209-211 E 5th Ave, North Wildwood New Jersey

Although rich in historical landmarks that still exist, Wildwood is an ever-changing town.  I thought it would be fun to see how the landscape has evolved by comparing historical photos and current ones.

These are the Albright Apartments in the 1960s and what the same address looks like today.  Not much is known about the history of the Albright Apartments except that they were owned by Mrs. Jos. A Albright.  I’m suprised at how much empty land surrounded the apartments.  To get a better idea of how much North Wildwood has “filled out” with homes, here’s an aerial view of the same properties:

Hurricane Sandy is STILL affecting business all over the east coast, specially Atlantic City. The get-a-way city was hit hard by the hurricane causing serious financial burdens on property owners and business owners. Jay Z’s ’40/40 Club’ was one of the many businesses that was severely affected by the storm. Supposedly the club now has a huge hole in its roof and countless water damage. MTV reported the club would be closing its doors as its lease ended. On top of its physical damage, the club was also getting quite expensive for its owners.

The upscale 40/40 Club, one of several locations co-owned by Jay-Z,opened in Atlantic City in October 2005. It was lauded by city officials for helping the area’s reputation extend beyond being a place to gamble.

A fight at the club in 2012 that left two police officers injured garnered negative press, and local DJ Faheem Davis shared with the Press of Atlantic City that the price to play was so high it kept locals out.

“It was the out-of-towners that would go to the 40/40 on a regular basis,” Davis said. “It wasn’t the local people. It was very expensive.”

It would take much more to rebuild and renovate their current location as opposed to finding a new location (if Jay Z decides to re-open in that location).

Source: MTV

Related articles

• When The Checks Stop Coming In: Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club In Atlantic City Officially Closes Down (bossip.com)

Photo taken by Christina Rodriguez

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ- Born and raised in Philadelphia Ray Schweibert made his way from working on a grounds crew of a condominium complex to becoming the associate editor of the well-known Atlantic City Weekly. From sports to entertainment there is nothing that Ray loves to do more than to put his energy and time on his work. “It’s great to write something you know you’ve put a lot of time, thought, and energy into. Getting positive feedback is the best thing for me,” said Ray during his in person interview.

Ray was born in Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia on June 18^th 1960. He grew up in North East Philly. Then moved to Huntington Valley Pennsylvania when he was about six years old where he spent the rest of his childhood there until he left for college. He went to Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania for two years until he realized he wanted to attend a school that had a great communication and journalism program. That’s when Ray decided Temple University was the perfect match for him. It was only a short commuting distance from home and they had an excellent communication program. Ray took classes for both print and broadcast journalism. When asked which track was his favorite Ray answered, “Print only because writing was something that was a field I enjoyed and pretty much excelled at.”

When Ray graduated college he didn’t jump right into journalism as his first job. Instead he worked for a grounds crew of a condominium complex full time. He eventually picked up a freelance job for a weekly paper called the Montgomery Newspaper that covered high school sports. Ray’s luck had turned around when his aunt Rosalie had gotten him connections with a radio station in Abbeville South Carolina. “It was a small thousand watt AM station which was even smaller and less powerful than Temple University radio station,” said Ray. It was through this AM radio station Ray had gained experience on interviewing people for sports. He went to different colleges and high schools in the area and would report on the local sports teams.

Then the new chapter of his life began when the radio station was sold. Ray moved back to Pennsylvania where he was hired full time for the Montgomery Newspaper, which he had previously freelanced for. “This job was very similar to what I did for the radio station except I was going out and covering games live. Football, Hockey, Field Hockey, Track you name it,” said Ray enthusiastically. Although he did enjoy working with radio he does not plan on ever becoming a radio host. “Even though in radio it’s just you in the booth and the microphone, it’s knowing that behind that is thousands of people listening to you. The thought of it is kind of scary,” he commented.

