring out localized amounts of 3 inches an hour, said Chernard.

    Storms could be quite potent, said Patrick O’Hara, meteorologist at the Mount Holly office. The weather service warned that a “few tornadoes” are possible.

    “Some of the stuff in Delmarva, South Jersey, maybe even Philadelphia, may be spinning.” said O’Hara. “Welcome to July weather in Philadelphia.”

    People caught in the heavy rain storm as they cross the street in Philadelphia Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in University City.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    The likeliest time for strong storms in the Philly region

    An early batch of strong storms is likely to miss Philly and most of the afternoon may be rain-free, but a second round late in the day into the evening won’t, O’Hara said, with a round of soaking downpours likely.

    “That will be just torrents,” he said. He expected the heaviest of the rains to appear around 6 or 7 p.m.

    Said Chernard, “It could be a lot of rain that comes around quickly.”

    The system triggering the rain is something of a hybrid, born of a pattern more common to the cooler weather of fall and spring when temperature contrasts in the atmosphere are sharper, O’Hara said.

    “We have a situation where we have summertime heat and humidity, but almost out-of-season dynamics,” he said.

    Whatever the cause, the storms could have “significant impacts,” said Chernard.

    Chernard said he expected the worst of the rains to move out of the region later Tuesday night; however, the shut-off time remains uncertain.

    Showers could return Wednesday night.

    The flood potential

    After months of below-normal precipitation leading up to a July that has been the wettest month since March 2024, “base” stream levels are relatively low, said O’Hara.

    And neither the Delaware nor Schuylkill Rivers are in imminent danger of sloshing over.

    However, rain rates of 2 or 3 inches of hour are enough to generate flash flooding along streams. During a localized downpour on Monday, Pennypack Creeks in the Northeast rose to minor flood stage.

    Heavy rains flooded downtown streets and swamped cars in Hammonton, Atlantic County.

    How much for Philly?

    With July thunderstorms it isn’t simply a question of how much for Philly, but how much for South Philly, Center City, Germantown, or Fox Chase.

    Even though everyone might get rain, the heaviest rains will be concentrated, said Chernard.

    What is almost certain is that some places are going to get a soaking.

    At least no smoke is in the forecast.

  • American Airlines says technology outage temporarily halted flights

    American Airlines says technology outage temporarily halted flights

    American Airlines said Tuesday night that flights were temporarily halted because of a “technology issue” but have begun to resume.

    “A technology issue briefly impacted connectivity for some of our systems on Tuesday evening,” the airline posted on social media.

    “Systems are coming back online now and flights are departing again. We put a temporary ground stop in place while our teams worked to resolve the issue. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” the airline said.

    American Airlines is the busiest carrier at Philadelphia International Airport.

  • Jersey Shore-set comedy ‘Wildwood’ in development at FX from ‘Derry Girls’ creator

    Jersey Shore-set comedy ‘Wildwood’ in development at FX from ‘Derry Girls’ creator

    A new comedy set at the Jersey Shore is in the works from Irish writer Lisa McGee, the creator behind the hilarious hit show Derry Girls.

    Called Wildwood, the series will follow a group of college girls visiting New Jersey from Ireland in the summer of 2000 with “no money, no visas, no plan, no clue,” according to Deadline.

    McGee’s Derry Girls became a whopping international hit after first airing on Britain’s Channel 4 in 2018 and later landing on Netflix.

    It follows a group of messy, raunchy, and zany teens — including Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan — at an all-girls Catholic school in the 1990s during the Troubles conflict in Northern Ireland.

    A still from “Derry Girls.” (Netflix)Netflix / MCT

    The show was a semi-autobiographical story for McGee, who grew up in Derry and writes irreverent, cheeky young characters that make audiences cringe, cry, and laugh out loud. Her most recent project was the comical murder mystery How to Get to Heaven From Belfast, which premiered on Netflix in February.

