Pending RFA: Nick Blankenburg Proved That He Deserves A Second NHL Contract | 1st Ohio Battery - 1st Ohio Battery

Seven Games.

That's all Nick Blankenburg needed to show he is an NHL-caliber defenseman. Not only did he prove he can play in the best hockey league in the world, he quickly became a fan favorite amongst the Blue Jackets fans.

Season Recap

Over the seven games he played, he ranked sixth on the team in average time on ice (ATOI) at 17:34 and was tied with Jake Bean for the defensemen lead in points over that stretch with three. Blankenburg shined on both ends of the ice, and the Blue Jackets needed him to because he was just one of four Jackets defensemen that played all seven games with him.

Blankenburg continues to impress with the assist and Voracek picks up his 52nd assist to move into a tie with Ray Whitney for third on the franchise list for helpers in a season. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/AYVcbtYct6

— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 24, 2022

He also played on special teams, playing 0:38 of power-play time per game and 0:37 of short-handed time per game. 

A first career goal for Blankenburg and his first multi-point game! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/aqwJ0Mb7YO

— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 24, 2022

Over that seven-game stretch, he was also not afraid to throw his body around and take a beating, tying for first on the team in hits with 19 and tying for second on the team in blocked shots with 12. 

While he did miss the final two games of the regular season with an upper-body injury, Blankenburg represented Team USA at the recent IIHF World Championship and played in four games. He suffered a knee injury there and missed the remainder of the tournament. 

Speaking of young #CBJ D Nick Blankenburg is no longer with U.S. in Finland for @2022iihfworlds

The rookie from Michigan sustained a knee injury over there, but it isnt expected to affect his availability for training camp in the fall.

— Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) May 24, 2022

His Future

The Blue Jackets currently have five defensemen under contract for next season: Zach Werenski, Bean, Gavin Bayreuther, Andrew Peeke, and Vladislav Gavrikov. Blankenburg, along with Adam Boqvist and Gabriel Carlsson, is a pending restricted free agent (RFA). If these are the eight defensemen on the roster for training camp 2022, Werenski, Gavrikov, Peeke, Bean, Boqvist, and Blankenburg would likely be the six defensemen that are dressed for game-one of the regular season. 

His Next Deal

However, Blankenburg is still not under contract. So, what will his next contract look like? He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent following the 2024-25 season, which means he could sign a three-year deal that could take him to that point. However, with such a small sample size, GM Jarmo Kekalainen may be hesitant to hand out a long-term contract that includes a significant pay raise and instead may offer just a one-year extension. From Blankenburg's perspective, a one-year deal may be best for him, too. If he does sign a one-year "prove it" deal and has a great year in 2022-23, he'll be set up to sign a more lucrative deal next summer. 

Regardless of what his next contract looks like, Blankenburg made the most of his brief time in the NHL this season and proved he can play with the best players in the world in the best league in the world. 

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With Coastal Commission review still pending, it may be another summer of sidewalk vending on local coast - La Jolla Light

Though the city of San Diego has rolled out new regulations on sidewalk vending effective June 22, La Jollans and residents of other coastal areas will need to wait longer — probably through the summer — to see more than two dozen rules take effect for their parks and streets.

Many points in the city’s new 34-page ordinance cannot be enforced in the coastal zone (which includes most of La Jolla, except for an area on the eastern side of La Jolla Shores) until after the California Coastal Commission approves them.

However, health- and safety-related sections of the ordinance will apply without Coastal Commission approval. Penalties for violating health and safety rules — including selling a prohibited item such as alcohol or firearms — also will be in effect along with the rest of the city.

Once the Coastal Commission reviews the proposal, the matter will go back to the City Council for adoption of any amendments per commission recommendations, according to Kathleen Ferrier, policy director for City Councilman Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla. Two council hearings will be required, one for discussion and one for a vote, and the regulations would go into effect 30 days after the second hearing.

The Coastal Commission review will center largely on where vendors can operate — a key issue for La Jollans irked by the influx of vendors at beaches and shoreline parks.

The Coastal Commission has a meeting scheduled for June 8-10 in Del Mar, but the sidewalk vending ordinance is not on the agenda. The commission’s subsequent meetings will be July 13-15 and Aug. 10-12.

Here is a partial list of the regulations that need Coastal Commission approval before they can take effect in the coastal zone:

General regulations

• Vending activities on residential blocks may occur only between 7 a.m. and sunset.
• Vending activities on non-residential blocks may occur only between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. or the hours of operation imposed on other businesses on the same block, whichever is least restrictive.
• Only roaming sidewalk vendors may operate in residential areas.
• No stationary sidewalk vendor is permitted on a sidewalk less than 6 feet wide.
• Sidewalk vendors shall not display signs advertising any offsite business.
• Sidewalk vendors may not use more than 5 square feet or 25 percent of the vending space, whichever is less, for items not directly related to vending operations.

Vending locations

No stationary sidewalk vendor shall vend and no roaming sidewalk vendor shall stop to make sales in the following locations:

• The public right of way, or any area that blocks the safe flow of pedestrians or vehicles
• Any public property that does not meet the definition of a sidewalk, including but not limited to any alley, beach, street, median or street end
• Parking lots
• Any slope greater than 5 percent or where signage indicates that wheels must be cramped to the curb
• Within 18 inches from the edge of a curb
• Within five feet in front of or 65 feet behind the sidewalk along a bus stop
• Within 10 feet of any driveway, marked crosswalk or fire escape or emergency exit
• Within 15 feet of any other sidewalk vendor; intersection; building entrance; loading zone, parking space or access ramp designed for those with disabilities; outdoor dining or patio area; public restroom; curb ramp; location with a valid encroachment permit displayed; or high-traffic bike and shared-use path
• Within 25 feet of any beach access point or pier
• Within 50 feet of any major transit stop
• Within 500 feet of any permitted event or any school while children are coming or going, during a recess period or within 30 minutes before or after the school’s opening or closing

While the above rules cover both stationary and roaming sidewalk vendors, the following apply only to stationary vendors, pending Coastal Commission approval:

• Vendors shall not vend within 50 feet of another stationary sidewalk vendor in any city-designated promenades. (In promenades defined as high-traffic sidewalks, vending is prohibited.)
• Vendors shall not vend within five feet of any above-ground structure.
• Vendors shall not vend within 15 feet of any fire hydrant or fire lane.
• Vendors in La Jolla shall not vend during the summer moratorium on Coast Boulevard between Cave Street and the 200 block of Coast Boulevard South.