Ray stayed with the Montgomery Newspaper for thirteen years until an uneventful tragedy occurred. A hurricane hit and flooded a creak that wrecked the building he was living in. Ray was displaced and decided to live in a condominium he owned in Brigantine, New Jersey a little town right off Atlantic City. Ray enjoyed living at the shore where could fish all year round. It was then he decided to leave the Montgomery Newspaper and apply to The Press of Atlantic City. He got the job as a writer for the sports section but only part time. To make ends meet he picked up a freelance job with the Brigantine weekly paper called Beach Comber. “I worked for them for about the same amount of time as I did for The Press of AC. Usually The Press didn’t want you to work for a paper that overlapped their advertising sale, which the Beach Comber didn’t. They didn’t find that as much of a threat so they didn’t care that I freelanced for them,” commented Ray.

            When Ray began to work for the Atlantic City Weekly as a freelance writer, The Press of Atlantic City became alarmed. It turned out the Atlantic City Weekly did infringe on their advertisement sale. So Ray had to stop working for the Atlantic City Weekly in order to keep his job at The Press of Atlantic City. Shortly after to Ray’s surprise the editor of Atlantic City Weekly, Mike Epifanio, was leaving the company to start his own weekly paper in Vineland, New Jersey. It was then Jeff Schwachter became the new editor and a position for an associate editor opened up. Ray was asked if he wanted to fill the position. Since at the time The Press of Atlantic City had no full time openings he took the job with Atlantic City Weekly. “This May would be five years that I’ve been here,” said Ray happily.

            Transitioning from sports to entertainment was a challenge at first for Ray but it was nothing he couldn’t handle as a journalist. “I mean if you have a pretty good handle on what the story is about and what you have to ask people to make it into a story that people want to read then you can transition pretty easy,” he said. Writing about sports will always be Ray’s forte since he has a passion for sports. His grandfather was a key figure to understanding why Ray grew so fond of sports. “It’s something that my grandfather got me into. He was a big sports fan. It was through him I got this big interest in sports,” he said. Ray will always be a big fan to any Philadelphia sports team. When asked if he will continue to write about sports he said, “I wouldn’t rule it out. Even here I occasionally do things that are sports related. Like in the spring when the gulf courses get more active I do features about gulf. So yea I still want to keep my hands in it.”

            As a full time journalist Ray has learned that with every story he writes there lies it’s positive feedback and negative feedback. He loves his career no matter what. It is always a plus to have positive feedback for him but when he does get the negative feedback he just takes a deep breathe and tries to fix any mistakes he has done. For example there was story he wrote on the Atlantic City Weekly Blog about Baby the pet of the owners of AC Pet Hotel. The dog named Baby passed away recently and Ray took it upon himself to write an article about it. He contacted the owners of AC Pet Hotel and they told him what poem they would like on the article. When the article was published the owner was upset because he requested the name of the poet to be on there, and Ray had forgotten to give credit to the poet. Ray immediately fixed it but still felt terrible about the mistake. “A lot of times you get negative feedback. When you get something wrong you feel bad about it. A lot of times it’s stressful,” he said.

            That hasn’t stopped Ray from doing what he loves. There are times it can be stressful to work in such a fast paced field when mistakes are prone to happen. There are deadlines that have to be met and things can get stressful. Ray copes with stress in a simple way “Well you take a deep breath. Then you figure ok if I don’t meet this deadline the world is not going to come to an end,” he says. Another way to cope with stress is he manages to figure out strategies to avoid missing deadlines. If he has to write about a game that finishes an hour before his deadline he scribbles notes and only writes the main scores, instead of taking more time transcribing the interviews and writing all the scores down. “You just take short cuts. You would scribble down some notes so that you save yourself some time there. I’ve never missed any deadlines in my whole life,” said Ray.

