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Small Business Funding

Homeowners with crumbling foundations ask Gov. Healey to take action [Video]

Dozens of Massachusetts homeowners facing crumbling foundations went to Beacon Hill to plead with Gov. Maura Healey to take action. For years, state lawmakers have failed to move on a plan to financially help replace failing basements across the state, but now these homeowners say it’s time for the governor to stand behind her promises and move forward unilaterally.They believe Gov. Healey can use an executive order to form a commission that would study how the state can help and recommend a clear financial path forward, hopefully initiating some movement in the legislature.The governor’s office, however, would not weigh in on that proposal.”We need her help, and we need it now,” said Michelle Loglisci, founder of the group Mass Residents Against Crumbling Foundations, outside the Governor’s Office. “Here we are eight, almost nine years later, and nothing has happened to help this group of homeowners.”The homeowners whose basements are cracking and crumbling due to faulty concrete went door-to-door at the State House pushing for answers after a similar commission was suddenly cut out of a massive housing bill. The plan was removed by conference committee behind closed doors just before lawmakers voted on the bill this summer.”We did get an explanation, a little bit, of just time kind of ran out,” said Worcester County State Senator Ryan Fattman, who represents impacted homeowners. “That’s unacceptable because time is running out on these people’s homes. And something needs to happen.”Potentially thousands of homes in Massachusetts were built with concrete contaminated by pyrrhotite, a naturally-occurring mineral found underneath parts of New England. When pyrrhotite gets into concrete mix, it causes premature failing usually after just 20 or 30 years and leads to massive cracks, leaks and eventually collapse.The only fix is to jack up a home, tear out the basement and rebuild it, something that can cost $200,000. Insurance won’t cover the foundation replacement, and banks won’t issue loans for the problem because the home has lost its value, leaving homeowners to pay out from their own savings or retirement funds.Karen and Rick Riani drained $280,000 from their 401(k) plans to replace the foundation of their 19-year-old home in Holden.”Governor Healey please help us. Not years from now. Now,” said Karen Riani on the steps of the State House. “We need the help.”When Gov. Healey signed the housing bill this summer, she told NewsCenter 5 she would find a way to help impacted homeowners.”I sympathize with those homeowners,” she said this August after the bill signing event in Newton. “It’s a real challenge for those folks. And that’s my commitment, even though it didn’t make it into the bill, I’m still going to work to find ways to help folks.”Now, the homeowners and several lawmakers who represent them believe the governor can use executive authority to form a commission to study the issue and recommend a clear path forward. The makeup of a committee was already outlined in the version of the housing bill that passed the State Senate.For years, Connecticut has had a plan in place to offer homeowners up to $190,000 to replace a contaminated foundation, paid for through a $1 per month surcharge on every homeowner’s insurance policy in the state. The Massachusetts homeowners believe that’s an easy model to follow.The governor “can form this commission through executive order,” said State Senator Peter Durant. “That’s what we’re asking her to do so that we can get the ball rolling on this.””Please Governor Healey do the right thing,” said impacted homeowner Michelle Loglisci. “Be our Halloween superhero, and let’s get this commission rolling so we can get started.”A spokesperson for Gov. Healey would not comment on the governor using an executive order, instead saying in a statement: “The Healey-Driscoll Administration recognizes the importance of providing support to homeowners whose concrete foundations are crumbling. We will continue to work together with our partners in the Legislature to evaluate potential solutions that would provide relief to homeowners.”

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Small Business Funding

Hurricane Helene won’t play Grinch for Christmas Tree farmers [Video]

It’s a tradition for many families to make the trek up the mountain and pick out a Christmas tree. Christmas Tree farmers in the High Country say despite Hurricane Helene, they’re ready to help you deck the halls this holiday season.Christmas Tree Farmer Joey Clawson says he’s breathing a sigh of relief knowing that hell be able to make the holiday season Merry and Bright.”When the storm hit, my wife and I were just sitting there worried because we’re hearing how devastating it is as it was going on up here that it might be shut down, we might not have any revenue. And this is my livelihood,” Clawson said.According to the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association, North Carolina is the second-largest Christmas tree-producing state in the nation. Fortunately, Hurricane Helene had minimal impact on the crop. The biggest challenge was making sure roads were passable for families to make the trek up the mountain.Families who make that traditional trip to the High Country travel an average of 100 miles for the experience. That means not only are farmers benefiting, but small businesses are as well.According to a recent study, most families travel at least 100 miles to come up and pick out the perfect tree. Many stay for the weekend.Jennifer Greene with the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association says, “They’re also putting money into the local economy by eating, dining, lodging and doing all the things that the high country has to offer. And, so we still want people to come just, you know, keeping in mind that, you know, things are a little bit different, but we still want to welcome you here.”Folks in the High Country were discouraging visitors during peak leaf season due to the clean-up efforts. Now they’re hoping families will come pick out a and visit shops and restaurants to make up some of that lost revenue.Opening weekend for Clawsons Choose and Cut is Nov. 9. All other farms open for choose and cut the week before Thanksgiving.

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Small Business Funding

WATCH NOW: Former Dominican High School, LSU volleyball players ink local NIL deal [Video]

OK, and we’re just getting an nil deal local deal. I mean, how much does that mean to you? Um It means *** lot like, I love being able to like give back to the community through this nil deal, like help small businesses and do stuff like that with them. Um We the nil like opportunities just started opening up like it’s *** brand new thing through like colleges and like working with college athletes. So uh Sanders reached out to us and we, he just like wanted to help us build our brands and like get more nil deals and to like help his brand. And so like, we kind of are just working together to try to like figure out all this nil stuff in general. Just how cool is it to see that, you know, the nil just reaching Bobby because at first it was like, oh football, baseball, basketball now you’re getting all the every so yeah. Um Yeah, it’s crazy. I’m like really excited to get started going into it, like building my social media and like just posting more. I’m like really excited about like the whole experience of being able to do that. What does it mean to you? I mean outside of just you know, building. Yeah. Um it means *** lot to me because I feel like it’s *** way for me to like push my values through like brands that I connect with. Like Crescent just has like the similar values to me so I can like put myself like into what I’m doing. So I just get to choose like which brands I can pick and like, try to connect with so that I can like represent myself even better. It’s super cool to see that. And Il is reaching volleyball now to see that. It’s not just the big sports that are getting all these opportunities. It’s really cool to know that young volleyball players can see through us that these opportunities are available for them if they’re willing to put themselves out there and doing it together. Yeah. Right. No, it means *** lot like, especially to grow up together and then to represent LSU, *** college we grew up shooting for and then to also now represent *** local business to this nil, like it’s just super awesome that it’s all through our community and with the people we love and that have always supported us, anything that you wanna do good with that money or something you’re trying to build upon with that money. And I will do um not really sure, but we are hoping to give back to the younger kids through clinics. We’re planning on having, uh, indoor volleyball clinic over Thanksgiving and then another one over Christmas. And then later on, once summer comes *** beach clinic just to keep paving the way for younger athletes and help them get to where we’ve gotten just to get *** couple of local girls who are now at LSU, *** local nil deal that’s, you know, gotta be something special and that needs *** lot. It does and, and, and what better way to do it, you know. Uh my family grew up watching these two young girls play at Lakeshore Playground and obviously what they’ve done here at Dominican. Moving on LSU, they were *** perfect match for us to be able to invest in two local athletes and market our brand at the same time. So we’re really looking forward to this, this partnership.