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Tue. Jan. 31, 2012 Boston developer Arthur Winn fined $100,000 for making illegal campaign contributionsDeveloper Arthur Winn was fined $100,000, but avoided prison time at his sentencing today in US District Court for illegally funneling thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to politicians to help get support for his ultimately failed Columbus Center development. The sentence was far less severe than what prosecutors wanted: A $200,000 fine and six months in prison. US Magistrate Judith G. Dein said Winn’s illegal contributions were serious crimes, but didn’t warrant jail time because Winn only pleaded guilty to misdemeanors. | |||
Home values in Boston area fell in November, according to Case-Shiller price indexHome values in the Boston area dropped 1.6 percent in November compared with the month before, according to new data released by the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, an index that tracks national real estate data. It marks the third consecutive month of declining home values and brings the region’s home prices to about the level they were at in April 2003, according to the index, which is considered an especially accurate measure of the housing market. | |||
Vermont Yankee nuke plant seeks OK to operate longerThe Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is asking the state Public Service Board for permission to continue operating beyond its original March 21 closure date. The move follows a Jan. 19 ruling by a federal court judge who found that the state didn’t have the authority to close the plant as it had wished. But the decision said the plant needed to seek a certificate of public good from the utility-regulating Public Service Board. | |||
TJX promotes Goldenberg to CFO positionTJX Cos., which runs off-price stores like Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, and HomeGoods, is promoting Scott Goldenberg to chief financial officer. In his new role, Goldenberg will oversee TJX’s corporate finance operations. | |||
Vertex’s Kalydeco drug approved for rare form of cystic fibrosisIn a big win for Cambridge-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals, the US Food and Drug Administration today approved the company’s drug Kalydeco (ivacaftor) to treat a rare form of cystic fibrosis. The drug is approved for patients ages 6 and over who carry the G551D gene mutation, and the news follows the approval last year of Vertex’s hepatitis C drug Incivek. | |||
Curis rises after approval on cancer drug shared with RocheCuris Inc., a maker of medicines to restore human tissue, jumped as much as 6.1 percent in New York trading after U.S. regulators approved the skin-cancer drug it’s developing with Roche Holding AG. The company earned a $10 million milestone payment after yesterday’s approval of Erivedge, a treatment for basal cell carcinoma, and it’s also entitled to royalties from sales. | |||
Biogen profit rises as sales increaseDrugmaker Biogen Idec Inc.’s fourth-quarter profit grew 25 percent on cost savings from job cuts and increasing sales of its multiple sclerosis treatments. Biogen said its profit rose to $300.2 million, or $1.22 per share, from $240.3 million, or 99 cents per share. The company said it earned $1.51 per share if one-time costs and gains are excluded. Revenue increased 9 percent, to $1.33 billion from $1.22 billion. | |||
Andrew Zimmern, of “Bizarre Foods,” joins Babson College as an entrepreneur-in-residenceBabson College today said that Andrew Zimmern, host of the “Bizarre Foods” cable television show, has joined Babson as entrepreneur-in-residence. Zimmern, whose show on the Travel Channel has explored food cultures in more than 32 countries, will work with the Lewis Institute’s Social Innovation Lab at Babson as well as the Lab’s Food Sol, an ‘action tank’ focused on innovation in the food system. | |||
Constant Contact releases “social campaign” serviceAfter a private launch period, Constant Contact, Inc. has publicly released a new service: Social Campaigns. The new service enables users to customize their Facebook page, and to publish and manage marketing campaigns on Facebook that are designed to grow page “likes,” drive engagement, and inspire “social word of mouth.” | |||
More than 140,000 people join campaign calling on Apple to protect workersMore than 140,000 people across the world have joined a campaign on Change.org calling on Apple to protect workers who assemble Apple products from abuse, injury, and death, the organization said in a release. Mark Shields, a self-identified Apple “super-user” launched the campaign on Change.org after listening to a radio program detailing allegations of labor abuses at an Apple supplier factory in China, including child labor, serious physical injuries of workers from repetitive motions during long shifts, and stress-related worker suicides. | |||
