Alert issued after likely HIV porn set infection

LOS ANGELES — California public health officials issued an alert Monday after finding "very strong evidence" that an adult film actor became infected with HIV as a result of unprotected sex on an out-of-state film shoot.

The Department of Public Health said the male actor tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS after engaging in unprotected sex with several other male actors during two separate film shoots. He had tested negative before the shoot.

"During the second film shoot, he had symptoms of a viral infection," the alert states. "The actor went to a clinic and had another blood test that showed he had recently become infected with HIV."

One actor from the second shoot has since tested positive for HIV. According to the health department, lab results indicate the first actor who tested positive "probably transmitted" HIV to the second.

A health department official was unable to immediately release further details regarding the lab testing and investigation. The alert notes that very early in an HIV infection, the test can be negative "even though the actor really does have HIV."

"In this case, the actor and production company thought he was HIV-negative during filming," the alert states. "Shortly after his negative test, HIV levels in his body rose rapidly to where he could infect other actors through unprotected sex.

A California-based trade group for the adult film industry declined to comment.

A health department official declined to release any information regarding when the transmission had taken place or which company it involved, citing privacy restrictions, but said the apparent transmission occurred in Nevada.

"It's happened before, it's happened now, and it will happen in the future," said Michael Weinstein, president of the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "The big lie the industry has been saying all these years, there are no on-set transmissions, has been proven to be untrue."

The foundation championed an ordinance adopted by Los Angeles County voters in 2012 requiring actors in pornographic films to use condoms. The porn industry has fought the ordinance, saying having actors use condoms would interfere with a film's fantasy element by subjecting viewers to real-world concerns like pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

A federal appeals court recently ruled the ordinance does not violate First Amendment rights.

Several porn companies have moved shoots out of the county over the last two years in response to the ordinance. The number of porn filmmakers applying for permits in LA County has declined sharply, from 485 in 2012 to 40 in 2013.

The last confirmed on-set HIV infection was in 2004. After that, the porn industry adopted monthly testing for a range of STDs. Last year, the industry increased testing to every 14 days after a woman who performs under the name Cameron Bay contracted HIV. Her diagnosis triggered a moratorium on adult film production until all performers who worked with her were medically cleared.

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Chipotle apologizes for NY worker's police protest

NEW YORK — Two Chipotle chief executives have apologized to New York City police officers who were greeted by a restaurant employee making the "hands up, don't shoot" gesture popular with protesters.

Co-Chief Executive Officers Steve Ells and Monty Moran said in a statement Monday that the employee's action appeared to be spontaneous. They said it happened at one of their Brooklyn restaurants on Dec. 16 when a group of nine police officers entered. They said the officers were not refused service, but chose to leave after encountering the gesture while in line.

The executives said appropriate actions had been taken toward the crew member after the Denver-based Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. reviewed video footage from security cameras. They said they could not discuss what actions were taken.

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Somerville program helps young adults develop skills for employment

A Somerville workforce development program has teamed up with a jobs website to match low-income young adults with local businesses.

Although anyone can post or apply for one-off jobs or part-time work for free on HelpAroundTown.com, young adults age 18 to 24 in the city's Pocket Change program can signify their membership by using a badge on their profile, and employers can give preference to those applicants if they choose, said program manager Amanda Maher, the city's senior economic development specialist.

Pocket Change members get alerts when new jobs become available, and their case managers help them to apply and act as contacts if a job-poster wants to provide feedback.

Through a $7,500 contract, Somerville will pay for improvements to the Help Around Town website, which will allow the city to continue to use it for the Pocket Change program, Maher said.

Reem Yared, chief executive of Help Around Town, said Somerville initially approached her for advice, but it became clear that both sides were on the same page.

"We had exactly the same goals," she said. "I started Help Around Town with the specific purpose of helping youth find local jobs and build a reputation."

She said many employers will go the extra mile if they know they will be helping someone who really needs a job.

"It's really out of good citizenship, they know they are hiring local youth who want to make it," Yared said.

Funding for the contract and the program is provided through a $100,000 Working Cities Challenge Grant, awarded to Somerville early this year by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

The city applied for the grant after a 2013 report by Commonwealth Corporation and the Drexel University Center for Labor Markets and Policy found that many young adults lack the "soft skills" needed for a job, such as knowing how to write a cover letter and resume, showing up for work on time and not talking on their cellphones on the job, Maher said.

"Many employers were saying, 'If you can send us someone with those skills and a good work ethic, we'll train them to do the rest,' " she said. "So the whole idea behind the program using Help Around Town is to provide young adults with pocket change while we work with them on soft-skill training. It also provides them with work experience for their resumes, as well as references, so that they'll be ready some day for full-time permanent employment."

The partnership between Pocket Change and Help Around Town has already paid dividends, Maher said. Several young adults who applied for one-off jobs with Somerville businesses through the site have since moved into more permanent employment with a local business.

In the meantime, the city has been seeking additional funders to sustain the program, she said.

For more information, contact Amanda Maher at amaher@somervillema.gov or 617-625-6600, ext. 2528, or go to HelpAroundTown.com.

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Amazon quick-delivery plans threaten small stores

Bay State convenience stores could be in for a world of pain in 2015 if Amazon speeds up and expands its same-day delivery services.

All signs point to Amazon vastly growing its Massachusetts footprint in the next year, and CEO Jeff Bezos has made no secret that instant delivery of goods to consumers is the end-game of America's biggest e-commerce giant. That means we may see the same one-hour delivery window that is currently being piloted in Manhattan — and that spells disaster for the sales volume of corner marts, which will simply no longer seem convenient.

A 1-million-square-foot fulfillment facility in Fall River, with part of the land located in Freetown, is on track to begin construction in 2015. Another 328,000-square-foot warehouse is planned for Stoughton, fueled by $2.89 million in state tax breaks over the next decade.

It's hard to blame the state for luring Amazon: The proposed facilities and its already existing properties stand to create many Bay State jobs, including an estimated 1,000 positions in Fall River and another 125 in Stoughton.

Amazon has been growing its same-day delivery service for years, and it's already available in parts of Boston and a dozen other U.S. cities. It's unclear how popular the service is locally. I've never used it, and you have to hunt around the website to find what's available for same-day delivery. But expect Amazon to start heavily promoting the service as part of its Prime subscription loyalty program in 2015.

"Our long-term vision is that customers can order and receive a sellers' product the same day anywhere in the world," reads a job listing posted by Amazon in late October, one of several open positions that point to a major hiring blitz to extend the same-day strategy across 
the globe.

Manhattan appears to be the test city for that strategy. One week before Christmas, Amazon launched the Prime Now app, which enables one-hour delivery for Prime members in parts of Manhattan. With more than 25,000 items available, delivery within an hour costs $7.99 and Prime members can select a two-hour delivery window from 6 a.m. to midnight for free. Amazon's video commercial for the service says customers can order everything from coffee grinders to TVs and have them within an hour.

Considering Amazon's shipping costs were more than double its shipping revenue for most of 2014, I'm skeptical that they'll find a way to make money on same-hour delivery anytime soon. Let's just hope they don't put too many convenience stores out of business before they raise their prices to the intended rates.

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High-end digs dominate Boston in ’14

Real estate in Greater Boston this year has been somewhat of a paradox.

The market saw a huge influx of luxury apartment complexes, with high rents and lots of amenities, and construction is under way on some of the city's most expensive condos.

Yet there's been a shortage of inventory, especially mid-priced properties, and sales have slowed. And Boston has yet to solve a major problem — there are not enough condos or apartments that average city dwellers can afford.

Several thousand new luxury apartments — more than any in the city's history — opened this year in areas ranging from the Seaport District to the Greenway to Back Bay. Some of the first wave of high-rent digs, such as the Kensington and 315 on A, leased up well, but others have struggled, offering anywhere from one to three months of free rent, with fears that there may be a glut of upscale apartments on the market.

Looking for rental relief, some have opted to lease in places like Chelsea, where One North over the Mystic Bridge and new apartments in the Box District have done well. In an industrial area of Everett, apartments were carved out of a former Charleston Chew candy factory.

Two new apartment buildings at Assembly Row developed by AvalonBay Communities have leased up well, part of a successful urban village in East Somerville with 40 outlet stores and a dozen restaurants next to a newly completed Orange Line Station.

On the condo side, Boston has seen higher prices but lower condo sales this year because of low inventory, with midpriced units snapped up quickly. Meanwhile, the upper end of the condo market is going gangbusters driven by foreign buyers and local empty nesters. Preconstruction sales at condo projects now going up, such as the Ink Block's Sepia in the South End, Twenty-Two Liberty on Fan Pier and downtown's Millennium Tower have been brisk.

The highest price condo and single family sold in Boston this year were on the same Beacon Street block across from the Public Garden — at 96 Beacon St., a 6,337-square-foot, four-bedroom penthouse condo went for $13 million in March, and 74 Beacon St., a redone 6-bedroom, five-story, single-family townhouse with its own rooftop lap pool, sold for $12.5 million in October.

This year saw the highest price condo ever listed in Boston, a 12,000-square foot penthouse at the Millennium Tower that's asking $37.5 million.

The market in Somerville and Cambridge remains hot, with prices increasing and not enough inventory to meet demand. But the Alewife area of Cambridge saw several new apartment developments this year.

Along the banks of the Charles River in Watertown, several luxury apartment complexes have opened this year, and new rental properties have also sprung up near Orange Line stops in Malden Center and over the Melrose line near Oak Grove.

In the city, East Boston saw the first phase of Portside At East Pier, a luxury waterfront apartment complex.

South Boston real estate stayed hot this year, with dozens of high-end apartment and condo projects opening, a number around West 1st on D Street such as the Flats on D, West Square and Seaport Crossing that helped to knit together the gap between the Seaport District and the West Side.

