Lantern at Morning Pointe reopens in East Brainerd
The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center for Excellence is reopening next month, more than 14 months after a tornado struck the Shallowford Road complex and forced the evacuation of its residents last year.
The facility has been completely rebuilt since the Easter 2020 tornado that ravaged much of the East Brainerd area.
The center offers both The Lamplight program for those living with early to moderate stages of Alzheimer’s disease and The Lantern program feared toward those with late to moderately severe stages.
“The benefits of being cared for in a safe and secure environment built just for seniors with Alzheimer’s and other dementias often outweigh those of caring for loved ones at home,” Morning Pointe President Greg Vital said.
Vital said the center, which will mark its grand reopening July 29, seeks to offer “meaningful days filed with life enrichment for residents coupled with monthly caregiver support programs to assist family members as they start this journey. There is nothing like it,” Vital said.
Contributed photo by Morning Pointe / This file photo shows work to repair the Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence on Shallowford Road in East Brainerd. The facility is reopening in July, more than 14 months after a tornado struck the Shallowford Road complex and forced the evacuation of its residents last year.30-year mortgages rise above 3%
Mortgage rates rose above the 3% mark this week for the first time in 10 weeks, as the economic recovery from the pandemic recession continues while inflation remains elevated.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported that the average for the key 30-year home loan rose to 3.02% from 2.93% last week. By contrast, the rate stood at 3.13% a year ago.
The rate for a 15-year loan, a popular option among homeowners refinancing their mortgages, jumped to 2.34% from 2.24% last week.
Freddie Mac economists expect mortgage rates to gradually rise in the second half of the year.
S&P 500 rises 2.7% this week
Stocks ended mostly higher Friday, helping the S&P 500 index close out its best week since February. It’s a notable turnaround for the market, which only the previous week had its worst week since February on concerns about inflation.
The Dow’s gains were driven by a surge in Nike, which reported blowout earnings late Thursday and gave investors a strong outlook for the year. Investors cheered data that showed cooler inflation than expected, as well as the infrastructure deal between President Biden and a bipartisan group of senators.
With Friday’s gains, the S&P 500 index ended the week up 2.7%.
Virgin Galactic receives OK to launch into space
Virgin Galactic finally has the federal government’s OK to start launching customers into space from New Mexico.
Richard Branson’s rocketship company announced the Federal Aviation Administration’s updated license on Friday. It’s the final hurdle in Virgin Galactic’s yearslong effort to send paying passengers on short space hops.
The company plans three more test flight before taking passengers. Branson is expected to be on one of those test flights later this year. Another billionaire – Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos – plans to ride his own rocket into space July 20 from Texas.
Court OKs exemption for Clean Air rules
The Supreme Court says an expanded number of small refineries can seek an exemption from certain renewable fuel requirements.
The high court ruled 6-3 Friday that a small refinery that had previously received a hardship exemption from complying with Clean Air Act requirements may obtain an “extension” of that exemption. That’s even if the refinery let a previous exemption lapse.
The Biden administration argued that to get an extension a refinery had to have maintained a continuous exemption since 2011. Refineries in Wyoming, Utah and Oklahoma argued that siding with the Biden administration would eliminate the exemption for most small refineries in the U.S.
– Compiled by Dave Flessner