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Category: New Jersey News

  • Willingboro’s new Performing Arts Center is opening with a kickoff concert this weekend

    Willingboro’s new Performing Arts Center is opening with a kickoff concert this weekend

    Willingboro is finally ready to raise the curtain on the township’s new arts and culture venue with its first performance on Saturday.

    The celebration for the opening of the new 570-seat Willingboro Performing Arts Center, located in the Kennedy Center, will kick off with a performance by R&B group Atlantic Starr.

    Crews transformed what was previously the high school auditorium into a revamped space designed for concerts, theatre productions, dance performances, lectures, and more.

    The venue “is envisioned as a premier community gathering place where residents and visitors can enjoy concerts, theatrical productions, cultural programs, family entertainment, community events, and other performing arts experiences,” the township said in a press release announcing the opening.

    Another highlight of the new space is that it gives Burlington County residents the chance to see world-class performances without needing to cross the bridge into Philadelphia, theater manager Bobby Duckett said.

    “We want to invite everybody from the region to come by and see what we do,” Duckett said.

    Following years of informal discussion about creating a hub for the performing arts in town, the effort to build the new concert hall started in earnest around 2023, Willingboro spokesperson Tanya Jackson said. The project cost around $2 million, with about half from township capital funds and half from state funding, she said.

    “Willingboro is the home of many talented artists and performers, and we just wanted to create a space for residents and surrounding community members to come together to experience music and theatre, cultural programming, and those types of things,” Jackson said. “Willingboro is an ideal place for a performing arts center just based on all of the great talent that has come through this community.”

    After opening night, the new venue has two more shows currently scheduled for this fall: a concert by R&B group The Manhattans on Oct. 24 and a performance by percussionist Tito Puente Jr. on Nov. 20.

    Tickets and more information are available on the center’s website.

    “Willingboro has a very rich legacy in the entertainment world,” Duckett said. “[The center is] about bringing those people back to be a part of it as we develop the next generation of talented people from this community.”

  • End of Route 70 roadwork in sight | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    End of Route 70 roadwork in sight | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    Hey there, Cherry Hill!

    After five long years, it’s nearly quitting time on all the roadwork along Route 70. Also in the news, New Jersey’s Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal over control of the Cherry Hill Democratic Committee, the township will use funds from a national opioid settlement for a youth mental health professional, and a group of seniors is on a quest for the best cheesesteak in South Jersey.

    — Laura Smythe (cherryhill@inquirer.com)

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

    Route 70 roadwork to wrap up soon, five years later

    Drivers, rejoice. The Inquirer’s Lacey Latch has received word that the (seemingly endless) construction along Route 70 will “essentially be complete this year,” per the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

    You may have grown unwillingly inure to the roughly $150 million safety improvement project that has marked up the thoroughfare since 2021. Now, updating some traffic signals and finishing up paving work are the only outstanding to-dos, though NJDOT has some additional landscaping work planned with Camden County in the spring.

    Here’s everything the five years of construction along Marlton Pike has yielded (aside from a headache).

    🚦 In other roadway news: Cherry Hill is at the center of multiple stretches of South Jersey highway that have seen the highest numbers of fatal car crashes in recent years.

    💡 Community news

    • Brandon Parish, who manages the deli at the Kibitz Room’s original Cherry Hill location and previously owned the now-shuttered King of Prussia outpost, has filed for personal bankruptcy. The deli inside The Shoppes at Holly Ravine won’t be affected.
    • The New Jersey Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal aimed at unseating three members of the South Jersey Progressive Democrats — all Cherry Hill residents — who won in the June 2025 primary to control the Cherry Hill Democratic Committee, 70and73 reports. The Camden County Democrats, led by George E. Norcross III, had sued after losing the election.
    • Several roadwork projects are underway this week throughout the township, causing some road and sidewalk closures. Here are the specifics.
    • Police are advising drivers to make sure their car doors are locked and secure as groups target unlocked vehicles in Cherry Hill and other South Jersey locales, NBC10 reports.

    🗺️ Other nearby news

    • Mount Laurel may condemn and demolish nine hotels as part of a long-term push to build more affordable housing. One owner isn’t impressed by the township’s plan.
    • Collingswood is considering privatizing the borough’s ambulance services in an effort to help its understaffed fire department.

