Regional Briefs – April 29, 2019

Murphy Signs Bills Aimed At Helping Those Facing Foreclosure

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law a measure aimed at helping the state continue to recover from a housing foreclosure crisis that stemmed from the Great Recession.

The first-term Democrat signed the nine bills Monday in Atlantic City.

The administration says about one out of a thousand homes are in foreclosure, a total of about 20,000 households. Atlantic City has the highest foreclosure rate at one in 42.

Volunteers Will Help Clean The Shores Of The Hudson River

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — More than 2,000 volunteers are expected to help clean up the shores of the Hudson River next weekend.

The eighth annual Riverkeeper Sweep will be held on Saturday, May 4 with volunteers cleaning up shorelines and fostering native plants up and down the river.

NY Prepares For Potential Flooding Along Lake Ontario

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — New York is preparing for potential flooding in Lake Ontario area communities.

The State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services is coordinating preparedness with local officials.

Over 200,000 sandbags are being sent to sites in Cayuga, Jefferson, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Wayne counties.

New York To Pay $9m Settlement For Hiker Struck By Rocks

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Lawyers for a woman left paralyzed after being struck by falling rocks at a state park say New York officials have agreed to pay $9 million to settle the woman’s lawsuit.

Attorney George Szary tells the Albany Times Union the accord was reached Monday as a trial was about to start. The bulk will go to Nancy Ladd-Butz, who was struck while hiking at John Boyd Thacher State Park near Albany in 2017. She’s paralyzed from the chest down.

Dog Impaled On Lamppost After Fall Expected To Fully Recover

ENGLEWOOD, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say a dog impaled on a lamppost in a fall from a fourth-floor apartment in New Jersey is expected to make a full recovery.

The female basset hound named Libby was alone in the unit at the Brownstones at Englewood South when she jumped through a window screen around 11:50 a.m. Sunday. The spike at the top of the lamppost pierced the top of Libby’s left front leg, and she ended up suspended about 20 feet in the air.