SEATTLE (AP) — Authorities in Washington state have started to investigate the cause of a large structure fire that destroyed an apartment building under construction near the Everett waterfront...

US housing construction rises 3.2% in November with building permits hitting 12-year high.

ATTELBORO, Mass. (AP) — It used to be that municipal and government buildings were designed and constructed with a sense of magisterial pride, with shapes and materials expressing the values of democracy in stone.

With their Colonial brick facades and columns outside and wide hallways and high ceilings inside, they seemed to invite citizen participation. Marble stairways and granite foundations conveyed the conviction of permanence.

HOUSTON (AP) — Officials in a Texas county devastated by Hurricane Harvey approved new regulations Tuesday on building construction in flood-prone locations, rules they touted as the nation's toughest for a major metropolitan area.

The rules taking effect Jan. 1 in unincorporated parts of Harris County will increase the required elevation for new homes and other structures to avoid floodwaters. Some new structures could be elevated up to 8 feet higher than current regulations require.

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say work has halted at a Facebook building under construction in California after an equipment failure caused part of the structure to collapse, injuring two workers.

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Norfolk is seeing a burst of residential building construction.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that (http://bit.ly/2leBgpz ) 1,435 new dwelling units received residential building permits in 2016. Officials say that's the most since at least 2000, which is as far back as staff members have looked.

The average amount of residential building permits handed out over the last five years was 824.