On Tuesday, a casting call from Philadelphia-based casting agency Kathy Wickline Casting announced that the pop singer and Pittsburgh native was looking for non-union male dancers who live within an hour’s commute from Philadelphia, “unless you have family/friends to stay with in the area,” the call reads.
The quick turnaround call, which was open only for a day, sought talent between ages “20-30s” with a background in dance, acrobatics, or choreography. They should be fit like a soldier, the call specified, and although no military buzzcut is needed, their hair should not be long.
The dancers needed to make themselves available for the show on July 4 and a rehearsal on the day before.
The call closed on Tuesday afternoon. Kathy Wickline Casting did not respond to The Inquirer’s request for comment.
Her setlist for July 4 has not been announced, but Aguilera’s discography doesn’t boast songs directly related to the military.
However, the music video for her 2006 hit “Candyman” is World War II themed, featuring background dancers and Aguilera dressed in glamorized military uniforms. She also has several songs with themes surrounding strength and empowerment, such as “Fighter” and “Army of Me.”
Bucks Countygovernment’s first-ever paid parental leave policy is now on the books.
The county commissioners unanimously approved a human resources policy during their public meeting Wednesday that allows full-time county employees with at least one year of service to take up to eight weeks of parental leave.
The eight weeks must be taken consecutively within 12 months of the birth of a child, the adoption of a child, or a child’s foster care placement with the employee, according to a policy document.
The new guidelines signify a win for county employees and the local unions that represent them after they’ve spent years vying for a policy shift on parental leave in local government. The change could also aid in attracting more people to work for the county, which is Bucks’ third largest employer.
“Eight weeks is better than zero,” said Steve Catanese, president of SEIU Local 668, which represents about 500 county government employees in Bucks.
“We’re glad for whatever reason that the county is ready to move for it,” Catanese added. “We would hope our advocacy was part of it, but we’re glad that they’ve actually made movement on this ground.”
Parents who work for local governments have had to navigate inconsistencies on paid leave throughout the Philadelphia suburbs. For instance, Montgomery County expanded from six to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in2024. Delaware County has sixweeks of parental leave.
Chester County didn’t immediately comment on its parental leave policy.
In Pennsylvania, state employees are offered eight weeks of parental leave, which Bucks modeled its policy on.
County Commissioner Bob Harvie said during the meeting Wednesday that the policy was “certainly overdue.”
“When you’re an employer, anything you can do to benefit your employees, especially at a time like now, when things are so expensive, and the cost of living is where it is, and things are difficult enough, this is something I’m proud that we’ve done,” said Harvie,a Democrat who is running for Congress, in an interview.
Harvie said Bucks’ delay in implementing the policy came down to taking the time to develop provisions that did not interfere with any laws or collective bargaining agreements.
Harvie said he’s hopeful that, at some point, Bucks could also increase its policy to 12 weeks.
“Bucks has never done anything like this before, and so it’s something we don’t know the impact,” Harvie said. “We think we know how it’s going to work in terms of staffing and how our offices are going to work with this, but we have to make sure first. We still have to deliver services to the people of the county.”
Parental leave has become a key issue across the state, with lawmakers in Harrisburgrecently mulling paid leave legislation for anyone employed in the state of Pennsylvania.
On the federal level, government employees are eligible for paid parental leave, but a bill — reintroduced last month by U.S. Reps. Don Breyer (D., Va.), Chrissy Houlahan (D., Chester), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Bucks) — would expand that leave to 12 weeks for family and medical reasons.
Harvie and Fitzpatrick will face off in the November election to represent the 1st Congressional District, which covers all of Bucks County and a sliver of Montgomery County.
Other provisions inBucks County’s policy include providing 30-days notice (or as soon as possible due to unforeseen circumstances) to the employer and employees being compensated at their base pay rate. And if both parents are employed by Bucks County, they are each entitled to their own eight weeks of leave.
Harvie said the impact of paid parental leave in Bucks became apparent to him as soon as the new policy was passed Wednesday.
An employee at Parks and Rec, the department head said, was having her baby today.
“They have the chance to sort of take these eight weeks and just focus on being a parent,” Harvie said.
The hoagie, it seems, not only can be a meal but a civic instrument: pretext and reason to bring huge crowds of people together ahead of July 4th during Wawa Welcome America festivities.
