New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill broke her silence Tuesday on a reported investigation into Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, but the governor offered little information on the matter and did not mention her No. 2 by name.
“Public service is an honor. And I have spent a lifetime of service in the Navy, as a prosecutor, in Congress, and now as Governor,” Sherrill, a first-term Democrat, said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “I know that jobs of public trust impact the lives of everyday people and I deeply respect the oaths and responsibilities of these positions.
“Because of this respect, I demand that everyone in my administration hold themselves to the highest standards and put their obligations to public service first.”
Her statement comes four days after the New Jersey Globe reported that Caldwell is under internal investigation for allegations of inappropriate behavior with women and possible ethics violations, including an offer of state jobs.
Sean Higgins, a spokesperson for Sherrill, said Friday the administration could not “confirm or deny potential personnel matters.”
New Jersey GOP chair Christine Giordano Hanlon this weekend criticized the administration’s framing of the situation as“an effort to shield the information from the public” and called on Caldwell to resign.
“The governor and lieutenant governor should not be considered ‘personnel’ — they are the highest level elected officials in the state and must be held to the highest standard of accountability and transparency,” Hanlon said.
Sherrill’s Tuesday statement did not mention any specific investigation or individuals.
“I take my responsibility to treat any reports of inappropriate behavior or misconduct extremely seriously, and any credible report must be fully examined and addressed. If the evidence warrants, I will take appropriate action quickly,” Sherrill said.
The investigation had already begun when Caldwell worked as acting governor while Sherrill was out of state last week, the New Jersey Globe reported. BINJE.com reported that the investigation has been underway for months.
Christopher Porrino, who served as attorney general under former Republican Gov. Chris Christie, is conducting the investigation into Caldwell, the Globe reported.
Sherrill noted in her statement that anyone with a complaint “will receive a fair and thorough review” and be safe from retaliation.
“Let me be clear,” she said, “I do not back down from tough fights or tough conversations, and I will always put the interests of New Jerseyans first.”
Assembly member Katie Brennan (D., Hudson) released a statement Tuesday calling the allegations serious.
“Anyone who uses the power of public office to mistreat the people around them has no business holding it,” she said. “Governor Sherrill moved quickly here, and I’m glad she did, but survivors shouldn’t have to hope that the people in charge will do the right thing.”
Brennan was a campaign volunteer for former Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy’s 2017 primary election campaign who said after Murphy took office that she had been sexually assaulted by a senior campaign adviser.
Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges. But Brennan’s decision to publicize the alleged assault and the administration’s failure to investigate her claims led to changes in state law on how victims are treated by law enforcement. She said in her statement Tuesday that she will push for bills to protect sexual assault survivors.
Caldwell has yet to publicly address the matter, and his office declined to comment Tuesday.
Sherrill chose Caldwell to be her lieutenant governor after her primary win last summer. Caldwell, who was the first Black president of Centenary University, is a pastor in the United Methodist Church. He has experience working in state government, starting nonprofits, leading charter schools, and serving on the New Brunswick school board.
Sherrill praised him as a “voice for the voiceless” who has followed in his parents’ footsteps when she announced him as her running mate last year. His mother was a teacher and his father, the Rev. Gilbert Caldwell, was a civil rights activist who protested alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Staff writer Susan Livio contributed to this article.
Property tax breaks from Lumberton Township are part of the redevelopment agreement for Lumberton Village, a $77-million project of 857 proposed residential units on undeveloped farmland and wooded acreage in the relatively small town.
National homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc.’s project, which the Burlington County town maintains is an essential part of its commitment to affordable housing, is scheduled to go before the Township Land Development Board on Thursday at 7 p.m. for preliminary and final site plan approval.
Despite requiring board approval, the Horton project is viewed as a lock because of the affordable housing component, Township officials said at a community meeting.
“We’re stuck. We’re under court order. We have to proceed,” the Township affordable housing lawyer, Michael Herbert, of the Parker McCay firm, told residents at the May meeting in Bobby’s Run School. Herbert said the property at Newbolds Corner and Eayrestown Roads has been part of the township’s affordable housing plan for many years.
