Yearly Archives: 2016

Senator Edward J. Markey joined U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) to restore a ‘Buy America’ provision in the Water Resources Development(WRDA) Act that would require the use of American-made iron and steel products in infrastructure projects. The Buy America rule already passed in the Senate version of the bill with broad bipartisan support. But it has been pulled from the compromise package reached between leaders in the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives

The Massachusetts State Department of Revenue has approved property values and tax rates for the Town of Framingham for Fiscal Year 2017. The new values and new tax rates can be found on the Assessing Department website

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today sent the Jim Brooks Stabilization Act, a proposed home rule petition, to the City Council for its consideration. Once approved by the City Council and enacted by the State legislature, this law would help protect residential tenants and former homeowners living in their homes post-foreclosure against arbitrary, unreasonable, discriminatory, or retaliatory evictions, and help ensure that tenants and former homeowners are aware of their rights under state law.

Informa Exhibitions, USGBC and the Boston Society of Architects/AIA announced that Greenbuild and ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX) will be co-located for 2017. The events will take place the week of Nov. 6–10 and both will be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC), creating one of the largest events for the building community in North America.

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors® Charitable Foundation recently announced the 2016 recipients of its spring Housing and Homeless Assistance Grants.  The following four charities were nominated by local Realtor® Associations and selected to receive a share of $5,500 in grants based on their initiatives to provide affordable housing, shelter and other emergency care services within Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors® (MAR) reported today that the number of homes put under agreement in October were up 15 percent from last year. Condominium pending sales were also up almost nine percent as prices for both property types continue to go up. The strong market was reflected in high Realtor® Market Confidence Index, while the Price Confidence Index remained essentially the same over last year

The Nantucket Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. (“NAREB”) has agreed to resolve allegations that its current membership requirements unfairly exclude competitors from the Nantucket real estate brokerage market, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

Teamster warehouse workers and drivers at Aubuchon Hardware’s distribution facility found themselves locked out of their jobs when they reported to their shifts this morning. They were met by security who had been instructed to tell the workers that they were not allowed on the property.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh, Boston Housing Authority and Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) will celebrate the positive impact of a partnership that has seen some $24.8 million dollars in energy saving equipment and materials installed across the BHA’s housing developments over the last ten years. The project has also realized an estimated energy savings of some $24.0 million dollars over that time period.

In the wake of the recent fatal pipeline explosion in Alabama, Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (D-Boston) called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to halt the permitting process and construction for the proposed Spectra pipelines in West Roxbury and Weymouth, Massachusetts. In a letter to FERC Chairman Norman Bay, Congressman Lynch highlighted the serious public safety risks of placing a natural gas pipeline in densely populated areas such as West Roxbury and Weymouth.

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) commended the Obama administration for releasing the initial batch of funding under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The Department of Health and Human Services today released more than $3 billion dollars, 90 percent of the funding made available under the Continuing Resolution funding the government

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors® (MAR) reported today that home sales remained essentially flat over in September compared to the same time last year. Inventory continued to fall this month, dropping to its lowest level since February 2015. The median price in September continued its upward trend. Condominium sales closed slightly higher with median prices up almost 10 percent from 2015.

Senators Edward J. Markey, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.) sent a letter to President Barack Obama Thursday requesting the administration halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline until affected tribes are consulted and a full environmental review is conducted.

United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey, along with Representative Richard Neal applauded the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Section 108 Loan Guarantee to support Springfield's Downtown Dining District Loan Fund project. The project will create a low-interest fund and provide loans ranging from $50,000 to $200,000 to support new full-service restaurants and job opportunities in Springfield's business district.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a $1,025,000 civil settlement with First American Mortgage Trust, d/b/a NXTLoan.com, a small mortgage lender based in Brighton, Mass., and its founder and CEO, Barry S. Polack, in connection with allegations that they submitted false insurance claims on mortgages insured by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA).