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Boston Mayor Marty Walsh keeping city's options open after casino license award to Wynn in Everett

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Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh is keeping his options open now that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has award the lone Eastern Massachusetts resort casino license to Wynn Resorts in Everett.

BOSTON -- Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh is keeping his options open now that the Massachusetts Gaming Commission has award the lone Eastern Massachusetts resort casino license to Wynn Resorts in Everett.

Walsh, a fierce critic of the commission and the licensing process, said that in a statement that Wynn's offer to Boston remains "unacceptable" at this time and that the city is "evaluating the gambling commission's decision, and all of the conditions imposed on the issuance of this license."

"Serious questions remain around Sullivan Square and Rutherford Ave, and other impacts in Charlestown, as well as other neighborhoods in the City of Boston," said Walsh in an emailed statement to reporters.

Wynn has hinted at the possibllity of the city taking legal action against the Commission or Wynn in the event its issues with the Las Vegas gaming company were not resolved through negotiations with Wynn. People close to both sides of the negotiations between Wynn and Boston have described the talks as unproductive.

"Everything is on the table at this point, and we have never closed the door to engaging in discussions with Wynn," said Walsh.


Author Jessica Bacal to speak at Bay Path University about women's roles at work

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The event will begin this evening at 7, and is set to be free and open to the public.

LONGMEADOW — Author Jessica Bacal will speak about her recently published book, "Mistakes I Made at Work: 25 Influential Women Reflect on What They Got Out of Getting It Wrong," this evening at 7 in the Mills Theater, located within Carr Hall on the campus of Bay Path University.

Bacal currently oversees the Wurtele Center for Work & Life at Smith College, and among other degrees, holds a master of fine arts degree from Hunter College.

More information about Bacal, as well as the book to be discussed this evening, can be found in a recent interview with Forbes magazine and on her website.

The event is free and open to the public.

Wall Street: Stocks end higher as investors await news from Federal Reserve

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Stocks flitted between gains and losses through most of morning, then turned broadly higher in the afternoon on an increase in health care and utility stocks.

By BERNARD CONDON

NEW YORK — The stock market rose Tuesday as investors waited to find out when the Federal Reserve might raise interest rates.

Stocks flitted between gains and losses through most of morning, then turned broadly higher in the afternoon on an increase in health care and utility stocks.

"The economy continues to improve in the U.S., and there's still an accommodative Fed," said Brad Sorensen, director of market and sector research at the Schwab Center for Financial Research. "We think the bull market has further to run."

The Fed has held a key short-term interest rate close to zero for more than five years, making it cheaper for companies and consumers to borrow and boosting corporate profits. That has helped push stocks higher. But investors widely expect the Fed to start raising rates in the middle of next year.

Investors may get a better sense of how soon after the central bank concludes a two-day meeting Wednesday. Fed Chair Janet Yellen could discuss the bank's rate plans, as well as the outlook for employment and inflation, in a press conference in the afternoon.

Jonathan D. Corpina, senior managing partner at Meridian Equity Partners, said there was talk among traders during the day about what the Fed might do, but little new insight.

"There' a lot of chatter, but nothing that's real," he said from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Until the closing minutes, the Dow Jones industrial average looked like it would rise to a record, but prices faltered at the end. Still the blue-chip index ended up gaining 100.83, its first triple-digit close since August 18. The Dow closed at 17,131.97, a gain of 0.6 percent.

The Nasdaq composite rose 33.86 points, or 0.8 percent, to 4,552.76. The Standard & Poor's 500 index climbed 14.85 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,998.98.

Among the 10 sectors of the S&P 500, health care stocks gained the most, up 1.3 percent. Utilities and energy stocks followed, with a 1.2 percent gain each. Energy stocks were pushed higher by rising oil prices. Exxon Mobil increased 1.2 percent.

In economic news, a measure of prices that U.S. producers receive for their goods and services was unchanged in August, the latest sign that inflation is in check. A drop in wholesale gas and food prices was offset by higher prices for transportation and shipping services, the Labor Department said.

Besides the Fed press conference tomorrow, investors are awaiting a referendum on Scottish independence on Thursday. The British pound has turned volatile in recent weeks as opinion polls narrowed ahead of the vote. A "yes" decision could trigger turmoil in the market as investors ponder the economic and financial fallout.

Among stocks making big moves:

  • Humana Inc. rose $4.71 to $132.37, a gain 4 percent. The health insurer said it plans to repurchase as much as $2 billion of its own shares, double what it had previously planned. The stock has climbed 28 percent this year.

  • Sears Holdings fell $3.15, or 9 percent, to $30.37. The company is taking out a $400 million short-term loan from a hedge fund run by CEO Edward Lampert, the retail company's biggest owner. Sears has struggled against rivals like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in recent years.
In metals trading, gold rose $1.60, or 0.1 percent, to $1,236.70 an ounce. Silver gained 10.1 cents, or 0.5 percent, or $18.72 an ounce. Copper rose 8 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $3.17 a pound.

The price of benchmark U.S. crude rose $1.96 to close at $94.88 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose $1.17 to close at $99.05 in London.

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged from Monday at 2.59 percent.

Ukraine lawmakers ratify landmark deal with Europe

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After parliament ratified the measure, lawmakers leapt to their feet to applaud and sing the Ukrainian national anthem.

By LAURA MILLS

KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine moved to resolve months of crisis Tuesday by strengthening ties to Europe and loosening some controls over the country's rebellious eastern regions where it has been fighting Russian-backed separatists.

The actions by lawmakers began to flesh out the emerging picture of a new Ukraine, where a determined pivot toward Europe has come at great cost: concessions to Russia and a war with rebels that killed more than 3,000 people and pushed the West's relations with Moscow to Cold War-era lows.

The measure deepening the economic and political ties with Europe was the issue that sparked the crisis last fall, when then-President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to shelve the deal in favor of closer ties with Russia sparked protests by hundreds of thousands. Those demonstrations eventually drove him from power in February and led to the annexation of Crimea by Moscow and the rebellion in the east, where a shaky cease-fire began Sept. 5.