Lumberton Village would include 506 market-rate townhouses, 179 senior citizen townhouses, 92 affordable family apartments, and 80 age-restricted affordable apartments.
A 30-year Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program for the 172 affordable and age-restricted apartments and a five-year tax abatement/exemption plan for the 179 age-restricted market rate units are included in the township redevelopment agreement, which was signed in August.
The project would increase the number of housing units in the town by about 17%. The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey estimated that Lumberton had 5,036 housing units in 2024, when the population was estimated at 12,882.
Under the plan, not all of the 412 acres that D.R. Horton purchases at the Lumberton site would be used for development. The Burlington County Commission in June approved spending up to $3.73 million to buy and preserve 226 acres at the southern end of the property under the Farmland Preservation program.
A traffic light will be installed at one of the development’s two entrances on Eayrestown Road. D.H. Horton’s traffic consultant, Shropshire Associates LLC of Atco, projects that the residential development will generate 449 trips during the weekday morning peak hour and 435 trips during the afternoon peak hour.
70and73.com is a hyperlocal news site focused on South Jersey, including the communities of Cherry Hill, Evesham, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Medford, Medford Lakes, and Moorestown.
A controversial Gloucester Township development plan for 743 residential units on the site of the nation’s first African American-owned, 18-hole golf course is scheduled before the zoning board on Wednesday.
Freeway Golf Course was purchased by four Black businessmen in 1967 and saw the last round of golf played in November 2015. The 154-acre property at 1858 Sicklerville Rd. was offered for sale in 2016.
Hamilton-based US Home LLC, doing business as Lennar, filed with the township as the developer of the $292 million project. Lennar Corp. is a national homebuilder founded in 1954 with national headquarters in Miami. Lennar is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The property owner is Black Horse Properties LLC of Blackwood, according to the application.
Some neighbors have banded together to oppose the development, posting their objections on the Friends of Freeway Facebook page. A post on Saturday with the agenda of the 7 p.m. meeting says “Don’t let this builder determine the fate of OUR community! He’ll make millions and leave us to deal with the mess.”
“We have our research, we have our facts, we have our attorney and planner! The last thing we need is your attendance,” according to the page, which also featured photos of wildlife asking: “We are taking their homes. Where will they go?”
The proposed development would be “a mixture of 177 single-family detached homes with an average sales price of $497,000, 67 (now 63) age-restricted single family detached homes with a sales price of $469,000, along with 222 traditional townhouse units and 168 stacked townhouse units with estimated sales prices of $430,000 and $365,000, respectively,” according to Lennar’s plans.
Estimated monthly rent for the 113 affordable housing rental apartments would be $1,240.
A fiscal-impact analysis by Richard B. Reading Associates submitted with the application states that the Freeway Pointe development would add 2,086 residents and require $1,698,000 in municipal services, which would be offset by the estimated $2,542,230 in municipal tax revenue from the homeowners.
The financial study also expects that 214 students would live in Freeway Pointe and attend the Gloucester Township School District and 101 students would attend the Black Horse Pike Regional School District. The higher costs from the new students would be more than offset by property taxes, according to the analysis.
70and73.com is a hyperlocal news site focused on South Jersey, including the communities of Cherry Hill, Evesham, Mount Laurel, Voorhees, Medford, Medford Lakes, and Moorestown.
An executive order signed by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill blocking federal immigration agents from using nonpublic state property does not violate the constitution, a federal judge ruled Friday.
U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner dismissed the lawsuit by President Donald Trump’s administration against Sherrill over her executive order banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from “entering accessing, or using nonpublic areas” of state-owned property without a court order.
The February order also prohibits New Jersey agencies from allowing ICE to use state property as a “staging area, processing location, or operation base” for immigration operations.
The Department of Justice sued New Jersey and Sherrill days after she signed the order, accusing the governor of “blatant disregard for federal laws” and taking a “deliberate action that jeopardizes the public safety of All Americans.”
“Gov. Mikie Sherrill aims to intentionally obstruct federal law enforcement and celebrates thwarting the constitutional obligation of the President of the United States to take care that federal immigration law be faithfully executed,” the suit says.
