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  • Joan M. Satterthwaite, talented tailor and seamstress, and longtime office administrator, has died at 92

    Joan M. Satterthwaite, talented tailor and seamstress, and longtime office administrator, has died at 92

    Joan M. Satterthwaite, 92, of Philadelphia, talented tailor and seamstress, longtime office administrator for the Mayor’s Commission on Aging, volunteer, and community caretaker, died Tuesday, Aug. 4, of sepsis at Jefferson Washington Township Hospital in Gloucester County.

    Adept at designing, constructing, fitting, and altering garments of all kinds, Ms. Satterthwaite worked at the Botany 500 factory at Broad Street and Lehigh Avenue, and for other clothing manufacturers in Philadelphia, for more than 20 years. She could do every job on the intricate clothing assembly line, her son Kevin said, and she did them fast and well.

    She joined the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union in the 1950s and supplemented her weekday work by producing gowns, dresses, suits, and other clothing for family, friends, church choirs, wedding parties, and local businesses.

    She made Halloween costumes for her two sons when they were young and tailored suits when they were older. She designed a wedding dress for her daughter-in-law.

    She could duplicate many patterns by looking at them just once. Over the years, she collected eight sewing machines. “Her craftsmanship and attention to detail earned her the admiration and loyalty of countless clients,” her family said in a tribute.

    Her son Kevin said: “We would call her an entrepreneur today.”

    Why did best-selling author Carol Saline email The Inquirer’s obit writer?

    In the mid-1980s, Ms. Satterthwaite left garments and became certified in office administration and computer technology at the old Philadelphia School of Office Technologies. For a decade, she worked for the Joseph Shein Law Firm.

    She tried to retire in the mid-1990s. But she impressed officials at the Mayor’s Commission on Aging so much as a client that they recruited her as a receptionist and administrative assistant. She left that job in 2018, at 85.

    Ms. Satterthwaite reared her sons in Philadelphia. Courtesy of the family

    After that, she volunteered with veterans groups, was active in the community, and opened her home to anyone in need. “If someone asked for help,” her son Kevin said, “she was there.”

    Her family said: “Joan’s life was a testament to perseverance, faith, compassion, and determination. Her kindness, generosity, and genuine concern for others became hallmarks of a life well lived.”

    Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer

    A friend said online: “Ms. Joan was the nicest person ever. … Her kind spirit reminded me of my grandmother.”

    Joan Marie Watts was born Dec. 28, 1933, in North Philadelphia. Her mother died when she was 2, and she was reared by her grandfather and his wife.

    Ms. Satterthwaite doted on her grandchildren.Courtesy of the family

    She studied tailoring and sewing at William Penn High School and graduated in 1952. She married Charles Satterthwaite in 1953, and they had sons Kevin and Eric. Her husband died earlier.

    Ms. Satterthwaite was a member of Triumph Baptist Church for more than 35 years, and she went to breakfast with others often after Sunday service. She had breakfast with her sons on Saturdays, bowled every week for 30 years, hosted memorable family gatherings on holidays, and pored over puzzle books when she was older to stay sharp.

    When parents die, even the mundane memories comfort their children. Here are their tales, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer.

    Her family noted her “warm heart, generous spirit, and love of people” in a tribute and said: “Her kindness, patience, and genuine concern for others left a lasting impression on all who knew her.”

    She doted on her family and told them often that education was a key to success. She lived in Nicetown and Logan, and most recently in Washington Township.

    Ms. Satterthwaite graduated from William Penn High School. Courtesy of the family

    Her son Eric praised her “unwavering belief that nothing in life was more important than family.” Her son Kevin said: “She was welcoming and warm. She liked being around people. Her life force kept her going.”

    In addition to her sons, Ms. Satterthwaite is survived by four grandchildren, two sisters, a brother, and other relatives. Two brothers died earlier.

    Services were held earlier.

    Donations in her name may be made to Triumph Baptist Church, 1648 W. Hunting Park Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19140.

