I won’t be photographing any of the FIFA World Cup games here, but I did make The Inquirer’s sports photos Big Picture gallery for the second week in a row.
And again, my inclusion is not a traditional action photo. It’s from a press conference and the subject — Sixers new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey — isn’t even the focus of the image.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse talks to Griffin Gansey, 8. wearing a Tyrese Maxey jersey after his father Mike Gansey (rear, far left) finished up his first press conference as the Sixers new president of basketball operations. Nurse was greeting Amy Gansey, and their other three children after the event.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
I also photographed him posing with team executives, holding a basketball, then a Sixers jersey, followed by his comments and Q & A with reporters, but I was more interested in the periphery, and stayed around after it was over — and most of the media left for more comments downstairs by the other executives (the featured image at the top).
Later in the week in Center City, I passed a youngster in full graduation cap and gown. I often play the role of street photographer so I walked behind them for a block.
The photographer is reflected in front window of the restaurant as he arrives with Lynnette Lucas and her granddaughter.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
If I were not a curious journalist I would’ve moved on, but I said hello and introduced myself as we walked together. Lynnette Lucas was taking her granddaughter Faith Green, 6, for a special lunch after her kindergarten graduation at Mastery Charter School. Lucas takes all her grandchildren to the Chili’s near the Convention Center for celebratory meals where the staff treats them well, especially server Tevin Jones. Faith was headed to a party with the rest of her family, with cake and ice cream later in the day. I switched from street photographer back to visual journalist and headed to my next assignment.
There are different definitions for street photography, but I always like what William Eggleston said: “Often people ask what I’m photographing, which is a hard question to answer. And the best what I’ve come up with is I just say: life today.”
Which brings me to my good friend and Inquirer photo colleague Alejandro A. Alvarez. Starting today Philadelphia will wake up differently. For decades, before the coffee shops unlocked their doors and the metal roll-up shutters were opened on newsstands Alex was already there. A street photographer who chases the morning light, Alex retired from the newspaper yesterday, almost exactly 38 years — Monday, June 13, 1988 — after he first stepped into a newsroom as a full-time newspaper staff photographer, at the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.
Jan. 10, 2019, 6:50 a.m. Along Market East at 11th Street.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
That is not to say he won’t still be there with his camera, waiting for the sun to rise and bathe the sidewalks and neighborhoods with the day’s first warm light. He describes himself as a “professional wanderer about town, documenting the people and places I see.”
And I will probably see a lot more of him now as he will have more time for the street photography he most enjoys.
Readers — and his editors — will miss his breaking news coverage, as he will no longer be checking the news websites, apps, and tips from sources before heading out pre-dawn to visually report on the aftermath of overnight shootings, fires, or accidents. He usually filed his news photos before the reporters even turned on their computers.
June 21, 2022, 5:54 a.m. Firefighters in the 900 block of Race Street moments before extinguishing a flare up.ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Staff Photographer
The way he sees the city however, will endure and readers will still see his work, whenever Inquirer.com or the Inquirer or Daily News needs a photo to illustrate a story about SEPTA, or pedestrians and city workers, bikers and joggers and dog walkers — in all kinds of weather, they will tap into the admirable archive of his images in our digital library.
Dec. 21, 2022, 6:55 a.m. Market-Frankford SEPTA trains come and go from the 63rd Street station.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
At The Inquirer, Alex photographed protests and elections; changes in the seasons and weather; parades, celebrations and memorial; kings and criminals. Yet his most memorable images came from those seemingly unremarkable mornings.
April 2, 2020, 7:30 a.m. The shadow of the photographer on a wall at N. 6th and Callowhill Streets as he chases morning light.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
Since 1998 a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in the print editions of The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color:
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker stood Friday in the basement of the Camden County Police Department headquarters in downtown Camden, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling video screens displaying a lifelike training scenario: a distraught man teetering near the edge of a bridge, threatening to jump.
A young officer stepped forward and addressed the digital figure: “Just step back from the edge,” the officer said, “and come talk to me.”
The immersive simulation is part of a system the department uses to train officers to respond to volatile encounters without resorting to force — one piece of a growing suite of technology it has embraced over the last decade. Department officials credit those tools, along with broader policing reforms and community-engagement efforts, with helping reduce crime in a city once regarded as among the nation’s most dangerous.
Today, Camden’s homicide total sits at a four-decade low, while robberies, sexual assaults, and other violent crimes have also declined, according to police data.
Booker toured the department Friday to see those tools firsthand as he promotes federal legislation designed to help other law enforcement agencies adopt similar technology.
