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Haddonfield man charged in Capitol seige

A Haddondield resident was arrested on Thursday in connection with the storming of the US Capitol on January 6.

Patrick A. Stedman, 32, was charged with disorderly conduct and illegally entering the Capitol grounds.

The FBI’s affidavit for the case states that the bureau received tips from some of Stedman’s former high school and college classmates. Read it HERE.

The affidavit notes that Stedman posted videos of the storming of the Capitol on his Twitter account, which has more than 25,000 followers, in real time. It notes that some show him in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and that on the afternoon of January 6 he posted on his Twitter account: “I was pretty much in the first wave, and we broke down the doors and climbed up the back part of the Capitol building and got all the way into the chambers.”

During a court hearing in Camden on Thursday, US Magistrate Judge Karen William released Stedman on an unsecured bond.

COVID-19: Second local death in three days

The Camden County Department of Health reported today the death of a Haddonfield male in his 90s, and attributed the cause of death to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

This is the second local death in three days. The Department of Health reported the death of a Haddonfield female in her 90s on Wednesday, January 20.

Today’s fatality brings the Haddonfield death toll to eight.

The Department also reported one new COVID-19 case today, that of a male in his 60s. Haddonfield’s tally now stands at 444.

The Haddonfield School District reported three new COVID-19 cases today, all in the High School: a male in his 10s; a female in her 30s; and a female in her 40s.

To date, the District has reported 121 cases: 52 males and 69 females; 96 students and 25 staff.

Judge reinstates Bancroft lawsuit

During a Camden County Superior Court hearing today, Judge Nan S. Famular agreed to a request by a group of Haddonfield residents, among them former mayors Jack Tarditi and Tish Colombi, to reinstate a suit they had filed in 2018 against the Borough of Haddonfield and its commissioners, objecting to aspects of the proposed redevelopment plan that failed to promote senior housing. 

Tarditi and the other plaintiffs had withdrawn the suit in 2019 without prejudice — meaning they retained the right to reinstate it in the future — based on a settlement agreement in which the Borough committed to the development of age-restricted housing at the site.

The plaintiffs requested reinstatement of their case because, they claimed, the commissioners had failed to abide by the settlement, which was spelled out in an order entered by Judge Famular in October 2019. The order noted that the borough would take steps to achieve and promote age-restricted housing on the site.

The borough’s attorney alleged that the borough had been unable to find a viable alternative to the “age-targeted” townhomes proposed by the site’s designated redeveloper, despite efforts to do so.

In the suit filed in March 2018, the plaintiffs called for the revised redevelopment plan the commissioners adopted in February 2018 to be set aside, and for the original Bancroft redevelopment plan to be reinstated. The 2018 plan called for fewer design restrictions and increased floor area per townhome — changes the developer had requested. The Planning Board voted overwhelmingly against the developer’s requests, but the commissioners set their objections aside and adopted the revised plan.

It is not known at this time if the Planning Board will schedule a hearing on the developer’s pending application until the issue is resolved in court. Judge Famular has not yet set a date for a hearing on the plaintiffs’ reinstated suit.

Civic Association to host health panel

The Haddonfield Civic Association will hold an online health panel discussion, titled Taking the Pulse of Our Community, on Wednesday, January 27 at 7pm.

Designed to inform Haddonfield residents, the discussion will focus on COVID-19 in our town, the vaccine, coping during the pandemic, the effects on our community, and the path forward.

The panel members will be:

  • Scott Woodside, Public Health MSN, MBA RN
  • Chuck Klaus, Superintendent of Schools
  • Jason Cutler, Chief of Police
  • Neal Rochford, Mayor

The 60-to-90-minute discussion, on Zoom, will be moderated by the Civic Association president, Joe Levine.

To join the discussion, go HERE.

To submit questions in advance, go to the Contact page on the Civic Association’s website – HERE. If your question is directed to a particular panelist, include that person’s name.

Citizen of the Year to be named on Tuesday night

The name of Haddonfield’s Citizen of the Year for 2021 will be announced during a special meeting hosted by the Lions Club on Tuesday, January 26, starting at 7:30pm.

