The Dealmaker: 4/6/2017

As a supplement to the Dealmaker, we thought you might enjoy these articles!

A privacy shield that comes with a cost; Lauren Reynolds, Rose Law Group litigation attorney who focuses on privacy and data breach issues, comments. In the wake of Congress voting last week to ditch online privacy rules that “would have required broadband providers… to get permission from customers before selling their browsing history to advertisers,” The New York Times explores the pros and cons of a “privacy shield” that many consumers are considering turning to in response: Virtual Private Networks.  Lauren Reynolds: “Although some of these alternatives, like VPNs and ad-blockers, alleviate privacy concerns to a certain extent, they are imperfect… [A]t least a few of these solutions result in slower Internet speeds and other consequences that will likely discourage use by consumers in a society that values speed and immediate results.” http://bit.ly/2oFbwFU
 
LUCID DREAMING – Take a video tour of Lucid Motors’ electric car that will be built in Arizona. “Lucid will begin production on the Air when its Casa Grande plant opens next year. The 500-acre site is expected to employ 2,000 people by 2022…. YouTuber Marques Brownlee was given a first look at one of the company’s Air models.” Pretty cool!  WATCH at KTAR. http://bit.ly/2oJ6GHf
 
Residents of CG historic district want to be able to ‘opt-out.’ In this UPDATE on a story we brought to you a few weeks back regarding Casa Grande’s historic district and rules regarding a “homeowner’s right to make exterior changes,” Pinal Central reports that the “City Council on Monday directed staff to begin working on revisions to a proposal for changes in the Historic Preservation Code.” Says one district resident: “I’m very happy… Each homeowner deserves the right to decide what to do with their own homes…. Everyone wants to opt-out.” http://bit.ly/2o74F6C
 
What’s old is new again: Why townhouses are the latest ‘it’ homes. “[T]he lovechild of a condominium and standalone house is back again and hotter than ever with both buyers and builders. In fact, townhomes are now the fastest-growing segment of the single-family housing construction market, according to the National Association of Home Builders.” Check out the townhomes data and what realtor.com® chief economist, Jonathan Smoke, has to say about the “secret of their popularity.” http://bit.ly/2oJ75tc
 
Governors of legal marijuana states ask feds not to interfere. “Existing federal policy is ‘vital to maintaining control over marijuana in our states’ says a letter dated April 3, signed by [AK] Gov. Bill Walker and the governors of Oregon, Washington and Colorado…. The letter points to two pieces of federal guidance the marijuana industry and state regulators rely on (no, NOT “Cheech” & “Chong”): The Cole Memorandum, and guidance to banks from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.” Details in Governing. http://bit.ly/2oFnM9v