The Cherry Hill Mall is soon set to welcome five new stores that have committed to more than 25,000 square feet of retail space at the South Jersey mall.
The additions include Aritzia, the viral women’s clothing brand, which is set to open a store at the 1.3 million-square-foot Camden County mall by spring 2027. The complex is also adding legacy brands such as Timberland and True Religion, according to executives with PREIT, which owns the mall.
“Retailers at this level are choosing their next locations very carefully right now, and the fact that six of them chose Cherry Hill Mall in the same leasing period speaks volumes,” Paula Charles, PREIT’s senior vice president of leasing, said in a statement.
“For shoppers, it means more of the brands they want in one place and an experience that keeps getting better every time they visit,” Charles added.
One of dozens of Dick’s House of Sport outposts, it will be represent “the largest single-tenant addition to Cherry Hill Mall in more than a decade,” PREIT executives said.
The new retailers will also join Crocs, which last month opened a 2,000-square-foot store near the future Dick’s House of Sport, and DoneRight Doner Kebab, a fast-casual Mediterranean food spot that mall executives said will open later this summerin the food court.
People walk by a new store, Pop Mart, at Cherry Hill Mall on Black Friday 2025.Tyger Williams / Staff Photographer
But higher-end complexes like Cherry Hill and King of Prussia seem to be thriving. King of Prussia Mall, in Montgomery County, also just announced a slate of new openings.
Here’s what to know about the new shops coming soon to the Cherry Hill Mall:
Timberland: The boots and outdoor-wear company is set to open an 1,800-square-foot store later this summer. It will be near Dick’s House of Sport.
Indochino: The custom-suit-maker is set to open a 1,200-square-foot store before the 2026 holiday season. It will be off the Grand Court, near American Eagle and Pop Mart.
Aritzia: Set to occupy more than 20,000 square feet in the central Grand Court, its space will include not only a clothing store but also an A-OK Cafe, the brand’s in-house coffee shop. It is on track to open in spring 2027.
True Religion: The denim company is set to open a 2,230-square-foot store sometime early next year near Dick’s House of Sport.
Also at the mall, Pandora and Spencer’s recently moved into larger storefronts, and Lululemon is set to relocate into an expanded space in the Grand Court before the 2026 holiday season.
Mini golf is an underrated nostalgic summer staple. The rainbow array of golf balls, the sun-bleached artificial turf, the tilting windmills, and fiberglass volcanoes will transport you right back to childhood, melting ice cream cones and all.
It’s easy to find Putt-Putt courses dotted up and down the boardwalks of the Jersey Shore, but South Jersey has its fair share of miniature fareways, too. Many offer more than just mini golf, with homemade ice cream, arcade games, amusement park rides, and driving ranges for adults. Two courses are indoors, for big fun even when the sun isn’t shining.
Big Swing boasts not one but two mini golf courses. (For the second, “Go left at the volcano,” the attendant tells me.) Both are light on props and heavy on banks, curves, hills, elevation gains, and drops, making for some genuinely tricky shots.
Best hole: No. 8 on the waterfall course starts at the top of a hill, with three options to get to the bottom, including two mystery chutes — one that could land a hole in one, and another that spits out on a separate landing.
Other amenities: Golf simulator, golf lessons, driving range
Price: $7 per adult for both courses, $6 for children 12 and under
Inside Monster Mini Golf in Cherry Hill, N.J.Courtesy Monster Mini Golf Cherry Hill NJ
Year-round
Don’t let a rainy day (or a brutally hot one) stop you from hitting the links. Monster Mini Golf offers 18 holes of spooky-themed, indoor, glow-in-the-dark golf, with locations in Cherry Hill and Turnersville. Black light illuminates the dark interior, which is decked out with weird Jersey scenes rendered in glowing paint, and monstrous animatronics that come to life as you move around the course.
Best hole: Tie between hole No. 8, which is presided over by an enormous, glowing talking skull and No. 9, where players can spin a wheel to add a random, extra challenge to their turn, like playing with one arm behind their back or with their eyes closed.
Other amenities: Arcade, mini bowling alley, laser maze, laser tag (at Turnersville location only)
Players play rounds at Pleasant Valley Miniature Golf on Route 73 in Voorhees on June 30, 2026.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer
April 1 to Halloween
Opened in 1972 and now run by the son of the original owner, Pleasant Valley is a throwback mini golf course with all the wacky obstacles you could dream of. The fiberglass Liberty Bell and giant sombrero, built by the owner, have been there since the 1970s. Guest-favorite hole No. 12 features three gophers driving classic cars in circles. Conveniently located on the way to Atlantic City, it’s got a classic charm you won’t find at every course.
Best hole: “The sombrero,” owner Brian Whelan says. “It’s very difficult, very easy to have the ball fly out of the sombrero. Big risk, big reward there.”