The deal lowers trade tariffs between Europe and Ukraine, requires Ukrainian goods to meet European regulatory standards and forces the Kiev government to undertake major political and economic reforms.

After parliament ratified the measure, lawmakers leapt to their feet to applaud and sing the Ukrainian national anthem. A live broadcast of the session was beamed to the European parliament.

President Petro Poroshenko called the vote a "first but very decisive step" toward bringing Ukraine fully into the European Union.

He said the protesters who died in clashes with riot police in Kiev and the government troops killed by rebels in the east "have died not only for their motherland. They gave up their lives for us to take a dignified place among the European family."

"After World War II, not a single nation has paid such a high price for their right to be European," he said. "Can you tell me, who now after this will be brave enough to shut the doors to Europe in front of Ukraine?"

Earlier Tuesday, the parliament also approved laws granting temporary self-rule to rebellious, pro-Russian regions in the east, as well as amnesty for many of those involved in the fighting.

The lawmakers took that action behind closed doors, in stark contrast to the patriotic fanfare of that vote on the European agreement. In his thunderous speech, Poroshenko did not mention those two measures, which are likely to generate far more controversy among Ukrainians.

One of the laws calls for three years of self-rule in parts of eastern Ukraine and for local elections in November. It grants concessions that were not offered in a peace plan that Poroshenko put forward three months ago when he became president, such as local oversight of court and prosecutor appointments and local control of police.

A separate bill calls for amnesty for those involved in the eastern fighting, although not for persons suspected or charged with crimes including murder, sabotage, rape, kidnapping and terrorism. The law also does not grant amnesty to those who have tried to kill Ukrainian law enforcement officials and servicemen — meaning that most of the separatists, who have waged war for five months on government forces, could not be eligible.

The decision to hold a closed-door session — an anomaly in the Ukrainian parliament — underscored the political challenges of the measures. Although Poroshenko did not mention the bills in his speech, he was later quoted by Interfax-Ukraine as saying that he felt "we are obliged to take a step to ensure that the other side takes corresponding steps" toward peace.

Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of the rebels in the Donetsk region, told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that the separatist leadership would study the measures, an unusually conciliatory statement compared to the rebels' previous assertions that they aim for complete independence.

The U.S. State Department and Vice President Joe Biden congratulated Ukrainian lawmakers and leaders.

"By forging ahead with this agreement in the face of great challenges, Ukraine's leaders have carried out the will of the Ukrainian people, who demonstrated their overwhelming support for further integration with Europe last winter and with their votes in the May 25 presidential elections," said Marie Harf, deputy spokeswoman at the State Department.

Harf also applauded the passage of the amnesty and self-rule measures, saying they were "two important commitments Ukraine made in the Minsk cease-fire agreement on Sept. 5." She urged Russia and the separatists to begin immediate and full implementation of the cease-fire agreement.

Vice President Joe Biden and Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, in a telephone conversation, agreed that Russia and its "separatist proxies" should do their part in immediately implementing all the provisions of the Minsk agreement, including "the removal of all Russian troops from Ukraine and the creation of a security area in the border regions" of Ukraine and Russia, according to a statement released by Biden's office.

The passage of the measures came as Poroshenko begins his first state visit to Canada and the U.S., where he will address a joint session of Congress on Thursday and is also scheduled to speak to the U.N. General Assembly next week.

The EU association agreement was long sought by Ukrainians who want their country to turn westward and out of Russia's sphere of influence, and its passage was welcomed by many in Kiev, even if they also were worried about some of the government's actions.

"I participated in the protests, and we've been waiting for this for so long," said Rostislav Sezov, adding that he didn't oppose greater autonomy for regions in the east.

"Let us be smaller but better. Let us be a core that is oriented toward Europe," he said.

During the protests in February, the EU's flag — the same blue and yellow as Ukraine's — was seen everywhere. That symbol faded into the background as demonstrators, who set up camp on Kiev's Independence Square, fended off riot police night after gripping night with barricades of bricks and burning tires.

But even after Russia annexed Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in March and a pro-Russian rebellion broke out in eastern Ukraine in April, the new Kiev government made it clear that it would not back down from the EU deal.

In Brussels, EU lawmakers overwhelmingly ratified the agreement.

"The message this sends could not be clearer: the European Parliament supports Ukraine in its European vocation," said Martin Schulz, the president of the EU Parliament. "The European Parliament will continue defending a united and sovereign Ukraine."

Russia has strongly opposed Ukraine's tilt toward the EU and it has threatened that the reduction of tariffs on Western goods would force it to limit the influx of Ukrainian products into Russia.

In a significant concession to Moscow, Ukraine and the EU agreed last week to delay the full reciprocal implementation of a reduced-tariff regime until at least 2016.

Both Brussels and Kiev have asserted that other parts of the agreement, such as major political and economic reforms in Ukraine, will not be delayed, but those compromise efforts have many Ukrainians worried that its government is giving away too much to Moscow.

Alexander Sinegub, an entrepreneur who was walking in downtown Kiev, said he had "mixed feelings" about the EU deal.

"Nothing has been cleaned up. They've put a bunch of more-or-less patriots at the top of the government, but beneath them everybody has stayed the same. Half a year has passed and yet it's somehow sad to look at all of this," he said.

Also on Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the military will increase its forces in Crimea due to the "exacerbation of situation in Ukraine and increased foreign military presence near our borders." He said Russia will have a "full-fledged" force deployed to Crimea, but wouldn't give any details.

The cease-fire in eastern Ukraine has been riddled by violations from the start. On Tuesday, the city council in Donetsk said three people died and five were wounded in shelling overnight.

Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine's national security council, said three Ukrainian servicemen were killed in the past day. Clashes continue in the area around the airport in Donetsk, the largest city under rebel control.

On Monday, a shell hit a municipal bus in downtown Donetsk, killing one person and injuring another. Evgeniy Medvedev said his mother, Tatiana, was killed on the bus, and he covered her body with a jacket. He said she had been at work when the firing started, and got on the municipal bus to get out of the neighborhood.

"She tried to escape from there, but the shell caught up with her anyway," he said.