Organizers said 30,000 turkey hoagies were distributed in front of the National Constitution Center Wednesday for the annual event. The promise of a free sandwich prompted that particular American phenomenon — one of the physical vestiges of the public commons — the manifestation of the free-food zeitgeist.
Dion Clark said, succinctly, what many in line seemed to be saying in one form or another: “I want to be with the people.”
Attendees relax and enjoy their free hoagies at Independence Mall during the Wawa Hoagie Day.
Clark and her husband, who is vegetarian — Wawa was offering only turkey hoagies — had traveled from North Carolina to spend July Fourth in Philadelphia. Asked why they had come, Clark gestured around her: the National Constitution Center in front of her, the Liberty Bell nearby, the city’s founding monuments all around.
For others, like Jim Elliott, the answer was simpler. He lives nearby, and had come for the freehoagies, although, he added, “the hoagies are not the best.”
Sheylin Walker has been coming to Wawa Hoagie Day for seven years. Every year, she said, she makes sure to wake up by 9 a.m. so she can arrive by 10 before the noon hoagie distribution. “I love the crowd,” she said. “I love the sight — all of these people that are here.”
For some recent transplants to Philadelphia, the festival seemed to promise not just a free sandwich, but a kind of initiation. Getza Solana, who is 19, and recently moved from Houston to study at Thomas Jefferson University, said that to know Philadelphia, she felt she had to know the hoagie.
Outside the National Constitution Center, where lines of hoagie tents had been set-up, there is a contained but lush stretch of field: bunches of summer flowers, vines climbing the Visitor Center, a little green relief from the asphalt and the July heat.
There, people opened their red Wawa bags; some put on the red, white, and blue baseball hats and ate their hoagies. Pop music played from the speakers. The heat felt more bearable. And away from the crush of the line, it became clearer what many had come for: not only the sandwich, but an American picnic of sorts — friends, family, strangers, and the brief pleasure of being among fellow hoagie-eaters.
Thirty-one people were arrested for trafficking fentanyl and other illegal drugs inside the Camden County Jail, authorities said Wednesday, ending what they called a “complex and potentially far-reaching criminal enterprise.”
The investigation, dubbed Operation Paper Trail, began in October 2025, prosecutors said, and led to the arrests of suspects both inside and outside the jail.
“The takedown of Operation Paper Trail disrupted a dangerous network responsible for distributing illicit substances and facilitating criminal activity,” Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay said in a statement.
“This operation not only enhanced public safety but also helped prevent further harm, protecting our communities and sparing countless individuals from the devastating effects of substance abuse,” she said.
The drug ring operations. prosecutors said, were run in part by Howard Dunns of Millville, N.J.
Dunns, 50, who was incarcerated at the Cumberland County jail, was a lead organizer of the drug ring, coordinating with Camden inmates who peddled fentanyl, synthetic marijuana, PCP, and cocaine at the facility, prosecutors said.
Dunns was charged with two counts of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance. It was not immediately clear whether he had hired an attorney.
Two Camden County Jail inmates, Wilfredo Santiago, 31, of Vineland, and Kyle Jones, 31, of Millville, were also accused of participating in the scheme by selling illegal substances to other inmates.
That included at least 58 grams of synthetic marijuana, which investigators seized in March, according to prosecutors.
The men were each charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance.
The remaining 28 people were charged with drug crimes, many for possessing illegal substances.
Prosecutors said Santiago and Jones managed to sneak the drugs into the jail using paper that had been laced with the substances and marked as confidential legal correspondence between inmates and attorneys.
Detectives with the Camden County Department of Corrections learned of the drug ring in late 2025 after intercepting an envelope addressed to a 21-year-old man who was incarcerated in the jail, prosecutors said.
Detectives found that the supposed legal correspondence was inauthentic, and the letter later tested positive for traces of cocaine.
In addition to charging the inmate with a drug offense, detectives arrested the sender, a 32-year-old Camden man, and charged him with similar crimes.
He was later placed in custody in the Camden County Jail, and within months, prosecutors said, he had instructed an associate to traffic drugs into the facility through similar means.
After a slow start, the 76ers‘ first move of free agency came late Thursday night as they signed Dean Wade, formerly of the Cleveland Cavaliers, to a four-year, $39 million deal.
