Feds award $20M grant to upgrade Ruggles T station

Local and federal officials gathered in front of the Ruggles MBTA station yesterday to announce a $20 million federal grant that will help fund the construction of a new 800-foot commuter rail platform and a host of other improvements at the 27-year-old Roxbury transit facility.

"The vision set forth by President Obama for the TIGER grant program called for smart investment in transportation that will lead to expanded growth and opportunity," Gov. Deval Patrick said. "The improvements that will be made to Ruggles encapsulate that vision — shortening commutes, increasing transit access and catalyzing growth for this neighborhood and the city."

In addition to the new 9,600-square-foot rail platform, the project calls for replacing existing elevators, making the station fully accessible to riders with disabilities and restoring rail tracks at the station, which is served by 14 MBTA bus routes, seven private bus shuttles and Orange Line and commuter rail trains.

After completing the project's design work next spring, the MBTA will solicit bids from contractors and the two-year construction period is expected to begin in the fall of 2015, MBTA officials said.

"Transportation infrastructure is what gives us the opportunity for people to get to their jobs, for people to get to an education, for people to live in one place and get to another and keep a strong, vital city operating," U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said.

After the construction of the new platform more commuter rail trains will be able to stop at Ruggles, making the station a more convenient alternative for thousands of people traveling to and from the Columbus Avenue/Lower Roxbury corridor, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx said.

Patrick said the project is a critical element in MassDOT's statewide goal of tripling the share of non-auto-based travel in Massachusetts by 2030.

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Pike traffic woes to grow

Mass Pike commuters, already tested by construction that's reduced lanes and clogged traffic, have another, larger project to look forward to when the current one is finished.

The state Department of Transportation's launch of its estimated $260 million Allston interchange realignment likely will start in early 2017 — on the heels of the current Commonwealth Avenue bridge and median barrier project — and continue through 2020.

MassDOT wants to address significant structural deficiencies in the I-90 Allston viaduct and shift the Pike's alignment in that area so the curve is not as sharp — changes made possible when CSX Corp. discontinued its rail container operation in the Beacon Park Yard, MassDOT spokesman Michael Verseckes said.

It's too early in the design process to determine associated traffic restrictions, according to Verseckes. "Ultimately, the new segment of highway will have to be tied in to the ends on either side," he said.

Another public meeting on the interchange project's preliminary design and work schedule is set for Thursday.

Current work on the Pike — rehabbing of the Commonwealth Avenue bridge foundation and median barrier upgrades — has prompted the shutdown of a portion of the Pike's left lanes in both directions and snarled traffic. An on-ramp lane from Cambridge Street in Allston, for Pike eastbound travel, also has been closed. That $22.2 million project is expected to be finished in spring 2016.

"We understand that this project has created some traffic congestion ... particularly in the morning commute," Verseckes said. "Due to the various constraints with the physical, available right-of-way and the very close proximity to the commuter rail lines, we feel that this design is the only means to get the project done on a timely basis and still maintain safe operation."

Work in the Prudential tunnel portion of the Pike that has prompted night and early morning lane shutdowns, meanwhile, is expected to wrap up Oct. 15, according to the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. The MCCA project, which entailed removing the tunnel ceiling beneath the Hynes Convention Center, is now in cleanup phase, executive director Jim Rooney said.

"We've got to do some fireproofing to the underside of the Hynes, install some heat tracing on some exposed water pipes and drain pipes, and we've got some uneven walls that need to be repaired," he said. "It's kind of the finish work of the job."

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Bruins inking rink space along Pike

The Boston Bruins' new Hub practice rink stands to get a prime location along the Mass Pike in New Balance's $500 million Boston Landing project.

"Over time, it's bounced around on their site, but ultimately where it ended up is our preferred location," Bruins president Cam Neely said. "It's right off the Pike. It's nice exposure for the organization, and I think the building is going to be a beautiful arena aesthetically as well."

The Bruins disclosed in July that they would be a long-term tenant in the facility, to be located next to New Balance's new headquarters. Renderings are still preliminary, according to a New Balance spokeswoman, but, Neely said, "It's not going to look like your typical arena based on the drawings that I've seen."

