This appears to be working out better than last time

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38 Aiken Road, asking $11.5 million, went to contract February 28th, just 40 days after being put up for sale, and today it’s reported as pending. Way back when, the same house sold for $6.9 million in 2002 ($12.164 million in constant dollars); the buyers renovated it in 2004, and offered it for sale in 2013 for $6.995 million — seven years later, in 2020, they gave up, and sold it to the current owners for $3.2.

Sales reported

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101 Old Mill Road, $6,237,000. NYC buyers. It started off at $7.9 million way back in January 2024, but the market for 1800 homes, no matter how beautifully renovated, is thinner than that for newer construction.

And another older home, though not as old: 1904 vs 1800, has also sold. 14 Lincoln Avenue (the Greenwich, not the Old Greenwich Lincoln Ave) originally listed for $2.9 million last September closed yesterday at $2.3.

Excellent suggestion

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pothole Pete took two months off in the middle of the covid shut down-caused transportation crisis; he should have quit.

'Resign': MTG, Other GOP Ladies Blast Off Against Proxy Voting As House Dem Goes Full-Metal Demagogue

Sister Tolja, RedState:

As we've reported, the standoff between Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) over the proxy voting issue is showing no signs of letting up, with Luna ally Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) bringing her infant child to the House of Representatives and interviews to demonstrate how hard it allegedly is to be a new parent while also being expected to show up for votes.

Predictably, Petterson is also (wrongly) claiming that the actions of those who oppose proxy voting in the House, including Johnson, are "anti-woman, anti-parent, and anti-family," despite the fact that Republicans have long been opposed to proxy voting on grounds that it's unconstitutional and would, as Johnson described, "open a Pandora's box."

READ MORE -->> 'Opened a Pandora's Box': Mike Johnson Blasts GOPers Who Want Special Voting Privileges for New Parents

“There's evidence for Johnson's suggestion, as explained by conservative legal scholar, author, and mother of three Carol Swain, who pointed out how the proxy voting allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic proved Johnson's point:”

Far from being confined to the “public health emergency,” it ballooned into a catchall excuse for lawmakers who cited COVID but instead held campaign events, went on vacation or simply sought to avoid travel.

Votes were cast from conferences, cars and even from a celebrity wedding in France, stark departures from the measure’s intent.

If reinstated for new parenthood, what prevents its creep into other categories — illness, family events or inclement weather?

Congress already meets sparingly: The House convened just 117 days in 2024, and the Senate 154.

Expanding remote options will further dilute a duty that demands presence, not mere participation.

Sec. of Transportation Sean Duffy's daughter, Evita Duffy-Alfonso, was a little less diplomatic, explaining why the issue was very personal for her and the Duffy family:

When my baby sister was born with two holes in her heart and needed a very risky surgery, my father, @SecDuffy, knew he needed be at home with his newborn daughter, my mother, and my eight siblings. So my dad resigned. What he did not do was demand an unconstitutional exception that would allow him to vote remotely. He viewed his job in Congress as a responsibility and a privilege, not an entitlement. 

If you are unable to fulfill the duties required of a member of Congress because you are a parent of a small child, feel free to resign. Many have before.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) also blasted back:

I can’t believe that Congress was hijacked this week over Luna’s resolution to allow members to skip work and vote from home. 

As a mom, I know all about seasons of life. If you aren’t capable of doing the job your constituents sent you to do, then you should step aside and let someone else do it. 

We have critical bills to pass to prevent illegals from voting and to stop judges from vetoing President Trump’s agenda. 

It’s a shame that selfish politicians are putting themselves before the American people.

Daring, but hey, if it works in Guyana and Niger, why not try it here at home?

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Homer City Generating Station imploded, marking the end of an era in Indiana County

Seen on Instapundit:

CHANGE: Reversal of fortune in Homer City: new manufacturing project a ‘Game Changer.’

HOMER CITY, PA — Eleven days after the massive smokestacks and cooling towers of Pennsylvania’s largest coal-fired power plant came down in a dramatic fashion in this Indiana County village, causing both emotional and economic distress and a sense of hopelessness, Homer City Redevelopment announced that an even bigger natural gas power center would be built in its place.