Mstyslav Chernov in Donetsk, Ukraine, Juergen Baetz in Brussels, and Nataliya Vasilyeva, Jim Heintz and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

'It's all good' at Outlook Farm in Westhampton

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The farm has six annual festivals to coincide with various harvests and seasons, which include a barbecue, pig roast, music and tag sale.

WESTHAMPTON –“It’s all good,” proclaims a sign above one of the large front windows inside Outlook Farm’s farm store on Main Road in Westhampton.

It’s an apt slogan for the store, popular not only among locals and passers-by but among people from out of the area who make it a destination for tasty locally grown produce, delicious baked goods and quality meats.

There’s also a deli, restaurant and artisan’s loft with locally made crafts.

Pick-your-own apples and the fresh apple cider made here using an 1875 press are also popular.

The farm has six annual festivals to coincide with various harvests and seasons, which include a barbecue, pig roast, music and tag sale.

A catering service is available too.

And yes, it’s all good.

“It’s our motto,” said Bradford K. Morse, who owns the farm with his wife, Erin P. Morse, a huge smile lighting his face under the tan Outlook Farm cap he wore on a recent evening. “Everything we do is good because everything is farm-based and fresher.”

His parents, Mary Lee and the late David W. Morse, bought the farm in 1962, just about three years after Bradford was born. He grew up on the farm, delivering apples with his father to Smith College in Northampton from the time he was five. Now he lives on the property with his wife and their yellow Lab, Spirit.

He and Erin bought the farm from his parents in 1998 and have continued their diversification and attention to the changing needs of the business and the economy.

When David Morse bought the farm, there was just a 15-by-20-foot farm stand; the farm store has grown to its current 8,500 square feet, which includes 2,100 square feet of cooler for the fruits and vegetables sold here, at farmers markets, to area schools and to area colleges.

Though diversification has been important, “we’re definitely a farm, what everything else evolves from,” said Morse, who earned a bachelor’s degree in wood technology from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

Farm-grown fruits are used in the bakery’s baked goods, and farm produce is used in catering dishes. “Everything is fresh,” he said.

Overlook Farm sits on 30 acres, mostly orchards where apples, pears, peaches, nectarines and cherries grow. There are also raspberry and blueberry patches and vegetable gardens. Morse leases 32 nearby acres for more vegetable production and orchards.

He hopes to someday make applesauce and tomato sauce to sell at the farm store.

During the summer the farm employs 30-35 full- and part-time workers, 15 in the off-season.

Though Morse especially enjoys working on the land, he’s the “go-to guy” for all parts of the operation. “I never have enough time to be in the fields as much as I’d like,” he said.

Sometimes he fills in as a grill cook, sometimes he does butcher work. “I can jump in and do anything,” he said, adding that he gave up the slaughterhouse in 1996 after back surgery. “I got sick of wrastling pigs.”

Sporting blue jeans and a navy blue Outlook Farm T-shirt with a pad and two pens in the pocket, Morse proudly showed a visitor through each section of the farm store, which features a new barn-style building in the back for produce downstairs and crafts and art upstairs. (New consigners are being accepted.)

Visitors to the Apple Festival at Outlook Farm on Sunday, Sept. 21, will have a chance to see all that the farm offers, and Morse is confident they’ll find “It’s all good.”






Chicopee Chamber continues workshop series

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The series addresses best practices for all types of businesses.

1.jpgChicopee Attorney Stanley Szlachetka was one of those dads who spent plenty of time with his daughter, Gillian. He was a devoted member of the YMCA, not only participating in its programs, but serving on the board of directors. From 1992-95, and again from 2000-03, he was chairman of the board, and from 2002 to 2004 

CHICOPEE - The Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with Common Capital, will present the second in a six-part workshop series, “Taking Care of Business: How to Develop and Grow Your Business,” on Sept . 25.

The series addresses best practices for all types of businesses.

The second seminar, “Negotiating and Understanding Leases; Before You Sign, Signing, and Renegotiating the Lease,” will be presented by attorney Stanley A. Szlachetka.

The seminar will run from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Residence Inn, 500 Memorial Drive.

The next four sessions include: “Human Resources: Best Practices for Small Businesses;” “How to Retain Your Top Talent,” “Is Your Website Working For You?” and “Strategic Networking: Networking to Increase Profitability.” Facilitators for each seminar are experts in their respective fields.

The cost is $20 per workshop for chamber members and $30 for non-members.
Registration can be completed online at chicopeechamber.org under “Upcoming Events” or by calling the chamber office, (413) 594-2101.

FedEx to add 50,000 seasonal jobs

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FedEx plans to hire more than 50,000 extra workers to handle another record year for holiday-season package deliveries.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — FedEx plans to hire more than 50,000 extra workers to handle another record year for holiday-season package deliveries.

That's up from last year, when FedEx announced it would hire 20,000 seasonal workers.

FedEx announced its hiring plans Wednesday on a conference call with investors.

Rival UPS says it will hire up to 95,000 seasonal workers. Both companies are benefiting from growth in online shopping.

FedEx Corp. says its net income in the fiscal first quarter is up 24 percent from a year ago, thanks partly to a strong performance by its ground division.

Its results beat analysts' estimates. The stock climbed before the market open on Wednesday.

FedEx is getting a boost from the growth in online shopping, which generates strong business in ground shipments. That helps to offset some sluggishness in FedEx's core express-delivery unit.

The package delivery company earned $606 million, or $2.10 per share, for the three months ended Aug. 31. That's up from $489 million, or $1.53 per share, a year ago.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected earnings of $1.96 per share.

Aside from the strong performance of FedEx Ground, Chairman, President and CEO Frederick Smith said in a statement that the Memphis, Tennessee company's results were also bolstered by solid volume and revenue increases at its freight division and healthy growth in U.S. domestic volume at FedEx Express.

Revenue climbed 6 percent to $11.68 billion, topping Wall Street's estimate of $11.48 billion.

Revenue for FedEx Freight surged 13 percent. FedEx Ground's revenue rose 8 percent, while revenue for FedEx Express increased 4 percent.

FedEx Corp. maintained its guidance for fiscal 2015 earnings between $8.50 and $9 per share. Analysts predict earnings of $8.84 per share.

