The Ticker

Report: Disney to give DraftKings $250M

Boston fantasy sports startup DraftKings reportedly is getting a $250 million shot in the arm from the Walt Disney Co.

In return for the investment, DraftKings will spend more than $500 million in advertising on ESPN platforms in the coming years, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing unnamed sources. The company is now valued at about $900 million, according to the report.

DraftKings lets fans play fantasy sports online and win money if the players they pick do well in games.

Fortune.com last month reported Disney and DraftKings were in talks. Both companies declined to comment on the Journal's report.

Previous investors in DraftKings, which launched in 2012, include Atlas Venture along with Boston Seed Capital, Hub Angels and Angel Street Capital.

DraftKings earlier this week announced a multi-year expansion of its exclusive partnership with Major League Baseball, making it the league's "Official Daily Fantasy Game."

Snow takes bite out of tax revenue

Roads, public transportation and patience weren't the only things stressed during this winter's punishing snowfalls.

The state's tax revenue also took a hit.

Revenue Commissioner Mark Nunnelly said yesterday that the state's sales and use taxes are lagging "undoubtedly due to weather-related sales losses."

Revenue collections for March totaled just over $2 billion. That's $82 million — or 4.2 percent — more than last March, but $99 million below projections.

Nine months into the fiscal year, revenues are $132 million above projections.

Nunnelly said that despite strong performance in estate tax collections, March revenue collections were more than offset by the release of tax refunds that had been held up in February for additional scrutiny.

He said corporate and business taxes were up $103 million over last March.

Tesla sets quarterly delivery record

Tesla Motors yesterday said it set a new company record for the most cars delivered in a quarter, with 10,030 vehicles in the first three months of 2015.

This is the first time the company has disclosed deliveries within three days of a quarter's end, a practice Tesla said it would continue. Most auto manufacturers report vehicle sales on a monthly basis.

The company said the first-quarter global delivery figure marks a 55 percent increase from a year earlier. But it is still a long way from Chief Executive Elon Musk's estimate of 55,000 deliveries in 2015.

"Ten thousand is the best he's done yet, but it's not going to get him to 55,000," said Karl Brauer, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. "He still needs to get the rate of production and sales improved to a pretty good chunk between now and the end of the year."

• Canton Co-operative Bank announced that Bela Vasconcelos, left, has been promoted to 
assistant vice-president/director of residential lending. 
Vasconcelos joined Canton 
Co-operative Bank in 2012.

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Church to host conversion

A landmark Beacon Hill church has been sold, and early redevelopment plans call for a conversion to residential condos and office space.

Boston real estate investment firm Ad Meliora and Rhino Capital managing principal Michael Olson bought the Church of St. John the Evangelist and rectory at 33-35 Bowdoin St. for $4.5 million.

Two condos and an office for Ad Meliora are under consideration for the church, along with three or four condos in the rectory, according to Ad Meliora president Jan Steenbrugge.

"It's a historical building, so we're working together with the Massachusetts Historical Commission and Beacon Hill Commission to find something that everybody can be happy about," Steenbrugge said. "We want to keep the church space as open and authentic as possible, so that limits what we can do there. We are absolutely not planning any high-density project. We want to use the space without causing a nuisance in the neighborhood with parking issues."

Members of the Church of St. John the Evangelist and Cathedral Church of St. Paul on Tremont Street voted to merge in 2013, and the combined Episcopal congregation is using the Bowdoin Street church for a few more months under a lease deal with Ad Meliora while St. Paul's undergoes renovations.

The Church of St. John the Evangelist was designated a national historic landmark in 1966. It was built in 1831 for the Bowdoin Street Congregational Society, which was led by the Rev. Dr. Lyman Beecher, the paternal grandfather of American abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Parishioners of note have included poet T.S. Eliot and Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.

The granite Gothic Revival-style church was designed by architect Solomon Willard, who also designed the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. The adjacent four-story brick Greek Revival row house that serves as the rectory was built around 1843.

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Marty Walsh, Stephen Lynch want feds to nix local pipeline OK

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and elected officials representing West Roxbury are asking federal regulators to reconsider their approval of a natural gas pipeline proposed near an active quarry, saying it's a potential public safety nightmare and they won't stop fighting it until the plans are changed.

"We can't compromise the public safety, we've got to fight," U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch said. "Most people, even a layperson, would understand that it's not a wise decision to locate a high pressure gas pipeline in an active blast zone."

