SDG&E crews install a steel pole in the Cleveland National Forest. Photo courtesy of the utility

By Elizabeth Ireland Times of San Diego

San Diego Gas & Electric and the Cleveland National Forest completed a fire hardening and safety project, replacing thousands of wooden poles with steel to better protect the electrical grid from the impact of forest fires, it was announced Monday.

The project included wood-to-steel pole conversions and replacement or undergrounding of equipment to improve the fire resistance of electric infrastructure throughout 880 square miles in eastern San Diego, including the communities of Julian, Pauma Valley, Descanso, Pine Valley, Mount Laguna and Campo.

“This fire hardening project will not only safeguard communities within and adjacent to forest from potential wildfire threats, it also protects priority watersheds improves sensitive wildlife habitats and scenic areas,” said Cleveland National Forest Supervisor Scott Tangenberg. “This project was indeed a team effort, and it strengthened relationships and fostered new partnerships that will have lasting results for the cultural and natural resources we manage.”

Following the wildfire seasons of 2003 and 2007, SDG&E began planning and designing the fire-hardening programs. Construction began shortly after the company received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission and the United States Forest Service in 2016.

“This is an enormous accomplishment for our region and the result of incredible partnerships at the local, state and federal levels, as well as the patience of so many of our customers whose lives have been disrupted over the life of the project,” said Caroline Winn, SDG&E’s CEO. “Many dedicated crews and individuals worked for more than a decade, often in challenging conditions, and we are so proud and excited to announce its completion knowing that it plays a vital role in SDG&E’s commitment to making our electric system safer, cleaner and more reliable.”lick to read the full story

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By Colleen Wilson NorthJersey.com

The project aimed at improving the decrepit, century-old tunnels that shuttle commuters back and forth under the Hudson River has been upgraded to a “medium-high” priority by the Federal Transit Administration.

This new ranking makes the $12.3 billion projects eligible for federal funding in the Capital Investment Grants program and is the first of many steps needed to get this long-awaited and mammoth project off the ground. It was previously ranked “medium-low” by former President Donald Trump’s administration.

Feds clear the way for the Gateway Tunnel project to get billions …

“Well-planned, large public transportation projects can transform lives and entire regions by reducing commute times, increasing safety, opening economic opportunities, reducing emissions, and making travel more affordable,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement announcing the change. “The Hudson Tunnel Project will enable a safe, comfortable commute for hundreds of thousands of Americans currently traveling through a tunnel that was built more than 110 years ago.”

The project partners, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ Transit, Amtrak, New York and New Jersey, according to the FTA announcement, “must complete several CIG program requirements before the project is eligible to advance into the next phase of the CIG process, which is entry into Engineering.”

Five other projects received new or updated ratings along with the Hudson tunnel proposal.

“The day many commuters never thought they’d ever see is finally coming,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. “We are closer than ever to securing a fairly and fully funded Gateway Program and beginning the work of delivering the safe and modern infrastructure our people and economy deserve.”

A lengthy process

During former President Barack Obama’s administration, the Gateway project was developed to replace the ARC plan vetoed by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in 2010.

Gateway is a collection of more than $30 billion in projects to expand and improve rail capacity under the Hudson River and through New York Penn Station and to upgrade the most trafficked and troublesome portion of the Northeast Corridor. The first phase would rehabilitate the 112-year-old tunnels rapidly deteriorating from Superstorm Sandy and build two new tunnels to increase the number of trains that can enter and exit Penn Station. Amtrak and NJ Transit trains use the tunnels

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By Michelle Rotuno-Johnson, Patch Staff

PARAMUS, NJ — After an unknown thief took former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci’s car in Paramus, law enforcement in Newark were able to track it down.

The SUV had been unlocked, and the thief took it from a Ridgewood Avenue residence Sunday by using a key fob, police told NorthJersey.com.

Police located the Mercedes Benz with the New York license plate “MRSMOOCH” by tracking a GPS unit inside the vehicle, according to NJ.com.

Scaramucci indicated it was his wife’s car in a tweet he sent Saturday.

“Shout out to (Newark public safety director) Brian O’Hara and his team,” Scaramucci wrote. “You guys were incredible #grateful”

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