Hurricane Sandy (aka “Frankenstorm”) has come and gone in the Northeast and the damage left behind is unfathomable. For most of us in the D.C. area, we were spared the true wrath of the storm and had relatively little damage, albeit flooding was an issue in some places. However, New York, New Jersey and other Northeast states were hammered by the force of the superstorm, while Western Maryland and West Virginia were buried under two feet of snow in some places. Oh my!

In case you haven’t heard, the National Hurricane Center is predicting a hurricane to hit the mid-Atlantic/Northeast area early next week. To make matters worse, a massive cold front moving in from the other direction will hit about the same time, and forecasters are already dubbing it “Frankenstorm.” Heavy rain, flooding, high winds, snow in some places. How frightful!

(The following was excerpted from an article in the Federal Grants Management Handbook.) The Department of Homeland Security is reviewing how it determines a jurisdiction’s ability to respond to and recover from a disaster including its ability to do so without federal assistance after a recent Government Accountability Office report found that the current criterion the agency uses is outdated.

Just when you think you’ve got the system down pat, something changes. Take note!

The following was excerpted from an article in the Single Audit Information Service.) Because the enhanced data mining and data analytics capabilities under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has enabled it to conduct audits more efficiently and effectively, the National Science Foundation’s Office of Inspector General plans to continue using data analytics after the Recovery Act ends, according to a recent OIG report on lessons learned from the Recovery Act.

The future of public transportation has reached a critical juncture, and public transit agencies should be wary of what funds are available and how to get their portion of these funds.

(The following was excerpted from an article in the Federal Grants Management Handbook.) New York health officials will expand their reviews of service plans for individuals with developmental disabilities to ensure that health care providers participating in a state Medicaid waiver program maintain the required documentation and claim Medicaid reimbursement for services actually provided.

(The following post was published on Thompson's education blog, Title 1-derland.) I think the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is missing a good chance to put me out of business.

In these tight budget times, federal efforts to limit improper payment are crucial. Federal agencies have reported billions of dollars’ worth of misspent funds and are taking major steps to reduce these totals. It’s good to see Congress is taking action too, but will anything come from it?

We’re ending the first week in October. The weather is starting to get colder. The baseball playoffs are set to begin (and for those of in the D.C. local area – Go Nationals!) and certain key federal agencies have issued new guidance for their grantees.