But the Garden State is not required to assist the federal government in immigration enforcement, Castner wrote while dismissing the case.
“Congress contemplated state assistance in federal immigration enforcement, but it contemplated that assistance on a voluntary basis. The fact that New Jersey has decided not to volunteer — in the limited context of [the executive order] — is in accordance, not in conflict, with Congress’s design,” the Joe Biden-appointed judge wrote.
And the Justice Department did not prove its claim that ICE would need to “entirely transform” its operations as a result of the order, Castner said.
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.
ICE’s “untrained agents” are not making New Jersey safer, Sherrill said in a statement.
“Once again, Trump tried to stop us, and once again we won,” the governor said.
Civil rights and immigration advocacy organizations also celebrated Castner’s decision.
The ruling assures that immigrants in New Jersey can use state resources, according to a statement by Jeanne LoCicero, legal director for the ACLU of New Jersey.
“All New Jerseyans deserve to feel safe when they enter state-owned property, and New Jersey has the authority to ensure that safety,” LoCicero said.
Only one applicant has been pre-qualified to bid on Haddon Heights’ first retail liquor license — a Philadelphia-based developer with plans for a restaurant and luxury apartments on the corner of Station Avenue and the White Horse Pike.
Haddon Heights Borough Council unanimously approved the resolution prequalifying Station Avenue Partners LLC to bid on the license during its Sept. 1 work session.
The company submitted an application for a retail liquor license at 501 Station Ave. at the northeastern entrance of the borough’s downtown corridor, according to the resolution.
The team behind Station Avenue Partners also own Broken Ground Properties, which is redeveloping the property at the corner.
Plans for the site include a 2,750-square-foot first-floor restaurant or commercial space with outdoor seating and a rooftop deck, Broken Ground Properties owner Gary Farrell said. The top two floors will be home to a dozen luxury apartments and a nearly 3,000-square-foot rooftop area for residents, he said.
The entire project will stretch across both 501 and 503 Station Ave., adjoining properties that were previously home to buildings dating back to the early 20th century. The buildings had fallen into disrepair over the years and the borough included the property in its redevelopment plan in 2023.
With utility lines placed and construction moving along, Farrell said he expects the project to be finished by February. The commercial space will likely be the last part of the project completed, he said, because the future tenant will be in charge of the remaining outfitting and design.
So far, Farrell said, they’ve been in talks with multiple restaurant groups interested in the property, but they’re waiting to officially have the liquor license in hand before putting it on the market.
The company was the only applicant for pre-qualification ahead of the Sept. 15 public auction for the license, Haddon Heights Mayor Zachary Houck said.
Pre-qualification is required to participate in municipal liquor license auctions in New Jersey to ensure that all bidders are legally and financially eligible to hold a liquor license under the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control laws.
But pre-qualification does not automatically mean the license is awarded; Station Avenue Partners will still need to participate in the upcoming public auction.
The minimum bid for the license is $200,000 after being reduced by the borough from its original $400,000 starting price.
In 2024, voters approved a referendum ending the borough’s 120-year status as a dry town and permitting Haddon Heights to issue two plenary retail consumption licenses that allow the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages on licensed properties.
Following a successful first public auction, Houck said, the administration would consider initiating the same process for the borough’s second liquor license by the end of the year or sometime in early 2027.
Just a few miles away, historically dry Collingswood is following Haddon Heights’ lead.
The ancient Greeks and Romans knew the annual appearance of Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (“Greater Dog”), would bring them the most sultry and sweaty stretch of summer.
I’ve always associated the “Dog Days” with images of a lazy city, slowing down in August; this year especially after our once-in-every-250-years July.
It’s standard practice across Europe — “Les grandes vacances,” the really big holidays — for offices, factories, and ministries to shut the doors for most of the month. Even here the mayor’s daily media advisory on many days last month just read, “The Mayor has no public events scheduled.”
Madelyn Moore and Lea Cifelli (right) have the rooftop Cira Green park – and the view – all to themselves on a lazy August afternoon.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
So it’s surprising for me to look back at what a wonderfully full, fascinating, and fun month August was for photography.
