GateHouse buys chain that owns Las Vegas newspaper

New Media Investment Group — the parent company of GateHouse Media New England, which owns several Bay State regional daily newspapers — is continuing its spending spree, announcing it has reached an agreement to buy the company that owns the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

"Local is good because you are honing in on the neighborhoods, the local news, the things that interest people close to home and it's tougher for the giant organizations to muscle in that," Boston University advertising professor and media analyst Tobe Berkowitz said of New Media's latest multi-million-dollar acquisition. "The bad news for them is that you don't always have advertising revenue potential in the smaller areas."

New Media is buying all of Stephens Media LLC's assets for $102.5 million in cash, said Michael E. Reed, president of the New York-based investment group.

"The portfolio is anchored by an attractive set of print publications with a strong community focus, solid readership base, and stable advertisers with limited customer concentration," Reed said in a statement.

Stephens Media operates eight daily newspapers in seven states, and more than 65 weekly and niche publications, with a combined average daily circulation of roughly 221,000.

Last November, New Media bought the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and dozens of other Halifax Media Group papers for $280 million. GateHouse last year also bought the Providence Journal, the New Bedford Standard-Times and the Cape Cod Times.

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

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Confidence in Bay State soars

Massachusetts consumer confidence has soared to its highest level in 13 years — the latest sign, experts say, that the state's economy is improving as people find jobs and open up their wallets.

The Mass Insight Consumer Confidence Index rose sharply this quarter, with the overall score increasing nine points to 106. That marks the highest rate since April 2002 and the first time since October 2006 that the index surpassed the 100-point level.

"Consumer confidence is at its highest level in over a decade, primarily based on better economic conditions led by an increased availability of jobs," said William Guenther, chairman, CEO and founder of Mass Insight, a Boston firm that organizes public-private initiatives on competitive issues affecting the state. "After reporting quarter after quarter of 'see-saw' scores, this is the first time in two years we've seen the index consecutively increase, which may be a new trend resulting from an improving economy."

Fred Breimyer, a regional economist at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, attributed the increase in consumer confidence largely to declining unemployment and sharply lower gasoline prices.

"With more people back to work and with reduced transportation and home heating costs, people have more money to spend," Breimyer said in a statement. "Furthermore, a large majority of those we surveyed indicated that now is a good time to spend, and that drives consumer confidence."

The state's unemployment rate stands at 5.5 percent, and more than 60,000 new jobs were added last year, marking the single biggest year-to-year employment growth since 2000.

"The rise in consumer confidence is attributable primarily to a better labor market for job seekers, reflected in persistently strong net job creation and an increasing number of employees voluntarily changing jobs," said Andre Mayer, senior adviser to Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

Like Breimyer, Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, attributed greater consumer confidence also to lower gas prices.

"It's been a long haul — over a decade when the consumer has not been confident — but that now has turned, and that speaks well for the rest of 2015," Hurst added. "We've had a setback because of the weather, but hopefully that will turn around in the spring."

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Ex-NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver indicted on 3 charges

NEW YORK — Former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was indicted Thursday on three charges after his arrest in a federal bribery case.

The indictment was returned in Manhattan federal court, where he appeared briefly last month when he was freed on bail just a day after sharing the stage with Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his State of the State address.

The indictment doesn't add to the charges against Silver when he was arrested, but it's a critical step that provides a legal roadmap for prosecutors' presentation of evidence at trial. Two conspiracy charges contained in a criminal complaint were not included in the indictment, though no explanation was offered.

Silver will now have to enter a plea at an arraignment scheduled for Tuesday to charges that include two forms of honest services fraud, plus extortion under the color of official duties.

"Our client is not guilty. We can now begin to fight for his total vindication. We intend to do that fighting where it should be done — in court," Silver's lawyers, Joel Cohen and Steve Molo, said in a statement. Silver has said he is confident he will be exonerated.

Silver's arrest came after he had led the Assembly for over 20 years, becoming one of the most powerful and savvy figures in New York state politics.

