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Jodie and Paul Samala's long journey from a cramped, overpriced apartment to the joys of owning a roomy, affordable house began soon after Hurricane Ivan's arrival two years ago."We were in a rental at the time," said Jodie Samala. "My husband and I almost bought a house before Ivan. But after the storm, the owners backed out."In the immediate wake of the hurricane, Paul Samala lost his job at the Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand hotel, which is set to reopen in November after months of storm repairs.The couple and their small child were forced to move in with relatives.Because Ivan destroyed some 2,000 rental units in the greater Pensacola area, finding an affordable unit was a major challenge, Jodie Samala said.Eventually the Samalas found a rental apartment, but their monthly payments soared from $675 to $1,100, well beyond what they could afford."We knew we had to do something," she said.What they did was approach the City of Pensacola's Housing Department and apply for down-payment assistance through the state's Hurricane Housing Recovery Program.Because the Samalas' gross income was about 80 percent of the median average for the Pensacola area, the family of three qualified for a $50,000 grant, which would be held by the city and treated as a second mortgage.That grant money, coupled with the Samalas' conventional first mortgage, helped them purchase a new home in June and effectively lowered their monthly payments to a figure that, by general rule, must be less than 30 percent of gross family income.And to sweeten the deal, $10,000 of the Samalas' $50,000 second mortgage will be forgiven after the first year if they decide to sell the home, according to Jimmie McFall, manager of the city's SHIP (State Housing Initiatives Partnership) program.The remaining $40,000 will be forgiven once the mortgage is paid."We probably would have left Pensacola had we not be able to buy an affordable home," said Jodie Samala, a 1993 graduate of Catholic High School.McFall says Hurricane Housing Recovery Program money, which may run out within the year, is being maximized in the Escambia and Santa Rosa area.Using those funds, and taking advantage of several in-fill vacant lots, McFall says the city has more than 30 affordable housing units under construction, with more on the way.A home of her ownKaren Incera is another grateful recipient of Hurricane Housing Recovery Program money and was one of the fortunate ones to be given, at no cost to her, a vacant in-fill lot acquired by the city.The former Miami resident, who works for Deep South Crane Rentals Inc., said she expects to move into her new home on Coyle Street early next month."Someone mentioned the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Program to me, and I called, and they gave me a pamphlet," said Incera, a single mother of three.
MOSCOW, October 13 (Itar-Tass) - Vladimir Putin convened a visiting session of the presidium of the State Council in Yaroslavl, to discuss ways of developing the network of roads in the country. "To brush up on the theme ahead of the meeting, Putin visited the construction site of a new 700-meter long bridge across the Volga, and an exhibition of road construction equipment.
Putin has called for spending extra budget revenues on financing infrastructures. There have been incessant arguments where the snowballing reserves should be put to use. It is beyond doubt, if the resources are to be spent somehow, they must be spent on infrastructures roads, ports, airports and communication links, Putin said at a meeting of the State Councils presidium. I would place the roads before anything else.
Residents in the national capital of Beijing have a fairly objective sense of acknowledgment for a harmonious society with 70.2 percent of those surveyed indicating their full confidence in the accomplishment of such a society, according to a recent poll conducted by the Beijing Municipal Statistics Bureau. This is the first opinion poll of its kind ever conducted in China. If the Sixth Plenary Session of the 16th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, which closed last Wednesday, conveys the national will of building a harmonious society transmitted by the CPC, the "harmonious index" poll truly voices the expectations of general public for a harmonious society. With the consensus and endorsement from top to bottom nationwide, realistic prospects for achieving a harmonious society is all the more important.
Smyrna High School students fill the cafeteria. The school was designed to hold about 1,100 students. But, there are about 1,150 students there, and Smyrna district officials support a referendum to ease the overcrowding. (Buy photo) The News Journal/BOB HERBERT .
September 22, 2006 -- (Santa Fe, NM) -- New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Attorney General Patricia Madrid announced today that they have begun a crackdown on unlicensed and unscrupulous contractors seeking to exploit victims of the recent flood damage.Unfortunately, natural disasters often attract con artists who promise quick repairs to victims eager to restore their homes and lives, said Governor Bill Richardson, I want residents in these flood affected areas to know they can prevent rip offs by taking a few simple precautions. .
CAPE CORAL: Residents on Southwest 17th Avenue in Cape Coral expected to have their street torn up while the city installed new water and sewer lines, but they didn't expect it to stay that way. A bald eagle's nest two streets over stopped construction before the road could be repaved and it could remain that way for several more months. "It's a nightmare, it's a definite nightmare," said Kathleen Cherasia. Cherasia dreads driving down her street. Even though she inches along rock-covered road, she fears stones will fly up and damage her car. But that isn't Cherasia's biggest concern. "People walk the street, kids ride bikes, there's two schools here. I'm afraid of a safety issue. Someone could get hurt. Doesn't it look like a war zone to you, honestly?" said Cherasia.
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