The officials yesterday filed for a rehearing before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which last month issued a final environmental impact statement to allow the expansion of Spectra Energy's Algonquin pipeline. In West Roxbury, the pipeline would run along Washington Street and Grove Street, with a metering and regulation station next to a quarry that uses dynamite.

"I think they've got a very dangerous three-legged stool between a high pressure pipeline in a residential neighborhood next to a highly active quarry," said Andrea Carlson, a West Roxbury resident and member of Stop the West Roxbury Lateral Pipeline.

Spectra Energy defended the safety of the pipeline.

"Spectra Energy takes safety very, very seriously," said spokeswoman Marylee Hanley. "Spectra Energy spends $1 billion a year on integrity management on our pipelines."

But Walsh said the pipeline "poses real public safety risks," and Lynch said he and the mayor have met with the attorney general to discuss legal options.

"I said (to Spectra), think of us as plaintiffs, because that's where we're going," Lynch said. "We know we're going to have to get lawyered up here."

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B.R.A. joins digital world

The Boston Redevelopment Authority has converted its 108 property leases into digital files and is preparing to audit if it has received all of the money it was owed after a scathing report last year faulted the agency for losing track of delinquent rent payments and having no centralized way to track them.

Some 100,000 pages of lease documents — most of them with tenants of BRA-owned property at the Marine Industrial Park in the Seaport District and the Charlestown Navy Yard — have been scanned and will be entered into a property management system the BRA has purchased.

The system will send agency staffers automatic reminders when lease payments are due, when deals are expiring, and if tenants owe money and are up to date on insurance. Previously, the complex lease agreements were only on paper and housed in a variety of locations.

"It's going to bring us into the 21st century," BRA Comptroller LeAnn Coleman said. "We're going to be able to proactively manage it to look at what leases have option dates that are upcoming, so we can make better decisions about what's happening with our lease portfolio."

The agency, for instance, will be able to use the system to ensure new rental rates are negotiated in advance of leases expiring, Coleman said.

In an audit last year, accounting giant KPMG found that the BRA and its subsidiary, the Economic Development Industrial Corp., had allowed a combined $5.1 million in delinquent rent to go uncollected as of last April because of the agency's lax, archaic record-keeping. By November, the BRA said it had brought the outstanding rents down to $950,000.

The audit also faulted the agency for not having a "central repository" for its documents and for lacking "internal controls" and standard business "document protocols."

The new system — which the BRA will pay $30,000 a year to license, in addition to startup costs — will also allow the BRA to easily track the hodgepodge of different payment clauses contained in leases.

Once the system is up and running, Coleman said the BRA will perform an audit to ensure it is properly billing for and collecting all payments.

"There will be no detail left unturned, believe me," Coleman said.

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Test drives city to expand ParkBoston

The city is expanding its ParkBoston app to all 8,000-plus parking meters, letting drivers pay remotely with their cellphones, after a successful pilot of the program in the Back Bay.

"Thousands of Bostonians have already embraced this new and convenient technology, and expanding this service throughout the city will make the experience of paying for parking easier for each and every user," Mayor Martin J. Walsh said in a statement.

More than 15,000 people downloaded the Park­Boston app — available for iPhones and Android devices — since the pilot program launched in January. Officials plan to roll out the app to all the city's meters in phases, beginning with the rest of the Back Bay and the Fenway/Kenmore area this week, with the goal of having it completed by the end of the summer.

"Certainly the more options you give someone to pay the meter, the more often they will pay the meter," said Gina Fiandaca, commissioner of the Boston Transportation Department.

The expansion of ParkBoston comes on the heels of Walsh's announcement last week that the city would replace all parking meters with new smart meters that accept credit cards and will collect data about space usage. That project, estimated at $5 million
to $6 million, is scheduled to start by the end of the year.

The smart meters will be able to detect whether a spot is in use.

"(It will) help us strategically manage curbside space by providing information on duration of parking sessions," Fiandaca said.

That data could also be used for demand-based pricing, she said, including the possibility of extending hours or raising pricing­ near the TD Garden or Fenway Park.

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Clouds on horizon for solar projects

Municipal and large commercial solar projects in Massachusetts are being stymied by caps on net metering, which gives a credit for any unused energy they provide to the electrical grid, and incentive to install new panel arrays, advocates said yesterday.

