Latest news with #Twitty
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed cuts to HUD funding could impact thousands in Knoxville
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Trump Administration has released a budget proposal for the 2026 fiscal year and it comes with steep cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. While it is ultimately up to Congress to approve or reject the proposal, the budget suggests cutting over $26 billion from rental assistance programs and eliminating a number of housing grants and programs University of Tennessee loses $37M in grant funding amid federal funding cuts 'When I heard that they're trying to cut everything that will help with housing and stuff like that, I was like, oh wow what am I going to do now?' said Knoxville resident Ayona Twitty. 'I'm saying that comes in handy, It helps out a lot.' As a single mother living out of her car, Twitty said she is currently seventh in line on a waiting list for an apartment. But she wouldn't be able to afford it without rental assistance. 'I really don't have anybody to like watch my child or anything,' she said. 'If I don't work, I won't be able to pay my bills or take care of my daughter,' She said lately the process of trying to find an affordable home has been difficult. According to the Knoxville Community Development Corporation, thousands of people will be impacted here in Knoxville the proposed budget is approved. Proposal to slash National Park Service budget by $1B would impact communities across US 'To cut funding by 40% would have a huge impact on families, on housing, on the availability of affordable housing. It's such a large cut that it's really hard to even conceive what all of the consequences, both intended and unintended, would be,' said KCDC Executive Director Ben Bentley. He said 98% of their funding comes from HUD and they help house just under 20,000 people in Knox County. 'Generally, it would affect the housing market not just in Knoxville, but all over the country,' Bentley added. This comes at a time when KCDC has a number of projects on the way, including affordable and mixed income housing units across the county. Bentley said they are working on the next phase at First Creek at Austin, and plan to break ground on the second and third phase of the Transforming Western project in the next few months. While Twitty plans to move into a different complex, she said she is hopeful she will soon have a place to call home. ▶ See more top stories on 'I'm pretty confident that I will be getting in there,' she said. 'It's just like the whole matter of trying to like find the deposit and everything and getting the lights turned on in this and that, just trying to come up with the money to get in the house.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Woman's bond with best friend's family inspires LLS fundraising campaign
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man's longtime connection to his best friend's family has inspired an impressive fundraising campaign for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Kevin Twitty is one of the candidates for the local chapter's 2025 Visionary of the Year award. Twitty joined us on AM Extra to tell us more about why he decided to get involved with LLS and the Visionaries of the Year program. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
From tile to toilets, home renovation costs will climb as new tariffs take effect.
Americans accustomed to rising prices on all kinds of consumer goods are about to experience sticker shock in a corner of the economy that's boomed over the past few years. From marble quarried in Italy to washing machines built and assembled all over the world, the products and materials that furnish and model our homes are global – and about to get a lot more expensive, if they are even available as the impact of tariffs kicks in. After several years of blockbuster growth in the remodeling and design business, the White House's erratic rollout of tariffs aimed at reshaping global trade is already taking a toll. The industry has already swallowed price increases and made supply chain shifts where possible, professionals say, and higher prices will now hit consumers, likely slowing growth in a part of the economy that's made up of lots of small, even mom-and-pop, businesses. 'Over the past three weeks, I've had three projects say, 'Hey, we're going to pause on things,'' said Kevin Twitty, a Portland, Oregon-based designer who works all over the country. 'It's not necessarily just because of tariffs. It's all the other things that the tariffs are affecting, like people's stock portfolios, their potential raises at work, their bonuses that they might be paid out throughout the year.' Like many design professionals who spoke with USA TODAY, Twitty has been hearing from suppliers of everything from vanities to tile that they are raising prices, canceling shipments, or still trying to make decisions. As of now, he reckons the cost of a renovation or remodel is likely to increase by about 25%. Case Architects & Remodelers, a design firm based in the Washington, D.C. metro area, has estimated that tariffs will add to the cost of projects by low single-digit percentages, said its Executive Vice President Bill Millholland. But that does not include the cost of appliances, which could add significantly to the overall expense. More: Trade war is coming for tapped-out consumers. Can you still find savings? Like many other industries, the design and remodeling landscape is made up of products that defy easy categorization. 