    🏫 Schools briefing

    • Cherry Hill will direct $240,000 to support a licensed mental health clinician position working with the township’s high schoolers, drawing the funds from its roughly $764,000 share of the national settlement with drug companies over the opioid epidemic. 70and73 has the details.
    • Cherry Hill Public Schools officials are looking to stem the rate of absenteeism after the latest district statistics indicate more than 1,500 students are chronically absent.

    🍽️ On our plate

    • A group of South Jersey seniors have been on a monthslong hunt to track down the best cheesesteak in the area, trying bites from Chick’s Deli in Cherry Hill, Donkey’s Place in Camden, and beyond.

    🎳 Things to do

    🕺 The Dance Loft Grand Opening: Try out a group class and take in performances by the team behind this new studio. ⏰ Friday, Oct. 2, 7-10 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 The Dance Loft NJ

    🎶 Jim Beer in Concert: Get a jump on commemorating Indigenous People’s Day by checking out a performance by Beer, a member of Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, who will also share stories and history. ⏰ Sunday, Oct. 4, 1:30-3 p.m. 💵 Free; registration required 📍 Cherry Hill Public Library

    🎸 The Martin Experience: Pick at the iconic company’s instruments and maybe learn a thing or two at this event open to all guitarists. ⏰ Wednesday, Oct. 7, 5 p.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Guitar Center

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

    🏡 On the market

    An updated three-bedroom Barclay home

    561 Covered Bridge Rd, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034

    This home from 1960 sits in Cherry Hill’s Barclay neighborhood, offering three bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. It features an open layout, skylights to bring in natural light, and a brick fireplace. There’s an attached one-car garage, plus a fenced-in yard out back.

    See more photos of the property here.

    Price: $530,000 | Size: 1,679 SF | Acreage: 0.43

    🗞️ 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.

  • The best things to do in South Jersey this weekend

    The best things to do in South Jersey this weekend

    The weekend is so close. If you need help settling on plans, check out this list of our favorite things to do in South Jersey this weekend.

    Come back every week, and you’ll always have something fun on your radar.

    Boos & Brews Witches’ Market

    Check out this witch-themed market full of themed vendors and activities. Stick around for food trucks, a costume contest, performances, and a beer garden.

    ⌚️ Friday, Oct. 2, 5-9 p.m. 📍 Rancocas Woods Events and Shops, 118 Creek Rd., Mount Laurel 🌐 facebook.com 💵 Pay as you go

    Make & Take: Flower Power Pumpkins

    Listen to a lecture about growing your own pumpkins and drying and pressing flowers as you decorate a gourd.

    ⌚️ Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m.-noon 📍 508 Lakeland Rd., Gloucester Township 🌐 eventbrite.com 💵 $17.85

    Collingswood Book Festival

    The 24th annual festival is back spanning six blocks of Haddon Avenue. Come to meet booksellers and stay for author and poetry readings, performances, and workshops.

    ⌚️ Saturday, Oct. 3, 10 a.m- 4 p.m. 📍 Haddon Avenue, Collingswood 🌐 collingswoodbookfestival.com 💵 Free

    Cranberry Fest: Fine Arts & Crafts on Farnsworth

    Bordentown’s 36th annual cranberry fest returns with live music, a food court, a beer garden, and more than 100 artisans.

    ⌚️ Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4, 11 a.m- 5 p.m. 📍 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown 🌐 btownfest.com 💵 Pay as you go

    Clayton Fall Festival

    Celebrate the cooler season with crafts, a trunk-or-treat, and music.

    ⌚️ Saturday, Oct. 3, noon-4 p.m. (rain date: Sunday, Oct. 4) 📍 Autumn Pasquale Memorial Park, 29 East Ave., Clayton 🌐 facebook.com 💵 Free

    The Rocky Horror Picture Show

    Step into spooky season with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. This event will feature original member Barry Bostwick, who played Brad Majors in the film. The audience will have opportunities to meet him, compete in a costume contest, and interact with a live performance by the local Spooktacular Shadow Cast performing scenes as the film plays.