He is extremely proud of his work. Especially when he has successful interviews with celebrities. One of his personal favorite interviews was with Gregg Allman. “Gregg Allman is a fantastic musician who I always admired. So talking to him on the phone was a huge thrill, as down to earth as he ended up being. To hear him talk about stuff that he might not have said to other people it brings some new stuff to the interview that they might not had in the past,” he said. 

As far as future plans Ray plans to stick around Atlantic City Weekly. He advises future journalist to do the best they can with every story they come across. “There will be plenty that you just sort of have to do that you’re not passionate about. You still should put the same amount of energy into it. If your name is going to be on it you want people to think, well ok it might not be their forte but they can analyze something. They can decipher what is being said even though they’re not an expert on the subject. They can write about it in a way that other people are going to appreciate and understand. So do the best that you can,” concluded Ray.

Photo taken by Christina Rodriguez. This was a trophy given to everyone who sponsored the 2010 Battle of The Badges . Ray Schweibert received one for AC Weekly. “This may seem like a ten dollar trophy but to me it’s more meaningful,” said Ray.

Photo Taken by Christina Rodriguez in Atlantic City’s Atlantic Club

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – New regulations in New Jersey will allow mobile gambling in Atlantic City.

The timeframe for when mobile gambling will go live has not yet been determined. Casinos are waiting for their final regulatory approval.

Atlantic City casino customers will be allowed to gamble on their mobile devices, ipads, and other handheld devices within the boundaries of a casino hotel. This includes guest rooms, dining areas, and poolside. It will not be allowed in garages or parking lots.

Customers will be able to set up mobile accounts to ensure they are the legal age to gamble which is at least 21 years old. If they are on the list of prohibited gamblers they will be banned from creating an account, according to Donald Wittkowski a writer in The Press of Atlantic City.

Casinos are still determining whether or not it is worth the investment to allow mobile gambling on their property because of their financial state. Atlantic City has been struggling due to the fluctuation of the economy and the competition from other casinos in Pennsylvania.

Locals and many tourists go to Atlantic City casinos to have a good time and be entertained. They want to be able to go to a casinos and play in the slots and get the experience of being around people.

“You go to the casinos for the entertainment; to sit down on the slot machines, to have drinks. I want to be able to hear the sound of the slot machine and the people around me. It’s more encouraging to keep playing,” says Valentina Morales a local in Atlantic City.

Although gambling on mobile devices sounds like a great idea it can be a risky choice for Atlantic City casinos. There are many factors that the gamblers would want to know.

“Do we still get the perks of being a Total Rewards member? Will it be possible to eventually gamble from our homes because if we are going to the casino what is the point of gambling from my room. If I go to my room it’s to relax. If I go to a restaurant it’s to eat not gamble,” says Amanda Naylor a very concerned casino gambler.

Atlantic City is a place for fun, relaxation, and even live entertainment. The customers go for the experience of being in a casino. Allowing mobile gambling in the casino properties can be a hit or miss in Atlantic City.

Hopefully, Mr. Palmieri will have some ideas on how to bring successful development and growth to one of New Jersey’s oldest cities, which has yet to achieve its full potential since becoming the home of legalized casino gambling in New Jersey in the 1970s.

So now that you know what your credit report is and how to use it properly, you’re ready to buy that new home and get it for a great price.

But read the next post to learn what the next important piece of information you need to know. You won’t want to miss it!

(1) Builders lure buyers with lower prices – The Press of Atlantic City,  June 12, 2011 – Real Estate Section -D7- Joel Landau, Staff Writer

            I wrote for a little while last night. I had a couple beers and got some material posted to the blog, read for class and poured over a copy of The Press of Atlantic City. Then around ten o’clock I got fed up with reading for school and I just wanted to sit and watch TV; that’s when the melancholy started crawling through me, seeping into my pores and I felt I was dipped into a vat of marmalade – viscous melancholy slowing me down, holding me in place. My self-prescribed remedy: alcohol – pour me something to drink Aldo! keep ‘em coming! When the melancholy pulls and I fall into its sinkhole, this depression in the otherwise even terrain, I tend to fill it up with rum or tequila or whatever’s readily available. So that’s what I did, poured Jeremiah Weed Sweat Tea into a cup, unmixed, sat on the couch and started watching Californication. I figured if I wasn’t going to be a writer tonight I could at least watch a show about a writer and get a strong drunk going. So that’s what I did … Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea, unmixed.