Other amenities: Ice cream and water ice
Price: Before 6 p.m., $10 for adults, $9 for kids 10 and under and seniors; after 6 p.m., $12.50 for adults, $10 for kids and seniors
Previously known as the Golf Farm, Voorhees Golf Land reopened last year under new ownership after a yearlong closure. In addition to 18 holes of mini golf, Golf Land sports the region’s only pitch-and-putt course. That’s 18 holes of golf that are just 20 to 50 yards long, “not quite the size of a par three,” owner Diana Hennefer says, so it’s a great option for people who don’t have the time or mobility to play a full round of golf, or who just want to practice their short game.
Best hole: No. 18 has a wishing well in the middle. “It’s probably the trickiest one,” Hennefer says. “It’s also the prettiest, most picturesque one.”
Other amenities: Pitch-and-putt course
Price: Mini golf: $8 for adults, $6 for kids; pitch and putt: $15 for adults, $10 for kids
A water feature at Serene Custard and Miniature Golf in Vineland, N.J.Courtesy Ari Dendrinos
Come for the challenging, hilly course, and stay for the vintage custard stand serving homemade ice cream. Built in 1959, Serene Custard still boasts its original mid-century signage and is celebrating its 67th season this year. The 18-hole mini golf course is a newer addition, featuring tough terrains and lush landscaping. “You sort of don’t even feel like you’re in South Jersey when you’re on the course,” owner Ari Dendrinos says.
Best hole: No. 9 takes place entirely within a huge man-made cave.
Other amenities: Custard stand serving ice cream, water ice, and some savory snacks
The Funplex at Mount Laurel has way more than just mini golf. There’s a waterpark, indoor and outdoor rides, a bowling alley, and more. But don’t sleep on the two mini golf courses, Adventure Cave and Lost Lagoon, both of which offer 18 holes of obstacles, including a few multilevel designs.
Best hole: At No. 19, if you get a hole in one, your next game is free.
Other amenities: Waterpark, indoor and outdoor rides, bowling, arcade games
Price: $42 on weekdays and $49 on weekends for access to all attractions; $46 and $54 when purchasing at the gate
The Jersey Devil wants to ensure you never have to miss a mini golf fix. Despite the posted hours, this course operates on the honor system, making putters and golf balls available every day, all year round, so you can play even when no one is working. Just drop $5 in the box at the first hole to enjoy putting on these long greens, which provide a challenge to kids and adults alike.
Best hole: Hole No. 12 features a sharp bend and splits in two before converging.
Other amenities: Driving range, picnic area with cornhole, and firepits
Price: $8 for adults, $7 for 6- to 16-year-olds, free for 5 and under
Bill Wine, 81, of Philadelphia, three-time Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award-winning film and TV critic, retired tenured associate professor of TV and film at La Salle University, onetime freelance TV critic for the Daily News, freelance writer, playwright, and popular lecturer, died Sunday, June 14, of complications from Parkinson’s disease at his home in Chestnut Hill.
The son of two part-time amateur actors and a lifelong devotee of theater, film, TV, writing, and teaching, Mr. Wine was a film critic for WTXF-TV, Channel 29, for 12 years and KYW radio for 17 years. Known for his pithy, witty, and often acerbic reviews, and a breezy conversational style of writing, he worked at Channel 29 from 1990 to 2002 and KYW from 2001 to 2018.
“Bill Wine was a character out of a Neil Simon comedy, more Oscar than Felix,” said Carrie Rickey, former Inquirer movie critic. “You didn’t have to wait long for the punchline.”
Mr. Wine’s film reviews on Channel 29 were often funny and entertaining. Channel 29
At Channel 29, Mr. Wine was nominated for eight regional Emmy Awards for commentary and writing, and won three. He appeared regularly on the station’s Ten O’Clock News, in primetime movie preview and review programs, and later on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on Good Day Philadelphia.
By 1990, he had already written hundreds of freelance film reviews for the Daily News and Courier-Post, done radio reviews for WPEN, and taught a variety of classes about film and writing for a decade at La Salle. So, despite no previous TV experience, he was hired at Channel 29 over 60 other film critic applicants.
“I had never been on TV, but I wasn’t nervous,” he told the Daily News in 2001, “because I had been standing in front of 100 students for 10 years.”
Mr. Wine worked at at WTXF-TV, Channel 29, for 12 years.Courtesy of the family
He started at KYW radio in 2001 and usually aired reviews and reports on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sometimes, he watched three movies in one day. He left Channel 29 in 2002 and KYW in 2018 only after both companies eliminated their local film critic position.
“When I started [writing film reviews], it was before the internet,” he told The Inquirer in 2018. “A lot of people [now] feel like, ‘Who the heck is a movie critic to come on in a minute and to dismiss something that took hundreds of people and millions of dollars to create?’”