    ⌚️ Sunday, Oct. 4, 8 p.m. 📍 Scottish Rite Auditorium, 315 White Horse Pike, Collingswood 🌐 scottishriteauditorium.com 💵 $29-$100

    The Great Pumpkin Glow

    Brand new this year for Halloween, the Great Pumpkin Glow will feature thousands of glowing jack-o’-lanterns. Walk through the pathway, take festive pictures, and indulge in some treats.

    ⌚️ Friday, Sept. 25-Saturday, Oct. 31, various evening times 📍 Dalton Farms, 666 Oak Grove Rd., Swedesboro 🌐 greatpumpkinglownj.com 💵 $22.95-$27.95

    Live Jazz at blueplate

    The restaurant blueplate offers live jazz during the summer on some Friday evenings and Sunday mornings.

    ⌚️ Fridays, 6:30-8:30 p.m. through the end of September; Sundays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. through the first weekend in October 📍 47 S. Main St., Mullica Hill 🌐 blueplatenj.com 💵 Pay as you go

    Yoga at Cooper River Park

    Take a free yoga class. All ages are welcome, but bring your own yoga mat.

    ⌚️ Mondays, 6-7 p.m.; Wednesdays, 9-10 a.m.; and Thursdays, 6-7 p.m. through Oct. 1 📍 Cooper River Park, 5300 North Park Dr., Pennsauken 🌐 camdencounty.com 💵 Free, but registration is required

    Burlington County Farmers Market

    Come by one of the most popular farmers markets in the region, offering local fruits, vegetables, honey, cheese, baked goods, and more.

    ⌚️ Every Saturday through Nov. 14, 8:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.📍 Burlington County Agricultural Center, 500 Centerton Rd., Moorestown, 🌐 www.burlcoagcenter.com 💵 Pay as you go

    Collingswood Farmers Market

    The Saturday market brings fresh produce, meat, coffee, flowers, and live music to Collingswood and supports the region’s farmers every week.

    ⌚️ Every Saturday through Nov. 21, 8 a.m.-noon 📍 Atlantic Avenue between Collings and Irvin Avenues (along PATCO), Collingswood 🌐 collingswoodmarket.com 💵 Pay as you go

    Haddon Heights Farmers Market

    This Sunday farmers market offers multiple vendors selling fresh produce, crafts, and other entertainment from local businesses.

    ⌚️ Sundays through Nov. 22, 9:30 a.m.–1p.m. 📍 The intersection of Station and Atlantic Avenues, Haddon Heights 🌐 haddonheightsfarmersmarket.com 💵 Pay as you go

    This roundup is updated midweek.

  • Seven new fishing piers are opening at Newton Lake Park in Camden County

    Seven new fishing piers are opening at Newton Lake Park in Camden County

    Surrounded by government officials with fishing rods, Nancy MacGregor proved herself to be the master angler of the afternoon at the 103-acre Newton Lake Park on Tuesday.

    MacGregor, president of the Oaklyn Borough Council, pulled in a four-inch fish and, with a shocked look, asked what to do next. Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr., who spent time as a kid fishing in the park that runs through Oaklyn, Collingswood, and Haddon Township, removed the tiny catch from the hook and tossed it back into the lake.

    Cappelli, MacGregor, and others were there to officially open seven new fishing piers at the park that replaced deteriorated ones from the 1930s, a $1.3 million project developed using open space funds.

    “These piers are safer, stronger, and fully ADA compliant, making sure residents of all abilities can enjoy fishing, spend time along the water, or simply enjoy everything Newton Lake has to offer,” Cappelli said at the opening.

    Newton Lake has several varieties of fish, including large-mouth bass and catfish. They are strictly catch-and-release and not safe to eat, according to the county.

    Olivia Liu of the nonprofit Upstream Alliance said the piers mean more than just catching fish. Looking on is, from left, Collingswood Mayor Daniela Solano-Ward, Camden County Commissioner Edward T. McDonnell, and County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr.Neill Borowski for The Inquirer

    Improved paths near the piers will be the next phase of the project, said Jeremy Noll, whose company, Environmental Resolutions Inc. of Mount Laurel, oversaw the project. Some will be raised so they are not covered in mud during heavy rain, which is an issue with the current ones, he said.