Pending permitting approvals, New Balance hopes to start construction on the 75,000-square-foot rink complex — and an adjacent nine-story office building with a ground-floor Bruins pro-shop and other retail — no later than November, much earlier than the original planned spring start date.

The Bruins' practice facility will have seating for about 650 spectators, a VIP area, function room and concessions. It also will include locker rooms, a lounge, a strength and conditioning/rapid shot area, training rooms, video and conference areas and offices for the Bruins.

It will be the first non-institutional hockey rink built in Boston since the 1970s, according to New Balance's permitting documents. As such, the rink will have a youth hockey locker room, a separate college hockey area, and a public skate/locker room area.

"There is a need in the city for ice time, so they'll be able to fill it," Neely said.

New Balance still expects a 2016 completion date for the facility. And that still leaves the Bruins — whose lease at Ristuccia Memorial Arena, its Wilmington practice facility since 1987, ends next year — without a training location for the 2015-2016 season.

"As of right now, I don't have an extended agreement with Ristuccia," Neely said. "I can't disclose it, but we're able to secure something close enough for it to be convenient. We're in discussions, but we've verbally agreed."

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Hot Property: Designers uproot tradition

Everything you grow in your yard can be eaten.

Edible landscaping — not to be confused with traditional vegetable or herb gardens — is one of the growing trends in residential yard design according to local landscape designers. Edible plants, bushes and trees can be picked for food or be added to drinks.

"Plantings have to be aesthetic and gorgeous, but they can also be productive, " said landscape architect Kate Kennen, owner of Charlestown-based Offshoots. "You could be growing something that you could use."

Kennen says she is creating a lot of edible landscapes with plantings such as juneberry trees that provide sweet berries, an attractive option to traditional fruit trees that attract a lot of bugs. Another favorite are basswood trees, also known as salad trees, whose leaves, buds and flowers can be eaten.

"We did a 'mint and mojito' garden for a Jamaica Plain apartment project to appeal to younger people who love craft cocktails," said Kennen, who says cocktail gardens include mints, oregano, lavender, chives and sage.

She's created tea plant gardens as well as an edible garden geared to children with tags on a ring binder to help them identify when edible plants can be eaten.

Another growing residential landscaping trend is low-mow or no-mow lawns, said Andrea Nilsen of Boston's Nilsen Landscape Design.

"Traditional lawns are intensely needy — water, fertilizing, chemicals, mowing," Nilsen said.

Nilsen uses clumping grasses that look like lawn but don't grow and ground­cover plantings in lieu of grass. In one Belmont project, Nilsen used huge beds of creeping thyme and barren strawberry as a lawn substitute.

Kennen added that custom-blended seed can provide an attractive lawn that only has to be mowed every 4 to 6 weeks.

Homeowners are also looking to cut down on irrigation costs by using plants that require less watering as well as harvesting storm water for irrigation.

"A third of potable water is poured on landscape, it's a waste," said Kennen. "People want to do less watering."

Low-water plants are also being increasing used on urban rooftop gardens, Nilsen said.

Kennen has done several water-cleansing gardens, where the roots of plants are used to clean toxins in groundwater. She also has expertise in a growing trend called phytoremediation that uses plants to remove contaminants from soil.

"I did a garden in Weston with plants that absorb arsenic left there when it was an orchard," said Kennen, who is writing a book on the subject.

Even the traditional vegetable garden is getting a new twist.

"Usually vegetable gardens are relegated to the backyard, but I did a project where I put the vegetable beds in the front yard because it worked better there" said Nilsen, who is also designing more habitat gardens, with plants that attract honeybees or butter­flies. "People want their landscaping to have more of a purpose."

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Apple sows seeds of more secure payment system

Users of Apple Inc.'s new "contactless" Apple Pay system can expect transactions at retailers that are less susceptible to hacker breaches of their personal data, according to the company and payment security experts.

The mobile payment system, which will work with Apple's new iPhone 6, verifies users through the device's fingerprint scanner and employs radio-based, near-field communication (NFC) to transmit a dynamic security code to a retailer's point-of-sale system in lieu of credit or debit card numbers. Apple Pay also will work with the forthcoming Apple Watch. Credit and debit card information will not be stored on either device or Apple's servers.