In the 1970s and ‘80s, he wrote articles and reviewed films, TV shows, books, and plays for WPEN, The Inquirer, Courier-Post, Philadelphia Magazine, and other outlets. In 1975, he wrote dozens of freelance TV columns called “On the Air” for the Daily News.
Mr. Wine wrote dozens of columns as a freelance TV critic for the Daily News in 1975.Newspapers.com
He spent three years in California in the 1970s working on plays and film and TV scripts. He hobnobbed with famous writers, producers, and actors in Los Angeles, staged one of his own plays, and was a winning contestant on a new TV game show.
He wrote 11 plays over the years, and several made it to the stage. “Now the people who disagree with my reviews can come and find out if I’m as dumb as they think I am,” he told The Inquirer in 2002.
He aired reviews on WIP radio and lectured often at libraries, schools, community centers, theaters, and other venues about his favorite films, adapting books to film, and other topics.“He could be wickedly funny, especially when delivering a pan of a movie,” his family said in a tribute. “One of his favorite quotes was: ‘I had a bad seat. It was facing the screen.’”
Mr. Wine was a prolific playwright who enjoyed table readings with family and friends. La Shina Clark / Staff Photographer
Mr. Wine earned a bachelor’s degree in math at Drexel University and a master’s degree in communications at Temple University. He helped design La Salle’s nascent Communication Department in the 1980s, and school officials called him one of their “Founding Fathers.” He also taught briefly at Drexel, and came close to earning a doctorate at Temple.
In 2001, he was featured in a Daily News story about “celebrity professors” and said: “You have to remind yourself that this is television, not the classroom. You mention, say, ‘film noir’ on TV, and you get a memo.”
William David Wine was born June 21, 1944, in Germantown. He grew up in West Oak Lane and Cherry Hill, attended Central High School, and graduated from the old Cherry Hill High School.
A story and this photo of Mr. Wine about his time as a professor at La Salle appeared in the Daily News in 2001.Newspapers.com
As a boy, he devoured newspaper movie reviews and fell in love with film after seeing Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 thriller Rear Window. He got positive reviews of his own freelance movie review when he was at Temple, and he knew then, he said later, that writing about movies was his creative niche.
He married Dina Lichtman, and they divorced later. He married Suzanne Monsalud in 1981, and they had daughters Simone and Paulina, and lived in Germantown, Wyncote, and Chestnut Hill.
Mr. Wine and his wife, Suzanne, married in 1981.Courtesy of the family
Together, Mr. Wine and his family traveled to Paris and London, and he and his wife honeymooned in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He doted on his daughters and sometimes took them to his La Salle classroom, the Channel 29 TV set, and movie screenings.
Friends, former colleagues, and former students called him “a force of nature,” “smart and gifted,” and “a rare combination of kindness, professionalism, and humor.” His daughter Simone said: “His humor, warmth, and presence made life brighter.”
Mr. Wine played tennis, third base on adult softball teams, and pickup basketball into his 70s. He followed the Phillies, 76ers, and Eagles closely, and hit tennis balls with Hall of Famer Rod Laver at a publicity event in Los Angeles.
Mr. Wine and his family made memorable trips to Paris, London, and elsewhere. Courtesy of the family
“He was a wonderful father and a dedicated teacher,” his wife said. “He was a real Philadelphian, and we complemented each other.”
His daughter Paulina said: “Dad, I think you cracked the code. We’ll see you at the movies.”
Nine Fourth of July events to check out in Camden County
Here’s where to catch fireworks displays and other festivities for the Fourth of July. CHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Celebrate the nation’s Semiquincentennial at one of these festive events, which are replete with fireworks, parades, and musical performances.
