Archives For Housing
1. Man vs. machine: Can self-driving cars really replace human drivers?
2. Egg-shaped tiny house hits prototype stage
3. 26 best new phones 2015: Most exciting smartphone launches 2015
4. Jibo, Jimmy, Pepper: Will 2015 Be the Year of Personal Robots?
5. Google introduces OnHub, a new smart Wi-Fi router
6. Qualcomm executive dies in plane crash
College launching gap year program

MEDFORD, Mass. — A new Tufts University program hopes to remove the financial barriers keeping cash-strapped students from taking a year off after high school to travel or volunteer, offering an opportunity to explore different communities before starting college.
This “gap year” program launching this fall will pay for housing, airfare and even visa fees, which can add up to $30,000 or more.
Students selected for Tufts’ 4+1 program can defer their admission for a year while remaining tied to the university through video chat and email. Tufts will work with volunteer organizations to create packages that fit students’ financial needs.
Holly Bull, president of the Center of Interim Programs, says students are able to see the world beyond the bubble they grew up in and get a better perspective of their future.
By Wicked Local/Malden

Michael Richards (left) recently donated $1,500 to a local charity, as payment for a long-overdue library book. Also in the photo are Housing Families Community Outreach Coordinator Patty Kelly, Malden Public Library Director Dora St. Martin, Mayor Gary Christenson COURTESY PHOTO
WickedLocal/Malden
Malden, Mass. — Editor’s Note: The following is a release from the office of Mayor Gary Christenson:
WickedLocal/Malden reported recently stopped by Mayor Gary Christenson’s office to return a book that he borrowed from City Hall back in 1982 when he was a sixth-grader at the old Beebe Junior High.
His assignment was to write a report on the history of Malden. He stopped by City Hall and asked a staff member if there was a book he could borrow and was handed “Malden from Primitive Past to Progressive Present” with the agreement that he would return it when he finished his report.
A 1988 graduate of Malden High School, Michael moved out of Malden in 1996 but his mother recently found the book and remembered the deal he had made with the gentleman at City Hall.
“I called the Library and learned that the late fee is 10 cents daily with a maximum of $5,” said Michael. “Without the cap, the daily charge for 31 years adds up to $1,131.50 – I decided to round it up to $1,500 and make a donation to Housing Families.”
Additionally, Michael informed the mayor that Commonwealth Mortgage recently received MassHousing approval, which enables Commonwealth Mortgage to offer affordable, fixed-rate, home loan products for low and moderate-income homebuyers. The loans have low down payment options and competitive interest rates.
“I thank Michael Richards for remembering people in his hometown of Malden and giving back to families at risk,” said Housing Families Community Outreach Coordinator Patty Kelly. “These funds will help support programs which enable us to move forward with our mission of ending family homelessness. We are most appreciative of his generosity.”
“This is great news all around,” said Mayor Christenson. “We have our book back, Housing Families received a generous donation and Commonwealth Mortgage is better able to help residents buy homes in Malden. I also thank Michael for his continued support of our City.”
For more information about Commonwealth Mortgage visit: http://www.commonwealthmorgage.com or call Michael Richards at 781-404-2507. For more information about Housing Families visit http://www.housingfamilies.org.
1. When the Mohawk Lacrosse Team Played at the Olympics
2. Hardcore Version of Olympics: the Arctic Winter Games in Fairbanks
3. Watch an Asteroid the Size of Three Football Fields Rush Past Earth
4. Is Jason Momoa of ‘Game of Thrones’ the Next Great Native Star?
5. Administration Agrees to Fully Pay Tribal Contract Support Costs
6.4 Fast-Food Marketing Tactics Parents Can Adapt to Improve Kids’ Health
Courtesy Cornell Food & Brand Lab
7. Mills Kills Passamaquoddy-State Elvers Agreement
8. Olympic Star T.J. Oshie’s Girlfriend, Lauren Cosgrove, Also a Gold Medalist
9. New Digs in the Sonoran Desert: Tohono O’odham Members Line Up to Live in Villages
10. Are Pedophiles Getting Free Pass in South Dakota?
11. Preserving Indigenous Democracy
12. Coast Salish Nations Unite to Protect Salish Sea
13. Sacred Site Advocates Ask Senate to Heed Keith Harper Concerns
Hong Kong is home to some of the most expensive properties in the world and some analysts are warning its real estate market is overheated.
Buying a home has become even less affordable than before the last property bubble burst in 1997.
Investment from mainland China is helping to fuel the rise and there are concerns Hong Kong is in danger of another property crash.
The BBC’s chief business correspondent Linda Yueh examines whether measures by the authorities to cool the market are working. Click here to view a video report