Court panel refuses to halt South Mountain Freeway work during appeal. “[T]he Ninth Circuit rejected a request [from ‘Protect Arizona’s Resources and Children’ or PARC] to halt construction until it rules on an appeal of… [an] August decision that turned away all arguments… to stop the freeway.” Ahwatukee Foothills News reports that “PARC President Pat Lawlis wrote on the group’s Facebook page, ’I admit I am depressed about this…’” (Naturally — but not half as “depressed” as hundreds of thousands of commuters would continue to be, stuck in bumper-to-bumper for hours each day, should Lawlis eventually prevail in shutting down freeway construction.) http://bit.ly/2gBBp5f
Fiesta Mall area won’t go quietly into oblivion. East Valley Tribune looks at the “[o]nce… powerful draw for shoppers and diners [that] now features empty storefront after empty storefront, with a handful of remaining businesses desperately hanging on,” and how Mesa is trying to “turn [the] area from blight to success.” http://bit.ly/2fRQwq0
Supervisors delay Monsanto vote after public outcry. “Opponents… were hoping that the board would shoot down the deal [for the 7-acre greenhouse to be built on a 155-acre parcel near Marana]… They didn’t get that, but the supervisors did unanimously decide to delay consideration of a property-tax plan…” (which, just for grins — and if not too flippant — can we refer to it as “GMO seed money”?) More on the controversy at Arizona Daily Star. http://bit.ly/2f7b5j5
October’s existing home sales best in a decade. “[S]ales transactions that include single-family, condo, townhouse, and coop apartments were up 2.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.60 million units.” NAR’s Chief Economist Lawrence Yun: “October’s… gain… can be attributed to the release of the unrealized pent-up demand that held back many… because of tight supply…” More from Yun, plus Jann Swanson breaks down the numbers by region — in Mortgage News Daily. http://bit.ly/2gmn4GU
Home prices dip as buyers and sellers head into the holidays “Median prices dipped 1.3% in October… Despite the price drop, sales still fell 8.2% to about 446,000 in October from September…” Clare Trapasso breaks down median sales figures nationally — and by region — in Realtor.com. http://bit.ly/2frVnh1
DODD-FRANK: A DUD, FRANKLY? – Congressional chairman: ‘Dodd-Frank was a grave mistake.’ “It was based upon faulty principles, faulty premises and faulty policy. Dodd-Frank failed to establish financial stability, or make us more free, or create a sense of financial security, and so it failed to generate growth, jobs and prosperity…” That from House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R, Texas) in remarks delivered at the Housing America’s Families Forum in Dallas. Much more on this event in Brenna Swanson’s coverage at HousingWire. http://bit.ly/2gBus4b
Cameron’s $5M + deals of the day – http://bit.ly/2fpfdq1 |