Homes

Days after state environmental officials found unacceptable noise levels from wind turbines in Falmouth, they are considering new regulations that would require the state to review potential noise issues before wind turbines are built in Massachusetts. The state might also conduct sound studies in other communities, such as Fairhaven and Kingston, where residents, as in Falmouth, have complained about newly installed turbines, officials said. A panel of independent scientists and doctors, convened by the state to look at the effects of wind turbines on the health of nearby residents, urged the...

Few feather dusters attract cheering sections, even saucy French feather dusters. But if you go to see "Beauty and the Beast" at the Boston Opera House beginning Tuesday, you may hear a few people clapping extra hard whenever Babette gets a moment in the spotlight. That's because actress Jessica Lorion, who plays her, has roots down Route 24. She grew up in Norton and Taunton. And so she will have supporters on hand for most or all of the week's eight performances: her music-teacher mom, Charlene Dalrymple, who'll drive up from Taunton with Lorion's stepfather; Lorion's...

A fast-moving wildfire erupted in a rural neighborhood near the Nevada-California line and destroyed at least seven homes Tuesday but no injuries were reported and the danger was subsiding as winds died at nightfall along the Sierra's eastern front. Between 100 and 200 homes were threatened at one time in the Topaz Ranch Estates about 50 miles southeast of Lake Tahoe after the fire broke out before 2 p.m. — possibly after a controlled burn conducted in the area the day before rekindled in the winds gusting up to 40 mph, authorities said.

Finding the right nursing home is a daunting task most of us will face, as two-thirds of people over 65 will need nursing home care, at least temporarily, according to AARP. It's best to research facilities in advance, but a sudden illness or injury may force you to confront things sooner than you expect. Here are several key considerations:  ■ Stay close. The biggest influence on the quality of care nursing home patients receive is often the frequency of visits by friends and family.

The state Department of Public Health will issue a long-awaited investigative report on sober homes within the next two weeks, said its director of substance abuse services, Michael Botticelli. The announcement of the impending release of the report - which was mandated by the Legislature - comes after Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino on Thursday wrote to Governor Deval Patrick asking him to "expedite the completion and release of the study. " Menino's letter referred to the Globe's article last Sunday, which showed how recovering addicts had become financially exploited by...

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent As residents began the sad duty of picking through their fire-damaged homes Friday morning, investigators said that a Scituate fire on Thursday that left two homes destroyed and severely damaged two others was an accidental blaze. The blaze on Humarock Beach , spread by high winds Thursday afternoon, apparently started in the kitchen of one of the homes and may have been linked to a radio. "A member of the family told us the fire started in his kitchen and was associated with a radio," said...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The government will buy out hundreds of residents whose homes are at risk of caving into mined-out areas below, and two towns could eventually cease to exist, officials said. The $20 million buyout targets 176 homes on land where lead and zinc were once mined in the state's northeast tip. The area is dotted with mine collapses, open mine shafts, and mountains of lead-contaminated mine waste. Last year, the state spent about $5 million to buy out or move 55 families.

LOS ANGELES - Stacks of charred bricks, blackened shells of cars, and burned tree trunks were all that remained yesterday in much of the community some residents once called the "Beverly Hills of mobile home parks. " The mostly retired residents returned to see what was left of their homes at Oakridge Mobile Home Park, where winds with hurricane intensity blew a wall of fire through nearly 500 manufactured homes and set them ablaze so quickly that even firefighters had to drop their hoses and run. "It looks like a war zone - no trees, no buildings," said...

Severe weather in the Midwest spawned at least two tornadoes in central Nebraska that damaged homes and derailed train cars. Bill Taylor of the National Weather Service says two tornadoes hit Sunday night on the western side of North Platte, Neb., and damaged several homes. In one of those homes, a person who was trapped and injured was rescued. Taylor says at least 15 train cars there derailed. Elsewhere, Taylor says a possible tornado damaged homes north of Valentine, Neb., in northern Nebraska and southern South Dakota.