Barrington: There will be a parade at 6 p.m. followed by fireworks around dusk. ⏰ Thursday, July 2, 6 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Behind Woodland School
Gloucester City: Celebrate in advance of the holiday with food trucks and fireworks. ⏰ Thursday, July 2, starts at 6 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Proprietor’s Park
Cherry Hill: The township will mark the nation’s 250th anniversary with a fireworks display around 9 p.m. There will also be a DJ, marching bands, and food trucks. ⏰ Thursday, July 2, starts at 7 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Cherry Hill High School West
Haddonfield: This celebration includes a festive parade followed by a block party, complete with live music, food trucks, and games. The night will be capped with a drone show around 9 p.m. ⏰ Friday, July 3, starts at 10 a.m. 💵 Pay as you go 📍 Downtown Haddonfield
Audubon: The borough’s two-day event kicks off Friday with food trucks, live music, and a fireworks display at Audubon High School. On Independence Day, there will be a parade, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, family-friendly activities, and an open house of the Audubon Historical Society Museum at the Senior Center. ⏰ Friday, July 3, starts at 6 p.m. and Saturday, July 4, 8:15 a.m.-4 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Audubon
Haddon Township: On the eve of the nation’s 250th birthday, catch a fireworks show at Haddon Township High School, complete with live music and food trucks. The following day, the township will host its annual parade, which ends at Crystal Lake Pool. ⏰ Friday, July 3, 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 4, 11:30 a.m. 💵 Free 📍 Haddon Township
Collingswood: Decorate your bike starting at 9 a.m. and then join the parade at 10 a.m. Later, there will be games and races at Roberts Pool. Cap the day with a performance from To the Max at 7:45 p.m. and fireworks at the high school field at dusk. ⏰ Saturday, July 4, starts at 9 a.m. 💵 Free 📍 Collingswood
Camden: This year’s Freedom Festival features aptly named funk, soul, and R&B outfit The Commodores at 8 p.m., followed by the Wawa Welcome America fireworks display over the Delaware River. ⏰ Saturday, July 4, 6-11 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Wiggins Park
Camden: Hop aboard the historic Battleship New Jersey, where there will be live music, food, and a full-service bar, all with a view of the fireworks display over the Delaware River. ⏰ Friday, July 4, 7:30 p.m. 💵 $15 general admission 📍 Battleship New Jersey
Hindu temple BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is one step closer to moving ahead with its planned 18,330-square-foot expansion and renovation after getting zoning board approval last week, though it will still require additional approvals before construction can begin. Located at1 Carnegie Plaza, the temple’s plans call for transforming its exterior to give it a more decorative look, in addition to adding a gym and prayer hall.
South Jersey hospitals, including in Cherry Hill, could be forced to cut some community programs as they face an estimated $3.6 billion loss from Medicaid changes in the coming years. The Inquirer’s Harold Brubaker has the details.
Heads up for drivers: Roadwork continues throughout the township, including on Kenilworth Avenue, which will be closed between Route 38 and Longwood Avenue and between Helena and Edwards Avenues from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through Thursday. Work continues on Kresson Road through Thursday, which will have a partial westbound closure between Springdale Road and Ravenswood Way from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closures at its intersection with Springdale Road and between Browning Lane from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Registration is open for the township’s upcoming wiffleball tournament, which will take place July 22 and has four age divisions.
Friends of Cherry Hill Public is hosting a book sale next week. On Tuesday, Friends members who are township residents get first access, followed by all Friends members next Wednesday. The sale then opens to the public next Thursday and continues through Saturday.
🏫 Schools Briefing
Registration for the district’s 2026-27 School-Age Child Care program opens today at 4 p.m. The program is available to those in kindergarten through fifth grade. Learn more here.
Graduation may be behind us, but the district recently shared its annual clap-out video for members of the class of 2026. See it here.
Speaking of graduation, South Jersey Media shared photos from West’s commencement, where 333 students earned diplomas.
🍽️ On our Plate
Four Cherry Hill restaurants earned honors in the latest Wine Spectator Restaurant Awards, released last week. The magazine recognizes establishments with wine lists offering what it deems interesting selections that are “appropriate to their cuisine” and “appeal to a wide range of wine lovers.” Caffe Aldo Lamberti was recognized for its selection of wines from California; Tuscany and Piedmont, Italy; and Bordeaux, France. Also making the list are chains Seasons 52, The Capital Grille, and Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, which each have a local outpost.
Belgian waffle eatery La Liégeoise closed its brick-and-mortar storefront at 1871 E. Marlton Pike last week, citing low visibility and customer traffic at the location. The waffle shop plans to continue its operations as a fully mobile concept.
Philly Pretzel Factory will be moving one block from its current home at 910 Route 70 to 800 Route 70 this month. The shop will close Sunday, with a planned opening at its new space on July 15.
🎳 Things to Do
🚬 Cigar Sunday: Sample premium cigars, listen to music, and sips drinks on an outdoor deck. ⏰ Sunday, July 5, 2-5 p.m. 💵 $19.03 📍Vera
🦖 Paw Patrol Dino Skate: Hit the rink for dino-themed skating complete with a dinosaur egg scavenger hunt. ⏰ Wednesday, July 8, 1-4 p.m. and 5:30-8:30 p.m. 💵 $6 from 1-4 p.m., $5 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. 📍 Hot Wheelz
The home has a striking design out front and a pool out back.Derrick Kunzer | Courtesy of Amy Rossano/Epique Realty
Located in the Wilderness Run neighborhood, this four-bedroom, five-bathroom home features a floating curved staircase in the foyer and a two-story family room with a spiral staircase leading to a library. The dining room has Italian mirrored panels that open to reveal a bar with wine storage. Out back, there’s a spa and gunite pool, complete with a diving board.
