The American Lung Association announced a new online resource on the issue of smokefree multi-unit housing, Smokefree Policies in Multi-Unit Housing: Steps for Success.    These tools are targeted to public health advocates fairly new to the topic, property managers, residents and others will find the .  

In states like Vermont where so many homes are heated with oil, potential cuts to the federal program that provides assistance to low-income residents could not come at a worse time.   Half of all Vermont homes area heated with oil--far more than the seven percent national average. 

As the cost of oil rises, Vermonters and other New Englanders have found this program, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program  (LIHEAP), critical to covering winter heating bills.

The Federal Reserve Board has announced that borrowers who think they may have been financially harmed in the mortgage foreclosure process in 2009 and 2010 can now request an independent review and potentially receive compensation. Servicers are required to compensate borrowers for financial injury resulting from deficiencies in their foreclosure processes. Below is a list of participating servicers.

Read more here.  To apply borrowers may call 888-952-9105 and visit http://www.independentforeclosurereview.com/ for details.

Individual homeowners, renters, businesses, or others who suffered losses as a result of flooding at the end of August are eligible for assistance to repair homes or to recover other losses. Even if the damage is minor, or if you are unsure whether damage will be covered by federal grants, individuals should apply ASAP. The deadline for applying for both FEMA and SBA assistance is November 15, 2011.