CNBNews

THIS ARTICLE WAS POSTED HERE on January 11, 2007 Pearl Kowalski Honored By William E. Cleary Sr. (January 11, 2007)GLOUCESTER CITY NJ ==This past November Gloucester City Board of Education dedicated a memorial garden in honor of Dr. Pearl Kowlaski, a long-time Gloucester City resident who was a teacher at Gloucester City High School in the 50's. Pearl's family approached the board recently and offered to fund a memorial garden in her honor. The gazebo was built using an $8,000 grant. Dr. Mary Stansky, School District Superintendent, delivered the following address at the dedication ceremonies. "Thank you for coming today, to help us dedicate this Gazebo, provided to Gloucester City Schools through a grant from the American Academy of Dermatology, in partnership with Johnson and Johnson, and to dedicate the memorial gardens that grace this gazebo, in honor of Dr. Pearl Hunsberger Kowalski. Our school physician, Dr Carl Vitola, and... Read more →

October 7, 2007 Bills Point of View: Gloucester City NJ (posted here October 7, 2007)--Great-Grand "Pappy" Cleary told me a tale about a time when horse and wagon were the means of transportation in Gloucester City. He said residents were not allowed to park on the buggy path on two days of the month. Pappy said, "On those days between the hours of 1 PM - 3 PM employees from the Public Works Department could be seen walking the cobble streets with a broom cleaning up after the horses." I thought the story was just a tale. That is until the other day when I discovered this sign. The writing on it is barely visible because of the rust. But if you look real close it appears to say No Parking on the 2nd - 4th Thurs. Pappy passed away in 1970 at the age of 102. If he was... Read more →

Posted here November 2009 and 2011 By CNB Sports / GHS Contributor GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--Each year it arrives, it arrives to quick. Each year we wait to reflect on our gifts and each year we realize the end of an athletic career has come for many athletes throughout the nation. Yes, it’s Thanksgiving Day, a day rich in tradition, a day we give thanks and to family and friends. But too many Thanksgiving Day is about football High School and Professional. The memories of their own past careers or of fellow students are remembered. On Turkey Day, listen to the alumni surrounding the field. Yes, conversation goes back over 50 years of the athletic endeavors of our beloved Lions and Rams. Fans remember the Lions at Pitman game when the Fran Ferry Team from GHS arrived wearing Titletown shirts. Fans talk of former 1971 Ram’s quarterback Steve Johnson faking a... Read more →

POSTED HERE November 22, 2012 By Gus Ostrum (November 22, 2012) GLOUCESTER CITY NJ-To a man, this was the game the seniors wanted to win badly. Consider it mission accomplished! Bolstered by the presence of healthy running back John DeLaurentis and solid overall games from quarterback Micahel Davis and teammates Matt Davis and James Higginbotham, Gloucester Catholic upset city rival Gloucester High 22-15 in a West Jersey League Thanksgiving Day football classic. "The seniors all said to a man that this was the one they wanted to win," head coach Tony Garczynski said following the huge triumph. "I told them before the game -- you've talked about this as a goal, now go out there and walk the talk. And to their credit, everyone was brought their "A" game today." Against the South Jersey Group 1 playoff contender Lions, who fell to 7-3 overall, the Rams were paced by the... Read more →

Posted here November 2008 GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--Note: A series of articles about the history of the Gloucester Catholic vs. Gloucester High football games was published in a booklet released in 1993 entitled "TheRenewal of Friendship”. This great history of the series was put together by members of the Gloucester High Alumni Association. Drawing on front cover of booklet by Todd Whitten ***** Lions Rettew and Brennan Star Gloucester City NJ--Gloucester High's "Raiders", led by the brilliant running and pass catching of Bart Rettew, the pass catching of Dink Brennan and the fine arm of Harry Purnell, won their first city series game in five years before 3500 fans at the Charles St. Stadium on Thanksgiving morning. image by TODD WHITTEN Rettew thrilled fans with a fine catch of a Purnell aerial and an almost amazing return of a Gloucester Catholic punt for 50 yards and a TD. A resume' of... Read more →

SEE 2007 RAMS/LIONS PHOTO ALBUM (photo credit Bruce Darrow) Note: This article was first posted here November 2006. And each year prior to the annual Thanksgiving contest We run it again since it is timeless. Who wrote it? We don’t know anyone by the name of Lea Koros. It was sent via E-mail to us prior to the November 2006 game. Thank you Lea for the great article. Does anyone have a prediction on who will win this year? By LEA KOROS Special to CNBNews.net (November 2006) GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--With the Lions / Rams game less then a week away the talk has begun. The “ELECTION” is over and the residents and alumni have started the annual rite only a local GHS or GCHS graduate can appreciate. This talk is for the locals not the wannabes, the talk is not held on the bus ride from Deptford or Washington Twp,... Read more →

