CNBNews

View from Annunciation Church The information center session will be held at: Bellmawr Ballroom 29 Lewis Ave Bellmawr NJ 08031 Thursday Feb 21, 5pm to 8pm You can visit at a time that is convenient to you as this is an informal information center. You will be able to review exhibits of the project, and ask questions of NJDOT representatives and designers. From the NJ.Com article: “This is a major multi-year project that will have a substantial impact on Camden County motorists and several municipalities,” said Freeholder Ian Leonard, liaison the Camden County Department of Public Works. “It is important for county residents to be aware of how this construction will affect their commute and their communities. ”"Besides the Pulaski Skyway, I can't think of a larger project in the DOT's history," said NJDOT spokesman Timothy Greeley. Official NJDOT release (PDF File) Chosen option and Simulated Photos NJ.Com Article West... Read more →

After several years of Guidettes and Mafia wives representing New Jersey in the national entertainment media, last night's Late Show with David Letterman changed things up by featuring 2 of our states more positive prominent citizens. Monday Night (2/4/2013), Governor Chris Christie and Audubon's Superbowl MVP Joe Flacco were guests with Letterman. On a national level, they are two of our most talked about residents right now, and the irony is that one is seen as one of the most athletic people in the country, while the other... Clips of the Christie's interview show that it was all about fun... Dave admits he has made Christie's weight a regular target of jokes on the show, and the Guv goes right along with it, pulling out a donut at the start of the interview "I didn't think this would be so long" Christie does look uncomfortably big in the chair next... Read more →

With no official confirmation out there...we've been scouring the media outlets to determine what exactly is moving into the old Brooklawn K-Mart location. Today, we may have found something that gets us one step closer to finally uncovering the secret of "What's going in at K-Mart?" I'm no private investigator... but this could be a clue. Hah... so I had the day off today and a little too much time on my hands I guess. :-) So its good to see the sign go up! Although the interior walls are still a work in progress. The club web-page is up also... It says details are still to come, but it states the club is open 24hrs a day, and the first Monday of every month is Pizza Night. John's Pizza, which is right next door, better talk to someone at the club and get that contract! And speaking of pizza...... Read more →

BY MARK MATTHEWS CNBNEWS.NET (December 8, 2012)BELLMAWR NJ-The Crescent Park section of Bellmawr, near Bellmawr Lake, is experiencing a power outage this morning. A pole at Farragut and Warren caught fire this morning, knocking out power for several blocks. A neighbor says they've been calling PSEG about the pole for months. "I could see an electric arc on the top of the pole every time it rained. A few months ago even went to the pole and got the number off it and told them" PSEG was at the pole around 9am to inspect. Burnt debris was on the ground and the top of the pole was burnt off, and leaning on the wires. From my "regular guy" vantage point it looks like a new pole will be needed, and hopefully a temporary solution will be in place. The truck left after about 30 mins... doing an initial triage, and... Read more →

I made a late trip to the Brooklawn Shop-Rite last night, and down by what is usually a darkened west end, I noticed the ol' K-Mart store was lit up like a beacon calling out to me to come take a look. :-) So before heading home, I drove over to see that an interior partition wall is basically complete. The new wall segregates about 1/3 of the building on the right side, leaving a large portion on the left which includes the main front glass entrance. If you've been following along this week to my prior post, and the CNBnews staff update on the new project for the Brooklawn K-Mart, you know that a fitness center is coming in. So, not really knowing specifics about the new gym layout (or any gym for that matter!), it's tough to determine which section will house the gym. My first thought is... Read more →

By Chris Concannon Gloucester City News Bellmawr Superintendent Annette Catiglione said the vote on a $3.1 million bond referendum to replace the roofing on all three School District buildings will be on Tuesday, December 11. She encouraged Bellmawr voters to support the referendum during the recent Board of Education (BOE) meeting, pointing out that the new roofs are necessary. School Board members looked at photographs that showed visible decay in several areas of the roofs, along with numerous patch work solutions. An earlier article had indicated the referendum would appear on the General Election ballot November 6. Instead, it is being sent to the voters on December 11. The BOE said the change was necessary so that the question would appear on all ballots, including absentee and provisional submissions. As the meeting got underway, President Jamie Casey welcomed everyone back for the 2012-13 school term. The Superintendent then opened a... Read more →