To spur construction of more housing for moderate-income residents, the city has just designated corridors along Dorchester Avenue between the Broadway and Andrews Red Line T stations in Southie, and around the Forest Hills T station area in Jamaica Plain for higher density, transit-oriented development. But high labor, land and materials costs remain a challenge.

Next week we'll take a look at the real estate prospects for 2015.

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Post-Christmas shopping spree

A perfect post-Christmas shopping storm of blowout sales and gift card mania is brewing, according to retail analysts.

Expect stores and malls across the region and nationwide to be flooded today and parking lots packed as eager buyers hunt for the best deals.

"It's usually in the top 10 shopping days of the year, but I wouldn't be surprised if it cracked the top five this year," said Ken Perkins, analyst at Retail Metrics Inc. in Swampscott, predicting today will be "a very sound day for retail."

Big sales — many stores boasting 60 percent off deals even before Christmas — combined with the popularity of gift cards this holiday season mean big profits for retailers, Perkins said.

Today will cap off an already successful shopping season, Perkins said. The retail scene has been packed with promotions since the beginning of November, and Super Saturday saw $23 billion in sales nationally, surpassing Black Friday's $20 billion this year.

Norwell's Retail Concepts owner Michael Tesler said the plummeting popularity of clothes-centered gifts — a negative for stores going into the holiday season — will be a positive this weekend. It means fewer returns and more competitive sales to clear out lingering merchandise.

"There has been a shift from apparel to things like toys and electronics, which are less likely to be returned," Tesler said. "With the markdowns and sales, you'll see more shoppers than in previous years."

The unseasonably high temperatures in the Northeast will also serve as an "incredible plus," Tesler said, as will the upcoming weekend days.

"You have a Friday, Saturday, Sunday grouping coming up, so a larger percentage of people will probably be free after Christmas than usual," he said. "This is like a Black Friday weekend, everyone's got the time off."

In the week leading up to Super Saturday, retail sales increased 3.1 percent from the same week last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.

The weekend prior to Christmas saw $42 billion in shopping sales, compared to $41 billion last year, according to research firm Customer Growth Partners.

According to Perkins, lower unemployment numbers across the country help to account for some of the shopping boom, particularly in more affluent areas like Boston.

Massachusetts shopping numbers going into Super Saturday weekend pointed to the best Christmas for state retailers since 2006, according to Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, which expects statewide holiday sales to climb 3.9 percent to $15.4 billion.

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Quincy residents to be left with emergency facility only

The long-struggling Quincy Medical Center will permanently close its doors tomorrow, leaving Quincy residents without an official health facility sooner than originally planned, which could spur legal action from the Attorney General's office.

"Because of significant declines in patient volume, the department has determined that this closure timeline is necessary and appropriate to protect the health and safety of patients served by QMC and the department waives the remainder of the 90-day closure notice period," Department of Public Health official Sherman Lohnes wrote Tuesday in a letter to QMC owner Steward Health Care System.

Hospitals are obligated to give 90 days' notice before closing, which would have required the medical center to stay open until February if DPH had not waived the requirement.

The for-profit company previously agreed in a contract with Attorney General Martha Coakley to keep the 196-bed center open until at least 2017, and Coakley's office has raised the possibility of taking legal action if the hospital's emergency services did not stay open past Dec. 31.

Although AG spokesmen declined to specifically comment on whether that still may be in the cards, talks with Steward were said to be ongoing.

"We have made clear that any efforts to close Quincy Medical Center must maintain emergency services beyond Dec. 31," said Brad Puffer, spokesman for Coakley. "This is an important step in that process and we are continuing our discussions with Steward."

According to a press release, Steward QMC will close at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, and the Steward Satellite Emergency Facility will officially open at midnight.

Steward said it will keep the emergency facility open until Dec. 31, 2015, through Carney Hospital's license.

The center has been fraught with financial woes and a dwindling patient base for several years.

But the closing of the center leaves Quincy residents without a hospital and the center's health care workers in employment limbo.

Brooke Thurston, a spokeswoman for Steward, said many of the center's employees will be paid and receive benefits through Jan. 6, and that a majority will be transferred into new positions within the Steward network.

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Mayor Marty Walsh makes Dorchester tour

It was a merry Christmas Eve day in Dorchester yesterday as the mayor and police commissioner went on a goodwill tour of businesses.

The event began with a gathering at the Teen Center at St. Peter's where neighborhood kids received presents from police and seasons greetings from community leaders including Mayor Martin J. Walsh, police Commissioner William B. Evans and state Rep. Evandro C. Carvalho.

Walsh and police officers then took to Bowdoin Street towards Geneva Avenue to shake hands and wish happy holidays to shoppers along the boulevard.

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Single-family home sales fall in Nov.

Single-family home sales fell last month while the median price rose, particularly in Greater Boston, driven by a continuing shortage of inventory, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

Statewide, the number of closed sales dropped by 6.7 percent, from 3,817 in November 2013 to 3,560 last month, while the median price increased 4.4 percent, from $316,000 to $330,000 over the same period, MAR statistics show.

Condominium sales fell even more precipitously — by 10.2 percent — from 1,494 to 1,342, but the median price increased only 1 percent, from $299,000 to $302,000.

"Both the falling numbers of sales and the increasing median prices are a reflection of low inventory," said MAR President Peter Ruffini. "There's a lack of affordable housing for first-time buyers. It's very rare to see new construction priced at under $400,000. That's simply not a viable price point for most people looking to enter the housing market."

In the Metro Boston area, the median selling price for a single-family home rose even more dramatically — by 9.4 percent, the largest percentage increase since April — from $480,000 in November 2013 to $525,000 last month, the highest median home price ever recorded for November in the area, according to the Greater Boston Association of Realtors.

"Even at these prices, what is available is being jumped on pretty quickly," said Michael DiMella, the association's president and managing partner of Charlesgate Realty Group in Boston. "We're still seeing some multiple offers and bidding wars, although not as much."

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Bitcoin now available at local stores

You can now pick up some bitcoin with that bottle of soda and bag of chips at the store down the street.

LibertyX, a company that originally made and operated bitcoin vending kiosks, has expanded to let any store sell bitcoin for cash at the register, just like anything else they have in stock.

"You hand over cash, you get a code," said Kyle Powers, co-founder of LibertyX, formerly known as Liberty Teller. A cashier gives the customer a pin number, which can be redeemed for bitcoin. LibertyX is working with 2,500 stores, mostly local businesses including convenience and computer stores, across the country in the obvious places — Cambridge and San Francisco — and some less obvious, such as Lowell and Missoula, Mont.

The move away from dedicated ATMs that sell bitcoin came from overwhelming demand, Powers said.

"We had people driving for hours," Powers said. "The whole thing was to reach areas that we couldn't otherwise."

The ATMs are still operational, including the one at South Station.

"We're doing the same thing (as the ATMs), just cheaper, faster, more convenient," Powers said.

To help LibertyX expand, the company has raised a little more than $400,000 in private investment. Project 11, the venture capital firm headed by Katie Rae, Reed Sturtevant and Bob Mason, formerly of TechStars Boston, led the investment.

Powers said much has been made of bitcoin's ups and downs, but he continues to have faith in the online currency.

"Bitcoin is like gold, except the market is a thousand times younger" he said. "What we're doing is a fundamental, foundational piece of the bitcoin ecosystem."

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The Ticker

Dow, S&P hit record highs in 'Santa' rally

The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor's 500 index closed at record highs as the market delivered its fourth gain in as many trading days.

Pharmaceutical and technology stocks were among the big risers, while shares in energy companies fell sharply as the decline in oil prices deepened. Discouraging data on U.S. home sales failed to derail the "Santa" rally, as traders call a pre-Christmas advance.

The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of previously occupied homes fell 6.1 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 
4.93 million. That's the slowest pace in six months.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 154.64, or 0.9 percent, to 17,959.44. Its last record close was 17,958.79 on Dec. 5.

The Nasdaq composite picked up 16.04 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,781.42. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 7.89 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,078.54. The S&P's most recent record close was 2,075.37, set on Dec. 5.

Gillette owner to sell soap brands

Procter & Gamble, owner of Boston-based Gillette, said it would sell soap brands Camay and Zest to Unilever for an undisclosed amount to focus on its faster-growing brands.

The deal includes the global sale of the Camay brand and the sale of the Zest brand outside of North America and the Caribbean, P&G said.

The company will also sell its Talisman facility in Mexico to Unilever. The facility has 170 employees.

P&G said in August that it would shed 80 to 100 slow-growing product lines to focus on about 80 brands, including Tide laundry detergents and Pampers diapers, which generate most of its revenue.

Carbonite moves downtown

Carbonite Inc., a provider of cloud and hybrid backup and recovery solutions for businesses, has opened its new headquarters in Lafayette City Center in Boston's Downtown Crossing. Carbonite's new 52,000-square-foot home will accommodate up to 400 employees.

The owner of Lafayette City Center is Boston-based the Abbey Group.

Today

 Commerce Department releases durable goods for November.

 Commerce Department releases third-quarter gross domestic product.

 Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for November.

 Commerce Department releases new home sales for November.

THE SHUFFLE

 Wentworth Institute of Technology announced today that it has named Associate Provost Charles Hotchkiss as the new dean of the College of Architecture, Design and Construction Management. Hotchkiss has extensive experience in higher education administration, including serving at Southern New Hampshire University.

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Business Protocol: Toe the line in kissing under mistletoe at holiday parties

Hung over a doorway during Christmas, mistletoe remains one of the season's most beloved traditions.