    Ms. Satterthwaite bowled every week for decades. Courtesy of the family
  • 🍩 Sugar rush incoming | Inquirer South Jersey

    🍩 Sugar rush incoming | Inquirer South Jersey

    Good morning, South Jersey. Expect another sunny day.

    Del Buono’s Pastry Shop in the former McMillan’s Bakery spot is finally open. We take a peek inside the sweet-peddling space, which underwent a down-to-the-studs renovation.

    And in somber news, the body of a Delran woman who helped rescue a drowning girl has been found.

    Plus, a Princeton man with a rare disease found hope in donated plasma, and more stories of the day.

    — Julie Zeglen (southjersey@inquirer.com)

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

    A sweet welcome in Haddon Township

    McMillan’s Bakery reigned for 86 years in Haddon Township before closing in spring 2025. Now, after hefty renovations and lots of hype, there’s a newcomer in the beloved sweet shop’s former Haddon Avenue location: Del Buono’s Pastry Shop.

    Starting this week, customers can pick up treats such as pizzelle, biscotti, and cream doughnuts reminiscent of the ones McMillan’s once sold. Del Buono’s is giving away 1,000 of the doughnuts this Saturday during its official grand opening event.

    The space is also home to cake shop DiBartolo’s Kakery, operated by a Food Network alumnus.

    “You’re really getting authentic, old-school baking in here,” Al DiBartolo said. “But with a modern twist.”

    The Inquirer’s Sarah Nicell has the details on Del Buono’s big plans as it honors the McMillan’s legacy.

    🍝 More local food news: An upscale Italian supermarket, Uncle Giuseppe’s, is moving into Moorestown. The New York-based chain expects to bring its fresh pasta, produce, and other goods to the East Gate Square complex in late 2027.

    Delaware River drowning

    The search for a Delran woman who disappeared into the Delaware River after aiding a struggling young swimmer on Monday afternoon came to a sad end yesterday.

    The body of Priscila Alvares Pereira Dos Santos, 33, was found off a beach at Amico Island Park in Riverside Tuesday morning, the Delran Township Police Department said.

    Reporter Lacey Latch has more on what we know about the incident.

    What to know today

    🧠 Trivia time

    Figure skater Isabeau Levito of Mount Laurel finished in what place at the 2026 Winter Olympics?

    A) Fourth

    B) Sixth

    C) 10th

    D) 12th

    Think you know? Check your answer.

    What we’re …

    🏠 Perusing: What kind of house can be bought with roughly $765,000 in Riverton’s housing market.

    💰 Comparing: Costs for vacations in Paris, in Hawaii, and down the Shore.

    🏀 Watching: Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey being gifted artwork that turns him into Spider-Man.

    🧩 Unscramble the anagram

    Hint: Longtime local journalist and Moorestown native

    CRICK MANIC OMEN

    Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Ed Rivkin, who solved last Wednesday’s anagram: Kelly Ripa. Ripa has cohosted Live since 2001.

    🏡 On the market

    Completely rebuilt home with a covered front porch

    This four-bedroom Burlington home’s highlights include a kitchen with quartz countertops, a large island, and stainless steel appliances. The other standout is the covered front porch with room for multiple pieces of outdoor furniture, like a porch swing or a rocking chair.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $535,000 | Size: 2,200 SF | Acreage: O.2

    Have a great Wednesday, ya hear? More news to come tomorrow. See you then.

    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.

  • Township native stars as Bourdain | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    Township native stars as Bourdain | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    Hello, Cherry Hill! 👋

    It’s nice to see you again. Up-and-coming township native Dominic Sessa is portraying a young Anthony Bourdain in a newly released biopic.

    Also making headlines this week is the new state law banning the use of cell phones during the school day, a new food access program that buses Camden residents to Cherry Hill grocery stores, and disputed claims regarding the local Dick’s Sporting Goods’ outpost’s LeBron James jerseys.

    And as always: If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    — Laura Smythe (cherryhill@inquirer.com)

    Cherry Hill native plays Anthony Bourdain in new Tony biopic

    Cherry Hill native Dominic Sessa returns to the silver screen in Tony, where he plays a 19-year-old Anthony Bourdain, years before he became an acclaimed chef, writer, and television personality.