    The piers are also 6 to 8 inches higher than the old ones, so they will be accessible when Newton Lake rises.

    Noll said he expects the piers to last 50 years, but the decking may need to be replaced after 20 years.

    Local leaders at the opening said they are excited for the public to visit the piers, which are free to use.

    “This project here today isn’t just about catching fish. It’s about improving people’s quality of life and creating fun, engaging, and meaningful outdoor experiences right in their own backyard,” Olivia Liu, program and communications director for the nonprofit Upstream Alliance, told the group. “It’s about having the opportunity to love and appreciate the community that you live in.”

  • Jeff Scott, award-winning TV writer and former Bucks County journalist, has died at 72

    Jeff Scott, award-winning TV writer and former Bucks County journalist, has died at 72

    Jeff Scott, 72, formerly of Hilltown, Bucks County, longtime award-winning TV and video scriptwriter, director, and producer, former columnist and editor at the Quakertown Free Press, and green-thumb gardener, died Saturday, Sept. 19, of pulmonary fibrosis at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, N.J.

    Born in Philadelphia, reared in Hilltown, and a graduate of Pennridge High School, Mr. Scott turned his lifelong interest in sports, affable collegiality, and writing, reporting, and editing skills into an award-winning career as a TV and print journalist that spanned more than four decades.

    For 32 years, from 1983 to 2015, Mr. Scott wrote scripts, directed talent, and produced shows for TV, film, video, radio, and DVDs. He worked for Major League Baseball Productions through Phoenix Communications from 1988 to 2015 and wrote more than 1,000 TV show scripts for ABC, NBC, ESPN, Fox, and other networks, including 176 episodes of ESPN’s Major League Baseball Magazine and 450 consecutive episodes of the popular This Week in Baseball.

    His dramatic scripts detailed many memorable baseball seasons, went behind the scenes with championship teams, and shared stories about star players on and off the field. They were narrated by iconic announcers such as Mel Allen, Curt Gowdy, Bob Costas, and Harry Kalas, featured thousands of players, coaches, and managers, and earned 16 New York Emmy Awards.

    Mr. Scott earned 16 New York Emmys.Courtesy of the family

    Former colleagues at MLB Communications posted a video tribute to Mr. Scott on X and noted his “indelible impact” on This Week in Baseball. Buzz Brainard, a former narrator for This Week in Baseball, said on Facebook: “Honored to bring his words to life every season for 11 years.”

    Earlier, from 1983 to 1988 at the old Halcyon Days Productions, Mr. Scott wrote scripts for the weekly This is the USFL for ABC and other shows about John Madden, Mike Schmidt, and other sports and entertainment notables. Sports reporter Jayson Stark said on X: “You may not know the name, Jeff Scott. But you should.”

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

    In print, Mr. Scott was a columnist and weekend magazine editor for the Free Press in the early 1980s. In the 1970s, he was sports editor and a features writer for the Perkasie News-Herald, and a part-time sports reporter for the Doylestown Intelligencer.

    At the Free Press, he won awards and covered all kinds of local stories, including his publisher’s triple-bypass heart surgery. At the News-Herald, he wrote a sports column called “Time Out” and a news feature called “Know Your Community.”

    To know Mr. Scott, a friend said, “was to like him.”Courtesy of the family

    In 1976, he opened a News-Herald sports story with: “Some would call it luck. Some might call it breaks. And some might even consider the fact that somebody upstairs is carrying the fate of the Pennridge football team this year. We prefer to call it pure, unadulterated hustle.”

    A former Pennridge baseball player said in a tribute: “It always was a big deal when he came to our games.” A former colleague at the Free Press said: “He made me feel important, and he made sure I knew that he was my friend.”

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

    Other former colleagues praised Mr. Scott’s “sense of humor,” “warmth and kindness,” and “quick wit that never waned” in online tributes. “To know Jeff was to like him,” longtime friend and colleague Jim Burger said. “To know him well, which I had the good fortune to do, was to love him.”

    Jeffrey Llewellyn Scott was born Nov. 18, 1953. He played street hockey in Hilltown and baseball at Pennridge, and attended what is now West Chester University.

    Mr. Scott wrote a sports column in Perkasie in the 1970s.Newspapers.com

    After college, he drove a truck, worked as a disc jockey, and traveled across the country. He married and divorced Lorrie Greenly and Amber Hudson.