The proposal, known as the Violent Incident Clearance and Technological Investigative Methods Act, or VICTIM Act, would establish a Department of Justice grant program to help police departments increase staffing, purchase investigative technology, and train personnel to use it. Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, reintroduced the bipartisan legislation in March 2025 alongside Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican.
The measure comes as violent crime has fallen sharply in many cities across the country in recent years, a trend Booker said lawmakers should sustain through continued investment.
“What they’re doing here is so innovative and cutting edge,” Booker said after the tour, pointing to Camden as an example for other departments to follow.
Inside the Camden County Police Department’s Real Time Tactical Operations Intelligence Center, analysts monitor live camera feeds, 911 calls, and data streams from license plate readers and other sources. The center provides officers with real-time information during emergencies, helps investigators track suspects, and identifies crime patterns throughout the city, said Chief Gabriel Rodriguez.
The intelligence center works in tandem with the department’s drone unit.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, joined by city officials, watches a drone demonstration atop the Camden County Police Department on June 12, 2026.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
Rodriguez said those tools, combined with training programs such as the simulation Booker observed Friday, have helped drive crime to new lows.
The city recorded 12 homicides in 2025, down from 17 the previous year and the fewest since 1985, according to department data. Violent crime also fell 6% last year, while robberies declined 12% and sexual assaults dropped 32%.
Camden has spent more than a decade reshaping its approach to policing, adding new technologies and investigative tools as funding became available. Booker said departments across the country cannot afford to stop investing in technology as criminal investigations become increasingly reliant on digital tools and real-time information.
“Technology is moving rapidly,” he said. “We’ve got to stay ahead of the curve, and that’s going to take constant investment.”
Several local officials joined Booker on the tour, including Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen and Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr., who highlighted the city’s crime reductions and broader public-safety gains as they walked through police headquarters.
Even so, police who have adopted technologies such as automated license plate readers and large-scale camera networks have drawn scrutiny from civil-liberties groups nationwide. And on Friday, Rodriguez acknowledged that some residents are skeptical of the department’s use of technology.
But he said many have also come to view it as a benefit, pointing to faster emergency response times and the department’s efforts to address quality-of-life concerns such as illegal dumping.
Some residents, Rodriguez said, are even curious enough to tour the facility themselves.
“A lot of communities often feel like they have too much of the policing they don’t want and not the policing that they need,” Booker added. “Standing here in Camden, where we’re finding ways … to make tremendous progress … the key for me is making sure that we can continue to get better and better as a state.
“Overall,” he said, “crime is going down in New Jersey. But we want to continue that momentum and not just see crime rates go down, but community strength and community partnerships go up.”
A South Jersey man fatally shot an acquaintance Wednesday afternoon and then took his own life in his vehicle after driving a short distance, Burlington County authorities said.
Lumberton Township police were called to a home on Curry Court about 4:15 p.m. for the report of a shooting. They arrived to discover the body of Damon Nesmith, 53, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said Tyrone McLean, 56, had gone to the residence and fired multiple shots at Nesmith with a .40-caliber handgun.
McLean then drove about half a mile before fatally shooting himself while parked on the 600 block of Holland Place, authorities said. Police found McLean inside his Volvo SUV with the engine still running.
Investigators said that McLean was a former tenant at the Curry Court home and was recently evicted. Two other people inside the home at the time of the shooting were not injured.
The shootings followed an earlier incident involving McLean in Southampton Township, authorities said. Just before 4 p.m., New Jersey State Police were called to a residence on the 200 block of New Road for a report of gunshots. Police were told that McLean had stopped to talk with an acquaintance there before suddenly pulling a handgun and firing multiple shots. No one was injured.
The investigation is being conducted by the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, Lumberton police, and New Jersey State Police.
Take the B (Broad Street) Line to 15th Street/City Hall, transfer to the eastbound L, and disembark at Spring Garden Station, on the southern edge of the neighborhood.
Correct, to a point.
“I didn’t say where I need to get to in Northern Liberties, right?” said Jena Burley, the SEPTA training facilitator teaching the class.
Ack! Maybe the passenger would be better off taking the L for one more stop to Front-Girard, depending on the precise destination.
“Ask for as much specific information as possible,” Burley said.
SEPTA supervisors, administrators, and managers have been assigned 1,300 shifts as ambassadors in critical transit and Regional Rail stations from June 13 through July 19.
Jena Burley leads the SEPTA ambassador class.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Four to 12 ambassadors will provide information, directions, and, ideally, a friendly welcome in each designated station — along with crowd control, and de-escalation techniques for conflict.
It’s a lot, which is why up to 1,000 employees have spent half a day in training with a detailed curriculum that feels like cramming for finals.
