After Sandy
Billions of dollars in grants and insurance payments have been spent on Sandy recovery efforts, but some people are still homeless and living out of their cars, according to a piece by The Inquirer’s Amy Rosenberg and Frank Kummer. Many people’s recovery projects were derailed by contractor fraud, others are still waiting on FEMA flood insurance payouts, or revised payouts after original low-ball offers. Many longer-term projects to improve communities’ flood resilience and for which federal funding has already been put aside, have barely been started, the reporters found. Read more here.
Photo (from a spot along Buck Rd) by Joyce Foy (@lakesgirljf on Instagram).
Delaware River Water
A new agreement allows New Jersey to take more water from the Delaware River. The previous river water management plan between New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York City had expired in May. The plan is supposed “to juggle water-supply demands, protect fisheries, and prevent saltwater from intruding into drinking-water supplies,” writes Tom Johnson for NJSpotlight. Environmental groups were broadly satisfied the states and New York City were able to agree on a new plan but there was some concern the new quota for New Jersey could spur more development in the area.
In the rest of the day’s news, Sweeney v NJEA gets a NYTimes writeup, read Inquirer columnist Kevin Riordan on his personal experience with “saying no” and how it deserves some reconsideration as a drug policy, a lawsuit claims that leadership allowed two Atlantic County officers to sexually abuse a teenage girls, what Trump’s opioid declaration means for New Jersey, Salem County thinks it has a shot at wooing Amazon, read about Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian’s on-air fight with the city’s former Republican party leader, Menendez is calling for a mistrial, and read about Rosebud the therapy chicken. All that and more below:
SBA Grants $800 Million in Loans to South Jersey Business Owners–The US Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced that more than $800 million in loans have been given out to small business owners in New Jersey. The counties with the largest increase in lending were in the southern New Jersey region. www.snjtoday.com
Sweeney Talks Vo-Tech Schools, Increased State Aid for Education–On Wednesday, Oct. 25th, New Jersey State Senate President Stephen Sweeney spoke about education and schools in South Jersey. While speaking at a policy forum sponsored by the New Jersey School Board Association held in Atlantic City, Sweeney said he will build on this year’s effort to increase state aid for education in the state by continuing to boost funding next year and beyond. www.snjtoday.com
Three Hammonton Men Indicted On Drug And Gun Charges–Three Hammonton men were indicted this week on drug and gun charges. On August 3, members of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Guns Gangs and Narcotics Unit found cocaine, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and a .32-caliber revolver during a search of a residence and a building, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said. breakingac.com
Boardwalk Surveillance Cameras Lead To Burglary Arrest–Boardwalk surveillance cameras led to the arrest of a burglary suspect this week, Atlantic City police said. Officers James Andros and Jose Ruiz responded to the Boardwalk at Indiana Avenue at about 3:45 am after officers in the surveillance room saw a suspicious man pulling a large object, Sgt Kevin Fair said. breakingac.com