    Described as a “spiritual successor” to Derry Girls, Wildwood marks McGee’s first U.S.-based project. It will be developed with 20th Television and FX following a reportedly competitive bidding process. McGee will serve as creator and executive producer.

    It’s not yet clear whether Wildwood will film in the eponymous beach town where it’s set, but FX — the longtime home of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — is certainly no stranger to the region.

    The Jersey Shore remains a favorite for TV and film productions in recent years, from The Four Seasons (Ocean Grove and Point Pleasant) to Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (Asbury Park) to A Complete Unknown (Cape May).

  • More than 2,000 of N.J.’s ‘noncitizen voters’ could actually be citizens, Gov. Sherrill says

    More than 2,000 of N.J.’s ‘noncitizen voters’ could actually be citizens, Gov. Sherrill says

    About 2,000 New Jersey voters identified last week as noncitizens could actually be citizens after all, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday, a week after her disclosure of a voter registration glitch put the state at the center of a heated national debate over election security.

    Sherrill announced last week that approximately 6,600 noncitizens had been registered to vote ahead of the 2024 election due to a software glitch with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission’s automatic voter registration program. She said fewer than 400 of those people had voted and there is no evidence that they affected the results of any election. The finding came in the midst of a political fight over President Donald Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud, including by noncitizens, and his aggressive push for an overhaul of the country’s election system.

    The first-term governor said Tuesday that the New Jersey Department of State’s Division of Elections has begun a process to remove more than 4,500 individuals who were registered because of the software error, but that the rest of the registrations will be referred to county election officials for further review “to ensure that any lawfully registered voters are not being disenfranchised.”

    “We are taking this extra step because our initial review indicates that a number of these individuals may be citizens,” she said in a statement. “That has been the case in other states where clerical and administrative voter registration errors have occurred, and we’re determined to get this right.”

    Her office announced the discovery a little more than one hour after celebrating New Jersey’s new John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act, which Sherrill signed July 2. Lewis was a civil rights leader who represented Georgia in Congress from 1987 until his death in 2020.

    The law, which is based on a federal proposal that former President Joe Biden unsuccessfully tried to pass, promotes equal opportunity to voting and voter outreach to communities that do not speak English proficiently, and prohibits intimidation, deception, violence, or restraint of voters or election workers.

    The law lays out a process for individuals who want to file a complaint over voting rights and requires public hearings for redistricting.

    If jurisdictions have a history of discrimination, the law requires approval from the attorney general before they can make changes to their election administration. It also gives the attorney general authority to enforce the law through litigation, investigations, and studies, and by representing the public in federal court.

    “Here in New Jersey, if your rights are violated, you have a right of action,” Sherrill said at Union Baptist Church in Trenton.

    Sherrill said New Jersey is the 10th state to enact the model, but the first to do so since an April Supreme Court ruling that weakened part of the Voting Rights Act as the court’s conservative majority ruled against a majority-Black district in Louisiana.

    Supporters of the bill said they had been advocating for it for four years in New Jersey.

    Sherrill’s Tuesday celebration at the church shows the governor is not shying away from the issue of voting rights even as the state becomes a talking point for Republicans who want enact new national restrictions — including requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship to register with documents like a birth certificate or passport.

    Sherrill opposes the national legislation, known as the SAVE America Act, which has been championed by Trump as a way to make elections more secure but which opponents warn could make it tougher to vote for millions of Americans.

    “Trump has only one concern: winning at any cost, and he’s willing to put the right to vote at risk,” Sherrill said Tuesday. “There’s no line he won’t cross, no rule he won’t break, no norm he won’t violate. But we will not stand idly by.”

    The former member of Congress will likely continue to have a role in the debate as Republicans ramp up their advocacy ahead of November’s midterm elections.

    U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a South Jersey Republican who was elected as a Democrat in 2018 before vowing his loyalty to Trump a year later, led a public letter with other House Republicans calling on Sherrill to answer a series of questions about the noncitizen voting issue. He questioned how she knows it was “just a software glitch and not a nefarious act.”