I worked with them through scenarios of escalating severity to simulate situations they will encounter: sweaty, frustrated crowds on platforms; medical emergencies; confusion over SEPTA’s fares and methods of payment; and how to troubleshoot travel glitches. And scarier stuff.
“This summer is an opportunity for SEPTA to shine, and you are such a big part of that,” said Lex Powers, chief officer for customer experience.
The Disney approach
This summer SEPTA is also debuting a new customer-service philosophy that subordinates other priorities to creating a safe and positive experience for people using the system.
The transit agency has used ambassadors since 2000 to help customers during special events like the Eagles Super Bowl parade last year, service changes, and the like. Officials rebooted the training program.
This summer, ambassadors will carry “cheat sheet” cards and wear blue vests to differentiate them from other workers in typical yellow safety vests.
I got my own blue vest at the start of the class — pretty snazzy — and tried to earn it.
Brittany Davis, of Northeast Philadelphia, a service planner at SEPTA, gets her vest.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Cultural correctness
The recent training included “cultural diplomacy” briefing sheets with guidance on customs and backgrounds of the countries with national teams playing here, prepared by the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia and protocol experts.
For instance,I learned:
Never flash the “OK” hand gesture to a Brazilian. It’s offensive, like flipping the bird.
When greeting or handing things to a person from Ivory Coast, use your right hand. It is a social slight to use the left, which is reserved for personal hygiene.
In some cultures, such as Ghana, it is customary to exchange pleasantries before getting down to business. People from Curaçao, influenced by Dutch culture, can be more direct and, while friendly, value personal space.
‘Bring the temperature down’
My fellow trainees and I shared tables in a conference room and huddled to work through often complex scenarios in a 24-page workbook.
You notice a particularly long line forming at one fare gate and go to investigate. …
A customer is tapping a credit card over and over, but it doesn’t work. Another customer tries to squeeze past them, increasing tension, and voices in the line start to rise.
“You want to bring the temperature down,“ said Noah Lee, manager of service-information development, with whom I shared a table. ”Take the person whose card doesn’t work off to the side to figure it out, and let other people go through.“
Nithin Vejendla, an operation planner, speaks Spanish in the Google Translator app.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Nithin Vejendla said the bottleneck could be a two-person job and suggested bringing in another ambassador to wave people through the gate.
“Try empathizing with them,” said Vejendla, a SEPTA operations planner who was at my table. “Like, ‘I know it’s frustrating. I’ve had times where [tapping] doesn’t work. … We’ll get you on the next train.’”
Meanwhile, fix it. Is the person tapping incorrectly? Maybe the card reader’s bad, so try another turnstile. Consult a cashier.
The situation worsens.
A customer that has been held up in the line starts pushing and shoving the people in front of them. They are clearly agitated … [and] verbally threatening people.
“If they keep escalating, at that point your responsibility shifts to keeping the other passengers safe,” Vejendla said. “Maybe you stay between them and the fare gates, a physical barrier.“
Lee worked an ambassador shift during the 2025 Super Bowl parade and said he didn’t see anything like that.
“The atmosphere was joyful, and it was in the morning,” Lee said.
Vejendla, an operations planner who has worked at SEPTA for almost three years, was an ambassador for the Eagles parade and the Flower Show, and when SEPTA briefly cut and changed bus routes last year.
Later, trainees downloaded Google Translate to practice.
Vejendla speaks fluent Spanish and rough French. Powers, his boss, was teasing him about it.
“Lex was like, and I quote, ‘I can’t believe the system understood you. That French accent was terrible.’”
When emergencies arise
Sometimes, the scenarios are more serious. People wind up in the track area, trying to retrieve an item or having fallen off a platform. What do you do?
“Stop the train. Think about everything else later,” Burley said.
Heather Jordan, employee relations manager, (right), and Kim Smith, senior project engineer and track engineering with SEPTA, (left), are looking at the SEPTA app to answer questions for an exercise during the SEPTA’s Ambassador class.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
Go to the cashier and get them to push the Emergency Train Stop button, which activates a “stop” signal light. There are red flags in the booth to wave at incoming trains.
Moving your arm back and forth at chest level is a traditional railroad stop signal. “Or go berserk,” Burley said, waving your arms over your head or flashing a phone flashlight.
Do not enter the track area, and don’t try to pull a person up. The third rail carries 600 to 750 volts of electricity.
“You’re there to keep customers safe, but if you’re not safe, you can’t help,” Burley said.
As class ended and everyone left, I carried a deeper respect for the job of ambassador. I wished my fellow students good luck.
The body of a Philadelphia teenager who vanished earlier this month while swimming in the ocean at the Jersey Shore has been recovered, the Wildwood Police Department said.
