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  • David J. Farber, celebrated Penn professor emeritus and pioneering ‘uncle’ of the internet, has died at 91

    David J. Farber, celebrated Penn professor emeritus and pioneering ‘uncle’ of the internet, has died at 91

    David J. Farber, 91, formerly of Landenberg, Chester County, celebrated professor emeritus of telecommunication systems at the University of Pennsylvania, former professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Delaware, professor at Keio University in Japan, award-winning pioneer in pre-internet computing systems, entrepreneur, and known by colleagues as the “uncle” and “grandfather” of the internet, died Saturday, Feb. 7, of probable heart failure at his home in Tokyo.

    A longtime innovator in programming languages and computer networking, Professor Farber taught and collaborated with other internet pioneers in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. He helped design the world’s first electronic switching system in the 1950s and ’60s, and the first operational distributed computer system in the 1970s.

    His work on the early Computer Science Network and other distributive systems led directly to the modern internet, and he taught many influential graduate students whom he called the “fathers of the internet.” He was thinking about a World Wide Web, he said in a 2013 video interview, “actually before the internet started.”

    “Farber may not be the father of the internet. But he is, at least, its uncle,” Penn English professor Al Filreis told the Daily News in 1998. “Few have paid such close attention for so long to new trends in the information age.”

    Colleagues called him “part of the bedrock of the internet” and a “role model for life” in online tributes. Nariman Farvardin, president of the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., said: “Professor Farber did not just witness the future, he helped create it.”

    In 1996, Wired magazine said Professor Farber had “the technical chops and the public spirit to be the Paul Revere of the Digital Revolution.”

    He joined Penn as a professor of computer science and electrical engineering in 1988 and was named the endowed Alfred Fitler Moore professor of telecommunication systems in 1994. He left Penn for Carnegie Mellon in 2003 and joined Keio in 2018.

    Gregory Farrington, then dean of Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, told The Inquirer in 1996: “He’s one of the most engaging, imaginative guys who sometimes alternates between great ideas and things that sound nuts. And I love them both. His life is an elaboration on both.”

    He was a professor at Delaware from 1977 to 1988 and at the University of California Irvine from 1970 to 1977. Among other things, he created innovative computer software concepts at UC Irvine, studied the early stages of internet commercialization at Delaware, and focused on advanced high-speed networking at Penn. He also directed cyber research laboratories at every school at which he worked.

    He earned lifetime achievement awards from the Association for Computing Machinery, the Board of Directors of City Trusts of Philadelphia, and other groups, and was inducted into the Internet Society’s Hall of Fame in 2013 and the Stevens Institute of Technology Hall of Achievement in 2016.

    Stevens Institute also created a “societal impact award” in 2003 to honor Professor Farber and his wife, Gloria. “I think the internet has just started,” he said in 2013. “I don’t think we’re anywhere near where it will be in the future. … I look forward to the future.”

    Professor Farber earned grants from the National Science Foundation and other organizations. He received patents for two computer innovations in 1994 and earned a dozen appointments to boards and professional groups, and an honorary master’s degree from Penn in 1988.

    He advised former President Bill Clinton on science and engineering issues in the 1990s and served a stint in Washington as chief technologist for the Federal Communications Commission. Clinton called him a “pioneer of the internet” in a 1996 shoutout, and Professor Farber testified for the government in a landmark technology monopoly court case against Microsoft Corp.

    Professor Farber (left) worked with Professor Jiro Kokuryo at the Keio University Global Research Institute in Tokyo.

    He championed free speech on the internet, served on technical advisory boards for several companies, and wrote or cowrote hundreds of articles, papers, and reports about computer science.

    He was featured and quoted often in The Inquirer and Daily News, and lectured frequently at seminars and conferences in Japan, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere around the world. He wrote an email newsletter about cutting-edge technology that reached 25,000 subscribers in the 1990s, and he liked to show off his belt that held his cell phone, pager, and minicomputer.

    He cofounded Caine, Farber, & Gordon Inc. in 1970 to produce software design tools and worked earlier, from 1957 to 1970, on technical staffs for Xerox, the Rand Corp., and Bell Laboratories. In a recent video interview, he gave this advice: “Learn enough about technology so that you know how to deal with the world where it is a technology-driven world. And it’s going to go faster than you ever imagined.”

    David Jack Farber was born April 17, 1934, in Jersey City, N.J. Fascinated by gadgets and early computers in the 1940s, he built radios from wartime surplus components as a boy and helped make a unique relay device with a punch card in college. “The card reader was three feet big, but it worked,” he told the Daily News in 1998.

    Professor Farber enjoyed time with his family

    He considered being a cosmologist at first but instead earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in math at Stevens.

    He met Gloria Gioumousis at Bell Labs, and they married in 1965. They had sons Manny and Joe, and lived in Landenberg from 1977 to 2003. His son Joe died in 2006. His wife died in 2010.

    Survivors give advice about mourning their loved ones, as told to The Inquirer’s obit writer

    Professor Farber enjoyed iced coffee and loved gadgets. He was positive and outgoing, and he mixed well-known adages into humorous word combinations he called “Farberisms.”

