New Jersey had to withdraw and resubmit a request to modify a federal emergency grant awarded after Hurricane Sandy 15 times due to technical glitches with the grant’s online system and incomplete information during a seven-month delay in approval that put cleanup efforts at risk, according to an audit released on Monday. The federal audit said… Read the rest of this entry »

FREEHOLD – A 43-year-old Hazlet home improvement contractor was indicted by a Monmouth County grand jury Monday for theft after he allegedly took $120,000 from a Hurricane Sandy victim and then failed to begin the work, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said. Edward Capriani, 43, of Line Road in Hazlet, was arrested in December after an… Read the rest of this entry »

TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie’s “randomly” chosen question from a Boy Scout at a town hall meeting last week wasn’t left entirely to chance, though luck did play a small part. In Freehold last Tuesday afternoon, the governor took a question from 12-year-old Zachary Seemar, a Boy Scout from Brick Township whose family lost its home… Read the rest of this entry »

In an area of the Jersey Shore most devastated by Sandy, a power company is forcing many homeowners who rebuilt their houses higher to spend thousands of dollars to also raise the utility poles and electric lines. One homeowner had to pay $20,000, after the stand-off stopped his rebuilding for months, he said. It’s not clear… Read the rest of this entry »

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, civilian workers at New Jersey’s Naval Weapons Station Earle used the base’s money to buy ceramic tile, molding and toilet partitions for their personal houses and exploited overtime pay – with some putting in and being approved for 24-hour work shifts during the disaster. In addition, the base’s public works… Read the rest of this entry »

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – Federal Emergency Management Agency officials have agreed to reopen and review every flood insurance claim filed by Superstorm Sandy victims. The review will involve approximately 144,000 claims and not limit corrective action to 2,200 that are currently in litigation. The announcement comes following allegations of fraud involving the way some insurance companies… Read the rest of this entry »

In her last job, Amanda Devecka-Rinear’s office was in an historic brick Georgian mansion on DuPont Circle in Washington D.C., with rooftop views of Embassy Row. Her office now is in a fishing shack on Cedar Bonnet Island, with back porch views of Barnegat Bay and kitchen views of a boarded-up house across the sand-packed street.… Read the rest of this entry »

Frustrated Sandy survivors, unhappy with Gov. Chris Christie’s handling of the storm recovery, are beginning to dog him on the presidential campaign trail. After raising money through crowdfunding, several New Jerseyans followed him… Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON — The lawyer representing 800 Hurricane Sandy victims in New Jersey and New York today said any settlement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency needs to include homeowners who never pursued allegations of fraud after their claims were denied, as well as those who have yet to file. Steve Mostyn, a Houston-based trial lawyer, said… Read the rest of this entry »

TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) – It just doesn’t seem fair. Bridgewater resident Kathy Gerndt elevated her small one-story summer cottage on Moonrise Lane in Toms River, which was wrecked by Superstorm Sandy, eight feet to bring it into accordance with Federal Emergency Management Agency rules. Now Gerndt has a problem that’s not her fault but will… Read the rest of this entry »