"(Apple Pay) does solve almost all of the security concerns in the payments space because it doesn't include a card number," said Tim Sloane, vice president of payments innovation at Mercator Advisory Group in Maynard. "It uses tokens to represent a card number that is not shared."

Apple has agreements with card companies American Express, MasterCard and Visa, and Apple Pay can be used at its own stores and retailers including Staples, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, McDonald's, Walgreens and Whole Foods Market.

Apple Pay is expected to speed retailers' adoption of point-of-sale systems that accept the more secure NFC payments and "chip and pin" or "chip and signature" payment cards with embedded microprocessor chips that store cardholder data in lieu of the more easily hacked magnetic strips.

"There's this liability shift coming next year that's driving merchants to implement (the chip-enabled systems)," Sloane said, noting card issuers and merchants that don't will be held liable for counterfeit card transactions.

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China stimulus hopes, dollar rise lift Asia stocks

SEOUL, South Korea — Asian stock markets were mostly higher Thursday on hopes of additional stimulus in China and the prospect of sustained strength in the U.S. dollar, which could help Asia's exporters.

KEEPING SCORE: Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.8 percent to 15,908.16 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.1 percent to 24,728.09. China's Shanghai Composite gained 0.5 percent to 2,329.07. Stocks in Southeast Asia and India advanced. But South Korea's Kospi lost 0.1 percent to 2,047.59 in their first trading day of the week after holidays. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.3 percent to 5,555.50.

CHINA INFLATION: Stocks in mainland China were among the strongest gainers after the country's monthly consumer price index showed a lower inflation rate. Consumer prices rose 2 percent last month from over a year earlier, compared with a 2.3 percent rise in July. Subdued inflation suggests the domestic economy is muted but also gives policymakers headroom to maintain easy access to credit and possibly introduce new stimulus measures. Sentiment was also bolstered by Premier Li Keqiang's remarks that the country will reach its 7.5 percent economic growth target for this year.

WEAK YEN: The dollar continued to gain against the yen and other Asian currencies on expectations the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates from ultra-low levels in coming months because of steady improvement in the U.S. economy; Europe and Japan by contrast are not expected to let up on stimulatory monetary policy. Credit Agricole analysts said in a report that the dollar will rise to 108 yen by the end of this year, even without further policy easing in Japan. It said the yen will be driven higher by rate hike expectations in the U.S.

WALL STREET: U.S. stocks closed higher as Apple Inc., a market heavyweight, jumped 3 percent after announcing new iPhone models and its first watch. The Dow Jones industrial average ended Wednesday up 0.3 percent to 17,068.71. The S&P 500 rose 0.4 percent to 1,995.69 and the Nasdaq rose 0.8 percent to 4,586.52. Apple comprises 8.5 percent of the tech-heavy Nasdaq index.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude for October delivery was down 9 cents to $91.58 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped $1.08 to settle at $91.67 on Wednesday.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 106.97 yen from 106.82 yen late Wednesday. The euro fell to $1.2906 from $1.2921.

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Nike, EA Sports ditch Ray Rice from rosters

Fallout continued yesterday for former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, as video game publisher Electronic Arts said it's scrubbing him from its recently released "Madden NFL 15," and Nike dropped its endorsement deal with the disgraced athlete.

EA Sports said it would remove Rice from its game's roster Friday via an online update, citing his indefinite NFL suspension after a video surfaced showing him striking his then-fiancee in February.

The companies couldn't afford to ignore the social media response to Rice's knock-out punch to his now-wife, said Boston University sports marketing expert Chris Cakebread.

"It really is the outrage that emanated from our new social consciousness that has caused (them) to retrench so quickly," he said. "The last thing a marketer wants to do is look even more embarrassed than the NFL."

While other pro athletes have rebounded from incidents in their personal lives — PGA golfer Tiger Woods for cheating on his wife and NFL quarterback Michael Vick for his role in a dog-fighting ring — it will be hard for Rice to make a comeback, Cakebread said.

"We have a very short attention span in North America for athletic misbehavior," he said. "But there's misbehavior and just incredible violence against women, and nobody has a stomach for that — especially with video evidence."

