AC Joseph Media

  BY JEWEL JUSTICE | AC JosepH Media WHITESBORO — The historic First Baptist Church of Whitesboro , in Middle Township of Cape May County, is celebrating its 120-year anniversary last weekend of October. It is a three-day event, featuring several guest speakers and celebrating the church and first roots of the Black community in South Jersey. There is a revival service on Friday, Oct. 25, an anniversary banquet at The Shore Club on Saturday, and two services on Sunday. The church stands as Whitesboro’s oldest institution, originally opening in 1904. “[This] is an important benchmark in the history of the church [and also] the community of Whitesboro,” Rev. Douglas H. Moore , the senior pastor, said. The historically all-Black “colony” of Whitesboro was founded in the early 1900s, through the combined efforts of the African-American Equitable Industrial Association , members of the AME Zion Church in Cape May City, and investors from the South, notably C

  BY CLYDE HUGHES | AC JosepH Media VINELAND -- The late Ralph Padilla was honored posthumously at the Hispanic Leadership Association of New Jersey's 11 th annual Achievement Awards and Scholarship Gala on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Merighi Savoy Inn. The annual gala recognizes individuals and groups from across the state for their outstanding work in the Latino community. Padilla, who died in June months after receiving a liver transplant, was the CEO of the influential South Jersey nonprofit Puerto Rican Action Committee of Southern New Jersey . He received the HLA's Founder's Award at the gala.   Read the rest of the story here .

  ATLANTIC CITY – First, congratulations to Queen’s Pizza Palace for winning the Chelsea EDC “Best Empanada Challenge” on Saturday, Oct. 5. We at Front Runner New Jersey.com thought Queen’s had the best empanadas in town for several years running and couldn’t been they were not selected until now. The award is very well deserved. “It felt really good to win,” Selvy Carrizosa , with the family-owned restaurant, told Front Runner New Jersey. “This was our first time winning. We put a lot of effort into it this year, reminding our customers to vote for us.  Read the rest of the story here.

  BY DAVE GARNER | For AC JosepH Media CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — For our very first stop, we dined at Marge’s Diner located at 1974 US-9, in Cape May Court House, which is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. For local history buffs, Marge’s Diner was opened by Marge Gibson in 1947, (hence the name) and has always been a popular local staple. To keep this local gem going, in 1983 , Albert Deluca purchased the diner and ran it until his unfortunate passing on July 8, 2024. Today, Marge’s is run by Sharon Martin who carries the torch of this fine establishment. Marge’s Diner is small and quaint, but mostly always busy, as we found out during our visit when we went there for lunch. When we arrived, about 11:30 a.m., we had to wait to be seated, but only about 10-15 minutes. My thought was, if there is a wait, the food must be good.  See the rest of the story here.

  BY CLYDE HUGHES | AC JosepH Media  MOORESTOWN – The public will hear from locals running for office in a rate bipartisan candidates forum put on by the Southern Burlington County NAACP at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10 at Bethel AME Church, 512 North Church Street.  The event, titled A Platform for Community Engagement and Political Dialogue , will feature candidates from Burlington County along with the cities of Moorestown and Cinnaminson.  "This forum serves as a vital opportunity for local residents to engage directly with candidates vying for political office in Burlington County, fostering a healthy democratic process ," Shelja Touri , an executive officer for the Southern Burlington County NAACP said. READ the rest of the story here.

  In Front Runner New Jersey.com's latest Ask the Expert column, 1166 Federal Credit Union's Annemarie Shinn helps demystify credit cards by giving you important information you need where using plastic becomes a good experience and not a long term burden. Read the FRNJ Ask the Expert Column here.

  SWEDESBORO — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s National Survey  of Unbanked and Underbanked Households finds that 15% of U.S. Hispanic households are unbanked. With 49% of this population citing a lack of English proficiency as the main reason for not having a bank account, financial institutions like 1166 Federal Credit Union are taking steps to close the gap between accessible financial services and Spanish speakers.   Hispanic Leadership and Community With Forbes  reporting that “many of these unbanked or underbanked individuals/families are spending more than $40K in lifetime fees  largely stemming from reliance on more expensive banking alternatives  like check cashing services, payday loans or paycheck advance – missing an opportunity to generate $360,000 in lifetime wealth,” closing this gap also aligns with this year’s National Inclusion Week (September 23 to 29) theme, “Impact Matters.”    Read the rest of the story here.  

  ATLANTIC CITY -- The Sustainable Health & Wellness Village Festival , of Village Fest , arrives in Atlantic City where residents will be treated to an assortment of free health care services, along with food and entertainment at the Showboat Hotel o Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The Village Fest, of SHWV, Tour is a statewide inter-generational community-based health and wellness festival that brings together youth, seniors and families. SHWV is an evidence-based model informed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Determinants of Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Action Health Framework . Community leader and elected officer Thelma Witherspoon is the Atlantic City ambassador. She told Front Runner New Jersey that the Village Fest offers a rare opportunity for residents to receive these kind of health care services for free. Read the rest of the story here.