DUI Lawyers in Hammonton, NJ

If you've ever grabbed food at a fast food restaurant at lunchtime, you know how crazy and crowded it can be.

Workers frantically running around, burgers and fries flying out the door, and a dozen or so cars lined up in the drive-thru.

And then one day, it all disappears.

That's exactly what happened early last year at a popular fast food restaurant in Atlantic County when in January 2024, Wendy's on the White Horse Pike in Hammonton abruptly closed.

There one day, gone the next.

That Wendy's was a bit of a local landmark. While I was not able to find out exactly when it opened, the earliest Google Maps picture of the area from 2008 shows it alive and well, so it was there for at least 15 years.

But business is business, and this Wendy's did face some stiff competition. Burger King, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Applebee's, and the Silver Coin Diner are all practically next to each other.

And just because you have a good product — in this case, widely-enjoyed food like burgers, fries, and chicken nuggets — that doesn't guarantee success.

However, in this case, based on signs on the windows, it appears this particular Wendy's lost its lease and, since shutting down, that building has sat empty.

We recently decided to take a look inside to see what a closed fast food restaurant looks like

Gone are the tables and chairs, the menu boards, the food, the trash cans, and everything else -- but it still looks and feels like a Wendy's. But now it's just sad and a little creepy.

Please note: This building has NOT been abandoned. All of these pictures were taken from the outside looking in.

St. Joseph (Hamm.)’s Les Olson has established himself as one of the state’s better softball coaches.

In nearly 20 seasons, he is approaching 400 wins with a winning percentage around 80 percent and has captured two state championships.

But Olson might also be one of the state’s better groundskeepers because even when the forecast might suggest playing is unlikely, the long-time coach grabs his rake and bags of infield dirt and goes to work.

The Wildcats squeezed in the Cape-Atlantic League tournament semifinal on a rainy day last year and beat the weather odds to host the final of their own South Jersey Classic a few weeks ago.

And on Tuesday, despite persistent rain drops, No. 18 St. Joseph erupted for eight runs in the first two innings and went on to a six-inning, 10-0 win over rival Hammonton.

“We try,” said Olson. “For many, many years I know how disappointing it is for the kids when it gets rained out. They get psyched up and they want to play, so I do everything we can to get them in and (Hammonton) being so close we could wait until the last minute to get it in.”

Sophomore catcher Riley Hunter and junior pitcher Elaina Portalatin admitted they weren’t confident of getting the game in, but were more than ready to tackle the conditions.

“We were waiting and hoping the text didn’t come and last period I was like I guess we’re getting dressed, time to go,” said Hunter. “We didn’t expect to play but once we knew we were going to play, we were all super excited. We had a nice pre-game. We were all due. We got some confidence.”

St. Joseph scored five in the first and three in the second.

Hunter posted two hits and knocked in three of the runs. She now has 36 RBI on the season and is batting .478 a year after hitting .294 with nine RBI.

“Last year I had no confidence coming in,” said Hunter. “I had to make some adjustments, and I waited way too long last year. I went 0-for-the-month-of-May, it was terrible.

“This year, I’m finding my footing, working through it and working a lot outside of practice which is a change from last year. It’s definitely nice.”

Olson predicted Hunter’s breakout season at the beginning of the year.

“We got her concentrating on more line drives,” said Olson. “She’s a big powerful girl that loves to yank the ball. We really worked on her hitting line drives, and she sees the payoff in that. She could hit .300 with 10 home runs or hit .500 with a few home runs, so she bought into that and it’s worked out well with (Alaina) Dorsey at the top of the lineup and her hitting third, it’s made for both of them.”

There was much more offense beyond Hunter. Dorsey had two hits and two runs scored, Kaylin Marshall posted two hits and two RBI, Lanie Giovanizzi contributed two hits and two RBI, Brooke Tyndale added two hits and two runs and Portalatin added a pair of hits.

It was a breakout game after the Wildcats (14-6) lost three of their last four and scored just five runs in their previous three games.

“(The weather’s) definitely a challenge, you have to be patient, you have to push through it, you can’t control it but we hit obviously and our fielding was good,” said Portelatin. “It was (tough to grip the ball), I’m not going to lie, but I’ve had experience with the rain.”