Dan O’Halloran and Sonja Nakasian (right) wait on Lemon Hill between laps.Tom Gralish / Staff PhotographerJody Twer (left), 75, of Kindnersville, Pa. has been biking for decades and lately rides with the club Sturdy Girl Cycling.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
In the lulls between laps — 8 for the men, 4 for the women — I tried to scope out different vantage points to make the most of each 10 second pass the bikes made every half hour. And spot spectators I could focus on.
Having covered the race in its first year, when I saw the T-shirt Joe Manacchio was wearing I immediately recognized the logo as one from the original 1985 CoreStates USPRO Championships (won by Olympic gold medal speed skater Eric Heiden). Joe was there with his family, and they pointed out he was the 2024 Masters (Men 65-69) National Champion at the USA Cycling National Championships in Georgia.
Joe Manacchio with daughter Arbella Cherkis (right) and granddaughter Talia Cherkis.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Theirs were not the only friendly faces I met in the crowd. Most, like me, rode bikes into the park and almost everyone seemed to be having as much fun as I was.
Besides composing for the course’s curves there in Fairmount Park, I also wanted to make the cliched but fun (there’s that word again) photos where the bikes are relatively sharp but the background is streaked and blurred.
To make those, it’s best to be positioned perpendicular to the riders and on a straightaway so you can pan during the exposure, use a slower shutter speed (around 1/15th sec), and move the camera smoothly at the same speed as the passing cyclists.
I know from covering snowstorms, and regattas, and flooding on the Schuylkill that there are great vantage points looking down from Laurel Hill cemetery. Except in late August trees block most of the views of Kelly Drive, so I had to hike along the edge to find a clearing.
In other sports news, the LeBron hype continued as Sixers fans lined up outside the team store at Xfinity Mobile Arena for James (and Jaylen Brown) jerseys.
Evelina, 12, and Anthony Capelli, 10, of South Philadelphia were there with their dad, Chris Capelli. He won a free LeBron jersey, but the kids left empty-handed as the store didn’t have any youth sizes. Wearing her Flyers T-shirt, I met Stacy Romeo — also from South Philly — who showed me her Eagles tattoo while shopping for Sixers merch.
My daughter (the same one who first exposed me to Buc-ee’s) shared viral videos of French singer-songwriter and animal advocate Loris Assadian, known as Plumes, serenading farm and zoo animals with his flamingo-pink guitar. Count former President Barack Obama among the millions of viewers worldwide who have been mesmerized.
When she told me he would be making his very first appearance at any U.S. zoo, I had to let her know I wouldn’t get to cover it because his sold-out appearances were all in the evening. Then I got the chance to meet Assadian (and his mom and brother social media team) and watch him as he made a day-before visit to the tortoises at the Philadelphia Zoo.
Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Also in August, the young counselors at Soupy Island in West Deptford, N.J. unwinded at the end of their day at the free summer day camp founded in 1877 to give sick city kids fresh outdoor air. That weekend, Camden County Police Officer Marina Urena danced in the street with City Council President Angel Fuentes before a parade celebrating Dominican pride.
For a story on measles vaccination rates declining in the Philadelphia area as an outbreak spreads across Pennsylvania, I met three generations of the Jason family and high school junior Cianey Brown at a back-to-school clinic where pediatrician Amanda Bernard was giving out the shots — and important health information.
Also in August, I saw firsthand how exercising with friends boosts your workout motivation as I joined food writer Kiki Aranita who was reporting on seven sushi chefs who work out together, spotting one another as they lifted weights equivalent to a bluefin tuna.
The end of summer means the start of a new school year. I met teachers like second grade’s Gabrielle DiCrosta getting ready at Fanny Jackson Coppin Elementary in South Philly, and a seven-year-old pianist — believed to be the youngest student to study at the Curtis Institute of Music since 1950.
First-day Kindergarten siblings Makenna (left) and Makenzie Lucas arrive at the New Albany School in Cinnaminson, N.J. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer
Finally, next week America will be marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
On that day in 2001 I was working a noon-8 p.m. shift, so I was running errands in the morning. I had just gotten back into my car at the bank when I heard the first reports of a small plane hitting the World Trade Center on KYW News Radio. My first thought was of the 1945 crash of a B-25 bomber into the 78th floor of the Empire State Building. I switched between my car’s AM radio and WHYY-FM to listen to NPR’s reporting as more information came in — including news of another plane crashing into the second tower.