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Lawmakers poised to review $1.3B Tesla package

RENO, Nev. — Gov. Brian Sandoval was poised to call state lawmakers into a special session Wednesday to consider an extraordinary package of tax breaks and incentives worth up to $1.3 billion to seal a deal with Tesla Motors Inc. to build a $5 billion factory in Nevada to make batteries for electric cars.

Sandoval told legislative leaders and others last week that the plant and its 6,500 workers would generate more than 20,000 construction and other related jobs and up to $100 billion for Nevada's economy over the next 20 years — a return on investment he estimated to be $80 for every $1 the state spends.

Little public opposition has emerged among lawmakers since Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced alongside Sandoval on the Capitol steps Thursday that Nevada had beat out California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico for the factory expected to open east of Sparks in 2017.

Aides to the Republican governor said they expected the session to begin at noon Wednesday, but by 10 p.m. Tuesday he still had not issued the formal proclamation to authorize the legislative work expected to take up to three days.

Sandoval's spokeswoman Mari St. Martin did not respond to repeated telephone calls or emails seeking comment during the day and into Tuesday night.

Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey, R-Reno, said his caucus had briefings scheduled with the governor's staff Tuesday night.

"We're getting ready for an all-nighter if necessary," Hickey said. "How long it is going to take is anybody's guess."

Rick Combs, director of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, said he still expected the formal order to be signed late Tuesday but had not received any indication when that might happen.

"Bills are in the drafting stage and we have been told to expect a special session" Wednesday, he told The Associated Press.

Longtime Las Vegas reporter and political commentator Jon Ralston reported on his website Ralston Reports that the proclamation had been delayed because other Nevada companies were making a last-ditch effort to secure a way to win sales tax breaks similar to those being offered Tesla as part of the pending special session.

And while it still hadn't officially been called, lobbyists had registered to represent more than 30 companies and organizations at the special session, including labor unions, chambers of commerce, school districts, auto dealers, health care organizations, utilities, manufacturing and other trade groups, and even Black Rock City LLC — the organizers of the annual Burning Man counter-culture festival.

Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick of Las Vegas and other Democrats who control both legislative houses said one of their priorities would be to make sure the jobs go to Nevadans at prevailing wages. That shouldn't be a problem at the factory where Tesla says hourly pay will average $25 or more, but it could be a sticking point with some Republicans regarding the estimated 3,000 construction jobs projected to build the plant.

Reno-Sparks area leaders took to local news shows Tuesday to promote the deal.

"I can't see a downside to it," Washoe County Commission Chairwoman Marsha Berkbigler told KRNV-TV's "Nevada Newsmakers."

Still, the prospects of such a huge corporate giveaway drew criticism outside the mainstream, with one of the state's most liberal groups and one of its most conservative aligning in opposition to quick approval of the deal.

"Why isn't it that easy to raise taxes to fund education?" asked Bob Fulkerson, executive director of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada who criticized the lack of transparency during the secret negotiations with Tesla.

The Nevada Policy Research Institute issued an extensive list of questions it said need to be answered before any deal is approved.

"Why is this happening so quickly?" the free-market think tank asked. "Why is the state creating a different set of rules for one company?"

Institute President Andy Matthews said the governor's "rosy projections" came with no independent economic analysis.

"The governor, of course, will leave office no later than 2018, which means it will be taxpayers who are left holding the bag if all doesn't go as planned," Matthews said.

Assemblywoman Teresa Benitez-Thompson, D-Reno, chairwoman of the Government Affairs Committee, said she wants to make sure strings are attached to the tax benefits so Tesla has to give the money back if it fails to meet certain benchmarks.

Hickey said he's confident lawmakers will hold the company accountable.

"Tesla doesn't get any of these tax breaks until they have spent at least $3.5 billion in Nevada," he told KOH Radio in Reno.

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Home Depot confirms breach in US, Canada stores

NEW YORK — Home Depot confirmed on Monday that its payment systems have been hacked in a data breach that could affect millions of shoppers who used credit and debit cards at its more than 2,000 U.S. and Canadian stores.

The breach could turn out to be one of the biggest in history. Home Depot did not say how many cards might be affected, but the largest U.S. home improvement chain did say its investigation into the breach goes as far back as April.