Davoris Carter III, 14, was on a class trip to Wildwood when he disappeared on the afternoon of June 1. Carter’s body was found Tuesday near the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, and a forensic analysis confirmed it was that of the missing teen.
“Our sincere condolences are with the juvenile victim’s friends and family during this very difficult time,” Wildwood police said in a statement.
Shyara Hill, Carter’s mother, told The Inquirer her son and other special-needs students traveled to the beach with school staffers to celebrate graduating eighth grade from Delta School in Philadelphia.
Davoris Carter was recently accepted into the Philadelphia Police Department’s “Explorer Cadet” program, according to his mother. Courtesy of the family
There were no lifeguards at the beach when the students entered the ocean, and around 1:30 p.m. on June 1, police responded to several swimmers in distress. Officials said three were rescued, but Carter disappeared.
Delta School did not respond to a request for comment. The school’s director of education told NBC10 last week school officials were cooperating with the investigation and that the class trip was “appropriately supervised with the right number of staff members.”
The school said in a message posted on its website: “Delta School is heartbroken over the recent loss of student Davoris Carter III. As we navigate this difficult time, we continue to hold Davoris, his family, and every member of our school community in our thoughts and prayers.”
In Sea Isle City this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was hard at work on a last-minute-funded beach replenishment project. The project will go into the summer, which is going to annoy everyone. From there, the Army Corps will head to Avalon and Stone Harbor. Ocean City is also being replenished on its north end. Together, the projects will cost $56.9 million, with about 5 million total cubic yards of sand being dredged from the ocean and brought to the beaches, the Army Corps says.
The urgency of the beach replenishment was at odds with Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s recent one-year delay for new rules that would require new homes, and those being substantially improved, to be built 4 feet above current FEMA elevation standards in expanded state flood and coastal zones. That’s on top of earlier FEMA requirements that caused houses rebuilt after Hurricane Sandy to be raised, in some cases by 14 feet, to better guard against damage from increasing flooding.
The regulations, known as the Resilient Environments and Landscape (REAL) rules, were adopted on the last day of Gov. Phil Murphy’s term and set to go into effect July 20, over objections from builders, business groups, and elected officials. The decision to wait a year was denounced by environmentalists.
“There is no more time to lose,” said Anjuli Ramos-Busot, citing sunny day flooding down the Shore. “New Jerseyans are at risk, property is at risk.”
In other news, Margate has a favorite son in the NBA finals: Knicks superstarJalen Brunson, who according to property records and local scuttlebutt, likes to pop into Aversa’s for a turkey hoagie, tool to the Wawa in a golf cart, play mini golf, and visit his spacious new-construction $7 million home a block from the beach. Earlier this spring, while the Knicks were making quick work of the Sixers, Steve & Cookie’s hosted a dinner for Brunson and his teammates, and there have been past sightings at local basketball courts.
My colleague Alex Coffey, meanwhile, writes that another Nova Knick, Mikal Bridges, made his mom’s predictions come true with a Shore house in Avalon.
📮 Do you want to see new building rules for Shore flood zones? Did the proposed rules go too far or is that what’s needed to deal with sea level rise?
Let me know what you think by replying to this email, and I’ll include the most interesting responses in a future newsletter. (See below for your thoughts on who gets to be a local.)
Have ideas or news tips about the Shore or this newsletter? Send them to me here.
⛈️ Beaches were packed last weekend with the hot weather, and the steamy weather will continue this weekend.
⛯ Is Wildwood’s Pacific Avenue getting some love? The folks at the new Lighthouse Kitchen and Cafe are all in.
🍩 Federal Donuts opened a store at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.
Shore snapshot
Art the Clown, the mascot from Spirit Halloween and the “Terrifier” movies, made an appearance on the Wildwood boardwalk on June 5, 2026.Amy S. Rosenberg / staff
Your thoughts on: Who’s a local
There were plenty of opinions about who gets to call themselves a local, and how long the process takes. (Is there a tribunal in the back of Robert’s in Margate where such decisions are made?)
Here’s a sampling:
Susan Wessel: I am a transplant to the Jersey shore myself. Born and raised in Philly. I have never and will never consider myself a local even though through the past 43 years I’ve lived in Barnegat, Manahawkin, Brant Beach and Galloway.
Tom DeAngelo: I live & work in North Cape May for 36 years. My native Cape May friends say I can call myself “A local” but never “a native.” My 3 children were born in Philly. All my grand kids are born here. Native? Local? It’s all very confusing!!!
Brian Steiner: As far as I’m concerned, anyone who pays property taxes is a local. PS… We should get free beach tags.