Vending at public parks, plazas and beaches

The following provisions are for beach areas, should the Coastal Commission approve:

• Sidewalk vendors shall stop vending before the designated closing time of any beach area.
• Vending is permitted between 8 a.m. and sunset in beach areas where there is no designated closing time.
• Sidewalk vendors shall not vend within 50 feet of another sidewalk vendor.
• Sidewalk vendors shall not vend within 25 feet of any decorative fountain, statue, monument, memorial or art installation.
• The city can enact rules and regulations to prohibit vending in any space that would obstruct, damage or otherwise adversely affect the public’s use and enjoyment of natural resources and recreation opportunities or contribute to an undue concentration of commercial activity that unreasonably interferes with the scenic and natural character of a public park.
• The city can reasonably limit the number of sidewalk vendors in certain parks by requiring sidewalk vendors to obtain an additional park sales permit, such as in Scripps Park and Kellogg Park in La Jolla. With that requirement, it will be unlawful to vend in such parks without such a permit.
• Sidewalk vendors shall not use amplified or non-amplified sound devices in conjunction with vending, such as speakers, microphones, public address systems, bells and chimes.
  

To read the full ordinance, go to bitly.ws/rToY.

With so many rules considered unenforceable for the time being, will the coastal zone attract even more sidewalk vendors? The La Jolla Light will explore that issue in next week’s edition. ◆

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Maui residents surprised to learn Haʻikū's iconic Giggle Hill is pending sale - Maui Now

The foot of Giggle Hill is seen, which is connected to Fourth Marine Division Memorial Park in Haʻikū. PC: Kehaulani Cerizo

The real estate listing with 214 acres for sale shows a boundary line that envelopes most of Giggle Hill. PC: Realtor.com

A real estate listing shows the top of Giggle Hill for sale as part of a 214-acre, $10.5 million deal. PC: Realtor.com

Agriculture land comprising 214 acres that includes most of iconic Giggle Hill is pending sale. PC: Realtor.com

Haʻikū’s iconic recreational spot Giggle Hill is being sold for millions of dollars, and for some residents it’s not a laughing matter.

“That is so mind-blowing,” said Elena Dias, who is from Haʻikū and has been hiking and playing paintball there since childhood days. “How did this happen? Is all of Maui for sale?”

Adjacent to county-owned 4th Division Marine Memorial Park, a parcel of 214 acres that includes most of Giggle Hill is pending sale, according to a real estate listing that advertises the land for $10.5 million. 

The listing boasts of Kauhikoa Hill, an “iconic north shore Maui landmark,” along with acreage that includes “open pastures, massive groves of mature Cook’s Pine and Eucalyptus trees and one mile of stream frontage.” 

Also, the advertisement says the land has “current preliminary subdivision under review for 15 to 18 lots” and three county water meters.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Although Giggle Hill and 4th Marine Division Park are used interchangeably, the county’s real property tax maps show the areas are different.  

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Donated by Alexander & Baldwin in the 1990s, the 4th Division Marine Memorial Park is roughly 40 acres owned and maintained by the county Department of Parks and Recreation – except for the Tom Morrow Equestrian Arena, which is leased to a nonprofit. The park’s popular Kalākupua playground was originally built in a community effort by Haʻikū Community Association. Also, the park holds baseball, softball and soccer fields, BBQs, picnic areas, pavilions and restrooms.

Connected to the park by several hiking trails, Giggle Hill received its nickname during World War II as a spot where young Marines courted girls and couples were heard laughing.

In recent decades, the hill has been used for hiking, paintball and other recreational activities. By following any one of the footpaths to reach the top, the hill transitions into a fenced plateau that’s peppered with tall, sturdy pine trees.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

The county’s tax map search shows that the boundary line for the 4th Division Marine Memorial Park property intersects the hill just below the plateau. 

The plateau and the land makai of that is owned by Kauhikoa Investors LLC, which has an Ojai, Calif., mailing address. The 214 acres of agriculture land was last purchased in 2009 for $2.4 million. 

Residents who heard about the pending sale said they’re saddened by the news, and they wondered what would come of the public access trails. 

“It’s the perfect tree line to play paintball,” Dias said. 

The lifelong Maui resident said sheʻs worried the area will be transformed into more multimillion-dollar luxury homes, just as sheʻs seeing happen with properties around Maui.

Haʻikū resident Noah Lebowitz said his kids love going up to explore the top of the hill and he always thought it was public land.

“I just hope they don’t close it off to the public,” he said. “It’s a hidden gem and it would be sad for all if it’s taken away.”

Makawao resident Patty Lee said she sometimes hikes up the hill and was disappointed to learn the area is up for sale. 

“I’m just surprised to hear that,” she said. 

The county’s Department of Parks and Recreation did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The realtor declined to comment. 

County property tax maps show that the county’s 4th Division Marine Memorial Park has a boundary line lower than the Giggle Hill plateau, which many enjoy hiking. PC: County screenshot

The county’s 4th Division Marine Memorial Park boundary line is shown. PC: County screenshot

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Pending Home Sales Plunge To Lowest Level In Nearly A Decade—Worst Could Be Yet To Come - Forbes

Topline

Pending home sales slid for the sixth consecutive month in April to the lowest level in nearly a decade, according to Tuesday data, and experts believe sales have much more room to fall as rising mortgage rates put a damper on a booming housing market.