This article was posted here February 3, 2007 Bill, GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--I enjoy your column and am now an addict of your website! I am very concerned about your "Jeer" in last week's News about the Kilcourse administration agreeing to build an office building on the "Oh! Hara's" parking lot! First of all, this is a public lot, for all the businesses in the area, and also the residents use it since (1) Oh!Hara's customers park on the streets as well as in the lot, and (2)we (residents of the 100 block of Hudson)have to park there when a storm is threatening, because our street floods over 2 1/2 feet which would ruin our cars! Of course, that's a whole different subject, because a former mayor insisted the storm drains were fixed. Anyway, we need this parking lot! We also lost 3 to 4 parking spots on the Oh!Hara's block... Read more →

The following article was posted NOVEMBER 7, 2006 on CNBNews.net by William E. Cleary Sr. GLOUCESTER CITY NJ (November 7, 2006)-- Chatham Square Apartments home to 100 residential units, located on Rte. 130 and Klemm Avenue, has been fined $96,000, plus $17,000 per day until the violations are corrected, for numerous housing violations by the Gloucester City Municipal Court. The Municipal Court issued its decision on October 24, 2006. The court action is the result of the ongoing efforts of the newly formed Property Maintenance Task Force, which involves representatives from the Fire, Police and Housing Departments who meet regularly to formally coordinate enforcement of housing regulations throughout the City. The City Housing Department cited Chatham Square Apartments in violation of various housing issues, primarily dealing with conditions of common areas, failure to obtain certificates of occupancy, interior life hazard issues and code enforcement violations, to name a few. The... Read more →

August 03, 2010 By Kellie Ferry Gloucester City Councilwoman August 3, 2010 GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--Community. Howard Thurman once said, “Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered brothers.” I could not agree more. Walking through the streets of Gloucester City, I find it hard not to fall in love. It elates me to see the old buildings and beautiful homes and hear the chirping of birds and laughter of children playing outside. It comforts me to know that wherever I go I will be greeted by a friendly face and a light-hearted conversation. My community is filled with hardworking, fun loving individuals that have a distinguishable sense of camaraderie. Ever since I was a little girl, and even now in adulthood, what I enjoy most is when our community gathers together. Whether it is a small... Read more →

This article was posted here on October 30, 2006 By William E. Cleary CNBNews.net (October 30,2006) GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--Albert Countryman first worked for the Gloucester City News in 1991. One of his first assignments was to write an article about the development of the City’s Waterfront. When he returned to work for the paper in 1999, I asked him to do another article about the same topic. The purpose was see what progress had been made with the redevelopment plans in the eights years he was away. That article was sent to me recently. There was no name just the article. After reading his story, I felt it bears repeating. I won’t comment on it, I think it speaks for itself. A Flashback to August 1, 1991, when a then young reporter published a story on the front page of the Gloucester City News with the headline "Waterfront Development Plan... Read more →

The following article was posted here September 7, 2006 By William E. Cleary CNBNews.net Re: the Letter to the Editor, “Guest Opinion Writer Should Promote, Not Criticize, City” (August 31, 2006 Gloucester City News) (September 7, 2006)GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--On June 27 a community workshop entitled Enhancing Gloucester City’s Image was held. Council member Patrick Keating asked those in attendance for suggestions on what improvements could be made. After I watched the seminar on Channel 19 I was inspired by Keating’s call for help and took a tour of the City to see what if anything needed to be improved. I was hoping others in the community would do the same. We were being asked for ways to improve the city. I took his plea seriously. I felt it was my civic duty to help. I began with inspecting the City’s Parks and Playgrounds. I visited the $100,000 Three-corner Park at... Read more →

Posted on CNBNews.net September 21, 2006 By William E. Cleary Sr. CNBNews.net (September 21, 2006) GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--On the left is George F. Cleary Sr. with his longtime friend John Lincoln (known to my brother, sister and I as Uncle John or Uncle Link). The occasion was the celebration of the swearing in ceremony of the new Democrat council members held in January (year unknown). Both my Dad and Uncle John were staunch Republicans and the sign behind them read Democrat Headquarters, Gloucester City. In fact, Dad and Uncle Link in the early 50’s ran for council on the Republican slate. Dad lost while uncle John was elected and served one term. Yes I know it is hard believe the Republican Party at onetime was actually a formidable opponent to the City Democrats. Moreover, in the early 60’s the GOP for a while held the majority. In those years, and... Read more →

