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ASBURY PARK PRESS :: MONMOUTH EDITION

THURSDAY 03.19.15

NOT GUILTY PLEA

IN TERROR CASE
Neptune man charged as FBI warns
of extremist probes in all 50 states

EPA

ASBURY PARK PRESS FILE PHOTO

A Jersey Central Power & Light worker fixes downed power

lines caused by superstorm Sandy in Asbury Park in 2012.

An artists courtroom sketch shows (from left) Samuel Nitze, assistant U.S. attorney; U.S. District Judge Nicholas
Garaufis; defense attorney Michael Schneider and defendant Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh in federal court in Brooklyn.

Sandy takes
chunk out
of rate cut

STEPH SOLIS, NICQUEL TERRY, JAY SMITH

AND NICOLE GAUDIANO
@STEPHMSOLIS, @NTERRYAPP, @JAYSCOTTAPP
AND @NGAUDIANO

JCP&Ls rates trimmed,

but offset by recovery

The Neptune man who federal authorities say

plotted to join the Islamic State group pleaded not
guilty to terrorism charges Wednesday.
Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, a former U.S. Air
Force veteran and airplane mechanic, was indicted
on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group and obstruction of justice,
according to the indictment. He pleaded not guilty
in federal court in New York, wearing prison-issued khaki pants and a short-sleeved, blue shirt.
Pugh, 47, repeated his full name when asked, but
said nothing else before Judge Nicholas Garaufis
in the courthouse. His attorney, Michael K.
Schneider, entered the plea on his behalf.
Schneider declined comment in an email.
If convicted, Pugh could face up to 35 years in

GETTY IMAGES

An armed U.S. marshal stands outside the federal

courthouse in Brooklyn during the arraignment
Wednesday of Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, who is
accused of trying to join the terrorist organization ISIS.

DAVID P. WILLIS @DPWILLIS732

The cost of superstorm Sandy for Jersey Central

Power & Light, hit hard by the storm, has whittled away
the size of a rate decrease for customers.
The state Board of Public Utilities on Wednesday cut
JCP&Ls rates by $34.3 million, a big slice from the nearly $115 million that regulators said they had been willing to cut from utility bills. Its estimated that a JCP&L
customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a
month will save about $1.68, or 1.2 percent, on their
monthly bill. Thats just over $20 a year.
Why not four times as much?
The board said the rate decrease was offset by a decision to allow JCP&L to collect $80.7 million from ratepayers as a result of the $580 million it spent to recover
from the devastating hit it took from superstorm Sandy.
This board has always tried to be fair to the customer and to be fair to the company, BPU Commissioner
Joseph L. Fiordaliso said.
Manchester resident Carol Dramis said a recent
electric bill for two months of service came in at $905
for her all-electric condominium. I hope it makes a difference, she said of the decrease. I think its outrageous what they charge people.
In making its decision, the BPU agreed with state
Administrative Law Judge Richard McGill who issued
a ruling in January that JCP&L overcharged customers. McGill recommended a rate cut of nearly $107.5
million.
See RATES, Page 5A

INSIDE
Boy Scout presses Christie on Sandy, 7A
N.J. Sandy lawsuits paused for settlement talks, 7A

See TERROR, Page 8A

For more coverage, and to see the indictment, visit

Say it aint snow forecasters

predict wintry mix as spring blooms
TODD B. BATES @TODDBBATESAPP

Whether you love it or loathe it, winter wont relent

without another last gasp.
Indeed, forecasters expect a late-season snowstorm on Friday, the dawn of spring. And they warned
that roads could become slippery and both the morning and evening commutes may be impacted.
One to 2 inches of snow may fall in most of Monmouth County and a sliver of Ocean County, according
to the official snowfall forecast map posted by the National Weather Service Wednesday afternoon. Most of
Ocean would get less than 1 inch of snow, but as much
as 4 to 6 inches could fall in northwestern New Jersey.
A worst-case scenario map has about 5 inches falling
in Monmouth and 3 to 4 inches in Ocean.
Its not going to feel or look anything like spring,
said David A. Robinson, a snow cover expert and the

ASBURY PARK PRESS FILE PHOTO

Michael Rizzitello, Toms River, clears snow from his truck

before he heads for home during a snowstorm March 5.

See SNOW, Page 8A

USA TODAY

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GUNMEN KILL 19 IN TUNIS MUSEUM, ACCOMPLICES SOUGHT PAGE 1B

Breaking records,
bringing smiles
Red Bank Catholic event raises
Make-A-Wish funds. STORY, 3A

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