Good morning, South Jersey.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill is placing the blame on a vendor for the thousands of illegal voter registrations amid what she calls broader “disarray” at the Motor Vehicle Commission.
And a bankrupt weed company is set to close two of its grow sites in Vineland and lay off 86 employees.
Plus, a presumed lightning strike from Tuesday’s storm caused the closure of two Maple Shade businesses, and more news of the day.
— Taylor Allen ([email protected])
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Beyond the voter registration error
Gov. Sherrill shared Thursday that she was already less than impressed with the vendor that she says is responsible for illegally registering 6,600 noncitizens to vote before she discovered the issue.
In fact, she said, she had been trying to get rid of the company, IDEMIA, and that the new state Motor Vehicle Commission administrator “was already in the process of removing them for their incompetence.”
Earlier this week, Sherrill disclosed that a software glitch at the MVC operated by IDEMIA registered people to vote through the state’s automatic motor vehicle voter registration program even after people identified themselves as noncitizens.
The vendor responsible for the error is also to blame for long waits, bureaucracy, and red tape, according to Sherrill.
Meanwhile, IDEMIA released a statement blaming the New Jersey Department of State’s Division of Elections, saying that the department is “ultimately responsible for verifying eligibility to vote.”
The Inquirer’s Aliya Schneider and Michelle Baruchman have the latest.
Bankrupt weed company layoffs
The Cannabist Company dispensaries in New Jersey were among the first adult-use locations to open when the state began to allow recreational weed sales in 2022.
Four years later, the company will shut the doors of its two Vineland grow sites in October after the company filed for bankruptcy back in March.
Nearly all of the Cannabist’s cultivation and manufacturing employees in New Jersey will be laid off. That’s a total of 86 staff members out of a job.
The company also plans to sell the rest of its operation in the state, including the retail store in Deptford.
Reporter Henry Savage has the story.
What to know today
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New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware are part of a lawsuit against President Donald Trump to reverse new rules that tie disaster aid funding to abiding by the Trump administration’s requests for voter data.
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A lightning strike from Tuesday’s storms is suspected to have started a fire and forced a chocolate shop and a bakery to close on Maple Shade’s Main Street. The official investigation into the cause is ongoing.
Read more How surfing came to the Jersey Shore
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The Nilsa I. Cruz-Perez Downtown Camden library branch began offering curbside services on Thursday. The branch was forced to close after the extensive flooding from earlier this month.
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Collingswood officials want residents to license their pets so they can properly fund animal control services and help other animals in the borough.
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Rocco’s Italian Sausages & Cheesesteaks is set to open a new location in Washington Township this Monday, 42 Freeway reports.
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The owner of Collingswood’s The Garb Collection shared tips on how to thrift with Philadelphia Magazine.
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🧠Trivia time
Chef Nana Araba Wilmot, raised in South Jersey, competed in Season 23 of Top Chef, Bravo’s elimination-style reality culinary competition show. Where exactly was she raised?
A) Maple Shade
B) Paulsboro
C) Glassboro
D) Cherry Hill
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re…
🏒 Cheering on: South Jersey native Blake Zielinski from Berlin who was drafted into the NHL.
🛍️ Missing: The Carnival of Collectables antiques mall that closed in Sicklerville.
🥄 Tasting: The new Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard water ice flavor inspired by The Office.
🏖️ Down the Shore
This feature appears as part of our weekly summertime series from Shore reporter Amy S. Rosenberg. Subscribe to her free Down the Shore newsletter here.
Amy recently published a story about how Sea Isle has undergone a transformation and has become an upscale Shore town. Whether or not that’s a good thing is up for debate.
Below are two responses to the piece:
“My wife and I had the good fortune to buy our home at 34th & Central in 1985. I was 35 and my wife was 33. Can you imagine two 30-year-olds being able to do that today? I do feel bad that isn’t possible in today’s day and age. Certainly, things have changed; I hate some of these housing monstrosities. Those changes aside, I love Sea Isle and consider ourselves absolutely blessed to call it home.”
“We saw what the future of Sea Isle was becoming many years ago when the quaint little cottage next door was sold, demolished, and converted into a QUADRUPLEX!”
How do you feel about Sea Isle’s changes? Is it that different compared to other Shore towns? Email Rosenberg your thoughts at [email protected].
📸 Photo of the week
Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you on Monday!
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