Beginning July 19, the DOT will be closing Interstate 76 eastbound (Exit 1A) ramp connection to Interstate 295 southbound in conjunction with the Direct Connection project. Be aware that the closure will start around 11 p.m. and PKF Mark III, the contractor, is scheduled to close the left-lane ramp connection to set up a new construction zone.

Thanks to a $3.1 million grant from the Department of Homeland security, federal and local officials announced today that Newark Fire Department will hire 21 new firefighters. Voorhees, Trenton, Bayonne, Paterson, Farmingdale, Merchantville and Sewell were among the other departments to receive a total of $39 million in New Jersey hiring grants from DHS. http://bit.ly/16zFubM

Heavy snow has moved into the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic Monday Morning. The heaviest snow will cause some tricky travel for the morning commute, including the 1-95 corridor. Through the day on Monday, snow will expand eastward. Merchantville will experience snow and rain. High of 37F with a windchill as low as 25F. Breezy. Winds from the NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 100% with accumulations up to 2 in. possible.

Walk into Cigar Alley @ The News Nook in Merchantville and the aroma of fine tobacco hits you first. But it is the clipped staccato of the store’s New Jersey Lottery machine that is a constant. Customers are just as apt to buy scratch-off tickets as they are cigars. “We’re selling a lot of tickets,” said Rachelle Aljobeh, owner of the shop, who’s quick to declare hers is one of the first original machines in the area. http://on.cpsj.com/Zm9XXv

In a letter sent last week, the New Jersey Department of Treasury ordered Children's Garden director Michael Devlin to remove all property, including the facility's amusement rides, gazebo, and giant dinosaur, by March 31. The nonprofit Camden Children's Garden has two months to vacate most of its state-owned property before the land is transferred to the Adventure Aquarium next door. An online petition and Facebook page have been started to "Save the Garden".

Assemblyman Ronald S. Dancer has recently proposed expanding and extending New Jersey’s online purchasing program that has become a successful revenue tool for local governments and property taxpayers. According to the Department of Community Affairs’ Division of Local Government Services: Merchantville received $7,500 for an old fire pumper truck sold on E-Bay after a traditional auction received a bid of just $1,200 – below the trade-in value. The increased revenue helped reduce the property tax rate. http://bit.ly/TJeSB2