They say mistletoe has spiritual and healing powers. It is also said to be a sexual symbol and an aphrodisiac. One legend states couples kissing underneath mistletoe will have good luck but a couple not performing the ritual will have bad luck. And while mistletoe is widely viewed as a symbol of love, it was traditionally a symbol of peace. Enemies who encountered each other underneath mistletoe-bearing trees are supposed lay down their arms, embrace and agree to a truce until the next day. This gesture of goodwill evolved into the custom of kissing as we know it today.

Finding yourself underneath the mistletoe can be festive and fun, especially after a few cocktails, but be careful not to get cornered … or carried away! For starters, full "lip lock" should be reserved for your spouse/significant other.

Here are some options to consider before you get near those innocent-looking dangling sprigs:

• Consider kissing at least one other person before an office crush, to conceal your true intentions!

• Men should consider offering a female co-worker the hand kiss, showing the ultimate respect.

• Rest your hands on the other person's shoulders to help respect personal space/comfort zone issues:

• The cheek kiss — always appropriate.

• The "never wrong" air kiss, even better, while simultaneously shaking the other person's right hand, and squelch any budding office rumors.

• The corner to corner kiss — allowing the corner of your lips to just barely touch their lips.

• The motherly forehead kiss.

• Finally, you will never go wrong with the old-fashioned handshake.

Some other things to bear in mind: Your mistletoe should be real — with white berries. Fake mistletoe is tacky. If the berries are red, it's probably holly. Hang it from the ceiling — beforehand! Don't walk around with it, holding it over people.

And tradition calls for men to remove a berry when they kiss a woman. When all the berries are gone, the kissing is over.

Bottom line: Treat other people with respect and defer to their wishes while protecting your own dignity and reputation. And if you're uncomfortable with any of this ... steer clear of the mistletoe!

Judith Bowman is the president and founder of Protocol Consultants International and author of "Don't Take the Last Donut: New Rules of Business Etiquette" and "How to Stand Apart @ Work ... Transforming '"Fine'" to Fabulous!" Email her at Judith@ProtocolConsultants.com.

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Foreign-trained med workers need help

Massachusetts needs more centralized information on relicensing pathways, improved career supports at workforce-development and educational institutions, and a review of licensure regulations to help the state's more than 12,000 foreign-born health care professionals, according to a new report.

More than one in five foreign-trained health care professionals in Massachusetts are unemployed or working in low-wage, low-skill jobs because they have limited English proficiency, lack help navigating complex and costly relicensing requirements, or have trouble completing the relicensing process while holding down low-paying "survival jobs," according to the Governor's Advisory Council on Refugees and Immigrants' Task Force on Immigrant Healthcare Professionals.

And with an aging native-born workforce, a projected increase from 12 percent to 30 percent in statewide demand for clinicians in all fields by 2020, and an increasingly diverse state population in need of linguistically and culturally competent health care services, the state cannot afford to ignore these barriers to the skills foreign-trained health care professionals have to offer, the report says.

"This is an opportunity to help the commonwealth capitalize on these skills for our economy and our health care system," said Eva Millona, co-chairman of the Governor's Advisory Council and executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. "It's a win-win for everybody."

The report's recommendations include the creation of a user-friendly, centralized online portal featuring detailed relicensing information and career-development resources for foreign-trained immigrants in licensed professions, with an initial focus on health care; the promotion of pilot programs at one-stop career centers and community colleges that could offer these professionals expert career supports; collaborations with professional associations and philanthropies to pilot funding tools such as a microloan fund to help low-income, foreign-trained professionals cover the educational, testing and licensing costs of re-entering their fields; and the establishment of a staff position in the Office for Refugees and Immigrants to oversee immigrant integration policy, including career pathways for foreign-trained professionals.

Tim Buckley, a spokesman for Gov.-elect Charlie Baker, said Baker "will continue to pursue reforms that grow Massachusetts' economy and strengthen our health care system, and looks forward to reviewing the recommendations of MIRA and all stakeholders involved in the process."

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Research shows owners coming up short on home values

WASHINGTON — Do American homeowners think their properties are worth less than the actual market value, as measured by professional appraisers?

Highly unlikely, you'd probably say. Everybody knows that owners tend to have optimistic impressions of what their homes are worth. They know how much money they've sunk into improving the place and they know — or think they know — the prices for houses in the neighborhood.

But provocative new research from the country's second-largest mortgage lender suggests the opposite may be true. According to new statistical analyses by Quicken Loans, owners on average now underestimate the value of their homes by 1.6 percent compared with appraisers' valuations.

Using massive databases of 50,000 to 60,000 new applications for mortgage refinancings per month, Quicken has created what it calls the Home Price Perception Index to measure the differences between owners' upfront estimates — routinely provided to loan officers as part of the application process — and the appraisals that are subsequently performed.

During November, owners seeking to refinance in roughly three-quarters of the major metropolitan areas covered by the index had lower estimates of their homes' worth than what turned out to be the appraised value, according to researchers. The dollar differences were not huge in most cases — between $2,000 and $4,000 on a $200,000 home. But in a few markets they were considerably larger. Owners in San Jose, Calif., estimated their houses to be worth 
6 percent less than the value subsequently determined by appraisers. With a median sale price of $860,000 for existing homes during the third quarter, a 6 percent perception gap translates into big bucks — $51,600.

In Los Angeles, applicants for refinancings underestimated values on average by 3.8 percent ($482,000 estimate versus $499,641 appraisal); in Seattle, the gap was 2.8 percent ($360,000 versus $370,080); Miami 2.3 percent ($270,000 versus $276,210); Boston 2.2 percent ($400,000 versus $408,880). In the Washington, D.C., area, the gap was 1.8 percent ($389,000 versus $395,885).

Owners overestimated values in a handful of major markets. In Philadelphia, the gap was 1.6 percent, Charlotte, N.C., 
1.3 percent and Chicago 0.3 percent. Quicken researchers found the widespread pattern of undervaluation is in distinct contrast with owners' estimates a few years ago, which often were far out of sync with appraisers' reports.

At the peak of the housing bubble in 2005-06, appraisals often came in below owners' estimates, in part because prices were spiraling upward at double-digit rates in overheated markets. In the recession years following the bust, the gap between what owners believed their homes to be worth and appraisers' valuations gradually narrowed, and by 2013, with the market rebounding solidly in many areas, it virtually disappeared. More recently, the trend has shifted to slight underestimations by owners.

Why are owners a little behind on pricing? Quicken chief economist Bob Walters attributes it in part to the fact that owners are more likely than professional appraisers to lag market trends. "Appraisers are looking at the market all the time," he said in an interview. Owners, especially those who are seeking to refinance but not sell, aren't as likely to stay on top of month-to-month changes.

Appraisers I contacted for reactions generally were skeptical of the Quicken index findings. Kenneth J. Mullinix of Laguna Beach, Calif., said "never" in 20 years in the business "have I done an appraisal where the owner has said to me, 'Wow, the appraised value is higher than I thought."

But one nationally known appraisal expert, Gary Crabtree of Bakersfield, Calif., thinks that Quicken may be on to something. "Today's homeowners have access to numerous (online) valuation tools and multiple listing service systems that they didn't have" until recently, he said in an email. As a result, they "tend to more closely track the market conditions in their neighborhood."

Does it matter much if you underestimate your home's worth by a percentage point or two? It definitely does if you plan to sell — you could end up leaving money on the table.

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Gas pipeline woes halt National Grid hookups on Cape

Residents of eight Cape Cod towns will have to wait years before new natural gas lines can be installed after National Grid instituted a moratorium on new hookups.

The company will not install any new gas connections for five to seven years after the Department of Public Utilities and National Grid found potentially faulty welds — some almost 60 years old — in a 21-mile pipeline on the Cape, forcing­ National Grid to lower the pressure in the transmission line, which cut the amount of gas it can carry.

The pipeline will not be able to supply gas to more customers until infra­structure fixes are made, work that has no exact timetable.

"We're going to have to do some pretty significant infrastructure enhancement work," said National Grid spokesman Jake Navarro.

The work will prevent potential customers in Dennis, Harwich, Brewster, Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Barnstable and Yarmouth from hooking up to the gas supply.

Navarro said National Grid has about 100,000 customers on the Cape, and was adding between 800 and 1,000 each year.

DPU spokeswoman Mary-Leah Assad said in a statement that the agency is looking into the situation.

"The DPU's Pipeline Safety & Engineering Division is engaged in an on­going investigation to determine the integrity of the gas main and ensure it is in compliance with federal and state regulations," she said.

National Grid does not believe any other pipelines in the state will need the same kind of repairs, Navarro said.

Meanwhile, Nstar yesterday filed for a 12 percent delivery rate increase, citing­ rising costs to deliver gas to homes. That comes after Nstar said it would increase its supply rates by 29 percent due to rising demand for natural gas.

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Fung Wah gets feds’ conditional approval

Nearly two years after shutting it down, federal regulators have given Boston-­based Fung Wah Bus Transportation conditional approval to resume carrying passengers, but authorities say they'll be watching to see if the company slips back into a pattern of safety violations and mismanagement.

"It is essential that all private bus companies operating on our local streets are properly permitted, are following current regulations and guidelines with regard to their business practices, and are picking up and dropping off passengers at locations approved by the city," said Kate Norton, spokeswoman for Mayor Martin J. Walsh.

Effective Dec. 11, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration authorized Fung Wah — known for its cheap fares to New York City — to resume operations, based on a negotiated safety management plan and the company's acceptance of five conditions: that it hire qualified managers responsible for safety and government compliance; that it limit service routes and trips during the first 60 days of operation; that it ensure all drivers are trained and tested, and install on-board devices to record their duty status; that it ensure — through training, monitoring and disciplinary action — that drivers do not exceed the speed limit; and that it agree to heightened monitoring by the FMCSA for four years.

