‘Zombie houses’ multiply in some states

MASTIC BEACH, N.Y. — They call it “The Matrix,” a well-thumbed pile of maps locked in a cabinet at Village Hall that pinpoints all the empty “zombie houses” in this 4.2-square-mile seaside community. There’s one on nearly every block. “It’s like a cancer,” Mayor Maura Spery said of the scourge. “It’s not getting any better. […]