The top stories of the past year and a thank-you to everyone who makes it possible to continue our work.
By Matt Skoufalos | January 2, 2020
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash – https://bit.ly/2RnVmy7.
If you’ve come to read NJ Pen in the last 12 months, thank you and welcome! Some of you may be new to us, but our data tells us that 416,690 of you checked in with us this year.
That’s up 18 percent from 353,317 in 2019, and for an independent local news website covering nine towns in South Jersey, that’s a healthy number.
It reflects a figure comparable to the population of the surrounding region. It shows us that we’re having an impact in the communities we serve.
Those of you who read NJ Pen in 2019 looked at pages on our site nearly 1.3 million times. About 10 percent of that traffic came from people who were simply doing a web search for something we’d written about.
Just like in 2018, 60 percent of our readers were new to the site in 2019, which shows us that the audience for our work continues to grow nearly six years into the job.
Up until a few weeks ago, most of that work was subsidized by a fraction of the people who read or otherwise benefited from it. In December, we rolled out a tiered paywall system to help drive reader support for our work.
Happily, many of our regular readers have responded! In just a few weeks, we’ve gone from 130 paying subscribers to 213 and counting. Thanks to all who help us continue on—and if you’re reading for the first time, please join us!
And now, some numbers…
In 2019, we published 236 stories (excluding our weekly recaps) spanning a variety of categories. With 70, police and fire news led our site by a bit, just edging out business news (60 stories) and government (54). “People,” our human interest and feature category, was next (25), followed by school and arts news (12 apiece), and finally, opinion and editorial (3).
This distribution tracks with that of our prior years. We work to provide coverage over a variety of subjects as best as possible, and many stories easily overlap a few of our in-house categories.
Of course, this isn’t the culmination of our work. We also maintain a presence on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, publish an e-mail newsletter, and provide a text alert service, service, Direct Dispatch, by which you can get our headlines sent right to your phone.
Top 10 Stories (by page count)
The most frequently accessed stories on our site from the past year reflect the diversity of coverage we provide.
Some of them showed how responsive local media can help locate criminal suspects and bring closure to a police investigation. Others showed the impact of following up on a good tip, or the importance of maintaining communication with sources in the communities we cover. More than a few illustrate our willingness to dig beyond the basic information to bring back something worth reading.
Here’s your hits from 2019.
Reunion Hall: Haddon Twp. Native Plans Modern Beer Hall for Haddon Avenue
Collingswood Couple Hits HGTV House Hunters, Store Opening Soon
Police Investigating Homicide at Collingswood Parkview Apartments
Ex-Di Bruno Bros., Rastelli’s Chefs to Open Haddon Culinary in Former McFarlan’s Market Collingswood
UPDATE: Collingswood H.S. Student Charged for Bringing Handgun to School
Police: Frustrated Kidnappers Killed Camden Man in Failed Ransom Attempt
Police and Fire
The work done by local emergency services personnel has often comprised the bulk of our breaking news reports, from significant arrests and prosecutions to the efforts of first responders in moments of tragedy. Here are the highlights from 2019.
Collingswood Murder Victim was Robbed, Killed for Marijuana, Police Say
Three Charged in NJ Landmark ‘Ghost Gun’ Sting, 9 More Arrested in Drug Ring
UPDATE: West Deptford Teen Allegedly Snapchatted During Stolen Bus Chase, Charged by DRPA
Active Shooter Defenses: Drills, Gear, and Community Intervention
Camden County Police New Use-of-Force Guidelines Hailed as Blueprint for a National Model
Signs of National Drop in Volunteerism Showing in Local Fire Companies
Missing Cherry Hill Resident Recovered After Search for Man with Crossbow
Business
Small business has always been a coverage focus at NJ Pen because its impact reverberates far beyond brick-and-mortar walls and into community life.
In 2019, we introduced readers to openings, plans, and proposals for dozens of new local businesses, and informed them of the closings of many others. Our work in this area is often a reason many readers tell us they follow NJ Pen, but our coverage isn’t limited to commercial comings and goings. We also showed the role that many small businesses play in the towns that they call home. Here’s a sampling.