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.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, a Hindu temple on the eastern border of Cherry Hill, is preparing for a major facelift.
The Cherry Hill Township Zoning Board approved site plans last week during a 4½-hour meeting for an 18,330-square-foot expansion that would transform BAPS Cherry Hill’s exterior and add a gym, lobby, prayer hall, improved Sunday school rooms, new parking spaces, and more.
More steps will have to be made before construction can begin, but this approval is a majormove forward after what zoning officials say took more than a year of planning.
BAPS Inc., an international religious nonprofit, has more than 100 temples across the U.S., including eight in New Jersey. Cherry Hill Township approved a zoning variance back in 2002 to allow a former vacant warehouse building on an 11-acre property at 1 Carnegie Plaza, acquired by a real estate company for $1.9 million and conveyed to BAPS, to become a Hindu temple despite the lot being zoned Industrial Restricted. The temple is run by BAPS Cherry Hill, a limited liability company.
Decades have passed since BAPS Cherry Hill opened, and the mandir, a Hindu place of worship that neighbors King’s Christian School and Remington & Vernick Engineers, still looks like a warehouse.
But the new plans propose a more decorative exterior, including the addition of three shikharas, tall spires on the roof that would reach 58 feet at their highest. Aavart Patel, the project’s architect, said the change matches more traditional styles of Hindu architecture.
The current zoning rules put the building’s maximum height at 35 feet, but BAPS Cherry Hill’s lawyer, Damien Del Duca, sought a variance allowing for the boost.
“Metaphysically, the shikhara represents the spiritual connection between the earthly realm and the divine,” Del Duca wrote in a March letter. “It guides the eyes to move from the earth upwards toward the sky — representing heaven.”
Del Duca and BAPS did not return requests for comment about the projected cost of the expansion, but Del Duca said during the zoning board meeting that the temple had raised the necessary funds for the project.
Riya Patel, a BAPS Cherry Hill volunteer and youth coordinator, testified during the zoning meeting that the temple’s current structure poses a problem for its youth classes and group activities.
“It still serves as this warehouse layout,” Patel said. “So talking about some of our weekly activities, a lot of the space that we have doesn’t have much utility.”
Neel Patel, a lead volunteer and national coordinator for BAPS, has attended BAPS Cherry Hill for the last 22 years. He said the temple has 400 to 500worshipers on an average Sunday and offers scriptural studies, language learning, music, and sports programming for attendees from kindergarten age to adults.
The new additions would mean educational and sports programs could take place in designated classrooms and a gymnasium rather than in the current dining hall, makeshift spaces, or outside on the warehouse loading dock, which the temple converted into a basketball court. The addition of about two dozen parking spaces will accommodate extra visitors during the high holidays.
Under the current site plans, the building’s footprint would only expand about 3,000 square feet, and the remaining 15,000 square feet of additions come in the form of a second story to accommodate classrooms, offices, and the new gym.
Anand Bhatt with Arna Engineering, the project’s civil engineer, said the project will be completed in one phase, and the mandir will remain open throughout the process since construction will be limited to weekdays. The temple has little foot traffic except on Sunday.
‘A space where I can express my religious freedoms’
The BAPS location in Cherry Hill came to be in 2002 when Rishi Realty acquired the vacant warehouse space from Graphic Controls Corp. for $1.9 million and quickly conveyed ownership to BAPS.
Although the property is zoned industrial and accompanied by surrounding commercial businesses, the temple faces a residential neighborhood, Point of Woods, in Cherry Hill.
Three neighbors attended the zoning board meeting via Zoom last week to voice their concerns, mostly regarding the desire to protect the property’s wetlands and limit lighting at night.
Jody and Jenn DeMarco, who live across from the BAPS parking lot and its wooded area, asked the zoning board to deny the application unless the front facade of the new temple is reoriented to face away from their neighborhood.
“It’s a matter of preference, not a matter of necessity, that they are putting this giant variance that impacts our neighborhood negatively facing our property,” Jenn DeMarco said.
In 2012, BAPS Cherry Hill received violations from the township and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for illegally removing trees in a wetland without proper permits, but BAPS Cherry Hill said in its zoning application that the organization remediated the issue by planting more trees.
BAPS representatives said at the zoning board meeting that they would follow N.J. DEP’s rules and make sure any lighting above the height maximum of 35 feet turns off by 10 p.m. Plus, BAPS Cherry Hill doesn’t anticipate increased visitor volume after the renovations, and they don’t plan to add any additional seating for its Sunday services.
Another Cherry Hill resident, Deepak Chhatwal, said he was excited about the upcoming changes.
“I’m very happy that there’ll be an organization and a space where I can express my religious freedoms, and there will be a better space for myself and my family and other neighbors who are practicing the Hindu faith.”
The six zoning board members who attended the meeting approved the site plans unanimously.