The caps for both large private and public solar projects in National Grid territory were hit within the past two weeks, putting the state's solar industry and its 12,000 jobs at risk, said Ben Hellerstein, of Environment Massachusetts.

"We have seen the number of kilowatts of solar energy in Massachusetts increase 127 percent annually for the last three years," Hellerstein said. "Unless the Legislature and the governor raise the caps, we could see that rapid growth slow down or come to a halt."

Small solar installations, such as those on homes, are exempt from the limits.

Solar energy advocates are lobbying for the passage of a House bill that would raise the caps to 1,600 megawatts and set a goal of getting at least 20 percent of the state's electricity from solar power by 2025. Raising the caps now also would allow the state to take advantage of a 30 percent federal investment tax credit, which expires at the end of 2016, said Emily Rochon, a fellow at Boston Community Capital.

A task force set up by the Legislature is reviewing alternatives, including requiring at least 1,600 megawatts of solar energy by 2020.

"The administration is committed to working with the task force and energy community to achieve continued solar growth ... and establish a framework for a sustainable program with reasonable ratepayer costs going into the future," said Katie Gronendyke, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

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The Ticker

Dot proposal could aid ill with housing needs

A 39-unit apartment building that would allow people with multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases to live independently is being proposed in Dorchester.

The Boston Home Inc., which operates a 96-bed nursing facility serving adults with progressive neurological diseases, hopes to build the mixed-income housing complex on its Dorchester Avenue campus.

The 134-year-old nonprofit is partnering with Boston-based Affirmative Investments Inc. on the $11 million project, which would include 30 units for people — and their families — with significant physical disabilities transitioning from long-term care, and people already living in the community who need additional support.

The goal is to create a national model for independent community living incorporating advanced technology and specialized support services, Boston Home said in documents filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Backers plead for film tax credit

Supporters of the state's film tax credit packed a State House hearing to argue against Gov. Charlie Baker's proposal to do away with the decade-old tax break for movie and TV production in Massachusetts.

Baker wants to use the money that would be saved to double the state's earned income tax credit that goes to low-income working families.

Secretary of Economic Affairs Jay Ash told the Legislature's Revenue Committee that for each dollar spent on tax incentives for the film industry, the state gets only 13 cents back in revenue. Administration officials also said nearly two-thirds of film production spending wound up in the hands of non-Massachusetts residents or businesses.

But supporters of the tax credit strongly disagreed, telling lawmakers it has helped create thousands of jobs and boost thousands of small businesses around the state.

Quincy clothing retailer J.Jill sold

Quincy-based women's clothing retailer J.Jill said yesterday that it is being acquired by an investment management firm. J.Jill has about 250 stores around the country that sell clothing, shoes and accessories. It is being acquired by TowerBrook Capital Partners L.P. which is buying it from the investment firm Arcapita and private equity firm Golden Gate Capital. Financial terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter, were not disclosed. TowerBrook owns high-priced denim brand True Religion and previously owned the high-end Jimmy Choo shoe company before selling it off in 2011.

TODAY

 Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for March.

 Commerce Department releases construction spending for February.

 Automakers release vehicle sales for March.

THE SHUFFLE

Cambridge-based GNS Healthcare, a provider of analytics solutions for matching health interventions to individuals, announced that Tom McNamara has joined the company as chief revenue officer. McNamara will shape the GNS sales organization to serve an expanding roster of clients, including health plans, health care providers, biopharmaceutical companies and foundations.

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Discount Chromebooks spur laptop war

The release of Google's cheapest Chromebook laptops yet — two versions priced at $149 each — is good news for students, and the cost will likely go even lower in the company's ongoing price war with Microsoft, analysts said.

"It really is excellent news for kids and for education," said Brad Reback of Stifel Nicolaus and Company in Atlanta. "You can now put computing power into the hands of many more kids. And (the price) will go lower. Google will continue to push pricing down to put pressure on Microsoft."

The newest versions of the Chromebook that Google announced yesterday are made by Hisense and Haier, PC manufacturers that have been working with Google to design lightweight laptops that run on the Chrome operating system.

Their arrival coincides with Microsoft's rollout of a lower-priced Surface tablet in an effort to reach students and budget-conscious families. Pre-orders for that device began yesterday, too. The cheaper version of the Surface Pro 3 sells for $499, compared with $799 to $1,949 for the higher-end models.

