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Asbury Park Press APP.COM $1.00

MONDAY 05.19.14

VOLUME 135

NUMBER 119

SINCE 1879

ADVICE C4BUSINESS A8CLASSIFIED C6COMICS C5LOCAL A3

LOTTERIES A2OBITUARIES A9OPINION A11SPORTS D1WEATHER D8

ROAD TO RECOVERY

GETTING IT ALL BACK IN SHAPEThe sports complex at Toms River High School

North, damaged during superstorm Sandy, will be

fixed up by fall with the help of Architecture for

Humanity, a nonprofit devoted to rebuilding

communities affected by disasters. TODAY, A3

AT&T ACQUIRES DIRECTV FOR $48.5 BILLION PAGE 1B

Private lawyers hired by Gov. Chris Christie’s officeafter the George Washington Bridge scandal eruptedare on pace to bill taxpayers roughly $3 million for theirwork, and it appears well over half that tab is being in-curred for events unrelated to whatever led to the laneclosures in Fort Lee.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher originally was hired for aninternal investigation of the bridge incident and coop-eration with the inquiry into that matter by the U.S. At-torney’s Office. But its work rapidly expanded to in-clude a review of the allegations leveled by HobokenMayor Dawn Zimmer that federal Sandy aid was with-held by the state because of the city’s unwillingness toapprove an unrelated development project.

The cost for the review was nearly $1.1 million justfor three weeks in January, not counting similarly in-tense hours logged in February and March and addi-

Christie attorney Randy Mastro holds up a copy of hisreport during a March news conference. ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lawyers forgov on paceto bill $3MFees for internal report, response

to probe on lane closures scandal

By Michael Symons @MichaelSymons_

See BILL, Page A5

New Jersey recreational boating deaths were upslightly in 2013 while U.S. recreational boating deathswere at an all-time low of 560 in 2013, according to anannual Coast Guard report.

Despite a boating season stunted by the aftermath ofsuperstorm Sandy, New Jersey had a slight uptick inboating accidents — 123 compared with 115 in 2012.There were eight fatalities, a casualty rate consistentwith the six to eight deaths seen annually on New Jer-sey waters since 2009.

State Police could not provide a detailed breakdownof the accidents or trends they’ve seen, but the post-Sandy cleanup of back bay waters removed most debrisand navigation hazards by the time activity finallypicked up in early August.

U.S. boating deathsdrop to all-time low

See BOATING, Page A6

By Kirk Moore @KirkMooreAPP

ASBURY PARK — The old, white house at 508 Fourth Ave. has many stories to tell.

At various times it’s been a single-family residence, a boarding house and the Florence

Hotel. Built in 1878, only seven years after Asbury Park was founded, it hosted its most

celebrated resident early on — writer Stephen Crane, most famous for his 1895 Civil War

novel, “The Red Badge of Courage.”

PRESERVING ASBURY PARK HISTORY

SAVING THECRANE HOUSE

The Asbury Park Historical Society is trying to raise money to restore the house where author Stephen Crane lived in thelate 19th Century. TOM SPADER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

$250,000 sought to renovate author’s boyhood home in city

By Jean Mikle @jeanmikle

A photograph of Stephen Crane in a 1957 edition of“The Red Badge of Courage and Other Stories.”

STEPHEN CRANE HOUSE1878: Crane house was built, making it perhaps theoldest residential structure remaining in Asbury Park.

1883: An 11-year-old Stephen Crane moved into thehouse, purchased by his mother, Mary Helen Peck Crane,after the death of Crane’s father.

1885: Crane began his writing career in Asbury Park,with his first story, “Uncle Jake and the Bell Handle.”

1888-1892: Crane spent these summers working as hisbrother Townley’s assistant at a Jersey Shore news bu-reau Townley operated.

1995: The dilapidated house was purchased for $7,500by city residents Regina and Tom Hayes to prevent itfrom being demolished.

Source: Asbury Park Historical Society

See CRANE, Page A6