    If you don’t recognize Sessa’s name from his Critics’ Choice Award-winning breakout role as a troubled prep school student in the 2023 comedic drama The Holdovers, perhaps you do from his ranking as one of Cherry Hill’s most-searched Wikipedia celebrities.

    In Tony, Sessa nails a young Bourdain’s “fascination with people who seem more authentic than he feels,” Inquirer food reporter Michael Klein writes in his review of the film, which was widely released last weekend.

    Check out the full article for a complete breakdown of Sessa’s latest performance, which taps into the “seductive outlaw kitchen culture” of “drugs, sex, appetite, [and] danger” that pulled in the culinary icon.

    💡 Community News

    • A new food access program spearheaded by a South Jersey pastor is transporting residents from the food desert of Camden to Cherry Hill, where they can better source fresh, affordable, and healthy food.
    • B Positive Plasma, a plasma donation center network that started in Cherry Hill and now operates a dozen locations across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, is on track to see a record year as area residents sell their blood plasma to try to make ends meet.
    • After a Cherry Hill resident’s dog got into a quarrel with a rabid skunk earlier this month, Camden County officials are advising residents to avoid direct contact with wildlife and other unfamiliar animals and to make sure pets are up to date on vaccinations.
    • A store manager of Cherry Hill’s Dick’s Sporting Goods disputed reports that the chain was placing official LeBron James Sixers jerseys behind the counter because of theft. 
    • Cherry Hill resident Megan Paier, a volunteer docent at the Philadelphia Zoo, helped bring viral French musician Plumes to serenade the site’s tortoises by DMing him on social media.
    • Meet Armand Perez, 70, who has served as caretaker at the quirky South Jersey children’s “oasis” Soupy Island for nearly three decades while simultaneously clocking 24 years at Cherry Hill Volvo.
    • Cherry Hill Mall owner Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust is selling another of its greater Philadelphia holdings, Willow Grove Park Mall, to a partnership of New York firms. The pending deal is among the latest shakeups to the region’s 17 malls amid the retail sector’s 21st-century evolution.
    • As the global outdoor TV market steadily grows, Soccer Post Cherry Hill event manager Zach Kades shared his tips for selecting the right gear to get in on the trend.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • New Jersey’s nearly 600 public schools will implement a cell phone-free policy under a new state law this school year. Many will be catching up to Cherry Hill Public Schools, which voluntarily enacted its own cell phone ban two years ago — though this month, the district will vote on whether to amend its existing policy. Here’s what could change.
    • The 2026–27 academic year begins next Wednesday.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • Cherry Hill remains a stalwart in local Jewish deli culture as another traditional Jewish delicatessen shutters in Philadelphia, The Inquirer’s Michael Klein notes.
    • Zushi Dozo has some of the best omakase in the state, according to a recent ranking from BestofNJ.com. While the East Marlton Pike eatery doesn’t offer traditional omakase, the outlet lauds its platter selections, including nigiri offerings.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🎶 Twilight Concert Series: The final concert of the season features the South Jersey Pops Orchestra. ⏰ Thursday, Aug. 27, 8 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Cooper River Park Jack Curtis Stadium

    🛼 Endless Summer Glow Skate: This skate night is glow-themed. ⏰ Friday, Aug. 28, 6:30-9:30 p.m. 💵 $14 admission 📍 Hot Wheelz

    🍿 Night at the Museum: The library’s outdoor movie night features a screening of the 2006 Ben Stiller fantasy film. ⏰ Friday, Aug. 28, 7:30-10 p.m. (rain date: Aug. 29) 💵 Free 📍 Friendship Grove at the Cherry Hill Public Library

    🏡 On the Market

    An airy abode with a wine lover’s fridge

    214 State St. in Cherry Hill, New Jersey features an open-concept layout.

    This three-bedroom, three-full-bathroom house built in 1925 features an open-concept layout with oak flooring, a walk-in pantry with a dual-zone wine fridge, and a back deck. The Barlow neighborhood home, which is under contract, also includes a finished basement.