I rushed home, tossed some things in a suitcase and told my wife I was headed to the New Jersey Turnpike.
By then The Inquirer had already dispatched a team of reporters and my photo colleagues to New York so I was instead sent to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell to document the local reaction.
Over the next few days, like everyone else, I couldn’t take my eyes off the news coverage, including the work of Daily News photographer Jim MacMillian, who just wrote about that first day and night at Ground Zero. He had gone there with reporter Chris Brennan, who later wrote his own story about their journey.
Jeff Tull, 40, of Doylestown tried to drive to Manhattan but ended up watching with lots of other people near exit 16 on the New Jersey Turnpike. “After Pearl Harbor you could join the army, plant victory gardens, or have a scrap drive. But we don’t know what to do with ourselves this time,” he told me when I saw him two days later driving around Center City.
One of the most memorable moments for me that week was hearing the soothing sounds of a classical trio in Rittenhouse Square. Curtis Institute of Music alumnus Nick Kendall was joined by current Curtis students Ranaan Meyer and Zachary DePue offering their talent to “give something to the people,” Kendall told me. “Music can make everyone feel better.” They called themselves Time for Three, and over the years I ran into them on other assignments, as they went on with their careers in music.
Five years ago for our story on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I was in the Western Pennsylvania borough of Shanksville to visually report on the nearby Flight 93 National Memorial, where a pathway marks the final flight path of the Boeing 757. A marble wall stands with the names of the 40 passengers and crew, the crash impact site serving as their final resting place.
For another photo essay that year, I visited some of the hundreds of artifacts — steel fragments of the World Trade Center — that were distributed across the U.S., and beyond, to create local memorials.
A cross made of World Trade Center steel from the North Tower is outside Shanksville Volunteer Fire Company Aug. 12, 2021. There are 154 artifact pieces in New Jersey towns, 82 in Pennsylvania.Tom Gralish / 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:
Dale Caldwell, lieutenant governor of New Jersey, is reportedly under internal investigation for allegations involving his behavior toward women and possible ethics violations.
The New Jersey Globe reported Friday that Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration called on Christopher Porrino, a former New Jersey attorney general, to conduct the investigation.
Porrino served as attorney general under Republican Gov. Chris Christie. The New Jersey Globe reported that Porrino and a former federal prosecutor who is now one of his law partners have been conducting interviews for the investigation.
Sean Higgins, spokesperson for Sherrill, said in an emailed statement Friday that the administration “cannot confirm or deny potential personnel matters.”
Higgins also said: “The Governor would take any reports of inappropriate behavior or misconduct extremely seriously and expects our public officials to hold themselves to the highest standards.”
Caldwell could not be reached for comment.
Anthony Bucco, the Republican leader in the New Jersey Senate, said in a statement posted on social media that Caldwell “should temporarily step down from his duties as Lieutenant Governor.”
Bucco said the reported allegations against Caldwell “are deeply concerning and disappointing. Our elected officials must hold themselves to the highest possible standards of conduct, character, and integrity. The public deserves transparency and timely information about matters of this magnitude.”
Bucco added that “there are legitimate questions about why this information was not disclosed sooner and why we are just learning about this late on Friday heading into a holiday weekend.”
The New Jersey Globe reported that the investigation had already begun when Caldwell assumed the duties last week of acting governor while Sherrill was out of state.
The allegations include a purported offer of state jobs, the news outlet reported. No other details were provided.
Sherrill selected Caldwell as her running mate in July 2025. He was the first Black president of Centenary University, a small, private institution in North Jersey, and pastor at Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield, Union County. He also served on the New Brunswick school board for 26 years, including six as president.
“Mikie Sherrill and I represent a different kind of leadership that sees possibilities, not a blind commitment to doing things the way they’ve always been done,” Caldwell said after his selection was announced.