The Chromebooks don't have a hard drive and function as terminals dependent on an Internet connection to get most work done. The Chrome system is set up so users will automatically begin using Google's search engine and other services, such as Gmail and YouTube. Google also has used the Chromebooks as a prod to bring down the prices of all PCs.

"It has been good news for consumers, but not so good for vendors," said International Data Corp. analyst Jay Chou.

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

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Keolis trumpets return, silent on fine payments

The head of commuter rail operator Keolis yesterday ducked questions about whether his company will pay its fines for its delays and cancelled service this winter, letting MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola answer for him at a press event announcing the full restoration of service.

Asked whether the company would pay for its dismal record, Keolis General Manager Gerald C. Francis deferred to DePaola, who said the T is "working with Keolis to assess what's happened over the last couple of months." Keolis has racked up more than 
$3 million in fines since its "no excuses" contract started in July, including nearly $2 million for winter failures. The company has argued that the weather is beyond its control.

"There were extreme weather conditions, so we have to take that all into consideration," DePaola said. "Now that service is back, we need to meet internally and decide what the contract ramifications are."

The state Department of Transportation board approved a plan to provide a free day of service on the T — including commuter rail, buses and boats — for April 24, he added, and a 15 percent discount for weekly or monthly pass holders on their May passes. The commuter rail also is replacing single-level coaches with bi-level ones to ease crowding.

None of that satisfied Angelica Martinez, a South Shore commuter who said Keolis made her late to her paralegal job for an entire month, forcing her to make up the time in her lunch hour.

"Of course (Keolis) should pay a fine," said Martinez, 40. "I want a full month (free) to make up for that lost month."

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The Ticker

BU business school gets $50M gift from graduate

Boston University received $50 million, its largest gift ever, for its management school from retailing executive Allen Questrom and his wife, Kelli. The renamed Questrom School of Business will use the donation to endow 10 faculty positions and help pay for added facilities for the graduate program, the university said. Questrom, 74, who earned a bachelor's degree from BU in 1964 and is a trustee, has led retailers including Barneys New York Inc., J.C. Penney Co., Federated Department Stores and Neiman Marcus. He is currently a senior adviser to Lee Equity Partners LLC, a New York private equity firm.

McDonald's to test all-day breakfast

McDonald's Corp. will experiment with serving breakfast all day at some San Diego-area locations as CEO Steve Easterbrook seeks to pull the restaurant chain out of a U.S. sales slump.

The test, slated to begin next month, will keep hash browns, Egg McMuffins and other sandwiches on the menu beyond the standard breakfast hours. McDonald's is the fast-food breakfast leader, and the morning menu accounts for about 25 percent of its business. As more Americans eat breakfast away from home, competitors such as Taco Bell and Starbucks have tried to take market share from McDonald's with expanded offerings.

Woman denies defrauding One Fund

A Boston woman has pleaded not guilty to fraudulently receiving thousands of dollars by claiming she was injured in the Boston Marathon bombings.

Joanna Leigh was arraigned yesterday on charges of larceny and making a false claim to a government agency. She was released without bail and ordered to surrender her passport and not travel outside New England or New York. Her attorney said she's "a very fragile person."

Prosecutors say Leigh got $8,000 from The One Fund victims' charity; $18,000 from a state victims' compensation fund; $9,000 from an online fundraiser; and $1,700 raised by Boston school students.

Authorities say she was at the April 2013 marathon but wasn't hurt. Leigh, 41, says she suffered traumatic brain injuries, and the charges are retaliation for her criticism of The One Fund for not helping people with brain injuries.

TODAY

 Standard & Poor's releases S&P/Case-Shiller index of home prices for January.

 Conference Board releases the Consumer Confidence Index for March.

TOMORROW

 Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for March.

 Commerce Department releases construction spending for February.

 Automakers release vehicle sales for March.

THE SHUFFLE

North Andover-based Watts Water Technologies has named Todd A. Trapp as its chief financial officer, effective April 9. Trapp most recently was vice president of financial planning and analysis at Honeywell International Inc., where he was responsible for leading the annual strategic planning processes for the $40 billion conglomerate. Prior to his 12-year Honeywell career, he held several treasury and finance operational roles at United Business Media Inc. and Pearson Inc.