But prosecutors said there was a dark side to his reputation as a potent backroom operator who played a major role in state budgets and laws, controlling which lawmakers sat on which committees and what bills got a vote.

The government said he had collected nearly $4 million in bribes and kickbacks since 2002 and disguised the proceeds as legitimate income.

The Democrat has since resigned as speaker but has said he intends to keep his Assembly seat.

Silver's arrest rocked the state Capitol, even though state lawmakers' arrests have become ruefully common. Some 28 New York legislators have stepped down because of criminal or ethical issues in the past 15 years. Four others remain in office while they fight charges, including Silver.

A day after announcing Silver's January arrest, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said at a breakfast meeting at a law school that it sometimes seems like Albany has become a "cauldron of corruption."

He was particularly critical of what he called a "three-men-in-a-room" system of government that puts too much control in the hands of the governor, Assembly speaker and Senate president.

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Tokyo stock rise as other Asian markets closed for holidays

TOKYO — Asian trading was quiet with most markets closed for the Lunar New Year holidays Friday, and Tokyo shares continued to rise on recent optimism about an economic recovery.

KEEPING SCORE: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.3 percent to 18,323.17 in morning trade, building on the upbeat mood that marked the previous day, when it closed at a nearly 15-year high. Japan has been pushing ahead with export-encouraging policies such as the cheap yen. Toyota was up 0.8 percent. Softbank gained 1 percent, and Canon added 0.3 percent. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged down 0.5 percent to 5,873.80. Other regional markets were closed for the holidays.

WALL STREET: Standard & Poor's 500 index ended the day down 2.23 points, or 0.11 percent, at 2,097.45. The index is still within a fraction of the all-time high of 2,100.34 reached on Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 44.08 points, or 0.2 percent, to 17,985.77. The Nasdaq composite rose 18.34 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,924.70.

CURRENCIES: The U.S. dollar was down slightly against the yen, trading at 118.92 yen, but little changed against the euro at $1.1369.

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Roof collapses weigh on firms

Snow and ice accumulating on roofs from the barrage of storms has resulted in more than 80 reports of collapsed or damaged buildings since Feb. 9, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to businesses.

Rob Norris, owner of Rockland's Piano Mill, is trying to restore his business after large portions of the store's roof caved in last Tuesday.

"It's gone, it's a total loss," Norris said. "The building has to come down."

The company has relocated seven doors down in Rockland. "We want everybody to know we're not out of business," Norris said. "We are working very hard to get the doors open as soon as possible."

An engineer for his insurance company determined snow had drifted to one side of the roof, creating an unbalanced load that caused it to collapse, according to Norris.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency fielded reports of eight collapsed or partially collapsed buildings — or buildings damaged or at risk for collapse — from 7 p.m. Tuesday to 11 a.m. yesterday alone, according to spokesman Chris Besse. In Waltham, police and fire departments responded to Artisan Industries for a report of a natural gas smell to find a buckled ceiling had damaged the gas line.

No building is safe from the incredible stress of the 8 feet of snow that has piled up on roofs.

"I expect we'll hear of a lot more once the weather starts to warm up," said Garrick Goldenberg, a structural engineering professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Repeated snowstorms compact the snow already on roofs, gradually turning it into ice, Goldenberg said. A cubic foot of snow that weighs about 8 pounds becomes a 64-pound cubic foot block of ice.

Most of collapses are occurring in flat-roofed buildings, but even pitched roofs are not safe under such stress. A Big Kmart in Braintree and a Burlington Coat Factory in Revere were evacuated and closed because of roof damage.

Goldenberg said it's not building codes that are inadequate, but maintenance.

"As soon as the snow stops, the best way to deal with it is to remove it immediately," he said.

Contractors have been removing snow and ice from the roofs of Simon Malls. "There has been no damage to the malls," New England vice president Brian Nelson said. "We are being proactive."

Herald wire services were used in this report.

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Uber, taxis fare well thanks to snowfall, MBTA delays

Record snowfall and ongoing delays and cancellations on the MBTA over the past month have been a boon to cab drivers and ride-hailing services.