This article was posted here on March 23, 2009 TIPS AND SNIPPETS by William E. Cleary Sr. (March 23, 2009)Sean Gorman (photo) has been named The Coach of the Year by the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Gloucester County Times newspapers. Gorman coaches the Gloucester CityHigh School Girls Basketball Team. Under his guidance, Gloucester High captured the school’s first South Jersey title in girl’s basketball and reached the Group I state championship. The Lions record for the year was 27-3. Gorman is a 1998 Gloucester City High graduate who is a guidance counselor at the school. His assistant coach this season was his father, Joe, a special-ed teacher at the school. Here is a disturbing piece of news. A Gloucester City Little League coach was assaulted in the parking lot of a Brooklawn restaurant last Saturday by a parent of one of the Little League players. The parent hit the official... Read more →

Saturday, November 2, 2013 By JOHN REYNOLDS Diary of a Madman Browsing the web the other day, checking up on the goings-on around town on my favorite local website, I was saddened to learn that after October 31, 2013, Bill Cleary will stop publishing new content to his site, ClearysNoteBook. The only independently run, small-town news source in South Jersey is shutting down. His site's been running since 2006 when he launched ClearysNoteBook onto the Internet after spending almost 40 years in the newspaper business in Gloucester City. Bill must be past retirement age, so I wasn't surprised that he's finally taking a break. Running a one-man newspaper shop consumes a lot of time and energy, even for a young guy. He was nearing retirement when he started his site, which is amazing, considering the learning curve involved in going from print to digital publishing. And he must have loved... Read more →

The following article was posted here January 01, 2007 Former Gloucester Mayor Gorman Fighting A Legal Battle With The City That Elected Him; Battle is Over City Police Department Records By William E. Cleary Sr. Reporter's Note: Since 2004 former Gloucester City Mayor Robert Gorman has been fighting a court battle with the City of Gloucester and the Police Department over information that he feels should be released under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA0. In doing research I found a recent decision handed down on the proceedings that is dated December 14, 2006. A link to that decision appears at the bottom of this post. I must warn you it is quite long. According to the legal document, "While Mr. Gorman was still the Mayor of Gloucester City there was uncomplimentary material posted on NJ.com. It is stated that Mr. Gorman believed that some of these postings were made... Read more →

The following article was posted here February 9, 2009. By William E. Cleary Sr. (February 9, 2009)GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--As you are aware Gloucester City came to an agreement recently to purchase the Amspec Chemical site (22 acres) for $5 million. We just learned that the City has been trying to obtain the ground since December 15, 2005. Under a recent court settlement the City, who had previously deposited $1.68 million with the court, will now pay Amspec an additional $550,000. The remaining balance, approximately $2.77 million will be held until the property’s environmental issues are resolved. The property must be cleaned up at Amspec’s cost. The City also owns Chatham Square, 100 apartments, Rt. 130 and Klemm Avenue, purchased last year for $4 million. The City wants to sell the site but does not want the new buyer to use the complex for apartments. The vacant Amspec Chemical property on... Read more →

The following was posted here on January 26 , 2009 By William E. Cleary Sr. CNBNews.net GLOUCESTER CITY NJ (January 26, 2009)There are 19 commercial properties in Gloucester City according to the real estate web site http://www.trendmls.com . Included in that number are *six taverns. The properties are : 1. 217 Third Street at Powell Street, asking price $124,950. 2. 138 N. Broadway, (next to pizzeria) asking price 149,900 3. 301 N. Broadway, (car lot) asking price 24,000 4. 308-310 N. Broadway (Davalls Plumbing Supply) 200,000 5. *401 N. Broadway (O’Donnell’s inc. LL) 495,000 6. *200 S. Broadway (Twin Bar inc. LL) 650,000 7. 401 S. Broadway (Quality Furniture) 800,000 8. *509 S. Broadway (Red Mill inc. LL) 150,000 9. *54 Crescent Blvd (Doll House inc. LL) 1.9 million 10. *301 Essex Street (Essex St. Pub inc. LL) 499,900 11. 430 Hunter Street (former deli) 189,900 12. *500 Jersey Avenue... Read more →

+++++ (Posted on CNBNEWS.NET August 24, 2006) GROWING UP GLOUCESTER By Bart Rettew THE BEGINNING - 1946 (August 24, 2006)GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--The year was 1946 and WW-II was over. Many veterans were now returning home to resume their lives that were interrupted by the War. A group of young, local former high school athletes got together and started what was known as, and still is, the Gloucester City Memorial Athletic Association. The club was formally organized on Tuesday, June 18, 1946 at the Dixie Hotel at Burlington and Ridgeway streets in Gloucester as reported by Bill Flynn, the meeting chairman. The club was named in honor of the 42 local boys who gave their lives in WWII. Since most of them were athletes or were very interested in athletics, it would be a living tribute to them. The Charter was presented to club president, Ralph Bracken, on October 9, 1946... Read more →