Mary DeCotiis: I am truly from the shore. I was born at Fitkin Hospital in Neptune, now Jersey Shore University Medical Center, in 1956. I have lived in Belmar, 2 blocks from the beach my entire life. Soon I will have lived at the shore for 70 years. Can’t get any more local than that! I plan to remain here until the day I pass away and move on to the Ocean in the sky!!!
🧠 Trivia time
Soccer’s U.S. Men’s National Team member Brenden Aaronson was married in this Jersey Shore town at the base of a causeway bridge. Was it:
A. Rio Grande (outside of Wildwood).
B. Manahawkin (outside of LBI)
C. Cape May Court House (outside of Stone Harbor).
Our trusty Shore Line group chat followers had a lot of thoughts this week about beach flags. (Join the conversation!)
We asked: Should political flags be allowed on the beach? Are any flags acceptable?
Here’s a sampling:
Political flags are not my thing, but people are free to express themselves. Honestly, it’s the beach and everyone should be chilling. Live and let live regardless.
My humble opinion about political flags on the beach is…ABSOLUTELY NOT!! I go to the beach to relax, not to discuss politics, religion or any other issues our country may have. PLEASE… NO FLAGS!!
I’m a Phillies fan but flags on a beach infringe on the space of others.
My husband I grew up on opposite sides of the state. It’s all about togetherness, never divisiveness. That’s why we made our own Steagles flag from a t-shirt and printed heat transfer.
A reader sent us this homemade combination Steelers-Eagles flag to fly on the beach in the spirit of togetherness. The topic of flags on the beach is a controversial one.Provided
Hmm. Not sure about that one. Have a Shore etiquette question you’d like to see us tackle? Please reply to this email.
Your Shore memory: A hurricane and a ham
John Judge of Ocean City writes:
The first we hear of the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 was when a massive ocean wave crashed into the second floor of our Long Beach Island rental.
The war time government had banned coastal weather forecasts lest German U-BOATS prowling the Jersey Coast take advantage of meteorological data. My parents and four-year-old me survived but the storm reduced the house to driftwood.
Also not surviving was my father’s salt-water swamped 1930s Pontiac. While dad was sad to lose a hard-to-come-by car during wartime scarcity, mom was madder to lose a ham bought with hard to come by ration stamps.
Send us your Shore memory! In 200 words, tell us how the Shore taps into something deep for you, and we will publish them in this space during the summer.
Staff writer Ryan W. Briggs contributed to this newsletter.
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.
Cristian Custodio-Aquino, 28, of Portland, was charged in the stabbing death of Michael Anthony, a well-liked South Jersey veterinarian.
The body of Anthony, 45, was discovered on the front lawn of his home on Sharrowvale Road early on a December morning, prosecutors said.
Anthony had been stabbed in the body, neck, and head. Detectives soon linked the killing to Custodio-Aquino using DNA from a pair of prescription eyeglasses he had left at the scene and by tracking his vehicle entering and leaving the neighborhood.
He was arrested in California and has since been incarcerated in a New Jersey correctional facility.
With his guilty plea, Custodio-Aquino is expected to be sentenced to 30 years in state prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.
Grace C. MacAulay, the county prosecutor, called Anthony’s death tragic, saying it had deeply affected the Camden County community.
“This guilty plea represents a significant step toward justice and ensures the defendant will be held accountable for his actions,” she said in a statement.
Custodio-Aquino’s defense lawyer had said there was little evidence tying him to the crime, but prosecutors pieced together what they said was a compelling case.
In addition to the eyeglasses investigators linked to the Peru native, prosecutors were able to identify Custodio-Aquino’s black Nissan Altima entering Anthony’s neighborhood on the morning of the Dec. 10 killing, and later leaving the scene.
After Anthony’s murder, prosecutors said, Custodio-Aquino drove to Fresno, Calif., where he stayed with a friend. He also wiped his phone and attempted to sell his vehicle. Investigators later recovered samples of Anthony’s blood from inside the car.
Michael Anthony, 45, a South Jersey veterinarian, was found dead outside his home in Cherry Hill.Courtesy of Haddon Vet
All the while, prosecutors said, Custodio-Aquino searched the internet for news stories that mentioned Anthony’s killing and his memorial service.
Investigators eventually learned that Custodio-Aquino had a previous relationship with Anthony’s partner, Kyle Bartsch, and killed Anthony out of jealousy. Custodio-Aquino and Bartsch had lived together in Haddon Township but separated in 2021 after a domestic dispute, prosecutors said.
Not long before Anthony’s murder, he and Bartsch had communicated with Custodio-Aquino and knew that he was returning to the East Coast, according to prosecutors.
The death of Anthony, a divorced father of two, rattled neighbors in the Barclay Farm section of Cherry Hill.