In a statement yesterday, Fung Wah President Pei Lin Liang said: "We are working diligently to resume safe, effective and affordable passenger transportation service between New York and Boston. We are in the process of working with federal, state and local authorities to demonstrate that a new page has been turned."

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Utilities, which inspects buses on behalf of the FMCSA, said Fung Wah does not need DPU's authorization to operate.

The MBTA, which owns South Station, has not received a formal request from Fung Wah to resume operations there, spokeswoman Kelly Smith said.

In March 2013, the FMCSA­ shut down the bus company after it refused to turn over safety records. The agency subpoenaed the documents, which showed, among other things, falsified maintenance records and a failure to drug-screen drivers.

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Sony under attack from hackers and ex-employees

NEW YORK — Threats of violence against movie theaters. Cancelled showings of "The Interview." Leaks of thousands more private emails. Lawsuits by former employees that could cost tens of millions in damages.

The fallout from the hack that began four weeks ago exploded Tuesday after the shadowy group calling themselves Guardians of Peace escalated their attack beyond corporate espionage and threatened moviegoers with violence reminiscent of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The Department of Homeland Security said there was "no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters," but noted it was still analyzing messages from the group, dubbed GOP. The warning did prompt law enforcement in New York and Los Angeles to address measures to ramp up security.

Those security fears spurred Sony to allow theater chains to cancel showings of the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy "The Interview," that has been a focus of the hackers' mission to bring down Sony. Carmike Cinemas, which operates 247 theaters across the country, was the first to cancel its planned screenings of the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It remains to be seen if other chains will follow suit.

GOP also released a trove of data files including 32,000 emails to and from Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton in what it called the beginning of a "Christmas gift."

And two former Sony film production workers filed lawsuits alleging the Culver City, California company waited too long to notify nearly 50,000 employees that data such as Social Security numbers, salaries and medical records had been stolen.

The filing follows another lawsuit this week from two other former Sony employees accusing the studio of being negligent by not bolstering its defenses against hackers before the attack. It claims emails and other leaked information show that Sony's information-technology department and its top lawyer believed its security system was vulnerable to attack, but that company did not act on those warnings.

Sony, a unit of Japan's Sony Corp., potentially faces tens of millions of dollars in damages from class-action lawsuits, said Jonathan Handel, an entertainment law professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

"It is a serious matter for Sony both in terms of dollar exposure and public perception of the brand," he said.

In "The Interview," Rogen and Franco star as television journalists involved in a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Speculation about a North Korean link to the Sony hacking has centered on that country's angry denunciation of the film. Over the summer, North Korea warned that the film's release would be an "act of war that we will never tolerate." It said the U.S. will face "merciless" retaliation.

The film's New York premiere is scheduled for Thursday at Manhattan's Landmark Sunshine, and it is expected to hit theaters nationwide on Christmas Day. It premiered in Los Angeles last week.

But on Tuesday Rogen and Franco pulled out of all media appearances, canceling a Buzzfeed Q&A and Rogen's planned guest spot Thursday on "Late Night With Seth Meyers." A representative for Rogen said he had no comment. A spokeswoman for Franco didn't respond to queries Tuesday.

The FBI said it is aware of the GOP's threats and "continues to work collaboratively with our partners to investigate this matter." FBI director James Comey last week said that investigators are still trying to determine who is responsible for the hack.

The New York Police Department, after coordinating with the FBI and Sony, plans to beef up security at the Manhattan premiere, said John Miller, the NYPD's top counterterrorism official.

"Having read through the threat material myself, it's actually not crystal clear whether it's a cyber response that they are threatening or whether it's a physical attack," Miller said. "That's why we're continuing to evaluate the language of it, and also the source of it. I think our primary posture is going to be is going to have a police presence and a response capability that will reassure people who may have heard about this and have concerns."

Following a commission meeting earlier Tuesday, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said his department takes the hackers' threats "very seriously" and will be taking extra precautions during the holidays at theaters.

The National Association of Theatre Owners had no comment on the developing situation. Neither Sony nor representatives from individual theater chains, including Carmike, responded to requests for comment.

Since the hack surfaced late last month, everything from financial figures to salacious emails between top Sony executives has been dumped online.

The nearly 32,000 emails to and from Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Lynton leaked Tuesday include information about casting decisions and total costs for upcoming films, release schedules for Sony films through 2018 and corporate financial records, such as royalties from iTunes, Spotify and Pandora music services. They include information about new electronics devices such as DVD players and cell phones. They also include budget figures for the Motion Picture Association of America, of which Sony is a member, and at least one email about a senior Sony executive who left the company. The emails also include banal messages about public appearances, tennis matches, home repairs, dinner invitations and business introductions.

___

Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, D.C., Lindsey Bahr in Los Angeles, Jake Coyle and Tom Hays in New York and Elaine Ganley in Paris contributed to this report.

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McDonald's in Japan limits orders of fries

TOKYO — Only small fries with that? McDonald's in Japan has begun limiting the serving size of fries as stocks of spuds run short due to labor disruptions on the U.S. West Coast.

McDonald's began rationing its fries Wednesday morning. It said prolonged labor negotiations with port workers on the West Coast have made it difficult to meet demand despite an emergency airlift of 1,000 tons of spuds and an extra shipment from the U.S. East Coast by sea.

Frozen french fries — ready for the deep-fryer — are a leading U.S. export.

Japanese consume more than 300,000 tons of french fries a year, mostly at fast-food restaurants, and largely made from imports of frozen, processed potatoes from the U.S., according to U.S. figures. Shipments in December are expected to be just over half the normal level, Japanese newspapers reported.

But demand is rising as convenience stores are increasingly also selling fries.

Japan's locally grown potatoes are mostly eaten fresh, rather than as fries, and production has been declining for years. But Japan enforces strict limits on where and how fresh potatoes are imported.

The powerful dockworkers union and multinational shipping lines have been negotiating a new contract for about 20,000 West Coast workers. In the meantime, labor disruptions have slowed shipments and driven costs higher.

Although supermarkets have abundant supplies of most foods, Japanese already are facing a shortage of butter that has prompted grocery stores to limit shoppers to one or two packages apiece. That shortage stems from declining domestic production plus trade barriers and other restrictions that limit imports.

McDonald's has 3,100 outlets in Japan. It cut prices for set meals to compensate for including only small fries.

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Booting Up: Peer-to-peer lending arrives

Traditional banking is being challenged by new technology and the sharing economy. And this time, there is no bailout in sight.

We're in the early stages of a peer-to-peer lending revolution, bolstered by last week's spectacular Wall Street debut of Lending Club, an online marketplace for loans.

Though Lending Club has revenues of less than $150 million, it raised a whopping $800 million in its Initial Public Offering in what is the largest tech IPO of the year and the first ever for a peer-to-peer lender. This undoubtedly paves the way for more homegrown financing firms to go public. Lending Club processed more than $6 billion in loans this year, up from $4.8 million during its founding year in 2007.

The company nabbed a $9 billion valuation, higher than most U.S. banks. It's a giant nod from the investment community for its potential to disrupt the financial services industry — an even bigger shot across the bow of bank lending.

And it's about time. The only reason banks exist from a lending point of view is that they have traditionally been the one large type of institution that can float the risk of an individual loan.

But as an online, peer-to-peer lender, anyone can lend a little bit of money to lots of people. If you take one loan and divvy the risk up among 10,000 people, then that's a pretty good investment.

In fact, the rate of return on peer-to-peer loans can actually beat the market. That's because peer-to-peer lending usually involves an interesting group of borrowers: a self-selected group of technologically advanced people who are short on cash. So the likelihood of the borrower paying its lenders back actually ends up being pretty high.

Overall, it's a way better way to get money than by using a bank. Less concentrated power in institutions. Less corruption. Less Wall Street.

That doesn't man that Lending Club is full of new faces and startup innovators. Its board includes an ex-Morgan Stanley CEO and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.

Though state regulations have kept peer-to-peer lenders out of about half the country, the IPO means Lending Club is governed by federal regulators and can operate anywhere. Execs have said they plan to use the money raised in the IPO to acquire other financial tech startups. Let's hope they leave competitors in place and not just turn into a peer-to-peer banking behemoth.

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The power and the danger of email! (just ask Sony execs!)

"COMMON sense is not so common," said Voltaire.

I KNOW I shouldn't be, but I continue to be astounded by what people at the highest levels of various business -- and just plain folks -- put into emails, on Facebook, iPhone, iCloud, Twitter, Instagram and whatever else is out there, making fools of so many.

I'm probably guilty of being too indiscreet at times in my own emails, but I can't imagine anybody mucking through my hard drive, or caring. Anyway, I still actually write notes, a lot of notes. And I make phone calls.

The latest computer hacking scandals, with movie executives calling Angelina Jolie a "minimally talented spoiled brat" and others making somewhat racist jokes about President Obama's taste in films, is amazing. Especially the latter. Not that these exchanges were so terrible, just people attempting to be "funny."

Does nobody think before pressing "send"? This is hardly the first hacking event, hardly the first time emails or photos have come back to bite movie actors and politicians in the backside. Not to mention all the regular people out there who have found intimate online conversations and picture exchanges made public and "gone viral."

Of course, sometimes these things are not accidents. Nobody can make me believe that the aide to a GOP congressman, who typed out a vicious Facebook rant about the daughters of President Obama, didn't know exactly what she was doing. That the remarks would get out, get big play and then be applauded by all those conservatives who irrationally loathe Obama boggles the mind. Her "apology" was a joke. She never mentioned the teenage girls she trashed. It was all about her prayer, and her parents and her regret. Her, her, her! Then she was fired. But I can't help feeling that is exactly what she wanted -- martyrdom. We'll see this person again, believe me.

EMBARASSED Hollywood execs will survive joking about Obama, especially with the president's popularity down.

