Yearly Archives: 2015

The Massachusetts Association of REALTORS® (MAR) reported today that the traditional “back-to-school” season didn’t slow buyer activity in September as pending home sales went up over 35 percent from the same month last year. REALTORS® confidence in the market was high in September as the REALTOR® Market Confidence and Price Indexes were both up from September 2014. This month’s “Hot Topic” question finds that the majority of REALTORS® don’t believe the August stock market correction will impact future closed sales

Congresswoman Niki Tsongas today introduced new legislation to help urban communities turn blighted environments into public parks or other usable green spaces, while creating jobs in communities with elevated unemployment.

As outlined in the City of Boston's Action Plan to End Veterans and Chronic Homelessness, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced today that the City of Boston is seeking a vendor to create the City's first-ever Coordinated Access system (CA) - a single platform that providers, housing owners and the City will use to match homeless individuals with available housing paired with supportive services.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced $3 million in capital upgrades to 22 elderly and disabled public housing developments throughout the City of Boston. The Boston Housing Authority (BHA) is providing the upgrades to common areas of the developments to create a warmer and more welcoming environment, and an improved quality of life for residents.

Michael R. Anderson, 46, of Framingham, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to two years in prison, two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $11,048,212 in restitution and forfeit $7,413,712. In January 2011, Anderson pleaded guilty to sixteen counts of wire fraud, nine counts of bank fraud, and two counts of engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.

Governor Charlie Baker today announced the appointment of Linn Torto as the Executive Director of the Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness (ICHH), spearheading the administration’s efforts to end homelessness through the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) and respective agencies. A veteran of state government, Torto brings extensive public and private sector experience in housing and policy development.

Corcoran Jennison Associates has been tapped by the Boston Housing Authority as the developer to initiate the redevelopment plan for the largest public housing development in the City of Boston.  At 1,100 units, the plan for the Charlestown public housing community will be to demolish and rebuild it into a mixed-income community that preserves the existing low-income apartments.

Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), announced the award of $2.25 million to the Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE) from the U.S. Department of Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to support CFNE's cooperative business lending, healthy food financing, and technical assistance programs.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced today the appointment of Janine Anzalota as Director of the Mayor's Office of Fair Housing & Equity for the City of Boston. She has served as interim Director for the department since this past July

The City of Boston released today the first year of energy metrics for large buildings – including an interactive map for Boston residents to see their building energy and water usage – as part of its energy reporting and disclosure program

Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA) announced new federal funding to support low-income veterans in northeast Massachusetts. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs awarded a total of $4,157,453 in grants to three Massachusetts organizations dedicated to preventing veteran homelessness, including the Veterans Northeast Outreach Center, the Lynn Housing Authority Development Group, and the Vietnam Veterans Workshop.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today released a report that explores the possibility of building on the successes and lessons learned from the Seaport Innovation District and creating more Neighborhood Innovation Districts in Boston to empower the city's entrepreneurial talent. The report was created by the Neighborhood Innovation District Committee, a group of community members, entrepreneurs, thought-leaders and public servants who were appointed by the Mayor to hold public meetings and discuss the benefits and challenges found in the creation of more Neighborhood Innovation Districts

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today joined United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Kenneth Hackett, Under Secretary of State Rose Gottemoeller and Deputy Permanent U.S. Representative to the United Nations Michele Sison, at the UN General Assembly address of His Holiness Pope Francis. Senator Markey is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and ranking member of the Africa and Global Health Subcommittee

Musante died Sunday after an ambulance responded to his home for a medical emergency at 8:45 a.m. The son of former Northampton Mayor David Musante, John Musante came to Amherst as finance director in in 2004 and was named town manager in 2010. He had previously been finance director of Northampton, as well as budget director and chief of staff for New Bedford and the town manager in Lenox

Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), announced $2.7 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the Worcester Regional Airport, helping to support its continued success. The funding will support the construction of a partial parallel taxiway to Runway 11/29 in order to reduce the need to back taxi on the runway. This grant will provide funding for phase 1 of a 2 phase project. This phase includes construction of an approximately 3,500 foot haul road.