Last season, the 6-foot-9 forward played 59 games (38 starts) and averaged 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 22.3 minutes. With Kelly Oubre Jr. on the move to the Indiana Pacers, Wade could shift into the starting lineup come October.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Sixers’ new signing:
Gansey’s guy
New Sixers president of basketball Mike Gansey has a long history with Wade, so it is quite fitting the former Cavalier is his first free agent acquisition.
As the Cavaliers assistant general manager, Gansey helped bring Wade in as an undrafted free agent on a two-way deal in 2019. After a year playing mostly for the Canton Charge, the team’s G League affiliate, Wade cracked the Cavs’ rotation in the 2020-21 season. Since then, the Kansas State product has been a key contributor for the Cavaliers, whose role players included Max Strus, Sam Merrill, Jaylon Tyson, and Tyrese Proctor.
New Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey has a preexisting relationship with Dean Wade.
Though the Cavaliers boasted stars Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and, later, James Harden, they relied heavily on “glue guys” like Wade under Gansey’s watch. Cleveland won 64 games in 2024-25 and 52 games last season. Meanwhile, the Sixers have struggled to roster role players who fit around the team’s stars in recent years, something Gansey is hoping Wade can change.
“It’s not a championship-caliber team right now, but we’re going to work on that,” Gansey said at his introductory news conference. “Obviously get those four, get the big four [Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and VJ Edgecombe] together on the floor, but we’re going to do everything we can to bring players in here that fit and that obviously can help.”
In Cleveland, Wade was best known for his defense.
With the Cavs, Wade was tasked with defending players at all positions. During the playoffs, Cleveland dominated defensively with Wade on the court, outscoring opponents by 16.2 points per 100 possessions. Additionally, just five players gave up fewer points per drive than Wade last season, according to the ALL NBA Podcast.
Wade’s defensive prowess was noticeable against the Raptors in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, when he was the primary defender on Brandon Ingram. Through the first four games of the series, Wade held the Raptors’ leading scorer to 3 of 14 from the floor.
“As much as y’all talk about us three, me, [Harden], and Evan [Mobley], Dean Wade deserves a bunch of credit tonight,” Mitchell told the Athletic after the Cavaliers’ 115-105 win over Toronto in Game 2. “On both ends of the floor. He’s rolling. He’s screening. He’s defending. He’s doing everything. I know he only had three points, but his impact is extremely high outside of just the scoring.”
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (right) acknowledged Dean Wade’s contributions during their time as teammates.
Mitchell was not the only teammate to take note of Wade’s pestering defense. Former Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson nicknamed Wade the “White Blanket.”
“For me, it’s easy,” Wade told Cleveland.com in January. “I just get out of their way and let them do their thing. I’m out there focusing on defense, trying to bring some energy, bring an edge, fly around and make the extra effort. Evan [Mobley] and [Jarrett Allen] make it stupid easy to be a good defender.”
Rural roots
Wade’s hometown of St. John, Kan. is a bit different from his landing spot in Philadelphia. The rural town is home to roughly 1,200 residents. For reference, Xfinity Mobile Arena has a capacity of 21,000 for Sixers games.
“It’s a small little farming community, but it’s filled with great people who care,” Wade told Abilene-RC.com in 2018. “Everyone loves each other. If you go there, you really understand what it means to have a family environment. It’s a great little town.”
Added his father, Jay Wade: “It’s rural America. When we need something, we don’t just hop in the car and go down to the Home Depot. We’re 25 miles away from the nearest Walmart.”
Before carving out a role in the NBA, Dean Wade (left), here defending a pass from Kennesaw State guard Tyler Hooker, had a solid career at Kansas State.
Wade led St. John to three state titles. During his senior campaign in 2014-15, he was named Mr. Kansas Basketball and the Gatorade Kansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year. That season, Wade averaged 24.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.7 steals, and 3.4 assists as St. John went 26-0. Wade was a finalist for national Gatorade Player of the Year but lost out to Ben Simmons.
When Wade arrived at K-State, his hometown followed him.
“There are die-hard [Kansas] fans in this town that have bought season tickets to K-State just to keep watching Dean,” Jay Wade told Abilene-RC.com. “They drive to Manhattan for every game and wear purple.”
Jett Harrison is following in his older brother Marvin Jr.’s footsteps.
On Wednesday, Jett announced his pledge to Ohio State on social media. Harrison, a rising junior at St. Joseph’s Prep, is ranked No. 4 by 247Sports’ composite rankings and is the top overall player nationally on the 2028 Rivals300 recruiting list.