Caldwell graduated from Princeton University in 1982 and from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1988. He received a doctorate in education administration from Seton Hall University in 2017.
Tom Corcoran, 82, of Philadelphia, retired president of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp., founding president and former chief executive officer of the old Cooper’s Ferry Development Association in Camden, former business administrator for the city of Camden, onetime Peace Corps program director in West Africa, mentor, and poetry enthusiast, died Sunday, Aug. 30, of complications from dementia at his home in Center City.
Born in Chicago and a graduate of Loyola University Chicago, Mr. Corcoran earned a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1975 and never strayed far from the Delaware River after that. He spent 25 years, from 1984 to 2009, as president and CEO of the Cooper’s Ferry Development Association on the Camden waterfront, and eight years, from 2009 to 2017, as president of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. in Philadelphia.
He championed what he called “the two cities, one waterfront strategy” and was especially adept, former colleagues said, at political maneuvering and marshaling funds and projects. Former colleagues on both sides of the Delaware called him “a tireless public servant,” “a visionary urban planner,” and an “economic development strategist with short-term practicality and long-term vision.”
In Camden, Mr. Corcoran added more than $550 million of investments to the waterfront area and oversaw the development of what is now the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, the Adventure Aquarium, Wiggins Waterfront Park, the Riverlink Ferry, several office buildings, and other projects. Another New Jersey developer called him a “cult figure” among state lawmakers.
Mr. Corcoran talks at City Hall in 2011 about creating a string of parks along the Delaware River.Akira Suwa / Staff Photographer
He said education as well as development was key to building a strong local economy and told The Inquirer in 2006: “Until Camden has a good-quality education system, we’re not going to be able to attract families with school-age children back to the city.”
Dana L. Redd, former Camden mayor and current president and CEO of Camden Community Partnership, said on Facebook that Mr. Corcoran often slept on a cot in his Camden office and left daily handwritten messages that his project managers called “love notes.” Redd said: “He challenged a generation of urban leaders to think bigger, believe in Camden, and dream about what the city could become.”
In Philadelphia, he initiated the Race Street and Washington Avenue pier parks, the Spruce Street Harbor Park, a miles-long bike and walking trail, and the I-95 overpass park to reconnect Center City with its waterfront. “The more we look at the concept of one waterfront, two states, the more opportunities we’re going to find,” he said when he left Camden for Philadelphia in 2009.
When he retired in 2017, he said: “Instead of swinging for the fences, we decided we would hit singles and doubles and bunts and sacrifices, steal bases, and do whatever we could. Eventually, we thought, we’d always get back to the center.”
Mr. Corcoran (left) shakes hands with then-Mayor Michael Nutter in 2009 after joining the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer
Longtime colleague and friend Bill Hankowsky said: “It is truly unique that a single individual could have the vast impact across two facing waterfronts in the center of one of the country’s major urban metros.”
Earlier, Mr. Corcoran served nine years, from 1975 to 1984, in Camden city government, rising from administrative aide to business administrator. In 2001, he earned a Good Neighbor Award from the Camden County chapter of the American Red Cross for his “integral role in the revitalization of the city.”
In the 1960s, Mr. Corcoran joined the Peace Corps after college and spent seven years in Africa building dams and wells with local farmers. He spoke French and the local African language, and rose to program director.
“What an exemplary life he led,” a former Peace Corps colleague said in a tribute, “without fanfare or drama and always with service to others.”
Mr. Corcoran (right) led visitors on a tour of the Washington Avenue pier park in 2014.Viviana Pernot / Staff Photographer
Off the waterfront, Mr. Corcoran was enthralled by poetry and his Irish heritage. He liked to recite lines from Ulysses and other poems, and sing songs from the old country.
“He was a true Renaissance man who had a remarkable vision for communities and people,” a former colleague said. Former colleague John Grady said: ”Tom was a giant, unassuming, persistent force for the local community.”
Thomas Patrick Corcoran was born May 13, 1944. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at Loyola in Chicago and rode camels to work in Africa during his time in the Peace Corps.
He met Robin Lowey at a dinner society event, and they married in 2003, and lived in Camden and Philadelphia. They enjoyed traveling and dining together, and hashing over world affairs.