    He was an experienced pilot and an avid photographer. In 2012, to honor his son, he established the Joseph M. Farber prize at the Stevens Institute for a graduating senior.

    Mr. Farber was an experienced pilot who could fly solely on cockpit instruments.

    “He was bold,” his son Manny said. “He connected to a lot of people and was close to his friends. He worked on big projects, and it wasn’t just theoretical. He built things that work.”

    In addition to his son, Professor Farber is survived by his daughters-in-law, Mei Xu and Carol Hagan, two grandsons, and other relatives.

    A memorial service is to be held later.

  • Murray Wolf, Avalon’s legendary beach patrol captain, has died at 87

    Murray Wolf, Avalon’s legendary beach patrol captain, has died at 87

    Murray Wolf, 87, of Avalon, the legendary no-nonsense beach patrol captain whose half-century reign inspired and guided generations of lifeguards, while aggravating some famous and not-so-famous beachgoers along the way, died Monday, Feb. 16, at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City following a stroke.

    “He was probably the most loyal person I’ve known in my life,” said his wife of 43 years, Vicki Wolf. “Anybody who came into contact with him, he made them a better person, no question about it.”

    Murray Wolf was captain of the Avalon Beach Patrol for more than a half-century and spent 65 years on the patrol. “He had the highest of standards,” said John Glomb, who served under him for decades.

    “He had the highest of standards,“ said John Glomb, who served under him for decades. ”When the conditions were not favorable, he drove around the beaches and made sure the guards were on top of their bathers, making sure that nobody was in harm’s way.

    “He had a record where in his 65 years, there was never a drowning. That’s a record that is absolutely spectacular.”

    Not everyone appreciated Mr. Wolf’s brand of beach enforcement. In 1999, he famously tangled with then-WIP sports radio personality Angelo Cataldi over a beach tag, showing him no mercy.

    Cataldi endlessly railed about it on air, and never truly got over it, saying in 2016, as Wolf entered his 61st year on the beach patrol, “I do harbor ill will toward Murray Wolf, and I always will.” Cataldi did not respond to an email following news of Mr. Wolf’s passing.

    Mr. Wolf brushed off the Cataldi encounter like he did most of his encounters on the beach, a place he patrolled with military precision, complete with nightly wave-offs, stand by stand, from his jeep. Rules were meant to be enforced. But he could laugh about it, even if Cataldi couldn’t.

    There was also Frank Wilson, formerly of Chester County, who sued Avalon in 2001 and won $175,000, driven arguably mad after being repeatedly whistled out of the water when he tried to swim after 5 p.m. “We have the right to protect our bathers,” Mr. Wolf said at the time.

    Murray Wolf, shown here rowing with his son Tyler during his final year on the Avalon Beach Patrol.

    Within the ranks of his family — wife Vicki; sons Matthew, Erich, and Tyler; and his 10-year-old black Lab, Ruger — Mr. Wolf’s loyalty, kindness, and appreciation for Avalon’s simple pleasures were deeply admired.

    The same was true for the ranks of lifeguards, wrestling teams, his Pleasantville school district physical education classes, and the multiple championship South Jersey beach patrol teams he coached in Avalon with the utmost of pride.

    Mr. Wolf rode his bike around Avalon almost to the end and walked Ruger in the deepest of snows.

    Murray Wolf, longtime captain of the Avalon Beach Patrol, taking a break from preseason preparations at age 77 to watch his son coach his baseball team.

    “He was happy to sit home and watch the football game, sit on the couch, yell at the dog for running in and out,” his wife said. “He loved his Avalon. There wasn’t one time we rode over the bridge into town when he didn’t say, ‘Oh, that was the best decision I made, moving to Avalon.’ He was just a content man, satisfied.”

    In his 61st season, Avalon’s Capt. Murray Wolf still rules the beach

    His blunt style could rub some the wrong way. Vicki Wolf, who met her husband at the Princeton, Avalon’s iconic bar, spotting at first his muscular arms, she recalled, said she always knew when someone in town had had an uncomfortable encounter with Mr. Wolf when they would veer away from her in the supermarket.

    He led his patrols through a pandemic, hurricanes, and new technology: He vowed to fire any guard caught with a cell phone on the stand. “It says Lifeguard on Duty,” he said in 2016. “It’s a duty.”

    “There was nothing phony about him,” Vicki Wolf said. “He was never one to take low blows about him. Not everybody liked him. He had enemies, but they respected him.”

    “He took a lot of pride in Avalon doing well — that was in everything Murray did,” Glomb said. “He ran a tight ship. He ran a tight beach.”

    In the offseason, Mr. Wolf coached championship wrestling teams and was a physical education teacher in the Pleasantville school district for 50 years. His son Matt took his place as Avalon beach patrol captain in 2021 and also coaches wrestling in Middle Township.

    Murray Wolf, longtime captain of the Avalon Beach Patrol pictured here in 2016 with some of his lifeguards at the patrol’s headquarters. ED HILLE / Staff Photographer

    Matt Wolf said his father suffered a stroke on Nov. 11 and was hospitalized until his Feb. 16 death. It seemed to so many that he might live forever, given his lifelong physical fitness and vigor, the devotion to his routines of bike riding and dog walking through town.