    He met Lenore Homeward on vacation in Tobago, and they married in 1991 and lived in Manhattan and Pittstown, N.J. He created seven flower beds on their property and tended many flower pots. “It was like a full-time job,” his wife said.

    Surviving spouses always remember how they met their mate. Here are the meet-cute stories told to The Inquirer’s obit writer.

    Mr. Scott enjoyed music and followed the Phillies, Eagles, 76ers, and Flyers. “He was a homebody,” his wife said.

    His niece Shanice said: “My uncle Jeff had a big heart and meant the world to me.” A longtime friend said: “The world will be a less warm and kind place without him in it.”

    Mr. Scott enjoyed time with his family.Courtesy of the family

    His wife said: “He was loyal, funny, humble, and compassionate. He had the ability to see the better in people. He was friends with everybody.”

    In addition to his wife and niece, Mr. Scott is survived by a sister, Kathleen, and other relatives. Three brothers and one sister died earlier.

    Private celebrations of his life are to be held later.

  • Trump administration has abandoned plans to hold immigrants at a South Jersey military base, GAO says

    Trump administration has abandoned plans to hold immigrants at a South Jersey military base, GAO says

    The Trump administration has dropped its plans to build an immigrant-detention center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in South Jersey, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

    The office said that in October, after the opening of an ICE detention site at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, Pentagon officials said they “no longer plan to build detention facilities on other military installations.”

    Specifically, the report said, Defense Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials “told us that they did not move forward with plans for facilities in Indiana and New Jersey.”

    The development was first reported by NJ Spotlight News.

    More than a year ago, in July 2025, the administration confirmed plans to house detainees at the South Jersey base as a way to support President Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations.

    Estimates were that Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, which spreads through parts of Burlington and Ocean Counties, could hold 1,000 to 3,000 detainees.

    Specific details were not released, and as time went on it was unclear if planning had gone forward.

    In November 2025, local Democratic elected officials said they had received a letter from the administration saying there was currently no approved construction plan, nor a timeline, for confining people at the base.

    U.S. Reps. Donald Norcross and Herb Conaway, both New Jersey Democrats and members of the House Armed Services Committee, requested more information about the administration’s plans from the Department of Homeland Security.

    The administration’s response said the government’s need for more detention space “reflects the Trump administration’s commitment to restoring the rule of law and ending the catch-and-release policies of prior years that jeopardized American communities.”

    The base had been named as one of two sites certified to hold immigrants, the other being Camp Atterbury in Indiana.

    The report by the GAO, a nonpartisan, investigative arm of Congress, said ICE had begun new detention initiatives before developing a plan for expansion, resulting in waste. Since January 2025, ICE had invested significant resources in six new initiatives to increase detention capacity, but by July 2026 had scaled back four of them, the GAO said.

  • Burlington County’s Pinelands will be the focus of a new climate change study

    Burlington County’s Pinelands will be the focus of a new climate change study

    A large part of South Jersey’s sprawling Pine Barrens region will be the focus of a new climate change study.

    The Burlington County Southwest Pinelands Regional Resiliency Study will assess the climate change threats facing Evesham, Medford, Medford Lakes, Shamong, and Tabernacle, and it will be led by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) in partnership with Burlington County and the nonprofit Pinelands Alliance.

    The study will also include suggestions for how these towns can better recover from future climate events such as wildfires, floods, heatwaves, and more.

    “Climate change is no longer abstract or theoretical; it’s now a physical reality impacting our communities and infrastructure,” Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel said in a statement. “No part of Burlington County is immune, and Burlington County’s Pinelands towns are increasingly at risk from more frequent and intense wildfires, inland flooding, droughts, heatwaves, storms, and other impacts from climate change.”

    Experts will utilize climate and environmental data, impacts from past weather events, and more to identify the region’s climate vulnerabilities and develop resiliency action plans, according to a statement from the county.

    Burlington County and each of the participating towns will also be eligible for up to $350,000 in grant funding from the NJDEP to put the resiliency plans in place.

    The county expects to begin work on the study in early 2027 and to conduct various workshops and surveys to get public input, said Burlington County spokesperson David Levinsky.

