Subsidized Housing

NEW YORK - Richard F. Bellman - a lawyer whose tenacity and legal ingenuity propelled him to victory in fights with local governments over racially discriminatory zoning, including in a landmark case against Mount Laurel, N.J., in 1975 - died April 18 on his way to work in Manhattan, where he also lived. The cause was a heart attack, said his son, Jedd. Where others saw dry zoning ordinances, Mr. Bellman, 74, saw a battleground for classic civil rights campaigns as he fought for subsidized housing for the poor and members of minority groups in white suburbs.

NEW YORK - Richard F. Bellman - a lawyer whose tenacity and legal ingenuity propelled him to victory in fights with local governments over racially discriminatory zoning, including in a landmark case against Mount Laurel, N.J., in 1975 - died April 18 on his way to work in Manhattan, where he also lived. The cause was a heart attack, said his son, Jedd. Where others saw dry zoning ordinances, Mr. Bellman, 74, saw a battleground for classic civil rights campaigns as he fought for subsidized housing for the poor and members of minority groups in white suburbs.

MEDFORD - Medford Housing Authority executive director Robert Covelle promised Wednesday night to correct problems identified in a recent federal audit. But he denied allegations that he steered housing authority work to friends and relatives and retaliated against employees who disagreed with his practices. "A lot of the issues are before Bob Covelle," he said in an interview, referring to himself in the third person. "I'm taking [the audit] seriously, and I'm going to correct all the issues.

MEDFORD - Medford Housing Authority executive director Robert Covelle promised Wednesday night to correct problems identified in a recent federal audit. But he denied allegations that he steered housing authority work to friends and relatives and retaliated against employees who disagreed with his practices. "A lot of the issues are before Bob Covelle," he said in an interview, referring to himself in the third person. "I'm taking [the audit] seriously, and I'm going to correct all the issues.

Ruth Moy has dedicated almost 40 years to finding housing for Chinatown's many elderly residents, but she has often been frustrated getting them into available units in this densely packed neighborhood. "They all have waiting lists, huge waiting lists, and they have closed their application processes," said Moy, founder and executive director of the Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center. Now Moy has something to celebrate: the ground-breaking today of the Hong Lok House, a $33 million redevelopment on Essex Street that will provide 74 low-cost apartments for seniors, plus space for social...

JACKSON, Wyo. - After spending his day in front of a middle school classroom, teacher Brook Yeomans sometimes jumps on his skateboard for the short commute to his home, a two-story, coffee-colored townhouse with views of the vast Wyoming mountains. The home is the equivalent of real estate gold: He and his wife, Jessica, recently purchased it for $230,000, a far cry from its $750,000 market price. In most of the country, the two-income couple would be unlikely candidates for subsidized housing.

Robert Covelle, the embattled executive director of the Medford Housing Authority, is resigning, nearly a year after state officials initially visited the Riverside Avenue agency headquarters to investigate allegations of widespread favoritism in hiring and contracting under his leadership. Covelle, 59, will receive severance equal to three months' pay, about $31,500, under an agreement that also prevents him from contending later that he was wrongly terminated, even though his $126,000-a-year contract is being ended 25 months early.

J.R. Giddens used to get asked about things other than his dark past, like basketball. When this was true, it was in the small suburban town of Yukon, Okla., where he was first embraced by a community that was wowed by his talent and potential. His family would host block parties and sleepovers, and on the basketball court townspeople saw glimpses of what Giddens told everyone he would become: a star. And back then, his character was never in question like it is today, tomorrow, and forever.

By Matt Byrne, Town Correspondent Mayor Michael J. McGlynn Friday urged a fresh start for the troubled Medford Housing Authority, two days after its former chief, Robert Covelle, resigned amid suggestions of favoritism and mismanagement. "The news of Mr. Covelle's resignation signals the end of a difficult chapter for the Medford Housing Authority," McGlynn said in the statement, issued by the city's attorney. "Clearly it is time to move forward. " For his resignation and an agreement from Covelle not to sue the authority for...

Third in an eight-part series. "Flight attendant Cameron?" the voice from Dallas barks. "Are you going to sign in for your trip? Are you stuck in traffic?" Halle Cameron squints at the clock on her nightstand: 7 a.m., Sept. 11, 2001. American Airlines Flight 11 departs in 45 minutes from Logan International Airport, nonstop to Los Angeles. She had finally earned the seniority to pull cross-country flights like this, after 10 years of short-hop connections and layovers in Des Moines.

Ruth Moy has dedicated almost 40 years to finding housing for Chinatown's many elderly residents, but she has often been frustrated getting them into available units in this densely packed neighborhood. "They all have waiting lists, huge waiting lists, and they have closed their application processes," said Moy, founder and executive director of the Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center. Now Moy has something to celebrate: the ground-breaking today of the Hong Lok House, a $33 million redevelopment on Essex Street that will provide 74 low-cost apartments for seniors, plus space for social...

JACKSON, Wyo. - After spending his day in front of a middle school classroom, teacher Brook Yeomans sometimes jumps on his skateboard for the short commute to his home, a two-story, coffee-colored townhouse with views of the vast Wyoming mountains. The home is the equivalent of real estate gold: He and his wife, Jessica, recently purchased it for $230,000, a far cry from its $750,000 market price. In most of the country, the two-income couple would be unlikely candidates for subsidized housing.

Maine State Housing Authority officials are making changes in the inspection process for low-income housing following the discovery of what the agency called "disgusting" conditions at subsidized housing units in Norway and Paris. The changes were recommended by an internal audit. The authority plans to increase the number of inspections of Section 8 housing, to conduct quarterly inspector meetings, and to require inspectors to log complaints in a system that will be reviewed monthly by agency officials.

NEW YORK -- Maurice Paprin, a real estate entrepreneur who built thousands of apartments in New York and spent decades promoting liberal causes, died Friday at a hospital in Manhattan. He was 85 and had been injured during a fall, said Harry Zlokower, the family's publicist. Born in the Bronx, Mr. Paprin got his start building single-family homes in the 1960s and went on to build, buy, and manage large apartment buildings and subsidized housing complexes throughout the city.