'Every aspect of home decor has something related to their product coming internationally. You know, it's a global economy, really,' said Barbara Karpf, founder and president of DecoratorsBest, one of the largest online suppliers of products like textiles and wallpaper traditionally only available to tradespeople. Now, even products made domestically by American companies are having to raise prices because their input materials may be imported, Karpf said. Another example: roofers may be relatively insulated from new tariffs, said Andrew Prchal, president and co-founder of Gunner, a national roofing, siding and window company. The majority of American roofs are made of asphalt shingles, which are manufactured domestically. But the fasteners used in most projects are made in China, and those prices have risen nearly 70% in anticipation of tariffs, Prchal said. Design and remodeling professionals who spoke with USA TODAY said that there's very little low-hanging fruit left when it comes to shifting their supply chains. 'We were affected big time when COVID was around and that caused a very similar issue where things were just not in stock,' said Michael Alladawi, co-founder and CEO of Revive Real Estate. 'We kind of made a conscious effort to source things that are more locally available.' Revive works with a network of contractors across several states to help homeowners figure out the most strategic upgrades and renovations to make as they get ready to list their homes for sale. This time around, the company is trying to proactively stockpile things like cabinetry, appliances, and other supplies, Alladawi said, to 'have a little bit of a runway' that smooths out the cost increases, but that will only go so far. Karpf, of DecoratorsBest, notes that the entire industry started transitioning away from China under the first Trump administration. 'Last year, I spoke with various vendors to see what they were doing. Everybody just said, well, you know, very little comes from China," Karpf said. "Now we have different supply chains and different places where we actually purchase the finished goods as well. So the companies were prepared for these things. They weren't prepared for tariffs on our trading partners and our allies.' More: Why is housing so expensive? There simply aren't enough homes. Because of the ongoing uncertainty around which countries will face which levies and how that will trickle through the industry, it's far too early to guess how consumer patterns and choices will be impacted. Need-to-have items, like roofs, will be more insulated than nice-to-have upgrades, Prchal thinks. In a similar vein, consumers may become more strategic, said Nick Nichols, the Chicago-based owner of two businesses, Imparfait Design Studio and KitchenLab Interiors. Households might be more willing to do a particular project, say a high-ROI upgrade like a bathroom, than a whole-house remodel, he thinks. Also unclear: whether more Americans will want to go the do-it-yourself route. In response to a USA TODAY request for an interview, a Home Depot spokesperson emailed, 'As this situation is evolving, we are monitoring developments closely. Over half of our products are sourced in the U.S. We are our customers' advocate for value and will continue to work closely with our suppliers to navigate this environment.' Suren Gopalakrishnan, a design supply chain veteran, sees some upsides. He thinks consumers will become more thoughtful with their purchases, and an era of increasingly cheap and disposable home goods might be replaced with higher-quality, longer-lasting ones. Gopalakrishnan co-founded MakersPalm, which helps brands and designers, especially artisanal ones, develop products and supply chains, after many years managing such processes for Anthropologie. He sees the coming years as a 're-set' period. 'Every change is hard. But you know, I still think it'll be fine,' he said. He points to the initial panicked period of the COVID-19 lockdowns, when everyone thought the worst, only to discover that Americans stuck at home wanted nothing more than to upgrade their spaces ‒ and had the savings to do it. One thing is very clear: businesses across the industry really want tariffs to stop being a moving target. Alladawi of Revive Real Estate says some of the price increases he's seen so far are simply knee-jerk reactions made out of fear. 'Our contractor network is scared,' he said. 'Even when the prices haven't gone up yet, in some instances, they know they will and they're scared they're gonna get caught in the middle. And so they're kind of being proactive and I understand that.' 'We have 10 employees across both companies and we just want to be able to plan so that we can continue to hire,' Nichols said. 'Small business is the biggest driver of employment in this country and as a small business owner, what we'd like to know is what's going to happen this year and next year, and have a stable political climate.' Perhaps the only certainty in this uneasy time? "The dirty little secret of remodeling is that prices never go down,' Millholland said. 'I can promise you, after this is all over, it's not like everybody's going to say, oh, we're past it now. Our prices are going down 20%. That's not going to happen, or at least never has in my career, and I've been doing this for 35 years.' Read next: The housing market's spring selling season is here. Can buyers catch a break? This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: From tile to toilets, tariffs will make home renovation costs soar. Sign in to access your portfolio
USA Today
27-04-2025
- Business
- USA Today
From tile to toilets, home renovation costs will climb as new tariffs take effect.