    See more photos of the home here.

    Price: $569,000 | Size: 3,519 SF | Acreage: 0.13

    🗞️ 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.

  • Ragweed season is approaching its peak in Philly, and the rains likely gave it a boost

    Ragweed season is approaching its peak in Philly, and the rains likely gave it a boost

    The recent rain rally has been a boon to the Philadelphia region’s plant life, and, unfortunately for the legions of the allergic, the beneficiaries include the homely and ubiquitous tormentor commonly known as ragweed.

    It belongs to the plant family Ambrosia, from the Latin for “food of the gods.” One can only assume the gods did not have allergies.

    Estimates vary, and it’s not as though it is a census category, but in all likelihood several hundred thousand people in the region annually endure the slings and arrows of ragweed pollen, notorious for setting off episodes of sneezing and attendant dopiness.

    It also can induce coughing, wheezing, and chest discomforts, particularly among asthmatics, allergy experts warn.

    The season — the third in the equinox-to-equinox pollen trilogy, successor to the trees and grasses — typically begins modestly in early August, then intensifies late in the month and continues well into September. And this year sufferers may pay a price for the episodic drought-easing rains that have been watering the plants in the Mid-Atlantic region since mid-June.

    “Ragweed thrives on the nitrates in rainwater,” said Payel Gupta, an allergy, asthma, and immunology specialist based in New York City. The rains’ timing has coincided with “ragweed’s late-summer growth window,” she added, and the result likely will be “denser plants and higher pollen output.”

    As for precisely when the pollen will peak: “Every year is different,” said Donald Dvorin, who for more than 30 years was the Philly region’s official National Allergy Bureau pollen counter, “but the first week of September is most common.”

    In addition, with the planet’s temperatures increasing and first frosts taking their good old time, the seasons appear to be lasting a bit longer.

    The prime pollen flight hours are from 5 to 10 a.m.; effects can linger, however, as pollen can stick to clothing and find its way indoors via unwitting humans and pets.

    What is ragweed?

    Ragweed is a tooth-leaved plant that can grow in almost any environment, native to North America but spreading worldwide.

    For the allergenic, Dvorin said, the heavy hitters are the “short” ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), and the “giant” (Ambrosia trifida).

    A typical pollen grain is a mere 1/25,000th of an inch in diameter, but a single plant can generate a billion of them.

    While the plants live for only about a year, do they ever reproduce! Pollen has been found as far as 400 miles from the source, according to the Allergy and Asthma Network.

    New York City spent millions after World War II to eradicate ragweed in the city, a war it lost resoundingly. For one thing, the warriors discovered that about half the ragweed pollen in the five boroughs was commuting from elsewhere.

    The torments of ragweed

    Most people inhale ragweed pollen without incident, but for the allergic, the body interprets the pollen as an invader, and sneezes and other reactions are part of the immune response.

    For the sufferers, each season can be a little bit different, said Gupta, assistant clinical professor at the State University of New York and Mount Sinai Medical Center in Brooklyn.

    Severity would depend on “how many consecutive high-count days there are,” Gupta said. Exacerbating factors could be “viral infections or air pollution compounding irritation,” she said.

    In addition, some patients may be subject to “priming,” a particularly nasty season that might make some more susceptible to pollen discomforts the following year.

    And ragweed is nothing to just sneeze at, according to the International Ragweed Society, which is based in Switzerland and aims to promote ragweed research.

    In addition to a “socioeconomic burden due to rising healthcare costs” and “productivity losses,” the society states, the weed’s pervasiveness can endanger certain crops and natural habitats.

    How much ragweed is in the air?

    Unfortunately, that has become harder to know. Dvorin, an allergist who had practiced in Center City and Mount Laurel, stopped counting pollen last year, and that was symptomatic of a trend. The network has been shrinking.

