DUI Lawyers in Galloway, NJ

The seasonal grand opening of the beloved Halloween retailer typically draws thousands of people to its South Jersey flagship store.

EGG HARBOR TWP., NJ — The flagship Spirit Halloween store in Egg Harbor Township will not hold a special grand opening event for the upcoming season in 2025.

"Unfortunately, international disruptions and supply chain challenges have thrown a wrench in our opening plans," the national seasonal retailer shared in a social media update. "As a result, we are forced to cancel the Egg Harbor Township grand opening event - but we intend to bring the event back next year."

Normally, Spirit Halloween hosts a grand opening for their flagship location at the end of July or early August. Thousands of Halloween super-fans come to the area to celebrate, even camping out and lining up early to get first dibs on the spooky season's newest merchandise.

Festivities usually include swag bags for guests, carnival games, food and drink and more.

However, the company is still on track to open 1,500 stores beginning in mid-August, the update reads.

Find out what's happening in Gallowayfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The Mt. Laurel-based Halloween & Costume Association (HCA) previously warned that tariffs could "wipe out Halloween and severely disrupt Christmas."

Proposed tariffs on China are on a 90-day pause as of May 14; the HCA said that their industry is overly reliant on Chinese imports.

"This is an existential moment for our industry," said Robert Berman, HCA Board Member and President of Rasta Imposta/Imposta Costumes, a leading U.S. costume manufacturer. "Halloween isn't like other holidays. If products don't land on time or become too expensive for families, Halloween simply doesn’t happen. There is no backup plan."

Spirit Halloween said the company is "still very much alive."

"The engines are on, and we're full speed ahead," Spirit Halloween said. "Stay tuned, the best is yet to come."

A tornado and a "gustnado" damaged parts of Atlantic and Gloucester counties Friday afternoon during severe storms, officials say.

Updated Tue, May 20, 2025 at 11:14 am ET

SOUTH JERSEY — A rare "gustnado" of up to 105 mph struck Franklinville during the severe storms on Friday, along with an actual tornado that moved from Gloucester to Atlantic County, according to the National Weather Service.

The gustnado lasted less than a minute Friday afternoon and traveled 100 yards, snapping the trunk of several hardwood trees and bringing down several large branches, the National Weather Service said in a preliminary assessment.

"Video received from the homeowner showed the trees and branches falling after a rapid wind shift," the National Weather Service said. "Analysis of radar data showed a strong signature of a rear-flank downdraft in the vicinity, which likely spun up this brief gustnado."

A gustnado, according to the National Weather Service, is similar to a dust devil. It "is a small, whirlwind which forms as an eddy in thunderstorm outflows." It's different from a tornado in that it doesn't connect with any cloud-base rotation.

Additionally, the National Weather Service upgraded a tornado in Collings Lakes also on Friday.

Find out what's happening in Gallowayfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

That tornado was upgraded to EF-1 and it was determined it began in Williamstown before moving into Collings Lakes. It traveled 8.6 miles and hit peak winds of 90-95 mph, the National Weather Service said.

It took down several trees and a telephone pole, also damaging a wood fence, smaller branches, house siding and metal roof sheeting, according to the National Weather Service.

As far as the current forecast goes: Periods of rain will soak New Jersey Wednesday and Thursday, along with some gusts of wind, forecasters say.

The winds will be most noticeable along the Jersey Shore, according to AccuWeather forecasters.Across the state, rain totals look to be 1 to 1.5 inches, with locally higher amounts possible and some localized flooding cannot be ruled out. See this week's forecast here.

BUENA VISTA, NJ — A small tornado traveled through Gloucester and Atlantic counties for several miles amid strong thunderstorms Friday afternoon, National Weather Service officials said.

The 300-yard wide EF-1 tornado touched down at 12:42 p.m. in Williamstown and traveled 8.6 miles before it stopped in Buena Vista at 12:53 p.m., the National Weather Service said in a Monday afternoon update.

That was longer than the initial report, which said the tornado traveled one half-mile. The tornado's grade was also updated, its estimated peak wind was 90-95 mph, officials said.

