Art Studio Opens; Vinyl, Plant and Flower Shop Expands!
Grand Opening at 48 Emerald St, Keene on February 12
Photo courtesy of Novaarts.org
A newly expanded business space offering art workshops, specialty retail, plants and flowers, music and events, vintage treasures and vinyl records in a comfortable cafe is celebrating its grand opening at 48 Emerald Street on Saturday the 12th of February from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The expanded space is a collaboration between WakaDoodles Art Studio, Billies + Tilli Flower Studio, Colony Antiques/Keene on Vinyl, NOVA ARTS, and Brewbakers Cafe & Terra Nova Coffee.
WakaDoodles was founded in 2015 by local artist and educator Priya Allaire. The studio has found a home at 48 Emerald street after relocating from Park Avenue in 2018. WakaDoodles believes in making art accessible to everyone, and features after school classes, open studio days, adult workshops, and custom events in a wide variety of mediums, all meant to inspire creativity and make art fun for anyone. WakaDoodles regularly partners with community organizations to reduce barriers to access, and build a strong and diverse creative community here in Keene.
Billies + Tilli is a custom floral design studio specializing in weddings and events, founded in Jaffrey in 2017 by floral artist and designer Mary Potter O'Neill. In the newly expanded and updated retail space within 48 Emerald Street, B+T features fresh floral arrangements and houseplants as well as stationary, homegoods, and curated retail items with modern design and handmade quality.
The space also features vinyl records & antiques curated by Dan Yelin, proprietor of Colony Antiques/Keene on Vinyl since 2005. Formerly located at the Colony Mill in Keene, this space offers a diverse selection of new and used vinyl as well as decorative antiques & vintage goods. Appraisals and purchasing services are available by appointment and the inventory is updated weekly for a unique shopping experience.
Nova Arts Block, the umbrella name for this growing collaborative venue, was founded in 2020 by the owners of Brewbakers and Terra Nova Coffee, with a mission to facilitate a vibrant, accessible, and beautiful space for patrons to build community, explore creativity, and enjoy the very best in food, shopping, music, art, and coffee. Comfortable, spacious couches and tables allow visitors to relax and enjoy made-to-order food and drink.
The all ages grand opening on Feb 12th will highlight the newly redesigned retail and workshop annex, and be an opportunity to explore all that Keene on Vinyl, WakaDoodles, and Billies + Tilli now offer, including a floral and craft workshop hosted by WakaDoodles and Billies + Tilli.
AG's Office Reaches Resolution with Real Estate Companies that Orchestrated Lease-to-Own Scam
AG's Investigation Found For-Profit Companies Deceptively Lured Hopeful Home Buyers into Purchasing Distressed Properties with False Promises of Homeownership
BOSTON - Two for-profit real estate companies and their owner will pay $60,000 and no longer operate in Massachusetts to resolve a lawsuit brought by the Attorney General's Office alleging a "lease-to-own" scam that unfairly and deceptively lured low-income Massachusetts consumers into real estate agreements for distressed homes they couldn't afford.
The consent judgment, entered in Suffolk Superior Court, alleges that, since 2016, AngleFund, Inc., and DTH-REO, Inc., under the direction of owner David Buttross, purchased multiple distressed, previously foreclosed properties across Massachusetts and leased them to vulnerable consumers under "lease-to-own" or "contract for deed" arrangements. Consumers were given the option to purchase the property outright later but had little chance of being able to afford ownership of the homes. Most of these properties had significant sanitary code violations and some were deemed unfit for habitation and had been condemned by the properties' respective towns. AngleFund and DTH continued to lease these properties in spite of their conditions.
"These companies created immense financial and emotional hardships for hopeful homebuyers in Massachusetts," said AG Healey. "We are very pleased to secure relief for the families affected, including providing an opportunity for home ownership, and stop these companies from doing business in Massachusetts again."
The AG's Office began its investigation in 2017 after the AG's Neighborhood Renewal Division identified a condemned property in Avon that had been previously leased to tenants by AngleFund and DTH. The investigation further revealed at least 13 properties owned by the companies in Massachusetts, including homes in Avon, Charlemont, Fitchburg, Lakeville, North Adams, Springfield, Winchendon, and Worcester. According to the AG's Office, the companies typically sought out prospective buyers with low income or poor credit.
The AG's Office alleges that, once signed onto to the leasing contracts, the costs for repairs and maintenance shifted from the landlord--in this case AngleFund or DTH--to the tenant, requiring tenants to retain sole responsibility for pulling any necessary permits needed for maintaining upkeep and restoration of the property. Before leasing the properties, AngleFund and DTH allegedly did not disclose to tenants the severe conditions of the homes, or that some were even considered unfit for habitation.
In Massachusetts, offering a residential property for rent or to "lease-to-own" that is unfit for habitation and failing to disclose to a prospective tenant the existence of any condition that could result in a violation, is prohibited by the AG's Landlord-Tenant Regulations.
According to the AG's complaint, AngleFund and DTH also allowed for tenants to convert their "contract for deed" arrangements to mortgages and offered seller-financing to tenants. However, both companies failed to provide the proper disclosures to buyers under state and federal law and failed to perform an analysis of a borrower's ability to pay, violating the Attorney General's Mortgage Lender Regulations, federal regulations, as well as other Massachusetts statutes intended to protect consumers.
Under the terms of the AG's settlement, AngleFund and DTH will be required to pay $60,000 in restitution to the consumers harmed. As a result of a court order obtained by the AG's Office, AngleFund and DTH will also no longer be allowed to purchase additional properties or originate new mortgages in Massachusetts and have been banned from doing business in the state. Tenants will also be given the option of full ownership of their properties from AngleFund, and the company has agreed to pay any outstanding property taxes or fees in connection with the properties prior to the transferring of the deed.
This case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Tara Ruttle and Division Chief Amber Villa of the AG's Neighborhood Renewal Division, and Division Chief Shennan Kavanagh of the AG's Consumer Protection Division, with the assistance of Investigator Ciara Tran from the AG's Civil Investigations Division.
The Winchendon property mentioned in the complaint is located at 46 Glenallen Street. It is now privately owned. --WC
Worcester District Attorney's Office Chosen as National Criminal Justice Trauma Training Site
WORCESTER (February 3, 2022) - The Worcester County District Attorney's Office has been selected as one of 10 sites across the country to host a criminal justice trauma training program offered by SAMHSA's GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation, District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. announced today.
This SAMHSA approved program will support the office in providing the training "How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses" to 20 professionals from the Worcester and Plymouth District Attorney's and Sheriff's offices, the Massachusetts State Police, as well as other local law enforcement and social service agencies, to become trainers.
"We are seeing trauma at the forefront of many problems within our criminal justice system. Recognizing and addressing this trauma and its effects is a priority in our office," Mr. Early said. "We are honored to be selected as one of only 10 sites to host this training, which will help our office and our partners become fully trained to avoid re-traumatizing individuals in the criminal justice system."
The two-day training will teach attendees how to train their own staff to ensure trauma-informed responses are implemented across the state.
As SAMHSA GAINS Center notes, "This increases safety for everyone, decreases the chance of recidivism, and supports the recovery of justice-involved men and women with serious mental illness."