Harrison finished with 15 receiving touchdowns as a sophomore for the Prep, which finished 5-5 last season and lost to La Salle College High in the Catholic League final.
He is the latest player to join the St. Joe’s Prep-to-Ohio State pipeline. Recently, his brother, Marvin, Kyle McCord, Maxwell Roy, and Isaiah West also chose to start their college careers with the Buckeyes after playing at the Prep.
Jett is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr., who played at Syracuse. Marvin Jr. was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
Jett Harrison joins defensive lineman Jameer Whyce (Dayton, Ohio) and running back Elijah Newman-Hall (Bradenton, Fla.) as Ohio State’s commitments so far in the class of 2028.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed the New Jersey budget for fiscal year 2027 Tuesday night, shortly before the clock ran out on the constitutionally mandated deadline.
The budget ranks as the largest in state history, but Sherrill also contends it is the most “fiscally responsible” in decades in part because it fully funds the state pension program and doesn’t come with widespread tax increases for residents.
Lawmakers approved the budget on Tuesday after adding millions in legislative add-ons Sunday night, a move that countered Sherrill’s earlier vows to change the culture in Trenton. But she softened her stance as the deadline neared and she conceded that lawmakers know their districts best.
South Jersey Democratsdefended the spending, which Republican lawmakers criticized as “pork.”
“I know sometimes it gets disparaging names, but I think one of our responsibilities as elected officials is to be responsive to the needs of our communities,” said Sen. Troy Singleton, a Burlington County Democrat.
But thelast-minuteshuffle didn’tresult in the transparency Sherrill originally promised, with some legislators saying they weren’t sure of the details they were voting on. The budget passed mostly along party lines in theDemocratic-dominated legislature. Sherrill and legislative leaders touted record funding for schools and property tax relief programs.
“I know the process needs work,” Sherrill said at a Tuesday night news conference. “It takes too long. It could be much more transparent, but we took steps in the right direction this year.”
Here are some of the winners and losers in the budget.
Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr., left, with Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen, right, at SoccerFest26, the World Cup fan fest at Wiggins Waterfront Park in Camden on Friday.
Winner: Camden City and County
South Jersey obtained funding for projects across the region with Camden scoring one especially big-ticket item: $9 million for property acquisition and demolition. The funding is for a county-run program focused on removing vacant, unusable, or otherwise deemed dangerous properties in the city.
Louis Cappelli Jr., the director of the Camden County Commissioners, said in an interview that the county has demolished more than 1,200 residential and commercial buildings over the past decade as part of this effort, mostly with state money. He said the program’s mission is to encourage the city’s redevelopment.
“The city is in desperate need of new housing, especially market-rate housing, and by creating opportunities for development on these properties, we believe we will draw the interest of residential developers to build in Camden City,” he said.
The city of Camden was also allocated $250,000 for a statue of Martin Luther King Jr., which Sherrill promised the city ahead of her inauguration. This project was a priority for the governor, who systematically struck a pen through legislative projects but dedicated funding to the statue in her proposal earlier this year.
Several organizations that serve Camden city and county received hundreds of thousands of dollars in the budget.
The Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers received $500,000 for a program that connects emergency department patients to outpatient behavioral care and $750,000 for a program that helps people experiencing homelessness obtain housing. Joseph’s House, a homeless shelter in the city of Camden, received $600,000, and a separate spending bill also sends $650,000 to a new construction homeownership project.
The budget also allocates $300,000 for job training for youth and young adults, $75,000 for a program dedicated to improving school attendance in the city of Camden, and $25,000 for a new county program that supports formerly incarcerated people reentering their community.
It also includes $3.2 million for structural improvements for a bridge at Route 30 and Somerdale Road and $12.1 million for the Camden County LINK Trail, a planned 34-mile multiuse trail.
Loser: High-income seniors
Senior homeowners who earn between $200,000 and $500,000 a year will no longer qualify for the nascent Stay NJ property tax credit program under the new income cap. They just began receiving checks for the program this year.
Sherrill proposed scaling back the expensive program in her budget proposal earlier this year, which caused some tension because the new program was championed by Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin,a Middlesex County Democratand a key budget negotiator.
But Sherrill and legislative leaders found a compromise by giving higher payments than she proposed for those who make less money, and an even lower income limit than she proposed for the program.
