Construction Maison

(Photo: Nadezhda1906 / iStock / Getty Images Plus) This story was made possible by support from readers like you. Help Truthout report on the urgent issues of health care, climate change, US foreign policy and more: Make a tax- deductible donation today . When April's paternal nephews first came to live with her, one was two months old and the other was one-and-a-half years old. She had to fill out the paperwork necessary to retrieve the older boy from foster care, where he had been placed months earlier after being removed from his mother. Under California law, if a potential caregiver -- any adult in the household or any adult who might have "significant contact" with the children has an arrest or conviction for anything other than a minor traffic violation -- they must apply for a criminal record exemption . Granting the exemption is at the discretion of each county -- and often the social workers assigned to the family. This has led to an uneven application of the ...

TWIN OAKS • Rezoning for Big Bend Square , a $ 53 million mixed -use project on the site of the former Schnucks southeast of Big Bend Boulevard and Highway 141 that is considered the biggest project in Twin Oaks’ history, was approved in a 3- 1 aldermanic vote Wednesday night . The building, which had housed Schnucks for about 17 years, will be transformed to have one story of retail and four of apartments. St. Charles County- based Haley Holdings Seven LLC is proposing the redevelopment of the 11-acre site, including 219 “high-end” apartments as well as revamped commercial use. There will be special “walkability,” parking and security measures, and solar paneling is planned. The dissenting vote was by Alderman Lisa Eisenhauer , who said she and some fellow residents were wary of the five-story height of some of the project as well as the inclusion of apartments. But others including Mayor Russ Fortune said they admired the developer’s practice of answering questi...

The Orchard Park apartment complex will be demolished this summer, to be replaced by new apartments for students with families by fall 2020. UC Davis will issue a request for proposals seeking bids for a new family living apartment complex in May. Key criteria in the RFP will be affordability, quality of life and facility design. The decision follows a consultation and planning process that included graduate student representatives . “We’re grateful to all who participated in the consultation and planning process and we’re looking forward to a development that expands housing opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students with families,” said Grant Rockwell , assistant vice chancellor for capital planning and real estate. The campus closed the aging complex in 2014. The Student Family Housing Redevelopment Committee delivered its final report in June 2015, highlighting the value of student family housing to the campus, identifying key requirements to meet the needs of st...