His body was discovered facedown on the front lawn by his 16-year-old son, who had gone to look for his father after he did not return from an early morning walk, prosecutors said.
Relatives described Anthony as devoted to his family and two sons, and after his death, tributes poured in from friends, neighbors, and people whose pets he treated at his Haddon Heights veterinary clinic.
Bartsch said in an interview last year that he was devastated by the “sudden and senseless” loss of his partner. He described Anthony, his partner of three years, as “an exceptional person, universally loved by those who knew him.”
Free-speech advocates are warning that legislation meant to protect reproductive and transgender healthcare — which is heading for a key vote in the Statehouse this week — contains a provision that unconstitutionally violates the First Amendment.
The concerns come as supporters of the bill say its passage is crucial, with the Trump administration increasingly acting to restrict or in some cases block access to both types of care. The Assembly is set to vote on the bill Thursday in Trenton.
At issue is one section in the 12-page bill that would punish people for speech that causes a “reasonable” person who provides or assists in reproductive or transgender healthcare to suffer emotional or reputational harm or mental anguish.
Ronald Chen is a law professor at Rutgers Law School who teaches constitutional law. That verbiage makes the bill “clearly unconstitutional” and should be deleted, Chen said.
“It is a bedrock holding of the First Amendment that speech, even speech that is intentionally hurtful in and of itself, is protected unless it amounts to a threat of violence or a threat of some imminent actual act that the law has the ability to forbid,” he said. “But something that causes emotional harm or distress in the perception of a ‘reasonable’ person? Who’s going to define what type of emotional harm is reasonable on this issue?”
He pointed to accusations of human trafficking that anti-abortion advocates have increasingly lobbed against people who facilitate abortions.
“Let’s say I say, ‘You’re a human trafficker!’ And that causes that person emotional harm. Can you use this statute?” Chen said.
Defining reasonable emotional harm is “an inherently impossible task, one which a court would certainly not want to get in the middle of,” Chen added. “And even if it did, I think it would say, ‘This is something that government cannot take sides on.’”
The New Jersey Press Association issued a statement Tuesday urging legislators to strike the section from the bill, warning it chills the free speech rights of both journalists and citizens and predicting it would not survive a court challenge.
“Language around the vague term ‘reasonable person’ enables broad claims to ostensibly protect reputations or hurt feelings,” said Brett Ainsworth, the association’s chairman. “For example, contrary to what the Constitution requires, the expansive language means a reporter could be civilly or criminally liable for publishing an article about the troubling practices of a reproductive healthcare services provider, even if the reporting was well-documented and fully accurate. A provider could simply assert his or her reputation or emotions were harmed by that truthful reporting.”
Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), one of the bill’s sponsors, declined to comment through a spokesperson.
Khadijah Silver, an attorney with Lawyers for Good Government who contributed to the bill’s drafting, told the New Jersey Monitor they were surprised to hear about the New Jersey Press Association’s concerns “at the 11th hour.”
Khadijah Silver speaks with Sen. Andrew Zwicker at the Trenton Statehouse on May 11, 2026, as the Senate health committee considers a transgender healthcare protections bill.Anne-Marie Caruso/New Jersey Monitor
Silver, a civil rights attorney, said they worked closely with civil liberties advocates, academic experts, and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey to ensure the bill protects the free speech rights of journalists and protesters.
“I’m very shocked that the association feels this sense of threat by a law that has literally the opposite intention. We want to make sure that if someone enters a space to receive healthcare that they do not experience harassment and threats that are of a heightened nature that would stop them from pursuing that healthcare,” Silver said.
Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are “paramount” to everyone involved in the creation of the bill, they added.
Attorney CJ Griffin has represented the New Jersey Monitor and other media outlets in public records fights and lawsuits. She said she supports the intent of the bill but agrees with Chen that the contested section cannot stand.
“I’m an LGBT person, so I’m sensitive to the fact that there’s a good intention behind it to protect people that are having a difficult time accessing reproductive health services and transgender care. But you can’t unconstitutionally punish speech that you don’t like. You have to adhere strictly to the Constitution, and like any bill that unconstitutionally punishes speech, it can end up backfiring on you yourself,” Griffin said. “I get that lawmakers have constituents that are pushing very hard for this. But their biggest constituent needs to be the Constitution.”
Anti-abortion advocates and conservatives also had objected to that section, arguing it would criminalize praying and “sidewalk counseling” outside clinics.
The Assembly’s appropriations committee passed the bill along party lines Monday. The lower chamber’s bill is slightly different from the Senate’s version, with the Senate making such speech a crime and the Assembly making it a civil violation.
Either way, it’s unconstitutional, Chen said.