             Around midnight a friend of mine came over with some pot. He works around the corner and had to be there early in the morning and he was staying for the night. So him, my roommate and I toked a little and hung out.  Before all this happened, before the bong hits, I had texted my girlfriend voicing suspicions she was cheating on me because she hadn’t texted me back from two hours earlier – baaaaddd idea, because while we were all sitting on the couch stoned she calls me. Of course. Now I have deal with my stupid mouth while I’m stoned and I don’t want to, I want to sit here and enjoy the moving shapes and colors moving on the TV and watch people having sex and getting killed because damn Spartacus is an awesome show, really, the show has all the essential elements…

            I pick up the phone and before she says anything I tell her I’m quitting journalism and school and getting the fuck out of here because ‘fuck – it – all’ we can do it on our own and she should come with me.  She’s tells me I’m drunk. Perfect … ramble incoherent bullshit she’ll never agree to and side step my fat mouth words from earlier. And that’s it, she tells me I’m drunk and don’t mean any of it and I should call her tomorrow. Perfect. Goodnight.

A looming fiscal crisis in 2010 is not stopping Mayor Lorenzo Langford from trying to re-create a government office dedicated to multicultural affairs, a defunct city division deleted by rival council members about six years ago.The new office would include the creation of two new jobs to run the new Multi-Cultural Affairs Office – a director and a clerk typist.

The last thing we need to is create new departments.   Atlantic City is facing a $20 – $57 Million budget deficit in 2010.   Does Mr. Langford need some smelling salts to wake up to out fiscal realities?

I suggested on last Saturday’s show that the City cross-train people already working in Cultural Affairs to execute the functions and purpose of a Multi-Cultural Affairs Office.   However, Michael Clark notes:

… according to the ordinance.The measure does not provide any specific duties or goals for the Multi-Cultural Affairs Office or its employees. The office would be operated within the city’s Department of Health and Human Services.

We do not need anymore city offices that do not have and do not execute “specific duties or goals.”

It is good to see that some of our elected officials get it:

Councilmen Steven Moore and George Tibbitt, both public allies of Langford, questioned the proposal Tuesday and referenced a huge budget shortfall projected for next year. Moore was adamant Tuesday that the city must refrain from hiring any more employees.

Thank you! Councilmen Moore and Tibbitt.   Good words, let us see your words backed up with cuts, cuts, and more cuts, plus sustained opposition to the Langford agenda of hiring more employees and creating more government offices and departments.

Operators of the ACES luxury express train that runs between Atlantic City and New York City say they’re eliminating some of the runs because of an expected downturn in winter ridership.

Beginning Dec. 18, the current 18-run weekend schedule decreases to 11 runs, with one Saturday northbound trip leaving Atlantic City an hour earlier.

Here are my two thoughts:

1. This is another reminder that the Winter months are tough for Atlantic City.   This news is the impetus of innovative marketing strategies to increase NYC-AC ridership.
2. I heard an ACES representative on Pinky’s Corner radio show.   He said that even during the best travel time of the year there were certain times that did not draw readership.   I suggest that the casinos and other parties involved learn from the past trends and conduct a survey and/or promotions to start a themed run on a week-day.

(Image Source – http://www.atlanticcitynj.com/attachments/ImageLib/ACEStrain_lr.jpg)

The State Commission of Investigation issued a report entitled, The Beat Goes On: Waste and Abuse in Local Government Employee Compensation and Benefits.   The Press of Atlantic City’s Michael Clark and Michael Miller report:

Atlantic City wasted almost $19 million in huge payments to municipal employees for accumulated sick and vacation time over a five-year period, the State Commission of Investigation said in a report released Tuesday.