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Autodesk headed to Boston

Silicon Valley software design giant Autodesk is moving into Boston, and will open up its new Seaport District office to startups and researchers, focused on the construction industry's innovation needs.

"The Seaport area for us is a perfect location because of the creative activity that's going on right now," said Autodesk spokesman Paul Sullivan. "We really wanted to be in the heart of the academic community."

Autodesk and Mayor Martin J. Walsh will formally announce the move today.

"We're going to make sure we signal this is really important to the city," said John Barros, chief of economic development for Boston. "We want to try to bring (companies) back into the city and (Autodesk) symbolizes an important company coming in and saying to other companies, 'You should come to Boston.' "

Barros said a company such as Autodesk represents the kind of business the city is hoping to attract and retain.

"This is the kind of company we want, these are the kind of jobs we want. This is perfect," Barros said. "This is a company that's at the nexus of Boston's innovation economy and manufacturing, this is advanced manufacturing, this is exactly where we think the sweet spot is."

Autodesk, which makes design software, will move about 175 jobs to the new office at 23 Drydock Ave. from its current office in Waltham. The new office will span 70,000 square feet across three floors at the Boston Design Center, with an option to expand an additional 50,000 square feet. Autodesk plans to move in later this year.

The space will also include a "Building Innovation Learning & Design" space, complete with tools including laser scanners, robots and robotic manipulators, large-scale 3-D printers and water-jets.

"This particular facility is going to be focused more on our building and construction industry," Sullivan said. Autodesk makes a suite of software for architects and building engineers.

The company will also expand its startup in residence program, bringing in companies that fit with Autodesk.

"We're going to be looking around Boston for different creative minds that are out there looking to do great things but they need a little bit of help, they need a little space, they need a little technology," he said. The program has about seven companies right now.

Autodesk plans to start a similar program for researchers.

The company has strengthened its Boston connections recently, including acquiring local Web- and app-development company Terrible Labs and working with connected-office company Robin and 3-D printing company Voxel8.

City Hall has put emphasis on keeping technology companies in the city as well as attracting new companies. Late last year, LogMeIn received a tax break to expand its headquarters and stay in Boston. Autodesk is not receiving any tax incentives for the move to the city.

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Lincoln Continental, the car of presidents, is returning

DEARBORN, Mich. — Elvis Presley had one; so did Clark Gable. It was even the sedan of presidents. Then the name vanished amid an invasion of newer luxury cars from Europe and Asia.

Now, the Lincoln Continental is back.

Thirteen years after the last Continental rolled off the assembly line, Ford Motor Co. is resurrecting its storied nameplate. The new Continental debuts in concept form at this week's New York auto show. The production version of the full-size sedan goes on sale next year.

After more than a decade of toying with alphabetical names like LS and MKS to be more like its foreign rivals, Ford's 98-year-old Lincoln brand is embracing its heritage. It's a measure of the growing confidence at Lincoln, which is finally turning around a decades-long sales decline. And it's a nod to the importance of China, where customers know the Continental name and appreciate brands with a rich history.

Ford CEO Mark Fields says the Continental always represented the best of Lincoln. Resurrecting it sets higher expectations, both within the company and outside of it.

"When we get a chance to work on an iconic nameplate like that, it's a mixture of pride and a mixture of fear, because when you put that name out there, it's got to deliver," Fields told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

The Continental was born in 1938, when Henry Ford's son Edsel commissioned a convertible he could use on his spring vacation. Thrilled by the reception he got as he drove the elegant sedan around Palm Beach, Edsel made the Continental part of Lincoln's lineup.

The Continental soon became the pinnacle of American luxury. Warner Brothers gave Elizabeth Taylor a 1956 Continental with a custom paint color to match her eyes. A darker historical note: John F. Kennedy was riding in the back of a 1961 Continental convertible when he was assassinated in Dallas.

Continental sales peaked in 1990 at 62,732. But after that, Lincoln's sales began slipping.

Ford had acquired other luxury brands such as Jaguar and Volvo. Lincoln's designs got dull and failed to stand out from lower-priced Fords. The Continental was also squeezed by competition from the midsize Lincoln LS, which debuted in 2000, and the bigger Town Car.

Ford also underestimated the threat posed by German rivals, who were expanding their lineups, and newer Japanese luxury brands. By 2000, Lexus was the top-selling luxury brand in the U.S.; last year, BMW was.