    The Pinelands study comes not long after the county completed a similar climate change resiliency investigation of the Route 130 corridor stretching across 11 municipalities and along the Delaware River and its tributaries.

    The previous study took a little more than a year to complete, Levinsky said, and officials predict that the timeline for the forthcoming work will be similar.

    “The Route 130 Corridor Study generated substantial public input and engagement from our Delaware River communities and resulted in recommendations for each municipality to take to mitigate climate change threats,” Eckel said. “We’re excited to partner with the NJDEP again on this new study focused on our Pinelands towns and the climate challenges unique to them. We’re hoping to get the same kind of public engagement, and that the end result is an action plan that helps these communities become better prepared.”

    Both studies are part of the agency’s Resilient NJ program, established in 2014 to help communities across the state plan for potential climate change impacts.

  • A Gloucester County elementary school has moved to remote learning after a flea infestation

    A Gloucester County elementary school has moved to remote learning after a flea infestation

    Students at Aura Elementary School in Elk Township are learning remotely until further notice as the district responds to a flea infestation in the building.

    Aura, which teaches kindergarten through sixth grade, closed the school for two days starting Sept. 17 to treat the infestation, first through an organic treatment and then with a chemical treatment, said Fran Ciociola, superintendent of Delsea Regional School District in Gloucester County. Staff first noticed the fleas in the library.

    Students then learned off-site temporarily at Hardingville Bible Church and Total Turf in Pitman, Ciociola said, but then the county required Aura to move to remote learning instead.

    There is no timeline yet for when students will return to in-person class, and it is unclear whether the fleas have spread.

    “The treatment has been ongoing and we hope to be back in the building soon,” Ciociola said in an email.

    James Rambo, Elk Township’s mayor, posted Monday on Facebook offering “any township support that could help get our students back in the classroom sooner.”

    “Our shared priority is getting our children back into a safe learning environment as quickly as possible,” Rambo wrote.

    Other South Jersey school districts have faced closures of their own this September. Camden County’s Lindenwold School 4, which went remote after fire damage earlier this month, reopened last week.

    Plus, the first day of school for students in Mantua Township was pushed back after storms left thousands without power and roadways blocked.

  • Suing over missing donations | Inquirer South Jersey

    Suing over missing donations | Inquirer South Jersey

    Good morning, South Jersey.

    Camden is in a legal fight with the EMR scrap metal recycling facility over more than a million dollars-worth of promised donations.

    And new state guidelines could exacerbate an existing issue of finding available referees for youth sports in New Jersey.

    Plus, Cinnaminson voters approved a $57.7 million school bond referendum, and more news of the day.

    — Taylor Allen (southjersey@inquirer.com)

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

    A legal fight over donations

    Camden is suing EMR over missing donations.

    According to the city of Camden, the facility did not fulfill its promise to donate more than a million dollars toward community initiatives based on a 2025 agreement that was established in response to a massive fire the same year.

    But the scrapyard is claiming that its allocation of nearly $2.3 million in a separate community fund that it’s been paying since 2023 should count toward the 2025 deal.

    The new fund is earmarked for improvement initiatives, particularly for residents of the Waterfront South neighborhood who have been most impacted by EMR’s dozen-plus fires in the past six years.

    Reporter Lacey Latch has the story.

    Higher costs, fewer refs

    In the world of youth sports, the number of officials available to referee games has decreased while the costs of hiring them have only risen.

    And starting Oct. 1, it might get even more expensive.

    South Jersey athletic directors are worried that the state’s new labor regulations will classify more amateur sports officials as employees rather than independent contractors.

    The associations of amateur officials are also concerned about what that means for them. But a proposed law could help.

    The Inquirer’s Isabella DiAmore has more on what the future of youth sports in New Jersey could look like.