 It is sad that Atlantic City is again getting state-wide attention for all of the wrong reasons.  

One noted public relations professional told me while I was on the Mayoral campaign trail, “Atlantic City has a one-way conversation.   People say whatever negative things about Atlantic City that they want to and there is no one responsible with putting forth positive things about Atlantic City.”   This point is profound.

The State Commission both criticized Atlantic City and proposed solutions:

Atlantic City enrolled in the state’s health plan this year with hopes of saving about $6 million, a figure frequently cited during Mayor Lorenzo Langford’s re-election campaign. However, a rise in rates appears to be pushing that savings amount down. Latest estimates put the savings at about $3 million.

But the commission projects Atlantic City could save almost $1.5 million if it implemented a 1.5 percent deduction in employee salaries for health care.

Atlantic City would be better off to follow some of Vineland’s municipal benefits procedures.   Vineland was cited in the state report “as one of a few local government’s taking ‘direct action to rein in public employee benefits through tougher personnel policies and ordinances and more aggressive collective bargaining.’”  

Atlantic City government has taken some recent measures to reform itself, yet Business Administrator Michael Scott’s words sadly encapsulate the molasses-slow speed that Atlantic City’s City Hall moves toward reform:

City Council President William “Speedy” Marsh said the city’s business administrator and the revenue and finance director ultimately must approve employees’ vacation days, sick days, personal days, etc. However, Marsh said it is unrealistic to think two people can keep track all of those days. He said the records should be moved through the Human Resources Office.

Scott said the administration is working to do just that through implementation of a new time clock system. However, that system has been installed for more than a year and many employees are still not enrolled.

The tenor of this story is ‘more of the same’.   The State, The Press, and citizens can and should complain about the waste and abuse and propose solutions, yet – unfortunately – until reform-minded people obtain the power to reform Atlantic City government through gaining elected office, we are in for ‘more of the same’ waste and abuse in Atlantic City.

(Photo credits – http://www.wood.army.mil/internalreview/FWA%20Icon.jpg, http://www.cityofatlanticcity.org/images/people/MichaelScottSmall.jpg)

Gavin Farber: What made you join the organization?

BIll Moen: We created this organization in the fall of 2007, and are currently a petitioning club with SGA. All of the members that came together back in September all had one thing in common: motivation to get the Democratic Party active on campus through activism, community service, and any other means necessary.

GF: What were the biggest accomplishments your organization did this year?

BM: With the presidential elections coming on November 2008, the members of the Rowan Democratic Club have been featured in numerous newspapers such as The Whit, The Press of Atlantic City, The Gloucester County Times, and as well as the Camden Record Breeze. A few members have also been guests on television shows, such as Rowan (Television Network’s) On the Couch and also interviewed for a political analyst position on CBS-3 in Philadelphia.

GF: What made you want to become president of the organization?

BM: I wanted to become president of the Rowan Democratic Club because I knew that my goals were shared by other members of the club, and with my previous experience in leadership position (ex: PROS, SGA), we could make it happen.

GF: What did you learn from taking on this position?

BM: The experience that I will take from this holding this position is incomparable to anything else. I have met many dignified politicians such as John Edwards, Ed Rendell, Michael Nutter, and Jon Corzine. We have also learned that political activism at Rowan is present; we just had to find it!

GF: Would you change anything from this past year?

BM: Nothing at all. This year could not have gone any better than it had for this organization.

GF: Was this position stressful?

BM: This position definitely could have become a stressful job, but with the other members in the club who were willing to help out, stress did not once come into play. Without the other members assisting me in our many projects we completed this year, they would not have gotten done.

GF: What is your advice to future presidents of your organization?