Sony Picture's co-chairman, Amy Pascal, whose producer pal Scott Rudin trashed Angelina Jolie, actually has a bigger problem, although photos have surfaced of Pascal and Jolie embracing -- this after the "leak." In the pic, Jolie is staring blankly, with a slight grasp on Pascal. Amy has a firm two-armed grip on the star. Pascal's face is obscured, but you just know she's saying, "Angie, darling!"

The profits of Jolie's movies -- like those of all actors, even the biggest -- vary. But this actress remains probably the top female star in the world, still.

And it's not just Jolie. She and hubby Brad are a juggernaut, especially in certain types of films. Everybody wants a slice of that pie. And some people want to join in their philanthropies.

Bring back the postal service!

OH, and all the brouhaha over Sony's comedy "The Interview" about two idiots (James Franco and Seth Rogen) attempting to assassinate North Korea's Kim Jong-un, is well deserved.

What an appalling idea, no matter what kind of man or leader Kim is. Imagine if North Korea made a movie about assassinating an American president -- just for "fun." Nobody here would think it was very funny.

"IN HER EXQUISITE, almost painterly studies, in both individual portraits and in groups, Annie Leibovitz has produced an unparalleled portrait of the men and women who have driven the culture of the last half century," writes Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter.

This is just one of the quotes extolling Annie, and now for the gift for that person who thinks they have almost everything. "ANNIE'S BIG BOOK" comes for only $2,500 and is a collector's edition of No. 1,000 to 10,000 volumes of great photo after photo. (There is also an "Art Edition" for $5,000.) The promotion of this item from Taschen can be seen in their stores all over the world from Amsterdam to Brussels, Cologne, Hamburg, Hollywood, New York and Paris, of course. When you unfold the promo for this work of art with Whoopi Goldberg on the cover, barely exposing herself in a milk bath, you have to stretch both arms wide to look at it. (In addition to Whoopi, you can buy this very special book with Patti Smith, David Byrne or Keith Haring on the cover you select.)

I have been photographed by Annie myself, twice, but I'm betting I'm not in this work of art because everybody else is in it. And I don't know anybody who can afford to buy it. But there must be people simply itching to throw money around. And then they can pay extra for Marc Newson's specially designed tripod stand on which to display the book. Onward and upward with the arts!

SPEAKING OF spending money, I love it that almost every one of my Christmas cards so far is of famous people's children. I even heard from the controversial screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, who helped make a star out of Sharon Stone in "Basic Instinct," went so far as to threaten the Hollywood agent Michael Eisner, got off drug and eventually moved with the woman he loved (Naomi) to an aptly named Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and got religion. He quotes Mother Teresa in his card ("It is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand") and his boys Joe, Nick, John Law and Luke are movie star handsome themselves.

And just to keep our standards up here, how about the card and photo from Audrey and Martin Gruss, who I usually associate with Palm Beach. Their card shows them posing with a 1936 Bugatti Type 57 in front of Hampton Court Palace in London. (And Palm Beach natives used to say this marriage would "never last." I guess the Gruss family and the Bugatti showed them!)

I RECEIVED one of those "nostalgia" letters this week from Jim Mitchell, who, in his and my heyday, used to visit El Morocco every night -- he to "work" and me to look on. He expresses sadness over the death of former fashion designer and good guy, Luis Estevez, a friend of ours for over 50 years. Jim writes: "I arranged a party for Luis and his wife, Betty, to give at Le Bijou on West 4th Street in New York. It was to celebrate Vivien Leigh and Jean-Pierre Aumont, who were starring in "Tovarich" on Broadway.

At the supper party none other than Greta Garbo appeared, as well as Rock Hudson, George Hamilton, Arlene Dahl and Jerome Zipkin, who later scored as a friend of the Reagans. I just invited people and they came. I didn't know what I was doing in those days, as you told it in your memoir; we were both just having a ball observing the rich and famous at play. When word got around that Garbo and Rock were in Le Bijou, 1,000 people gathered outside the restaurant. There were lots of police on call. It was madness. But fun. And, p.s., Dolores Sherwood Guinle Littman Ruspoli Bosshard died this week in Palm Beach. Her ashes are being buried at Trinity Church in Manhattan on January 17. -- Too much sadness. I am going to start having a good time again this very night. You do too!"

YOU CAN plan to join the gang New Year's Eve at Barbetta, which has been operating on West 46th Street since 1906. Ballroom dancing to the Felix Swing Band, multicourse dinner, black tie suggested, white tie would be divine! Call 212-246-9171, or email barbetta100yrs(at)aol.com. Only $185 for a night to remember! Sorry I won't be there, I'll be having fun in the sun somewhere.

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Hackers to Sony: ‘Christmas gift’ to be the worst

Sony hackers have promised to release a disastrous "Christmas gift" that will "put Sony Pictures into the worst state" — another round of embarrassing personal emails, according to multiple news reports.

One of the emails allegedly ridicules Leonardo DiCaprio for passing on an upcoming Steve Jobs biopic.

"Was this about the deal ... or did he just change his mind," movie producer Mark Gordon said in a leaked email, which was published online yesterday. "The latter," responded Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal, reports state.

The Sony hack, which was first reported last month, has not only revealed thousands of private emails sent by top executives, it also made thousands of employee Social Security numbers public and leaked five new Sony films, including the "Annie" remake, Brad Pitt's "Fury," and "Still Alice" to online file-sharing hubs.

In one of the leaked messages, Oscar-winning movie producer Scott Rudin reportedly called Angelina Jolie a "minimally talented spoiled brat," according to multiple reports.

But it looks like the worst is yet to come — "We are preparing for you a Christmas gift," reads a message from the hackers that was posted online yesterday, according to Variety. "The gift will be larger quantities of data. And it will be more interesting. The gift will surely give you much more pleasure and put Sony Pictures into the worst state."

Evidence is mounting that North Korea, outraged over the upcoming comedy "The Interview," may have launched the cyber attack.

The comedy is about a pair of hack TV journalists — played by Seth Rogen and co-star James Franco — who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate Kim Jong Un after they land an interview with the North Korean leader.

North Korea's state-run news agency KCNA declared the film an "act of war" and promised "a merciless counter-measure" if the U.S. allowed it to be distributed.

"The Interview" is set to be released in theaters Christmas Day.

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

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Drug companiess to lose $65 billion on patents

Pharmaceutical companies will lose an estimated $65 billion in sales by 2019 due to patent expirations of leading drugs, according to one research and consulting firm.

The companies that will likely be hardest hit include Otsuka, Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca, which has a research and development center in Waltham, according GlobalData.

Eli Lilly and AstraZemeca have seen profits fall in the central nervous system therapeutics market since 2010, with AstraZeneca losing the greatest share over the past three years, said Adam Dion, a GlobalData analyst covering healthcare industry dynamics.

AstraZeneca "has been bleeding sales" in that market since it lost its patent on Seroquel, a treatment for bipolar disorder, which led to the entry of cheaper, generic alternatives, Dion said.

The company's market share has dropped from about 9 percent in 2010 to about 3 percent last year, he said.

"In the United States, when a patent expires on a small-molecule drug, the generics can be many, and you can lose 90 percent of your revenues or more," said Seamus Fernandez, a Leerink Partners analyst. "That kind of competition decreases the sustainability of your revenue stream."

Eli Lilly's market share fell from 14.3 percent in 2010 to 11.2 percent in 2013, primarily due to decreasing sales of Zyprexa, which is used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Dion said. Zyprexa sales have plunged from more than 
$5 billion to $1.2 billion since the company lost its U.S. patent exclusivity in 2011, he said.

Otsuka's anti-psychotic drug Abilify was the sales leader in the central nervous system market, with $9.5 billion last year, Dion said. But the company stands to lose $6.2 billion by 2019 as a result of generic competition after Abilify's U.S. patent expires next year, "making it the biggest victim of the pharmaceutical industry's current patent cliff," he said.

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T selling air rights over Seaport stop

The MBTA is taking advantage of the booming growth of Boston's Seaport District by selling the air rights above its Courthouse Silver Line Station for development.

"The Seaport District has experienced a great deal of growth and expansion around the Silver Line, and the MBTA would like to be a part of that economic success," spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. "By continuing to work closely with the (Boston Redevelopment Authority), the MBTA expects to identify an abutter or other party interested in advancing a project consistent with other new developments in the immediate area."

The air rights account for approximately 3,939 square feet of space above the MBTA station on Seaport Boulevard.

The station sits amid the sprawling $3.5 billion, 23-acre Seaport Square development taking shape on the South Boston waterfront.

Boston Global Investors, which is the master developer of Seaport Square with Morgan Stanley, couldn't be reached for comment on any potential interest in the air rights.

The MBTA has set a minimum bid of $1.2 million for the rights.

The property is zoned for innovation, hotel, office, retail, entertainment, restaurant, residential and transportation uses. Any building could not surpass 107 feet in height, according to the bid documents.

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Gov.-elect names banker as labor chief

Gov.-elect Charlie Baker has tapped banker Ronald L. Walker as the state's next secretary of labor, adding the first African-American to his Cabinet.

Walker, 53, the co-founder and president of Next Street Financial, a merchant bank aimed at inner-city businesses, comes from a long career in banking, where he previously served as vice president at Sovereign Bank and worked at Fleet Financial Group, according to his Next Street bio.

Walker is the first minority tapped to helm a secretariat under the Republican, and adds to a growing list of Democrats that includes Jay Ash, the incoming housing secretary; chief of staff Steven Kadish; and chief secretary Carlo Basile, an East Boston state representative.

Walker also serves as board chairman for The Base, an urban baseball program whose founder, Robert Lewis Jr., campaigned heavily for Baker and is serving on the new administration's transition team.

