Janet Babin

Governor Chris Christie is taking steps to force Jersey shore homeowners to allow sand dune construction on their beachfront properties.

He issued an executive order to start legal action against about 1000 oceanfront property owners who've refused to assign a strip of their beach front to the state.

The corrosive effect of salt water is being blamed for damage to infrastructure in the aftermath of Sandy - - from the subway lines in Manhattan, to the Seaside boardwalk in New Jersey. WNYC's Janet Babin reports, property owners there were warned that equipment submerged in salt water should be replaced.

She says, "We do know that New Jersey issued a letter to everyone affected by the storm a few months after the storm, that gave guidance for what to do with electrical systems in the aftermath of Sandy and that letter said any equipment or receptacles that were submerged did have to be replaced within 90 days."

Almost 11 months after Sandy, the corrosive effects of saltwater remain a very real danger. And that's had an effect on all kinds of local infrastructure, from the boardwalks in seaside towns in New Jersey to the subway lines in Manhattan.

Despite outspending his Democratic rival about 5 to 1, disgraced ex-New York Governor Eliot Spitzer came up short in his bid to become New York City's next Comptroller.

New York, NY —

As the primary campaign winds down, Democratic mayoral candidate Christine Quinn has about eight times as much money remaining in her primary campaign account compared to front-runner Bill de Blasio, and even more compared to rival Democrat Bill Thompson.

We check in on several shore towns to see how the first summer after Sandy fared for business and tourism. WNYC reporter Janet Babin talks about how some towns along the Jersey Shore experienced a 40% drop-off in tourism business and decodes what this means about recovery from the storm’s damage. We'll also hear firsthand from business owners Terence Tubridy, co-owner of Bungalow Bar and Restaurant in Rockaway Beach, and Laura Mercogliano, owner and general manager of The Palms Hotel Fire Island as well as other Fire Island businesses in Ocean Beach.

Seaside Heights, New Jersey —

Despite $5.57 billion in federal disaster assistance to New Jersey survivors of Sandy, Seaside Heights and other nearby towns experienced a 40 percent drop-off in tourism-related businesses this summer.

Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is working to integrate his widespread name recognition and larger-than-life persona into his campaign for the more detail-oriented, smaller role of New York City comptroller.

The last grand slam event of the tennis season began Monday right here in New York City.

The two Democratic candidates hoping to become the city's next comptroller picked at each other as they outlined their visions during a debate aired on CBS television and radio on Thursday night.

Brisk sales of a relatively new financial instrument called a catastrophe bond could help governments pay for disasters.

The Clinton Foundation is getting a new name and a prominent new senior official this fall: Hillary Clinton and her staff will move into the foundation’s offices to expand the organization's mission by developing new initiatives on women's and children's issues.

In New Jersey, a two-month campaign is beginning for U.S. Senate.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is calling for a reform of the prison system, looking to reduce mass incarceration and eliminate laws that mandate minimum prison sentences for low-level drug offenses.  The move comes as a federal judge ruled Monday that the NYPD's stop-and-frisk practices are unconstitutional.

As the city considers appealing a judge's decision that stop-and-frisk is unconstitutional, Mayor Bloomberg continues to defend the tactic as vehemently as ever.

New York, NY —

The New York MTA is going into hurricane season with $100 million dollars less insurance against catastrophes than it had when Sandy happened.

New York, NY —

Investors are betting against another Sandy-sized storm hitting New York City. The first ever bond tied to storm surge levels around New York city generated so much market interest that the bond has grown by 60%.

A parasite usually found in tropical or subtropical nations may have found its way to New Jersey and six other states, making some people sick, officials say.

Between Sandy and the wettest June on record, New Jersey's mature trees are falling down more frequently, making residents nervous. Some are even eyeing healthy trees, singling them out to be cut.