Welcome to The Daily Umbrella Podcast for Thursday, Aug. 6. We bring you the stories you need to know to start your day. Let's get started. …

Shane Goodman’s commentary today takes aim at one of America's favorite neighborhood institutions to complain about — homeowners associations. Buying a home is often called the American dream, but as Shane’s column points out, that dream can quickly turn into a lesson in rules, regulations and violation notices. The piece jokes that somewhere between unpacking moving boxes and planting your first flowers, you're handed a binder of HOA rules thick enough to rival the federal tax code. While HOA’s serve an important purpose by protecting property values and maintaining neighborhoods, they also have a reputation for policing everything from grass height to garbage cans left out a few min ...