Qualifying taxpayers will get refunded up to half their property tax bill up with maximum refunds ranging from $4,000 to $6,500, depending on their income, with those earning more getting less.
Rowan University’s Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
You win some, you lose some: Rowan University
Rowan University is receiving less money than it did this year, but significantly more money than Sherrillinitially proposed. At the end of the day it’s a win for the university, which saw significant cuts reversed.
Sherrill’s initial proposal included about $125 million, but legislators brought the total up to nearly $135 million — a drop from the $155 million the state gave the school this year.
Sherrill zeroed out funding for Rowan’s newveterinary school but legislators successfully got $6.2 million for the program — still less than the $8 million it received this year and a far cry from the $20 million the school requested.
State Sen. John Burzichelli, a Gloucester County Democrat, said the money is enough for the school to at least “keep the lights on,” for the veterinary school and the medical school funding is “sound.”
Sherrill also proposed cutting all state funding for Virtua Health College of Medicine and Life Sciences. Legislators restored $2 million to the program — half of what it received this year and much less than the requested $12 million.
The Rowan-Virtua Child Abuse Research Education and Service Institute (CARES) program, which provides medical and mental healthcare to children who have experienced abuse, had all its $1.85 million funding restored after Sherrill initially zeroed it out.
In anticipation of the governor’s proposed cuts, Rowan sent employees layoff notices and announced the closure of its Vineland office. A union representing CARES employees has called on Rowanto reverse these changes.
But Rowan spokesperson Jose Cardona said the university “will evaluate next steps and very soon determine the most responsible path for operations, staffing, and long‑term sustainability.”
The bill that passed alongside the budget with funding from this fiscal year sent nearly$15 million going to Cooper Medical School of Rowan University and support to Cooper University Hospital. That bill also sends $5 million to Cooper University Healthcare’s South Jersey cancer program, which got an additional $27.4 million in the new budget.
Winner: Parents
Legislative leaders secured a 25% increase in the state’s child tax credit program, which is claimed by 217,000 tax filers with children, according to the governor’s office.
The expansion, which will be in place over the next three tax years, bumps each tax credit tier by 25%. So, for example, a household that previously got the highest tier of $1,000 will receive $1,250 and households that got $800 will get $1,000.
Sherrill, a former member of Congress and mother of four,said she saw positive impacts of the national tax credit, “giving parents more money for childcare and summer camps, so their kids can thrive while they’re at work.”
Gov. Mikie Sherrill talks with state Sen. Troy Singleton (D., Burlington) as she arrives to meet with the South Jersey business community for a fireside chat event hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey in Mt. Laurel Monday, March 16, 2026.
Loser: Businesses
What Sherrill touted Tuesday night as closing “corporate loopholes” and asking employers “to pay their fair share in healthcare,” the business community saw as an attack.
The budget includes Sherrill’s proposals to introduce new fees for businesses with at least 50 employees on Medicaid,an effort that was led in part by Assembly member Carol Murphy, a Burlington County Democrat, in the legislature. It also imposes limits on two methods businesses use to deduct losses from their taxes.
Hilary Chebra, the director of governmental affairs for Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey, criticized these policies, as well as a bill passed by the legislature that bans food surveillance pricing as it’s written.
“Employers aren’t reacting to a single tax increase or one new regulation,” she said. “They’re responding to all of it at once.”
Tom Bracken, the president & CEO of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, said businesses were given “minimal support” and that the budget did not focus on supporting economic growth. He said the policies Sherrill championed in the budget “send the wrong message” to employers that New Jersey should be working to attract.
“The negative financial and reputational consequences of these policies will make it more difficult for New Jersey to be competitive — and competitiveness is essential if the state economy is going to grow,” he said.
Between four events this past weekend, including one where Jason Kelce drank beer from a prosthetic leg, Kelce’s Team 62 broke its own fundraising record for the sixth year in a row.
Raising $1.26 million for the Eagles Autism Foundation, the events that were held at Ocean Drive in Sea Isle City on June 24-25 saw another year of huge crowds. This year, efforts stretched beyond the bar, with an online auction, beer bowl, and a family-friendly park takeover complete with an all-abilities sports clinic, and a silent disco.