Peoplefluent acquires Strategia CommunicationsPeoplefluent, a talent management firm with an office in Waltham, today said that it has acquired Strategia Communications, a Canadian-based learning management company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Peoplefluent’s software helps companies manage salaried, hourly and contingent labor. | |||
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
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Monday, January 30, 2012
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Mon. Jan. 30, 2012 Sycamore Partners in talks to buy TalbotsSycamore Partners, which made an unsolicited bid to buy Talbots Inc. last month, has signed a confidentiality agreement with the troubled Hingham retailer to talk about a possible transaction. The agreement, signed on Friday, is the first official acknowledgement that Talbots is negotiating with the New York investment firm, which already owns nearly 10 percent of Talbots outstanding stock. | |||
Bertucci’s selects SapientNitro as agency of recordSapientNitro, part of Boston-based Sapient, today announced that it has signed an agreement to become the new agency of record for Bertucci’s, the Massachusetts-based restaurant group. SapientNitro’s scope of services will include research and strategy development, website development, rich media and online creative, broadcast production, print and radio advertising, media planning and buying, and menu development. | |||
Radiopharmaceutical from Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals to be manufacturedA new targeted radiopharmaceutical, designed to deliver a therapeutic dose of radiation directly to metastatic prostate cancer, will be manufactured in Hamilton, Ontario to be used in clinical trials that will evaluate its efficacy and benefits for patients. The radiopharmaceutical, I-131-MIP-1466, will be manufactured by the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization, for the developer of the compound, Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, based in Cambridge. | |||
Aprima Medical Software selects DiagnosisOne to deliver clinical decision support for electronic health recordsDiagnosisOne, a clinical decision support and analytics company based in Lowell, today said that Aprima Medical Software has selected the company to provide clinical decision support for its electronic healthcare record solution. Through this partnership, the Aprima will integrate DiagnosisOne’s smartConsult solution into its offerings to deliver real-time, patient-specific alerts at the point of care. | |||
TomTom adds voices of Mr. Burns, Marge Simpson to GPS serviceToday TomTom is adding Mr. Burns and Marge Simpson, from the TV show “The Simpsons,” to the voices it is offering GPS apps and personal navigation devices. The two new characters join the voice of Homer Simpson, which has become the most downloaded character voice of all time for TomTom. | |||
Verastem launches on Wall StreetVerastem Inc., a Cambridge company that is seeking to create drugs that target cancer stem cells, launched on the Nasdaq stock market today, opening at $11 a share, up from its initial public offering price of $10. It sold 5.5 million shares, raising $55 million dollars. | |||
Report: Facebook may file for IPO next weekFacebook Inc., the largest social- networking site, may file for its initial public offering on Feb. 1 and is close to hiring Morgan Stanley to handle the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified people. | |||
Harvard introduces venture fund with New Enterprise AssociatesNew Enterprise Associates and Harvard University are introducing a seed-stage investment fund designed to support student startups and nurture technologies that trace their roots to Cambridge, Massachusetts. The fund, called the Experiment Fund, will begin today, the venture firm said. | |||
UMass cited as national licensing income leaderThe University of Massachusetts placed in the top 15 nationally in generating income from the licensing of faculty-derived discoveries and products, according to the latest report from the Association of University Technology Managers. UMass generated $40 million in licensing income during fiscal year 2010, the most recent year for which figures are available, which placed it 13th nationwide on the list. | |||
UMass: State economy slowed at end of 2011The Massachusetts economy slowed at the end of 2011 as demand for information technology products declined and businesses moderated hiring after a spurt earlier in the year, the University of Massachusetts reported today. UMass, in its quarterly journal | |||
Boston first US city to have 787 Dreamliner serviceJapan Airlines will fly the much-anticipated Boeing aircraft, which can fly long distances with less fuel than other planes its size, on its inaugural Boston-Tokyo flight April 22. The Japan Airlines flight, offered in partnership with American Airlines, is the first nonstop route between Boston and Asia. |
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Sunday, January 29, 2012
