Latest news with #Courier-Post
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Spirit Halloween canceled its annual party in Egg Harbor Township for 2025
Spirit Halloween has delivered horrifying news to its most ardent customers, canceling a celebration that draws thousands of people to launch its spooky season. The Egg Harbor Township firm blamed "international disruptions and supply chain challenges" for the demise of this year's event. It said the party's expected to return in 2026. "In the meantime, Spirit Halloween is still very much alive, with over 1,500 stores on track to open;" the company said in a recent Instagram post. Stores are to begin opening in mid-August. Halloween horror: South Jersey delivers on dreadful decorations Last year's event, which took place Aug. 1 and was dubbed the Carnevil, drew a large crowd to the company's flagship store in an Egg Harbor Township shopping center. It was held for the third straight year "to unveil our best costumes, accessories and decor," Spirit Halloween said in a statement promoting the 2024 party. The free event included games, prizes and entertainment. It offered an "exclusive" swag bag to the first 200 guests after 7 a.m., then distributed numbered lanyards allowing access for 2,500 visitors after the store's ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. Other customers were allowed into the store on a first-come, first-served basis until 8 p.m. As a sign of its turnout, last year's party also offered on-site restrooms, a hydration station and overflow parking. Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@ This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: The event was called the Carnevil in 2024 and took place Aug. 1
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Hands Off!' protest in Pitman draws about 500 in a rally against Trump's policies
Approximately 500 people attended a "Hands Off!" rally in Pitman on Saturday to protest policies of U.S. President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser, Elon Musk. The protest, scheduled for 1:30-3:30 p.m., took place at Ballard Park. It included a few speeches from participants, including one from a man with blonde dreadlocks who identified himself as "Pastor Randy." Protesters, a mostly middle-aged crowd, lined up in the park and also along Pitman Avenue outside of McCowan Memorial Library, waving signs and chanting at traffic. Background: What are 'Hands Off!' protests? South Jerseyans among those hoping to put D.C. on notice. Some passing motorists honked horns in support. Police were on scene, but no problems or counter-protests were observed through at least 2 p.m. Saturday. Broadway was block for one block outside of the park, with traffic detoured around the library. Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times. Have a tip? Support local journalism with a subscription. This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: 'Hands Off!' was a nationwide effort to protest Trump's policies
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TD Bank closing South Jersey branch, laying off 52 workers; other cutbacks planned as well
TD Bank plans to lay off 52 workers because of planned branch closings in New Jersey, the company has announced. The Cherry Hill-based bank is closing six offices across the state, including a South Jersey location along Route 70 in Marlton. The closings, part of a larger pruning of its branch system, are because of a "reduction in work volumes' and an 'organizational restructuring," the bank said in a March 26 filing with the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development. Data breach: Suit seeks $5M over leak of TD Bank info It didn't specify when job cuts would hit specific sites, but said workers would be let go between March 31 and June 26. Workers are not being offered positions at other TD Bank offices, the filing said. Eligible employees, including an unspecified number of executives, are to receive severance pay and the value of unused accrued paid time off. TD Bank has approximately 1,100 locations overall and is the nation's 10th largest bank. Elsewhere in New Jersey, TD Bank branches are set to close in: Holmdel, Monmouth County. Spring Lake Heights, Monmouth County. Flemington, Hunterdon County. Cedar Grove, Essex County. Ringwood, Passaic County. Other cutbacks are to occur in nine states along the Atlantic seaboard and in Washington, D.C. Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@ This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: TD Bank plans layoffs as it sheds six offices across New Jersey
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wildfire burning off Raritan Avenue, Old Atsion Road in Wharton State Forest in Waterford
The state Forest Fire Service on Sunday morning reported making "significant" progress against a large wildfire burning in Waterford Township. The blaze. which forced the evacuation of two campgrounds, was 50% contained after spreading across 1,750 acres of Wharton State Forest, the agency said at approximately 8 a.m. It first reported the blaze, called the California Branch Wildfire, in the area of Raritan Avenue and Old Atsion Road on Saturday afternoon. Both roads were closed inside the forest, as was Goshen Bridge Road. The Atsion and Goshen Pond campgrounds were evacuated. Franklin fire:: Blaze in forest scorches 190 acres The agency said it was fighting the blaze with ground crews, fire engines and bulldozers. It reported no injuries or damage to private property. The fire's cause was under investigation. (This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccurate headline.) Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@ This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: California Branch Wildfire burns in Wharton State Forest in Waterford
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jersey Shore's Lucy the Elephant is seeing some changes. What to know.
Don't panic if you see a demolition crew near Lucy the Elephant, a beloved landmark of the Jersey Shore. The popular pachyderm in Margate isn't going anywhere. Instead, workers are to raze and replace an outdated gift shop and visitor center next to the tourist attraction. This new building is expected to open at the site by next year's third quarter, said Rich Helfant, executive director of the Save Lucy Committee, a historic preservation group. Shore security: Wildwood plans new safety measures for summer 2025 The replacement "will include a bigger gift shop, ADA-compliant restrooms, new exhibits, and spaces for everyone to learn about Lucy's history," according to the committee's website. That history includes the surprising facts that Lucy, built in 1881, initially stood several blocks away in Margate — and wasn't named Lucy. A Philadelphia real estate developer named James Lafferty commissioned the six-story structure, then called Elephant Bazaar, to draw attention to a largely vacant area between the beach and Atlantic Avenue at Cedar Grove Avenue. A later owner, Sophia Gertzen, dubbed it Lucy the Elephant in 1902, when the building held a short-lived tavern, according to history compiled by members of the committee. The Gertzen family in 1970 donated the elephant, then described as "nearly derelict" and facing demolition, to members of the newly formed committee. The building then was moved several blocks to its current location, a city-owned lot at Atlantic and Decatur avenues. The now-restored elephant was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976. With demolition work to begin in April, the committee has moved its gift shop and visitor center operations into a temporary home at a former bank office at Atlantic and Washington avenues. The committee recently purchased the 2,200-square-foot site, which is across the street from Lucy, for an undisclosed price, Helfant said. The commercial space, across the street from Lucy, will be the long-term location for administrative offices, Helfant added. "It will also serve as storage and a warehouse for merchandise being sold in the gift shop. And it will be where our board meets," he said. In the meantime, the committee's website noted, the interim location will sell Lucy mementos, souvenirs and tickets for guided tours through "the only elephant in the world you can walk through and come out alive!" Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@ This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Lucy the Elephant in Margate is to see a new gift shop, visitor center