"Ron's experience will serve him well as he takes on the job of connecting our administration's job training and workforce development services with employers ensuring they expand and grow here," Baker said in a statement.

Walker said in a statement that he shares the "governor-elect's emphasis on connecting education to work, (and) his commitment to workforce development."

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Merger of Staples, Office Depot predicted

Activist investor Starboard Value's disclosure that it bought a 5.1 percent stake in Framingham's Staples Inc. and upped its Office Depot Inc. holding to 9.9 percent indicates the New York hedge fund will push for a merger of the two office supplies chains, according to analysts.

And while that would leave a single dominant U.S. office supplies retailer, Starboard is confident the Federal Trade Commission would approve it, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. The FTC signed off on Office Depot's $1.2 billion merger with OfficeMax last year without imposing conditions.

Starboard did not return calls for comment. Its regulatory filings stated that Staples' and Office Depot's shares were "undervalued and represented an attractive investment opportunity" and outlined possible future actions including "making recommendations or proposals … concerning changes to the ... ownership structure ... industry consolidation or potential business combinations."

B. Riley & Co. analyst R. Scott Tilghman sees far more reluctance on the part of struggling Staples' to pursue an acquisition or merger than Office Depot. "Staples historically has had the belief that as the frontrunner of the industry, they understood how to operate and, over time, would continue to gain share over their rivals," he said. "Unfortunately, in recent years, especially after the Office Depot-OfficeMax merger announcement, that hasn't been the case."

Starboard's stakes in both retailers hint at a possible merger in the works given its involvement in the Office Depot/OfficeMax merger, Citi analyst Kate McShane said "If they cannot achieve this, due most likely to FTC concerns, we think they will push to have one or both of these companies sold," she said.

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AstraZeneca to shut Westboro plant

The closure of a massive AstraZeneca drug manufacturing facility in Westboro next year is an outlier and doesn't signal trouble in the state's booming life sciences industry, one local industry watcher said.

"That particular facility and the kind of manufacturing they did there is somewhat of an outlier," said Peter Abair, director of economic development and global affairs for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. "It's the type of manufacturing we don't really do a lot, it's more traditional pharmaceutical inhalants."

Yesterday, the drug giant said it will close its manufacturing facility in Westboro in late 2015, affecting roughly 180 employees and contractors. The facility makes Pulmicort Respules, an asthma treatment.

The biotech boom in Massachusetts is built largely on biologic drugs — treatments based on living organisms. That manufacturing process is still advancing incredibly quickly, "on a daily basis," Abair said. Because of that, companies are keeping their research and manufacturing close, he said.

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LogMeIn won’t be logging out

Boston tech company LogMeIn will double the size of its Hub office thanks to a city tax break, a tool City Hall could use again to retain or lure other tech firms in the city, according to the mayor's office.

"It's an option that can be considered if we feel like it would result in shared success," said Melina Schuler, a spokeswoman for Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "These incentives are used on a limited, case-by-case basis."

Over the summer, Walsh said the city was working with another unnamed tech company to find a way to move them into Boston. Officials would not comment yesterday, and the status of the move is unknown.

LogMeIn, a public company with about 400 employees, will get a city real estate tax break to expand its Innovation District office on Summer Street across the street, a move that will essentially double the size of its Boston headquarters.

"Once upon a time, Greater Boston had a chance to keep Facebook. We can't afford to lose that kind of opportunity again," Walsh said at a Chamber of Commerce address yesterday. "We have to be in dialogue with these innovators from the moment their dreams take shape. And if there is something we can do to help them stay and grow in Boston, we shouldn't hesitate."

LogMeIn, which provides cloud access services, will receive a $2.5 million real estate tax break over 13 years, on the condition that it adds 450 jobs.

"It was clear that it was a shared vision, something we could partner on," said Craig VerColen, a spokesman for LogMeIn. "We've always had a pretty close relationship with the mayor's office."

The company plans to move into its new digs in 2016, after construction is completed to fix the building that saw an 8-alarm fire tear through the structure just over a year ago. The total cost of construction for the new office will be $37.7 million.

The City Council approved the tax break — technically a tax increment financing — proposed by the mayor yesterday.

LogMeIn's office was one of the first in what has become one of the fastest growing areas in the region, attracting startups and larger tech companies in droves.

"I think LogMeIn could go anywhere they want," said Chris Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council. "There's an obvious inclination to make your community more attractive."

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New BRA chief Brian Golden promises agency will ‘not play favorites’

Brian Golden, Mayor Martin J. Walsh's newly anointed BRA chief, told the Herald he hopes people will soon see the agency as a place that "does not play favorites."

"I believe that the backroom deals are a thing of the past," said Golden, 49, a former state rep from Brighton. "It's my commitment that nothing should be going on that we would not be comfortable talking about in a public proceeding."

Walsh named Golden — the Boston Redevelopment Authority's secretary and executive director for five years before the mayor tapped him in January to serve as its acting director — as the BRA's permanent chief yesterday.

"He has given me confidence that we can move ahead with deep reforms in the BRA, while still driving development forward," Walsh said. "Brian will work hand-in-hand with businesses and communities to make development work for everyone."

Golden thanked his staff yesterday, saying, "I have essentially risen to this position on your shoulders," though he added, "There are things here that need to be fixed."

In a scathing audit, the agency was accused of losing track of millions of dollars from gross mismanagement of its leases and payments from developers.

Golden has hired a four-person team and acquired new software to better manage the BRA's 200 leases and developer obligations. After the controversial $7.3 million Yawkey Way deal, in which the BRA quietly gave the Red Sox permanent rights to the street on game days, any sale of city land now requires a public hearing.

"It should not be about politics. It's about people who bring quality ideas to us that should be embraced," Golden told the Herald. "I want people to know it does matter who you are, you will be treated fairly here and get a fair hearing with the BRA staff."

Golden's selection was lauded by developers and even longtime critics of the BRA. At-large City Councilor Michael Flaherty, who railed against the agency as a mayoral candidate in 2009, remarked: "Brian is not shy in tackling tough and thorny development issues. That's refreshing. He's clearly listening to the residents' concerns."

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Mass. gas prices continue to drop

Bay State gas prices continued their downward slide yesterday, falling 8 cents over the last week — a trend that's expected to continue throughout the holiday season and could help fuel Christmas shopping — but look for the price plunge to end early next year, experts said.

The average price of a gallon of regular gas in Massachusetts was $2.80, down 63.7 cents from last year's average of $3.44, while the national average was $2.65, down 10 cents from last week and 61 cents from a year ago, according to GasBuddy.com, which tracks gas prices nationwide.

"This (continued decline) has been extraordinary," said Gregg Laskoski, a senior patroleum analyst at the website. "Nobody could have expected crude oil prices to drop this much when it was selling for more than $100 a barrel over the summer and now it's down to $63.14."

The main reasons for the decline have been that the U.S. this year became the world's largest oil producer, due largely to fracking, and globally, production has exceeded demand, which tends to be lower during the winter because people generally travel less, Laskoski said.

Since Thanksgiving Day, when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced it was not cutting production, the price of crude oil has dropped by $10 per barrel, he said.

"It's a price war between OPEC and the U.S.," Laskoski said. "As a result, we're seeing lower crude oil prices and lower wholesale and retail prices of gasoline."

Winter-blend gas also is cheaper than summer-blend gas because it doesn't contain the additives the latter does to make the fuel burn cleaner and reduce pollution, as mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency, he said.

The continuing drop in price could give a needed boost to the economy during the holiday shopping season, said Mary Maguire, director of public and government affairs for AAA Southern New England.

"The less money people are putting into the gas tank, the more they have to spend on other things," Maguire said. "They're also more likely to travel. So there is a tremendous ripple effect."

The price of gas is likely to continue to fall, although not necessarily as precipitously as it has in the last two to three months, before it begins to inch back up, most likely in the first quarter of next year, Laskoski said.

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AG fines TD Bank $625G for data breach

TD Bank agreed to pay a $625,000 fine after losing data tapes that contain the personal information of 90,000 Bay State customers, according to the state Attorney General's office.

"Massachusetts data breach law requires businesses to provide notice of a data breach promptly," Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a statement. "Businesses are required to secure the sensitive information that consumers entrust to them, and cannot subject consumers to unnecessary risk by failing to provide prompt notice when that information is compromised or lost."

Coakley's office said TD Bank lost two unencrypted data backup tapes when the bank attempted to ship them from Haverhill to Springfield in March 2012, but did not notify consumers or the attorney general until October 2012. The tapes contained customers' names, addresses, Social Security numbers, account numbers and other personal information.

"There has been no evidence of fraud or unauthorized access or use of the personal information involved in the incident," Coakley's office said in a statement.

Attempts to reach TD Bank late yesterday were unsuccessful.

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Budget netbook: This one goes to 11

HP Stream 11 ($219 and up)

The latest addition to the netbook category of hyper-budget laptops, this no-frills offering is seeking to be a Chromebook-killer.

A laptop meant for low-power use and productivity in a pinch, these devices provide just basic Web-browsing and document-writing.

The good: This bargain of a device boasts excellent battery life and the ability to install Windows apps, such as Office or even iTunes.

The bad: Those aforementioned apps won't run well.

And without a touchscreen, those swipe-enabled Windows 8 shortcuts won't work.

Also, there's very little storage. You'll want to make heavy use of Microsoft OneDrive.

The bottom line: This is a solid netbook and one of the best bargains on the market.

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Booting Up: ’Tis the season of tablets

Welcome to the first holiday season that has a tablet for everyone, whether you're a buying for a novice or dealing with a stocking-stuffer budget.