    “I think people saw him as very serious when he was in that public spotlight,” Matt Wolf said. “He had a great sense of humor. He didn’t need to be out with a bunch of people. He was happy to be home with his family.”

    Capt Murray Wolf in his 61st year on the beach

    The generations of guards who worked under him paid tribute to Capt. Wolf following his passing. “It was an honor to work with The Captain — there’s nobody quite like him,” Ryan Finnegan wrote on Facebook. “He taught his guards countless life lessons over the decades. Thousands of lives were saved because of him. The beaches in heaven are much safer now! Rest easy Capt.”

    Murray Wolf was captain of the Avalon Beach Patrol for more than a half-century and spent 65 years on the patrol. “He had the highest of standards,” said John Glomb, who served under him for decades.

    George Murray Wolf III was born Aug. 16, 1938, in Philadelphia to Elizabeth Gerhard and George Murray Wolf II and was raised on the Main Line. He and his family vacationed in Avalon from the time he was a child.

    He graduated from Conestoga High School and, after briefly working in a steel mill, Mr. Wolf attended Western State College in Gunnison, Colo., where he competed in wrestling and won a team national championship. He graduated with a degree in physical education and later earned a master’s in educational administration from Rider University.

    Mr. Wolf spent more than 50 years teaching physical education in Pleasantville. As head wrestling coach, he led the Pleasantville High School Greyhounds to the 1974 District 32 Championship. “He loved his job working with students and his colleagues at Leeds Avenue School,” his son wrote in the family obituary.

    Avalon Beach patrol chief Matt Wolf (center) with his parents Vicki and Murray at the 2024 South Jersey Lifeguard Championships in Brigantine.

    Mr. Wolf served as captain of the Avalon Beach patrol from 1967 to 2020 and served a total of 65 years on the patrol. His teams, competing in the storied lifeguard races every summer, won nine South Jersey Lifeguard Championships, and Mr. Wolf had the joy of coaching his sons in winning boats.

    Mr. Wolf and his wife were fixtures at their sons’ football, wrestling, baseball, and track and field games and meets, when their sons were competitors and, later, when their sons became coaches themselves.

    Ventnor’s retired beach patrol chief Stan Bergman, himself a legendary chief and coach, has called Mr. Wolf “a warrior.” “He’s battle-tested,” Bergman said in a 2016 interview. “They have a tough beach.”

    Murray Wolf was captain of the Avalon Beach Patrol for more than a half-century and spent 65 years on the patrol. “He had the highest of standards,” said John Glomb, who served under him for decades. He took great pride in his teams winning the South Jersey Lifeguard Championships.

    “He was a very staunch competitor,” said Ed Schneider, chief of Wildwood’s beach patrol and also a wrestling coach. “I was always nervous going up against his teams. He commanded a presence around him. He made people push themselves to be the best.”

    After Matt Wolf took his place as captain of the patrol, he would include his dad as much as possible, taking him in the jeep along the beach. Murray Wolf always attended the lifeguard races, talking to the guards about the David J. Kerr Memorial Races, a competition he began in 1984 to honor a guard who died of cancer.

    In his final weeks, when the family came into his hospital room, his wife said, he would look for his boys, and “always blow a kiss and say, ‘I love you.’”

    “Every night I would get home, the dog would go sit on the deck and look down the street,” Vicki Wolf said. “It broke my heart. He was looking for Murray.”

    In addition to his wife and their three sons, he is survived by another son, George Murray IV, and a sister. A son, Michael, died earlier.

    Services will be at noon Friday, Feb. 27, at our Savior Lutheran Church, 9212 Third Ave., Stone Harbor, N.J. Visitation will be 10 to 11:45 a.m.

    Donations may be made to the Middle Township Wrestling Program or the Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children.

    Murray Wolf was devoted to his three black labs, including Ruger.
  • Another weekend snow threat is in the outlook for the Philly region

    Another weekend snow threat is in the outlook for the Philly region

    You may have read this somewhere before: Computer models are seeing the potential for a significant winter storm to affect the Philly region on yet another weekend.

    Those ingenious machines continue to predict that a storm will intensify off the Southeast coast Sunday into Monday. But “a large amount of uncertainty” remains about whether it will generate accumulating snow in the Philadelphia region, the National Weather Service said in its morning discussion Thursday. In the early going, areas south and east of Philly were the likeliest targets.

    Based on past experience, not to mention the nonlinear chaos of the atmosphere, about the only thing certain was that they would be changing their stories multiple times in the next few days, as would their virtual peers.

    In the short term, it is highly likely that, along with a certain dreariness, the region will be getting something that has been mighty scarce lately — rain. Philly’s rain total this month is under 15% of normal. Over the last 60 days throughout the region, it has been 40% to 50% below normal.

    The forecast for the rest of the workweek in Philly

    The freshness date on the snowpack has about expired and about now looks like it could use a good scrubbing, along with the air.