    Gotcha! Donald Dvorin analyzing a pollen specimen. He stopped counting pollen last year, and the network has been shrinking.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    Traditionally, allergists such as Dvorin supplied daily counts on a voluntary basis as part of the National Allergy Bureau network. However, the analyses require expertise and time that allergists could devote to revenue-paying patients.

    Fewer doctors evidently have been willing to participate.

    The nearest allergy bureau counter who posts frequent counts is in the Washington area.

    The Asthma Center in Center City posts daily counts that are AI-generated, and while that technology shows tremendous potential, the allergy bureau has not yet approved any of the machines for official use, said Pamela E. Gabrish, the bureau’s program director.

    “There has actually been more backlash against using automated devices than ever,” she said.

    Advice for ragweed sufferers

    Day-to-day pollen volumes are difficult to predict, but expect the peak to arrive next week.

    It is a good bet that counts will be high on a warm, dry, and breezy day.

    This will be evident in the online pollen forecasts, but be aware that pollen is commuting on the chaotic whims of the atmosphere.

    In a study of five major cities, published in 2024, allergy experts concluded the accuracy of online pollen forecasts was “low.”

    Along with medications, here are a few suggestions from allergy professionals:

    • Limit time outdoors on dry, windy days.
    • When outside, wear a dust mask.
    • Inside, keep the windows closed.
    • Shower before going to bed.

    And hope for rain, within limits.

  • Uncle Giuseppe’s, a gourmet Italian grocer, is coming to King of Prussia and Moorestown

    Uncle Giuseppe’s, a gourmet Italian grocer, is coming to King of Prussia and Moorestown

    Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, a New York-based chain of high-end Italian supermarkets, is expanding into the Philadelphia area.

    The company recently announced plans to open stores in King of Prussia and Moorestown in late 2027.

    The King of Prussia market, the chain’s first Pennsylvania location, is set to open at 320 W. DeKalb Pike, the site of the closed Hobby Lobby in the DeKalb Plaza shopping center.

    The Moorestown store, the first in South Jersey, will be located at 1311 Nixon Dr., replacing the Barnes & Noble and PetSmart in the East Gate Square complex.

    Each of the new locations will be about 58,000 square feet.

    The inside of a recently opened Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace in New York.Courtesy Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace

    “King of Prussia and Moorestown are two markets we’ve been looking at for some time,” Carl DelPrete, CEO and cofounder of Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, said in a statement. “We look for communities where we believe our stores will be a good fit and where customers are looking for fresh, quality food and good service.”

    Founded on Long Island in 2001, Uncle Giuseppe’s now operates 13 locations in New York and North Jersey.

    Every store sells made-in-house mozzarella, homemade pasta, prepared foods, fresh produce, specialty cheeses, imported Italian products, natural and organic items, and more traditional groceries. Each market also has full-service meat and seafood departments, an Italian deli, a scratch bakery, and a catering department.

    Customers can watch workers make pasta at a recently opened Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace in New York.Courtesy Uncle Giuseppe's Marketplace

    Company executives call shopping at Uncle Giuseppe’s an experience, one in which customers can watch pasta, mozzarella, and bread being made and see meats being cut to order.

    The company is expanding as some other chain grocers contract — and some consumers cut back due to higher prices.

    Earlier this year, Amazon closed all of its brick-and-mortar Amazon Fresh stores, including six in the Philadelphia region, and Grocery Outlet bargain market closed dozens of stores nationwide, including eight in the Philadelphia area.

    What makes someone love their grocery store? Ask the Philadelphians who are already missing their Amazon Fresh.

    Gourmet grocers have not been spared. Di Bruno Bros., the Philly-based Italian-food retailer, closed three of its five locations this winter, two years after being acquired by Wakefern Food Corp., the North Jersey-based supermarket cooperative that operates ShopRite.

    Despite industry uncertainty, Uncle Giuseppe’s is not the only grocer expanding. Sprouts, the organic supermarket chain, is adding stores, too, including in Havertown, Limerick, and Washington Township.

    The Washington Township outpost will be up and running Sept. 11, with the Limerick store to follow Oct. 2. The Havertown location is set to open in early 2027.

