Life long Gloucester City resident, born in 1944. Graduated from Gloucester Catholic High School Class of 1963. Attended Camden County College. Army National Guard 1964 to 1970. Activated in 1967 during the Newark Riots. Worked full-time at the Gloucester City Post Office from 1967 to 1978. Worked part-time at the Gloucester City News from 1965 to 1977. In 1978 I was named editor of the Gloucester City News and Camden County Record. Purchased the City News in 1985. In 2005 the paper was sold. In 2006 I established Cleary's Notebook. At the age of 81 I remain editor of Cleary's Notebook News writing commentary and reporting the news for South Jersey and Philadelphia regions.
Gloucester City Firefighter Settles Lawsuit for $45K
Written by William E. Cleary Sr.
JEER — To the ongoing dysfunction inside the Gloucester City Fire Department
A recently settled lawsuit revealed allegations of harassment, retaliation, and hostility toward an injured firefighter, ending in a $45,000 payout by the city. The details paint a picture of leadership problems that taxpayers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for.
The source for the $45,000 payout by Gloucester City is a March 27, 2026, report by Transparency NJ, written by open‑government advocate John Paff. The article details the settlement of a lawsuit filed by firefighter Kyle Jeffries, (photo) who alleged disability discrimination, harassment, and retaliation within the Gloucester City Fire Department. The city agreed to pay $45,000 to resolve the case — $23,804 to Jeffries for emotional distress and $21,196 for attorney fees.
—
Key points from the documented settlement
The lawsuit stemmed from a June 2023 training injury and the firefighter’s subsequent treatment while on light duty. In his lawsuit, Kyle Jeffries, who began working for the department in 2014, alleged that he sustained a ruptured nerve in his spine leading to his left leg during a swift water training exercise in June 2023. He alleged that after reporting the injury and seeking medical treatment, he was placed on light-duty status but faced hostility from both supervisors and coworkers.
Allegations included hostility from supervisors, delayed workers’ comp paperwork, and retaliatory shift changes.
The settlement was finalized in August 2025, but publicly reported in March 2026.
The city did not admit wrongdoing, but paid the settlement to close the case. The mayor and council never said a word to the taxpayers who footed the bill for this case.
REMEMBERING THE “GOOD OLD DAYS” — Howard “Butch” Shaffer rolled up from Hilton Head, South Carolina, to meet a few of his childhood buddies at the Brooklawn Diner on Thursday, April 2. For a moment, it felt like Gloucester City in the 1940s and ’50s all over again — a town where everyone knew your name, your father’s nickname, and which streetlight you were supposed to be home by.
Back then, our little community ran on corner stores, church bells, and the kind of front‑porch gossip that traveled faster than any newspaper. World War II was winding down, the Korean War was starting up on the other side of the world, and kids like us were more worried about stickball games, jukebox music, and whether we had enough change for a Coke.
Cleary’s Notebook News (April 3, 2026)-Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer and Ocean Township Police Chief Michal Rogalski announced that on April 2, 2026, at approximately 3:00 p.m., the Ocean Township (Waretown) Police Department and Waretown Fire Departments were dispatched to a structure fire on Route 9 in Waretown. During a primary search of the structure, emergency personnel discovered a deceased 71-year-old female in a first-floor bedroom in the northwest corner of the structure.
Electric scooters and electric bikes have flooded into Gloucester City and surrounding towns, and the results are becoming harder to ignore. What began as a convenient way to get around has quickly turned into a safety problem for anyone who uses our sidewalks, jogging paths, or neighborhood streets responsibly.
The danger isn’t theoretical. On my daily walks with Sweetie, I’ve had kids on these motorized bikes come up behind us without a sound. These machines make no noise, so you can’t hear them approaching until they’re already on top of you. More than once, a rider has blown past us at high speed, leaving no time to react. In one instance, a teenager on an e‑bike came straight at the dog and me, expecting us to move aside. I was forced to step off the path or be hit. That’s not “sharing the road”—that’s intimidation.
Camden City, NJ – A jury has convicted a Lindenwold man of kidnapping and attempting to murder his girlfriend in 2024, announced Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay.Repeat Offender Akeem Morton of Lindenwold Guilty of Kidnapping, Attempted Murder.