    What to know today

    • Cinnaminson voters approved the $57.7 million school bond referendum, the largest in the school system’s history, by only nine votes.
    • U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey attempted to distance himself from President Donald Trump during a debate with his Democratic challenger, Rebecca Bennett, on Sunday, but he backs the president on Iran and tariffs, the New York Times reports.
    • A proposed Super Wawa on Route 73 on the Voorhees–Berlin border will likely be approved next month despite resident protests and a rejection by the Voorhees planning board, according to 70and73.
    • A Voorhees woman has been crowned Pancheros’ Queso Queen after ordering it 235 times since last September.
    • Sculptor Zenos Frudakis’ first public large-scale commission piece was of a boy riding an elephant in the now-closed Burlington Center Mall. His other works can be seen at Citizens Bank Park, Elmwood Park Zoo, Philadelphia International Airport, and more locations in the Philly area.
    • And one quick fact-check: Three lobsters did not break out of Cape May’s Lobster House during this weekend’s nor’easter. There is a video of the waterlogged dining room, but internet jokesters enhanced it to add the lobster break.

    🗣️ Quote of the week

    For the past decade, South Jersey native Carmen “Big Carm” Conti has been a dedicated Eagles tailgater. For the most recent Eagles opener, he hosted dozens of people, complete with a wing competition and DJ set.

    Today, he’s a leader in the push to protect large-scale tailgates after proposed guidelines would crack down on them.

    🧠 Trivia time

    Comedian TaTa Sherise is from which South Jersey city?

    A) Camden

    B) Burlington

    C) Gloucester City

    D) Sea Isle

    Think you know? Check your answer.

    What we’re …

    🏀 Reliving: The first look at LeBron James in a Sixers uniform.

    🏡 Wondering: If you’re a homeowner, what strategies worked and what didn’t during the homebuying process?

    🥄 Craving: Pepper pot.

    I’ll be back with more news for you tomorrow. 👋🏽

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

  • A Voorhees resident has been crowned Pancheros’ Queso Queen. She ordered queso 235 times in the past year.

    A Voorhees resident has been crowned Pancheros’ Queso Queen. She ordered queso 235 times in the past year.

    Marynelle Milanese didn’t pick up when Pancheros Mexican Grill called her this month. She thought a message crowning her the nation’s first “Queso Queen” was surely a scam.

    But when the Mexican fast-food chain followed her on Instagram, the Voorhees resident realized it was true: Milanese, 33, is the first woman dubbed queso royalty. Her family, which runs Milanese Brothers Pizza in Stratford, couldn’t believe it either.

    “We all still just can’t get over it, that this is even a thing,” Milanese said.

    Pancheros honors its rewards member who buys the most queso in a given year on Sept. 20, National Queso Day, with a trophy, a personal party at the chain, and a prize box — featuring merch, a helping of burrito coupons, and a signed poster of retired WWE wrestler Big E, who has a partnership with the brand.

    She also gets free queso for a year.

    Pancheros debuted the award in 2019, and Milanese is the second New Jerseyan to win it. She bought queso 235 times since last September and has visited the chain 434 times over the past six years.

    The trophy, which calls Milanese the “Queso Cup Champion,” currently sits on her entertainment center at home, five minutes down the road from her local Pancheros in Voorhees, Camden County. Milanese started eating at the chain 12 years ago, when her husband’s family introduced her to “Panch” and gave her a lifetime love of the burrito bowl, which she orders with cilantro rice, pinto beans, extra steak, queso (of course), and sauteed veggies.

    More than 200 queso orders might look like a lot in a year, but Milanese has a reason for buying so much.

    Debbie Milanese, 63, is somewhat of a queso queen herself. Milanese’s mother-in-law, who lives with Milanese and her husband, can’t stomach most foods due to various health conditions.

    “Not everything sits right with her,” Milanese said. “But Pancheros always does.”

    Milanese orders queso for the both of them, and they split it, since it’s something her mother-in-law can enjoy. Plus, it gives the pair something to do.

    “It has always brought us together,” she said.

    With Debbie’s birthday coming up in November, Milanese said she hopes to turn the 20-person Pancheros party, a perk of her queso win, into a family get-together.

    Pancheros has about 70 locations across 12 states, including 10 in New Jersey and three in Pennsylvania. The chain has more than a million rewards members.

    Last year, Josh Davis of Iowa won the Queso King trophy for the third time with 326 queso orders, less than he ordered in 2023 and 2021 for his previous queso victories.

    In 2022, a resident of Bedminster, Somerset County, became Pancheros’ first New Jersey Queso King with 230 orders.