    Opening dates, store hours, and other information about Uncle Giuseppe’s new stores will be announced next year, company executives said.

  • Body of Delran woman who helped rescue drowning girl found in Delaware River

    Body of Delran woman who helped rescue drowning girl found in Delaware River

    The body of a 33-year-old woman who disappeared in the Delaware River after she rescued a struggling swimmer on Monday afternoon has been recovered, the Delran Township Police Department said Tuesday.

    Search crews located the body of Priscila Alvares Pereira Dos Santos about 20 feet off a beach at Amico Island Park in Riverside shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday, Delran police said, roughly 16 hours after she was last seen in the water.

    Alvares Pereira Dos Santos reportedly drowned after saving a girl who was struggling in the river around 4 p.m. on Monday, according to officials.

    She was able to push the girl toward bystanders on the shore before she vanished under the surface, they said.

    The girl she saved has not been publicly identified and her condition is unknown.

    Amico Island Park was closed Tuesday as the investigation into the incident continued.

  • N.J. students will have to put down their cell phones this fall under new state law

    N.J. students will have to put down their cell phones this fall under new state law

    New Jersey students are going back to school with a new phone-free routine in September.

    Starting on the first day of classes, all K-12 students in public schools must power off and put away phones and most internet-enabled devices before the bell rings, with only a few exceptions.

    The new policy — signed into law in January by former Gov. Phil Murphy — puts New Jersey among a growing number of states including New York and Maryland that have passed measures to crack down on students using cell phones during the school day. (Pennsylvania has not passed a state law, though Gov. Josh Shapiro has signaled his support for such a policy and some districts have independently banned the devices in their schools.)

    Heartily endorsed by educators who believe it will ease classroom distractions, promote academic performance, and improve student mental health, New Jersey’s new rule marks a big change for students accustomed to having their cellphones and other devices nearby and checking them regularly — even during class.

    Some districts, such as Cherry Hill and Woodbury, have voluntarily implemented cell phone bans. Woodbury Superintendent Andrew Bell said most students embraced the restrictions and spend more time interacting with each other during breaks.

    “At this point, it’s simply part of our culture and daily routine,” Bell said of the cell-free policy, passed two years ago.

    The state left it to local school boards to determine how to implement the law at a district level, while complying with the guidelines. Because policies may vary, parents and students should check with their local district.

    Lockable pouches keep kids off phones during class, but don’t improve test scores, study finds

    Here’s what you need to know.

    How are districts implementing the policy?

    The law requires the state’s nearly 600 public school districts to adopt a policy banning the use of cell phones and other personal devices for the entire school day. The law allows some flexibility on enforcement and how the devices are stored.

    The state Department of Education issued guidelines this summer to help district set local policies. Some districts including Cherry Hill in Camden County and Washington Township in Gloucester County this month are voting on amending existing policies.

    Districts had to decide whether students would be required to store their phones in their lockers or bins, in locked pouches, or in their backpacks with their personal belongings. The devices must be powered off.

    The guidelines apply to all internet-enabled devices, typically smartphones, smartwatches, smart glasses, and ear buds, or any device that can access online content.

    Some districts have also included other communication devices like flip phones, two-way radios, and walkie-talkies. Some rules may vary, for age appropriateness, depending on grade level, too.

    What is bell-to-bell?

    Cherry Hill school board member Bridget Palmer explained the restriction this way at a recent board meeting: “The minute you walk in to the meeting, you leave.”

    The law restricts students from using their phones during lunch and study hall periods.

    Districts get to decide whether phones can be used before and after school on school grounds, on school buses, and during school-sponsored events, such as athletic events and extracurricular activities.

    “We’re not going to tell kids they can’t use their phones when they’re at Disney,” Washington Township Superintendent Eric Hibbs said at a board meeting. “We couldn’t enforce it anyway.”

    Districts must also provide parameters for how and when parents can contact their children during an emergency. Hibbs said Washington Township will have phones available in every office that a student can use, and is developing a way for parents to contact their child on a district-issued device.