Americans accustomed to rising prices on all kinds of consumer goods are about to experience sticker shock in a corner of the economy that's boomed over the past few years. From marble quarried in Italy to washing machines built and assembled all over the world, the products and materials that furnish and model our homes are global – and about to get a lot more expensive, if they are even available as the impact of tariffs kick in. After several years of blockbuster growth in the remodeling and design business, the White House's erratic rollout of tariffs aimed at reshaping global trade is already taking a toll. The industry has already swallowed price increases and made supply-chain shifts where possible, professionals say, and higher prices will now hit consumers, likely slowing growth in a part of the economy that's made up of lots of small, even mom-and-pop, businesses. 'Over the past three weeks, I've had three projects say, 'Hey, we're going to pause on things,'' said Kevin Twitty, a Portland, Oregon-based designer who works all over the country. 'It's not necessarily just because of tariffs. It's all the other things that the tariffs are affecting, like people's stock portfolios, their potential raises at work, their bonuses that they might be paid out throughout the year.' Like many design professionals who spoke with USA TODAY, Twitty has been hearing from suppliers of everything from vanities to tile that they are raising prices, cancelling shipments, or still trying to make decisions. As of now, he reckons the cost of a renovation or remodel is likely to increase about 25%. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Case Architects & Remodelers, a design firm based in the Washington, DC metro area, has estimated that tariffs will add to the cost of projects by low single-digit percentages, said its executive vice president, Bill Millholland. But that does not include the cost of appliances, which could add significantly to the overall expense. Home decor products are global Like many other industries, the design and remodeling landscape is made up of products that defy easy categorization. 'Every aspect of home decor has something related to their product coming internationally. You know, it's a global economy, really,' said Barbara Karpf, founder and president of DecoratorsBest, one of the largest online suppliers of products like textiles and wallpaper traditionally only available to tradespeople. Now, even products made domestically by American companies are having to raise prices because their input materials may be imported, Karpf said. Another example: roofers may be relatively insulated from new tariffs, said Andrew Prchal, president and co-founder of Gunner, a national roofing, siding and window company. The majority of American roofs are made of asphalt shingles, which are manufactured domestically. But the fasteners used in most projects are made in China, and those prices have risen nearly 70% in anticipation of tariffs, Prchal said. Supply chains have already made moves Design and remodeling professionals who spoke with USA TODAY said that there's very little low-hanging fruit left when it comes to shifting their supply chains. 'We were affected big time when COVID was around and that caused a very similar issue where things were just not in stock,' said Michael Alladawi, co-founder and CEO of Revive Real Estate. 'We kind of made a conscious effort to source things that are more locally available.' Revive works with a network of contractors across several states to help homeowners figure out the most strategic upgrades and renovations to make as they get ready to list their homes for sale. This time around, the company is trying to proactively stockpile things like cabinetry, appliances, and other supplies, Alladawi said, to 'have a little bit of a runway' that smooths out the cost increases, but that will only go so far. Karpf, of DecoratorsBest, notes that the entire industry started transitioning away from China under the first Trump administration. 'Last year, I spoke with various vendors to see what they were doing. Everybody just said, well, you know, very little comes from China," Karpf said. "Now we have different supply chains and different places where we actually purchase the finished goods as well. So the companies were prepared for these things. They weren't prepared for tariffs on our trading partners and our allies.' How will consumers adapt? Because of the ongoing uncertainty around which countries will face which levies and how that will trickle through the industry, it's far too early to guess how consumer patterns and choices will be impacted. Need-to-have items, like roofs, will be more insulated than nice-to-have upgrades, Prchal thinks. In a similar vein, consumers may become more strategic, said Nick