The Homer City Energy campus will be a series of natural gas plants that will power a massive data center campus.

…. The emotion coming from hometown boy Shawn Steffee was palpable — not just because the build will resurrect Homer City, which has seen six generations of Steffees, but also because it will create thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs for at least the next four to six years.

“It is a game changer for the region and for the state of Pennsylvania,” said Steffee, the business agent for the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 154, in an interview with the Washington Examiner.

Steffee said part of what makes this a big deal is that the HCR is building up to 4.5 gigawatts of natural gas generation. Homer City will now be the largest electricity producer in the state, and Steffee’s members in Western Pennsylvania will be instrumental in building and maintaining the facility.

Opportunity, Steffee said, has not been available to his members for four years, forcing them to leave their families and communities behind to travel to New Mexico, Washington, Ohio, West Virginia, and Tennessee because nothing new was being built in Pennsylvania.

“What this means for us is I can bring the boilermakers home back to Pennsylvania. This will be anywhere from a four-to-six-year job. They will need hundreds of boilermakers and thousands of construction workers. This is good for everybody in the building trades,” Steffee said.

Falling out of Love

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25 Mary Lane, Riverside, a 4.68-acre land listing with a wetlands problem and priced at $1,997,500, was reported under contract last October, but it’s back on the market today. There are lots of reasons for contract contingencies to derail a deal; often it’s financing difficulties, but I’m guessing that this one fell apart because of the swamp, and what consultations with our wetlands people showed what could done here. That’s just a guess, of course.

On a happier note, 29 Highland Farm, which just yesterday I reported had fallen out of contract, is back on track today (with a different buyer?), which is good news for the owner; we’ll hope that Mary Lane enjoys the same good fortune.

Price cut on Ivanhoe

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1 Ivanhoe Lane has dropped from $4.5 million to $4.195. I wrote about this when it first hit the market, and included the property’s price history over the years just to show the shift. I’m doing so again, but I do believe that it’s not the price that’s hurting this house’s prospects — it’s very nice — so much as the stager’s daring, but misguided decision to substitute pale imitations for the classic Zebra and the Tipi.

no. just no

Too feeble an attempt — an ironic reference just won’t do

not even close

Swimming pool, close to the fabulous Dorothy Hamill Skating Arena, needs a bit of TLC

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New on the market today, 135 Byram Shore Road (corrected) , $850,000. Of note, perhaps, is that the owner installed a new oil tank in 2020 and left the old one in the ground. Before committing to purchase, a soil inspection might be wise.

Remarks: FABULOUS CORNER LOT LOCATION IN BYRAM NEIGHBORHOOD IN GREENWICH. THREE-BEDROOM, TWO-BATHROOM HOME BUILT IN 1914 WITH A WRAP AROUND PORCH & BAY WINDOWS IN NEED OF SIGNIFICANT RENOVATION. THERE IS A 2020 OIL TANK AND A BURIED OIL TANK. IDEAL FOR BUILDERS OR ANYONE INTERESTED IN A PROJECT. SOLD ''AS IS''. BYRAM NEIGHBORHOOD IS A CHARMING & HISTORICALLY RICH AREA NESTLED ALONG THE EASTERN SHORELINE OF THE BYRAM RIVER. BYRAM OFFERS RESIDENTS A BLEND OF SUBURBAN TRANQUILITY & CONVENIENT ACCESS TO URBAN AMENITIES, MAKING IT A DESIRABLE LOCATION. CLOSE DISTANCE FROM PROPERTY TO WESTERN MIDDLE SCHOOL (7 MIN), DOROTHY HAMIL ICE RINK (7 MIN) AND CLOSE DISTANCE TO GREENWICH HOSPITAL (8 MIN), PORT CHESTER TRAIN STATION (5 MIN), GREENWICH AVE (5 MIN), CVS, COSTCO, THE HISTORIC CAPITOL THEATER.

STAGING BY ZEBRA PRODUCTIONS LTD

Sellers are offering a bonus gift if sale closes before July 1st: