Property

An undeveloped, 120-acre parcel of land in Beverly Hills, CA, has sold for $65 million, according to the Wall Street Journal . It's part of the extensive property portfolio owned by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen . This premium plot of land had been on the market since 2018, for as much as $150 million. In addition, a Spanish-style compound in the exclusive ZIP code of 90210 also owned by the late billionaire has just sold for $45 million. Enchanted Hill After a dalliance with a massive $150 million price tag, the hilltop property returned to the market at a discounted $110 million in 2019. The asking price was further sliced in early 2021 to $95 million, where it remained until it was snapped up by the former Google CEO Eric Schmidt , according to the WSJ. The executive paid $64.9 million for the land at the end of December 2021. Allen, who died in 2018 at the age of 65, had reportedly purchased the property in 1997 for about $20 million. He apparently … [Read more...] about 2 Beverly Hills Properties Reportedly Owned by the Late Billionaire Paul Allen Have Sold

For a decade, Atif Mahr mentored young people, preaching the virtues of anti-violence even as the streets of his north St. Louis neighborhood echoed ever more often with the crack of gunfire. Then one day last October, those bullets tore a jagged hole in Mahr's own family. His daughter Isis was dropping off a friend when a gunman unloaded on her car. The soccer standout, who had been saving money to pay her way through nursing school, was 19. "I always feared it," Mahr said. "I never imagined it." Isis's death filled him with hurt. The reaction from the community, however, gave him hope. The past two years have been dreadful for public safety in U.S. cities as homicide numbers soared - in some cases to record levels. Experts say a constellation of factors is to blame, including the pandemic's scars and a breakdown in trust between police and the communities they serve during the social unrest of 2020. But as 2022 kicks off, city leaders from coast to coast say the stars may … [Read more...] about Homicide rates have soared nationwide, but mayors see a chance for a turnaround in 2022

Through hurricanes and flooding, Jerry Mohn has waited a long time for the federal government to build the kind of protective barrier that could shield Galveston’s coastline from devastating storm surges triggered by massive weather events. In 2008, Hurricane Ike devastated the island town with head-high floodwaters and 110-mile-per-hour winds that caused billions of dollars of damage and killed dozens of people. “Look what happened with Ike — the same thing could happen again,” said Mohn, a longtime Galveston resident and beach preservation advocate. “It devastated Galveston Island completely, the downtown flooded, all the beaches were destroyed — it was just really bad.” Protecting Galveston isn’t the only goal of a massive series of infrastructure projects meant to limit the devastation from extreme weather. Scientists have modeled worst-case scenario storms that also make clear the potential for devastation in nearby Houston . Given that the state’s largest city is … [Read more...] about Texas may get a coastal storm barrier, but will it be too late?