“The First Amendment protects speech in both the civil and the criminal context,” he said.
The legislation has long been a priority for LGBTQ+ organizations, and abortion rights groups have called for state action since the Trump administration stopped enforcing the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act when it comes to anti-abortion protesters. The 1994 federal law made it a crime to block or damage abortion clinics or assault or threaten providers and patients.
The school board faced pushback recently after one of its members suggested dropping an African American history course requirement amid a budget crunch, which was later withdrawn. Here’s what to know. Also this week, a township resident will become the next artistic director of an area theater, two local spots will be streaming World Cup games, plus, the Radin’s Deli sandwich our reporter loved.
P.S. The Inquirer is launching a new South Jersey morning newsletter next week. Staring Monday, you might see the free daily edition in your inbox. Not already signed up? Get it here. Get to know newsletter editor Taylor Allen and her South Jersey essentials here. And don’t worry, we’ll still be coming to you with Cherry Hill-specific news every week.
Cherry Hill will maintain an African American history course graduation requirement after a board member suggested making it an elective.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Cherry Hill Public Schools will keep its African American history course as is after a school board member suggested dropping it as a graduation requirement amid budget woes.
The suggestion last month to instead make the course an elective got pushback from students and the community alike, ultimately prompting board member Renee Cherfane to withdraw her proposal.
In 2021, Cherry Hill was the first New Jersey district to require such a course for graduation.
Cherry Hill resident Amina Robinson has been named the next artistic director of Theatre Horizon in Norristown. Robinson gained acclaim in 2018 when directing The Color Purple, for which she became the first Black woman to win the Barrymore Award for outstanding direction of a musical. The Inquirer’s Rosa Cartagena spoke with her about the new role and her passion for theater.
World Cup matches are kicking off tomorrow, with local games at Lincoln Financial Field starting Sunday. Don’t have tickets? Soccer Post Cherry Hill will be streaming games on its seven TVs and later this summer it’ll host a youth soccer camp with a mock-World Cup tournament. AMC Theatres on Route 38 will also have viewings of select games with Spanish-language broadcasts.
Applications are open for qualifying residents interested in living in Hampton Square, the newly built affordable housing community at 614 Hampton Rd. Qualifying applicants will be put on a waitlist for 45 available units and then randomly selected. Hampton Square offers studio and two- and three-bedroom units for those with very low, low, and moderate incomes. Applications are due by Aug. 7.
The township has made changes to its household appliances and metal pickups. Starting this week, the township will collect appliance and metal items on Thursdays. Residents must make an appointment for pickup by 3 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Four people and two dogs were potentially exposed to a rabid bat in a Cherry Hill home recently. On Monday, a state lab confirmed that the bat found was positive for rabies. The dogs were up to date on their vaccines but will be confined for four months.
Heads up for drivers: Work continues on Kresson Road, which will have a partial closure westbound between Springdale and Cropwell Roads from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday. Starting today, Kenilworth Avenue will be closed between Chapel Avenue and Route 38 from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Friday. Cooper Landing Road will also be closed between Georgia Avenue and Route 70 overnight from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Friday.
Appliances Outlet is hosting a grand opening from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for its new Cherry Hill location at 1811 Route 70.
The former Cherry Hill Diner, which closed in 2023, was demolished last week to make way for a new car wash. The Courier Post captured photos of it coming down.
🏫 Schools Briefing
As the school year winds down next week, there will be elementary clap-outs on Tuesday and middle school graduations on Wednesday. Next Thursday are the high school graduations, and it’s also the last day of classes for the school year. See the district’s full calendar here.
Cherry Hill Public Library will have a pop-up graduation photo spot set up in the lobby starting tomorrow and running through next Saturday, complete with props.
6abc recently profiled the Domenica Foundation, a South Jersey organization supporting underserved communities, including by providing scholarships for students to attend Catholic schools. The foundation recently celebrated the graduation of its class of 2026 from Camden CatholicHigh School in Cherry Hill. See the segment here.
🍽️ On our Plate
One of the best things an Inquirer reporter ate last week? A hot corned beef sandwich at Radin’s Deli. Kicking it up a notch, reporter Beatrice Forman added chopped liver to the famously massive sandwich at the Evesham Road spot, which she said gave it “multi-dimensional flavors.” She added: “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”
A new burger joint is now open in Cherry Hill. Located at 906 Route 70, Slap Burger serves smash burgers, chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, loaded fries, and milkshakes.
La Cita Authentic Mexican Restaurant is one of the best spots for Mexican food in the state, according to a recent list from NJ.com, which ranked the Marlton Pike eatery No. 13. It’s known for its tacos, but also offers other classics like fajitas, enchiladas, burritos, and quesadillas.