Fitting in one hand and starting at $99 for the 8GB model, the Amazon Fire HD 6 has the distinction of being the first tablet that could serve as a stocking-stuffer. It's perfect for a child's first tablet experience. This durable, no-frills device has great battery life and the ability to handle up to six user accounts. Buyers should beware of any of the no-name tablets that boast $50 price tags. The Fire HD is the best bang-for-your-buck tablet, and spending less on one of the no-names could turn out to be a total waste of money.

If you're buying for someone who watches lots of TV and reads lots of books, again look to Amazon. The Fire HDX 8.9, at $379 for the 16GB version, is a solidly designed media device with the incredibly helpful Mayday button — with 24/7 access to live, impossibly chipper customer service professionals right on your tablet. That makes this the go-to tablet for tech novices. With all the media that Amazon Prime offers, not many people think of the Fire as a productivity tablet — and it's not. But the WPS Office software suite, compatible with Microsoft Office, is a nice bonus for anyone who has to review the occasional document or spreadsheet.

This year I'm also partial to the Google Nexus 9, a premium Android tablet running the new Lollipop operating system, starting at $399. A nice size that sits in between Google's 7-inch and 10-inch Nexus models, this is a perfectly sized powerhouse of technology that is light, slim and easy to hold. Its supreme graphics make this the choice for the gamer in your life.

Microsoft has come much closer this year to producing a device that can replace your tablet and your laptop, and that's why the Surface Pro 3 makes the list. The thinner, lighter design along with the usual Windows features secures its place as the best productivity tablet on the market, starting at a price that reflects its laptop alter-ego: $799. And that's without the keyboard type-cover. This is a great gift for overachieving high school seniors on their way to college. They can buy the type cover in the fall and have all the fun that a premium tablet allows until then.

And that brings us to the Cadillac of tablets: the iPad. Starting at $499 and going all the way up to $829 for the highest storage option and a cellular connectivity, the iPad Air 2 is almost offensively sleek, thin and fast. Apple got rid of the air gap between the screen and the actual display, making this gorgeous high-res screen one of the best reasons to buy the Air 2. If you're looking to win "best gift" this year and you're not on a tight budget, look no further. It will not disappoint.

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Mortgage-lending restrictions are finally easing

WASHINGTON — When it comes to buying a house, are you in the "no way I could possibly qualify" category? Not enough cash in the bank for a down payment or closing costs? Credit scores good, but not great? So much deferred student loan debt that you assume any lender would slam the door?

Join the crowd. Large numbers of Americans feel the same, in part because they read and hear that qualifying standards for mortgages are the strictest they've been in decades. A study based on a statistical sample of potential homebuyers conducted earlier in the year by the mortgage company loanDepot found that nearly 60 percent of people who say they want to buy a home aren't pursuing it because they think there's just no point — they are convinced their applications would be rejected. Three-quarters of them, however, concede that they haven't done a thing to check out current lender requirements.

But here's some good news for these folks: Changes are underway in the mortgage market that could give you a better shot at qualifying. Start with recent policy shifts at giant mortgage investors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two dominant funding sources for new loans. Late in November, both companies announced procedural changes that should encourage lenders to be less fearful that the mortgages they approve will be subject to costly "buy back" demands if borrowers go delinquent.

In a buy back, an investor such as Fannie Mae requires the lender who originated the mortgage to repurchase it because of alleged defects in underwriting that ultimately led to the borrower's non-payments. To avoid buy backs, lenders in recent years not only have ratcheted up their underwriting requirements, but have added extra fees — so-called "overlays" — that are designed to compensate them for losses on loans to borrowers who have below-average credit scores, small down payments and minimal assets in reserve.

Though the technical details of the recent changes would glaze most consumers' eyeballs, their intended net effect is important. They tell lenders: OK guys, you can loosen up a little on mortgage applicants, give some breaks on credit scores and other criteria that you wouldn't have previously. David Lowman, a Freddie Mac executive vice president, was explicit about the desired end result. The policy revisions "should encourage 'lenders' to serve a broader range of qualified borrowers," he said. His counterpart at Fannie Mae, Andrew Bon Salle, said he expected lenders to make "mortgages available to more borrowers."

Another big change in the wings: Fannie and Freddie plan to resume lending to buyers who can make down payments as low as 3 percent. Currently their minimum is 5 percent down. The Federal Housing Administration requires 3.5 percent down payment, but its insurance premiums often make its loans more expensive than Fannie's and Freddie's. So cutting the minimum back to just 3 percent could prove helpful for many cash-short borrowers, even if the two companies impose other requirements such as pre-purchase financial counseling.

Lenders and private mortgage insurers strongly support Fannie's and Freddie's recent moves to open the lid on the credit box a little wider. They want to make more mortgages, especially to qualified first-timers, but don't want to be penalized for doing so.

Major insurers such as MGIC are telling realty agents, banks and personal-financial advisers that they should get the word out to consumers who are sitting on the sidelines. Borrowers need to know that gifts can cover 100 percent of their down payment. They need to know that minimum credit score standards may no longer be as high as they feared. The average FICO score for all types of closed loans during October was 726, not the widely assumed 750-760, according to the software firm Ellie Mae. At FHA, the average for successful purchasers was just 683 during the same month. Vance Edwards, marketing program manager for MGIC, the large home loan insurer, said "there are many 'people' who can now afford to buy a home and qualify for a mortgage, but simply don't realize it."

The message here: Getting a mortgage can still be tough — you still have to be able to make the payments — but there is an easing process underway that you shouldn't ignore.

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Expert: Expect more TV programming blackouts

TV viewers in Boston should get used to programming blackouts caused by showdowns between networks and cable and satellite providers, a local expert says, as CBS and TV provider Dish Network announced yesterday they had reached an agreement that ends a dispute that affected thousands of Hub customers.

"We're likely to see more, rather than fewer, of these play out over time," said Daniel Lyons, a Boston College law and telecommunications professor.

The fees that providers pay networks to rebroadcast their copyrighted content, Lyons said, has become increasingly important for their bottom line due to thinning subscriber numbers.

"Cable companies are more price sensitive than they used to be," he said.

In the latest dispute, CBS had blocked Dish from carrying the local channels of CBS-owned TV stations for about 12 hours starting around 7 p.m. Friday. The 18 markets affected included New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston and Miami.

In a joint statement yesterday, the companies said they had ended their skirmish by reaching a deal that will allow Dish to carry CBS-owned TV stations nationwide as well as various cable channels.

"We are pleased to continue delivering CBS programming to our customers while expanding their digital access to Showtime content through Showtime Anytime," Warren Schlichting, a Dish senior vice president, said in a statement.

Ray Hopkins, president of television networks distribution for CBS, said the deal met the company's economic and strategic objectives.

"We look forward to having Dish as a valued partner for many years to come," he said.

The brief blackout was the latest skirmish between television companies that are seeking higher payments for their programming and the cable and satellite companies that distribute the programming and say the higher programming costs will lead to higher bills for their customers. Verizon and Cox Media Group, the owner of Fox 25, settled a similar dispute last week after Verizon Fios customers lost access to the Fox channel for several days.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Globe CEO: Smartphones great for news, but print’s better for ads

Most journalism in the years to come will be delivered on smartphones, Boston Globe CEO Mike Sheehan said yesterday, but print journalism may not be on its way out entirely.

Asked what role smartphones will play in the industry's future, Sheehan said, "Everything."

"It's not going to be an overnight migration, but it's important for us to appeal to 18- to 35-year-olds, and their life is on the smartphone," he said at the Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association annual meeting in Boston. "But it'll be easier to do from a journalistic sense than from an advertising sense. That's going to be the challenge."

Because of the difficulty of creating advertising that works well on a smartphone, he said, the industry may see a stabilization in print journalism.

"More and more," Sheehan said, "I talk to advertisers who come back to print because they say, 'You know what? It just works.'"

There is no turning back the clock on digital journalism, however, he said, and to remain viable, more and more newspapers, including the Globe, are charging readers for that content — something he doesn't see as a bad thing.

"It always bothered me that newspapers gave away journalism for free. It killed me," he said. "We just have to make sure the quality is always there, that digitally, it's updated regularly, and it's terrific, relevant, important content ... I know of no other way to build a business than to improve the quality of the product. The great thing about a newspaper is in print you can improve it every 24 hours, and digitally, you can improve it every two minutes."

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East Somerville home rings with history

There are many historic homes for sale around Boston, but only one can claim to be the site of the world's first residential telephone connection.

The 4.958-square-foot house at 1 Arlington St. in East Somerville, on the market for $899,000 — down from the original $995,000 asking price — has a fascinating history as well as mahogany and cherry woodwork, original wood floors and brass chandeliers and sconces.

The 10-bedroom house was built in two phases: the 1858 Italianate main house built for the Tufts family and an Eastlake-style renovation and side addition completed in 1888.

In 1877, then-owner Charles Williams Jr., a Hub telegraph manufacturer who teamed up with his business tenant Alexander Graham Bell to build the first telephones, had the world's first home phone. It was connected via a dedicated line to his office at 109 Court St. with "1" and "2" as the phone numbers.

The home is on the city, state and the national registers of historic places.

The first floor living spaces still reflect the home's grandeur, with original doors, carved window and door moldings, and a grand front staircase.

The living room, to the left of the entryway, is a large space with restored oak floors, bay windows and two original fireplaces with cast-iron grates and carved wood mantels. Two brass chandeliers hang from elaborate plaster medallions, and original sconce lights ring the walls.

The formal dining room has elaborate wood floor patterns, a carved fireplace with an Italian tile hearth, and a large original walk-in pantry with glass cabinets. An adjacent library has tall windows and a carved wood mantel fireplace.

Original hinges and brass door knobs, some with carved lion's heads, add to the authenticity.

The house's exterior has much of its original detailing, with covered balconies on either side topped with iron brackets. There's a pedimented covered front porch and brackets under the roof. But the clapboard has been replaced by vinyl and the original facia boards need work.