Normally, the announcement is made during the Mayor’s Breakfast, held annually on a Saturday in January at the Presbyterian Church. Because of the pandemic, this year’s gathering was canceled.

Join Zoom meeting HERE.

  • Meeting ID: 872 4023 2408
  • Passcode: 707977
  • Dial in 1 646 558 8656
  • Meeting ID: 872 4023 2408
  • Passcode: 707977
  • Help Desk – Al Schmidt (609) 471-8298

Planning Board cancels Bancroft hearing

The Haddonfield Planning Board has canceled a special meting, scheduled for Tuesday, January 26, at which it would have considered a development application for the portion of the Bancroft property on the Cherry Hill side of Hopkins Lane.

The action was taken, apparently, after questions were raised about apparent legal deficiencies in the application.

The application proposes the construction of 80 market-rate townhomes and 10 affordable units.

The Historic Preservation Commission completed its work on the application on December 30, 2020, a necessary prerequisite for Planning Board consideration.

One new COVID-19 death locally

The Camden County Department of Health reported today that the death of a female Haddonfield resident in her 90s has been attributed to COVID-19. This brings to seven the total number of fatalities locally; the first Haddonfield death was reported on April 18, 2020.

The Department of Health also reported today seven new cases among Haddonfield residents: Males in their 10s, 20s, 50s (2), and 60s; and females in their 10s and 60s. The Haddonfield tally now stands at 441.

The average confirmed-positive rate for January is 4.70 cases per day — 94 cases in 20 days — the highest since March 2020, when the first Haddonfield case was reported. The rates for December and November were 3.84 and 2.80 cases per day, on average, respectively.

COVID-19: Schools add eight cases

The Haddonfield School District today added eight new confirmed cases to its list of students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19. This brings the total number of those infected to 116.

Gender:

  • Male — 50
  • Female — 66

Age:

  • Child — 93
  • Adult — 23

Level:

  • District — 2
  • Elementary — 41
  • Middle — 32
  • High — 41

One-day record for new COVID-19 cases

Haddonfield set a new record on Friday (January 15, 2021), when the Camden County Department of Health reported 11 new confirmed cases among Haddonfield residents. The local tally, which hit 400 on Thursday, now stands at 411.

The report today included six males (10s x 2, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s) and five females (J, 10s, 30s, 60s, 70s). The deaths of six Haddondfield residents have been attributed to COVID-19, the most recent on December 8.

The rate of infection in Haddonfield is 35.45 per 1,000 of population. That’s more than one per 30 residents.

Camden County’s total rose today above 33,000. It now stands at 33,084, with 833 fatalities. The county’s infection rate is 64.41.

For New Jersey: 555,299 cases and 18,229 fatalities. The statewide infection rate is 63.16.

Haddonfield’s public schools surpassed the 100 mark on January 5. The tally of cases now stands at 108: 48 males and 60 females. With 23 cases so far in January, the public schools are on pace to set a record for the number of new cases in a month. (December 41; November 40.)

In commenting on the latest report on Friday, County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said, “Over the last seven days, we are averaging approximately 290 new cases of COVID-19 per day, an 11 percent increase from Jan. 1. While this surge hasn’t appeared to hit our community quite as hard as the post-Thanksgiving spike, no one should feel good about where we are with regards to viral activity. New Jersey set new records this week for daily cases, and 158 lives have been lost in Camden County in just the last 30 days. Please continue to treat this pandemic with the caution it deserves. Wear a mask, wash your hands, and social distance.”

COVID-19 has hit 1 in 30 residents

Today — January 11, 2021 — the number of COVID-19 cases reported for Haddonfield residents reached 389. Based on Haddonfield’s population of 11,593 (2010 Census), that translates to 33.55 per 1,000 or 1 in 30 persons.

Camden County today hit 62.28 per 1,000, based on a population of 513,657. New Jersey’s rate is slightly lower: 60.62 per 1,000, based on a population of 8,791,894. (2010 Census)

Haddonfield’s toll is split 206 males, 182 females, and 1 unknown.

The age group most affected is the 10s: 41 males and 40 females, a total of 81 youth between the ages of 10 and 19.