**** This article was posted here July 10, 2011 By William E. Cleary CNBNEWS.NET (July 10,2011)Gloucester City NJ--Former LaSalle Football Coach Bill Manlove (photo) will be heading to South Bend, Indiana this week for the College Football Hall of Fame ceremonies being held July 15-16. He is one of four coaches that will be enshrined. Knowledgable South Jersey football fans will remember Manlove as the head football coach at Gloucester City High School in the 1960‘s. A graduate of Temple University, Manlove taught math at GHS. Along with coaching football he also coached Lions freshman basketball. Former Gloucester City Mayor Bob Bevan, who was coached by Manlove said, ”I played for Bill in my junior and senior year (1961, 1962) we had a losing record in his rookie year as Head Coach and had a 6-2-1 record in our senior year. He was more of a strategist his first year... Read more →

NOTE: We will no longer be accepting photos, announcements or press releases for publication. However, over the next year we plan on re-publishing some popular articles from our CNBNews Op-Ed, the CNBNews Point of View, and the CNBNews Tips and Snippets categories. Comments will be open. RELATED: THANK YOU! GOOD BYE! **** The following was posted here November 13, 2006 UPDATED November 7, 2013 CNBNEWS POINT OF VIEW: By William E. Cleary (November 13, 2006) Gloucester City NJ--Some die hard Democrats in Gloucester City would tell you what happened in Tuesday’s election was a fluke. To have three unknowns (William James, Nick Marchese and Jay Brophy) with no political experience defeat a well-organized Democrat machine could never happen again. To have a Gloucester City resident running for Sheriff (Chuck Billingham) who received 2500 votes plus but was unable to carry the local candidates on his coattail to victory was a... Read more →

The following was posted here on September 26, 2006 Bill, (September 26, 2006)GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--It’s refreshing to click onto your website. Yes, I agree “there are always two sides to every story”. The hard part is reporting the story in the most unbiased way possible and then and only then can the reader form his/her own opinion. On the subject in question. So far you have been successful in doing this. The record will show that the county-backed local democratic machine has held power 37 of the last 40 years in our community! Amazing! Independents gained control for three years (1987-1990). Recently our local government has adopted a new propaganda slogan ,“Great Things Are Happening in Gloucester City”. People who disagree with the direction this community is going are labeled negative people, rebels, not good team players, when they voice concerns about major increases in our local taxes, the deterioration... Read more →

This article was first published on October 30, 2006. by William E. Cleary Sr. cnbnews.net (October 30,2006)GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--William James candidate for Gloucester City Mayor in the November 7 election further explains his reasons for seeking the city's highest office. His statement reads as follows: " It’s time to put the cards on the table. After months of door knocking, sign fabrication, sign and T-shirts acquisitions and distribution, and introductory pamphlet distribution, the issues must be put to the people and it is my responsibility as a mayoral candidate to do so. As the Independent candidate for mayor in column 4 of the upcoming general election, I will first explain my reasons for running for public office. Being a lifelong resident of this community for what is now 50 years, as well as working the streets and community of Gloucester City for 26 years, moving through the ranks of the... Read more →

The following article was published on CNBNews on February 23, 2009. ******* By William E. Cleary Sr. CNBNews.net CNBNEWS.NET Point of View GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--On February 15 (2009) Gloucester City Police received a call that Christopher Demunguia, 35, a suspect who was wanted on a $50,000 warrant for an Aggravated Assault charge, was sitting in a bar located on King Street. According to the weekly police report Gloucester City Ptl. Little and Ptl. Wall approached the male to place him under arrest and the male attempted to assault Ptl. Little. The male then assaulted Ptl. Wall and a struggle ensued. Demunguia was taken into custody in short order. Demunguia was charged with Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer, Resisting Arrest and Contempt. After being treated and released from Virtua Hospital he was remanded to Camden County Jail on $75,000 bail. Demunguia appeared Thursday, February 19 in Camden County Superior Criminal... Read more →

Published May 10, 2013 RELATED ARTICLE: CNBNEWS Point of View: Bring Community Pride Back to Gloucester City The Gloucester City water tower, Broadway and Jersey Avenue (photo credit CNBNews.net) "I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. ~Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909) BY BILL CLEARY CNBNews.net A close-up of the Gloucester City water tower property (photo credit CNBNews.net GLOUCESTER CITY NJ--As you drive north on Broadway from Brooklawn into Gloucester City, the first thing you see is the Gloucester City water tower at the Broadway and Jersey Avenue intersection. The city-owned property is surrounded by unkept shrubs, and weeds, some higher than six feet tall. The vacant lot on the side of the site is also in a similar condition. On either side of... Read more →