"With all the snow and the problems with the T, there's obviously a clear demand for rides," said Donna Blythe-Shaw, a spokes­woman for the Boston Taxi Drivers Association. "People are in need of quick transportation. The majority of the drivers are getting cus­tomers from the cab stands and from street hails."

An Uber spokesman also said business is up.

"During one of the toughest weeks for the Boston transportation system and commuters, Uber driver-partners have been braving tough road conditions to provide reliable service to riders when they need it most," Matthew Wing said in an email. "Regular transit delays and service disruptions have created an increased demand for rides, especially during commute hours, and Uber has been working around the clock to increase supply to ensure we can meet this demand."

Cab drivers had seen business plummet by 50 percent since last summer because of the ubiquity of ride-­hailing services, Blythe-Shaw said. Uber has nearly 10,000 drivers cruising the streets of Boston and surrounding communities, outnumbering the 1,825 licensed taxis in the Hub.

But cab drivers have won back some customers, Blythe-Shaw said, when it's snowing, when the T has been shut down or delayed, and when Uber's surge pricing has been in effect. During one evening commute earlier this month, for example, Uber fares in much of the city climbed to 3.2 times the normal rates.

"With taxis," she said, "good days, bad days, the price is the same."

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Critics glad Partners abandons S. Shore hospital buy

Partners HealthCare System's decision to abandon a controversial plan to acquire South Shore Hospital is a victory for the state's efforts to help rein in rising health care costs, according to critics of the proposed purchase.

"It will help moderate costs, and South Shore (Hospital) is a very good system independent of Partners," said Stuart Altman, chairman of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, established in 2012 under the state's health care cost-containment law. "In the case of Partners, the problem was they were using their higher reimbursement amounts to generate higher costs."

Partners dropped its bid in the wake of a Suffolk Superior Court judge's rejection last month of an antitrust settlement negotiated by former state Attorney General Martha Coakley that would have paved the way for it to acquire South Shore Hospital and Hallmark Health System's Lawrence Memorial and Melrose-Wakefield hospitals. Attorney General Maura Healey threatened to file an antitrust lawsuit to block any future merger.

"We have listened and heard the public concerns and ... we have decided that the best approach is not to proceed with our plan," outgoing Partners CEO Gary Gottlieb said in a letter to employees yesterday.

That decision is the "right choice for Partners and the commonwealth," Healey said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Gottlieb said Partners and Hallmark agreed "to take a pause as we reflect on next steps."

Healey said in a court filing that she will continue to evaluate that proposal if and when the companies proceed.

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Amazon drone arguments don't fly

Tensions between Amazon and the Federal Aviation Administration have been brewing for months, so it should come as no surprise that the agency drafted regulations that shoot down the e-commerce giant's drone delivery ambitions.

Why, after all, would the FAA inflict upon itself the masochism of unmanned aircraft hurtling through the sky with gadgets and groceries? The agency seems to have its hands full with helicopters and planes.

And therein lies the abject failure of Amazon to publicly make the case for its proposed Prime Air delivery service, which aims to get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using small aerial vehicles.

"We believe customers will love it," wrote Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president of global public policy, to the FAA in December, without much in the way of hard data to support his sweeping claims.

Random assertions like those seem to be the basis of Amazon's argument, and the FAA just isn't buying it.

"What data or analysis supports Amazon's position that aerial delivery is in the interest of the American public?" asked the FAA in a rather testy letter to Amazon on Oct. 30. "Examples of benefit to the public may include reductions in injuries or fatalities related to current hand delivery practices."

In other words: what's in it for us?

Amazon's failure to provide much of an argument beyond that it really, really wants to have drones is almost certainly to blame for the FAA's stifling proposal that would mandate drones remain within eyesight of the operator at all times and stay only 500 feet above ground level. Both rules pretty much defeat the purpose of Prime Air.

