Latest news with #JohnHunt
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas cities dominate rankings for new home construction, report shows
The Brief Several Texas cities lead the nation in new home construction, with Houston ranking first and Dallas second in a new report. In early 2025, Houston issued over 11,000 permits and Dallas nearly 10,000, while San Antonio and Austin also made the top 10. This Texas-led construction boom aims to address a national housing deficit. DALLAS - Several of the top cities in the country for new home construction are right here in Texas, according to a new report. The report from ConsumerAffairs looked at where the most homes are being built in cities across the nation. By the numbers In January and February of this year, Dallas saw 9,811 new building permits issued. Only Houston issued more. 741 new homes were sold during the first two months of the year. Dallas did have the highest prices for newly-constructed homes of the major Texas cities. The average new home cost about $450,000. By the numbers In the first two months of 2025, more than 11,047 new building permits were issued in Houston. That was the most of the 150 U.S. cities included in the report. Houston also topped the list of the most new-construction homes sold with 1,314. The report cites Houston as being the only major metro area in the country without zoning laws. While Houston led the way, several other Texas cities made the list for new-home construction. Dallas (2), San Antonio (8) and Austin (9) also landed in the top 10. Of the top 10, only New York was outside the Sun Belt. Dig deeper The report says the average cost of a new-construction home in the United States is almost $485,000. The National Association of Home Builders believes the U.S. is facing a structural housing deficit and that at least 1.5 million units need to be built to balance the housing market. "What we have is a supply problem," said John Hunt, chief analyst and principal at MarketNsight, a housing analytics firm. "The more we can build, the less upward pressure there is on price … (and) the more folks can afford a home." Houston, Texas Dallas, Texas Phoenix, Arizona Atlanta, Georgia New York, New York Charlotte, North Carolina Orlando, Florida San Antonio, Texas Austin, Texas Tampa Bay, Florida The Source Information comes from the ConsumerAffairs Research Team analyzed data on new building permits and new-construction home sales in January and February. Building permit data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. New-construction home sales data came from Zillow.
The Independent
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Woman to commentate on Grand National for first time in more than 70 years
A woman will commentate on Saturday's Grand National for the first time in more than 70 years. Gina Bryce will take the third leg of the commentary from Aintree racecourse in Merseyside for BBC Radio 5 Live's coverage of the steeplechase. The 41-year-old broadcaster said: 'Never in a million years did I think I'd get the opportunity to do something like this. 'It's a first for me and very exciting, although slightly terrifying as you can imagine.' She will hand over to lead commentator John Hunt, who returned to work at the Cheltenham Festival last month just days after he saw Kyle Clifford jailed for life for the murder of his wife Carol Hunt and daughters Louise and Hannah. Bryce said she would be 'surrounded by great colleagues' for the race. She said: 'I couldn't be in better hands, as I'll take over from Darren Owen and Gary O'Brien before passing it on to John Hunt.' She is only the second woman ever to commentate on the race, after Mirabel Topham, whose family owned the racecourse, employed her own commentators and joined them on the microphone following a dispute with the BBC over copyright in 1952.
Telegraph
14-03-2025
- Telegraph
John Hunt's Cheltenham Gold Cup commentary was finest act of sporting bravery this year
There is no template for navigating unfathomable loss, no manual for facing the desolation wrought by a crime so heinous as to defy comprehension. 'Do I really need,' John Hunt told Cambridge Crown Court, in a challenge to the coldly procedural concept of a victim impact statement, 'to detail the impact of having three-quarters of my family murdered?' Nobody can hope to understand how the BBC racing commentator feels about the savagery visited upon his Hertfordshire home eight months ago. What is universally relatable, though, is his courage: a quality expressed through his resolve to carry on living for the sake of his surviving daughter, to let their lives stand as a rebuke to Kyle Clifford's unspeakable cowardice, and to find sanctuary, ultimately, in a return to what he loves. John Hunt was in the radio booth 21 years ago to call home Best Mate's third consecutive Gold Cup triumph, and he was back here at Cheltenham once more to see if Galopin des Champs could repeat the feat. His Festival had begun amid desperate torment, as he read out a 1,900-word statement that reduced even hardened trial-watchers to tears, seeking to convey the experience of spending four hours with his wife and two daughters in a funeral parlour room so large that the partition had to be taken down. But he ended his week delivering a moment of pure, understated humanity, feeling the love of his racing family and channelling the old Atticus Finch credo of seeing life through 'no matter what'. His narration of Galopin des Champs' unexpected defeat to Inothewayurthinkin would be best described as consummate. But in the circumstances, it was colossal. Boisterous, passionate, with Just a Minute standards of never repeating, hesitating or deviating, Hunt articulated the three miles and two furlongs of drama to perfection, spotting the struggles of Willie Mullins' favourite at an early stage. He noticed that Galopin des Champs was not jumping as fluently as usual, that he lacked his customary rhythm, that the only time the two-time Gold Cup winner looked like his composed self was when hampered by the fall of Ahoy Senor. 