The announcement of the company's financial results comes one day after FedEx said that it will raise U.S. rates for express, ground and home-delivery shipments by an average of 4.9 percent in January. It said that rates would also change for FedEx SmartPost, which uses the U.S. Postal Service for final delivery, although it didn't say how much. The express increase will apply to deliveries in, to or from the U.S. FedEx Freight will also boost prices an average of 4.9 percent within North America.

Also starting Jan. 5: New pricing that gives more emphasis to dimensions for lightweight ground-shipping packages.

Shares of FedEx gained $4.54, or 2.9 percent, to $159.20 in premarket trading shortly before the market open.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield opposes casino despite selling 1st parcel of land to MGM

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While the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield came out against casino gaming in Massachusetts this week, it was, in fact, one of the first benefactors of MGM Resorts International setting its sights on the city of Springfield.

While the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield came out against casino gaming in Massachusetts this week, it was, in fact, the first benefactor of MGM Resorts International setting its sights on the city of Springfield, when the company paid $1 million for land on which stood a former parish rectory.

The diocese typically includes a clause in deeds involving its property sales, stating "that in no event shall the premises ever be put to any use that is inconsistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church." In the 2012 sale of its property to MGM, the deed references an earlier sale of property, to another buyer, within the proposed MGM development site, "for a parking facility, in support of an economic development proposal that includes an entertainment and gaming establishment," and, the 2012 deed adds, that this "is not inconsistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and therefore not a violation of the restriction."

There is a lot at stake, for the City of Springfield, in terms of whether MGM Resorts International's $800 million proposed casino, is built on a three-block area in the city's South End. The block includes the parcel of land on Howard Street, that the diocese, sold to the development affiliate of MGM, for $1 million. The parcel, the site of the former St. Joseph's Rectory, was the first piece of property purchased outright, by MGM Resorts.

The sale raises questions about the diocese's opposition to legalized gambling, in terms of how it has applied its own property use restrictions in recent years, that have seen the diocese close and merge parishes, for financial reasons, as well as settle suits involving pedophile priests.

Bishop Mitchell Rozanski, the newly installed Springfield bishop, is among the state's bishops who issued a statement on Sept. 15, urging voters to support a Nov. 4 ballot initiative to repeal casino gambling in the state. Polls indicate only 10 percent of voters to be undecided on the issue.

According to the deed of sale for the Howard Street property, recorded Sept. 28, 2012, in the Hampden County Registry of Deeds, the transaction was made "subject to a restriction running with the land, providing that in no event, shall the premises ever be put to any use that is inconsistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, as determined in the sole discretion of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield."

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This restriction is common in property sales by the Springfield diocese, but the restriction also references an earlier deed, recorded in 2006, with the same restriction, in which the diocese sold adjacent property, to Marvin Gardens LLC, for $375,000.

The reference reads, in part, "The Grantor acknowledges that use of the premises and the adjacent property previously conveyed to Marvin Gardens, LLC, by deed dated May 10, 2006 . . . for a parking facility in support of an economic development proposal that includes an entertainment and gaming establishment, is not inconsistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and therefore not a violation of the restriction contained herein and the restriction contained in the deed to Marvin Gardens, LLC, referenced above."

When asked earlier in the week about the 2012 property sale, Mark Dupont, Springfield diocesan spokesman, noted it took place before Rozanski succeeded the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, the now retired bishop, and added that the sale was "before the city referendum question (in regard to casino gambling) was even voted upon, and with deed restrictions that would prohibit its use for purposes in contradiction with Catholic teaching."

When asked what those restrictions were, Dupont did not elaborate.

"It is the same standard we use in every instance when church property is sold," he said.

Other deeds to land sales of diocesan property are said to have cited "no abortion clinics, exotic dance clubs, and satanic materials." The diocese has sold numerous properties in recent years, some have involved challenges, from upset parishioners. A current developer's plans to build a Dunkin Donuts on diocesan church property, in Pittsfield, is running into opposition. The Springfield diocese, unlike the Boston archdiocese, has not excluded the use of its property for educational purposes. The sale of such land to municipalities, with restrictions by Catholic dioceses, has raised issues of constitutionality.

In 2005, the Springfield diocese sold land in Indian Orchard, including the former St. Matthew School, at 90 Berkshire, for an alternative school, to the City of Springfield, for $1.625 million.

In that deed, recorded Aug. 22, 2005, the usual property use restriction was included by the Springfield diocese. But, in what has been termed a "caveat, unseen in other deeds," by CommonWealth, the following was included: "The Grantee's use of the premises for municipal purposes, including its use as a public school, shall be exempt from this restriction. In the event this restriction, or the application of this restriction to any person or circumstances is declared invalid, or unenforceable, by a Court of competent jurisdiction, this conveyance shall remain unaffected, with neither the Grantor, nor the successors and assigns of the Grantor, having the right of rescission, revocation or reversion, and title to the property shall pass to future grantees free of this restriction."

In their statement urging a "yes" vote in support of the repeal, the bishops, led by Cardinal Sean O'Malley, of the Boston Archdiocese, which oversees all four dioceses, cited an improving economy, the closure of casinos elsewhere and the exploitation of those addicted to gambling, as reasons to support the ballot initiative.

"While the Catholic Church views gambling as a legitimate form of entertainment when done in moderation, expanded gaming in the Commonwealth opens the door to a new form of predatory gaming," the statement reads.

When asked about the slower economic recovery in the Greater Springfield Area, Dupont responded that Rozanski "stands by the statement which speaks to such promises of renewed economic development."

In April 2013, Mayor Domenic Sarno chose MGM Resorts International over competing Penn National Gaming, and signed a host agreement, with Blue Tarp reDevelopment, a local MGM. The agreement promises some 2,200 full-time jobs, and an annual payment of $25 million to the city in property tax payments, community impact payments, community development grants, Riverfront Park improvements and "surrounding community payment savings."

Springfield voters approved the agreement, by 58 to 42 percent in July 2013. The project was forwarded to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which awarded MGM the sole Western Mass. casino license this past summer.