That said, the FAA isn't so obtuse as to scare off what could potentially be a huge innovation industry in the United States. The agency specifically stated that it is open to public comment on the proposed line-of-sight restriction. Once the proposed rules are published online, the public has 60 days to comment.

Misener has rightly argued that it's in the best interests of the nation for Amazon to keep its drone research and development here in the U.S.

But Amazon needs to get a grip: it's not like these drones are going to be defusing bombs or transporting life-saving medicine.

Until that's the case, Amazon is going to have to make a better argument.

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Tow, plow drivers, plumbers prosper

The brutal winter is proving a boon to certain hardy and lucky sectors of the Bay State's snow-plagued economy — from tradesman to plow drivers to hardware stores.

"This is by far our busiest, most lucrative winter — ever," said Beacon Hill's Charles Street Supply owner Jack Gurnon, whose store has been besieged by customers seeking many shovels, ice scrapers, heaters and roof rakes. "It's epic. It's one storm after another after another. I feel badly for the amount of disruption it's caused. But we're making out great."

Plow drivers have literally seen money fall from the sky, with 7-plus feet on the ground already.

Yeh Diab, co-founder of PlowMe.com, said his contractors have done more jobs in the last three weeks than they did all of last winter.

"This is unprecedented," Diab said. "It's really been — no pun intended — an avalanche. Business-wise, it has been a good winter."

Likewise, tow drivers have seen a bumper crop of cars battered by pothole-ridden roads and subzero temperatures.

Craig Quatromini, owner of C.J. Auto and Tow, said the towing end of his business has been so busy that he's actually closed his Waltham auto-repair shop for the last few weeks to keep up.

"We're helping 200 people a day in Newton — almost triple other winters — and installing 10 batteries a day there," Quatromini said.

The winter has taken a steep toll on many small businesses and restaurants that have seen customers dwindle thanks to a broken transit system and snow days that force Bay Staters to hunker down — spurring Gov. Charlie Baker to declare this week Valentine's Week to urge people to patronize shops and eateries. Hourly workers who depend on the T — and the school system for childcare — have had particularly hard hits to their paychecks.

But certain sectors have made out well, said Alan Clayton-Matthews, associate professor of economics and public policy at Northeastern University.

"There are winners and losers," Clayton-Matthews said. "On net, it is a pretty big loss, especially for hourly workers. But it has been a good winter for snowplow drivers and others."

At Ippolito Snow Services, a plow company in the South End, revenues are up 300 percent this winter, owner Frank Ippolito said.

"We're not trying to take on new clients," he said. "We can't even call everyone back to respectfully decline. We've had to just post something on our website."

Snow Angels, a Boston shoveling business, has seen the number of its customers spike in recent weeks, said owner Carolyn Falk.

"We literally have people around the clock, but we prioritize first responders and the elderly and handicapped," Falk said. "I empathize with the businesses that have been hard hit, but winter's been very good for us."

Joe Delicio, general manager for Roto-Rooter Plumbing and Drain Services Co., said year to date, revenues are up about 15 percent over last year, even though its plumbers have had difficulty getting into driveways or finding parking due to the snow.

"The cold helps our business because people's pipes freeze," Delicio said. "And when this stuff starts melting, that will bring a new influx of calls."

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The Ticker

Report: No U.S. bank victim of $1B hack

The hacker gang that looted as much as $1 billion worldwide from banks was unusual: It stole directly from the banks, instead of ripping off their customers.

Doug Johnson, senior vice president at the American Bankers Association, said there's no evidence that any U.S. bank has been a victim of this particular breach. Still, a report released yesterday found that some of the proceeds were deposited with banks in China and the United States. Their intended targets were primarily in Russia, followed by the United States, Germany, China and Ukraine. The report did not identify the banks involved.

Foxwoods, Mohegan post slot declines

A boost in slot machine bets at Connecticut's two Indian casinos in December was short-lived as Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino posted declines in January.

But Mohegan Sun reported yesterday an increase in revenue, or the share of wagers.