    Van Drew, who chairs the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, said he plans to hold hearings over the issue and is “absolutely exploring” the possibility of subpoenas, Politico reported.

    On Tuesday, Sherrill said Van Drew “has a very sordid history as far as elections go.” She said Van Drew’s campaign had hired a political operative who was a “known ballot harvester” — referring to Craig Callaway, who worked on Van Drew’s 2022 bid.

    Callaway, a former Atlantic City Council president, had previously served prison time for blackmail and bribes when Van Drew’s campaign hired him. In 2025 under former U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, Callaway pleaded guilty in connection with fraudulent mail-in ballots during the 2022 election, but Van Drew said he was not aware of any illegal activity and was not accused of wrongdoing.

    Sherrill said her administration hired the CSG law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the voting registration glitch. One of the firm’s main partners, Jeffrey Chiesa, served as attorney general under former Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who later appointed him to the Senate.

    “We have a bipartisan, independent investigation going on right now because we have nothing to hide,” Sherrill said.

  • South Jersey police officer will not be charged for killing a man with a knife

    South Jersey police officer will not be charged for killing a man with a knife

    A Haddon Township police officer will not be criminally charged for killing a man armed with a knife while responding to a reported burglary in 2024.

    A state grand jury voted Monday not to file charges against Officer Luke Falkenberg in the shooting death of Keith Edelin, 46, of Pennsauken. The grand jury finished deliberating on Monday after reviewing body-worn camera footage, 911 calls, and witness testimony, among other evidence.

    On Nov. 3, 2024, at 1:07 a.m., Falkenberg and three other township officers responded to a 911 call for an attempted burglary at an apartment complex on West Crystal Lake Avenue in the township’s Westmont section.

    In the released audio of the 911 call, a woman told the call taker that an unidentified man opened the door to her apartment. The woman said she closed it, but the man was still in the hallway.

    Upon arriving, Falkenberg and another officer found trails of blood in the lobby, elevator, and hallway carpets. As the two officers entered the apartment complex stairwell, they encountered Edelin on the top landing armed with a knife, prosecutors said.

    According to video captured by police body-worn cameras, Falkenberg and his partner spoke with Edelin for two minutes, including several commands from Falkenberg to Edelin to “drop the knife.”

    “You’re hurt, let us help you,” Falkenberg can be heard saying in the footage released by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). “Listen, man, I just want to help you. OK? That’s all I’m trying to do.”

    Eventually, Edelin advanced down the stairs toward Falkenberg, who was standing a few feet from Edelin. Falkenberg then fired his handgun four times, striking Edelin. Medical personnel took Edelin to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead one hour later.

    The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is required to conduct investigations into a person’s death that occurs during law enforcement encounters. These investigations must be presented to a grand jury to determine if criminal charges should be filed against an officer in question.

    According to the attorney general’s office, the investigation is still ongoing and no further information is available.

    Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.

  • Cherry Hill joins a growing list of South Jersey municipalities to formally ban large-scale data centers

    Cherry Hill joins a growing list of South Jersey municipalities to formally ban large-scale data centers

    Cherry Hill just became the latest municipality in New Jersey to formally ban the development of large-scale data centers.

    The township council unanimously passed an ordinance Monday night that lists data centers as a non-permitted land use within the township’s borders.

    “We don’t think that Cherry Hill should be a guinea pig,” Cherry Hill Mayor David Fleisher said after the council meeting. “So while the technology is evolving, we wanted to be proactive and make sure that we eliminated a problem before it became one.”

    The ordinance also clarifies the difference between the now-forbidden data centers used for artificial intelligence or cloud storage and the small server rooms used by standalone businesses for file storage, which will still be permitted.