The news comes nearly a week after a website that focuses on cybersecurity reported on Tuesday a possible hack of Home Depot's data. The company said later that day that it was investigating the potential breach.

"We apologize for the frustration and anxiety this causes our customers, and I want to thank them for their patience and support as we work through this issue," Chairman and CEO Frank Blake said in a press release.

Home Depot is the latest retailer to have a data breach. Others include Target, luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, grocer Supervalu, restaurant chain P.F. Chang's and the thrift store operations of Goodwill.

In December, Target Corp. disclosed a massive data breach that was the second-largest in history, resulting in the theft of 40 million debit and credit card numbers and the potential exposure of personal information of up to 70 million shoppers.

Forrester Research analyst John Kindervag said the Home Depot breach could affect similar numbers of shoppers or cards, noting that months' worth of data may have been compromised.

"From what I'm hearing, people think this will be as big as Target or bigger," he said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

The retail breaches have rattled shoppers' confidence at a time when privacy concerns are high. It's also increased pressure on retailers to increase security so that customers can feel safe that their personal data is secure when they're out shopping.

Retailers, banks and card companies have responded to the breaches by speeding the adoption of microchips in U.S. credit and debit cards. That technology helps makes transactions more secure.

Home Depot, which said malware was used in the hack, has announced that it plans to have chip-enabled checkout terminals at all of its U.S. stores by the end of this year.

In the meantime, the Atlanta company said its IT department also is looking into the breach and is working with outside firms, its banking partners, and the U.S. Secret Service. It added that customers will not be held responsible for fraudulent charges to their accounts.

The possible breach at Home Depot was first reported by Brian Krebs of Krebs on Security. Krebs said multiple banks reported "evidence that Home Depot stores may be the source of a massive new batch of stolen credit and debit cards."

If Target's breach is any indication, the fallout from the Home Depot breach could be severe.

The Target hack cost the company hurt the company's profit and revenue. Target's chief information officer and CEO both stepped down in the months after the hack.

"I would think if you're a member of the board of directors, somebody has to be the sacrificial lamb for this," Kindervag, the Forrester analyst, said about Home Depot's breach.

Home Depot already has had some fallout. Its shares are down about 3 percent since Tuesday, and they fell 42 cents to $90.40 in Monday aftermarket trading.

Before the potential breach was announced, Home Depot said in August that Blake would step down as CEO on Nov. 1. He will be replaced by Craig Menear, president of the company's U.S. retail operations.

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Asian stock markets muted, yen hits 6-year low

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Asian stock markets were muted Tuesday amid holidays in Hong Kong and South Korea. The yen hit a six-year low as the U.S. dollar strengthened on expectations the Federal Reserve will soon end stimulus and raise interest rates.

KEEPING SCORE: Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.3 percent to 15,752.58 but China's Shanghai Composite eased 0.1 percent to 2,324.84. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.3 percent to 5,593.50. Stock benchmarks rose in Taiwan and Singapore but fell in Indonesia and Malaysia. Markets in Hong Kong and South Korea were shut for public holidays.

BREAKUP JITTERS: A possible dismembering of Scotland's centuries-old union with England is alarming international investors and could spell trouble for the United Kingdom, which is Europe's third largest economy. It would hit Britain's trade balance and dent its income with oil reserves possibly reallocated back to Scotland. The pound fell more than one percent Monday ahead of the Sept 18 referendum after a poll showed a narrow majority in favor of Scottish independence for the first time.

DOLLAR BULLS: The dollar extended its rally, hitting 106.29 yen, the highest since September 2008. Compared with other major currencies beset by bad economic data or possible further stimulus, the dollar appears the most attractive as the U.S. central bank looks to end stimulus by October and consider hiking interest rates.

THE QUOTE: "The rally in U.S. stocks took a pause overnight amid the dearth of market-moving data, as investors consolidated positions after five weekly gains on US indices. It's a muted calendar this week," said CMC Markets analyst Desmond Chua.

WALL STREET: The U.S. stock market fell amid a retreat in oil and energy stocks following a recent sell-off in the price of oil. The S&P 500 index lost 0.3 percent to 2,001.54 while the Dow Jones industrial average eased 0.2 percent to 17,111.42.

