Every Saturday, the South Jersey Times cheers those who make our area a better place in which to live and jeers those whose actions merit derision.
Every Saturday, the South Jersey Times cheers those who make our area a better place in which to live and jeers those whose actions merit derision.
CHEERS: To an outstanding effort to find homes for more than 140 cats rescued from a hoarder in Pitman. After authorities descended on the apartment Dec. 17, work began to screen the animals and find them homes. While many have been distributed to various shelters and rescue organizations, more than 40 remained at Gloucester County Animal Shelter as of this week. Using social media and other forms of publicity, the shelter staff and its supporters are trying everything to find responsible owners for these critters. They've even dropped the price for adopting one of them to $25. To learn more, check out the Gloucester County Animal Shelter on Facebook or call 856-881-2828 and press 1 for adoptions. The shelter has been the subject of plenty of criticism in recent weeks, but the effort to resolve this hoarding crisis is worthy of recognition.
JEERS: To punks trying to mar the holiday season in Gloucester County. We've had several reports locally of packages being stolen from porches -- that's called porch pirating now -- and Christmas decorations being stolen or vandalized in Mantua and Deptford, among other towns. A popular theft target this year are those laser light displays that pockmark your house with brilliant green dots. Even worse, vandals struck at two Glassboro churches just before Christmas. That should outrage everyone. Sadly, these issues are nothing new at the holidays, but we seem to be hearing more reports this time around. Mantua Police also posted a warning on Facebook reminding residents not to place empty boxes for valuable items in plain view when they put out their trash. It's one more signal to thieves that you have something worth taking. Keep an eye on your property and notify the police is you see trouble in your neighborhood.
CHEERS to a fitting tribute. Camden County Police Department (CCPD) K-9 "Zero" held New Jersey's record for the most criminal apprehensions in the state. When his handler, Lt. Zsakhiem James found the semi-retired dog dead early Tuesday morning, the visibly somber officer decided to honor man's best friend by telling members of the media all about their adventures in the field at and home. With 68 bad guys to his credit, Zero crossed that "Rainbow Bridge" and hopefully his favorite meal -- 20 chicken McNuggets -- was waiting on the other end.
JEERS to ambulance chasers. With court proceedings still under way, Cooper University Hospital will take over advanced life support services for the City of Camden thanks to legislation signed by Gov. Chris Christie in July. Problem is, ALS services in Camden have been handled by Virtua Health for the past 38 years and the organization is challenging both the legislation and a county-commissioned report they claim is inaccurate. Should a city's ALS calls be handled by the location's level one trauma center? Yes. Was this legislation truly penned with the best interest of the residents of Camden City in mind? We'll hold our breath.
If you know of someone or something you would like to nominate for a cheer or a jeer, please send the information to sjletters@njadvancemedia.com