Brian Bauerle, the township’s chief of staff, said Cherry Hill still has to adopt a resolution confirming the decision and its conditions of approval at a future meeting on an undecided date.
As for BAPS Cherry Hill, the nonprofit will have to update its site plans based on the new approvals and satisfy remaining compliance items, which Bauerle said can take weeks to months. Then, the Department of Community Development can issue a zoning permit allowing BAPS to apply for construction permits.
New Jersey hospitals could lose an estimated $3.6 billion from Medicaid changes through 2032, forcing them to bring their expenses in line, Inspira Health Network CEO Amy Mansue said Friday during a panel discussion in Cherry Hill.
“That will only happen with dramatic changes in how we look at our business,” she said during the Southern New Jersey Development Council’s Annual Health Care Leadership Forum at the Legacy Club of Woodcrest.
Mansue predicted that health systems will close little-used programs. “There is no way to cut that much money out of the hospitals without doing some of that,” she said.
The $3.6 billion estimate from the New Jersey Hospital Association does not include hospitals’ losses from the growing population of uninsured people who show up at emergency departments because they can’t afford to pay cash for a doctor visit.
The hospital executives pleaded for state officials to reduce the red tape that makes it hard to implement programs needed to meet community needs.
“We need to be more nimble, we need to be more adaptable, we need to be more flexible,” said Aaron Chang, president of Jefferson Health NJ, which includes hospitals in Cherry Hill, Stratford, and Washington Township.
Jennifer Khelil (left), Virtua Health’s chief clinical Officer; Aaron Chang (center), president of Jefferson Health New Jersey; and Amy Mansue, CEO of Inspira Health spoke Friday at the Southern New Jersey Development Council’s Health Care Leadership Forum.Southern New Jersey Development Council
Inspira is adding a $220 million patient tower at Inspira Mullica Hill in Harrison Township, near the intersection of Routes 55 and 322. Construction is expected to be completed Oct. 1, Mansue said. “The reality is we’re not going to open until March” because it will take that long to get all the regulatory approvals, she said.
Inspira operates three other hospitals in Cumberland and Salem Counties.
Raynard E. Washington, who heads the N.J. Department of Health, spoke after the panel and said Gov. Mikie Sherrill is serious about making it easier to do business in the state. She told state agencies “to limit additional regulations and to look for opportunities to streamline,” he said.
Workforce development is a top priority
Six years ago, Virtua and Rowan University started working together to create the Virtua Health College of Medicine & Life Sciences out of Rowan’s School of Osteopathic Medicine, Rowan’s School of Nursing & Health Professions, and Virtua’s Our Lady of Lourdes Nursing School, plus a new school of translational biomedical engineering and sciences.
The institution officially launched in 2022 with $85 million in support from Virtua and $125 million from Rowan and has seen its class sizes grow steadily.
“We are now training about 360 nurse graduates every year, 300 medical students,” said Jennifer Khelil, Virtua’s chief clinical officer. Virtua operates five hospitals in South Jersey.
Workforce efforts also reach into high schools, Chang said. Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital has a relationship with Cherry Hill West High School that brings 12 to 15 interns to the hospital.
“Because of the internship, their exposure to the hospital environment, whether it’s the ancillary departments and or the clinical areas, over 95% of those individuals get a healthcare job as a first foray into the workforce,” Chang said.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the time period for the Medicaid cuts.
Large-scale data centers will not be moving into Medford any time soon thanks to a new ordinance adopted unanimously by the Medford Township Council this week.
While the township has not yet received any formal applications for data centers, officials are taking steps like the ordinance passed Tuesday that specifically prohibits the land use within town limits as a chance to be proactive.
“These are extra precautions to ensure that we don’t move forward in a direction that we can’t come back from until we know full well what the impacts of data centers will be,” Medford Mayor Michael Czyzyk said at Tuesday’s public hearing.
The ordinance received support from Medford-area residents at the hearing but some questioned whether the township might be making its bed too early considering how quickly technology evolves, especially if there’s a chance to reap the rewards of a data center project without negatively impacting the surrounding community.
“If there’s no impacts to the residents and there’s only a financial benefit, I believe I would consider looking at that at that time, but we’re not there yet,” Czyzyk said.
While the ordinance constraints may seem all-limiting as it exists today, Czyzyk said, council maintains the authority to at any point amend the ordinance to permit data centers in the township’s redevelopment district.
“I definitely understand that things will evolve and there may be a time in the future that the term data center is something that is more amenable to the residents and the body that governs them,” Czyzyk said.
“I will feel comfortable with the vote I cast on this ordinance tonight knowing full well that today I feel that way and that there’s mechanisms in the future if things do change, a process will be undertaken to remedy that,” he said.
