Lesnewich, Kapner Discuss Their Next Steps on New Providence Council

Lesnewich to focus on field improvements; Kapner to focus on parking, attracting new businesses. Both brought up JCP&L's lack of communication as an issue to address.

While many were still without power this past Tuesday — and still are right now — it was a usual Election Day in New Providence. With three candidates and only two Council seats open in New Providence, incumbent Alan Lesnewich and newcomer Gary Kapner were voted in by the residents with 3,255 and 3,187 votes, respectively. The two Republicans defeated Victor Moschella, an Independent candidate, who received 608 votes. “It’s good to grow up in a town and do this. I’ve been here 60 years. I’m very happy. I’m happy to get the approval of the voters,” Lesnewich said after the results were announced at a campaign party at Creative Wallcovering & Interiors. “I’m looking forward to continuing to do some of the things we’ve started doing [on …

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Hurricane Sandy

Power In Parts Of Union County Could Be Restored By This Evening

Some towns in Union County could have power as early as this evening.

Gov. Chris Christie today released revised power restoration plans received from the three major power utility companies in the state in order to create greater certainty, transparency and accountability for New Jerseyans. According to the plans, some sections of Union County that are still without power could have service restored as early as this evening. PSE&G, Jersey Central Power and Light and Atlantic City Electric provided plans at the governor's request to show restoration projections at the municipal level for the next two days  in order to give New Jersey households and businesses, who continue to be affected by power outages, greater certainty as to when their power needs will be met, according to a press release from the …

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Hurricane Sandy

JCP&L Warns Power Could Be Out For 10 Days

Utility company says its hiring extra contractors, urges residents to be prepared

Residents should be prepared for power outages of up to 10 days from the anticipated impact of Hurricane Sandy, according to a release from the parent company of JCP&L. FirstEnergy Corp, which owns the local utility company along with several others on the East Coast, said in a release that the oncoming storm could wreak havoc with the electrical system and residents should be prepared to be without power for more than a week. The company is securing outside utility crews, electrical contractor and tree trimmers to assist a beefed up response crew and support workers to help restore power as soon as possible throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland, according to the release. “Depending on the severity of the storm's impact on the …

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Hurricane Sandy

HURRICANE SANDY: JCP&L Says it Learned From Its Mistakes

Stresses storm may knock out power for 7-10 days

  Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) President Don Lynch says the company has learned from the mistakes it made from Hurricane Irene and is ready for Hurricane Sandy and the threat it poses to the state. The company took heat when Hurricane Irene left many New Jersey towns without power for days - and, in some cases, weeks. Many thought JCP&L's response was too slow. The biggest lesson learned is getting the information out to customers and municipalities as specifically, quickly and often as possible, Lynch said. The company wants its customers to know as much information as possible, he said. "Just know that Jersey Central will be working hard day and night - we've already started, should that storm hit shore here and cause outages …

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Power Restored To Affected New Providence, Berkeley Heights Residents

JCP&L Area Manager said power was returned to most of the 146 customers by 8:50 p.m. The few remaining residents should have power back very soon.

Update A power outage that occurred around 5:30 p.m. in Berkeley Heights, which affected residents in both the township and New Providence, has been fixed as of 8:50 p.m.  Jim Markey, a JCP&L Area Manager, said power has been restored to most of the 146 customers who were affected by the outage, which was caused by a failed insulator on Kline Boulevard in Berkeley Heights. There are a few residents still without power, Markey said, but JCP&L will have power turned back on for those residents very soon. Original Story More than 100 residents in Berkeley Heights and New Providence are without power this evening. According to an unconfirmed report, a transformer exploded on Kline Boulevard, which is located off Springfield Avenue between …

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JCP&L Performing Vegetation Management Work in New Providence

Work in borough and 23 other NJ communities through August, September is part of JCP&L's program to improve service reliability.

Editor's Note: The following is a news release issued by JCP&L. Throughout August and September, Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) will perform vegetation management work in New Providence and 23 other New Jersey municipalities as part of the electric utility’s program to improve reliability throughout its service territory. “Before the end of the year, we expect to trim more than 3,900 miles of lines, improve clearances, remove dangerous trees and perform additional spot trimming,” said Holly Kauffman, JCP&L vice president of Operations. “This work plays an important role in delivering reliable service to customers.” Trees and tree branches that fall into electric lines are a leading cause of power outages, and when trees and power …

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IRENE, 1 YEAR LATER: Storm Prompts JCP&L to Improve Outage Reporting System

Residents can now report home and street light outages on website

After Tropical Storm Irene was finally done flooding roads and knocking out power a year ago, it pushed Jersey Central Power & Light to make it easier for residents to report outages. The company now allows customers to report home and street light outages at its 24/7 Power Center on the company website, which can also be accessed through smart phones when outages leave residents without computer access, said Pete Johner, area manager for JCP&L customer and community relations in Central New Jersey. "After Irene, there were a lot of issues with communication with this company," Johner said in a telephone interview on Wednesday. "So we've made a lot of communication changes. We enhanced the website, we have toll-free phone numbers in an …

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Power Outages Reported in Wake of Storm

Berkeley Heights, New Providence, Cranford, Clark, Mountainside, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Westfield and Fanwood experienced power outages in the aftermath of the evening thunderstorms.

Update 12:00 a.m. July 27: JCP&L is reporting no outages in Berkeley Heights and New Providence and less than 5 in Springfield. PSE&G continues to report between 1-500 outages countywide, scattered throughout 11 towns including Clark, Cranford, Fanwood, Mountainside, Scotch Plains and Westfield. Update: By 10:30 p.m. the number of outages being reported in Union County has drastically diminished, with between 1-500 PSE&G customers throughout all of Union County affected (Westfield is now included in towns experiencing outages). JCP&L reports less than 5 outages in both Springfield and Berkeley Heights and 18 in New Providence.   After powerful, fast-moving storms struck the area this evening, communities throughout Union County are seeing …

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JCP&L Boasts Improved Power Outage Maps

Utility company says new maps will also be available via smart phone and other mobile devices.

FirstEnery Corp., which operates Jersey Central Power & Light, launched new maps on its website Thursday that will allow New Jersey residents to search for power outages by state, county and zip code. The Ohio-based utility company said in a release that the new color-coded maps include links to allow customers to report service interruptions and provide tables showing county-by-county outage totals. FirstEnergy added that the maps are accessible via smart phones and other mobile devices. The maps also boast prominent alerts with links to outage-related news, safety reminders and other information, FirstEnergy said. Later in the year, the maps are expected to include more detailed estimated restoration time during large-scale weather …

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JCP&L to Invest $200 Million for Improvements

Union County suffered devastating power outages after major fall storms, but utility president claims improvements will help prevent future problems.

Six months ago, Mother Nature tested Union County with an earthquake, hurricane and freak snowstorm. During the storms, Jersey Central Power & Light tested the patience of residents with a variety of debilitating power delays and outages. Tuesday morning, JCP&L President Donald Lynch announced a plan for 2012 to invest $200 million on projects he said are "designed to improve service reliability and help meet the increasing demand for electricity in northern and central New Jersey." Lynch said the investment includes the completion of several new substations, including the one in Andover Township in Sussex County and in Tewksbury in Hunterdon County. He added that the utility would spend $2 million to upgrade more than 40 distribution …

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