BM: Call me. We will sit down and talk.

GF: What are your future plans? Do you plan to stay in contact with members and advisors of the organization?

BM: I plan on attending law school next fall, but I am not completely sure that is where I will be heading. I like to leave my options open, so that is what it will come down to. I ultimately want to get involved in politics at the local level, and eventually want to move my way up to put myself in a position that I can do that most good for the most people possible.

Of course I will stay in contact with this organization. In this past year, the members have built it up to such a highly respected student organization, and I feel that in the future, the Rowan Democratic Club will be a force to be reckoned with in local politics, as well as Student Government at Rowan University.

LATEST NEWS: Colony Capital makes $850M. offer for Tropicana
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI Staff Writer, 609-272-7258
Published: Wednesday, January 9, 2008

ATLANTIC CITY - Colony Capital LLC, a private real estate investment firm that already owns two Atlantic City gaming halls, has made an $850 million cash offer for the troubled Tropicana Casino and Resort.

Los Angeles-based Colony expressed its interest in a letter to Gary S. Stein, a former New Jersey Supreme Court justice who is overseeing Tropicana’s sale in his role as a state-appointed conservator.

Colony spokeswoman Lisa Baker declined to comment Wednesday night. Other company representatives in Los Angeles and New York could not be reached. The Press of Atlantic City learned of the offer from people familiar with Colony’s letter.

The Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort and sister property Resorts Atlantic City are owned by Colony affiliates. Colony tried to acquire Tropicana in 2006 but was outbid by Kentucky-based Columbia Sussex Corp. in a $2.75 billion takeover of Tropicana casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas formerly owned by Aztar Corp.

Columbia Sussex, in turn, was denied a new gaming license Dec. 12 by the state Casino Control Commission following a disastrous 11-month reign that included mass job cuts, regulatory violations and complaints of unsanitary conditions and poor customer service. The commission appointed Stein to take charge until the casino is sold.

Interest in Tropicana has intensified in the last two weeks as potential bidders have begun jockeying for position. Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun casino is looking at Tropicana as part of its East Coast expansion plans. In addition, a private investment group headed by New Jersey real estate developer Curtis Bashaw and former Atlantic City gaming executive Wallace R. Barr has confirmed it may make a bid for Tropicana.

As owner of two of Atlantic City’s smaller casinos, Colony Capital reportedly has been shopping for a large property that would transform it into a major player in the country’s second-largest gaming market.

The sprawling Tropicana has 2,129 hotel rooms, 3,400 slot machines and about 150,000 square feet of casino space. However, the aging casino floor and hotel towers are badly in need of renovation to complement Tropicana’s tourist-friendly retail and entertainment complex known as The Quarter.

Gaming analysts have estimated Tropicana will fetch between $800 million and $1 billion in an auction. Colony’s offer suggests a minimum of $850 million. The buyer likely will have to spend a few hundred million dollars more to refurbish the 27-year-old property.

Other possible bidders include Pinnacle Entertainment Inc., Ameristar Casinos, Penn National Gaming and Crown Ltd., a gaming company headed by billionaire James Packer, Australia’s richest man, according to analysts.

One private group seen as a likely bidder is Gomes + Cordish Gaming Management LLC, a newly formed partnership between Dennis Gomes and Baltimore-based retail developer Cordish Co. Gomes was Tropicana’s chief executive when it was owned by Aztar, while Cordish is the developer of an Atlantic City shopping and entertainment district known as The Walk.

Founded in 1991 by Thomas J. Barrack Jr., Colony Capital has about $36 billion in real estate and casino holdings worldwide. Colony bought Resorts Atlantic City in 2001 for $140 million. It acquired the Hilton in 2005 as part of a $1.24 billion deal with Caesars Entertainment Inc. and Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. for four casinos in New Jersey, Mississippi and Indiana.

To e-mail Donald Wittkowski at The Press:

DWittkowski@pressofac.com