Since 2021, Team 62 — the name an homage to Jason Kelce’s Eagles jersey number — has expanded from a single celebrity bartending event to a multiday affair that has raised more than $3.69 million for the Eagles Autism Foundation.
“We are beyond thankful for everyone’s support and generosity in setting a Team 62 fundraising record,” Jason and Kylie Kelce said in a statement. “While we are certainly humbled by the overwhelming success this year, it’s not surprising when you’re surrounded by such an incredible group of people.”
The Eagles Autism Foundation was founded in 2019, and has raised over $56 million. The proceeds go toward funding more than 223 research projects and community grants worldwide. The Eagles efforts were recognized Tuesday when ESPN announced that team owner Jeffrey Lurie will be recognized with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award, acknowledging his philanthropy in connection with autism awareness.
Kylie Kelce adds some money to the cash register during the Shore Birds celebrity bartending event in Sea Isle.
The Kelces have taken part in not only the Team 62 event but the annual Eagles Autism Challenge as well.
“Jason and Kylie Kelce have always been incredible ambassadors for the Eagles Autism Foundation,” Ryan Hammond, the foundation’s executive director, said in a statement. “It is their passion, creative vision, and drive that have transformed this annual fundraiser into one of our biggest events.”
The Kelces certainly know how to fundraise with style, recruiting friends in their celebrity network to sling beers and serve gelatin shots. Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean, rugby star Ilona Maher, and more brought multiple fan bases to the Jersey Shore bar.
“The growth of this event all starts with our good friends at the Ocean Drive enthusiastically leaning into this idea of ours back in 2021,” the Kelces said in a statement. “Six years later, we now stand here amazed at what we’ve accomplished for the autism community. A special thank you also goes out to the Eagles organization, the incredible town of Sea Isle City, and most importantly, the best fans in the world for always showing up and supporting such a worthy cause.”
And show up they did, raising $1.26 million in just 36 hours, between tickets, donations, drink sales.
Embattled Washington Township school Superintendent Eric Hibbs has lost another battle with the South Jersey school system to get $27,000 in merit pay.
A motion to award Hibbs the bonus pay for performance failed by a 4-3 vote with two abstentions at a contentious meeting Tuesday night. Five favorable votes are needed for adoption.
This was the third time since August that the nine-member board has not approved the merit pay, likely setting up another legal showdown between Hibbs and the board. He has a pending whistleblower lawsuit against several board members.
The board voted on the request, with little public discussion. Hibbs did not comment at the meeting. He did not respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday.
In order to vote, the board had to invoke a rarely used “doctrine of necessity” because it otherwise would not have a quorum. Six of ninemembers have a conflict of interest with Hibbs, whom they suspended last year until he was reinstated by a judge. The board remains roiled by infighting over its superintendent.
Washington Township School Superintendent Eric Hibbs (middle) listens during a school board meeting Tuesday night.
Here’s what’s to know about the situation:
Why is Hibbs seeking merit pay?
Hibbs initially requested the merit pay last August, five months after he was suspended by the board with pay. He was reinstated in July after a judge found that the board had violated the Open Public Meetings Act when it suspended him.
According to his contract, if he meets goals set by the board, Hibbs is entitled to an annual merit bonus of up to 14.99% of his salary. Hibbs is among the highest-paid school chiefs in South Jersey.
Interim Executive Gloucester County Superintendent Robert Bumpus approved the merit pay, as required by state law. The board must also give its approval to disburse the funds.
Tuesday’s motion also would have allowed Hibbs to carry over up to 20 unused vacation days in addition to receiving a $27,000 bonus.
Hibbs has been superintendent in the Washington Township district since 2023. His contract runs through 2027.
What were the merit goals?
Hibbs’ goals, approved by a previous board, include completing Google training presentations, taking online professional development courses, and beefing up security processes.
He received $25,000 in merit pay for similar goals for the 2023-24 school year, according to district records obtained by The Inquirer under N.J.’s Open Public Records Act.
The merit pay has been an ongoing issue between Hibbs and the board and has escalated since last year. The dispute has raised questions about his fate when his contract expires. The board must notify Hibbs by December if his contract will not be renewed; otherwise, the contract automatically renews for four years.
Why was the doctrine of necessity necessary?
Six board members were deemed ineligible to discuss Hibbs’ employment because of conflicts, board solicitor Nicholas J. Repici said. They either have family members who work for the district or are named defendants in Hibbs’ lawsuit against the district, he said.