(cnbnews.net)Drinking my morning coffee and reading the news online... I headed over to check out the Bellmawr.com website. The site has been steadily improving, and I find that I am learning more and more about the town news and current events by checking out the site regularly. I know someone will point out another town's site which they feel is better, but you can't deny Bellmawr.com has improved over the most recent year(s) with the redesign and updated information. I appreciate a good-looking web site, and not that our site is lacking in design... what I like most about Bellmawr.com is someone seems to be putting in a lot of effort to put current and relevant information on the site. I know that Bill Walsh, our Chief of Police, has been the driving force for the website and redesign. Not sure if Chief Walsh is the one keeping up with... Read more →

(cnbnews.net)Several things going on right now in Bellmawr... instead of my usual wordy self, here's some quick hits. Bellmawr Concert in The Park Up first on Thursday May 31st, is Bellmawr's First Annual "Concert in the Park". This innagural event features cover band BlackHorse and will be held at the Recreation Center (Bell and Creek Rds) from 7-9pm. The band's website lists Journey, Boston and Foreigner as some of their top covered bands. Food and drinks will be available. Bellmawr Run For Education Saturday June 2nd brings a 5k run back to Bellmawr, when the Bellmawr Board of Education hosts a triple threat event featuring a 5k, a kids walk, and a family walk. Please see the web site for information on registering and any applicable fees. Water and Bike Safety Night On Monday June 4th, the Bellmawr School District is sponsoring a Water and Bike Safety Night. Held at... Read more →

The true start of summer is here, Bellmawr's St Joachim's (Annunciation) Carnival is on RIGHT NOW! I've been attending these carnivals for decades, and after stopping there tonight... this is definately the biggest one yet. The rides wrap around the side of the school offering many more fun things for kids of all ages. But honestly, it looks like someone was looking out for the upper elementary ages kids as there are more "big" rides than ever, including my personal favorite... Zipper. And for Thurs, Friday and Saturday... the rain is set to move out and looks like sunny and 70s all three days. Besides the great rides, the carnival features many games of chance including the favorites; ring toss, Whack a mole, and even Skee-Ball! Great carnival snacks like cotton candy can be found in the main fairgrounds, but over around the left side of the school is where... Read more →

All I know is what I see on the signs... "Reopen March" Read more →

related meandering with mark matthews (cnbnews.net)After a lengthy delay, many skeptics in Bellmawr didn't think it was going to happen. But after a legal case involving a zoning issue was resolved... construction seems to be really moving fast! The warm, no snow weather has probably helped move things along quickly. So just a short post... to share some pics that I took Today.. a bright and sunny Sunday. From what I remember, the location will include the Bottom Dollar Foods store, and 5 other stores will be available for rent. Looking for a job? Do a google search on: Bottom Dollar Foods Bellmawr There seems to be a lot of postings... Read more →

(cnbnews.net)Two quick items... This morning's Daily News published a story on famous steak-maven Tony Luke's 100 pound weight-loss over the last year, including an amazing 40 pounds lost in 6 weeks! Tony did this under doctor's supervision... and while the article mentions "South Jersey Doctor, Matthew Pinto", it doesn't mention that Dr Pinto's main office is located right here in Bellmawr at Glendale Primary Care. The office is located in the former Super Fresh Center, located in the same building as Retro Fitness and the Stardust Ballroom. Article at the Philly.Com Dr Pinto's office: Also, I noticed that the Pennant East is officially up for sale. The asking price is $499,000, which includes the property and building... but not the alcohol license. I have no word on if the license is available as a separate purchase. Listing with photos: Related articles Meandering w/ Mark Matthews: Bellmawr Bottom Dollar Foods is... Read more →

A busy Saturday led to a lazy Sunday. So as I sit here hiding from the cold by watching the football playoffs and countless random shows… the laptop ends up in front of me and the aimless web surfing begins. Which leads me to a short blog on the new Bottom Dollar Store, and a few upcoming road projects of interest... information derived from obsessive Googling. Bottom Dollar Mechanicals Based on a very recently posted “Request for Proposal”, it looks like things should start happening soon at the old Heim’s supermarket. Mechanical contractor Costa and Rihl has posted full mechanical blue prints for the new Bottom Dollar Supermarket and retail stores, requesting contractor bids. Two separate drawings, one for the store and one for the retail stores are available. It looks to be a straight line configuration, with the main store in the middle, two smaller stores on the left,... Read more →

