Friday, May 24, 2013
Gov. Christie appeared at Seaside Heights boardwalk Friday to promote the Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is officially open for summer, Gov. Chris Christie said as he spent Friday morning in Seaside Heights promoting tourism in New Jersey. Early Friday, Christie appeared on NBC's Today Show, which broadcast its morning news program live from Seaside Heights. The governor later cut a ceremonial ribbon — a Guinness World Record at over five miles long — to officially declare the shore open. "It's an incredible day for New Jersey," Christie said in remarks. "I'm so thrilled that this morning we're here with the whole country welcoming the Jersey Shore back." After being battered by Superstorm Sandy, many businesses on the boardwalk are open and welcoming customers, though others continue to make repairs. Despite some grey …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Highlands Council president hopes funding will get residents back in homes and businesses open
New Jersey’s disaster recovery plan calls for $1.83 billion to support a variety of housing, infrastructure and business programs, Gov. Christie and U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced Monday, six months after Hurricane Sandy devasted areas of the state's coast. Before a crowd of more than 50 at Moby’s Restaurant in Highlands, Donovan announced HUD’s approval of the disaster recovery plan to help homeowners’ and businesses following Hurricane Sandy. The $1.83 billion will be funded through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. “Today we take another important step toward recovery and healing for hard-hit communities in New Jersey,” said Donovan, who chairs President Barack Obama’s …
Friday, April 26, 2013
Homeowners are faced with a choice of elevating a home at a high cost or paying thousands more for flood insurance
Elevate, pay thousands more in flood insurance premiums or simply walk away from homes? That is the question on the minds of some Hurricane Sandy victims. The first floor of Craig Verran’s Manasquan home was totaled. A home that never took on water in its nine years is now being refurbished prior to Verran making his decision. “It’s a tough decision,” Verran said. “You either elevate or else. It’s an 'or else' situation. You’re going to face premiums that are unbearable.” In addition to $150,000 toward the damage to his home and car, Verran will be facing at least $75,000 to elevate his home or a $7,500 increase in his insurance, he said. Before Sandy, Verran’s home was 1 foot above the required elevation and not in a flood zone. Now, with…
Thursday, April 18, 2013
The governor held a table discussion with area business owners about the prospects of the upcoming summer season.
Gov. Christie isn't just confident that the Jersey Shore is ready to welcome back visitors to its beaches and businesses, he's sure of it. At McLoone's Pier House in Long Branch Thursday afternoon, Christie held a round table discussion with several area business owners to listen to their concerns and expectations for the summer, and to ask them to let him know what the state can do to facilitate the coast's continued recovery following Hurricane Sandy. Despite some lingering issues, the message was largely uniform. "The good news I heard from them is that they're open for business." The goal now, Christie said, is to spread that message, to let the shore's visitors know that their favorite summer destination is ready to welcome them for …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The governor presented his $32.9 billion budget for fiscal year 2014.
Progress is evident. Momentum is building. As he laid out his $32.9 billion proposed budget for fiscal year 2014 at the Statehouse Tuesday, Gov. Chris Christie said the state’s future, both economically and in recovery following Hurricane Sandy, is moving in the right direction. With talk of compromise and bipartisanship – as well as a few customary jabs at former governor Jon Corzine’s administration – Christie called on the state’s legislature to keep it going, to make the conscious decision to help New Jersey return to a position of prosperity it once knew. Of course it will do so with the help of funding from the federal government. Included in the governor’s proposed budget is just $40 million in supplemental aid for Sandy-related …
Monday, February 25, 2013
A Quinnipiac University poll released this week shows Chris Christie with a big lead over his Democratic challenger, state Sen. Barbara Buono.
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Monday, February 25
Gov. Chris Christie is the best person to lead New Jersey over the next four years, according to voters recently polled in a survey released this week by Quinnipiac University. Christie, a Republican, leads his Democratic rival, state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), 62 percent to 25 percent in the state's 2013 gubernatorial race, according to the poll. The governor's overall approval rating also remains high. Christie's 74 percent approval rating and 69 percent favorable rating tie his personal record highs from January, the Huffington Post reports, both numbers buoyed by public perception of the way he handled Hurricane Sandy's impact and its aftermath. Christie appears to have strong support on the other side of the aisle, as well. …
Friday, February 8, 2013
The order directs the State comptroller to conduct independent review of contracts and provides transparency measures over expenditures.
An executive order signed by Gov. Chris Christie Friday aims to put key review and reporting initiatives in place to ensure that distribution of Hurricane Sandy relief funds is done in an accountable and transparent matter. The order, No. 125, directs the Office of the State Comptroller to conduct an independent, legal review of the procurement process for state contracts using federal reconstruction aid, according to a release. Each of the state's departments dealing with the distribution of federal aid will designate an "Accountability Officer" to work with the Comptroller's Office and the Governor's Office of Recovery and Rebuilding. The order also requires that contracts approved with the state be made accessible to the public through …
Gov. Christie said home buyouts are a possibility, but that he's leaving the decision to individual towns to make.
State-funded buyouts of homes in flood-prone neighborhoods ravaged by Hurricane Sandy is a possibility, Gov. Christie said this week. However, when it comes to a final decision, it’s one he hopes the residents will make. In Sea Bright, Christie was joined Thursday afternoon by U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan to discuss the allocation of $1.8 billion that will be used to fund Community Development Block grants, or CDBGs. Though that money will be focused on rebuilding homes and small businesses, future HUD allocations could be used for residential buyouts. It’s not something he’d like to see, Christie said, but if a community finds that it’s the best option for their future, it will have to be considered. “I …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The governor was joined by Shaun Donovan in Sea Bright Thursday afternoon.
The $1.8 billion recently allocated for use in Community Development Block Grants, or CDBGs, will be used primarily to help residents and small businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy recover, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan said Thursday afternoon. Joined by Gov. Chris Christie in Sea Bright, Donovan said the funding is the first chunk of approximately $16 billion that will help homeowners along the East Coast rebuild, filling the gaps between aid provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and loans issued by the Small Business Administration (SBA). The grant funding is part of the more than $50 billion aid package approved by Congress less than a month ago. With storms like Sandy, known, …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Christie decision to adopt FEMA's advisory flood maps will have a dramatic impact on coastal towns, but he's not backing down.
Gov. Chris Christie is adamant about his decision to adopt the Federal Emergency Management’s (FEMA) advisory flood maps. And while that decision will have a significant, and costly, impact on many of New Jersey’s shore towns, it’s a necessary step to ensure their survival, he said. Speaking at a mobile cabinet meeting in Union Beach nearly two weeks after announcing his decision to rebuild using the advisory flood maps as a guide, Christie said it was a difficult choice, but one he had to make. Even amidst opposition as shore towns and residents voice their objections to the maps and their expanded flood-prone A and V Zones, Christie’s not backing down. Whether towns and residents rebuild smarter and higher, or face the risk and high cost…
Uncle Scam
11:04 am on Saturday, May 25, 2013
Obama! Free money for all the unemployed! USA USA! Why work when you can take money from those who do! more ›