Key Facts

The National Association of Realtors’ pending home sales index, which measures home sales based on contract signings, fell 3.9% to 99.3 in April, with transactions falling 9.1% year over year, according to a Thursday release.

With the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates twice this spring, escalating mortgage rates are starting to curb home buying demand, NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement, pointing out higher rates have added as much as $500 to monthly mortgage payments.

Yun expects existing-home sales will fall 9% this year, but if mortgage rates climb to 6% from a current level of roughly 5.3%, he says sales activity could plunge by 15%.

Meanwhile, Yun says home prices “appear in no danger of any meaningful decline” given an ongoing housing shortage and swift selling, with listed homes generally seeing a contract signed within one month.

Of the potential implications, Pantheon Macro chief economist Ian Shepherdson said in a Thursday report that plunging sales will be followed by a “a serious downshift” in retail sales of building materials, furniture and appliances.

“That won’t break the overall economy,” Shepherdson notes, though he cautions home builders, materials suppliers and retailers of housing-sensitive items—whose stocks skyrocketed amid a pandemic-era housing boom—“are going to suffer.”

Key Background

Historically high savings rates and unprecedented government stimulus efforts and low interest rates helped ignite a home buying frenzy during the pandemic, but signs of a slowdown have quickly emerged as the Fed embarks on its most aggressive interest-rate hiking cycle in two decades. The latest data comes two days after the Census Department reported that about 591,000 new single-family houses were sold last month on a seasonally adjusted annual basis, plunging 16.6% below the March rate of 709,000 and falling sharply below analyst projections of 750,000.

Tangent

As the hot housing market pushed median home sales to a record $346,900 last year, home building stocks rallied. Though it’s down 20% this year, the S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index skyrocketed more than 40% to a record high in December.

Crucial Quote

“The vast majority of homeowners are enjoying huge wealth gains and are not under financial stress, as a result of having locked into historically low interest rates,” Yun explains. “However, in this present market, potential home buyers are challenged.”

What To Watch For

On Wednesday, minutes from the Fed’s meeting earlier this month revealed officials are likely to continue raising interest rates by a half-percentage point in both June and July. “The Fed mostly sees 50-basis-point increases appropriate at the next couple of meetings as they are behind the curve with fighting inflation,” Edward Moya, senior market analyst for Oanda, said in emailed comments, adding that the central bank is “optimistic about the economy,” but “growing concerned with markets for Treasurys and commodities.”

Further Reading

Housing Market Boom 'Is Over' As New Home Sales Implode–Here's What To Expect From Prices This Year (Forbes)

Home Buying Is Becoming 'Unaffordable For Most Americans': Here's What Experts Predict For The Housing Market In 2022 (Forbes)

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Friendly Fire: Gun safety, Trump's stumble, and the pending Red Wave - NJ.com

Can Americans still have a sensible and friendly political discussion across the partisan divide? The answer is yes, and we intend to prove it. Julie Roginsky, a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends throughout. Here, they discuss the week’s events with Editorial Page editor Tom Moran.

Q. A decade after 20 children were murdered in Sandy Hook, here we are again, with 19 children killed in Texas. A question on the political stalemate we face: Will Republicans at some point pay a price for blocking gun safety measures that have overwhelming public support, like background checks?

Julie: Republicans haven’t paid a price yet for their worship at the altar of the gun lobby because they know that if past is prologue, we will wring our hands until the news cycle moves on to cover the next outrage. The facts are staring us in the face: In 2019, the United States had the most guns per capita of any nation on earth and the most gun deaths of any nation on earth. If the Supreme Court rules that there is a constitutional protection for an 18-year-old – or anyone – to buy assault weapons, we need to change the constitution. Once upon a time, we had a constitutional right to enslave Black people and I hope we all agree that amending the constitution to eradicate that travesty was the right thing to do. As Cardinal Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, said recently, “The Second Amendment did not come down from Sinai.” I, for one, am sick and tired of having the nagging fear in the back of my mind that something may happen to my son when he goes to school or to the movies because our leaders are too feckless to act. I am sure that I am not alone in living like that.

Mike: As former GOP Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said, this is not what the founding fathers envisioned. James Madison did not believe he was guaranteeing a mentally unstable teenager the right to buy body armor and high-capacity military weapons with the intent to slaughter 10-year-olds as the price to pay keep the British Army at bay. There must be a way to protect the Second Amendment while protecting school children. This is a colossal failure of adults to protect children, and there is little that could be more shameful in life. Many Republicans (and some Democrats) have taken an absolutist view, simply refusing to act on common-sense reforms to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally unstable. It’s okay to change one’s position here. We did not have nearly as many mass shootings 25 years ago as we have now. Law-abiding gun owners want their kids safe and want guns kept away from those would use them irresponsibly. We can have background checks, a national database of gun sales, a ban on high-capacity weapons, and closing of the gun show loophole without taking away the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.

Q. Gov. Phil Murphy called out Republican lawmakers by name and urged a vote on their gun proposals, citing Assemblyman John DiMaio on decriminalizing hollow-point bullets, Sen. Ed Durr on allowing high-capacity gun clips, Sen. Mike Doherty on allowing guns in churches, and Assemblyman Ron Dancer on concealed carry. “Let the people of New Jersey see who votes yes,” the governor said. Thoughts?