    Certified planner Christopher Dochney presents information about an ordinance banning data centers to the Cherry Hill Township Council on July 27, 2026.Lacey Latch

    The move is consistent with the goals outlined in Cherry Hill’s master plan, said Christopher Dochney, a certified city planner who worked with the township on the ordinance.

    This includes “maintaining Cherry Hill as a garden suburb, maintaining a desirable visual environment and attractive community, and wanting to preserve natural resources,” he said.

    It also aligns with the economic development portion of the plan, he said, which prioritizes job creation, job retention, and “providing an economic boon to the residents of Cherry Hill.”

    “[Data centers] consume a lot of land, they use a lot of water, they take up a lot of energy, and they also tend to be very big, ugly buildings,” Dochney said. “Things that are all directly inconsistent and contradictory to the stated goals of your master plan.”

    For a data center to be built in the future, a developer would need a land-use variance from the township’s zoning board — generally the most difficult land-use approval to obtain, he said.

    Up to this point, no data center developers have approached the township, “and we wanted to keep it that way,” Fleisher said.

    “As you see in some other towns, by the time an application is submitted, legally it might be too late,” he said. “And we didn’t want to find ourselves in that position.”

    Data center pushback in South Jersey

    Cherry Hill, the most populous municipality in Camden County, is the latest of a growing number of South Jersey towns to pass similar bans as debate around data centers continues across the country.

    This month, Burlington County’s Mansfield and Chesterfield Townships also approved bans after Medford Township did the same a month prior. Millville in Cumberland County banned large-scale data centers in May after promotions for a new 66-acre “Millville Energy & Data Center Campus” circulated online.

    Meanwhile, a massive data center in Vineland is set for completion by the end of the year.

    In Gloucester County, a real estate developer is suing Monroe Township for $300 million after the municipality issued a ban on data centers and subsequently denied its plans to build a 1 million-square-foot data center and a warehouse.

    With the restrictions on data centers now in place in Cherry Hill, Fleisher said he is not worried about potential legal action against the township.

    “We were very cautious to be very thoughtful and methodical about how we were going to address this,” he said. “We made sure we had the appropriate professionals go through the right process and have all the accurate information on the record before we took formal action.”

  • The Philly region is under a flood watch Tuesday and Wednesday with strong storms expected

    The Philly region is under a flood watch Tuesday and Wednesday with strong storms expected

    With over a half-foot of rain measured already, what has been Philadelphia’s wettest month since March 2024 is very likely to become significantly wetter.

    The National Weather Service has posted a flash flood watch effective from 8 a.m. Tuesday until 2 p.m. Wednesday for rain totals up to 3 inches, with downpours of 1 to 2 inches an hour possible.

    The national Storm Prediction Center on Tuesday morning listed a 15% chance of severe storms, those with wind gusts approaching 60 mph, for the entire region, with an outside shot of tornadoes. The Weather Prediction Center has a 40% chance of flooding downpours.

    Some appetizers — localized downpours — popped up Monday afternoon, prompting flood warnings for Philly and neighboring sections of Montgomery County, and parts of Gloucester and Atlantic Counties in New Jersey.

    Floodwaters swamped downtown Hammonton, Atlantic County, with “numerous” cars stranded on the roads, the weather service reported. The Pennypack Creek in Northeast Philly crested above “minor” flood stage.

    Moth-ball-size hail pelted Chestnut Hill, and hail twice that size was sighted in Williamstown, Gloucester County, and in the vicinity of Washington Crossing State Park on the Jersey side of the Delaware River.

    Storm coverage on Tuesday is expected to be far more extensive, and potentially more disruptive, with a “few tornadoes” possible, the weather service warned.

    Storm activity is likely to linger into Wednesday, said Mike Lee, meteorologist in the weather service’s Mount Holly office, with more showers in the forecasts for Thursday.

    What time the storms will arrive in Philly

    Late July still is very much the lottery-ball season for damaging downpours, and that again likely will be very much in evidence this week. Rainfall totals in the last 30 days have ranged from 137% of normal in Gloucester County to 79% of normal in Montgomery County, according to the Middle Atlantic River Forecast Center.