A Supreme Judicial Court ruling, in June, cheered by a strong coalition of anti-casino groups, allowed for a Nov. 4 ballot initiative, asking voters to repeal the 2011 Expanded Gaming Act, which invited casino companies into the Commonwealth to do business.
Making part of this proposed development possible was the sale, in September 2012, of the parcel of land within the planned site, by the Springfield diocese to Blue Tarp for $1 million.


Live coverage: Holyoke councilors get updates on homeless in hotels, other issues from state lawmakers Don Humason, Aaron Vega

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A measure to seize delinquent revenue and state funding for the public schools are among issues legislators expect to discuss.

HOLYOKE -- The legislators are coming.

Follow the live coverage of MassLive.com -- coverage will be posted in the comments section under this story -- on Wednesday (Sept. 17) at 6 p.m. as city councilors get updates on various issues from state Sen. Donald R. Humason and state Rep. Aaron M. Vega, D-Holyoke.

Humason and Vega will meet with the City Council Development and Government Relations Committee at City Hall.

The lawmakers said among the issues they expect to discuss and be asked about are a proposal to combine water and sewer services here as a way to get access to delinquent revenue, the problem of homeless people being placed in hotels and motels, recent approval of 13 more liquor licenses here to attract restaurants and get poorer neighborhoods developed and local aid, specifically funding for schools.

Ward 5 Councilor Linda L. Vacon has filed an order that the rules should be changed to require that local officials are notified when the state makes deals with facilities to place homeless families in hotels and motels.

The problems include increased numbers of police calls for service to the Holyoke Hotel at 245 Whiting Farms Road, which has a contract to house homeless families, and concerns about too many family members stuffed into rooms, councilors have said.

Mohegan Sun objects to awarding of casino license to Wynn, Massachusetts Gaming Commission's response: 'too late'

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Mohegan Sun officials sent a letter to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Tuesday objecting to their awarding of the lone eastern Massachusetts casino license to Wynn.

BOSTON -- Mohegan Sun officials sent a letter to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Tuesday objecting to their awarding of the lone eastern Massachusetts casino license to Wynn.

The letter from Mohegan Sun argued that Wynn was allowed to improve their application during the review process that extended from last Wednesday through Tuesday when the license was awarded.

"If we were given the same opportunity as the Wynn applicant to improve the response to the conditions offered to the Commission at this morning's meeting, we would have proposed new conditions, just as Wynn did. For example,
we are willing to increase the number of operational jobs at our facility to match Wynn's," said Mohegan Sun in the letter.

The letter, seen below, was received by the commission at 10 p.m. on Tuesday. Commissioner James McHugh said that the letter was "far too late" to be consider and that Mohegan Sun had ample time to object to the process.

"Mohegan Sun made this objection at 10 o'clock last night. We had this discussion yesterday morning beginning at 9 o'clock and finished that discussion at 9:45 a.m.," said McHugh.

Further, McHugh argued, Mohegan Sun was granted the same opportunities as Wynn to address concerns about their proposal and revise it to the commission's liking.

The commission unanimously rejected Mohegan Sun's objection and proceeded to formally award a resort casino license to Wynn.

Mohegan Sun's objection to the casino license

Letters to the Editor: Consider realities about casinos

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Fact: Four casinos are closing in Atlantic City.

What an interesting concept of Carl Bryant’s: putting liens on letters supporting a “yes” vote on question 3 to stop casinos, Monday Sept. 15, page A6. His contempt for freedom of speech is obvious.

People have good reason to be scared of casinos. Let’s not talk statistics: Let’s talk experience. Fact: Four casinos are closing in Atlantic City. Fact: Delaware is turning to small local casinos and online gambling to make up for falling revenues. Fact: Revel Casino cost New Jersey taxpayers $340 million; the Delaware Senate recently passed a $10 million casino bailout; Mohegan Sun cost us $54 million in stimulus money. Fact: Foxwoods is $2.3 billion in debt and Mohegan Sun $1.6 billion. Fact: Stores and businesses are boarded up around Connecticut and Atlantic City casinos. JT’s in Springfield just closed because of MGM. Fact: Mohegan undercut CityStage with Lord of the Dance, which the latter was depending on to make its money for the year. Casinos can afford to charge less with slot profits. Fact: Free drinks do lead to traffic accidents. Look at the dents in the stone walls and guard rails near the Connecticut casinos. Fact: Gambling addiction does lead to divorce, embezzlement and suicide. When you read about an embezzlement of a trusted figure like the priest in Northboro or the library trustee in Chicopee, you often find out they had gambling issues. Bryant claims only 1 percent of residents become addicted. One percent of 7 million residents of Massachusetts is 70,000. That’s a lot of gambling addicts. Every one of those addicts cost the state tens of thousands of dollars.

Mitchell Etess admitted that Mohegan depends mostly on slots money and with competition from New York's Resorts World Casino, it’s in trouble. What are slots, really? New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia called them mechanical pickpockets. Slots are the biggest con out there. Casinos lure you in with come-ons and free drinks. Slots are designed to hypnotize you into gambling to extinction. This is the way Springfield is supposed to get back on its feet, sucking up money from people’s pockets that would have been spent on goods and services at other local businesses? When phone banking, a woman from California gave me an earful about her casino next door, calling her neighborhood a crime pit. An addiction councilor from Connecticut, also a former gambling addict, who I interviewed when on the Palmer impact committee said, “If Patrick went to one GA meeting, he’d never want a casino in his state. It’s always the same: people gambling at the casinos every day. So many people I knew committed suicide.”

Casinos don’t make their billions giving money away. As Steve Wynn loves to say, “The house always wins.” And I say, “The taxpayers always lose.”

Charlotte Burns, Palmer


Ryder Funeral Home: Attorney General's office says more than 60 prepaid funeral customers missing money

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The suit seeks to keep Ryder Funeral home from liquidating while ccustomers are still owed money.

This story follows: New civil suits filed against South Hadley's Ryder Funeral Home

SOUTH HADLEY - Sixty-three families prepaid for funerals at Ryder Funeral Home in South Hadley or thought they were adding money to their prepaid accounts only to have that money disappear, according to a lawsuit recently filed by the Massachusetts attorney general.

