Yearly Archives: 2016

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) announced today it is deploying an AmeriCorps team to Flint, Mich., to support state and local efforts to protect the public health of residents facing challenges from increased lead levels in the Flint water supply.

Alice C. Hill, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Resilience Policy on the White House National Security Council, will deliver the opening keynote address Wednesday, January 13, during Building Innovation 2016 – the National Institute of Building Sciences Fourth Annual Conference & Expo.

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office announced today a review of all the city’s homeless service agencies. In response, the Coalition for the Homeless issued this statement from President & CEO Mary Brosnahan

Construction firms added 45,000 workers in December as the industry's unemployment rate declined to 7.5 percent from 8.3 a year ago, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the robust job gains come as a new industry outlook shows most firms expect to expand their headcount in 2016 amid growing private and public sector demand

Members of the CCIM Institute, Commercial Real Estate's Global Standard for Professional Achievement, indicated strong investor interest in all property transactions, according to the organization's 4Q15 Quarterly Market Trends report. More than half of CCIM members who participated in an October/November 2015 market intelligence survey reported participation in more deals year over year, with 69 percent reporting that they closed a sales transaction during the previous quarter

Commercial and multifamily mortgage lending is expected to increase in 2016, as lenders' and borrowers' appetites for new loans remain strong, according to a new Mortgage Bankers Association survey of the top commercial and multifamily mortgage origination firms.

Mortgage credit availability decreased in December according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which analyzes data from Ellie Mae's AllRegs® Market Clarity® business information tool.

Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest utility and the fourth-largest U.S. combination utility, announced today several leadership moves that build on its customer-first focus and commitment to serving Michigan.

The National Real Estate Investors Association announced that Anna Mills has been elected association president for 2016. Mills is currently president of the Toledo REIA and has been a realtor in Ohio & Michigan for over 38 years. She holds top designations in VIP Relocation, Investor Specialist, Property Tax Reduction and Court Appraisals. Previously, she served as NREIA’s president in 2002 and is a past president of Ohio Real Estate Investors Association.

With its newest contribution, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced today that it has transferred $4 million to the Cobell Education Scholarship Fund (Scholarship Fund), bringing the total transferred funds to nearly $35 million. The Scholarship Fund -- funded in part by the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (Buy-Back Program) and authorized by the Cobell Settlement -- provides financial assistance through scholarships to American Indian and Alaska Native students wishing to pursue post-secondary and graduate education, and training.

On Wednesday, standing on the floor of the House of Representatives, in front of the iconic AP photograph of the April 2000 immigration raid in the home where Elian Gonzalez was living, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) denounced recent home invasion raids conducted by the Obama Administration and ICE targeting Central American families.

A new study by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) estimates that $2.2 billion in benefits came from reduced greenhouse gas emissions and $5.2 billion from reductions in other air pollution, in mid-range estimates, for state renewable portfolio standard (RPS) policies operating in 2013. RPS policies require utilities or other electricity providers to meet a minimum portion of their load with eligible forms of renewable electricity

A coalition of consumer groups are calling on Acting Illinois Insurance Director Anne Melissa Dowling to reverse her “do-nothing” position and start protecting Illinois consumers from the unfair use of certain information unrelated to insurance risk – such as personal consumer shopping data – to set auto and homeowners insurance prices. 

A relatively mild winter and the lowest natural gas price in nearly 15 years are working together to reduce this winter’s heating bills for homes and businesses that Consumers Energy serves. The energy provider announced today that the average household could pay $200 less for natural gas this winter compared to a year ago

House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) released this statement following President Obama’s executive action on firearms. “Americans ought to feel safe in their homes and communities, and our hearts break with each senseless act of violence. As a parent, these tragedies always hit close to home.

Roughly two months after Progress Michigan called on Michigan’s federal investigators to look into the Flint Water Crisis, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today it would be conducting an investigation.

Higher education students will receive 50 percent discount to support future sustainability careersWashington, D.C. – (Jan. 5, 2015) – Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced for the first time that students will be able to take the LEED Green Associate exam for a reduced fee of $100. The regular exam price is $200 for USGBC members and $250 for non-members

The Boulder Group, a net leased investment brokerage firm, has completed the sale of a single tenant Physicians Immediate Care medical related property located at 6140 North Broadway in Chicago, IL for $2,325,000.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan Special Agent Jeremiah Gonzalez passes the Universal Insurance Company building in Caguas, Puerto Rico every day.

Mr. Nahas is a partner of the real estate firm Rafanelli & Nahas, which specializes in the development, ownership and management of market-rate multifamily housing in the East Bay. The partnership also owns and manages office, retail, industrial and apartment buildings in Boise, Idaho. Mr. Nahas is a past Trustee of the Urban Land Institute and a past Chairman of the ULI Residential Gold Council