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New York, New Jersey storm projects chosen

By WTOP Staff

JONATHAN LEMIRE
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A system of dikes around the tip of lower Manhattan, and water pumps and parks across the Hudson River in New Jersey were among the projects selected Monday to receive nearly $1 billion in federal funding as part of efforts to protect the New York City region from Superstorm Sandy-type flooding.

The six projects — winners of a design competition created by President Barack Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force — are intended to offer a variety of safeguards to protect the low-lying coastal areas that were punished by catastrophic flooding when the superstorm made landfall in October 2012.

“Today is just the beginning in making these projects a reality across the region,” Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan said Monday in Little Ferry, New Jersey, a community just north of the Meadowlands sports complex that suffered severe damage from a storm surge in the Hackensack River. “We are going to build them, we are going to make lives better and make communities and families safer.”

One winner, nicknamed “The Big U,” would create an 8-mile long system of dikes that will be placed around the tip of Lower Manhattan. Another plans to build a series of natural breakwaters — including oyster beds and other living reefs — that could absorb the brunt of storm waters racing toward Staten Island.

Another would protect a key food market in the Bronx while a fourth aims to help drain stretches of Long Island. The four winners, chosen from a group of 10 finalists and announced in Manhattan on Monday, will receive $540 million in federal funding.

The two New Jersey projects are centered in the northern part of the state and will get a total of $380 million in HUD funding. One will protect Weehawken, Hoboken and Jersey City with green space to slow storm surges and water pumps to discharge the runoff. The other will create additional wetlands and a multi-purpose berm, or ground barrier, in the Meadowlands. An eight-foot tidal surge overwhelmed an earthen berm during Sandy and sent water rushing through Little Ferry and surrounding towns.

Donovan, who headed the task force and was nominated last week to take over the federal Office of Management and Budget, was joined by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Sen. Charles Schumer, all Democrats, to announce the New York winners. Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie joined him in Little Ferry.

“The issue before us is resiliency: protecting our city, our state, against an ever-changing climate,” de Blasio said.

The projects are subject to many levels of government review and would likely be many years from completion. Asked when groundbreaking would happen for the New Jersey projects, Donovan didn’t give an estimate.

The projects are a small piece of the overall rebuilding effort; New York City alone plans to spend $3.7 billion to fortify its coastline. Much of New Jersey’s damage occurred on the shore, and Donovan was questioned why neither HUD-approved project announced Monday focused on the coastline.

“These were the best projects we saw for New Jersey,” he said. “We are doing a huge amount of work on the shore in terms of rebuilding public infrastructure and working with the Army Corps of Engineers to make sure dunes and other protection is built on the shore, so this is one piece of a much broader investment that the federal government is making.”

More than 100 people in the region died due to the storm.

___

Porter reported from Little Ferry, New Jersey.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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