Have you built a home or completed a major renovation on your house or condo since June 1, 2011? Show it off by entering our Homes of the Year contest. We're looking for entries in five categories: 1) newly built home, 2) redesign or renovation, 3) budget project, 4) new or renovated kitchen, and 5) addition to an existing home. Each winner will receive a $500 gift certificate from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams — Boston/Natick. The deadline for submissions is June 15. Click here to fill out the contest application.

PHILADELPHIA - Allen Iverson was on the court the last time the 76ers played in a Game 7. On June 3, 2001, he poured in 44 points and handed out 7 assists as Philadelphia hammered the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-91, to punch its ticket to the NBA Finals against the Lakers, who would take them out in five games. This past Wednesday night, The Answer was back in the house, cupping his ear to the delight of the fans, as the Sixers surged past the Celtics, 82-75, to set up a seventh game in Boston Saturday.

Boston police arrested six people Thursday in a Charlestown house that was tied to suspected drug activity and prostitution and that contained narcotics, erotic items, and a flier billing the residence as an after-hours party spot, authorities said. Police said in a statement that a SWAT team's early-morning raid on the Cambridge Street building came after neighbors complained about the property and after officers obtained a search warrant. Police seized cash and assorted drug paraphernalia and narcotics, and officers "observed several sexually themed...

The Daytime Emmy Awards have found a new home at cable news channel HLN. The channel said Thursday it will air the 39th annual awards ceremony live from Beverly Hills on June 23. The awards, which aired on CBS for the past two years, will move from broadcast to cable for the first time. The ceremony struggled to find a network home as soap operas, once daytime's big draw, slipped in popularity and their numbers dwindled. In a statement, HLN executive Scot Safon said the news channel has covered the Daytime Emmys in the past and, he said, is "excited to also be...

Biscotti TV Phone by Biscotti Inc. $149 at Biscotti.com For at least 50 years, we've been told that home video phone calling is the technology of the future. Yet consumers just don't seem all that interested. Here's the latest effort to change that--an attractive and effective little device that quickly turns a living room into a video conference center. The Biscotti is well named, for it looks just like one of those long, curved cookies you dip into your morning coffee.

After several lean years, the home remodeling industry is seeing an uptick. Thanks to the slowly stabilizing economy, a rise in home sales, and continued low interest rates, homeowners are dipping their toes into home renovation projects. The National Association of Home Builders says that residential remodeling expenditures for owner-occupied improvements are growing nationally. Spending for 2011 topped $107.4 billion, up 3.5 percent from 2010, and an index of remodeling contractors' confidence hit its highest level in five years in the last quarter of 2011, according to...

WASHINGTON — Americans bought more new homes last month, the latest evidence that the US housing market could be starting to recover. New-home sales increased 3.3 percent in April from March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 343,000, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Sales rose sharply in every region of the country but the South. The gain pushed the annual sales pace to its second-highest level in two years. Economists were encouraged by the increase but cautioned that new homes are still selling at half the rate consistent with healthy markets.

Winds and erratic flames forced firefighters to sit on the sidelines Thursday as a massive fire that destroyed a dozen homes and several other structures in small New Mexico community grew larger and put more buildings at risk. Tripling in size over the last day, the lightning-sparked Whitewater and Baldy fires merged to burn across more than 110 square miles of the Gila National Forest by Thursday. "At this point it's just a monitoring situation to see whether (crews) can find some place where they can build lines or do something to slow it down," said fire information officer Iris...

Tim McGraw will be saluting veterans in a big way while on tour this summer. The country music superstar is giving away 25 mortgage-free houses — one for each stop on his upcoming "Brothers of the Sun" tour with Kenny Chesney — to wounded or needy service members. McGraw will kick off the campaign with a Memorial Day concert for military members at New York City's Beacon Theatre during Fleet Week. "My sister's a veteran, my uncle's a veteran, my grandfather was a veteran, one of my best friends is a veteran," McGraw said in an interview.

A young Marine returning to civilian life in Kansas died this week after falling from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, where he had stopped to do some sightseeing on his way home from Camp Pendleton, Calif., his father said. After two years in the Marines, Jeffery Klingsick had big plans, said his father, Russ Klingsick. The 20-year-old veteran of Afghanistan planned to join a band, become an emergency medical technician and, said his father, watch lots of John Wayne movies.