There are dozens of data centers currently operating throughout the state with major hubs located primarily in North Jersey urban centers like Secaucus and Newark. But more recently, developers have been eyeing spots in rural South Jersey as the industry expands to meet growing demands for generative AI.
Developers and other data-center proponents say the facilities bring in tax revenue, create jobs, make use of old industrial sites, and put towns on the cutting edge of a hot industry, all without straining school districts or emergency services.
Opponents, meanwhile, cite concerns about pollution, noise, power and water use, and the impact on their electric bills. Some also say they worry the AI boom is a bubble that could soon burst.
As concerns continue to grow among towns across the Garden State, representatives from more than 60 environmental, labor, and community groups sent a letter to New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill last month calling for a statewide moratorium on the approval and construction of new facilities that use 20 megawatts or more of power.
So far in response to the public pressure, Sherrill has proposed a plan that would require new data centers to cover grid upgrades, utilize their own power generators, and publicly report resource usage.
While some municipalities like Medford have issued moratoriums on new data centers, no state governments have successfully done so, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
This Fourth of July will be unlike any in recent memory. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, Philadelphia and the surrounding region are packed with celebrations — and fireworks displays. From the city and suburbs to South Jersey and the Shore, there are dozens of opportunities to catch a show.
Whether you’re staying in Philadelphia, heading to the suburbs, or spending the holiday down the Shore, here’s where to find Fourth of July fireworks across the region.
Wawa Welcome America: 🕙 July 4, 5 p.m. 📍Christina Aguilera and Philadelphia native Jill Scott headline a concert followed by fireworks, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pa., 19130, 🌐 july4thphilly.com
Conshohocken Fireworks Display: 🕙 July 3, 9:15 p.m., 📍The fireworks will take place at Sutcliffe Park, but the borough is closing the park and surrounding areas to the public due to the size of the display. (They advise you to watch the show from another vantage point in town.), 🌐 conshohockenpa.gov
Find the panzarotti at Tarantini Panzarotti. Clay Hickson / For The Inquirer
Earlier this month, The Inquirer dropped our list of the 76 most iconic dishes in the region, a handful of which can be found right here in the township.
Ranking at No. 61 is Santucci’s upside-down pizza, a pie so distinctive reporter Michael Klein said it helps give the region its own pizza identity. You can snag your own square pie with the sauce on the top at the outpost on Springdale Road.
Head a few miles down Springdale and you can order a panzarotti at Tarantini Panzarotti. The calzone-adjacent food ranks No. 29 on our list.
Also making the cut at No. 51 is gelati, the decidedly Philly spin on water ice (on its own, it ranks No. 2) and custard. Reporter Beatrice Forman reups the tastiness of a Dubai chocolate dupe at Cherry’s Ice Cream & Water Ice.
Leon Rose (front row, far left) played for Cherry Hill East’s junior varsity as a freshman.Cherry Hill East
Meeting Leon Rose today means knowing him as president of the New York Knicks, the team that has catapulted to the top of the headlines after clinching its first NBA title since 1973. But when many longtime South Jersey residents think of Rose, memories of a force-to-be-reckoned-with “gym rat” playing and coaching at Cherry Hill East are what come to mind.
Rose played under head coach John Valore from 1975 to 1979 before joining Valore’s staff in the early ‘80s while studying at Temple University’s law school. Even after attracting clients as famous as 76ers legend Allen Iverson and LeBron James, Rose could be found volunteer coaching at Katz JCC, where his 88-year-old father is still a regular.
The zoning board is holding a special meeting tomorrow night, which will include discussion about BAPS Cherry Hill’s application to expand its building. The Hindu temple at 1 Carnegie Plaza is looking to add a 15,350-square-foot second story for a gym and classrooms, in addition to a 2,930-square-foot lobby. It’s also looking to add 23 new parking spaces and make some changes to its existing interior and exterior. BAPS’ space now spans over 65,000 square feet.
Camden County military members, veterans, and their spouses can access free legal services at the township’s One-Stop Career Center starting this month. The first Veterans Will Clinic, offering last will and testament, power of attorney, and an advance directive, is today. The second will be on July 29, The Inquirer’s Sarah Nicell reports.
The community is mourning Robin Cogan, a West alum who became a Camden City School District school nurse and national health and safety advocate. She died of cancer at Cooper University Hospital earlier this month.
Camden County residents have reported a spate of roving peacocks in recent weeks. Reporter Sarah Nicell reminds that in March, Cherry Hill had its own rogue peacock sighting.
Heads up for drivers: Work continues on Kresson Road, which will have a partial closure westbound between Springdale Road and Ravenswood Way from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Friday.
Ready for spooky season? Summer just began, but Spirit Halloween is already preparing its return to the Plaza at Cherry Hill. (42 Freeway)
🏫 Schools Briefing
More than 500 East students graduated in a ceremony at Temple University’s Liacouras Center last week. South Jersey Media has photos from the event.