Julie: New Jersey has among the strongest gun laws in the nation but if the governor feels that more needs to be done, he should stop pounding the lectern and call a special session of the legislature immediately. Just to be clear, Phil Murphy – today – has the power to force a vote on additional gun safety measures. He has the power to call legislators into session every single day this summer until they take that vote. He can skip his summer vacation in Europe and sweat it out in Trenton with the legislature for as long as it takes to get it done. Saying all the right things at a press conference is easy. Leadership is hard.

Mike: Julie’s right that New Jersey has among the toughest gun laws in the country. Let’s not act like we are Texas where their governor has been gleefully rolling back any restrictions. In Texas they will ban books but not bullets. None of the aforementioned proposals by those Republicans is going anywhere in New Jersey right now. New Jersey has actually long been in a reasonable spot where the rights of law-abiding citizens is balanced with public safety.

Q. Donald Trump suffered bruising defeats in Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp won by over 50 points, and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger won by nearly 20 points, enough to avoid a runoff. Those two blocked Trump’s attempt to overturn the election results, making them the chief targets of what Chris Christie calls Trump’s “personal vendetta tour.” Is Trump losing his grip on the party?

Julie: To be clear, Brian Kemp is not some hero. He has worked overtime to disenfranchise voters in Georgia in order to protect his own political future, just like Trump has tried to do. In some ways, what is happening to the Republican Party today is more frightening than before. I once believed the fever would break if Trump left the scene. Today, it’s clearer than ever that Trumpism will long outlast Trump and I have no idea what it will take to end it.

Mike: Stacey Abrams and Donald Trump have something in common. They both lost Georgia and refuse to accept the results. Such bipartisan agreement is rare today in politics. Let’s celebrate it. Trump’s endorsement is still powerful, but clearly diminishing. Even in states where his candidates are winning tough races, they are getting around one-third of the vote, meaning two-thirds of voters are looking past the endorsement or voting against it. In Georgia, Trump’s candidate for governor lost by 50. 50! It’s hard to lose by 50. I was glad to see Gov. Christie, VP Pence and many others in Georgia campaigning for Kemp. For all the criticism of Kemp, he stood up to Trump in 2020 when it mattered most.

Q. Cook Political Report this week said 10 House races have moved in favor of Republicans, due mostly to independent voters concerned about inflation. “Any Democrat sitting in a single-digit Biden seat (or a Trump seat) is at severe risk,” Cook said. They predict Republicans will pick up between 20 and 35 seats. Does that sound about right to you?

Julie: I’ve long said that New Jersey’s elections last year were the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the nation. Even in a state like ours, with its huge Democratic voter advantage, the governor almost lost and Democrats lost legislative seats across the board. Since then, the economic situation has darkened even further. That is no fault of President Biden, but he is in charge and so that is whom voters will blame.

Mike: That prediction sounds about right. The gains for Republicans may be even higher, like 1994 and 2010. Gerrymandering will limit some losses for Democrats, but the House is as good as gone.

Q. A fresh AP poll find that 1 in 3 Americans believe an effort is underway to replace U.S.-born Americans with immigrants for electoral gain, the replacement theory promoted by Tucker Carlson and embraced by several of the killers in recent mass murderers, including the one in Buffalo. But two-thirds believe diversity makes the country stronger. What do you make of that?

Julie: The only immigrants who have come to this country to advance a political party’s electoral gain are Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, whose network and associated media companies exist to promote ridiculous conspiracy theories and bring them to into the mainstream of the Republican Party. E pluribus unum has been on the Great Seal of the United States since the 18th century. We used to take pride in being a melting pot and a beacon for the tired and poor from other nations. Today, people like Tucker Carlson, who I can assure you really does believe this crazy stuff based on my many discussions with him, are leading viewers down a dangerous path that will cause more violence and division.

Mike: The great replacement theory is a hoax, and it’s simply a new name for an old political blame game. We are a country of immigrants that has too often rejected immigrants throughout our history. The politics of resentment, fear and division were practiced in this country long before Fox News came along. I am hopeful one day we will look for the best in each other, rather than the worst. Perhaps we could realize there’s more that unites us than divides us, that we have more in common than we admit. But empathy and understanding don’t get TV ratings or web clicks. Immediately believing the worst in others is a terrible trait exacerbated by cable TV and social media.

Q. Finally, our own Julie Roginsky has been put on the Kremlin’s enemies list, barred forever from traveling to Russia. For those who don’t know, Julie was born in Russia and came here as a refugee at the age of six. Julie, how do you feel about this?

Julie: I feel honored. The Kremlin already did everything it could to me a long time ago. It made me a stateless refugee and deprived me of my childhood way too soon. It kept me from the grandparents who raised me from birth and tortured two elderly people by separating them from their only child and grandchild for a decade. But it also forced me to learn early on that there are few things in life more important than speaking out against injustice, even if it gets you on the wrong side of powerful people. If I have upset a despot whose mission in life is to reconstitute the Soviet Union by invading foreign countries and oppressing and murdering his own people, I am just fine with it. One day, sooner than he thinks, Putin will be gone, and I will see Russia again. Count on it.

Mike: Within the span of one year, Julie has been honored at the White House and condemned by the Kremlin. I could think of no better summation of an American life of consequence well lived. Hats off to my Star-Ledger sparring partner. Julie is a badass.

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Pending Home Sales Descend 3.9% in April - NAR.realtor

WASHINGTON (May 26, 2022) – Pending home sales slipped in April, as contract activity decreased for the sixth consecutive month, the National Association of Realtors® reported. Only the Midwest region saw signings increase month-over-month, while the other three major regions reported declines. Each of the four regions registered a drop in year-over-year contract activity.

The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI),* www.nar.realtor/pending-home-sales, a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings, slid 3.9% to 99.3 in April. Year-over-year, transactions fell 9.1%. An index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001.

"Pending contracts are telling, as they better reflect the timelier impact from higher mortgage rates than do closings," said Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist. "The latest contract signings mark six consecutive months of declines and are at the slowest pace in nearly a decade."

