Spike in deaths of Oxford rough sleepers rocks community

Friends cite lack of support in university town for those with mental health and addiction problems

A spate of deaths has rocked the homeless community in Oxford, sparking warnings that a lack of housing and support for people with mental health and addiction problems in one of Britain’s most affluent cities is contributing to fatalities.

Bereaved friends of four men and a woman who have died suddenly in the university city since November said the losses are the worst they have known. They fear further deaths among rough sleepers amid freezing temperatures.

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Orkney rated Britain’s best place to live in terms of quality of life

Scotland and north of England dominate top five as measured by housing, crime and schools

Orkney is the best place to live in the UK, with cheap houses, low crime, good schools and a population who are among the happiest and healthiest in the country, according to the annual Halifax quality of life survey.

The survey found that all the top five best places to live in the UK were in Scotland or the north of England. Richmondshire in the north of the Yorkshire Dales came second, while the appropriately named Eden district in Cumbria was third.

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Baghdad at 10 million: fragile dreams of normality as megacity status beckons

The next 15 megacities #1: Iraq’s capital remains a profoundly damaged place, but the city feels more stable these days – at times even vibrant

After an exhausting journey through Baghdad’s vast and grimy suburbs, the pastel-coloured blocks of Besmaya Dream City rise up above the rushes just beyond one of the modern gates marking the edge of the city.

The orderliness of these dozens of towers – some lived in, some unfinished – is a shock in the otherwise chaotic jumble of low-rise cityscape. The residential complex is being built by a South Korean company, Hanwha, and will house 100,000 people once its delayed construction is complete.

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Senate passes flood insurance extension hours before deadline

The Senate passed a four-month extension to the National Flood Insurance Program Tuesday, less than a day before the program was set to expire. The bill, which had originated in the House, will now go to President Trump, who has until midnight to sign it to avoid a lapse in the program.

Fed on rates, Trump speech, tech earnings all loom

With Wall Street at record highs, investors will eye a Federal Reserve meeting, US President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address and the latest corporate results including from Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Apple. The Federal Open Market Committee will conclude its two-day meeting on Wednesday, the last one with Janet Yellen as the central bank's chair before Jerome Powell takes over.

Minnesota’s cabin getaway lifestyle could come under pressure from tax reform

The portion of the House Republican tax proposal that curtails homebuying incentives appears likely to hit Minnesota harder than most states. That's because the vast majority of cabins in central and northern Minnesota are second homes, which would no longer be eligible for a deduction on mortgage interest under the House GOP tax plan that was unveiled Nov. 2. Senate Republicans last week unveiled a different tax reform plan that makes no change to mortgage interest deductions.

LCNB Corporation (LCNB) versus Sterling Bancorp (PBNY) Financial Survey

LCNB Corporation and Sterling Bancorp are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk and institutional ownership. 37.9% of LCNB Corporation shares are owned by institutional investors.

Plan to charge developers ‘linkage fee’ to spur affordable housing clears city committee

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's proposal to charge developers fees to help pay for affordable housing got a boost Tuesday with the unanimous endorsement of the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee. The "linkage fee" would bring in an estimated at $75 million to $92 million per year, enough to help pay for the construction of 1,500 new units annually for residents with lower incomes, according to the city planning department.

Here’s How Trump Transferred Wealth to His Son While Avoiding the Usual Taxes

In April 2016, as Donald Trump was on the cusp of clinching the Republican nomination for the White House, he sold two luxury condos near Manhattan's Central Park for less than half the price his company had said they were worth. The lucky buyer: Trump's son, Eric.

AZ Memo: Gorsuch takes his seat; Valley home sales keep climbing;…

AZ Memo: Gorsuch takes his seat; Valley home sales keep climbing; Woman gives birth following I-17 collision Good morning, Arizona, and happy Monday! Here's what you need to know. Check out this story on azcentral.com: http://azc.cc/2plOjEK Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch smiles as he testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 21, 2017, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.