East has a relatively high summative rating, according to data from the state Department of Education’s annual School Performance Reports, which gave it an 83.98. The score factors in graduation rates, standardized test scores, student academic growth, and chronic absenteeism, among other things. West’s rating falls considerably lower at 32. (NJ.com)
🍽️ On our Plate
Soft-shell crab season is officially here. Looking for a spot to snag the sweet, briny dish? The Inquirer’s Michael Klein suggests trying the dish at Caffe Aldo Lamberti, where the presentation regularly changes.
The “lucky six” soup dumplings at Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao are the best dumplings in the state, according to a ranking from NJ.com. The outlet noted that they come in a rainbow of colors and are filled with ingredient combinations like truffle and pork, scallops and pork, and shrimp and pork.
🎳 Things to Do
🛼 Summer Kickoff Skate Party: Celebrate the end of the school year and the state of summer with face painting, a glam station, relay races, and hidden beach balls. ⏰ Thursday, June 25, noon-8 p.m. 💵 $5 admission 📍 Hot Wheelz
🗓️ In My Bag: Summer Social: This women’s-only event includes line dancing, singalongs, and networking. ⏰ Saturday, June 27, 2-5 p.m. 💵 $24.71 📍 Vera
🦖 Jurassic Park: Teenagers can catch a screening of the popular 1993 film. Registration is required. ⏰ Tuesday, June 30, 6-8:30 p.m. 💵 Free 📍 Cherry Hill Public Library
The front of the home features landscaping and hardscaping.Michael Gilliss/HomeJab | Courtesy of Ashley McGuire/Coldwell Banker Realty
Located in the Barclay section of Cherry Hill, this four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home has undergone a number of updates recently, including a full renovation to the kitchen. The space features stainless steel appliances and a subway tile backsplash. Also on the first floor is a living room, dining room, a den with a fireplace, and a bonus room. Upstairs there’s an office as well as all four bedrooms, including the primary suite with a walk-in closet. Out back, there’s a stone water feature and landscaping.
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.
Current and former military personnel can now receive free estate planning assistance in Camden County to help support their families’ futures.
The Camden County Board of Commissioners launched the new clinic last month, one of several no-cost legal services available to vulnerable South Jersey residents.
The clinic, currently scheduled monthly, gives active service members, veterans, and their spouses living in Camden County access to certain legal services at no charge. The county will provide a last will and testament, power of attorney, and an advance directive, which documents a person’s preferences for medical treatment in case they become unable to make their own healthcare decisions.
Sixteen veterans are signed up for the first Veterans Will Clinic on Wednesday at the Camden County One-Stop Career Center in Cherry Hill Township, said Morgan Callan, the county’s external communications manager. There is no current cap for how many veterans can participate.
The Camden County Office of Veterans Affairs is now accepting registrations for the second clinic, on July 29. Anyone interested should contact the office by calling 856-374-5801, or by visiting the office at 1 Collier Drive in Blackwood, part of the Camden County Lakeland Complex.
The Camden County Office of Veteran’s Affairs has partnered with Susan Purvin, an attorney from Gloucester County, to help provide the services. Louis Cappelli Jr., one of Camden County’s three commissioners, said in a statement that he hopes everyone eligible takes advantage of the program.
“Our veterans and servicemembers have sacrificed so much in service to our nation, so have their families,” Cappelli Jr. said. “The least we can do is help them get their affairs in order, giving them the confidence that their last wishes will be protected.”
The cost to Camden County for the program is $50 per will, $25 per power of attorney, and $100 per hour for every legal information session, with the total cost varying based on how many people show up for the clinics, said Dan Keashen, the county’s public affairs director.
Other counties in South Jersey provide similar services. All active military personnel and veterans in Gloucester County can receive assistance with a simple will, a legal document for those not looking to involve complicated estates or trusts in their end-of-life plans.
You don’t have to be a veteran to find free legal services in Camden County.
The Camden County Bar Association hosts Wills for Heroes, a small, volunteer-led clinic that provides free wills and estate planning documents to firefighters, police officers, and paramedics, and their spouses annually. The 2026 clinic, which took place in March, was full at 21 participants.
Kara Edens Graser, the association’s executive director, said she hopes to run the same clinic next year.
Plus, about 300 attorneys volunteer on an as-needed basis for the Volunteer UP Legal Clinic, a Camden-based nonprofit that provides legal expertise to those who need it. The nonprofit spent more than $300,000 in 2024 to provide legal services for tenants, criminal record expungement, estate planning, and name changes, according to its 2024 tax filing.
Volunteer UP also provides same-day eviction defense for tenants in Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties, CEO Steven Salinger said via email.
