Marty and Max: Real Estate Recipes

Today we will discuss two ways to buy an actively marketed home at a bargain, where you actually want to live.

Cooking and coughing: Respiratory diseases plague Kenya as more people burn wood to save money

Respiratory diseases have been the most prevalent diseases in Kenya for the past several years and are on the rise, according to government authorities, with 19.6 million reported cases last year.

PHARMACIES: PBMs are killing independent owners

As a local pharmacist, it was refreshing for me to see an article in The Press about the challenges facing pharmacies today. Low insurance reimbursement does not affect only rural pharmacies, however, but is leading to the demise of all independently owned pharmacies. Contrary to what Greg Lopes would want you to believe, PBMs are definitely and primarily responsible for the closure of many pharmacies. Not only, as the article pointed out, are 25% of claims paid below cost, but many more pay mere pennies above the cost of the drug. After adding the direct cost of the vial, lid and label, easily 50% of claims are paid at or below cost.

Poverty closer than it used to be

Eleven million American children, or about 1 in 7 kids, live in poverty. Most were born to it. Statistics say their children will be more likely to experience the same.

Rising rents squeeze Idaho families

Network: Affordable homes shortage means low-income suffer most

Maggie Lyons, executive director of the Panhandle Affordable Housing Alliance, said there is a large segment of the population in Kootenai County that needs affordable rentals, but the high cost to buy a home is equally concerning.

MY TURN: Help combat Idaho opioid crisis

Start by cleaning out your medicine cabinet

EDITORIAL: Clearing the tall starter-home hurdle

It's a daunting task, but patience and a plan can help shift renters into buyers.

Many Americans are still shying away from EVs despite Biden's push, an AP-NORC/EPIC poll finds

Younger people are more open to eventually purchasing an EV than older adults.

MY TURN: Housing crisis remains

We all have memories of how things used to be. Sometimes those memories are distorted by the passage of time and appear significantly different today. Kootenai County in 1980 had a significantly smaller population and more people have wanted to share in it. That has continued to the current time. The problem is the pie is only so large. Too many of us want a bigger piece than we are entitled to. If our community is to be economically viable and provide housing for all the people who will be here, we need to start sharing the pie. Groups such as Kootenai Connect are an essential part because it’s focus is regional. We all need that wider focus as well. We can achieve that by electing knowledgeable leaders and keeping the good ones we have. We must support leaders who offer hope and solutions not people who offer only blame.

Exxon Mobil doubles down on fossil fuels with $59.5 billion deal for Pioneer Natural as prices surge

Woods explained that Exxon and Pioneer will be able to use their combined capabilities to drive down emissions and produce lower carbon intensity oil and gas

Marty and Max: Getting your home ready

There is so much to consider when listing your home. But what should you fix and what should you just leave alone?

U.S. consumer confidence jumps to a two-year high as inflation eases

The U.S. economy — the world's largest — has proved surprisingly resilient in the face of sharply higher borrowing costs

Building a miracle

PF neighborhood to set example for homeownership through public-private partnerships

For two long years, Ryan Ryle and his fiance, Jayne Foster, tried to buy a home in North Idaho. Ryle, who grew up just on the other side of the Idaho-Washington stateline, said the couple would put in offers on houses just to constantly be outbid by other buyers who had larger down payments or cash in hand. “We even looked at new builds, but we needed so much earnest money down, we couldn’t save for it,” Ryle said Thursday.

Expect a hot, smoky summer in much of America. Here's why you'd better get used to it

The stuck weather pattern is “awfully unusual,” said NOAA's Carbin who had to look back in records to 1980 to see anything even remotely similar

Mid-year market report

The first half of 2023 is in the books. This week in many ways is the turning point in the year for housing. Home purchases start to decelerate and price reductions increase in the second half of the year.

MY TURN: ignite cda and Atlas Mill

Short-term win for some, long-term loss for many

The ignite cda pledge “We want what You Want” was holding its own on the Urban Renewal Districts for the Lake and River. We certainly received a balance of Public and Private business related boosts throughout high profile areas serving tourists, taxpaying citizens and businesses alike. Multiple developers and entities showed up to build the wide ranging visions.

UPS reaches tentative contract with 340,000 unionized workers potentially dodging calamitous strike

Under the tentative agreement, existing full- and part-time UPS union workers will get $2.75 more per hour in 2023, and $7.50 more per hour over the length of the five-year contract

Rowing Part 1: Going the distance indoors

To get started, I’d recommend watching some videos to learn the proper technique for rowing effectively (and not getting hurt).

This car will help others go far

Local couple donates to Rides for a Reason

The much-loved 1995 Acura Integra that carried Paul and Tiffany Kugler's firstborn home from the hospital will go on to serve another local family.

Marty and Max: Is the market recovering?

The estimated single-family year-end inventory will be around 525k. Our normal inventory peak is in August, however this year it appears that it is November.