    “A true emergency — all of this goes away,” Hibbs said. “No child will ever get in trouble for calling 911 for reporting an emergency.”

    Where will the phones be stored?

    The law lets the districts decide where the phones will be stored during the school day. The state provided some funding for districts to purchase locked Yondr pouches. Others are designating lockers or bins.

    Lianah Carruolo, 12, a seventh-grade student, unlocks her cell phone pouch outside the junior high entrance to Woodbury Junior/Senior High School on Friday, Sept 20, 2024. Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    Cherry Hill’s amended policy would allow students to keep their phone in their personal belongings. It must be turned off, not just on vibrate or silent.

    “We prefer that you don’t bring it to school, but if you bring it to school, it has to be off and in your backpack or your locker for the duration of the day,” Palmer said.

    In Camden, the district’s new “off and away” policy says phones should be off and out of sight. They are permitted at a teacher’s discretion for instructional purposes. After a first offense, the phone will be confiscated and returned to the student at the end of the day; for subsequent offenses, the phone will be returned to a parent or guardian.

    In Washington Township, pre-K to fifth graders must store their phones in their backpacks, sixth to eighth graders must store theirs in their lockers, while high schoolers will be allowed to keep theirs in their backpacks.

    Hibbs said few high school students use their lockers so it was decided to allow them to keep their phones in their personal property. With about 2,100 students, the high school is among the largest in South Jersey.

    Are there any exceptions to the law?

    The law mandates exemptions for students with a disability or an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan that stipulates the need for an internet-enabled device.

    The exemptions include students with a health plan, such as students with diabetes who need their phone to check glucose levels.

    There are also exemptions for students who use the cell phone for translation, or are the primary caregiver responsible for the well-being of a family member.

    School policies must also outline procedures for mobile devices that will be implemented in the event of an emergency, such as a lockdown.

    In the event of a family emergency, parents should contact the school office, and not the student directly, according to the guidelines.

    How will violations be handled?

    Districts are posting the new policy on district and school websites, in newsletters, and on social media sites to inform parents and students about the changes. They may also review it at back-to-school-nights, orientations, and training sessions for staff.

    The disciplinary action may vary, depending on the district, and typically begins with a warning that could escalate with additional violations. Districts must specify how a phone may be confiscated.

    Washington Township’s policy calls for progressive discipline, based on grade level. Administrators, not teachers, will be responsible for confiscating a phone if warranted.

    There are 10 possible “consequences” for high school students beginning with an administrative warning for the first two violations, Hibbs said.

    For additional violations, students will get a lunch detention and have their phone confiscated for three to four infractions, Hibbs said. Sanctions for additional violations include requiring a student to store the phone in a locker or main office, a two-day internal suspension, and a mandatory parental meeting.

    “It’s going to be a very big change, but we’re going to navigate it,” Hibbs told the board.

  • A woman disappears in the Delaware River after rescuing a girl

    A woman disappears in the Delaware River after rescuing a girl

    Authorities were searching for a woman who disappeared in the Delaware River after rescuing a girl Monday afternoon, according to Delran Township police and Burlington County officials.

    Delran police responded just after 3:50 p.m. to Burlington County’s Amico Island Park for two possible drowning victims, officials said.

    Officials gave the following account:

    Police were told that the woman entered the river to rescue a struggling juvenile girl.

    The woman pushed the girl toward the shore, where bystanders pulled her safely from the water.

    During the rescue, the woman went under the water and did not resurface.

    Officials said the search included personnel from the Delran Police Department, the Delran Fire Department, the Delran Emergency Squad, the New Jersey State Police, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Camden County Dive Team, officials said.

  • Delco school board member killed in South Jersey crash

    Delco school board member killed in South Jersey crash

    A Delaware County school board member was killed during the weekend in a vehicle crash in South Jersey, officials said Monday.

    Phillip Eastman, 68, was a longtime Springfield resident who recently retired from a 44-year career with Peco and Exelon, the Springfield School District said in a statement.

    “Phil tragically lost his life in a car accident this past weekend,” the district said.

