Lingering interest in bluesman Robert Johnson spawns project to restore home where he was born

Officials to restore birthplace of Robert Johnson

Amid housing crunch, Cuba cracks downs on illegal home remodels, streamlines building permits

HAVANA — Cuba has quietly made it easier to obtain state permission to build or remodel homes even as it pledges to crack down like never before on unlicensed residential construction, including routine do-it-yourself projects.

House that could float on New Orleans’ floods brought to site of Brad Pitt’s rebuilding effort

NEW ORLEANS — A house capable of floating atop rising floodwaters made its debut Tuesday in New Orleans alongside more than a dozen other homes built through actor Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation.

Vegas luxury suites: From a basketball court in your room to TV in the mirrors

LAS VEGAS — A 10,000-square-foot suite that includes a basketball halfcourt rents for $25,000 a night at Palms Casino Resort. At MGM Grand’s Skylofts, you’ll find a bathtub that fizzes with tiny champagne-like massage bubbles, TVs in the mirrors and airport pickup in a $400,000 car.

Beverly Hills home designed for comedian Groucho Marx on market for nearly $13 million

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — A Beverly Hills house owned for two decades by Groucho Marx is on the market for $12.9 million.

China completes renovation of Tibet’s Potala Palace, once home to the Dalai Lamas

BEIJING — China has completed a seven-year renovation of Tibet’s Potala Palace — home to the Dalai Lamas until the region’s current spiritual leader fled during an aborted uprising against Communist rule 50 years ago.

Help for the recently pink-slipped: Create an instant home office

Job-seekers, take note: You want to be productive in planning your next move, and writing cover letters on your bed probably isn’t going to cut it. That’s why more and more people are thinking about how to create an instant home office.

With new ritual bath, rabbi sees ‘a milestone for Jewish life in Montana’

BOZEMAN, Mont. — In one of the least Jewish states in the country, a traditional Jewish group working to revive religious observance has built a mikvah, a ritual bath for spiritual purification.

Spain’s intelligence chief resigns amid allegations of improper use of government money

MADRID — Spain’s intelligence chief resigned Thursday amid allegations he used government money to go on hunting and fishing trips and had staffers remodel his house.

Temporary closure of Harry Truman home beginning in August

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — If you’re a Harry Truman fan, you have until Aug. 2 to visit his home in Independence before it closes for renovations.

World famous but nearly unknown, Nazareth offers more than churches

NAZARETH, Israel — When Pope Benedict XVI pays a visit next month to the town where Jesus grew up, he will bring brief attention to a Holy Land destination that is at once world famous and unjustly overlooked.

Belatedly, White House aide at center of NYC probe pays architect for home renovation job

NEW YORK — A New York City politician now with the Obama administration is trying to defuse suggestions that he took favors from an architect who needed city approval for a development project.