Tri-Town Taco Crawl Turns Spotlight on Inter-Community Business Growth
The New Victor Talking Machine Company: a Camden Classic, Revived in Pennsauken
Sidestepping Haddonfield Retail Rents, Small Business Partnerships Explore New Models for Success
After 48 Years, All-Star Awards & Trophies Moves on from Collingswood
Pennsauken Nursing Home, Union Caregivers, Brace for Strike Amid Contract Talks
Power Restored, Collingswood Asks Shoppers, Diners to Help Small Biz with ‘Lights On’ Promotion
Government
From elections coverage to policy action, we produced 54 stories on local government in 2019. Keeping an eye on the mechanisms of power and civics in the information age is an ongoing process, and not all that work happens within the confines of public meetings. NJ Pen endeavors to bring you closer to the people behind the decisions from both sides of the voting booth. Here’s some highlights from the past calendar year.
Camden County Recycling Contract Tested in Court Amid Summer of Rejected Truckloads
Haddonfield Commissioners Resolve Bancroft Lawsuit with HERD Objectors, Advance 55+ Housing Project
Atlantic Avenue ‘Rails With Trails Project’ Finds Design, Construction Money
More Brewery Rule Changes from NJ ABC: Food Trucks Out, Limits on Events
CamCo ‘Bridge to Work’ Program Connects Homeless People with Jobs, Services
Camden County Jail Expands Drug Therapy Program for Addicted Inmates
‘Understaffed and Underfinanced’ Haddon Heights Public Works Dept. Considers Merger with Audubon
Three Weeks After Historic Storms, Some Still Waiting to Return Home
People
The “people” category is often a catch-all for our human interest news, which can be far-ranging in subject matter. The 25 such stories we produced in 2019 spanned topics from local history to communities pulling together to support neighbors in need. Here’s some of the most-read among them.
Verts, Bowls, and World-Class Talent: Remembering the Short-Lived Cherry Hill Skatepark
Historic Newspaper Donated to South Jersey Goodwill Headed for New Home
Camden Residents Protest Failed Supermarket Projects, Tax Incentives
PNC Donates Collingswood Home to USMC Purple Heart Veteran and Family
Camden Historical Marker Acknowledges City’s Role in Colonial Slave Trade
South Jersey Girls Heading to Thailand for World Martial Arts Tournament
Westmont’s Woodstock Revival Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Historic Concert Saturday
Jersey Joe Walcott, Camden’s Heavyweight Champ, 1st Black Sheriff, to be Cast in Bronze
Schools
Local school coverage often doesn’t catch the notice of readers without children in the district until there’s a bond referendum or some other controversial item of interest. Nonetheless, public schools are often the sites at which a variety of community concerns intersect, and keeping an eye on their activities is part of the work we do.
In addition to being one of the only regular sources of voting information about school board candidates ahead of elections, NJ Pen covered teachers who made a difference in the lives of their students and issues of classroom safety.
Oaklyn Voters to Decide $4M School Bond in September 24 Special Election
Counselor, First Responders Lead Audubon Students in Pre-Prom ‘Mock Crash’
Haddon Township Police Investigate Threat of Violence at Rohrer Middle School
Haddonfield’s Kim Dickstein First NJ Teacher of the Year from Camden County
Beats, Business, and Building Relationships in Collingswood High School Digital Production Class
Prepping Full-Day Pre-K, Collingswood Turns to Oaklyn for Classroom Space
Arts
Local arts and artistry are among the least frequently covered topics in our coverage area, owing only to the limitations of our staffing. Yet in 2019, NJ Pen uncovered a handful of significant storylines among the local creative culture in South Jersey, from multimedia works to community projects to pop culture commentary.
‘Greetings from Haddon Heights’ Tells a Local Story in Mural Mosaic
‘Hidden Lives’ Exhibition Connects PA Inmates with Audiences Outside Eastern State Penitentiary
Camden Arts, Neighborhood Groups Partner for Parkside Arts Pavilion Project
Here Comes the Sun: Haddon Township Summer Solstice Returns for Year Three
Dudetown Comes to Collingswood: Gallery Plans Immersive Cartoon Experience
Op/Ed
NJ Pen very infrequently offers editorial commentary on the events of the day, but is always welcoming of well-considered opinions and letters to the editor. We also have been fortunate to be able to publish the work of some great guest writers. Here’s a couple of their takes.
Game of Thrones Episode 8.6 Recap – And Now My Watch Has Ended
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