WOND News

Cape May County has seen a significant increase in home activity over the first half of 2021.
Cape May County Clerk Rita Rothberg announced on Thursday the results from the first six
months of the year. The Clerk’s office recorded 7,588 deeds or properties transfers, which is on
pace to be the largest number in the County’s history. Furthermore, the number of deeds or
property transfers through the first six months of this year have already surpassed the figures for
all of 2014 or 2015. Similarly, the revenue generated by the Cape May County Clerk's Office has recorded through
the first half of this year surpassed the entire year's revenue in 2014 or 2015. The Clerk's office
has brought in $5,072,796.97 so far versus $7,692,439.99 all of last year.

A Pleasantville man and an Egg Harbor Township man are charged with conspiring to distribute heroin following an investigation that led to one of the largest narcotics seizures in Atlantic County’s history, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced. Ricardo Clavijo, 39, of Egg Harbor Township and Christopher Gonzalez, 37, of Pleasantville were each charged on July 13, 2021, by the Office of the U.S. Attorney for various narcotics and weapons charges. Authorities executed a search warrant at a home in Egg Harbor Township this week and seized 5 kilogram-sized packages of suspected fentanyl,
8 kilogram-sized packages of suspected fentanyl or cocaine, 2 kilogram-sized packages of suspected heroin, tens of thousands of pre-packaged individual doses of suspected heroin, a .45 caliber handgun, a loaded magazine for the handgun, and a 9mm 50-round drum magazine.

Money is coming to two area institutions of higher learning as part of nearly $30 million in federal funding. The Cape May County Herald reports Stockton University is slated to receive both an Opportunity Meets Innovation Challenge Grant in the amount of $662,280 and a Hunger-free Campus Grant of just over $80,000. Atlantic Cape May Community College is slated to receive an Opportunity Meets Innovation Challenge Grant in the amount of $414,000.

A restructuring of administrators in Pleasantville schools. The Press of Atlantic City reports Rayna Hendricks was appointed principal of Pleasantville High School, as was Lapell Chapman. Howard Johnson was transferred to the Leeds Avenue School preschool program. Sherry Spence-Leslie was appointed principal of the Leeds Avenue School. Kelli Best was appointed vice principal of Leeds Avenue. Middle school Vice Principal Renee Irwin was moved to the South Main Street School. High School Vice Principal Andrea Turner was moved to the middle school. And South Main Street Vice Principal Victoria Williamson was transferred to the high school.

AtlantiCare is planning a $75 million expansion of AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center (ARMC) Mainland Campus, in Pomona, NJ. The multi-year project will include the addition of two floors, and approximately 35,000 square feet to the existing Meadow Pavilion of the campus. It will also feature the renovation of 23,000 square feet of the Meadow Pavilion and additional areas of the hospital. The project will add two floors and includes the addition of 50 private medical/surgical rooms, 12 of which will have bedside dialysis capability, a new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with 14 private rooms and creation of a 12-bed dedicated Observation Unit.

A special election to decide the 2020 race for Atlantic County’s 3rd District has been set for November 2nd. The Press of Atlantic City reports a Superior Court Judge set the date to decide the 2020 race between Republican Andrew Parker of Egg Harbor Township and Democrat Thelma Witherspoon of Hamilton Township. Witherspoon was certified the winner of the 2020 race by a narrow margin, getting 15,034 votes to Parker’s 14,748 — a difference of 286 votes.

A 70 year-old man is charged with murder in the 2020 fatal shooting of 32 year-old Marketa E. Thorpe of Atlantic City, following a neighborhood dispute. Maximo Santiago is charged with murder and weapons counts. On Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, Atlantic City Police received a 911 call at approximately 11:24 a.m., in reference to a victim with a gunshot wound at 1507 Belfield Avenue, Atlantic City. Thorpe was located and transported to Atlanticare Regional Medical Center, City Division where she was pronounced deceased. An autopsy was conducted on Sunday, September 13, 2020, and the results determined Thorpe’s cause of death to be a gunshot wound of the torso and the manner of death to be homicide.

Cape May City Councilman Christopher Bezaire has taken a leave of absence as he deals with charges that led to his June 16 arrest. The Cape May County Herald reports Bezaire is charged with cyber harassment, posting obscene images, stalking, impersonation, and contempt related to two women not named in the charges. Bezaire’s seat automatically becomes vacant if he fails to attend a meeting for eight consecutive weeks.

An Atlantic County Grand Jury has returned an indictment against two men who were charged for the fatal shooting in January 2020, of 24 year-old Arturo Barrera III. Leonard B. Ludwigsen Jr., 26, of Egg Harbor Township is indicted on murder, robbery, conspiracy and weapons counts. 28 year old Neco Pitts faces the same charges. At 11:20 p.m., on Thursday, January 2, 2020, Egg Harbor Township Police received a 911 call with a report of a shooting at 109 Vermont Avenue. When police arrived they found Barrera, who lived there, the victim of multiple gunshot wounds. An eyewitness said that two armed men in masks entered his residence. The men pointed the guns at the eyewitness and victim, at which time dogs started barking and moving towards the masked men. Simultaneously, Barrera stood up and the two men began firing, ultimately killing Barrera. The two men then fled the home. Barrera was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The Cape May Branch of the County Library is one step closer to becoming a reality with the recent approval of the plans for the restoration and repurposing of the Franklin Street School in Cape May. The Franklin Street school was built in 1927 and open for black students from kindergarten to eighth grade. The school closed in 1948 when New Jersey amended the constitution to prohibit segregated schools. The Franklin Street school will serve as the Cape May City branch of the Cape May County Library System and will provide more space to include additional programs with updated technology and innovation opportunities for the users.