ENERGY: Oil prices fell for three days straight as geopolitical worries over Ukraine and Iraq have eased. Also affecting crude oil was last week's report of a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing and data Monday that showed China's imports fell for a second month in a row. Benchmark U.S. crude oil for October delivery rebounded a bit Tuesday. The contract was up 26 cents at $92.92 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell 63 cents to $92.66 a barrel in New York on Monday, the lowest price since January.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 106.24 yen from 106.02 yen late Monday. The euro dropped to $1.2875 from $1.2897. The British pound continued its slide, falling to $1.6074 from $1.6097.

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Booting Up: Student apps make grade

Sorry, student slackers. Technology has made it so that you have even less of an excuse for failing to show up to class on time or to turn in a homework assignment.

"There's an app for that," should be the mantra of every teacher faced with a student who needs help organizing and completing daily tasks. But there's good news. Chaos can be coordinated.

To do just that, I suggest iStudiez Pro. The just-released version for Windows follows a hugely popular app that ran across Macs, iPhones and iPads. iStudiez Pro has a unique planner that lets you keep track of the most complicated schedules, even classes that alternate weeks. Users can set up recurring due dates for teachers who have monthly or weekly assignments, and they can also prioritize assignments so the most important stuff gets done quicker. Not only is this a great app for high school and college students, but I could also see it being a useful tool for parents of young children who need to keep track of tons of appointments.

There's something for Android users along these lines too, an app called Studious — and be careful, there are two apps with this name. Get the one by Braden Young. It keeps track of your schedule and assignments but there's one feature that makes it stand out — this app automatically silences your phone during lectures and classes.

MyHomework Student Planner is the digital version of a Trapper Keeper. It works across just about every platform you can think of, from Windows 8 to Chrome. Reminders help you stay on top of your assignments so you don't forget when they're due. If you're lucky enough to attend a school that integrates with this app, you can look forward to using the app to communicate with your teachers as well.

Communication tools that help parents, teachers and students connect abound this year. Some of the best-
regarded include Remind, which helps teachers and students message each other without having to exchange phone numbers; Classdojo, which lets teachers give live feedback and virtual rewards to students in the classroom; and 
Edmodo, an app that acts much like a social network, allowing for online studying with peers and a ton of collaboration outside the classroom.

So now that all manner of digital tools exist to churn out productive students, no excuses, right? Then again, who am I kidding? It's only a matter of time before we start hearing the phrase, "My app ate my homework."

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China exports up 9.4 percent, imports shrink again

HONG KONG — China's exports grew more than forecast in August while imports shrank unexpectedly for the second month in a row, a reminder of the fragile recovery in the world's No. 2 economy, customs data showed Monday.

Exports rose 9.4 percent last month, down from a 14.5 percent expansion in July but higher than many economists had been forecasting.

Imports, however, contracted 2.4 percent, after shrinking 1.6 percent the month before, at odds with the expectations of economists, who though imports would return to growth last month.

The figures indicate that global demand for China's manufactured goods is holding up but domestic demand continues to stumble, exacerbated by a slump in the property market.

"While some of this weakness is because of falling prices of imports, especially of raw commodity imports, the momentum of imports is also weak in real terms. This reflects sluggish domestic demand," especially in industries such as real estate, said Louis Kuijs, chief China economist at RBS.

China's communist leaders are relying on exports to help support employment while trying to nurture growth based on domestic consumption.

Policymakers in Beijing rolled out mini-stimulus measures earlier this year after economic growth in the first three months sagged to 7.4 percent, the lowest in nearly two years. Growth improved only slightly to 7.5 percent in the second quarter.

Kuijs said that growth would not strengthen for the rest of the year as the ailing property market is weighing on the economy. He expects authorities to unveil "increasingly significant measures" to support growth.

August's exports totaled $208 billion while imports were $158.6 billion, pushing China's politically sensitive global trade surplus up nearly 78 percent to an all-time high of $49.8 billion.

Economists said that the continuing export strength and import weakness would put pressure on China's currency, the yuan, to strengthen further against the dollar.

___

General Administration of Customs of China (in Chinese): www.customs.gov.cn

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Casino panel will put conditions on license

The state Gaming Commission, which is set to begin its deliberations tomorrow on the coveted Boston-area casino license, will give Mohegan Sun and Wynn Resorts a chance to influence the conditions of their potential license — including in Wynn's case how much money should go to Boston — before deciding who gets it.