    Atop the remnants, generally light winds have been aiding and abetting a rather stagnant air mass. A “code orange” air quality alert was in effect for South Jersey Thursday, and health officials advised those with respiratory conditions to limit outdoor exposure.

    The primary irritants were tiny particulates, about 30 times smaller in diameter than a human hair.

    Rain is likely to be in the air Thursday night into Friday, and it could be a substantial amount, on the order of a half-inch or more. So far this month, officially 0.25 inches have been measured at Philadelphia International Airport.

    The moist air and the rain should erase more of the snowpack, “but we don’t want the snow and ice to melt too quickly,” said Ray Martin, a lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Mount Holly. No significant flooding is expected, just some potential damage to footwear.

    Temperatures are expected to top out in the 40s Thursday and Friday.

    About the weekend storm potential

    It may hit 50 degrees on Saturday with an appearance of the sun. So much for the easy part.

    Come Sunday, “there could be some rain or snow,” said Matt Benz, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather Inc.

    A storm is due to slide across the South and eventually regroup off the Atlantic coast on Sunday.

    But Benz pointed out that a key feature of the potential storm still was over the Pacific and not due to make landfall until sometime later Thursday, when it would be captured by land-based observation and give the machines a clearer idea of its intentions.

    And it is not at all clear how much cold air would be available for snow, Benz said, but if the storm intensifies sufficiently, “it can manufacture its own cold.” Another factor is just where off the coast the storm would be when it matured.

    In case you’re wondering why the atmosphere seems to pick on Sundays, having storms show up in seven-day cycles is a common phenomenon.

    They often migrate in 3½-day cycles, which has to do with the rhythms of storm movements as they travel across the country, and it so happens that the more significant one has been arriving on the seventh day.

    It keeps happening until it doesn’t, and it’s still very possible that it doesn’t this time around.

    Said Benz: “We have a long way to go to Sunday.”

  • 1,100 dead or sick geese in N.J. spark bird flu warning, prompt lake’s closure

    1,100 dead or sick geese in N.J. spark bird flu warning, prompt lake’s closure

    At least 1,100 dead or sick birds, mostly Canada geese, have been reported across New Jersey in an outbreak that started on Valentine’s Day, according to state officials.

    At least 50 geese have died at Alcyon Lake in Pitman, Gloucester County. Officials have closed the lake and the adjoining Betty Park out of precaution.

    The fish and wildlife division within the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are tracking them as suspected cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), or bird flu.

    Bird flu is not new. But it began to spread in the U.S. in January 2022 and has infected wild and domestic birds in every state.

    While bird flu can infect humans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it is primarily a threat to animals and poses little risk to the public.

    State officials say large numbers of dead geese may be concentrated in areas where birds gather to look for open water as ice melts. They said that the 1,100 dead or sick wild birds were reported between Saturday and Monday.

    Where have dead geese been found?

    The DEP says it has received reports of dead Canada geese in South Jersey, including in Hainesport, Burlington County; Sicklerville, Camden County; and Pitman.

    Annmarie Ruiz, Gloucester County’s health officer, said the dead geese were noticed in Pitman on Tuesday. She said that there were probably more than 50 at Alcyon Lake, but that there were reports of dead geese elsewhere in the municipality.

    “Right now, we have to presume that it is bird flu based on the signs the birds were exhibiting,” Ruiz said.

    The New Jersey Department of Agriculture took some of the birds for testing. The results could take weeks, she said.

    “Right now, we’re just erring on the side of caution,” Ruiz said.

    Ruiz said workers use face shields and gloves when handling the birds, which are triple-bagged before being disposed.

    She said people can report sick or dead wild birds to Gloucester County animal control at 856-881-2828 or the DEP at 877-927-6337.

    A lifeless bird lays on the ice at Alcyon Lake in Pitman, N.J. on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026. Two adjacent parks, Betty Park (in background) and Alcyon Park (not in photo) are closed as a result of the mysterious birds deaths.

    Caryelle Lasher, Camden County’s health officer, said there have been only a small number of reports of dead birds in the county.

    Those were concentrated in the lake off Mullen Drive in the Sicklerville section of Gloucester Township, she said.

    Overall, however, the county has not seen a spike in reports, she said.

    Ruiz and Lasher — as well as state officials — stress that people should not touch sick or dead wildlife of any kind. And they should keep pets away.

    Even though the risk is low, the potential for human infection exists.

    The DEP also has an online form to report sick or dead birds.

    H5N1 is a respiratory bird disease caused by influenza A viruses. Wild birds, such as ducks, gulls, and shorebirds, can carry and spread these viruses but may show no signs of illness, according to the DEP.

    The disease can kill domestic poultry such as chickens. Typical symptoms include diarrhea, nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing, and incoordination.

    It continues to infect not only birds, but also mammals.

    Tips to prevent infection:

    • Do not touch sick or dying animals, or bring them into your home.
    • Keep pets away from them, as well as away from droppings.
    • Wash hands frequently if you are near wildlife.
    • Do not eat undercooked eggs, poultry, or beef.
    • Prevent cross-contamination between cooked and raw food.
    • Avoid unpasteurized milk or cheese.
  • Man arrested for $175,000 theft at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood

    Man arrested for $175,000 theft at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood

    A man has been arrested in the theft of more than $175,000 worth of metal and mechanical components from the iconic Jersey Shore theme park Morey’s Piers.

