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Mon. Feb. 06, 2012 Rockland Capital to buy Beacon Power’s power-storage plant in New York state Beacon Power Corp., the Tyngsboro-based power-storage developer that filed for bankruptcy after winning a US loan guarantee, agreed to sell its only plant to Rockland Capital for $30.5 million in cash and a promissary note, plus additional obligations. Rockland will continue operating the 20-megawatt plant in Stephentown, N.Y. Beacon sought protection from creditors Oct. 30 after receiving a $43 million federal loan guarantee to build the world’s first commercial plant using spinning flywheels to retain energy.	Advertisement
Mass. gas prices rise 2 cents a gallon The average price for gas in Massachusetts is $3.499 a gallon in the latest weekly survey from AAA, up 2 cents from the previous week’s average, AAA Southern New England said today. This was the seventh consecutive week of increases, and this week’s average is 12 cents higher than the average from a month ago. The current national average for gas is $3.48 a gallon, and a year ago at this time, the Massachusetts average was $3.11.
AMSC loses small skirmish in legal battle that seeks $1.2b AMSC, a Devens company that makes control systems for wind turbines, said a Chinese court has dismissed a small lawsuit that is part of a much larger effort to recover more than $1.2 billion from a wind turbine maker for alleged technology theft. The case dismissed is seeking about $200,000 in damages, and AMSC plans to appeal. All told, AMSC has filed four cases in various Chinese legal venues that involve Sinovel Wind Group Co. Ltd., which was once its largest customer.
Zipcar to provide car sharing technology services for the City of Boston Zipcar Inc., the Cambridge-based car sharing system, and the City of Boston said today that they are teaming up as they look to gain efficiencies and savings for the city’s vehicle fleet. Under a program called “FleetHub,” a number of city-owned vehicles will be equipped with Zipcar’s car sharing technology for use by city employees. Through the program, the city will be able to combine vehicles that were once dedicated to individual city departments and create an interdepartmental fleet that city employees can share.
Was M&M’s Ms. Brown Super Bowl ad MVP? A Super Bowl M&M’s ad that featured an M&M character called Ms. Brown scored high in at least two surveys that rated ads that aired during the Big Game. The M&M ad earned top marks in the Super Bowl advertising review conducted by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. And the ad also did well in Brand Bowl 2012, a review led by a group that includes Boston ad agency Mullen and Boston.com.
MindChild files FDA application for fetal heart monitor MindChild Medical Inc., a North Andover medical device company, said it has completed the filing of a Pre-Marketing Notification Application with the Food and Drug Administration for a non-invasive fetal heart monitor that it says is safer and more effective than products currently on the market. Last year, there were about 4.1 million births in the United States, and 85 percent of them required fetal monitoring during labor and delivery, the company noted.
Area sporting gear stores plan special hours to score customers in event of Patriots win Area sporting goods stores are stocking up on New England Patriots T-shirts, hats and other gear, and scheduling special hours in anticipation of a Super Bowl win Sunday night. If the Patriots are victorious, officials from the Sports Authority, Dick’s, and Modell’s chains said, many of the chains’ locations in the region will open immediately after the games ends, and then open early the next morning. Demand for Patriots gear is expected to be high.
Times Co. seeks to divest rest of Fenway assets after stake sale New York Times Co. is looking to divest the rest its stake in Fenway Sports Group, owner of the Boston Red Sox, after selling a third of the holding for $30 million. Times Co., based in New York, expects to make a pretax gain of $18 million on the sale, to multiple unidentified buyers, in the first quarter, according to a regulatory filing today. Times Co. is divesting sports assets while grappling with declining profit and publishing sales. The company owns The Boston Globe.
Employers paid out nearly $5m for labor law violations in 2011, AG Coakley says The office of the Massachusetts attorney general said it recovered nearly $5 million in restitution and penalties from employers that violated state labor laws last year. The office’s Fair Labor Division recovered roughly $4.5 million in restitution for nearly 4,400 workers whose employers violated laws that cover such work-related issues as minimum wage, overtime pay, and tip pooling. The office added that it also assessed $500,000 in penalties against employers that violated such laws.
Attorney General Martha Coakley tells Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to reduce loan debt for more struggling homeowners Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is urging mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to do more to prevent “unnecessary foreclosures,” including by reducing loan principal for homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages. Coakley yesterday released a letter she sent to Edward DeMarco -- acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency that oversees the two semi-public lenders -- asking him to promote principal forgiveness as a way to mend the housing market/
Can’t get enough Super Bowl action? Comcast offers on-demand videos of past big games Locals who are both Patriots fans and subscribers of Comcast’s Xfinity TV service can now surfeit themselves on the team’s past Super Bowl glories, thanks to a temporary feature incorporated into Comcast’s on-demand viewing option, the company said. The Super Bowl feature is titled “America’s Game.” By choosing “America’s Game” from Xfinity’s on-demand menu, subscribers can choose to see 45-minute documentaries on every Super Bowl game, with each video including 30 minutes of game footage.
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