John Reynolds | CNBNews.net We took a walk last weekend around the David R. Mayer Memorial Park, located on Peter Cheeseman Road in Gloucester Township– the park with the Mayer Monument placed out front to commemorate his magnanimosity for paving over the remaining open space areas in town and turning them into tax-abated strip malls and townhouse developments, and for the overpriced, no-bid municipal health insurance contracts, kickbacks, and other pay-to-play deals that resulted in an 8% tax increase for the residents of Gloucester Township this year. Walking near the boccie courts, I noticed a sign, "Field of Dreams –... Continue reading

By Christopher Baxter | The Star-Ledger The state Attorney General's Office has agreed to pay $150,000 to a Philadelphia man who was injured in a pre-dawn car crash in 2009 involving a State Police vehicle, and then kept in the dark for two years about the identity of the trooper who was driving. The man, Clayton Tanksley, was struck from behind by an unmarked patrol car while traveling on Interstate 295 in Camden County, rolling his sports utility vehicle onto its roof and leaving him hanging upside down from his seat belt as he awaited emergency crews. The troopers who... Continue reading

John Reynolds | CNBNews I used to drive past farmland going to work everyday. Watching geese flying over the meadow and deer coming out in the morning to feed was a refreshing break from the monotonous string of developments and strip malls we normally encounter in Camden County. Ten years ago, a Cooper Hospital non-profit subsidiary purchased the 55 acre property, located off the Route 42 Camden County College exit. They planned on opening medical offices, but after zoning changes, the land was designated a redevelopment zone, allowing Cooper to use a municipal tax abatement and a potential PILOT (payment... Continue reading

By Matt Friedman and Susan K. Livio/The Star-Ledger TRENTON — A bill that had been speeding through the Legislature before hitting a wall in the state Senate could result in higher insurance premiums for older workers and higher profits for New Jersey's most influential Democrat, according to several left-leaning groups who protested it today. In a conference call this morning joined by Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, the groups claimed the bill – which went largely unnoticed when it passed the Assembly 77-0 last month – would seek to expand insurance arrangements that can be used by companies, and allow... Continue reading

By Neil Haggerty/The Star-Ledger Suzanne Alworth of Verona remembers the glory days of Catholic schools. She remembers classrooms packed with close to 40 children in blue-and-white plaid uniforms. She remembers the nuns who taught her at St. Cassian School in Upper Montclair. And she remembers the families of brothers and sisters and children and grandchildren who all attended Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, where she graduated in 1979. Thirty-five years later, Immaculate Conception is fighting to stay open. The school is $900,000 in debt, enrollment is less than half of the building’s capacity and the Archdiocese of Newark will... Continue reading

Fred Siegel- The Poverty of Benevolence. Fifty years of the Great Society have made things worse for blacks, not better. Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make it Harder for Blacks to Succeed, by Jason Riley (Encounter Books, 205 pp., $23.99) A half-century ago, the Great Society promised to complete the civil rights revolution by pulling African-Americans into the middle class. Today, a substantial black middle class exists, but its primary function has been, ironically, to provide custodial care to a black underclass—one ever more deeply mired in the pathologies of subsidized poverty. In Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals... Continue reading

Saturday, June 14th, 10:00am. We will meet at the playground parking lot on New Brooklyn-Blackwood Road. After the cleanup Michael Hogan and the Watershed Ambassador will do a macro invertebrate assessment at the pond and discuss how the numerous macro invertebrates found in the pond can indicate its health. Ave. Bags, gloves and grabbers will be supplied. Please RSVP. Email Michael Hogan at hoganphoto@verizon.net for a map. South Jersey Land & Water Trust SJLWT is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and protect the land and water resources of southern New Jersey - maintaining and enhancing the natural,... Continue reading

John Reynolds | CNBNews.net I attended my first Gloucester Township Board of Education meeting last month for the "public hearing" of the new budget. I wanted to get involved in the political process with my fellow residents to iron out the budget with the board. One thing I couldn't understand was why the taxes were going up 5.4% with the millions coming in from the Red Lights Cameras and the $20 million dollars worth of solar panels plastered around town that didn't cost us anything and were supposed to save us money. A couple of residents complained about the lack... Continue reading

DRPA CEO John Hanson: Reform must come from within (via NJ.com) The new CEO of the Delaware River Port Authority has some questions about the newly announced reform legislation introduced by lawmakers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, stating any real change in culture at the board has to come from within. Speaking… Continue reading

CNBNews | John Reynolds I just received the "April Newsletter - New Jersey's 4th Legislative District," which I have been trying to un-subscribe to for the last couple of years. I emailed a question to their website a few years ago –which they never responded to – and now I can't get off their mailing list. They get around the spam filters by switching their sender's address. I took a peek and scanned the following headlines: FRED MADDEN BILL TO PROTECT PETS, WILDLIFE FROM ANTIFREEZE POISONING CLEARS COMMITTEE FIGHTING THE WAR ON POVERTY Editorial by Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera I just... Continue reading

Nearly half of New Jerseyans want to move out of the state, poll says (via NJ.com) While nearly half of New Jersey residents say they would like to move out of the state, very few will actually do so in the next year. In a recent Gallup poll, 41 percent of Garden State residents say, yes, they would like to move, 8 percentage points… Continue reading

Editor's Letter: An army of alumni awaits Inquirer sale By Lillian Swanson A judge’s decision in Delaware last week, favoring George Norcross’ path to ending the stalemate at the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and philly.com means we will get some clear answers very soon about the future of these publications. The main question is: Will the dailies continue to be serious publications? The private auction this month among the owners of Interstate General Media could leave the properties in Norcross’ hands. Or the Lewis Katz-led group could bring out even more cash. What I worry about most is what could... Continue reading