    Wildwood police said they arrested William Morelli, 67, of Wildwood Crest. Police first became aware of the heist, which occurred over several days, on Feb. 4. The reporting party provided police with a suspect and vehicle description after reviewing surveillance video.

    Upon investigation, police said they identified Morelli, as the suspect who removed a large amount of metal from Morey’s temporary work site on the beach.

    Morelli allegedly removed metal from the beach before selling it to an unidentified scrapyard business, according to Wildwood police. Morelli was charged with theft of movable property and later released from custody.

    The theft comes at a time when the iconic Morey’s Ferris wheel is undergoing much-needed renovations at the South Philadelphia Navy Yard.

    Geoff Rogers, chief operating officer at Morey’s Piers, said although work crews remain optimistic, the stolen materials bring an “unexpected and disappointing setback” to the project.

    “We are heartbroken by this incident,” Rogers said. “The Giant Wheel holds deep sentimental value for not only the company and our team members, but the generations of families who have made memories on it.”

    Despite the theft, Rogers said that the planned Ferris wheel renovation should be complete by the start of the 2026 summer season, as originally planned.

    The Giant Wheel, a 156-foot LED-lit Ferris wheel and one of the tallest at the Jersey Shore, is disassembled, repaired, and repainted regularly, but this year’s renovation required transportation to the Navy Yard to work on its 16,000-pound centerpiece.

    Designed by Dutch ride manufacturer Vekoma Rides and installed in 1985, the Giant Wheel has been a recognizable symbol of the Wildwood skyline for decades. In 2012, they upgraded it with an LED light system.

    After last year’s closures of Gillian’s Wonderland in Ocean City and Wildwood’s Splash Zone Water Park, Morey’s Piers are the last beachside water parks and one of the Jersey Shore’s remaining large-scale Ferris wheels.

  • The DOJ said authorities in N.J. have violated dozens of judicial orders in recent immigration cases

    The DOJ said authorities in N.J. have violated dozens of judicial orders in recent immigration cases

    Federal authorities in New Jersey have violated dozens of judicial orders in recent months as immigration cases have surged in the courts, the Justice Department acknowledged in a court filing, including by transferring some detained immigrants to other jurisdictions and, in one instance, improperly deporting a man to Peru.

    The admissions came in a declaration filed by Associate Deputy Attorney General Jordan Fox, who has recently been helping lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey, and who is also a top adviser to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche.

    They are the latest example of how federal judges in various jurisdictions have been seeking to hold the Trump administration accountable for episodes in which authorities have failed to comply with court orders as President Donald Trump has sought to rapidly increase deportations.

    Fox issued her declaration in response to an order from U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz, who has been overseeing a lawsuit from an immigrant challenging his detention. Farbiarz was frustrated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had transferred the man to another jurisdiction — despite the judge’s order to keep him in New Jersey.

    So earlier this month, court records show, Farbiarz directed prosecutors to review similar immigration lawsuits filed in the state’s federal courts since December and “enumerate each instance in which the Respondents or people acting on their behalf violated an order issued by a judge of this district.”

    Fox, in her response filed last week, said her office had identified 547 such cases — known as habeas petitions — filed since early December. And in 56 instances, the declaration said, prosecutors did not comply with a judicial order.

    Some concerned lawyers’ behavior, the document says, including six instances in which attorneys missed filing deadlines, and 10 cases in which government attorneys did not provide complete discovery.

    But others outlined ways in which federal authorities handled immigrants in custody. In 17 instances, Fox wrote, ICE or other federal authorities transferred immigrants in detention after judges had ordered them not to be moved.

    Fox wrote that each of those mistakes “occurred inadvertently,” because of either communication delays or “administrative oversight,” and that prosecutors in each case had agreed to return the petitioner to New Jersey.

    In December, court records show, ICE also “erroneously removed” a man and deported him to Peru despite a judicial injunction prohibiting his removal.

    Fox wrote that the deportation “occurred due to an inadvertent administrative oversight by the local ICE custodian.” She said that authorities worked with the man’s lawyer to try to arrange his return to the United States, but that he “decided to remain in Peru instead.”

    Farbiarz, the judge, responded in a filing Tuesday by crediting Fox and her staff for providing thorough answers to his questions.

    Still, he wrote, he was concerned that the violation he observed in his case was apparently “not fully an outlier.”

    “Judicial orders,” he wrote, “should never be violated.”

    He instructed the Justice Department to file an affidavit “detailing the procedures that are in place (or that will be put in place in the near-term) to ensure that court orders issued by district judges in New Jersey are timely and consistently complied with.”

  • 8 local happy hours to check out | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    8 local happy hours to check out | Inquirer Cherry Hill

    Hello, Cherry Hill! 👋

    Looking for a great happy hour deal? We’ve rounded up eight spots to check out. Also this week, a bomb squad was called in after residents discovered a cannonball in their backyard, the school district is no longer planning to redraw enrollment boundaries for elementary schools, plus Mikado is looking to add a small bar.

