No ICE detention in South Jersey | Inquirer South Jersey
And healthcare hikes are coming for teachers.
Good morning, South Jersey.
President Donald Trump’s administration scrapped its plans to build an ICE detention center at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
And employees of many South Jersey school districts will have to grapple with a steep increase in healthcare costs in the new year.
Plus, Camden County voters will decide in November whether to increase a tax to help their waterways, and more news of the day.
— Taylor Allen (southjersey@inquirer.com)
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The Trump administration is no longer planning to detain immigrants at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
Back in July 2025, the administration confirmed its intent to hold detainees at the military base to support the president’s goals for mass deportations. The base, which spreads through Burlington and Ocean Counties, can hold an estimated 1,000 to 3,000 people.
Fast forward to fall of the same year, officials told the office they weren’t moving forward with the plans.
The Inquirer’s Jeff Gammage has more on the reversal.
Teachers and other school staff in Camden, Pemberton, Evesham, and nine other local districts will have to grapple with higher healthcare costs next year.
They’re among the 300,000 public school and county college employees across the state who will be impacted by health insurance premiums rising by more than a third.
The School Employees Health Benefits Commission voted 4-2 to accept the premiums on Friday. If it hadn’t, Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration would have shuttered the program in the new year.
According to the New Jersey School Boards Association, school districts and colleges will likely need to consider options such as job cuts, transportation reductions, and property tax increases.
Reporter Susan K. Livio explains how it got to this point.
What to know today
In November, Camden County voters will decide whether to increase the open space tax by one cent per $100 of property owned. The increase would partly fund a $400 million project to rehab sewers and waterways. The Inquirer’s Aliya Schneider explains what to know about the project the referendum would support.
Students at Aura Elementary School in Elk Township are pivoting to remote learning because of the building’s flea infestation.
Much of the Pine Barrens region will be the focus of a new study to assess climate change threats. It will include Evesham, Medford, Medford Lakes, Shamong, and Tabernacle.
Local officials opened seven new piers Tuesday at the 103-acre Newton Lake Park that runs through Oaklyn, Collingswood, and Haddon Township.
Mikey the sulcata tortoise was reunited with his owner after he was found wandering alone Monday in Monroe Township.
Consumer Reports is no longer recommending e-scooters because of the machines’ high speeds and the nationwide uptick in injuries associated with them. E-scooters are less stable than e-bikes, but there are recent limits on those as well. New Jersey’s e-bike laws requiring licenses, registrations, and, in some cases, insurance went into effect in July.
This past weekend’s nor’easter put on display the limits of computer models. Meanwhile, the region could be affected this weekend by the remnants of a tropical storm from the Pacific.
🧠 Trivia time
Which park got its own beer to celebrate its 100th birthday?
A) Washington Lake Park
B) Cooper River Park
C) Laurel Acres Park
D) Scotland Run Park
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re ...
🥊 Celebrating: Rocky season.
🍽️ Testing: Michelinflation — the idea that prices increase after restaurants get a star.
🏀 Following: Tyrese Maxey’s tour of his old stomping grounds as he promoted his new signature shoes.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: 🚗 On the highway
HOW EITHER SPIKE
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Wael Kanj, who solved last Wednesday’s anagram: Kiss & Tale. The romance bookshop opened in Collingswood in 2024.
🏡 On the market
Highlights of this four-bedroom, four-bathroom home include 18-foot ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, a finished basement, a home theater, and granite countertops and double ovens in the kitchen. Outside the home, enjoy the deck in the fenced backyard for extra entertaining. There’s an open house Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.
See more photos of the property here.
Price: $657,750 | Size: 4,875 SF | Acreage: 0.37
Congrats on making it halfway to the weekend. Happy hump day, and I’ll see you tomorrow. 👋🏽
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