Rutgers professors say merging N.J. towns unlikely to save money (via NewsWorks) A growing chorus of voices has been calling for some of New Jersey's 565 municipalities to consolidate, merging two towns into one. Advocates say it helps towns cut costs by eliminating redundancies, and that can put the brakes on rising property… Regardless of the size of the towns, shared service, consolidation – or whatever – if you don't cut out the New Jersey style waste and corruption, you won't save money. John Reynolds | CNBNews.net Continue reading

By John Reynolds/CNBNews Junk mail, junk food, junk mortgages – they're clogging our mailboxes, arteries, and courts. They're selling us crap we don't need or want, they're killing us and our neighborhoods. And if you're still around and turn on the TV, the junk shows will finish you off. I'm the only guy on my block that changes his car oil in the driveway and inflates his tires with a bicycle pump. I'm old school - actually I'm too cheap to pay Jiffylube and I figure I could use the exercise. My pump must have been 20 or 30 years... Continue reading

Philadelphians tired of Facebook placing them 'near Camden' (via NewsWorks) Philly's not Camden. Philadelphians know that, and so do New Jerseyans across the Delaware River. So, it's been a mystery to many Facebook users why posts from Philly are often tagged as being "in Camden" or "near Camden." When Temple University alumna… Hell, Camden complains that it's next to Gloucester! John Reynolds CNBNews.net Continue reading

Books and Culture City Journal Matthew Hennessey God’s Lucky Man The “charmed life” of Shane MacGowan 14 March 2014 Photo by wicho They say God takes care of fools and drunks. If so, he’s been working overtime the last few decades taking care of Shane MacGowan. As the frontman and principal songwriter of the Irish rock band the Pogues, MacGowan is as famous for his lyrics and whiskey-timbered voice as for his unlikely longevity, despite a Homeric appetite for intoxicating substances, especially, but not limited to, alcohol. Though he cuts a shambolic figure, MacGowan is still upright at 56, a... Continue reading

The List: A Rogues Gallery of the 15 Most Corrupt Politicians in NJ History (via NJSpotlight) The controversy swirling around Bridgegate has reminded the nation of New Jersey's longstanding reputation as a hotbed of political corruption. More commonly, the malfeasance comes in the form of public officials taking bribes or favors in return for… Continue reading

Michelle Caffrey / South Jersey Times A handful of South Jersey legislators have kept a particularly busy schedule the last few days, touring important sites, meeting with community leaders and breaking bread with men and women in the armed services. It’s all taking place more than 5,000 miles from their hometowns, however, as members of a legislative mission to Israel, including State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3 of West Deptford), Sen. Donald Norcross (D-5 of Camden) and Assemblyman John Burzichelli (D-3 of Paulsboro), prepare to wrap up a trip to the Holy Land. Full Article COMMENTARY: John Reynolds | CNBNews.net... Continue reading

By John Reynolds/CNBnews.net There's a famous poem written 100 years ago about two New England farmers mulling over whether to continue rebuilding the stone wall dividing their properties. The narrator didn't see any reason to keep the wall anymore, while his neighbor kept repeating an adage he learned from his father, "good fences make good neighbors." Anyway, the weather broke last week. The temperature hit 40 degrees and the roads were clear, so I decided to take the motorcycle out for a ride. I rolled the bike out of my garage and turned towards my neighbor's house so I could... Continue reading

David Giambusso/The Star-Ledger Despite comprising just more than half of Newark’s population, African-Americans make up 75 percent of the stops under the city Police Department’s stop-and frisk-program, a report released today by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey has found. Read the full story And I'll bet they're committing at least 75 percent of the crimes in Newark. I can see a problem if law enforcement targeted certain groups of people for stop-and frisk in say Cherry Hill or Haddonfield, but we're talking Newark, the armed car-jacking capital of New Jersey. John Reynolds | CNBNews.net Continue reading

By Joseph P. Owens | South Jersey Times New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney said tonight he has answered the call to take over embattled Ironworkers Local 401 in Philadelphia less than a week after the union's leadership was indicted on charges including extortion, arson and assault. Read all about it Apparently, criminals and politicians are interchangeable. How many jobs can this guy hold down, he must never sleep. He's already pulling down a paycheck from the State of New Jersey for his Senate gig, and from the Ironworkers National Union for his 'negotiating' skills . John Reynolds | CNBNews.net Continue reading

Dem leaders adamant that $2.4 billion go to N.J. pension fund (via NewsWorks) As Gov. Chris Christie puts the finishing touches on the budget proposal he will unveil Tuesday, top Democrats in the New Jersey Senate are insisting that the spending plan include the required state payment into the pension system. Acknowledging that Acknowledging that formulating a budget plan will mean many difficult choices, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee said making the $2.4 billion pension payment and funding the Transportation Trust Fund are paramount. According to the Democrats, New Jersey has a Revenue problem, not a Spending problem.... Continue reading

BY William E. Cleary Sr. Nathanial Maybin photo provided by Philadelphia Police Dept. WEST PHILADELPHIA - February 24, 2014 (WPVI) -- Philadelphia police say they have identified the suspect who allegedly attacked a local business owner with a hammer. Nathanial Maybin, 29, from the 800 block of S. 56th Street is wanted for the attack outside Maple Deli at 49th and Lancaster in West Philadelphia. Police say David Woods, 46, was attacked at that location just before just before 5 p.m. Thursday. Anyone with information on Maybin's whereabouts is asked to contact Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS (8477), text a tip... Continue reading