    If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here.

    8 local happy hours to check out

    The Farm and Fisherman Tavern has a happy hour special.

    Looking for a spot to score $3 tacos or $7 martinis? Luckily you don’t have to go very far, thanks to these eight restaurants’ happy hour deals.

    The Inquirer’s Denali Sagner has rounded up eight spots in and around Cherry Hill with happy hour offerings, including the nostalgia-inducing Steak 38, neighborhood bar Kaminski’s, and farm-to-table eatery Farm and Fisherman ($8 P.E.I. Mussels, anyone?).

    See what’s on the menu at these eight happy hours.

    💡 Community News

    • Residents on Woodstock Drive South found an old cannonball buried in their backyard Friday, prompting street closures and evacuations as the Camden County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Unit removed it. It’s unclear where the cannonball came from or how long it had been there.
    • Cherry Hill residential property taxes rose 5.23% from 2024 to 2025, according to new data from the state, outpacing the statewide average hike of 4.7%. The average household paid $9,874 in residential property taxes, which is slightly less than the statewide average of $10,570. The average Cherry Hill residence was valued at $227,125 in 2025, a 0.03% increase from 2024. (NJ.com)
    • Speaking of taxes, today is the extended deadline for residents to pay their tax bills for the first half of 2026.
    • The landmark former Cherry Hill Diner could soon be demolished after construction permits were recently filed for the site, which will make way for a new Tidal Wave Auto Spa. A second Tidal Wave is planned for 2301–2311 Route 70 West. Yet another carwash is in the works at 1507 Kings Highway North, where Speeders Car Wash is taking over the former Route 41 Car Wash. (42 Freeway and A View From Evesham)
    • As iconic diners like the Cherry Hill Diner continue to disappear across New Jersey, legislators are searching for ways to keep these businesses afloat. Last month, a bill was introduced in the state Senate that would establish a registry of historic diners and restaurants and give them a tax credit of up to $25,000.
    • Archaeologists working at Croft Farm have discovered evidence that the historic property was an active part of the Underground Railroad. A dig to assess the property ahead of planned drainage improvements has turned up cuts of meat and crockery possibly used by people who moved through there. Residents can see the work up close this weekend (more on that below). (70 and 73)
    • The township is seeking feedback from residents 55 and older for its senior needs assessment. The survey, which is open through March 31, is part of a grant-funded study about how Cherry Hill can better support older residents, who make up about a third of the township’s population. Find the survey, which is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese, here.
    • Registration for the township’s spring programs is now open. Programs include yoga, cardio kickboxing, golf, painting, and dancing.

    🏫 Schools Briefing

    • In case you missed it, the school district has decided against redrawing its elementary school boundaries to head off expected overcrowding in the coming years and instead is planning additions to Clara Barton Elementary School and Rosa International Middle School, which are anticipated to be the most impacted. The school board still has to approve the additions.
    • East’s boys’ and girls’ swim teams have advanced to the state semifinals after capturing their respective New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association sectional titles for South Jersey last week. The boys’ team defeated Gloucester County Institute of Technology 111-59, a victory that led to its 17th consecutive title. The girls’ team defeated Egg Harbor Township High School 91-79, marking the team’s second consecutive title. The boys’ semifinals take place today, with the girls’ slated for tomorrow. (NJ.com)
    • There’s a board of education meeting on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

    🍽️ On our Plate

    • Mikado will ask the town zoning board this week for permission to turn its roughly 500-square-foot outdoor patio into an enclosed 10-seat bar and waiting area.
    • Indian Villa Restaurant reopened earlier this month in the Woodcrest Shopping Center, and introduced an updated menu featuring classic Indian dishes.
    • Looking for a great cup of soup? Hen Vietnamese Eatery has one of the best in the state, according to a new list from NJ.com.

    🎳 Things to Do

    🪏 Unearthing History: Archaeologists will be excavating part of the Croft Farm property, where 18th and 19th century artifacts, as well as earlier pieces of Native American history, have previously been found. The public can view the dig and ask questions at designated times. ⏰ Saturday, Feb. 21 and Sunday, Feb. 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 💵 Free 📍Croft Farm

    🎹 A Time for Love: Vocalist and pianist Jay Daniels will perform some iconic love songs. Registration is required. ⏰ Saturday, Feb. 21, 2-3 p.m. 💵 Free 📍Cherry Hill Public Library

    ❤️ Healthy Heart Big Fitness Event: Part of the JCC’s heart health programming for February, this event will take attendees through pilates and fitness dancing demonstrations, followed by snacks. The event is open to anyone 12 and older. ⏰ Sunday, Feb. 22, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 💵 $20 for members, $25 for non-members 📍Katz JCC

    🥐 Black Girl Magic Drag Brunch: VinChelle is hosting this drag brunch, which features performances by Mz Peaches, Cyrus K. Stratton, and Samara LaNegrá. ⏰ Sunday, Feb. 22, 2:30-5 p.m. 💵 $19.03 📍Vera

    ⛸️ LGBTQ+ Skate Night: Head to WinterFest Cottage at Cooper River Park for skating, a DJ, food, drinks, and access to local resources for the LGBTQ+ community. Registration is encouraged. ⏰ Monday, Feb. 23, 6-8 p.m. 💵 Free 📍Cooper River Park

    🏡 On the Market

    This home’s primary suite has a jacuzzi with a built-in sound system

    The home spans nearly 4,000 square feet.