The suit doesn't include a total amount of money lost by all the families. But one family is out $9,530. The lawsuit seeks to secure and preserve up to $500,000 in assets to compensate those families.

Ryder Funeral Home shut down abruptly in May. In the days that followed it came to light that state inspectors acting on an anonymous tip found six sets of human remains sent to Ryder for cremation poorly stored, not properly embalmed and in states of decomposition. He is also accused of accepting delivery of, or trying to accept delivery of, three more bodies while inspectors were present.

Funeral director William Ryder subsequently lost his license to practice the profession and is unlikely to ever get it back.

Subsequent civil litigation filed by families accuses Ryder of losing or mixing up cremated remains and of burying cremated remains in the wrong grave.

In its lawsuit, the Massachusetts attorney generals office said anther funeral home is in the process of buying Ryder's at 33 Lamb St. in South Hadley.

No recent sale is on file at the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds.

But the attorney general's office said in its complaint that after closing the funeral home, Ryder transferred property at 114 Norwich Lake in Huntington, which was recently assessed at $155,400, for consideration of less than $100.

State law requires that money paid in advance for funeral expenses be placed either in a trust account, in Ryder's case the money was supposed to have been in Peoples Bank, or in an insurance policy. The customers are supposed to get the paperwork as well as annual statements and ultimate control of  the money should they want to go to another funeral home when the time arrives. The customers, who all came forward to the attorney general's consumer complaint line, did not get paperwork or statements, the suit alleges.

Ryder's lawyer, Paul Boudreau, didn't return a call for comment Wednesday.

Attorney General's suit against Ryder Funeral Home

People In Business: Debra Scanlon of Park Square Realty

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Debra Scanlon Joins Park Square Realty

Deb Scanlon photo.jpgDebra Scanlon 

Ted Cassell, President of Park Square Realty, is pleased to announce that Debra Scanlon has joined Park Square Realty's Westfield office as a sales associate.

Barry Boccasile, Director of Growth and Development, is excited to have Debra as part of the growing Westfield Office team. Debra will be specializing in residential listings and sales and she can be reached at 568-9226 or 297-5777.

Debra is a graduate of Westfield State University with a BA in psychology. She also obtained her Masters Degree in communication disorders from the University of Massachusetts. Debra has worked as an audiologist with Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow. Debra also served for 29 years in the Air National Guard and retired as a Master Sergeant.

A Holyoke native, Debra currently resides in Westfield with her husband and 2 daughters. She enjoys reading, gardening and camping.

Debra is associated with the Westfield Lodge of Elks, American Legion Post 124 and the American Speech and Hearing Association.

People In Business: Bryan Rossano of Wingate Healthcare

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Brian Rossano named new Regional Director of Operations for Wingate Healthcard

Bryan Rossano2.jpgBryan Rossano 

Needham - Wingate Healthcare, the Northeast’s premiere provider of healthcare and hospitality for seniors, today announced the strengthening of its Western Massachusetts region with the addition of Bryan Rossano, the company’s new Regional Director of Operations. He brings over 20 years of experience to Wingate Healthcare’s skilled nursing facilities.

“We are seeing significant growth at the six facilities in our Western region,” said Scott Schuster, Founder & President of Wingate Healthcare. “Adding such a seasoned professional to our team will allow us to continue providing the high level of healthcare and hospitality that Wingate is known for.”

Rossano joins Wingate as a Regional Director of Operations after nearly 20 years as an administrator and regional director for skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities. As a licensed administrator, he most recently served as an Executive Director for Kindred at Laurel Lake in Lee, MA and administrator for Healthbridge Management’s Redstone Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in East Longmeadow. He worked as an administrator for Genesis Healthcare for 15 years in several of their Western Massachusetts communities. Rossano is a resident of Belchertown, and holds a B.S. in healthcare administration from Springfield College.

People In Business: Helen Perakis, MD, of Cooley Dickinson Medical Group

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Helen Perakis, MD, has joined Cooley Dickinson Medical Group

HelenPerakisMD-preferredweb.jpgHelen Perakis, MD 

Northampton - Mark Novotny, MD, Chief Medical Officer, announces that Helen Perakis, MD, has joined Cooley Dickinson Medical Group Plastic Surgery, formerly Northampton Plastic Surgery, and the Cooley Dickinson Hospital medical staff.

Perakis earned her medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine. She completed two residency programs, one in otolaryngology, head and neck surgery from Georgia Regents University and the other in plastic and reconstructive surgery from the University of Minnesota.

“I chose to pursue plastic and reconstructive surgery because I am interested in reconstructive surgeries as they allow me to restore function and aesthetic form,” said Perakis, who earned board certification from the American Board of Otolaryngology. Board certification demonstrate a physician’s exceptional expertise in a particular specialty and/or subspecialty of medical practice, according to the American Board of Medical Specialties.

“One of my surgical interests is providing reconstruction surgery to breast cancer patients following lumpectomies or mastectomies. As a woman, and as a family member of a breast cancer survivor, providing care to women living with breast cancer is very near and dear to me.”

Perakis’ medical interests include fat grafting; breast reconstruction; body contouring; obstructive sleep apnea surgery; and hand trauma. She joins Simone Topal, MD, board certified plastic surgeon, who opened Northampton Plastic Surgery in 2007.


Eastern Massachusetts casino license formally granted to Wynn Resorts for entertainment complex on Mystic River in Everett

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With a few pen strokes Wynn Resorts became the official custodians of the lone eastern Massachusetts resort casino license on Wednesday.

BOSTON -- With a few pen strokes, Wynn Resorts became the official custodians of the lone eastern Massachusetts resort casino license on Wednesday.

"The commission is delighted to welcome Wynn Massachusetts LLC as the Region A licensee," said Acting Commission Chairman James McHugh.

Wynn won the commission over in the final stages of the licensing process on Tuesday when they responded to a series of conditions imposed on them for the license. Three of the four commissioners favored Wynn's proposal in Everett over the planned Mohegan Sun casino at Suffolk Downs in Revere.