'Just six or seven per cent off it,' Hunt said. It was the judgment of a true aficionado and eerily prescient, as Inothewayurthinkin surged clear to win by six lengths. Talk about putting things in perspective. The remarkable John Hunt commentating on the climax of the Cheltenham Gold Cup and victory for Inothewayurthinkin on BBC Radio. — Nick Metcalfe (@Nick_Metcalfe) March 14, 2025 Naturally, Hunt had offered the same measured expertise thousands of times before. It is a common trait among masters of the microphone: do it often enough, and broadcasting even a sport of this endless unpredictability becomes a form of muscle memory. But never had somebody tried to do so against a backdrop such as this. Barely 72 hours had elapsed since he gave his devastating account of the events of July 9, 2024, when Clifford, armed with a crossbow, walked into Hunt's house in Bushey and subjected his family to inconceivable horrors. 'Over a period of four hours you brutally killed Carol, waited over an hour until Louise came into the house,' he said. 'You incapacitated her, raped her and when you realised Hannah was coming home, you shot Louise in the back. I can't imagine a more cowardly act. You couldn't look her in the eye. You murdered Hannah minutes later.' The effect of reading that testimony is profound. The temptation is to ask how he could summon the strength to enunciate the words, especially when Clifford did not even attend the court to hear his sentence of life without parole. That is before you contemplate the infinitely fraught question of how you continue when almost everything precious to you has been destroyed. Hunt, though, is discovering a path. Just as he eased himself back into work on a quiet day at Brighton last September, his response to the anguish of the trial – a trial that would never have happened had Clifford confessed the rape of Louise, as he had to the triple murder – was to seek the solace and comfort of the racecourse, the place where he has refined his art. What does Hunt's story have to do with sport, you might ask. The answer is everything and nothing. Where sport can seem numbingly trivial in the context of an act so horrendous, it is also one of the surest forms of escapism that exists. 'Whilst I am so badly damaged, I am determined to see what my future is, surrounded by so many amazing people,' he has said. Admiration feels inadequate as a response. Indeed, the only appropriate reaction – as sports psychologist and racing devotee Michael Caulfield suggests, heralding Hunt as a 'shining example to us all' – is one of quiet awe. You will not find, re-listening to Hunt's Gold Cup commentary, a more stirring study in bravery in sport this year. In the shadow of absolute evil, Hunt has given an impeccable demonstration of what it means to live.
The Guardian
11-03-2025
- The Guardian
Crossbow killer Kyle Clifford to be sentenced for murders of mother and two daughters
John Hunt, a BBC racing commentator, and his surviving daughter Amy have arrived at the court. They have previously said their devastation over the murders 'cannot be put into words'. Share Guardian reporter Ben Quinn is among the journalists (from broadcasters and national newspapers) at Cambridge Crown Court covering the sentencing and will be providing updates throughout the day. Share Former soldier Kyle Clifford is facing life behind bars as he is due to be sentenced today for the crossbow murders of his ex-partner and her sister, and for fatally stabbing their mother. Clifford, 26, shot dead Louise Hunt, 25, and her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, with a crossbow and fatally stabbed their mother, Carol Hunt, 61, during a four-hour attack at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, last July. Clifford, of Enfield, north London, was also found guilty of raping Louise Hunt before he killed her. The attack occurred two weeks after she ended their 18-month relationship. Hannah Hunt (L), Carol Hunt (C) and Louise Hunt (R). Photograph: Facebook The women were the wife and daughters of the BBC racing commentator John Hunt. The hearing at Cambridge Crown Court will start at 10:30 GMT. The sentence will be passed at 14:00 GMT. We will bring you the latest developments from the court throughout the day. Expect to hear some distressing and potentially graphic content as the prosecution outlines the facts of the case. Share
Zawya
06-02-2025
- Zawya
SA's solar boom poses new environmental threat: What to do with your old Li-ion batteries
With the affects of load shedding pushing solar installation in South Africa to its peak over the past few years, so came an increased demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIB) that power solar panel systems. However, improper disposal of these batteries has serious adverse implications for the environment, warns John Hunt, managing director at Mpact Recycling, so it is important to dispose of them responsibly. 'The South African market is relatively new in the consumption of LIB batteries, particularly those used for solar panels,' says Hunt. 'As their life cycles comes to an end, it is imperative that consumers are informed about how to dispose of them correctly.' Environmental impact and fire risk The improper disposal of LIB batteries is detrimental to South Africa's delicate ecosystems and water sources, endangering both wildlife and human health. Consumers must also consider the safe transportation of these batteries so as to avoid the risk of them breaking open, as they can leak dangerous materials that can cause harm. 'Consumers should not dispose of their batteries as part of household waste or in their recycling bins, as there is a chance that they could catch fire during transportation, at recycling centres or landfill sites,' explains Hunt. Safe disposal methods Proper disposal methods, such as safe battery collection programmes, established collection points and partnerships with local communities are essential to mitigating this risk. It is important to follow instructions from the manufacturer regarding packaging, some may provide instructions on securing the battery safely for transprortation to avoid illegal dumping. Simple steps like identifying the battery type and its manufacturer can lead you to recycling programmes that the manufacture might have in place. 'We recommend that they take them to specialised hazardous waste recycling collection points or contact service providers such as Circular Energy that offer safe e-waste collection. 'As stewards of the environment, we need to drive responsible consumption and promote healthy recycling practices not only for lithium batteries but all waste that could potentially end up in landfills.' 'We need to work together with suppliers of alternative solutions using LIBs to implement sustainable waste management practices,' he concludes. "We need to drive education and awareness to encourage individuals to take an active role in protecting our environment for future generations.'