    Located in the Springdale Crossing neighborhood, this four-bedroom home has a modern interior, including new flooring. It features a two-tone, two-story foyer, a dining room, an eat-in kitchen with a waterfall island and stainless steel appliances, plus living and family rooms. The family room has vaulted ceilings and a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace. All four bedrooms are upstairs, including the primary suite, which has a jacuzzi tub with a built-in sound system, and a walk-in closet. Other features include a finished basement and a fenced backyard. There are open houses Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

    See more photos of the home here.

    Price: $925,000 | Size: 3,954 SF | Acreage: 0.3

    🗞️ What other Cherry Hill residents are reading this week:

    By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • The Diocese of Camden said it will help pay $180 million to resolve clergy sex-abuse claims

    The Diocese of Camden said it will help pay $180 million to resolve clergy sex-abuse claims

    The Diocese of Camden has agreed to help pay $180 million to more than 300 people who said they were sexually abused by clergy members, the diocese and lawyers for the survivors announced Tuesday.

    If the arrangement is approved by a federal judge, it would represent one of the largest sex-abuse settlements involving the Roman Catholic Church in United States history.

    The diocese had previously agreed to pay $87.5 million to people who sued over clergy sex abuse in South Jersey. But the arrangement announced Tuesday is considered a supplement to that settlement, officials said, and would include contributions from other church affiliates and insurance companies that had not yet agreed to resolve their roles in some complaints.

    The plan is subject to approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Camden Bishop Joseph A. Williams said. If that happens, the money will be made available to resolve all claims of abuse.

    Williams called the potential resolution “long overdue,” adding: “To each one of those survivors, I would like to say: Thank you for your courage in coming forward. Without your bravery and persistence, this new day would not have dawned. I am profoundly sorry for what you have suffered.”

    Greg Gianforcaro, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, said: “After decades of being ignored and dismissed, survivors of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Camden have finally reached a measure of accountability. Their persistence in standing up to those who harmed them made this moment possible.”

    The development is the latest chapter in a long-running scandal that has had significant ramifications for the diocese, which serves nearly half a million Catholics in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties.

    In 2020, it filed for bankruptcy protection after a new state law expanding the statute of limitation on sex-abuse claims led to dozens of lawsuits against the church. Some of the accusations dated back decades.

    Over the next several years, advocates accused the diocese of seeking to dodge accountability for its past misdeeds. And just last year, survivors said they were outraged that the diocese had been secretly opposing the state attorney general’s attempt to empanel a grand jury to investigate decades of clergy abuse statewide.

    Williams — who took over last spring as Camden’s bishop — ultimately reversed course on that issue, saying he wanted the diocese to work with prosecutors to help ensure a comprehensive and constructive investigation.

    The bankruptcy case, meanwhile, had been mired in litigation since 2024, when the U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved a reorganization plan proposed by the diocese and a settlement committee that included its intent to pay survivors $87.5 million. But that total did not include money from insurance companies and other parties to certain lawsuits, who continued to hold out and litigate their roles in the matter.

    Tuesday’s agreement, if approved, would end that ongoing stalemate, officials said. Trusha Goffe, one of the victims’ attorneys, said that there is no time frame by which the court must approve the deal but that, if approved, it would represent “the final step in a long and hard-fought legal battle.”

    “This achievement belongs to the survivors, whose courage in endlessly standing up for truth and accountability is nothing short of triumphant,” Goffe said.

    Williams, meanwhile, said he was “profoundly sorry” for what the victims had endured throughout the years, calling clergy abuse a “grave sin and a devastating betrayal of the trust you placed in the church that you loved.”

    “I cannot remove the scars you carry nor restore the innocence you lost,” he said, “but on behalf of my predecessors and the faithful of Camden, I can say clearly and without reservation: We believe you, we are sorry, and we are committed to walking a different path going forward with you, God willing, at our side.”

  • Ann B. Levine, expert recruiter and longtime dean of admissions at Franklin Learning Center, has died at 75

    Ann B. Levine, expert recruiter and longtime dean of admissions at Franklin Learning Center, has died at 75

    Ann B. Levine, 75, of Philadelphia, expert recruiter, longtime dean of admissions at Franklin Learning Center, business teacher, popular radio host, and community activist, died Saturday, Jan. 31, of age-associated decline at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

    Bubbly, charismatic, and skillful at engaging with young people about their interests and goals, Ms. Levine worked as dean of admissions at Franklin Learning Center in Philadelphia from 1980 to her retirement in 2010. For 30 years, she recruited thousands of high-performing junior high school students to admission-only Franklin Learning Center, pored over more than 1,000 yearly applications, and helped choose the final 250 for admission.