    Thunderstorms are possible as early as midmorning, but expect “repeated rounds” during the afternoon, said Matt Benz, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.

    The highest probability for severe storms, those with wind gusts near 60 mph, would be in South Jersey and Delaware, although they could nose into Philly, said the weather service’s Lee.

    The storms could continue well into the night, and additional rains are expected Wednesday afternoon.

    The rain totals again are likely to vary widely; however, a general 1 to 2 inches is expected across the region.

    Whatever happened to the drought?

    It hasn’t gone anywhere — yet.

    All of New Jersey and Chester County remain under state-declared drought warnings. In the latest interagency U.S. Drought Monitor update, conditions in the entire region remain from “abnormally dry” to severe drought.

    All that may change by week’s end.

    Through Sunday, officially 6.37 inches of rain habr been measured at Philadelphia International Airport this month. That is the highest monthly precipitation total since March 2024.

    July’s rains have ended a run of 16 straight months of below-normal precipitation in Philly.

    Said Benz: “It’s an old saying that all droughts end on a flood. That’s kind of what we’re seeing right now.”

  • Fallout from N.J.’s voter roll glitch | Inquirer South Jersey

    Good morning, South Jersey. Don’t forget your umbrella: More rain is expected to come our way.

    Roughly a week after Gov. Mikie Sherrill disclosed that thousands of noncitizens were improperly registered to vote in New Jersey, the fallout includes Republicans pushing for more federal power over elections while national Democrats reject suggestions of widespread voter fraud.

    And Burlington County’s new free bus shuttle mainly covers areas closest to Philadelphia and Camden.

    Plus, George E. Norcross is donating $100 million to Cooper University Health Care, and more news of the day.

    — Taylor Allen (southjersey@inquirer.com)

    P.S. Thank you for your continuing support. We want your thoughts! Tell us your opinion of the newsletter by taking our survey or replying to this email.

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    Democrats aren’t changing their message

    New Jersey and Pennsylvania were among the four Democratic-led states where President Donald Trump claimed 250,000 noncitizens were registered to vote.

    It’s unclear how the Trump administration reached that figure, but it has sought to leverage last week’s disclosure of 6,600 noncitizens being registered to vote and nearly 400 casting a ballot in New Jersey as evidence of a widespread issue.

    As Trump seeks more power over state-run elections, national Democrats haven’t shifted their messaging.

    Instead, they are continuing to warn that changes Republicans want may make voting harder for many Americans.

    New Jersey and Pennsylvania are part of a lawsuit with other Democratic officials from across the country challenging the administration’s push to withhold money for disaster aid if they don’t share raw voter data.

    Reporter Michelle Baruchman has more.

    Burlington County’s draft bus route

    Burlington County’s new bus route slated to begin in September is expected primarily to cover places closest to Philadelphia and Camden. But it’ll also serve as a transfer destination.

    The South Jersey Transportation Authority has not posted details about the free Burlington County route, but The Inquirer obtained the draft brochure through a public records request.

    Documentation shows the 11-stop bus service connects Palmyra, Moorestown, Cinnaminson, Mount Laurel, and Maple Shade with the Pennsauken Transit Center in Camden County.

    Reporter Aliya Schneider has the story.

    What to know today

    • Political powerbroker George Norcross is gifting $100 million to Cooper University Health Care, where he serves as the longtime board chair. It’s Cooper’s largest donation ever, and among the biggest a nonprofit health system in New Jersey has ever received.
    • The founder of a Westville-based security company and his deputy director have been charged in separate indictments for allegedly stealing millions through embezzlement and other crimes, authorities announced Monday.
    • The vendor that Gov. Sherrill blamed for illegally registering thousands of noncitizens to vote has two other multimillion-dollar contracts with the state, according to New Jersey Monitor. Sherrill blamed this vendor last week for issues beyond the registration error.
    • The Gloucester County Shower Trailer will be available today at Glassboro Intermediate School from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is open to anyone who needs a shower or clean laundry.
    • Jersey has seen the largest drop in its death rate in the country between 2015 and 2025, NJ Monitor reports.
    • Be aware of roadwork throughout Camden County this week, with most ongoing work occurring in Camden and Oaklyn.