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Saturday, January 28, 2012
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Friday, January 27, 2012
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Fri. Jan. 27, 2012 Siemens buys Cambridge Water TechnologySiemens AG has signed an agreement to acquire Cambridge Water Technology, based in Cambridge. The acquisition will be added to Siemens’ product portfolio of technologies for advanced water and wastewater treatment. | |||
UberVU powers new social media management platformA Cambridge company that builds tools to measure social media, uberVU, is powering a new social media management platform by NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Company. UberVU moved to Cambridge from London in November, 2011. | |||
Putnam Investments expands retirement sales teamPutnam Investments is expanding its sales team in an effort to meet anticipated demand from 401(k) sponsors and their advisors. Steven McKay, from Hartford Retirement Services, and Joseph Kaplan, previously with ADP Retirement Services, are both joining the company. Additional hires are expected in the sales and service areas in the months ahead. | |||
First Commons Bank assets top $168 million during tenth quarter of operationsFirst Commons Bank of Newton, Mass., today reported that its assets have grown to more than $168 million during its tenth quarter of operations, which ended December 31,2011. The bank began operations on July 22, 2009, and serves businesses and individuals in Newton, Wellesley, Waltham, and eastern Massachusetts. | |||
Goodwin Procter names Insolia managing partnerThe law firm Goodwin Procter has named Robert S. Insolia managing partner, the first to be based in New York City. Regina M. Pisa, who has served as both Chairman and Managing Partner of the law firm since 1998, will continue to serve as Chairman. Insolia joined Goodwin in 1997 as a founding partner of Goodwin’s New York office, which he chaired through 2004. | |||
DirecTV, Sunbeam reach agreementSunbeam Television, which owns WHDH-TV (Channel 7) and WLVI-TV (Channel 56), and satellite provider DirecTV have reached an agreement last night over retransmission fees. | |||
Airlines add more flights between Boston, Indianapolis over Super Bowl weekendSeveral airlines have added flights between Boston and Indianapolis over Super Bowl weekend, including several that don’t normal fly the route nonstop. | |||
Staples plans e-commerce innovation center in CambridgeStaples, the Framingham office products company, is ramping up a new “E-Commerce Innovation Center” in Kendall Square in Cambridge. Scheduled to open in May, 2012, the center will house teams responsible for designing and implementing innovative e-commerce solutions for customers who shop Staples stores and websites. The world’s second largest e-commerce company, behind Amazon, Staples is adding IT, product management, usability, and creative positions so it can better reach customers across mobile devices, desktops and stores, the company said. | |||
Massachusetts Life Sciences Center awards $5 million to Museum of ScienceThe Museum of Science, Boston will begin construction of a new exhibit, the Hall of Human Life, after receiving a $5 million grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. The Hall of Human Life, which is now scheduled to open in July 2013, will aim to revolutionize how people understand their own biology and manage their health, the Museum said in a release. | |||
Comcast launches “Hire a Veteran” serviceComcast Corporation today launched “Hire A Veteran On Demand,” which aims to connect returning soldiers to jobs to help ease their transition back into civilian life. The pilot program, which posts video profiles of returning soldiers who are looking for work, will be available for the next 90 days for prospective hiring managers and recruiters to review for their employment needs. | |||
Avila Therapeutics of Bedford to be bought by Celgene in a deal that could be worth $925mBedford drug developer Avila Therapeutics Inc. this morning said it has agreed to be acquired by biopharmaceutical giant Celgene Corp., based in Summit, NJ., in a buy-out deal potentially worth $925 million if Avila is able to eventually win approval to market treatments for cancer and other diseases. Avila, a five-year-old privately held biotechnology company backed by Waltham’s Polaris Venture Partners, specializes in covalent drug chemistry, which allows molecules to bind to disease proteins and shut them down. |
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Thursday, January 26, 2012
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Thu. Jan. 26, 2012 SMTP launches Western Europe expansionSMTP, Inc., a service provider of cloud-based messaging and email delivery, today announced its plans for expansion across Western Europe, tapping Jorge Casas as its Director of Business Development and Customer Service. SMTP’s services facilitate email deliverability, including bulk and transactional sending, reputation management, compliance auditing, abuse processing and issue resolution. | |||