With mortgage rates rising, Yun forecasts existing-home sales to wane by 9% in 2022 and home price appreciation to moderate to 5% by year's end.

"The escalating mortgage rates have bumped up the cost of purchasing a home by more than 25% from a year ago, while steeper home prices are adding another 15% to that figure."

In some cases, these higher rates increase mortgage payments by as much as $500 per month. Yun notes that such price hikes are already a burden, but they become even more problematic to a family on a budget contending with rapid inflation, including surging fuel and food costs.

"The vast majority of homeowners are enjoying huge wealth gains and are not under financial stress with their home as a result of having locked into historically low interest rates, or because they are not carrying a mortgage," Yun explained. "However – in this present market – potential homebuyers are challenged and thus may attempt to mitigate the rising cost of ownership by opting for a 5-year adjustable-rate mortgage or by widening their geographic search area to more affordable regions."

Yun cites that more work-from-home opportunities have allowed would-be buyers to expand their home search.

There are scenarios in which the market soon improves for buyers, as well, according to Yun.

"If mortgage rates stabilize roughly at the current level of 5.3% and job gains continue, home sales could also stabilize in the coming months," Yun said. "Home sales in 2022 are expected to be down about 9%, and if mortgage rates climb to 6%, then the sales activity could fall by 15%.

"Home prices in the meantime appear in no danger of any meaningful decline," he continued. "There is an ongoing housing shortage, and properly listed homes are still selling swiftly – generally seeing a contract signed within a month."

April Pending Home Sales Regional Breakdown

Month-over-month, the Northeast PHSI fell 16.20% to 74.8 in April, a 14.3% drop from a year ago. In the Midwest, the index rose 6.6% to 100.7 last month, down 2.8% from April 2021.

Pending home sales transactions in the South dipped 4.7% to an index of 119.0 in April, down 10.3% from April 2021. The index in the West slipped 4.3% in April to 85.9, a 10.5% decrease from a year prior.

The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

# # #

*The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.

Pending contracts are good early indicators of upcoming sales closings. However, the amount of time between pending contracts and completed sales is not identical for all home sales. Variations in the length of the process from pending contract to closed sale can be caused by issues such as buyer difficulties with obtaining mortgage financing, home inspection problems, or appraisal issues.

The index is based on a sample that covers about 40% of multiple listing service data each month. In developing the model for the index, it was demonstrated that the level of monthly sales-contract activity parallels the level of closed existing-home sales in the following two months.

An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be examined. By coincidence, the volume of existing-home sales in 2001 fell within the range of 5.0 to 5.5 million, which is considered normal for the current U.S. population.

NOTE: Existing-Home Sales for May will be reported June 21. The next Pending Home Sales Index will be June 27; all release times are 10:00 a.m. ET.

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Court delays & pending charges: Exploring the long term effects of the 2020 protest - WUNC

Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, around 14,000 people across the country were arrested, according to an analysis by the Washington Post.

I was one of those people. During one of those protests, I was detained during a mass arrest in Charlotte and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Even though some of my charges were dropped, I still currently have one pending charge, and I still haven’t had my court date yet.

I believe my arrest was unjust and factually deficient — many legal and criminal justice representatives, like Staff Attorney Ian Mance, say it’s the same situation for many others arrested under the same circumstances.

“One thing that we observed when we got the 10,000-foot view of these arrests is, in a lot of instances, there really wasn't probable cause for the arrest of certain individuals,” Mance said.

Since 2013, Mance has worked with Emancipate NC representing individuals, community groups, and organizations in criminal and civil matters. Specifically, he's represented people in cases involving police use of deadly force. He now helps file civil suits for people who have been abused by police or unjustly arrested.

Nada Merghani

/

WUNC

Over 60 people wait to be seen by a judge at the Durham County courthouse.

“There were a lot of situations where people were arrested en mass," Mance said. "It was like, 'if you're in the general vicinity, you’re going to jail.' That's just not the way the criminal law is supposed to work. That's not the way probable cause works.”

Many courts are still backed up due to the pandemic. And that means longer wait times for many. I recently visited the Durham County courthouse, and there were more than 60 people waiting in line for 20 minutes or longer.

As a result, most district attorneys like Spencer Merriweather from Charlotte-Mecklenburg County aren't tackling protest-related charges and other low-level misdemeanors.

“Often, many of the cases that are associated with the civil process in our community are class two misdemeanors and below,” Merriweather said. “Those just don't necessarily rise, at least at this point, to the best use of our core time.”

Often, he said the people whose charges last the longest or actually face conviction are the people that are most economically, politically, and socially vulnerable.

Activists who participated in the 2020 protests in North Carolina say they experienced long-standing consequences as a result of being arrested. Many of them have never been charged, convicted, or seen by a judge. For people like Ash Williams, this delay makes it difficult to get jobs, benefits, and other basic necessities.

“I have had issues individually with applying for housing. The criminal background check is done. The charges that I have not been in court for over a year now, they pop up, and then the application is rejected,” Williams said. “I know that that has been the experience for some of my friends who are also defendants.”

Nada Merghani

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WUNC

2020 Jail Support volunteers protesting outside of the Mecklenberg County Courthouse.

I worked closely with Williams and other organizers of Charlotte Jail Support in 2020. Jail Support was a community initiative where members who supported the protests in Charlotte also gave out food, bus passes, clothes, and booked hotel rooms for individuals coming out of jail. After 160 days, the Mecklenburg Sheriff's Office officially disbanded Jail Support and arrested about 25 of its supporters.

“So the first thing that I want to say is that the state has criminalized mutual aid, period,” Williams said. “That is why people have charges— because mutual aid has been criminalized. Because giving a bus pass out has been criminalized.”

