Owners of empty homes in Kent are being targeted by a new initiative which, if taken up by other councils, could help to bring thousands of derelict properties back into use.

Kent County Council last week launched a £5m fund which will provide interest-free loans to landlords, developers and owners to cover the cost of renovation and refurbishment of about 9,000 empty properties in the east of the county.

One of the main stumbling blocks for owners of empty homes is often a lack of funds with which to renovate a property and bring it back into use. So the county is working with councils in Dover, Shepway, Swale and Thanet to offer any owner of an empty property - or anyone considering buying one - interest-free loans for renovation or refurbishment of to £25,000 per single dwelling.

Pulte Homes Announces Webcast on Third Quarter Earnings

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pulte Homes, Inc. (NYSE: PHM - News) today announced that it will release its third quarter earnings results following market close on Wednesday, October 25, 2006. The Company will webcast its conference call to discuss third quarter results on Thursday, October 26, 2006 at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

To listen to the webcast, log on at http://www.pulte.com five minutes prior to the call. An archive of the conference call will be available on the Pulte Homes web site.

About Pulte Homes

Pulte Homes, Inc., (NYSE: PHM - News), based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is a FORTUNE 150 company with operations in 53 markets and 27 states. In 2005, the company delivered 45,630 homes in the U.S. and generated consolidated revenues of $14.7 billion.

Your Stories: Bridge Construction Delays in DeWitt

DeWitt (WSYR-TV) - Construction continues on the new Fly Road bridge over the New York State Thruway in DeWitt, and some of you are wondering when the work will wrap up, so you can use the brand new bridge.

The Thruway Authority says the project is running about three weeks behind schedule, and they say weather is to blame.

So what's left to do on the Fly Road bridge? Crews still have some paving work ahead of them.

That will happen on the bridge itself and on the approach to the bridge. They're hoping to knock off that part of the project next week.

Then, they'll install some guide rails and put down road markings on the Thruway itself.

The Thruway Authority estimates that work will be done by the beginning of November, making a lot of commutes to work, and elsewhere, a whole lot easier.