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Tue. Jan. 31, 2012 Boston developer Arthur Winn fined $100,000 for making illegal campaign contributions Developer 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.	Advertisement
Home values in Boston area fell in November, according to Case-Shiller price index Home 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 longer The 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 position TJX 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 fibrosis In 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 Roche Curis 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 increase Drugmaker 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-residence Babson 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” service After 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 workers More 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 Communications Peoplefluent, 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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