Foxwoods, owned by the Mashantucket Pequots, reported $34.1 million in revenue, down 8 percent from January 2014. Total slot machine bets fell 2 percent, to $424.8 million. The Mohegan Sun posted a 2 percent revenue increase, to $44 million, from January 2014. Slot machine bets slid 1 percent, to $537.3 million.

Colleges eye local-sourced fish label

The Portland-based Gulf of Maine Research Institute is targeting colleges and universities to carry its label that promises seafood products are harvested locally and sustainably. The institute offers a "responsibly harvested" label to food vendors that can source products back to the Gulf of Maine. Wellesley College and the University of New Hampshire are the first colleges to sign on to use the label, institute seafood brand manager Kyle Foley said.

Today

• National Association of Home Builders releases housing market index for February.

TOMORROW

• Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for January.
• Commerce Department releases housing starts for January.
• Federal Reserve releases industrial production for January.
• Federal Reserve releases minutes from January interest-rate meeting.

Dental Associates of Quincy, which has served the region since 1947, has announced the addition of Dr. Thomas M. Melevsky, who will practice general and cosmetic dentistry. His experience includes tenure as a lieutenant/general dentist with the U.S. Navy, stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and Newport, R.I.

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Booting Up: Picture app popular in health care field

A new mobile app — like an Instagram for doctors — has taken the medical community by storm.

Figure 1, developed by a Toronto-based startup, is not for those with weak stomachs. But for more than 150,000 doctors, nurses and dentists who have uploaded case photos, and for an estimated 30 percent of medical students nationwide who use it, Figure 1 is a tool that makes digital collaboration simpler and easier than ever.

And for people like you and me, it's a rare, unfiltered window into the medical world. Some of the sights I came upon include: an extremely rare brain melanoma that was just removed, a 25-year-old with a pocket knife embedded in his skull, and an X-ray of a child's stomach after he swallowed a coin. But for every bit of morbid curiosity Figure 1 satisfies, there are many things of poignance and interest.

One user, PunkRockDoc, posted a photo of a brain harvested from a dementia patient. Upon viewing the photo, which showed an atrophied frontal lobe, one registered nurse commented: "My dad is in the last stages of Alzheimers … This is very interesting and very sad to see what my sweet dad's brain looks like."

Some photos elicited spirited debates, while others overwhelmed with sadness. "Please keep us updated," wrote one user to the pediatric orthopedic surgeon who uploaded a photo of a severely deformed infant.

The app has the ground rules of medical privacy one would expect — faces are automatically blurred, users must manually block any identifying marks like tattoos, and the rarest conditions found only in a few patients are not permitted to be featured, for fear of compromising anonymity. Only verified doctors who have provided credentials are allowed to post, according to the app-makers. And the app's founder, Dr. Josh Landy, has vowed to reject sensationalist images that do not have an educational purpose — though I'm not sure how a 25-year-old with a pocket-knife protruding from his skull is educational. Doctors are advised to seek written permission from patents before posting.

What's so striking about this app is that it doesn't try too hard. It's simple. Other medical image-sharing services aren't as simple — they require subscriptions, are highly curated and include the dense articles you'd expect from a medical journal.

This app — just like Instagram — is all images and comments.

"I have learned A LOT from this app," wrote one nursing student. "I am mostly a visual learner and the pictures posted here are awesome."

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Device improves your pics in a Flash

Nova Flash (various retailers, $59 and up)

Between Pinterest and Instagram, the competition for good smartphone photos is fierce. This wireless, Bluetooth-enabled flash is supposed to give you an edge. Nova, a former Kickstarter product, is going mainstream, but does it live up to the hype?

The good: This is a great flash that comes in the size of a playing card, with an internal battery that is charged using a Micro USB cable. Just holding it off to the side of your smartphone camera will make your photos look like they could not possibly come from a smartphone. Apps for both iPhone and Android are available.

The bad: It can be a little tricky to hold your phone in one hand and the flash in the other. Some sort of stand or hold mechanism would be nice.

The bottom line: This is a must for anyone who wants to take their mobile photo game to the next level. Yes, it lives up to the hype.

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