Williams was later arrested for assault on a government employee in March 2021, as a result of the 2020 protests. When I spoke to Williams, he continued to unpack the trauma that this experience has had on his well-being.

“I have to defend myself and prove to the police that I'm a disabled person. They're saying that I kicked them twice in the neck and in the chest. I couldn't have done it if I wanted to,” Williams said. “One of the things that I'm having to do is wonder about when I'm going to have an opportunity for any kind of justice.”

Despite the fact that he has not gone to court in over a year, his pending charges are still affecting his life. At the time of the protests, Williams was an adjunct professor in the Women and Gender Studies department at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. He was teaching classes on the impact of the prison-industrial complex on Black, queer, and transgender people.

In the midst of the protest, Williams was asked to submit a background check, despite having already submitted one when he was hired. When the background check came back, he was told he could no longer continue teaching. Williams was surprised but remained unapologetic about his activism.

“I do want my students to know, and the other members of the campus community to know, that I move up, I sit up, for what I believe in,” said Williams. “The things that I'm talking about in class, that's what I'm doing outside. That's what I'm doing in the streets.”

Nada Merghani

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WUNC

2020 Jail Support volunteers stand across the street from the Mecklenberg County courthouse waiting to provide resources to newly-released citizens.

Williams’ first court date won’t happen until November, so in the meantime, he continues working as an organizer on issues like racial, reproductive, and environmental justice.

Jamie Marsicano was also one of the organizers I worked with from Jail Support. Marsicano’s charges from the 2020 protest were recently dropped after a year. These days, Marsicano is a law student at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and was also an organizer for Jail Support. She sees herself as lucky compared to the other activists with pending charges.

Nada Merghani

/

WUNC

Ash Williams (left) and Jamie Marsicano (right) stand in front of the Mecklenberg County Courthouse during the George Floyd protest of 2020.

“I think part of the reason my [charges] got dropped is because I am kind of known as an organizer in Charlotte, and also because I had the privilege of my arrests being on camera,” Marsciano said. “So you could actually see very easily that what I was being accused of did not happen and that, in fact, I was the one who had been assaulted. And so that's why it is really important to me to continue to fight for the folks who don't have those kinds of privileges in this case.”

Marsicano is currently leading a campaign to secure pro-bono legal support for the 35 people in Charlotte who still have pending charges from the 2020 protests.

“Our philosophy in Charlotte is that the action is not done until everybody is home, and all of their charges are dropped,” said Marsicano. “If you think of it that way, we are still in the 2020 protests in response to George Floyd's murder.”

What Marsicano expressed, really hit home. My case has been rescheduled multiple times, and it is currently on the docket for December 27. It is very unlikely that my case will be resolved that day. That means my pending charge will likely still appear on background checks and continue to make it difficult for me to obtain housing or work. Many of the people I interviewed who are also in this gray area shared a similar view of what should happen next. When I asked Ash Williams he gave me his ideal solution.

If the state can’t get it together by a certain amount of time… they need to let it go. They need to drop people’s charges,” Williams said.

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City Beaches Planned Coney Island NYC Ferry Stop Pending Deeper Analysis - THE CITY

New York City has temporarily halted its plan to bring a ferry line to Coney Island, citing “significant sand shift” at the creek where the dock is proposed. 

The city’s Economic Development Corporation met this week with Coney Island residents and leaders to provide an update on the ferry service, which the agency had originally sought to launch in 2021. 

But officials instead said the project is delayed indefinitely as they assess how much more dredging is needed at the creek. And in the wake of community pushback against the location, they’re also planning to assess the feasibility of moving the ferry landing to the choppier ocean side of Coney Island, those officials said. 

“They ran into some difficulties. The sand shifts are more than they had foreseen,” said Assemblymember Mathylde Frontus, a Democrat who represents Coney Island and helped arrange Tuesday’s meeting. 

To move the dock to the ocean, the EDC said it would have to build a jetty or another structure to protect the boats from waves and winds. That could further drive up the cost of adding a Coney Island route, EDC officials told residents.  

“Coney Islanders want a ferry, and we continue working aggressively towards that goal,” EDC spokesperson Regina Graham told THE CITY Thursday. “We will continue to be responsive to community requests and concerns, and we are exploring all options for a ferry landing that would maximize operational safety, access and ridership. We will continue to work in partnership with residents and look forward to keeping them updated.”

EDC expects to revisit necessary work for the ferry by late summer into early fall, the spokesperson said. 

Troubled Waters

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio first announced planned NYC Ferry service to Coney Island in 2019, after the community had clamored for years for a boat to the beachside destination.

The proposed route would connect Coney Island with Bay Ridge and lower Manhattan – with the end-to-end ride taking 37 minutes, according to NYC Ferry. The equivalent subway ride takes about an hour.

A child marvels at the Wonder Wheel and the rest of Coney Island as the Q train approaches the Stillwell Avenue station.

Hiram Alejandro Durán/THE CITY

“As New Yorkers take to the water to get around our city more than ever before, we will look forward to improving the NYC Ferry system to make it better than ever,” de Blasio, who is now running for Congress, said.

But issues emerged with the proposed dock at Coney Island since it was first announced. 

Some local activists have pushed to move the ferry dock away from Coney Island Creek and on to the ocean side of the peninsula. They’ve suggested it be moved to Steeplechase Pier, arguing that building a dock and preparing the polluted creek for ferry service would be hazardous to the community and disruptive to the water there. 

People enjoy the Coney Island boardwalk near Steeplechase Pier at the beginning of the pandemic, May 7, 2020.

Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is considering whether Coney Island Creek will be designated as a Superfund site.

Late last year, the state Department of Environmental Conservation slapped a $70,000 fine on EDC, its contractor Skanska and subcontractor Mechanical and Marine Construction Corp for violating environmental restrictions during dredging. A spokesperson for Skanska referred all questions to EDC.