"It's important for the applicants to understand the conditions, what the award of a license means, and for us to understand that they understand and are willing to agree by those conditions if we issue the license," commissioner James McHugh said.

The approach is a departure from how the panel handled the awarding of the state's lone slots parlor license in February. In that case, only the winning applicant, Penn National, was presented with license conditions, to which it agreed. The conditions were mostly that Penn submit a series of compliance reports within a certain timeframe.

McHugh said the commission is taking a different approach because the conditions of a Boston-area license will be more involved than in the slots debate.

"The conditions in those cases were not complex conditions," McHugh said. "These may be, and it's important to give them time to look at them, and it's important for us to understand whether they're prepared to accept those conditions before we make the final determination."

Applicants will likely be presented with license conditions in the middle of this week and given an undetermined amount of time to respond. Mohegan did not respond to a request for comment. Wynn spokesman Michael Weaver said the company is "comfortable and will follow whatever process the commission sets."

In Wynn's case, the commission will dictate in its conditions what payments the developer must make to Boston to mitigate traffic and other impacts its Everett casino would have on Charlestown. Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh ceded the decision to the commission after he claimed Wynn withheld key documents about its plan. Walsh cut a deal with Mohegan that would pay the city a minimum of 
$18 million a year.

John Ribeiro, chairman of the Repeal the Casino Deal campaign, which is working to overturn the state's casino law in November, said giving applicants a say in their own license conditions is inappropriate.

"It's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between the casino industry and the casino regulators," Ribeiro said. "They are doing everything within their power to make it easier for the casino operators."

McHugh said it remains to be seen what steps would be taken if applicants object to proposed conditions.

"They tell us that they're not comfortable and we talk about it among ourselves in public, and we talk about it, perhaps with them, in public, and we come to some conclusion as to what the consequences ought to be," McHugh said. "Maybe a modification, maybe a change, maybe an improvement, maybe something else."

Commissioners have been studying different components of Mohegan and Wynn's applications for months and will present their findings next week. The commission set Friday as the date for awarding the casino license, but McHugh said the decision will likely take longer.

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Roslindale to get 43 new housing units

Officials broke ground yesterday on a Roslindale development that will transform an MBTA substation vacant for more than 40 years and add middle-class housing, a project Mayor Martin J. Walsh said offers an affordable alternative to the explosion of luxury housing in Boston.

"This is an exciting project for the city, an exciting project for Roslindale," Walsh said yesterday after the groundbreaking for The Parkside on Adams. "Here's an opportunity for 43 units in neighborhoods that can help sustain a community. It's certainly a big part of the answer."

The Parkside on Adams will include those 43 housing studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units at the site of the former F.J. Higgins Funeral Home and the long-vacant and unused MBTA substation on Washington Street will be restored and house a 120-seat restaurant on its ground floor.

"It's going to be a wonderful, transforming event for our neighborhood," said Steve Gag, president of Roslindale Village Main Streets.

Walsh said the $15 million project, which is across the street from Adams Park, will help complete the redevelopment of the area.

"This is really one of the last pieces," Walsh said.

The substation, built in 1911, was used to power some of Boston's first streetcars.

Gag said the development will bring Roslindale full circle.

"This really gave birth to Roslindale, this building did, because it allowed those streetcars to bring people to work," he said. "This is all about transformations."

Matt Kiefer, president of Historic Boston Inc., a nonprofit focused on restoring and preserving historic buildings, said the substation will turn into a neighborhood highlight.

"You sometimes find treasure in unexpected places," he said. "An electric power substation is not necessarily the first thing that would come to your mind as something that might have a role in improving a community."

Soon, the windows covered with bricks and wooden boards will be open again.

One part of the substation that will not be restored is the fading mural on the side of the building. Jim Higgins, who painted the mural in the '70s, said the redevelopment will do the same thing he had hoped to do 40 years ago.

"When I did the mural, it was to make it a nicer space," Higgins said. "I think this is a logical progression of that."

The substation was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013, a designation that made the building eligible for state and federal tax credits for its rehabilitation.

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