🎳 Things to Do
🎶 Twilight Concert Series: Max Weinberg’s Jukebox, which specializes in old-school tunes, headlines this week’s event. ⏰ Thursday, June 11, 8 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Cooper River Park Jack Curtis Stadium
🏊♀️ Youth Splash and Dash: Kids ages 7 to 12 can compete in three age-specific divisions in this running and swimming competition. ⏰ Sunday, June 14, 1-3 p.m. 💵 $32.80 📍 Katz JCC
🗓️ VinChelle’s Juneteenth Celebration: The drag show ahead of the holiday will celebrate Black culture. ⏰ Sunday, June 14, 2:30-5 p.m. 💵 $19.03 📍 Vera
The home has a covered front porch and a two-car garage.Virtual Vista | Courtesy of Jackie DiAntonio/Keller Williams – Main Street
Located in the Springdale neighborhood, this four-bedroom home has multi-level living thanks to its layout. The main level features a foyer, living room, dining room, and eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. There are four bedrooms on the upper level, including a primary suite with a walk-in closet, while the lower level has a family room with a brick fireplace, a full bathroom, and a bonus room. There’s also a finished basement and a fenced backyard.
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With the summer solstice still two weekends away, already the temperature has reached 90 degrees or higher in Philly nine times.
And while the sequence of 90s has been extraordinarily premature, the early experience may come in handy this week as the region could experience triple-digit heat indexes.
“It will definitely feel different,” said Ray Martin, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, as the humidity and dew point, the measure of absolute moisture in the air, reach their highest levels of the year to date.
Any 100-plus heat indexes may present challenges to some older residents, and those with heart and other health issues. The weather service Wednesday morning issued an advisory for indexes of up to 103 Thursday and Friday.
But the heat the region has experienced, starting in mid-April, could be viewed as a sort of spring training for the discomforts to come, said Samuel Eldrich, director of the Temple Health-Chestnut Hill Hospital Emergency Department.
“It’s all about adaptability,” he said. And it’s not just physiological, he said.
In addition, a juicier atmosphere may squeeze out some much-needed rain.
The regional forecast for the next several days
Showers are possible Wednesday morning and late in the day, Martin said, with highs in the mid-80s. However, it might not get cooler than 70 degrees early Thursday, a sign that mugginess is on the increase.
A moist air mass inhibits daytime heating from escaping into space, and the heat and humidity build for real on Thursday.
“It’s not going to feel nice out there,” said Tom Kines, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.
Shower chances are in the forecast Wednesday through Friday, and at times the atmosphere will be highly energized, Martin said. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., has outside chances for severe thunderstorms for the entire region Thursday and Friday. Isolated flooding downpours are not out of the question, Martin said.
The heat and storm threats should back down some by the weekend, when Philadelphia hosts the World Cup match between Ecuador and the Ivory Coast, with a high about 90, the air less muggy, and rain looking unlikely.
How hot has it been in Philly so far?
Philly has logged four daily highs of 90 degrees or more so far this month, and nine since April — including four record highs — almost a third of the average for an entire year.
Far more dangerous are hot spells that come abruptly after the weather has been relatively cool and comfortable for a period, he said.
Early heat, which typically is short-lived, can make a difference in terms of how we respond to subsequent hot spells. “You’re more accustomed” to the heat, Eldrich said. “You’ve adapted to the lifestyle. You sweat more quickly, more easily.”
People are more likely to stay inside, and stay hydrated.
“It’s both the physiological and the cultural factors,” he said. “In the South, you don’t hear about heat exhaustion or heat emergencies. It’s something they deal with three-quarters of the year rather than a quarter of the year.”
Drought conditions persist, but more rain may be coming
The longer-range outlooks favor above-normal temperatures for the rest of the month, but they also see the odds tilted toward above-normal rainfall.
That would be a switch. Philadelphia’s precipitation has been below normal for 10 consecutive months.
“We could certainly use the rain,” Martin said. The interagency U.S. Drought Monitor has most of the region under “severe drought” conditions. State-declared drought emergencies remain in effect in New Jersey and Chester County.
Any showers would mean temporary breaks in the heat Wednesday and Thursday, and the heat wave is not expected to survive the weekend, in keeping with a trend.
Even though average summer temperatures have been rising, the hot spells this century have not lasted as long as some of those of the 1990s.
“Let’s hope that streak continues,” Martin said.
Whether it is related to heat-wave durations or the city’s responses to hot-weather emergencies, heat mortality is way down in Philadelphia.
From 1991 through 2000, 227 heat-related deaths were recorded in the city. In the last 10 years, there were 37.