Mr. Corcoran and his wife, Robin Lowey, married in 2003. Courtesy of friends
In 2009, he said he often peered through a telescope at the Philadelphia waterfront from his home in Camden and wondered how he would develop Penn’s Landing. “He’s the one who brought together the business leaders and was able to steer through difficult political waters,” then-Camden County freeholder Jeffrey Nash said in 2009.
His wife said: “He was a kind and generous gentleman. He was a good, nice person.”
In addition to his wife, Mr. Corcoran is survived by three sisters, a brother, and other relatives.
Services were held Thursday.
Donations in his name may be made to the Caplan Caring Difference Fund at the Penn Memory Center, Office of the Treasurer, Box 71332, Philadelphia, Pa. 19176.
Mr. Corcoran spent seven years in the Peace Corps after college. Courtesy of friends
With the relocation, set to start in two to three years, the discount retailer says it will invest a total of $370 million in the city. The company plans to keep warehouses in Burlington County, including on the site of its current headquarters, where it has been based for more than half a century.
Here’s what else to know about the big numbers related to Burlington’s move to 3151 Market St.
What does it cost to move to Schuylkill Yards?
$370 million: What Burlington plans to spend on the move
$240 million: How much Burlington is paying for the 441,000-square-foot building, according to a Thursday SEC filing by Brandywine Realty Trust. That’s about $544 per square foot.
$130 million: How much Burlington plans to spend on “design and development of the space, creating an HQ built for collaboration and the modern needs of Burlington’s corporate workforce,” a spokesperson said.
$223 million: What Brandywine had spent on 3151 Market, as of June 30, according to its latest earnings report.
(function() { var l = function() { new pym.Parent( ‘burlington-move__graphic’, ‘https://media.inquirer.com/storage/inquirer/ai2html/burlington-move/index.html’); }; if(typeof(pym) === ‘undefined’) { var h = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0], s = document.createElement(‘script’); s.type = ‘text/javascript’; s.src = ‘https://pym.nprapps.org/pym.v1.min.js’; s.onload = l; h.appendChild(s); } else { l(); } })();
$168 million: How much Brandywine estimates it will get from the sale. The company said in an SEC filing that it has a $57.3 million mortgage on the building that will be repaid at closing, which is set for later this month.
96%: The vacancy rate at 3151 Market, which was completed in 2024.
Burlington Stores’ future new home at 3151 Market St., in Philadelphia. Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
What government incentives are going to Burlington?
$30 million: How much Burlington is set to receive in grants from Pennsylvania.
$8 million: What the City of Philadelphia plans to invest in Burlington’s move, including a $7 million forgivable loan and $1 million for a year of free SEPTA passes for employees.
How much of Burlington’s workforce is coming to Philly?
1,500: Number of Burlington employees the company plans to move from New Jersey to Philadelphia, starting in late 2028 or early 2029
500: Number of hires Burlington plans at its new headquarters in the next five years
0: Number of layoffs Burlington has planned as a result of the headquarters relocation
Inquirer reporter Joseph N. DiStefano contributed to this article.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert is retiring at the end the year, bringing to a close her seven-plus years at the helm of the league and a stewardship that has been transformative and at times tumultuous.
Engelbert is the second-longest tenured WNBA president or commissioner, and she helped negotiate a lucrative collective bargaining agreement this past spring that resulted in the league’s first set of million-dollar player salaries. Philly-based lawyer Deb Willig helped lead negotiations for that CBA.
“Cathy has presided over the WNBA through the most significant period of growth in the league’s 30-year history,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Friday when announcing Engelbert’s decision. “We are grateful for Cathy’s leadership and unwavering commitment to the advancement of women’s basketball.”
Engelbert, a Collingswood native who turns 62 in November, told the Associated Press that she has been thinking about retiring for months.
“When I first came to the league, I intended to do this for 3½ years,” she said in a phone interview. “The 7½ years exceeded that time. This is a really good time, given the financial transformation journey we’ve been on. Getting the collective bargaining agreement done, getting a long-term media rights deal done, getting expansion done.”