The 10 runs was more than enough offense for Portalatin, who scattered five hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out eight in the complete-game shutout. The Iona-bound right-hander has taken over the ace role this season from two-time All-State pitcher Ava Fisher.

“I knew I had big shoes to fill, but (Fisher) definitely helps me,” said Portalatin. “Looking up to her, going Division 1 at East Carolina and having confidence in myself. Also having Riley, that chemistry, it all helps me.”

Now the Wildcats turn their attention to the Cape-Atlantic League tournament where they are the No. 2 seed and will host Ocean City on Thursday. They’re hoping to advance to the final to get a third crack at No. 8 Vineland after losing two close games earlier in the year.

“So excited,” said Hunter. “We definitely need to put the work in. But there’s no reason we shouldn’t win, we’re a very talented team and we work together really well.”

There’s some rain in the forecast Thursday but count on the Wildcats getting it in.

Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @bybillevans.

The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now!

Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter)

Marco Christopher didn’t get many chances to swing the bat or take the field last season.

Primarily used as a pinch-runner, he scored 11 runs as a reserve on St. Augustine’s Non-Public A state championship team. At the plate, he was 3-for-10 with an RBI and two walks.

Things are a little different this spring for the senior center fielder. Now a starter, Christopher is taking advantage of his opportunities for a veteran team looking to continue the program’s rich tradition of excellence.

Off to a solid start, Christopher went 4-for-4 with a double, home run and five RBIs as No. 7 St. Augustine defeated host Hammonton, 12-5, in Cape-Atlantic American action on a cold and blustery Tuesday.

“When you’re part of the team, you just have to play your role and stuff,” Christopher said. “So even though I wasn’t playing as much as I’d like, I was just playing my role. When I got my chance (this year), I ran with it.

“I’m a senior, so I’ve kind of been coming up for this moment. Obviously, it’s a competitive program and there’s always competition no matter what position it is.”

Christopher collected an RBI double in the second inning, singles in the third and fifth, and a three-run homer to right in the sixth.

“I just like to be on time; keep it simple and not do too much,” Christopher said of his approach at the plate. “When I try to do too much, bad things happen. So just keep it simple.”

Hitting sixth in the order, Christopher is now 8-for-16 through the team’s first five games. He has two doubles and leads the Hermits with three home runs, while sharing the lead with 11 RBIs. He also hit homers against Mainland and Millville.

On a team that returned eight starters among position players, Christopher is fitting in just fine. He replaced veteran center fielder Jake Meyers, who graduated.

“He got sparing opportunities last year and it was basically his job (this season),” second-year coach Mike Ney said. “That’s kind of how it is for a lot of these guys. The older you get, it’s almost your job to lose. He’s stepped up, he doesn’t want to give it up.

“Right now, he’s doing a fantastic job. He’s putting the ball in play, he’s running, he’s hitting home runs. He’s doing everything you can ask for. He’s just playing great baseball right now.”

St. Augustine (5-0) never trailed Tuesday, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the second inning. Hammonton (3-2) chipped away and cut its deficit to 6-4 heading into the sixth.

The Hermits blew things wide open in the top of the frame, sending nine batters to the plate. They scored six runs on three hits - highlighted by Christopher’s homer.

“He started off hot down in Florida, got a lot of (preseason) at-bats down there, and just hasn’t let up since he started,” Ney said of Christopher. “He’s in a good spot right now in the lineup. He’s putting the ball in play, hitting it hard. He’s just doing the job.

“He’s getting his opportunities and taking advantage right now. When he has chances, he’s got some pop. He’s a big, strong kid and works really hard. He got himself in really good shape and you could tell how hard he worked over the offseason and last year as a pinch-runner for us, too. He’s just an all-around good baseball player and we’re all really happy to see how successful he’s been so far.”

Eight players collected hits in the victory. Brady Jackson had a two-run triple in the second as part of an 11-hit attack. Ethan Suppi recorded the decision with 2 2/3 innings of no-hit, one-run relief.

Landon Haines, Ethan Peterson and Nate DiPompo singled for Hammonton.

“We’re expected to win around here,” Christopher said. “We kind of hold ourselves to that higher standard and the end the goal is to repeat as state champions. Each game is just a step closer to that.”

The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Kevin Minnick covers South Jersey baseball. He can be reached at kminnick@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kminnicksports