    Every year, she toured the city’s junior high schools, cutting-edge slideshow in tow, and spoke to students and families about the curriculum, activities, staff, and student body at Franklin Learning Center. She interviewed the teenage applicants personally, routinely showed interest in their lives as well as their grades, and made countless lifelong friends.

    “You could tell she had their attention when she talked because they asked questions,” said her husband, Bob Bosco. “She was enthusiastic and thorough. She could connect. She found her niche.”

    Ms. Levine (center) “was always a friendly, smiling face,” a friend said in a tribute.

    Friends described Ms. Levine in online tributes as “happy and joyful,” a “sweet girl,” and “so fun to be with.” One friend said she “shared her views openly and freely.” Another said: “She was always a friendly, smiling face.”

    She also founded and was the first director of Franklin Learning Center’s celebrated mock trial team. She persuaded several prominent attorneys and lawyers to mentor her students after school and on weekends, and several of her pupils went on to their own impressive legal careers.

    In 2005, her eight-member mock trial team was one of 12, out of 270 overall, to advance to the Pennsylvania Bar Association statewide mock trial championships at the Dauphin County Courthouse in Harrisburg. Before becoming dean of admissions, she taught business and business law at Franklin Learning Center.

    After she retired, Ms. Levine joined her husband as a fill-in radio host for a decade. They played oldies on WVLT-FM in Vineland, WRDV-FM in Hatboro, and other stations. Her natural charm, love of music, and ability to entertain made her a hit with listeners.

    Ms. Levine married Bob Bosco in 1981.

    “First it was the Bob and Ann Show,” Bosco said. ”Then it was the Ann and Bob Show. Then it was Ann and what’s his name.”

    Ann Barbara Levine was born April 12, 1950, in Trenton. She worked on the yearbook, graduated from Trenton High School, and earned a bachelor’s degree in business at Drexel University and a master’s degree at the old Marywood business school.

    She was taking tennis lessons at the Young Men’s Hebrew Association center in Philadelphia in 1975 when she met Bob Bosco. He was playing basketball.

    They married in 1981, lived in Center City, and traveled together on memorable cruises and visits to Europe, Cuba, and Florida. Ms. Levine was an avid reader. She followed current events and enjoyed The Real Housewives TV shows.

    Ms. Levine “really influenced the lives of a lot of young women,” her husband said.

    For years, she was active with neighborhood groups in Southwest Center City. “She knew everybody,” her husband said. “She really influenced the lives of a lot of young women. She worked with the best of the best.”

    In a tribute, a friend since childhood said: “Though we lived far apart, she was always special to me.”

    In addition to her husband, Ms. Levine is survived by other relatives. A brother died earlier.

    Services were held earlier.

    Donations in her name may be made to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pa. 19130; and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 S. Independence Mall East, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106.

  • NJ Transit riders from Philadelphia should expect service disruptions for the next four weeks

    NJ Transit riders from Philadelphia should expect service disruptions for the next four weeks

    Philadelphia-area commuters must prepare for a monthlong disruption on NJ Transit while an upgrade to a century-old bridge is completed.

    All NJ Transit lines, except the Atlantic City Rail Line, are operating on modified schedules with fewer trains running, starting Tuesday through March 15, to allow for crews to transfer, or “cut over,” rail service from the 116-year-old Portal Bridge onto the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River.

    Tuesday morning’s “Portal Cutover” schedule led to major disruptions on NJ Transit, the New York Times reported, with crowded trains and buses, many running behind schedule.

    Commuting on NJ Transit

    NJ Transit advises all commuters to work from home if possible and to check the weekday and weekend Portal Cutover schedules at njtransit.com/portalcutover. The agency warns against relying solely on third-party apps, such as Google Maps, because it has received reports of incorrect schedules being shown.

    These modified schedules include some train consolidations or cancellations, and others with changed departure times or stopping patterns.

    Commuters should travel before 7 a.m. or after 9 a.m. on weekday mornings to avoid major disruptions, or before 4 p.m. or after 7 p.m. on weekday evenings, according to NJ Transit.

    Rail service is expected to return to normal on Sunday, March 15, pending a safety inspection.

    “We understand that this work will disrupt the way our customers travel during the cutover period, which is why every element of our service plan was designed to keep people moving as safely and efficiently as possible,” said NJ Transit president and CEO Kris Kolluri. “While the disruption is temporary, the benefits, including a far more reliable and resilient commute along the Northeast Corridor, will last for generations.”

    Why is NJ Transit upgrading the Portal Bridge?

    The 116-year-old steel Portal Bridge has been a source of unreliability for decades as the aging infrastructure requires constant maintenance, an NJ Transit spokesperson said.

    The new Portal North Bridge is also higher and will not have to open for marine traffic, providing more reliable service.

    Amtrak commuters are also encouraged to check times and possible service disruptions, since the bridge is also used by Amtrak.

    “The cutover of the Portal North Bridge represents more than just work to connect railroad infrastructure; it signifies a whole new level of reliability on the Northeast Corridor and New Jersey that has never previously existed,” said Amtrak president Roger Harris.