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Consumers Energy announced the emergency public warning siren systems near its Rogers, Hardy and Croton hydroelectric generating plants on the Muskegon River will be tested on Thursday, Dec. 17, at approximately 10 a.m.

The severe and worsening inequality in the United States means that access to opportunity is often dependent on where a person lives. Yet due to a lack of available affordable housing and deeply rooted patterns of residential segregation, where people live depends in large part on income, race, and ethnicity. Policies that promote residential mobility while also reinvesting in racially segregated and high-poverty neighborhoods are crucial for reducing inequality and promoting healthy communities.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for November 2015 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases decreased by 6 percent relative to the previous month. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Authority (TRPA) is committing an unconstitutional “taking” by prohibiting a couple from rebuilding a house on their vacant parcel, where a home stood for 30 years before being destroyed by the Angora forest fire in 2007.

The Architects Foundation, along with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), today named six more schools of architecture and public health as members of the AIA Design & Health Research Consortium.

Multifamily housing construction has accelerated to its fastest pace in nearly 30 years but has still not been sufficient to meet surging demand. Rental vacancy rates are now at their lowest point since 1985 and inflation-adjusted rents are rising 3.5 percent annually.  With renter incomes stagnant, last year was another record-setting year in the number of renters paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs, according

Homeowners preparing to sell often make improvements, both big and small, to their homes that can help yield positive results and garner top dollar from buyers. According to a new report from the National Association of Realtors®, remodeling projects can also bring major benefits to homeowners who choose to remain in their homes.

Mortgage applications increased 1.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 4, 2015. The previous week's results included an adjustment for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Taking advantage of Consumers Energy’s new automatic billing alerts allows customers to cross off at least one item from their long “to-do” list this holiday season.

The Architects Foundation, along with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), today issued its first progress report of the AIA’s Design and Health Research Consortium. The consortium helps translate research on design’s influence on public health into architectural practice for policymakers, design and public health professionals and the general public.

A man exonerated in a high-profile case in which five New York City teenagers were wrongly convicted has pledged $190,000 to support the Innocence Project at the University of Colorado Law School.

Consumers Energy today presented a $97,740 Business Solutions incentive rebate check to American MITSUBA Corp. for participating in the company’s energy efficiency program for commercial and industrial customers

Residents of this picturesque Columbia River Gorge county this week submitted three times as many signatures as they need to qualify for the ballot an initiative that would block corporate behemoth, Nestlé, from bottling and selling their precious public water. The precedent-setting local ballot measure would block Nestlé’s proposed water bottling plant in the Gorge and prohibit commercial water bottling in Hood River County

“At Consumers Energy, safety is the foundation of everything we do. Our goal is for everyone to safely enjoy this special time of year filled with celebrations, family and friends. Following 10 simple electric safety tips can help ensure the holiday season is memorable for all,” said Aaron Kantor, director of emergency management for Consumers Energy.

The conference agreement for a multi-year surface transportation authorization was released in Congress this week, with both the U.S. House and Senate set to vote on the measure in the days ahead.

The National Association of Realtors® has joined forces with Boys & Girls Clubs of America in an effort to strengthen communities and support the country’s youth

Informa Exhibitions and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) have announced the results of the 2015 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, held Nov. 18-20 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Attendance was 19,058, a significant increase over the 2014 event. There were 548 exhibiting companies participating in 144,300 square feet of exhibit and display space on the trade show floor.

Independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks reported a net gain of $1,238 on each loan they originated in the third quarter of 2015, down from a reported gain of $1,522 per loan in the second quarter of 2015, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported today in its Quarterly Mortgage Bankers Performance Report.

Mortgage credit availability decreased in November 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

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) applauds the House of Representatives’ approval of H.R. 1321, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015. This bipartisan bill, sponsored by Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), bans the manufacture of rinse-off cosmetics containing plastic microbeads by July 1, 2017 and bans the delivery of these products by July 1, 2018.