    For nearly three decades, Eastman coached youth and high school ice hockey, including 17 years as the varsity head coach at Springfield High School, the district said.

    “While his teams enjoyed success on the ice, he considered mentoring student athletes and helping them develop teamwork, responsibility, perseverance, and other lifelong skills to be the most rewarding aspect of his coaching career,” the district said.

    “Phil and his wife, Maureen, raised their son and daughter in Springfield, where both attended Springfield schools and participated in high school athletics,” the district said.

    “His family’s enduring connection to Springfield schools was a primary motivation for his desire to serve on the School Board,” the district said.

    On Saturday around 8:30 a.m., Eastman was driving a Chevrolet SUV north on Route 55 in Vineland when his vehicle was struck by someone driving a Tesla heading in the opposite direction, said Trooper Caitlin Brennan of the New Jersey State Police.

    The Tesla was traveling south when it crossed over a grass median, hit a tree, and then entered the northbound side of Route 55, Brennan said.

    The driver of the Tesla and a passenger in Eastman’s SUV suffered injuries and were taken to an area hospital, Brennan said.

    The crash remains under investigation, she said.

    It was at least the second fatal accident on Route 55 this summer.

    In July, two women were killed and another injured in a one-vehicle crash in Deptford Township.

    In March 2025, three teenagers died in a crash in Elk Township.

  • Residents can weigh in on $30M boardwalk-style trail under Route 130 and across Rancocas Creek in Burlington County

    Residents can weigh in on $30M boardwalk-style trail under Route 130 and across Rancocas Creek in Burlington County

    Burlington County is in the early phases of designing a new $30 million extension of the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail that would cross Route 130 and Rancocas Creek.

    The preliminary plan is to build a boardwalk-style path along the southbound Route 130 embankment and underneath the highway that will connect to a new bridge across Rancocas Creek, officials announced Monday.

    Likely years away from completion, the project would extend the trail system from Pennington Park in Delanco to separate connections in Willingboro Lakes Park in Willingboro and Rainbow Meadow Park in Delran.

    The first segment of the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail, a four-mile stretch between Amico Island Park in Delran and Pennington Park, opened in 2022.

    The new trail will put the county one step closer to achieving its goal of building a path along the 30-mile stretch of Rancocas Creek from the Delaware River to its source in Pemberton Township.

    In a statement, Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel said the extension will “provide an important route for vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists to travel across the Rancocas Creek and Route 130, providing a long-sought safe connection for both sides of the highway.”

    While the project is still in its preliminary phase, the community can weigh in on it during a virtual public information session on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

    The project is expected to cost around $30 million and will be paid for mostly by federal funding, according to the county.

    The Delaware Valley Planning Commission has already approved more than half a million dollars for planning and design on the trail extension.

    The commission also took the first steps to obtain federal funding for the remainder of the project through the New Jersey Transportation Improvement Program, the county said.

    With the project still in the Local Concept Development phase, it is too early to nail down a detailed timeline, county spokesperson David Levinsky said in an email.

    “The county anticipates finishing that portion of the planning and design later this fall,” he said, before it pursues funding for preliminary and final engineering for the project.

    “Construction would come after those steps,” Levinsky said, which is still “several years” away.

    He expects a timeline could come once the design phase is completed.

    According to New Jersey Department of Transportation data, there were 111 crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists along Route 130 between 2019 and 2026, including 11 fatalities.

    “The deaths and injuries on Route 130 over the years are proof positive that more needs to be done to improve safety for all road users, especially pedestrians and cyclists,” State Sen. Troy Singleton (D., Burlington) said in a statement.

    Singleton cosponsored legislation in 2018 to reduce the speed limit on Route 130 and make other safety improvements along the highway within Burlington City. The law is named after Antwan Timbers Jr., a 17-year-old Burlington City High School student who was killed in 2016 after being hit by a car along a stretch of the roadway.

    “Infrastructure enhancements, like the one Burlington County is planning, will absolutely save lives and improve mobility through the Route 130 corridor,” Singleton said.