NYC Plans to Sell Foreclosed Homes, Speed Gentrification "New York City will spend $24 million in federal financing to rehabilitate and resell 115 foreclosed homes, one of the most aggressive steps city officials have taken in years to prevent vacant foreclosed properties from becoming a blight on neighborhoods." New York Times. Burris Sworn in to Replace Obama Today "Roland Burris gets sworn in as Illinois Senator today as President-elect Barack Obama’s replacement, with Senate Democrats still carrying a bitter aftertaste from being shamed into seating him." Associated Press. Segregation on the Rise in US Schools "Black and Latino students are educated in U.S. schools that are increasingly segregated, said a report on Wednesday that undercuts optimism about race in America surrounding the presidency of Barack Obama." Reuters. U.S. Rabbis Urge Obama to Push for Immediate Gaza Truce "A group of rabbis and other religious leaders bought advertising space in the New York Times this week to call for U.S. president-elect Barack Obama to push for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip." Haaretz.