Akeem B. Morton, 33, was found guilty on March 13, 2026,of 1st-degree Kidnapping and 1st-degree Attempted Murder in reference to a shooting in Gibbsboro. Morton was also convicted of 2nd-degree Aggravated Assault, 2nd-degree Certain Persons Not to Have Weapons, 2nd-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, 2nd-degree Unlawful Possession of Weapons, 3rd-degree Witness Tampering, and 4th-degree Aggravated Assault. The verdict was delivered following a two-week trial in Superior Court.
Camden City, NJ (CNBNews)– A Camden City man has been arrested and charged for fatally beating a woman with a baseball bat, reported Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay and Camden County Police Chief Gabriel Rodriguez.
Enoch Rembert, 28, is charged with 1st-degree Murder in the death of 51-year-old Lisa Mellet of Camden. He is also charged with 3rd-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose.
On Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at approximately 11:29 p.m., emergency medical service personnel were dispatched to the area of 5th Street and Bailey Street in reference to an unconscious woman in the roadway. The woman – later identified as Mellet – was transported to Cooper University Hospital, where she was pronounced deceased at approximately 12:24 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Later that day, the Gloucester-Camden-Salem County Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt abdominal trauma and the manner of death to be homicide.
During the investigation, detectives located surveillance video footage showing a suspect – later identified as Rembert – walking to the area of 5th Street and Erie Street and repeatedly striking the victim multiple times with a baseball bat. After the assault, the victim walked to the area of 5th Street and Bailey Street and ultimately collapsed. Detectives also learned the suspect and victim were previously acquainted from the neighborhood.
Enoch was taken into custody in Camden and remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Matt Kreidler of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit at (856) 614-8063 and Detective Andrew Mogck of the Camden County Police Department at (609) 519-8588. Tips can also be sent to CAMDEN.TIPS.
All individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Shame on Congress for not getting this done—no Member of Congress should be paid during a shutdown.
Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Van Drew issued the following statement as the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security continues, leaving Coast Guard service members without pay for 42 days.
“Our Coast Guard men and women are good people,” said Congressman Van Drew. “They have committed their lives to serving this country and protecting all of us. What is happening right now is painful, wrong, and downright shameful. It is unbelievable that in the United States of America, we have Coast Guard members going to food banks, holding fundraisers, and struggling to make ends meet. That is not who we are as a country, and it should make every single person in Washington embarrassed.
Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw announced that a 39-year-old Pennsylvania man has been convicted of fatally shooting two women after breaking into their home in the Hawthorne Park section of Willingboro Township in October 2024.
After deliberating for approximately six hours over two days, a Superior Court jury yesterday found Junior Edwards, of Lansdowne, guilty of two counts of Murder (First Degree), Home Invasion Burglary Armed with a Firearm (First Degree), Unlawful Possession of a Weapon (Second Degree), Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose (Second Degree), and Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Second Degree).
A new variant of COVID has been discovered in New Jersey, according to the CDC
The SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.3.2 was first identified in South Africa on November 22, 2024. BA.3.2 has approximately 70–75 substitutions and deletions in the gene sequence of the spike protein relative to JN.1 and its descendant, LP.8.1, the antigens used in the 2025–26 COVID-19 vaccines. CDC is using a multimodal SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance approach to monitor the emergence and spread of BA.3.2 and other SARS-CoV-2 variants internationally and within the United States. The first U.S. BA.3.2 detection occurred on June 27, 2025, through CDC’s Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance program in a participant traveling to the United States from the Netherlands. The first U.S. detection of BA.3.2 in a clinical specimen collected from a patient was reported on January 5, 2026. As of February 11, 2026, BA.3.2 had been detected in voluntarily self-collected nasal swabs from four U.S. travelers, clinical samples from five patients, three airplane wastewater samples, and 132 wastewater surveillance samples from 25 states. BA.3.2 has been reported by at least 23 countries. SARS-CoV-2 continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. BA.3.2 mutations in the spike protein have the potential to reduce protection from a previous infection or vaccination. Continued genomic surveillance is needed to track SARS-CoV-2 evolution and determine its potential effect on public health.
GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (July 2006)– I have been so preoccupied with other stories I missed the great news about Cleary’s Notebook hitting the milestone of 50,000 visitors earlier today.
The blog was started at the end of July 2006 just as a lark. My knowledge of computers is limited while my familiarity about operating a Blog was zero. But I thought what the heck I would give it a try.
I never dreamed the popularity of the site would grow as fast as it did. The success of the site is owed to all of you. Your encouraging words have kept me going.
Looking at the other stats, I noticed the site has logged 2,373 posts in that period of time and 592 people wrote in to post a comment. Plus there are over 1000 photos available for viewing.
Initially, Cleary’s Notebook was receiving on average 500 visitors a week. But soon after, the numbers started to increase and increase. Now, on a daily basis, the number of visitors averages between 500 and 600 a day. While the number of page views daily is 1100.
My goal is to have that number of daily visitors reach a 1000 a day. I plan to make some more improvements such as adding videos to view (just need to learn how to do it).
Thank you again for your support. If you see any area where I can improve give me yell.
Bill
Subscribe to Cleary’s NoteBook News!
Get updates on the latest posts and more from Cleary’s NoteBook News straight to your inbox.Subscribe
We use your personal data for interest-based advertising, as outlined in our Privacy Notice.
This post was imported from a legacy archive. Please excuse any formatting inconsistencies.
ClearysNotebook Reaches A Milestone; 50,000 Visitors in Just Nine Months!
I have been so preoccupied with other stories I missed the great news about ClearysNotebook hitting the milestone of 50,000 visitors earlier today.
The blog was started in August just as a lark. My knowledge of computers is limited while my familiarity about operating a Blog was zero. But I thought what the heck I would give it a try.
I never dreamed the popularity of the site would grow as fast as it did. The success of the site is owed to all of you. Your encouraging words have kept me going.
Looking at the other stats I noticed the site has logged 2, 373 posts in that period of time and 592 people wrote in to post a comment. Plus there are over 1000 photos available for viewing.
In the beginning ClearysNotebook was receiving on average 500 visitors a week. But soon after the numbers started to increase and increase. Now on a daily basis the number of visitors average between 500 and 600 a day. While the number of page views on a daily basis is 1100.
My goal is to have that number of daily visitors reach a 1000 a day. I plan to make some more improvements such as adding videos to view (just need to learn how to do it).
Thank you again for your support. If you see any area where I can improve give me yell.
Bill
Subscribe to Cleary’s NoteBook News!
Get updates on the latest posts and more from Cleary’s NoteBook News straight to your inbox.Subscribe
We use your personal data for interest-based advertising, as outlined in our Privacy Notice.
This post was imported from a legacy archive. Please excuse any formatting inconsistencies.
I have been so preoccupied with other stories I missed the great news about ClearysNotebook hitting the milestone of 50,000 visitors earlier today.
The blog was started in August just as a lark. My knowledge of computers is limited while my familiarity about operating a Blog was zero. But I thought what the heck I would give it a try.
I never dreamed the popularity of the site would grow as fast as it did. The success of the site is owed to all of you. Your encouraging words have kept me going.
Looking at the other stats I noticed the site has logged 2, 373 posts in that period of time and 592 people wrote in to post a comment. Plus there are over 1000 photos available for viewing.
In the beginning ClearysNotebook was receiving on average 500 visitors a week. But soon after the numbers started to increase and increase. Now on a daily basis the number of visitors average between 500 and 600 a day. While the number of page views on a daily basis is 1100.
My goal is to have that number of daily visitors reach a 1000 a day. I plan to make some more improvements such as adding videos to view (just need to learn how to do it).
Thank you again for your support. If you see any area where I can improve give me yell.
Bill
Subscribe to Cleary’s NoteBook News!
Get updates on the latest posts and more from Cleary’s NoteBook News straight to your inbox.Subscribe
We use your personal data for interest-based advertising, as outlined in our Privacy Notice.
This post was imported from a legacy archive. Please excuse any formatting inconsistencies.
