Climb Aboard for a Battleship New Jersey Summer Tour. Now guests visiting the Battleship will get an extra hour to tour our nation’s most decorated and largest battleship. The Battleship’s Summer Tour Hours will open every day at 11 a.m. with the final tour departing at 4 p.m., which means you can stay aboard the ship to tour until 5:30pm. That gives everyone one more hour to climb inside the massive 16-inch gun turret, check out the bunks that the sailors used to sleep on, track a tomahawk missile in the Combat Engagement Center, and more! Summer tour hours will be in effect until Labor Day, September 6th. Their Overnight Encampment Program will restart Sept. 17, 2021. Please submit the form below and we will contact you shortly to confirm your request or call 1-866-877-6262 ext. 203. All Overnight Encampments on the Battleship New Jersey must be booked in advance. Click here to learn more.

Congressman Norcross and Commissioner Director Cappelli invite residents to submit questions for the next Virtual COVID-19 update on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. This update will center around the Delta Variant and what you need to know. Click Here to submit a question. Questions will be answered live on Camden County Facebook or CamdenCounty.com/LiveCounty. Commissioner Jonathan Young, Dr. Mark Condoluci, Infectious Disease Physician at Jefferson Health NJ, and Caryelle Lasher, Assistant Public Health Coordinator hosted last week's virtual Camden County Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Response meeting on the Delta variant. You can watch this week's virtual update here.

Eilandarts Center has added more creative one-time workshops in August on Thursday and Friday, 8/18-20 and 8/25-27. They are opening their art studio and supplies to young artists. Whether kids feel inspired to paint, draw, or create a 3D piece, they can make whatever they want. While the time is theirs to freely create, a teacher will be present to help with any projects. Let your kids paint! We will create wonderful spring themed paintings on a canvas. ​Its lots of fun, bring a friend. Mosaic Arts is about creating beautiful works of art with an assortment of items. Your child can also spend the day learning how to cook everyone's favorite meal - pizza! We will make our pizzas from scratch and discover new vegetarian toppings. They are also offering a one day sewing workshop we will go over a couple of important sewing skills and make a pouch or pillow. Register TODAY for one, two or all of it.

Dennis Schmidt, age 73, a former school teacher and Vice Principal in Merchantville, NJ, died on Saturday, July 17, 2021 at home with his wife Andrea. Den was born December 12, 1947 in Philadelphia, PA, and grew up in Barrington, NJ. Den had multiple Master's Degrees and was a US Marine Corp Veteran, serving during Vietnam. After leaving the Merchantville school district, Dennis became a labor relations negotiator for NJ school boards, ending his career as an independent consultant for school boards across the state. An avid skier, once retired he spent the majority of the winter months in New England with Andrea enjoying all types of snow related activities. He is survived by his wife, Andrea, step-daughters Kim Bove (Chris) and their two children, Alex and Madison; and, Whitney Michalczewski (Kevin) and their two children, Milo and Miller. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: MDS Foundation at: http://www.mds-foundation.org/donate. Full obituary.

Bob Lindquist, of Northfield, embarked on his final journey on July 15, 2021. Bob was born on October 27, 1934 in Camden, NJ to the late Edith (Svanfeldt) and Walter Lindqvist. A graduate of Merchantville High School in 1952. Bob was employed at New Jersey American Water, retiring after 37 years of dedicated service in 1996 (allegedly). Bob enjoyed fishing and hunting with his nephew, Michael, son RJ, and countless others that were lucky enough to know his secret spots. He leaves to cherish his memory: his beloved wife Margaret Anne (Reynolds) Lindquist, daughters Lisa Ann Lindquist, Lori Susan(Fred) Dinnini, Colleen Marie Sweeney, and son Robert James Lindquist (RJ), and grandchildren Cristina Lauren Sweeney, Gianna Nicole Dinnini, Ilana Eden, Joshua Evan Lindquist, Robert and Jane Reynolds (brother/sister in law), and beloved dog Buckley (Man's Best Friend). Full obituary.

A day after federal officials tightened coronavirus mask guidance, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday that all people in New Jersey, regardless of vaccination status, are ”strongly recommended” to wear masks indoors in settings where there is “increased risk” — but stopped short of mandating face coverings again. New Jersey has one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation, with more than 70% of its eligible population fully inoculated. Eight New Jersey counties fall into the category of“substantial” transmission, according to CDC data, with Monmouth County is listed as having “high” transmission. The state said masking is recommended in the following scenarios with increased risk: crowded indoor settings, indoor settings involving activities in close contact with others who may not be fully vaccinated, indoor settings where others’ vaccine status is unknown and when an individual is immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease.

Philly Voice recently featured a piece on new resident Andrew Tyler Mascieri. With a background in design, no one understands the ability to envision the true potential of a space with a keen eye better than Andrew.  Having over $8 million dollars in sales under his belt in just 2021 alone, he is PhillyLiving Real Estate’s highest producer on a team of 24 agents and uses a background in design to his advantage. Mascieri’s passion for architecture led him to purchase his very own fixer-upper in Merchantville in 2020 and since then, he's been renovating the 152-year-old Victorian home and documenting the process for his 15,000 followers on Instagram. Read the full article.

New Jersey Working Families endorsed Governor Phil Murphy for reelection. During his first term in office, Governor Murphy has championed a progressive agenda, fulfilling key campaign promises from 2017 and laying the foundation for a stronger and fairer New Jersey that works for every New Jersey family. “Thanks to Governor Murphy, New Jersey residents have been able to benefit from expanded paid family leave which has helped millions of New Jersey residents take the time they need without struggling financially. I am looking forward to the Governor’s re-election in order to continue the progress in New Jersey to help our residents not just survive, but thrive,” said Billie Bauer of Merchantville, a New Jersey Working Families Member. Two key accomplishments during Governor Murphy’s first term include establishing a path to $15 an hour minimum wage and enacting earned sick and expanding paid family and medical leave.

Cat's Creations was recently featured by Susan Lucci on ABC 7 Localish. This trendy bakery offers fully customizable cakes and other sweets decorated with just about anything your brain can imagine. Owner, Catherine Gray began this self-taught venture as a stay-at-home mom looking to make ends meet. Her rustic inspired shop is located in the heart of Merchantville, NJ at 21 South Centre Street.