Nichols, the Chicago-based owner of two businesses, Imparfait Design Studio and KitchenLab Interiors. Households might be more willing to do a particular project, say a high-ROI upgrade like a bathroom, than a whole-house remodel, he thinks. Also unclear: whether more Americans will want to go the do-it-yourself route. In response to a USA TODAY request for an interview, a Home Depot spokesperson emailed, 'As this situation is evolving, we are monitoring developments closely. Over half of our products are sourced in the U.S. We are our customers' advocate for value and will continue to work closely with our suppliers to navigate this environment.' Suren Gopalakrishnan, a design supply-chain veteran, sees some upsides. He thinks consumers will become more thoughtful with their purchases, and an era of increasingly cheap and disposable home goods might be replaced with higher-quality, longer-lasting ones. Gopalakrishnan co-founded MakersPalm, which helps brands and designers, especially artisanal ones, develop products and supply chains, after many years managing such processes for Anthropologie. He sees the coming years as a 're-set' period. 'Every change is hard. But you know, I still think it'll be fine,' he said. He points to the initial panicked period of the COVID-19 lockdowns, when everyone thought the worst, only to discover that Americans stuck at home wanted nothing more than to upgrade their spaces - and had the savings to do it. Businesses crave certainty One thing is very clear: businesses across the industry really want tariffs to stop being a moving target. Alladawi of Revive Real Estate says some of the price increases he's seen so far are simply knee-jerk reactions made out of fear. 'Our contractor network is scared,' he said. 'Even when the prices haven't gone up yet, in some instances they know they will and they're scared they're gonna get caught in the middle. And so they're kind of being proactive and I understand that.' 'We have 10 employees across both companies and we just want to be able to plan so that we can continue to hire,' Nichols said. 'Small business is the biggest driver of employment in this country and as a small business owner, what we'd like to know is what's going to happen this year and next year, and have a stable political climate.' Perhaps the only certainty in this uneasy time? "The dirty little secret of remodeling is that prices never go down,' Millholland said. 'I can promise you, after this is all over, it's not like everybody's going to say, oh, we're past it now. Our prices are going down 20%. That's not going to happen, or at least never has in my career, and I've been doing this for 35 years.'
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Duo arrested in series of Edison home invasions
EDISON – Two men from Essex County have been arrested in connection with series of burglaries in the township over the past few months. The arrests stem from the efforts of the police department's burglary unit which has been conducting extensive investigations into the recent crimes, Edison Police Chief Thomas Bryan and Mayor Sam Joshi said. Yasir Twitty, 20, of Newark, was arrested March 1 by Berkeley Heights police after they discovered an Edison warrant during an unrelated investigation. Twitty had been identified as a suspect in several home burglaries in Edison during the overnight and early morning hours in December 2024 and January 2025. Tyshir Stewart, 22, of East Orange, was arrested March 6 by the Edison Police Department's Burglary Unit, assisted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Stewart also is connected to a series of Edison burglaries, police say. More: Edison Democrats choose their candidates in June's primary election Both men have been charged with burglary of an occupied residence and theft of a motor vehicle and are being at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center in North Brunswick pending further legal proceedings. The charges relate to a December incident in which several people forced their way into the victim's home while they were asleep and stole a vehicle from the driveway. Twitty faces additional charges for his alleged involvement in five more occupied home burglaries in Edison during January. Stewart and Twitty have been charged under a new law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy last fall which makes the crime of burglary of an occupied residence a second-degree offense. Joshi had been advocating for the strengthen of penalties to deter home invasion burglaries in town. The investigation is continuing. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Sgt. Mike Wilson of the Edison Police Department's Burglary Unit at 732-248-7546. Email: srussell@ Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Edison NJ home invasion suspects arested