Engelbert insists that the decision to leave was her own and that she did not feel any pressure to step down from NBA or WNBA stakeholders.
Who’s next?
The commissioner said she has been working on a succession plan over the last few years. While she didn’t give any specifics on who might be considered for the position, Engelbert did say there are both internal and external potential candidates on the league’s radar.
“It’s a good time to hand it off to the next leader to take the ‘W’ into a better phase,” she said. “I’m proud of the team we built and everything we accomplished. A leader knows when it’s time to drop the mic and move on after building a powerhouse team in the league office.”
Engelbert said she has mixed emotions about leaving.
“I love women’s basketball, and am not going anywhere yet,” said Engelbert, who was a point guard for Muffet McGraw at Lehigh. “We’ll run a real succession process in the remaining four months. If we don’t find someone, I’ll stay on. I had no transition. I walked in the door, and I was by myself as no one transitioned me into this role.
“Hopefully I can help this next leader transition in especially considering the elevation of this league.”
The WNBA has grown at an exponential rate during Engelbert’s tenure as commissioner, with record television ratings, strong attendance, a new long-term media rights deal and expansion to 18 teams by the end of the decade. That run of expansion will be capped by a team coming to Philadelphia in 2030.
“I was brought in as a business leader to transform the business,” she said. “I look at revenue and merchandise, viewership and attendance,” she said, noting how they’ve all improved. “A great leader senses when it’s time for someone else to come in. When I came in, this league was facing questions about our long-term viability and sustainability.”
Cathy Englebert announces that she will retire as WNBA commissioner at the end of the year. She took over in 2019, and next 2 team sales in 2021 were for $2-3M (Las Vegas) and $5M (Atlanta). W average value is now $427M, and No. 1 based on avg revenue multiple. pic.twitter.com/Mf3CmaqgNl
Engelbert said the growth of the league has “blown away her expectations” since she stepped into her role after leaving her previous position as president of Deloitte in 2019.
Besides the new CBA, the list of things she is most proud of includes getting charter travel for players, keeping the league going during the coronavirus pandemic, the historic media rights deal and exponential increase in the value of WNBA franchises. In 2019, the average value of a WNBA franchise was $10 million; in 2026, it is about $460 million.
Along with the financial gains, however, turmoil and tension have accompanied the WNBA’s growth.
Players say they have seen more social media vitriol directed toward them over the last few years, and some don’t feel the league has done enough to ensure their safety. The league also has been at the center of discussions about transgender athletes playing in the league.
Engelbert has repeatedly said the online attacks of players are unacceptable and she backs league initiatives to protect players. She also said there should be no confusion on the transgender question.
“We have no current eligibility issues in the WNBA,” Engelbert said, adding that “if we did, we would have a thoughtful policy discussion with the [players’ association] and the players.”
While there was a strained partnership between the commissioner and players during the recent CBA negotiations, Engelbert insists she has a good relationship with them.
Talks between the commissioner and players have been complicated.
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, who’s vice president of the WNBA players’ union executive committee, said before the All-Star Game that there is a respect for Engelbert among the players, just not much of a relationship.
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) defends as Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark looks to pass in the first half of a game on Aug. 11 in Indianapolis.Michael Conroy
Engelbert’s future
Engelbert said she is ready to do what most retirees plan: spend more time with family.
She also admitted that the online hate she receives has affected her family as well, though she did not share details of the impact.
“There have been some hard parts of that on my family with the vitriol and hate I get online,” Engelbert said.
Sixers majority owner Josh Harris (left), Detroit Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, and Cleveland Cavaliers CEO Nic Barlage celebrate the announcement of three new teams, including a franchise coming to Philly.Jonathan Tannenwald
Her retirement will make her mother happy. Her father, Kurt, was a Hall of Fame basketball player at St. Joseph’s who died in 1987. Her parents were from Northeast Philly, and five of her siblings attended Villanova, according to a 2019 Inquirer article.
“My mom is turning 90 this year, and she said that ‘it would be good if you were retired to spend more time with me,’” Engelbert said, laughing. “I have two children, one I barely see.
“I’m one of eight kids [and I] have five brothers. They always say can you retire so you can spend more time with us.”
