Articles by Jennifer Peltz

NYC Flood Defense Barrier Remains Years Away

After ocean waters poured into lower Manhattan during Superstorm Sandy, experts began dreaming up a solution: a U-shaped barrier of earthen berms, walls and gates that would keep floods out and the nation’s financial capital dry. Now, more than three …

Snowy East Coast Digs Out After Massive Weekend Blizzard

Millions of Americans started digging themselves out Sunday after a mammoth blizzard with hurricane-force winds and record-setting snowfall brought much of the East Coast to an icy standstill. New York and Baltimore began lifting travel restrictions and hearty souls ventured …

Officials Eye Sky Security After Drone Crashes Into Empty Seats at U.S. Open

A drone crash during a U.S. Open match has tennis officials thinking about whether they can do more to safeguard the sprawling National Tennis Center from such hazards, a spokesman said. “Obviously, it’s something we are looking at” after an …

New York City to Pay $6.25M to Man Exonerated in 1989 Killing

New York City has agreed to pay $6.25 million to a man who spent nearly 25 years in prison before being exonerated in a killing that happened while he was more than 1,000 miles away vacationing at Disney World, the …

NYC Blast Probe Highlights Problem of Stealing Gas

It was a run-of-the-mill complaint — a smell of gas — with a troubling explanation: Someone had improperly tapped into a Manhattan building’s gas line, and it was leaking. The issue was quickly resolved. But seven months later, authorities suspect …

NYC Mayor: Someone May Have ‘Inappropriately’ Tapped Gas Line

Someone may have improperly tapped a gas line before an explosion that leveled three apartment buildings and injured nearly two dozen people, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday, March 27, as firefighters soaked the still-smoldering buildings …

Did Electrified Third Rail Make New York Train Wreck Deadlier?

It was a hellish scenario investigators had never seen before: 400 feet of electrified third rail snapped into 12 pieces and speared a commuter train during a fiery collision with an SUV. Now officials want to know whether the rail’s …

Doctor Recovers From Ebola, Leaves New York City Hospital

A Doctors Without Borders physician who was declared free of Ebola said Tuesday he was living proof that early detection and isolation can stop the spread of the deadly virus, and he called for a better focus at the center …

2 Years After Superstorm Sandy: Are We Ready for Next Big Storm?

After Superstorm Sandy, officials in New York and New Jersey vowed to make sure the unprecedented destruction wouldn’t happen again. Two years later, would it? There are some concrete signs of tougher protections, from a nearly-finished sea wall protecting two …

Report on Infrastructure Upgrades Since Superstorm Sandy

Two years after Superstorm Sandy, would New York and New Jersey be better protected and prepared if such a storm struck again? A sampling of work on some key issues: • Flood Protection New York City: Many projects on the …