Archives

ARP Foundation, a grantee of the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), has awarded generous four-year grants to seven organizations to help grow Experience Corps, the evidence based AARP Foundation literacy program that improves the reading skills of children, enriches the lives of volunteer tutors, and strengthens schools in local communities.

Travel is the #1 aspiration of individuals 50-plus, and America’s national parks are a popular destination with 75% of Baby Boomers having visited one in their lifetime, according to a recent AARP Travel survey. The survey showed that along with Boomers, Generation-Xers and Millennials also share a love for parks despite the generations’ differing reasons for visiting these national treasures

The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced a $232 million relief fund to repair roads and bridges damaged by winter storms. While this is a positive step, long-term federal funding to mend our nation’s crumbling national infrastructure is still desperately needed

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently called upon the National League of Cities to move forward with sound investment to combat climate change. The Portland Cement Association (PCA) believes that a good way to do this is to make a sound investment to combat our nation's deteriorating infrastructure

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro today awarded $1.6 billion in grants to provide funding to 6,400 local homeless housing and service programs across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

To help public housing residents find jobs and educational opportunities, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded nearly $32 million in grants to public housing authorities and non-profit organizations across the nation to hire or retain service coordinators to help residents achieve economic and housing independence. See list of funding by states below

he Justice Department announced today that the owners and developers of 71 multi-family housing complexes in four states with more than 2,500 ground-floor units have agreed to pay $350,000 to settle claims that they violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act by building apartment complexes that were inaccessible to persons with disabilities.

Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest utility and the fourth-largest U.S. combination utility, announced today changes to its senior leadership team. “We are pleased to announce changes to our Company’s senior leadership team, which builds on successful execution of our strategy, continuity, and our collective ‘all in’ commitment to provide safe, reliable and affordable electric and natural gas service to our customers and the State of Michigan,” said Patti Poppe, incoming president and chief executive officer.

A report released today by the NYU Furman Center, Fifty Years of Historic Preservation in New York City, shows the extent of preservation in New York City and compares the land use, housing stock, demographic characteristics, and commercial property in historic districts with those in areas that are not regulated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC)

On March 3, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published in the Federal Register combined final regulations amending the Housing Credit utility allowance rules to provide greater clarity for Housing Credit properties that submeter to account for actual tenant energy consumption, and temporary regulations for properties in which an owner acquires energy directly from renewable sources, rather than from a utility company.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today will travel to Flint, Michigan as part of a congressional delegation with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC). Norton is particularly interested and concerned about the Flint water crisis because of the District of Columbia’s own lead-in-water crisis in the early 2000s.

Adding to federal response efforts, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that administers AmeriCorps, dispatched dozens of additional national service members to support state and local efforts addressing the water emergency in Flint, Mich.

This week, Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and Domestic Policy Council (DPC) Director Cecilia Muñoz co-chaired the inaugural meeting of the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (WH-LAIR). Civil legal aid is free legal assistance to low- and moderate-income people who have civil legal problems. These problems are non-criminal; rather, civil legal aid helps people access basic necessities such as health care, housing, government benefits, employment and educational services.

The federal Judiciary is actively trimming costs for courthouses and office space, and is working to ensure that recently appropriated funds for eight courthouse construction projects will be spent efficiently, a House subcommittee was told by the head of the Judiciary’s Space and Facilities Committee.

The Financial Services Committee today approved 10 bills designed to promote access to capital and help reduce regulatory burdens on Main Street small businesses. The committee also approved bipartisan legislation to expand flood insurance options for homeowners.

Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra (CA-34) will travel to Flint, Michigan tomorrow as part of a Congressional delegation to hear directly from families affected by the city’s ongoing water crisis. Chairman Becerra will be briefed by federal officials on the crisis, receive a tour of the city and join a “Speak Out” with Flint families. Ahead of his visit, Chairman Becerra released the following statement

GSA canceled the solicitation for the Cotton Annex and Regional Office Building exchange project to ensure we maximize the value of these assets. After going through a deliberate, open, and competitive process, the offers we received ultimately did not propose an adequate return on these assets.

This year, Lowe’s and Habitat for Humanity are joining forces and working together with 1,000 families to build or repair their homes by December. Many of these families will celebrate the holiday season from the comfort of a safe and stable home for the very first time. Habitat and Lowe’s will launch this initiative by framing the first house on March 4 at the Kobalt 400, where they will be joined by NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson.

The Louis L. Goldstein District Court & Multi-Service Center in Prince Frederick has earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR for reducing its energy consumption. Owned andEnergy Star logo managed by DGS, the building is a 74,500 square foot facility that houses the Calvert County District Court and other government offices, including the Department of Assessments & Taxation, Motor Vehicle Administration, State Fire Marshall, State’s Attorney and Office of the Public Defender, among others.

St. John the Baptist Parish – St. John the Baptist Parish President Robottom, Council and officials want to thank the Faith-Based Community, local groups and organizations, and all who donated their time, efforts and resources to the restoration of the Parish following last week’s tornado. Countless meals and non-perishables have been administered to tornado victims and additional provisions will be given to affected residents in the upcoming days.