To ensure you receive your Boston.com e-mails, please add newsletters@boston.com to your address book. If you have trouble reading this e-mail, go to http://www.boston.com/business/ticker_headlines
Daily Business Update Get up-to-the-minute Business Updates More Business News »
Wed. Dec. 12, 2012 Rick Daniels plans to leave Gatehouse Media Rick Daniels, local president of the newspaper company that publishes the Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Enterprise in Brockton, and Metrowest Daily News in Framingham, plans to resign at the end of the year.	Advertisement
Heating oil consumers can expect to pay an average of $2,544 to warm homes, natural gas users $1,031, according to new fuel forecast Despite recent mild temperatures, colder days – and higher heating bills – are on their way, according to a forecast released Tuesday by the federal government. Heating oil consumers can expect to pay an average of $2,544 to warm their homes this winter, about $450 more than last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration analysis. Heating a home with natural gas should cost about $1,031, close to $200 higher than last year. Tuesday’s estimates are slightly higher than those released earlier in the season.
Goldman Sachs attorney defends firm in Dragon trial Goldman Sachs isn’t at fault in the 12-year-old sale of Dragon Systems Inc., a Boston area tech firm, to a Belgium company that collapsed just months after the acquisition when revelations surfaced that it perpetrated a massive fraud, the investment firm’s lawyer said Tuesday in a federal lawsuit over the deal. The Boston couple that founded Dragon, James and Janet Baker, brought the suit against Goldman for allegedly misleading them into accepting the deal with Lernout & Hauspie.
Fidelity cutting fees at 8 index mutual funds Fidelity Investments is trimming fees at its largest index mutual funds, a move that follows recent investment fee cuts at several industry rivals. Boston-based Fidelity on Tuesday also said it is expanding access to its lowest-cost shares available at 22 index funds. The minimum dollar amounts needed to invest in the funds are being reduced so more investors can qualify for the lowest fee levels. The moves affect funds holding about $100 billion in assets, out of about $1.6 billion that the company manages overall.
SynapDx receives $6m to advance test for the early detection of autism SynapDx Corp. said Tuesday that it has received $6 million in financing to support further development of a blood-based diagnostic test for the early detection of autism spectrum disorders, or ASD. The test is designed to identify children with ASD by age 36 months. While one child in 88 is diagnosed with autism, only two in 10 are identified by age 36 months, the Southborough company said. The financing is from North Bridge Venture Partners and General Catalyst Partners.
Amazon.com will begin collecting taxes in Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick says Amazon.com, the huge online retailer, will begin collecting Massachusetts sales tax on purchases made by Bay State customers, starting next fall, Governor Deval Patrick’s office said Tuesday. “I value the contributions large and small employers alike make to Massachusetts’ economic vitality, and this agreement captures that,” Patrick said in a statement. “We are thankful Amazon was willing to come to the table and we will continue our conversations with them about creating jobs here. This agreement is a win for all sides, and I am pleased it promises to generate millions in long-term revenue for the Commonwealth.”
Local Whole Foods to sell Brioni’s ‘Green Cup’ coffee for single-serve brewing machines Local Whole Foods supermarket customers may soon be able to brew coffee in single-serve coffee machines without enlarging their carbon footprints, claims Brioni’s Coffee Co. Single-serve coffee machines have become increasingly popular. But according to Connecticut-based Brioni’s, much of the coffee brewed in those machines comes in a single-use plastic pod that is not recyclable. For consumers who want to be environmentally friendly and well caffeinated at the same time, Brioni’s spent two years of research in developing the “Green Cup,” which it describes as a compostable coffee pod.
Pending Massachusetts home sales rose in November Pending sales for both Massachusetts single-family homes and condominiums rose in November on a year-to-year basis, the 19th straight month of such increases, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors said Tuesday. The number of single-family homes put under agreement in November was 3,866 homes, up 28.2 percent from the same month a year ago, the association said. Last month, 1,438 condos were put under agreement in the Bay State, up 28.5 percent from a year ago.
Steward HealthCare says it `unilaterally withdrew’ from talks to buy Maine hospital group An executive at Steward Health Care System told presidents of Steward’s hospitals Monday that the Boston-based chain “unilaterally withdrew” from talks to acquire Mercy Health System in Maine after concluding Mercy had misrepresented its finances. The account given in a confidential memo from Steward director of media relations Chris Murphy, obtained by the Globe, differed from a statement Steward and Mercy released jointly late Friday afternoon saying the letter of intent to merge had been terminated because the parties “were unable to come to a definitive agreement” during negotiations.
Trial begins in Dragon software battle Opening arguments began today in the case brought by two Boston technology entrepreneurs against investment banking giant Goldman Sachs, which advised them during the sale of their company to a Dutch firm that later collapsed from a massive fraud.
Iron Mountain buys three data companies Data storage and management company Iron Mountain Inc. said it bought three companies -- IG2 Data Security, Inc. in Chicago, DATAPROS Storage and Staffing LLC in Phoenix; and Data Backup Inc. in Sarasota, Fla. Iron Mountain, which is based in Boston, did not disclose terms of the deals.
ADVERTISEMENT Looking to catch the next big game in town? Search from a wide range of Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics and Patriots seats in our exclusive ticket section powered by Ace Ticket. For the best seats to any sporting event in Boston, go to Boston.com Tickets.