The kitchen has two intact pantries, but its appliances need to be replaced.

The bedrooms on the second and third floors are good-sized, but bathrooms — two on the second and one on the third floor — need to be redone.

The electrical systems also need updating, but the heating system was replaced about a decade ago.

Despite its condition, the historic home is starting to connect with potential buyers. Several are considering converting it into a bed and breakfast, a use that the city of Somerville will allow, and the Lincoln-based Telephone Museum is interested in buying the house as its headquarters.

"It's taken awhile to attract offers because it has more space than many people require and it needs upgrading," said broker Thalia Tringo. "But the house has a lot to offer with its intricate wood detailing and wonderful room scale."

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Carbonite shares soar on buy offer

Shares of Boston tech company Carbonite skyrocketed yesterday after the firm said it had received, and was considering, an acquisition offer from a California-based cloud services and digital media company.

Carbonite, a cloud storage and data backup company, disclosed in an SEC filing yesterday that j2 Global, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, had submitted an unsolicited offer to buy the company.

"J2 is ready, willing and able to acquire all outstanding shares of Carbonite stock that j2 does not now already own at a price of $15 per share payable in cash, representing a 28 percent premium" on Tuesday's closing price, according to a letter from j2 chairman Richard Ressler to Carbonite executives.

Ressler said Carbonite CEO David Friend told him the company was open to a sale "at the 'right price.'"

J2 tried to buy Carbonite more than two years ago, offering $10.50 per share.

Shares of Carbonite shot up 22.79 percent yesterday, closing at $14.44. The offer values Carbonite at just over $400 million.

Carbonite is not immediately rejecting the offer, said spokeswoman Megan Wittenberger.

"Our board — for the stockholders' sake — reviews any material offers," Wittenberger said. "We've received unsolicited offers in the past."

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U.S. patients get Genzyme drug for MS

An injectable multiple sclerosis drug developed by Cambridge biotech giant Genzyme was made available to patients in the U.S. for the first time yesterday, less than a month after federal regulators reversed course and approved the medication.

"Lemtrada has changed my life," said Harold Johnson, 44, of Swansea, Ill., who was among the 1,500 MS patients who participated in the drug's clinical development program. "I'm working full time now, I'm married, I can ride my bike on the weekends, I can work out, I can finally be happy."

Johnson, who was diagnosed with MS in 2005, said he "felt almost reborn" just two weeks after receiving his first clinical dose of Lemtrada in March 2009.

"I felt like a new man," Johnson said. "I had a lot more energy, my depression immediately went away and it was replaced with the happiness that continues to this day."

Lemtrada, which is already sold in Europe, Canada and Australia, was initially rejected by the FDA last December after medical experts raised concerns about its safety and the quality of clinical studies. Two new studies comparing Lemtrada to EMD Serono's drug Rebif led to the medication's approval Nov. 14 for the treatment of American patients with relapsing remitting forms of the debilitating disease.

"My experience with Lemtrada as an MS center director has been quite positive," said Johnson's neurologist, Dr. Barry Singer of Missouri Baptist Medical Center in St. Louis, Mo. "We have really seen the impact where people's lives are more under control — that their lives are regained."

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, autoimmune condition that affects more than 2 million people worldwide and up to 400,000 in the United States.

Bill Sibold, head of Genzyme's Multiple Sclerosis business, said: "Since approval, we have been singularly focused on providing access as quickly as possible for those patients awaiting Lemtrada by ensuring drug availability, completing required REMS training and certifications, and establishing appropriate patient support."

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The Ticker

Three cos. buy retail at hotel in Kenmore Sq.

Three real estate investment firms have purchased the 37,000-square-foot retail portion of Hotel Commonwealth in Boston's Kenmore Square in a $38.5 million deal.

Boston's UrbanMeritage and Novaya Real Estate Ventures and Atlanta-based Invesco Real Estate plan to re-tenant and reposition the more than 10,000 square feet of space that's currently vacant at the Shoppes at the Hotel Commonwealth in the next 12 to 18 months.

"The retail space has never been focused on by any of the hotel owner/operators," UrbanMeritage principal Michael Jammen said. "As a specialist in retail and mixed-use properties, we believe we can find the retail users that will work well with the hotel use and continue the revitalization of Kenmore Square and the Fenway area."

Current tenants in the hotel include the Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar restaurants, as well as The Hawthorne, Starbucks and Hunt's Photo & Video.

The sellers were Denver-based Sage Hospitality, which purchased the hotel two years ago, and co-owner Fundamental Advisors of New York. The 149-room hotel is undergoing a 134,000-square-foot expansion that will add 96 more rooms, event space and parking.

Jobs emails in Apple iPod trial

The late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc., led the company to violate antitrust laws by restricting music purchases for iPod users to Apple's iTunes digital store, an attorney for consumers suing Apple said in court.

Opening statements began yesterday in an Oakland, Calif., federal court in the long-running class action, which harks back to Apple's pre-iPhone era. The plaintiffs, a group of individuals and businesses who purchased iPods from 2006 to 2009, are seeking about $350 million in damages from Apple for unfairly blocking competing device makers. That amount would be automatically tripled under antitrust laws.

Today

 Labor Department releases revised third-quarter productivity data.

 Institute for Supply Management releases its service sector index for November.

 Federal Reserve releases Beige Book.

THE SHUFFLE

JLL Construction has hired Cosmas Papanikolaous and Bill Guzowski to join the firm's New England Construction group as an estimating manager and senior construction manager, respectively. Papanikolaous comes to JLL from Bond Brothers. He brings more than 14 years of industry experience having previously worked for Suffolk Construction and Tocci Building Corp. Guzowski joins JLL from AZ Corp. He has more than 21 years of experience in the institutional, life sciences, and health care industries.

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Somerville pols laud $1B for Green Line expansion fed

The economic future of Somerville and Medford is on a fast track after the Green Line extension passed one of the last key financing milestones for a plan that calls for adding six stops to the popular MBTA route.

"The economic impact is unlimited for Somerville," said city Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

Curtatone said the extension will be more transformative to the city than even Assembly Square, a project that was made possible by a new Orange Line station.

The project will add six stations in Somerville and Medford, including a new branch to Union Square and a stop at College Avenue in Medford.

In its evaluation of the extension, federal transportation officials said the area's future development is largely dependent on transportation improvements.

"The corridor's capacity to accommodate additional development depends on the improvement in the transportation access that would be provided by the Green Line Extension," the report says.

The project will get nearly $1 billion in federal money, the Federal Transit Administration said in a letter to a U.S. Senate committee.

The rest of the project will be paid for by 
$996 million in state bonds and $305 million in state operating funds.

U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, who represents Somerville and served as mayor of Somerville, said the project will have more than just economic benefits, adding that the line "is really intended — in my mind — to serve people who have been underserved for forever."

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It's City Hall Plaza on ice

Boston's City Hall Plaza, usually a barren windswept expanse in the colder months, is poised to become a winter wonderland with an Olympic-sized ice skating rink and a large glass restaurant and lounge overlooking it.

"Winter's Landing" is slated to open on the red-brick plaza with the "Frozen Harbor" skating rink and the 20,000-square-foot "Polar Bar," according to a Craigslist help-wanted ad and a Winter's Landing Facebook page.

"Winter's Landing transforms City Hall Plaza into the centerpiece for autumn and winter public gatherings and events," the help-wanted ad states.

The two-story, full-
service Polar Bar restaurant and lounge would have 46-foot ceilings and 360-degree glass walls. It would be open seven days a week, serving a contemporary menu for brunch, lunch, dinner and late-night noshing, according to the ad seeking bartenders, line cooks and other workers for immediate hire. Additional satellite concessions would be located throughout the venue.

A spokeswoman for Mayor Martin J. Walsh declined to disclose details about the project yesterday.

"Mayor Walsh has consistently spoken about exploring creative ways to activate the space in City Hall Plaza," spokeswoman Kate Norton said. "We don't have any news to report specifically about an ice rink, but we will share information as it is available."

Permits have yet to be issued for the proposed project.

Anthem Entertainment, a Boston company that runs the New England Dessert Showcase and multi-city Anthem International Music Festival, among other events, is in line to run Winter's Landing for the city. Corporate partners, including a presenting sponsor, have been lined up, according to Winter's Landing Facebook page.

Anthem is hosting a Dec. 5 open house for prospective employees. CEO Chris Sinclair could not be reached for comment.

A full calendar of programming and events is planned for Winter's Landing, as well as future additions for following winters.

Since taking office, Walsh has sought to find attractions for City Hall Plaza, where events this year included a Donna Summer roller disco tribute party, World Cup broadcasts and the Downtown Throwdown snowboarding event. Walsh also has expanded City Hall Plaza's mobile food truck program through the winter.

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Shoppers charge into cyber shopping deals

Shoppers hit their smartphones, tablets and desktop computers yesterday for online "Cyber Monday" sales that were tracking 
8.1 percent stronger than last year by yesterday evening.

Mobile users accounted for 38.3 percent of all Cyber Monday traffic as of 6 p.m., while mobile sales accounted for 20.4 percent of all online sales, according to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark. Each were up more than 30.1 percent year-over-year.

More than 126.9 million consumers were expected to shop yesterday, down from the 131.6 million who planned Cyber Monday purchases last year, according to a National Retail Federation survey.

"For today's shopper, every day is 'Cyber Monday,' and consumers want and expect great deals, especially online, throughout the entire holiday season — and they know retailers will deliver," NRF CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement."

Yesterday's average online order was $131.66, on par with last year, but shoppers bought an average of 4.1 items per order, a 3 percent increase. That may indicate shoppers are getting more comfortable and digitally savvy in how they use online coupons and rebates to get the best bargains, IBM's report said.

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