"After analyzing additional storm damage, it was determined the tornado in Collings Lakes originated in Williamstown near the intersection of Janvier Rd and Tuckahoe Rd where a large hardwood tree fell across Janvier Rd and some siding from the corner of a house peeled off," the National Weather Service said in the Monday update. "The tornado then moved SSE crossing Birch Ave where several hardwood trees were snapped at the trunks. This is where the tornado reached its greatest width of 300 yards."

"Traveling SE from there, where it likely lifted at times, the tornado crossed W Malaga Rd near the Victory Lakes community, damaging a wood fence and several small tree branches," officials said. "Continuing its discontinuous path SE, a telephone pole was snapped near the intersection of E Piney Hollow Rd and US 322 before moving SSE again towards the Collings Lakes neighborhood."

Find out what's happening in Gallowayfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Along with the Williamstown-Collings Lakes tornado, Friday's severe storms created another tornado that started in Maryland and moved into Delaware, the National Weather Service said.

A rare "gustnado" that reached 100-105 mph winds damaged part of Franklinville Friday, officials said. This is "a small, whirlwind which forms as an eddy in thunderstorm outflows," according to the National Weather Service. It's similar to a dust devil.

According to court documents, Flagship Development Corp. has between $50 million and $100 million in assets - and the same in liabilities.

Updated Thu, May 15, 2025 at 3:28 pm ET

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — The owner of three luxury resorts at the Jersey Shore has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy while the company fights several lawsuits, according to documents filed in federal court.

Flagship Resort Development Corp., owner of the Flagship and Atlantic Palace resorts in Atlantic City and La Sammana in Brigantine, filed for bankruptcy on May 10, 2025.

The company has between $50 million and $100 million in assets, and the same amount in liabilities owed to more than 100 creditors, federal documents show.

The three resorts operate as timeshare properties. Rising interest rates and the COVID-19 pandemic put pressure on families and caused timeshare interest to drop, which the company cites as reasons for declaring bankruptcy in the documents. Flagship also owes more than $8 million to ownership associations, the documents show.

Additionally, the company is facing ongoing litigation. A lawsuit by 19 plaintiffs alleging deceptive business practices filed in 2018 ended with them being awarded $1.6 million in damages. Another similar suit was filed by 12 plaintiffs in 2023; that suit will be brought to trial this September.

Find out what's happening in Gallowayfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Yet another lawsuit was brought against the corporation - this time, a class action lawsuit on behalf of 10,000 members seeking more than $100 million in damages, documents show.

All of these factors forced the corporation to file for bankruptcy, the company's chief financial officer wrote in the documents.

Two of the company's board members resigned in April and formed AC Boardwalk Investments, LLC. They've offered a $45.5 million "stalking horse bid" for Flagship's assets and debts, which means they will make the initial bid to set a base price and encourage other bidders to join.

The deadline to submit bids is July 14; an auction will follow on July 16. A sale hearing is then set for July 18.

GALLOWAY, NJ — Things will get tidier in Berkeley thanks to a $117,030 Clean Communities grant from the Murphy Administration, Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced.

Municipalities and counties can use the grant funding to organize volunteer litter cleanups on public lands, purchase litter removal equipment, clear trash from stormwater systems, educate the public, remove graffiti, and enforce litter-related laws and ordinances, according to a news release.

The amount received in Galloway is among the highest in the county.

The grant awards were announced in conjunction with an event hosted by the New Jersey Clean Communities Council (NJCCC) at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway.

“These annual investments through NJ Clean Communities continue to help communities remove unsightly litter and beautify neighborhoods, educate people on the harms of littering, and inspire us to be stewards of the environment we share,” LaTourette said. “DEP is proud to join with NJCCC to announce the awards that ensure towns have the necessary tools to keep New Jersey clean.”

In total, the DEP is awarding $24.1 million to eligible municipalities and $3 million to counties across the state. The grant awards are based on population, housing units and miles of municipally owned roadways, as prescribed by state law. They are funded by taxes collected from businesses that produce litter-generating products and penalties paid for litter-related violations. NJCCC, the nonprofit organization partnering with the DEP, oversees the reporting requirements for the program.

Litter comes from many sources, such as people who carelessly toss away their trash, overflowing and uncovered garbage cans, and construction sites. Litter is often dispersed by the wind and carried into stormwater collection systems where it can clog drains, causing flooding and harming wildlife by degrading the quality of the state’s surface waters.

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