Frontus said she wouldn’t mind a ferry stop but didn’t think the obstacles were worth it.

“Who wouldn’t want to get on a ferry?” she told THE CITY. “Just because you want something doesn’t mean you want it at the expense of your health.”

Taxpayers Soaked

Since officially launching with a handful of routes in 2017, the citywide ferry service’s cost to city taxpayers has continued to rise. 

Earlier this year, the EDC’s board approved up to $62 million in new spending to keep the boat operation afloat — allowing city tax dollars for the first time. De Blasio boosted the program’s budget with another $23.2 million before he left office. 

A city-sponsored nonprofit entity that manages government real estate assets such as the Brooklyn Army Terminal, EDC has subsidized the ferry from the get-go, with aid last year amounting to $8.59 per trip. 

An NYC Ferry boat docks in Astoria, Queens, April 5, 2019.

Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY

Mayor Eric Adams said in February that he was open to finding new ways to increase revenue for the system. 

“We have to be more creative,” he said at the official announcement of new EDC president Andrew Kimball. 

Kimball called the ferry service “one of the great success stories over the last decade” but that the city needed to look at how it’s being funded.

“Absolutely we need to be looking at the cost structure and management,” he said. 

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MISO proposes giving incumbent utilities certain transmission projects in pending $10.4B buildout - Utility Dive

Dive Brief:

• Incumbent utilities in the Midcontinent grid operator’s footprint could build certain transmission projects without a competitive bidding process under a proposal filed Wednesday with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

• The Midcontinent Independent System Operator would assign transmission projects to incumbent utilities when at least 80% of the project’s costs come from upgrades to the existing system, a change that would facilitate a $10.4 billion Long Range Transmission Plan, or LRTP, according to the proposal, which wasn’t vetted by stakeholders.

• Advocates for competition in the transmission sector see the proposal as part of a pattern of utilities seeking to monopolize those investments. “The MISO proposal would chip away at the eligibility of transmission projects subjected to open competition and erode associated costs savings and innovation,” Devin Hartman, R Street Institute director of energy and environmental policy, said Wednesday in an email.

Dive Insight:

MISO’s proposal centers on its LRTP Tranche 1, a set of transmission lines that could support about 53 GW of wind, solar, hybrid and stand-alone battery projects, that is slated to be voted on by the grid operator’s board on July 25. It would also apply to upcoming tranches.

MISO LRTP Tranche 1 preliminary cost estimate

Retrieved from Midcontinent Independent System Operator on May 26, 2022

Only about 21% of the estimated value of the proposed LRTP projects are subject to competition, and the MISO proposal may drop that to around 16%, according to Hartman. "We should be expanding transmission competition eligibility, not contracting it," he said, adding that R Street, a free-market group, contends that all transmission upgrades above 100 kV be subject to competition.

The LRTP plan could get bogged down if projects that primarily involve upgrading existing facilities must be put out to bid, according to MISO. Those challenges include designing, permitting and maintaining the facilities, which are typically short segments or conductor-only projects, according to MISO.

Even with the proposal, there will be “significant opportunity” for competitive transmission development in the pending buildout, according to MISO. “By promoting administrative, regulatory and economic efficiency, the proposal will allow MISO to devote its limited resources to larger competitive transmission line segments and projects, which are more likely to bring substantial benefits to MISO’s footprint,” the grid operator told FERC.

FERC approved a similar Southwest Power Pool proposal in 2014 that included an 80% cost threshold, MISO said.

“MISO has determined that the commission’s previously-approved 80/20 approach would provide a reasonable mechanism to mitigate the effects of the majority of the concerns … at least for those projects where the challenges and inefficiencies caused by these problems greatly outstrip any likely benefit to be had from conducting the competitive transmission process,” the grid operator said.

Based on a preliminary review, some “short segments” and conductor-only projects would likely be open to competitive bidding, according to MISO.

After the MISO board approves the Tranche 1 projects, the grid operator will determine which transmission facilities in the package qualify for competitive bidding, Jeremiah Doner, MISO director of cost allocation and competitive transmission, said in testimony supporting the grid operator's proposal.

The proposal strikes “an appropriate middle ground between competitive and efficiency priority,” and should allow MISO to effectively move forward with the potential Tranche 1 projects, the grid operator said.

Noting that FERC last week approved a cost allocation methodology for the Tranche 1 projects, MISO asked the commission to green-light the proposal by July 22. “This will provide maximum certainty to all parties involved in the LRTP process,” MISO said.

The timing of the proposal, weeks before the MISO board vote, and the lack of a stakeholder process to review it appears suspect to Ari Peskoe, director of Harvard Law School’s Electricity Law Initiative.

“The notion that utilities only now considered the competitive implications of LRTP, a 2-year planning process, does not pass the smell test,” Peskoe said Wednesday in an email.

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Sussmann may testify in trial charging that he lied to FBI, pending judge's ruling - Fox News

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Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann could testify in his own defense beginning Thursday, his attorneys said, should the judge rule to bar government prosecutors from questioning him about pre-indictment negotiations between his counsel and Special Counsel John Durham’s office.

The defense filed a motion under seal Tuesday night, which requests that if Sussmann were to testify, the judge would rule to block the government from asking him questions during cross-examination about materials submitted to the government before charges against him were filed.

The materials in question were likely submitted to persuade the government not to move forward with its case, and its indictment of Sussmann.

SPECIAL COUNSEL JOHN DURHAM'S PROSECUTION OF MICHAEL SUSSMANN: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper is set to decide on that motion by Thursday morning.

The mainstream media has largely avoided covering the trial of ex-Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, who has been charged with making a false statement to the FBI.  (REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson)

Sussmann defense attorney Sean Berkowitz said Sussmann’s decision on whether to testify depends on Cooper’s ruling.

Should Sussmann testify, the government and defense will likely begin delivering their closing arguments next Tuesday. If Sussman does not testify, closings could be delivered this week. 

Sussmann's attorneys contradict former FBI general counsel's testimony

Sussmann’s attorneys on Wednesday attempted to poke holes in Durham’s charge by bringing witnesses to the stand to testify in his defense.

Tashina Gauhar,  a former official in the deputy attorney general’s office in 2016 and 2017, was the first defense witness called to the stand Wednesday.

HILLARY CLINTON APPROVED DISSEMINATION OF TRUMP-RUSSIAN BANK ALLEGATIONS TO MEDIA, CAMPAIGN MANAGER TESTIFIES

Gauhar was asked about a meeting with several senior FBI and DOJ officials on March 6, 2017, which served as a briefing for then-Acting Attorney General Dana Boente about the Trump-Russia investigation.

Gauhar testified that then-FBI Deputy Director Andy McCabe was present for the meeting, as well as then-Assistant Director for the FBI’s counterintelligence division Bill Priestap, and his deputy, Peter Strzok.  From the Justice Department, Boente, Gauhar and a senior official from the Justice Department’s national security division Mary McCord, as well as a number of other top staffers attended the meeting.

Special Counsel John Durham departs the U.S. Federal Courthouse after opening arguments in the trial of Attorney Michael Sussmann (REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson)

Defense attorneys showed the jury notes they say Gauhar took during that March 2017 meeting.

Gauhar testified that she did not remember the meeting, but said the notes appeared to be her own.

The notes showed that an "attorney" brought the "Alfa" matter to the FBI on "behalf of his client." 

DURHAM-SUSSMANN TRIAL: BAKER BRIEFED COMEY, MCCABE ON ALLEGED COVERT COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN TRUMP ORG, RUSSIA

Durham has charged Sussmann with making a false statement to the FBI when he met with then-FBI General Counsel James Baker on Sept. 19, 2016. During that meeting, Sussmann brought two thumb drives and white papers which alleged a covert communications channel between the Trump Organization and Russia’s Alfa Bank. Sussmann allegedly told Baker that he was not bringing the information on behalf of any client, but rather as a citizen concerned with national security.

Sussmann has pleaded not guilty.

The defense also called Mary McCord, a former career prosecutor at the Justice Department. She served as the assistant attorney general for national security in 2017.

McCord testified Wednesday that she remembered being at the March 6, 2017 meeting, and recalled that McCabe briefed Boente on the Trump-Alfa Bank allegations.

McCord also took notes during that meeting, which state that the allegations came to the FBI from an "attorney" who "brought to Jim Baker and did not say who client was." 

James Baker, who served as FBI general counsel, left the bureau in 2018. Official FBI photo. (Official FBI photo)

Sussmann’s defense stressed to the jury that these notes show that the FBI knew, and was telling their DOJ counterparts, that Sussmann came to Baker on behalf of a client, and that he did not lie to Baker, and that he did not say he was not there on behalf of any client.

BAKER SAYS FBI INVESTIGATED SUSSMANN CLAIMS OF TRUMP, RUSSIAN BANK CONNECTION: 'THERE WAS NOTHING THERE'

The claims are in direct conflict with the testimony of James Baker who took the stand as a government witness last week. Baker testified that Sussmann told him during the Sept. 19, 2016, meeting that he was not there on behalf of any client.

The government also brought into evidence notes from Priestap, who met with Baker after the Sussmann meeting, and took notes that Sussmann was not bringing the allegations to the FBI on behalf of any client.

One key piece of evidence for the government’s case against Sussmann is a text message from Sussmann to Baker on the eve of their meeting, in which Durham’s team alleges Sussmann put his "lie in writing."

The text message stated: "Jim — it’s Michael Sussmann. I have something time-sensitive (and sensitive) I need to discuss," the text message stated, according to Durham. "Do you have availability for a short meeting tomorrow? I’m coming on my own — not on behalf of a client or company — want to help the Bureau. Thanks."

Baker replied, "OK. I will find a time. What might work for you?"

SUSSMANN-DURHAM TRIAL: MARC ELIAS SAYS HE BRIEFED CLINTON CAMPAIGN OFFICIALS ON FUSION GPS OPPO AGAINST TRUMP

Sussmann replied: "Any time but lunchtime you name it."

"2:00pm in my office? Do you have a badge or do you need help getting into the building?" Baker responded.

"I have a badge. Please remind me of your room #," Sussmann said.

The government, before resting Wednesday morning, showed the jury billing records that they say prove Sussmann billed the Clinton campaign for his FBI meeting.

On one of Sussmann’s bills, dated Sept. 19, 2016, the Clinton campaign is listed as the client, the time is listed as 3.3 hours, and the memo states: "work and communications regarding confidential project." Other testimony revealed Sussmann charged approximately $800 per hour.

Trump reacts to bombshell testimony that Clinton OK'd spreading Russia lie (FOX )

Durham’s team also produced a receipt from a Staples near Perkins Coie in Washington, D.C., from Sept. 13, 2016. On the receipt was a two pack of flash drives.

The prosecution alleged the receipt was included in an expense report from Sussmann, and the billing code on the report connects the expense to the Clinton campaign as the client.

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But during cross-examination of the government’s summary witness Kori Arsenault, a paralegal with Durham’s office, defense attorney Michael Bosworth noted that during meetings Sussmann had at the FBI in years prior, he would specifically make reference to the FBI in the bill's "memo" section. 

Bosworth noted that the Sept. 19, 2016, bill only specifies "work and communication regarding confidential project."

"There’s no reference to the FBI in that entry is there?" Bosworth asked Arsenault.

"There is not," Arsenault answered.

The defense also brought two character witnesses to testify in defense of Sussmann Wednesday afternoon.

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