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Members Credit Union was the first credit union in the state to be recognized as a “Juntos Avanzamos” credit union last week — one which helps underserved Spanish -speaking and immigrant clients. Shown from left are Carlos Castro-Velez, Peter Yeskey, Lesley Ulloa, Harrinson Agudelo-Rios, Kelly Kortner, Brian Wood, Helen Charles, Evelyn Montufar, Michael Gavan, Elsa Soogrim, Kathy Chartier, Lynn Sabatino, Vanessa Kuduk, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, Linda Shirley and Cathie Mahon. Photo: Contributed / National Federation Of Community Development Credit Unions " class="landscape" /> Members Credit Union was the first credit union in the state to be recognized as a “Juntos Avanzamos” credit union last week — one which helps underserved Spanish -speaking and immigrant clients. Shown from left are Carlos Castro-Velez, Peter Yeskey, Lesley Ulloa, Harrinson Agudelo-Rios, Kelly Kortner, Brian Wood, Helen Charles, Evelyn Montufar, Michael Gavan, Elsa Soogrim, Kathy Chartier, Lynn ...

Cities must do more to ensure that investments in energy efficiency reach the low- and moderate-income households that bear the heaviest burden from high energy costs via Shutterstock By Laurie Mazur As the saying goes, “The poor pay more.” This is certainly true when it comes to energy costs: Low-income households (both owners and renters) pay more for energy per square foot than their affluent counterparts. And as a percentage of income, low- and moderate- income families pay up to three times more than average on utility bills. Energy efficiency is part of the solution: It can reduce energy burdens by as much as 30 percent. But even the best- intentioned efficiency programs often fail to reach low- and moderate-income households. Those households may not be able to take advantage of incentives because they lack the upfront capital to invest in efficiency upgrades, for example. And they lose out on tax incentives because they don’t live in high- efficiency housing or can’t af...

The sale of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin’s municipal broadband system , completes a failed experiment that left ratepayers on the hook for years of financial losses . TDS Telecommunications Corporation recently announced it had completed the purchase of the telecom assets of Sun Prairie Utilities . The network was bought for $2.88 million, slightly more than the city’s outstanding debt on the assets, Wisconsin State Journal reported . The private provider will now begin building a fiber network capable of 1 gigabit-per-second download speeds to serve the area’s residents. Madison-based TDS will offer cable and phone service, as well. “To deliver these new advanced services, we will be investing significant private capital ,” said Jim Butman, chief operating officer of TDS. The utility built a network that lost money – often significant amounts – during the majority of its years in operation, Watchdog.org reported. Sun Prairie Utilities first built a fiber ring in the late 1990s to conn...