Springfield biomass energy plant dealt a setbackPlans to build a $150 million wood-burning power plant in Springfield have been dealt a setback by the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals, which overturned two building permits. The permits granted by the city’s Building Code Enforcement Commissioner were overturned unanimously Wednesday after the board agreed with an appeal filed by residents that the commissioner had overstepped his authority. | |||
Raytheon profit rises 9 percent as forecast falls short of estimateRaytheon Co., the world’s largest missile maker, said fourth-quarter profit rose 9.4 percent aided by improved performance at its missile and space units. The company’s forecast for this year fell short of analyst estimates. Net income from continuing operations increased to $546 million, or $1.58 a share, compared with $499 million, or $1.37 a share, a year earlier, Raytheon said today in a statement. Excluding certain items, profit was $1.74 a share, exceeding the $1.34-a-share average estimate of 21 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Sales declined 6.4 percent to $6.44 billion. | |||
Discount chain Marshalls planning to open in Fenway areaRetail discounter Marshalls plans to open a 30,000 square foot store in Boston’s Fenway area this fall, in the same renovated building that’s home to the new Yard House restaurant. The two-level retail space will have entrances on both Brookline Avenue and Van Ness Street, according to Peter Sougarides, of Samuels & Associates, which is developing the space and says it will spend $10 million on the renovation project. | |||
Patriots fans get a Super Bowl break: Airlines add flights, lower faresPatriots fans on a budget, take heart. Airlines have added extra flights between New England and Indianapolis, bringing down airfares that were average about $1,000 a few days ago. | |||
Joslin Diabetes Center receives $10.8 million, largest infusion of money in its historyJoslin Diabetes Center said it will use $10.8 million, the largest capital infusion in the Harvard teaching hospital’s 113-year-history, to create a Translational Center for the Cure of Diabetes at Joslin’s campus in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area. The new center will include renovated lab space, a biobank that stores tissue samples to track how the diabetes changes over time, a teleopthalmology center that studies eye disease related to diabetes, a metabolic kitchen where Joslin can teach patients how to cook and eat, and an exercise research lab to study the effects of exercise. | |||
FleetMatics Names Karen Leavitt as Chief Marketing OfficerFleetMatics, a provider of fleet management solutions for commercial vehicles, today announced the addition of Karen Leavitt as chief marketing officer. Reporting to FleetMatics CEO Jim Travers, Leavitt is responsible for all corporate branding, marketing, and communications activities. | |||
Giants’ fans topping Patriots’ 4-to-1 in Super Bowl ticket buysNew York-area football fans are outpacing New Englanders in buying Super Bowl tickets on the secondary market. Twenty-three percent of tickets for the Feb. 5 game in Indianapolis sold on NFL Ticket Exchange have been purchased by people in either New York or New Jersey, according to data released by the website, the official ticket reseller of the National Football League. | |||
Boston IVF pioneers world’s first needle-free saliva test used in infertility treatmentBoston IVF, a medical practice providing specialized infertility treatment, today said it has introduced the first needle-free saliva test that will replace daily blood tests needed to monitor infertility treatment. Following nearly two years of research, Boston IVF has proven that the hormone estradiol, traditionally measured in the blood, can also be accurately measured in saliva, virtually eliminating the need for daily blood testing during a patient’s treatment cycle. | |||
Nevada casino developer purchases Springfield siteA Nevada company has completed the $16 million purchase of a former Westinghouse site in Springfield on which it hopes to build a resort casino. Ameristar Casinos announced the completion of the deal today. The 41-acre site just off Interstate 291 has been largely unused since 1970. | |||
Patriots will beat Giants, unemployment data suggestsAs the Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants approaches, Patriot fans can bolster their confidence with one of the most accurate predictors for the past two decades: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics unemployment data. The team whose metropolitan area boasts the lower unemployment rate during the previous calendar year has won 17 of the past 20 Super Bowls. Based on this correlation, the New England Patriots should claim the NFL championship over the New York Giants. |
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