The 234 Apartment

As you do more banking by smartphone, that bank branch you used to visit may soon turn into a restaurant, a day care center or even a condo tower. After a branch building boom a decade or so ago, banks are closing offices by the thousands as more of their customers bank online . They're leaving behind space ready to be transformed into something else, whether an urban storefront or a free- standing brick building with a drive-thru in the suburbs. "If the real estate is strong, any number of things can happen to the property," says Kim McGuire, senior vice president in the Chicago office of CBRE. It's a problem or an opportunity, depending on your perspective, that will be here for a while. Banks operate about 89,300 branches in the United States today , down 8 percent over the past decade, according to Chicago- based real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle . JLL expects an additional 20 percent drop over the next decade. In the Chicago area, the number of branches d...

There are three women sitting in a small apartment in Glenwood Springs . They’re calm, but all fight back tears . “I just don’t want him taken away,” said Aeeilyn Villacara, 19. One morning in late July, Villacara and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Adan Serrano ,  were leaving their apartment. They were almost to their car when they were surrounded by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Villacara watched as they led Serrano away in handcuffs. As the women sit together, he’s being held at a detention center in Aurora.   Adan’s sisters, Glenda and Sandra Serrano, sit across from Villacara. They’re scared and anxious, but not surprised. “Obviously, we came here illegally,” said Sandra Serrano. “I feel like it’s bad to say this, but it’s the truth.”   Adan Serrano was 16 when he arrived in the U.S.; he and his sisters all came from El Salvador at different times. The sisters claim he had no choice but to leave. Gangs in El Salvador recruit kids and, if they don’t join, the...

WEST YARMOUTH, Mass. , Aug. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mill Hill Residence , a Maplewood At Mayflower Place community , will announce its grand opening on Wednesday, August 23 rd from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the former site of the Mill Hill Club at 164 MA-28 in West Yarmouth . Attendees will have a first look to see the residence and experience its personalized services and amenities.    Maplewood Senior Living )" src="https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/546334/Maplewood_Senior_Living_Grand_Opening.jpg?w=800" alt="(PRNewsfoto/ Maplewood Senior Living )" class="img-responsive" /> (PRNewsfoto/ Maplewood Senior Living )... In attendance at the event will be Representative William L. Crocker, Jr. and Yarmouth town officials including Town Administrator Daniel Knapi...

The Riveter: This one was my favorite. Steve Korn S eattle has the fourth-fastest- growing freelance economy in the country, which explains why there are almost as many coworking spaces opening up as luxury apartment buildings . Since I'll never be able to afford a luxury apartment , I thought maybe I can at least work at a place where the sink actually drains and the coffee is always fresh. So I checked out some coworking spaces and brought my laptop with me. I didn't tell them I was coming. I wanted to see what these places were like inside, without any PR hoopla. Clearly, we are living in the age of the remote worker. By 2020, 40 percent of the US workforce will be freelancers, temps, independent contractors, or "solopreneurs," according to a 2010 study by Intuit. According to the 2017 Global Coworking Survey , nearly 1. 2 million people worldwide will have tried coworking by the end of next year, and around 14, 000 coworking spaces will be in operation. Sixt...

View Comments Kelsey Zionskowski 's dream of becoming a nurse shattered after she was hit on McLoughlin Boulevard near River Road On Aug. 5, 2014, 25-year-old Kelsey Zionskowski was heading home from her second day working as an office assistant at Oregon Health & Science University when her life was changed forever . Kelsey Zionskowski , 28, receives help from her mother, Raquel, in placing her walker in the back of her car." title="PHOTO BY RAYMOND RENDLEMAN - Kelsey Zionskowski , 28, receives help from her mother, Raquel, in placing her walker in the back of her car." class="caption" width="100%" />Zionskowski's dream of becoming a nurse was shattered after she was hit by a vehicle as she waited to cross McLoughlin Boulevard near River Road. She suffered massive trauma to both legs, just after getting off the TriMet bus that took her from OHSU to the bus stop across from her home in Milwaukie. While she was waiting for the traffi...

Recycle. Reuse. Reduce. Reclaim. Cheryl Oliver is a true believer. Her husband, Jack, is not quite so sure. For Cheryl, there is no choice because she regards recycling as crucial for the survival of the planet. Jack said he gets it, but doesn’t think a few people can make any real difference. The house divided is a microcosm of communities when it comes to recycling. Cheryl believes everyone should do their part, while Jack believes that since not everyone is doing their part, why should he? “The problem with recycling is that most people don’t do it or won’t do it,” Jack said. “I think it’s mostly due to people being plain lazy.” Jack has a point – recycling takes more effort than just throwing everything into the same trash can. There are people who might recycle but don’t because they simply don’t know how. With paper, plastic, aluminum, metal and a myriad of other color-coded options for recyclable material, deciding where each thing should go can be troublesome. ...