The doctrine of necessityallowed the conflicted board members to participate in the vote. But they were barred from any deliberations in executive session or public discussions.
Board vice president Terri Schechter chaired a special committee of the board members without conflicts that discussed the Hibbs matter. She brought forward the motion to approve the merit pay.
“Any discussion?” Schechter asked.
“We’re not allowed,” board member Julie Kozempel said. She abstained along with board President Pat Blome.
A petition launched by a parent called for the board to invoke the doctrine and vote on Hibbs’ contract renewal. It asked those who “agree that the district needs a clean break and less expensive contract for its superintendent” to consider signing the petition, which a community member spoke about at the board meeting Tuesday night.
What is the dispute between Hibbs and the board?
A complaint filed by local union leaders against Hibbs with the New Jersey School Ethics Commission alleged that the superintendentprovided preferential treatment to a board member’s relative by changing a failing grade in September 2023.
The board suspended Hibbs and hired a conflict lawyer to investigate the allegations. Hibbs was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.
In his own ethics complaint, Hibbs accused Kozempel and board member Elayne Clancy of not following procedures when the board hired Insurance Consulting Services LLC in 2021, prior to his tenure as superintendent.
His employment has remained a point of contention among school board members.
Here are other takeaways from Tuesday’s meeting
During public comment Tuesday, there were alsoemotional appeals to the board to reinstate three guidance counselor positions that were cut to help balance the budget for the 2026-27 school year.
Several school nurses and a student also expressed concern that the district has reduced the workday for several nursing assistants in cost-saving moves. They cited health and equity concerns.
Board members were surprised to learn that first-levelFrench and German classes were being cut at the high school due to the budget. They were told that the classes would resume next year.
Hibbs said the district, which enrolls about 7,200 students, faced a $10 million deficit for the upcoming school year. More cuts are likely in future years without additional revenue, he said.
“This is the reality of where we are,” Hibbs said. “We have no other place to go.”
A teen wanted in the shooting death of Penn State student William “Billy” Schmidt in South Philadelphia last month was apprehended in Colorado, the U.S. Marshals Service said Wednesday night.
Azzubair Outen-Fleming, 16, was taken into custody in Colorado Springs at the home of a distant relative, the U.S. Marshals Service said. The teen was being housed at the Zebulon Pike Youth Center awaiting extradition to Philadelphia.
Earlier on Wednesday, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the arrest of Outen-Fleming’s stepfather for allegedly hindering the police investigation into the slaying of Schmidt.
Donte Abdulmalik, 35, was charged with hindering apprehension, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence, and related crimes, Krasner said Wednesday.
Prosecutors said Abulmalik helped his stepson leave the city. He is not accused of participating in the homicide.
The teens will face charges of murder, robbery, criminal conspiracy, illegal possession of a firearm, and related offenses, Krasner said.
He suggested that the investigation could involve others, describing the charges against the two teenagers and Abdulmalik as “a smaller part of a bigger picture.”
“I am not telling you that these are the only people involved,” Krasner said during a news conference Wednesday. “I’m not telling you that this investigation is over or that we have all the answers yet.”
Philadelphia police have said Schmidt was walking home when two masked people approached him. During what investigators say was an attempted robbery, one of the suspects — whom Krasner identified as Smith — shot Schmidt.
Surveillance camera footage shows that one suspect took Schmidt’s phone, prosecutors said Wednesday, then rifled through his pockets before knocking him to the ground.
Additional footage later shows Schmidt walking behind the suspects, before one throws a phone down the block and the other fires a bullet into Schmidt’s chest.
Krasner declined to say whether the gun used to kill Schmidt had been recovered.
Investigators say surveillance cameras captured the suspects before and after the shooting. One was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt with a hand-drawn “KONFUSED” logo and a skull-and-crossbones sketched in black marker on the front, according to the footage. After the shooting, police said, both suspects fled wearing white T-shirts.
Philadelphia police and the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force are searching for the remaining teenager. Both agencies have offered rewards for information leading to the arrests of both teens. Krasner said Smith has ties to Philadelphia’s Point Breeze neighborhood and Delaware.
Anyone with information may contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 1-866-865-8477 or submit a tip online through its website: usmarshals.gov. Tips can also be provided to Philadelphia police at 215-686-3334 or 215-686-8477.