In just a few square block area in and around Bellmawr's main intersection, we had several building eyesores... I noticed recently that there has been significant progress in cleaning up and rebuilding these properties. Xtra! Xtra! First the big news... We've been looking at this eyesore for way too long, and it has finally started coming down! Sitting on the main gateway into our town, the abandoned Xtra! gas station at Browning Rd and the Black Horse Pike has not been giving the thousands of drivers who use the intersection "a warm fuzzy feeling" about our town. I had been told a few weeks ago that the plans were in place to demolish the building... with asbestos needing to be removed before the actual demolition started. Driving home tonight at 8:30pm I saw the start of the demolition, stopped home for the camera and grabbed a few photos. Its a... Read more →

By Mark Matthews No, we are not getting an infusion of new cash… but looks like we are getting 2 new businesses with a "Dollar" theme! A discount variety store has opened this week, and coming up next is a discount supermarket! Just opened this week at the Browning Square shopping center is Dollar General. It is located in the center of the old Super Fresh building, with Retro Fitness to the right. Despite what you would think based on the name, Dollar General is not a dollar store. They are general merchandise store. From their website “From brand-name grocery items, to apparel and household décor, to a wide variety of health and beauty items for the entire family, Dollar General Market has everything you need, all at prices designed to save you more” I’ve been to the Runnemede store in the past, and it reminded me a little of... Read more →

UPDATE-The one car accident reported last night on CNB happened Sunday evening at 5 PM on Old Salem Road near the Brooklawn/Bellmawr border. Brooklawn Police Chief Fran McKinney said on Monday morning that a woman accidentally loss control of her car and hit the pole. "She was unhurt and was able to drive away in her car. No citations were given." ~Bill Cleary & Mark Matthews Related articles by Zemanta UPDATE: Bellmawr Police Arrest Burglar (gloucestercitynews.net) Meandering with Mark Matthews: Brooklawn Kmart Down, but Wal-Mart Continues its Growth (gloucestercitynews.net) Meandering with Mark Matthews: A New Gas Station, Gino's is Trying, I can't Drive, Canals (gloucestercitynews.net) Read more →

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 -A utility pole was broken in half on Salem Road next to Westbrook Bowling Alley, Brooklawn/Bellmawr border. The road was blocked, and police were still at the site at the time this photo was taken at 7 PM. The cause of the accident is not known at this time. ~Mark Matthews Related articles by Zemanta Cheers and Jeers for August 2010 (gloucestercitynews.net) Building Fire at Hess Gas Station in Brooklawn (gloucestercitynews.net) Brooklawn Dwelling Fire, No Injuries Reported (gloucestercitynews.net) Bellmawr Celebrates National Night Out (gloucestercitynews.net) Child Struck by Vehicle in Bellmawr (gloucestercitynews.net) Meandering with Mark Matthews: A New Gas Station, Gino's is Trying, I can't Drive, Canals (gloucestercitynews.net) Meandering with Mark Matthews: Brooklawn Kmart Down, but Wal-Mart Continues its Growth (gloucestercitynews.net) Read more →

By Mark Matthews A new Gas Station is moving in: We lovingly remember the spot next to Ponzio’s as the home of the Gino Giant when Gino’s was a regional hamburger and chicken fast food restaurant. Then it spent many years as a Roy Rogers restaurant. (Are they still on the Turnpike or Expressway?). Then a few years ago one of our favorite eating places became an Amoco gas Station… but then quickly closed. Well the “closed more than open” gas station has gotten freshly painted, and the pumps are bearing the logo of its newest tenant. The much loved BP Oil is opening up soon! With the leak in the gulf finally plugged, will you be making the new BP Oil a regular stop? Now remember, most of these stations are owned by independent business people who have nothing to do with polluting the gulf. Comments, your thoughts. Gino’s... Read more →

By Mark Matthews By this time everyone knows the Brooklawn K-Mart is closing. The store is PACKED with shoppers. My wife was there on a Friday night and said every register was open! I was tempted to drive over to witness it! If all it took was to knock 20% off of everything to pack the store, why didn’t they do it years ago? J Walmart continues to grow and in my opinion definitely squeezed the life out of our K-Mart (or K-mart continues to let things slip to a level that consumers choose to drive a little further for other shopping options). But Walmart is not done. Opening this fall is ANOTHER Walmart for our area, at the Somerdale Plaza. Most of us know the center simply for its Cinemark Movie Theater and a bunch of failed and empty stores. Walmart has been planning and building this location for... Read more →