    🗣️ Quote of the week

    Marie McCool, a Moorestown High School alumna, was named MVP of the inaugural Women’s Lacrosse League All-Star Game. She said the school program shaped her into who she is today.

    🧠 Trivia time

    What number will LeBron James wear for the Sixers?

    A) 22

    B) 23

    C) 25

    D) 32

    Think you know? Check your answer.

    What we’re…

    🏀 Wondering: Why LeBron James chose to commute from NYC instead of South Jersey?

    🍴 Touring: Craig LaBan’s guide to the best seafood down the Shore.

    🚶🏽‍♀️‍➡️ Exploring: Downtown Woodbury.

    And that’s been your morning news. I’ll be back in your inbox tomorrow. 📧

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

  • New Burlington County shuttle bus will connect Philly suburbs with regional transportation options

    New Burlington County shuttle bus will connect Philly suburbs with regional transportation options

    A new free shuttle bus in Burlington County will be concentrated in a small slice of the county in some of the places closest to Philadelphia and Camden, according to a draft brochure for the service.

    But it’ll also serve as a transfer point for other residents in the area.

    SJ Connects, a free shuttle bus service run by the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA), was granted $5 million under former Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration for an 18- to 24-month trial run to improve transit in the region. All of the service’s routes already began running except for Burlington County’s bus, which is expected to start service in September despite being included in a June 1 launch announcement.

    The SJTA has not yet posted the details of the Burlington County route but The Inquirer obtained its draft brochure through a public records request. The document shows that the planned 11-stop route connects Burlington County’s Palmyra, Moorestown, Cinnaminson, Mount Laurel, and Maple Shade with the Pennsauken Transit Center in Camden County.

    Burlington County was left out of a new free shuttle bus launch in South Jersey. Here’s when and why that’ll change.

    While it will most directly service the residents who live along the route, the planned route will also connect with existing transportation centers in the area to serve as a transfer point for riders.

    Locally, the bus is slated to stop at Cooper University Health Care‘s Moorestown campus, Moorestown Library and Town Hall, Cinnaminson Shop Rite, Fox Meadow Apartments, and the Mount Laurel Walmart Supercenter.

    Stops at the Moorestown Mall and Pennsauken Transit Center will connect riders to NJ Transit buses that go to Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, Trenton, Camden County municipalities such as Cherry Hill, Haddonfield and Gloucester City, and other Burlington County locations such as Mount Holly and Willingboro. It will also link riders with the RiverLine and Atlantic City Rail.

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    Dominic D’Amico, director of transportation services at the SJTA, said the agency designed the routes to connect with NJ Transit’s existing infrastructure and the region’s “eds and meds.”

    Some parts of Burlington County that are excluded from SJ Connects — such as Pemberton and Mount Holly — have access to a separate, existing system called the BurLINK shuttle, which is administered by the county and run by a private company.

    The new SJ Connects route is not slated to directly connect with BurLINK. But riders can transfer between the two services using the River Line, for example.

    Assembly member Andrea Katz, a Burlington County Democrat, said in an interview earlier this month that she hopes SJ Connects will expand further into her district in the future. The long-term viability for the program will likely depend on whether its advocates can convince Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill and legislative leaders that it’s worth funding in future state budgets.

    “We have very little down here in Burlington County, and in South Jersey as a whole, but folks still have those issues that they need a ride to the hospital, they need a ride to a grocery store,” Katz said. “They need to get access to these things, and we’re finally starting to see this expansion into South Jersey.”