🏒 Safety concerns close a community hub | Inquirer South Jersey
And an e-bike law’s impact at the Shore.
Good morning, South Jersey. We’re in for a wet, cool, cloud-covered week.
Despite that forecast, on this last official day of summer, we’re looking back at how 10 Shore predictions for 2026 turned out — including one about the state’s confusing new e-bike registration law.
But first: The hockey rink at an Oaklyn park was once the “center of the universe” for generations of young players. Now, safety concerns have shuttered the community hub.
Plus, some citations against Bellmawr protesters were dropped after the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey intervened, and more news of the day.
— Julie Zeglen (southjersey@inquirer.com)
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Oaklyn-Lions Park has been a hub for sports-playing communities for decades. Players from across Camden County, including Audubon, Collingswood, and Haddon Township, would gather at the beloved park’s hockey rink to learn the basics and coach younger generations, even as the facilities fell into disrepair.
But in recent years, the conditions of both the rink — including cracked flooring and gaps in protective fencing — and the nearby basketball court have spurred concerns about safety. This month, the borough announced the areas’ indefinite closure.
“Growing up in Oaklyn, I played on those courts my whole life as a little kid so it’s very sad to see this happen right now,” Mayor Greg Brandley said of the closures. “It’s something for the kids that we have to get reopened again.”
But it’s not yet clear how long renovations might take, or what they’ll cost.
Ahead of each Shore season, The Inquirer’s Amy S. Rosenberg forecasts how the summer might go, from new real estate developments’ impact to restaurant news.
Among this year’s predictions: “E-bikers will be hauled off the boardwalks and fill municipal court Zoom hearings.”
It didn’t quite pan out like that.
Instead, she reports, police were generally light on enforcing the new registration requirements, which still led to thousands of e-bikes getting registered by New Jerseyans — and just a handful by out-of-state residents.
See how Rosenberg’s full list of Shore predictions turned out.
What to know today
After the ACLU-NJ last month urged Bellmawr police to investigate officers for allegedly targeting protesters engaging in “free-speech activities,” the legal nonprofit said citations against several of those demonstrators have been dismissed in court.
Food hall and meal delivery company Wonder plans to open a facility in Logan Township — and lay off more than 500 workers in Cranford and Fairfield.
Cherry Hill leaders said the township will get rid of its 10 Flock cameras when its contract with the controversial surveillance technology company expires at the end of the year.
Supporters of Xavier Taylor, the 12-year-old who has been in medical care since he was struck by a baseball this spring, gathered for a Maple Shade prayer event in his honor over the weekend.
Cherry Hill made a deal with Downs Farm Swim Club to take over and replace a closed pedestrian bridge and preserve the club as open space if it ever closes, 70and73 reports.
Mike Bowe, the Audubon resident and popular longtime radio disc jockey and radio show host at WMGK, WPEN, WHAT, and other stations, died last week at 76.
The Gaudreau family is honoring their late hockey-star sons’ legacies with a free learn-to-skate program at Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell.
The Burlington County Health Department is offering free flu vaccines to residents throughout the fall and winter. See the full list of dates and locations.
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🧠 Trivia time
According to a recent JD Power traveler satisfaction survey, which airport is the lowest-rated large airport in the U.S.?
A) St. Louis Lambert International Airport
B) Newark Liberty International Airport
C) Philadelphia International Airport
D) Atlantic City International Airport
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re ...
🎧 Listening to: “Wawa By the Ocean” by Mary Lattimore.
🦕 Mourning: The impending closure of the Academy of Natural Sciences museum.
🤤 Craving: A cheesesteak from Gouldsburger’s at its original location in Haddonfield.
📬 Your South Jersey view
Inquirer reporter Lacey Latch snapped this picture while out reporting in Oaklyn last Thursday afternoon.
What does your community look like? What South Jersey memory would you like to share? Submit a photo and/or a brief description for a chance to be featured in the Monday edition of this newsletter.
🗞️ What other South Jersey residents are reading
Thanks for starting your week with The Inquirer. Taylor will be back to bring you the news tomorrow. ‘Til then, be well.
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