McHugh said that the proposal by Wynn offers a unique opportunity for Everett given the company's success in Las Vegas and Asia. Wynn, McHugh said, has been successful because of its ability to diversify non-casino, non-gaming components on its properties.

Still, the redevelopment of a heavily contaminated parcel in Everett is a very appealing opportunity.

Wynn Everett Casino RenderingThis artist's rendering released Wednesday, March 27, 2013 by Wynn Resorts shows a proposed resort casino on the banks of the Mystic River in Everett, Mass. Las Vegas casino operator Steve Wynn has landed the license to build the complex on 37 acres of land at the site of a former chemical plant. (AP Photo/Wynn Resorts)

"It's a site that's been unusable for a number of years. It's a site that at a critical part of the waterfront at the lower part of the Mystic River. It's a site surrounded by heavy industry. It's a site that's at the heart of the Everett master redevelopment. It's a site, that with the energy the Wynn organization will bring to it that has the capacity to start change along the waterfront and throughout the city of Everett," McHugh said.

Wynn officials said that they hope to stick to their three-year buildout plan and have the new Wynn casino up and running by 2017.

"We've already started working on (the permitting) process and we'll continue to do so all the way through. Right now we're in a three-year time frame and in our application we indicated late 2017," said Robert DeSalvio, a senior vice president at Wynn Resorts, who previously worked as president of the Sands Resort Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

DeSalvio did not give a timeframe for when they will break ground on the project.

The commission convened Wednesday by addressing Mohegan Sun's formal objection to the awarding of the casino license to Wynn. The commission ruled that the appropriate time for Mohegan to object had passed.

Mohegan's loss of the competition for the Eastern Massachusetts casino license sends the company back to its headquarters in Connecticut empty-handed following seven years of campaigning for a license in teh commonwealth.


Electronic toll collection contract delayed over concerns about EZPass contractor's commitment to diversity

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TransCore L.P. currently runs the EZPass program with an office in Auburn, and state Highway Adminisrator Frank DePaola said the company was selected out of a field of four bidders to operate the new tolls that will bill cars directly through transponders or mailings.

By ANDY METZER

CHELSEA - Amid concerns about the state EZPass contractor's commitment to supplier diversity, the Massachusetts Transportation Board on Wednesday tabled discussion of a $205 million 10-year contract for the company to run planned all-electronic tolls.

TransCore L.P. currently runs the EZPass program with an office in Auburn, and state Highway Adminisrator Frank DePaola said the company was selected out of a field of four bidders to operate the new tolls that will bill cars directly through transponders or mailings.

DePaola said TransCore was "the best value," but chairman John Jenkins was unimpressed by its commitment to spend 2 percent of the contract on disadvantaged firms.

"I don't think they've made much of an effort, at all," Jenkins said, of TransCore's supplier diversity plans. He said, "It's a joke to me to say, 'Hey I can find 2 percent in a $200 million contract.' "

MassDOT is planning to replace its toll booths and toll-takers with electronic devices aimed at reducing traffic, and a pilot program is underway on the Tobin Bridge.

DePaola said Raytheon has received a construction contract, and said TransCore would need to begin performance testing in the spring of 2016. The company has 140 employees, and expects to add 55 staff, he said.

TransCore traces its history to a toll road in Pennsylvania in the 1930s and says it now operates in "more than 52 countries." The other bidders were Egis, Accenture and Xerox.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has made strides in increasing diversity since 2011, making its diversity officials sought-after speakers around the country.

"Without sounding Polyannna-ish I'm very pleased to say that we are in good shape with civil rights at MassDOT," Stephanie Neal-Johnson, who heads up the agency's diversity office, told transportation board members during their meeting Wednesday.

As of August, white men made up 57.3 percent of the MassDOT workforce, a 3 percent decline from 2011, and non-Hispanic white men decreased from 50.4 percent of the MBTA workforce in 2011 to 48.5 percent this August.

Neal-Johnson said state transportation agencies had been criticized for not attracting Hispanic workers. The Hispanic female population at MassDOT increased 8 percent at MassDOT and the Hispanic male population increased 20.7 percent, according to Neal-Johnson, though at both the MBTA and MassDOT the percentage of male and female Hispanic workers is in the single-digits.

Women make up 29.3 percent of the population at MassDOT and 24.3 percent at the MBTA.

Neal-Johnson said other transportation agencies have flown in MassDOT officials to talk about diversity.

 

Wall Street: Dow closes at record high after Federal Reserve board keeps rates intact

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The Dow Jones industrial avaerage gained nearly 25 points to end at 17,156.85 — its 16th record high this year.

By BERNARD CONDON

NEW YORK — The stock market got the reassurance it wanted from the Federal Reserve Wednesday.

The U.S. central bank signaled that it would keep its short-term interest rate near zero for a while yet, and investors pushed the Dow Jones industrial average to a record high. Low rates have been a boon to the market by helping stimulate the economy and making stocks a more attractive investment than bonds.

"The Fed is not going to take the punch bowl away," said Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial. "They didn't want to spook the market."

Major indexes drifted before the Fed released a statement at 2 p.m. Eastern time signaling little change in its interest rate policy. Stocks in all three U.S. major indexes rose. The gains were small, but broad. Seven of the 10 industry groups of the Standard & Poor's 500 index rose, led by materials stocks.

In its statement following a two-day policy meeting, the central bank retained language that it plans to keep short-term rates at a record low for "a considerable time" after it ends its monthly bond purchases in November. Many investors interpret that to mean the first hike won't come until the middle of next year.

The Dow gained 24.88 points, or 0.2 percent, to end at 17,156.85 — its 16th record high this year. The S&P 500 edged up 2.59 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,001.57, falling short of its own closing high of 2,007.71 from Sept. 5.

The Nasdaq composite finished higher by 9.43 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,562.19, still well below its dot-com era peak.

Shares of home builders jumped after an index of builder confidence for new homes rose to its highest level in nearly nine years. Lennar Corp. rose nearly 6 percent, the most in the S&P 500 index.

