The city of Brockton took by eminent domain the tallest building in its downtown and then turned it over to a developer who plans to turn it into housing.
The recent owner of the 1905 Brockton Furniture Building, John Monem, operates a furniture business on the first floor, but city officials told him Thursday, December 6 he has four months to get out.
Kelvin Cochran grew up in Louisiana with one goal in life: to become a firefighter. He realized that dream in 1981 in his native Shreveport. He rose through the ranks, and in 1999 became the fire chief there, the first African-American to serve in that capacity. In 2008, he was appointed fire chief for the city of Atlanta, and a year later President Barack Obama tapped him for the position of U.S. fire administrator. In 2010, Mayor Kasim Reed encouraged him to come back to Atlanta and re-assume his position as fire chief, which he did.