The S&P 500 has risen 8 percent in 2014, extending the bull market into a sixth year. Companies have been hiring at a solid pace and manufacturing and construction have picked up.

John Lynch, regional chief investment officer for Wells Fargo Private Bank, said the stronger economy is a big reason that stocks have risen.

"The economy is tracking at a 3 percent rate of growth, and corporate profits are at a record level," he said, shortly before the Dow's record close.

But the good developments have also worried the market because they could prompt the Fed to raise interest rates fast to head off inflation.

On Wednesday, at least, those concerns eased. Even before the Fed policy statement, there was news that inflation remained tame. U.S. consumer prices edged down in August, the first monthly drop since the spring of 2013, the government said.

Among stocks making big moves:

  1. DuPont surged $3.42 to $69.25, or 5.2 percent, the biggest gain in the Dow by far. Investors bought the stock on news that activist investor Nelson Peltz had sent a letter to the company's board suggesting it split in two. His Trian Fund Management LP said it has been in private talks with DuPont for more than a year to boost shareholder value and improve its financial performance.

  2. FedEx rose $5.05, or 3 percent, to $159.71 after its quarterly profit beat forecasts by financial analysts. The company benefited from an increase in shipments to people shopping online.

  3. General Mills, the food company behind Cheerios cereal and Yoplait yogurt, fell $2.35, or 4.4 percent, to $50.83 after reporting disappointing quarterly results. Its stock was the third-biggest loser in the S&P 500.
In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged up to 2.62 percent, from 2.59 percent late Tuesday. The yield has moved between a high of 3 percent and a low of 2.34 percent this year.

Oil fell after the Energy Department reported an unexpected increase in U.S. crude oil supplies. Benchmark U.S. oil fell 46 cents to $94.42 a barrel. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils imported by many U.S. refineries, dropped 8 cents to $98.97 a barrel in London. Inventories of U.S. crude oil rose by 3.7 million barrels last week.

Most analysts had expected a decline, which is typical for this time of year. In other energy futures, wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to $2.569 a gallon. Heating oil fell 1.1 cents to $2.745 a gallon. Natural gas gained 1.8 cents to $4.013 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold, which was flat minutes before the Fed news on interest rates, ended down 80 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $1,235.90 an ounce. Silver rose 1.3 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $18.73 an ounce. Copper fell 2.3 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $3.14 a pound.

Western Massachusetts business leaders get capitol perspective on economy, trade, civil rights, during chamber Washington trip

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The event is hosted by U. S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield.

WASHINGTON - Business leaders from the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield and the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce learned Wednesday from Washington insiders why the economy may be doing better than many suspect and why that sense of growth is not widely shared on the nation's Main Street.

"We need more than three-and-a quarter-percent growth and we are not there yet," said U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, who is hosting a two-day Washington seminar for members of the two chambers. "We have more to do on worker participation. We have more to do on immigration reform."

On the positive side, consumer demand has improved and the economy is adding jobs, speakers said.

The group of 35 people are in Washington for two days, Wednesday, Sept. 17, and Thursday, Sept. 18. The trip occurs every other year.

Besides Neal, the group heard Wednesday from Massachusetts U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, both Democrats, as well as pollster Stan Greenberg and Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

They also met with Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, a civil rights pioneer.

Thursday's speakers will include Anne Anderson, the ambassador from the Republic of Ireland to the United States, and U.S. Rep. David Camp, R-Michigan, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Nancy Urbschat of TSM Design in Springfield said she's taken the trip several times with the chambers.

"Each time I come, I'm in awe and I have a greater appreciation for the way or government works and for democracy in action," Urbschat said. "I know that is totally contrary to the common wisdom about  government being totally dysfunctional. I guess the framers wanted the House of Representatives to have heated discussion and debate."

She's concerned about high levels of student debt the difficulty that burden places on young people who want to start businesses. It's something Warren spoke about.

Mark Teed, senior vice president at Raymond James and Associates in Springfield, said he enjoyed Furman's explanation of the economy. But Furman said he doesn't see an annual 4 percent growth in the country's near future, the demographics won't allow for it.

"He confirmed that we are on the rise," Teed said. "He was very bullish on the future of the country because of technology and energy."

Teed said Furman shared that he keeps tabs on an economic stat called final domestic demand. That stat strips out all the "noise" that makes gross domestic product hard to interpret.

Thursday, Teed plans to ask Ireland's Anderson about tax inversions, or the practice of U.S. companies moving their headquarters overseas, to Ireland for example, in order to avoid U.S. taxes.

Suffolk Downs workers told track closing because of losing bid for Massachusetts casino

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Chip Tuttle, the track's chief operating officer, said workers were told Wednesday that the live horse racing season that ends Sept. 29 will be the track's last.

BOSTON -- Suffolk Downs, New England's only thoroughbred horse racing track, has told its workers it will close by year's end because Mohegan Sun did not win a Massachusetts casino license.

Chip Tuttle, the track's chief operating officer, said workers were told Wednesday that the live horse racing season that ends Sept. 29 will be the track's last. The 79-year-old track, which straddles East Boston and Revere, will continue to offer betting on simulcast racing until November or December, he said.

The news came the day state gambling regulators finalized their award of the lone Boston-area casino license to Wynn Resorts for a $1.6 billion project on the Everett waterfront. Mohegan Sun had proposed a $1.1 billion resort casino at Suffolk Downs.

In the coming days, Tuttle said, track owners will formally notify workers at concession stands and other vendors, as well as the owners, breeders and trainers of horses that compete at Suffolk Downs.

He said the closing would affect nearly 200 workers directly employed by the track, plus hundreds more who work for vendors and with the horses. Tuttle declined to comment on future development plans for the roughly 160-acre site, which has its own subway stop and is located just a few miles from Logan airport and downtown Boston.

"We're focused on supporting our workers through this transition. We're focused on turning the page," Tuttle said. "We've been at this a long time, and we don't want to create any false sense of hope. We're dealing with some very devastated people here."

Tuttle said the track hasn't been profitable for about seven years and its owners -- developer Richard Fields and food concessions entrepreneur Joe O'Donnell -- have lost about $50 million to $60 million during that time.


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