To make its way back, Lincoln isn't trying isn't trying to be sporty like BMW or showy like Cadillac. Instead, Fields says, it wants to give drivers an experience that is elegant and serene.

"We want folks to get into our vehicles and — for lack of a better term — chill," Fields said.

It appears to be working. Lincoln's U.S. sales rose 16 percent last year, making it one of the fastest-growing luxury brands in the market. The midsize MKZ was the brand's top seller.

Full-size sedans like the Continental are a tough sell in the U.S., where buyers tend to prefer midsize sedans or SUVs. U.S. sales of Lincoln's current full-size sedan, the MKS, fell 24 percent last year.

But globally, the segment is growing, Fields says. Ford has high hopes for the Lincoln brand in China, where it's opening dazzling new dealerships complete with waterfalls. Ford began selling Lincolns in China late last year, and the company will open more than 20 dealerships there this year.

The concept car being unveiled Monday in New York is painted a deep Prussian blue, an homage to Continentals of the 1950s and 1960s. But there are few other references to its history.

Lincoln's split-wing grille, a feature that dates to the 1940s, has been replaced by a tight, rectangular mesh grille, its shiny chrome patterned with tiny versions of Lincoln's rectangular logo. The sides are smooth; even the door handles are hidden within a narrow strip of chrome at the beltline.

The concept is a technology showcase. The driver's seat has a patented split cushion, so if the driver holds one leg out further than another, it will support each leg separately. The moonroof glass turns opaque with the touch of a button. Another button automatically moves the front passenger seat forward and fully reclines the rear passenger seat. That's another nod to China, where luxury car owners often have their own drivers.

Under the hood is a 3-liter V6 EcoBoost engine that's unique to Lincoln. Ford isn't yet revealing more details, like whether the car is front- or rear-wheel drive. The Continental switched to a front-wheel-drive sedan in the 1980s, but many of its current competitors — the Infiniti Q70, Mercedes Benz S-Class and Lexus LS — are rear-wheel drive.

The Continental is expected to replace the seven-year-old MKS, which currently sits atop Lincoln's car lineup.

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Revamped prayer book offers 
modern take for Reform Jews

Hundreds of thousands of Reform Jews will celebrate the High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur this fall with a revamped prayer book that puts a new emphasis on inclusiveness toward gays, lesbians and atheists, according to a Boston rabbi who was instrumental in the book's creation.

Mishkan HaNefesh, or "Sanctuary of the Soul," the Reform movement's first High Holidays prayer book in 37 years, includes gender-neutral blessings for transgender people and refers to God as both "Loving Father" and "Compassionate Mother," while leaving room for those who doubt that there is a God at all, said Rabbi Elaine S. Zecher of Temple Israel in Boston, who served as one of the editorial team's advisers.

"It's a monumental moment for the Jewish community because it's a beautiful work in lots of different ways," said Zecher, who also led the 2008 think tank that ultimately led to the consensus that a new prayer book for the High Holy Days was needed. "It is a recognition of the diversity of our community, a sense of welcoming for the lots of different people who come though our doors."

The prayer book — a major focus of this month's convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the rabbinical arm of Reform Judaism — also includes poetry and artwork, and incorporates the writings of Henry David Thoreau and Langston Hughes with the Torah, transliterating Hebrew prayers into English so that anyone can participate, said Rabbi Denise L. Eger, who was installed as the group's first openly gay president.

"This book has had tremendous input — from rabbis, from lay people, from cantors," said Eger, the founding rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood, Calif. "It takes the best of Jewish tradition and melds it with the hopes and anxieties and joys of today. The result is the product not of a top-down process, but really of a bottom-up one."

Of the first edition of 250,000 copies that will be available in June, about 150,000 already have been pre-ordered through the CCAR Press, she said, although she did not immediately have the dollar amount of sales because various discounts are available through April 1. After that, a two-volume set — one for Rosh Hashana, the other for Yom Kippur — will sell for $42, and a pulpit edition of the set will sell for $75.

"We're hoping it will go into multiple printing editions," Eger said, noting that there are about 1.5 million Reform Jews in more than 900 congregations in North America. Eventually, it also will be available electronically, she said.

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AG developing online claims system for consumers

The state Attorney General's office is working on an online system for people to file claims when its Consumer Protection Division obtains judgments or settlements calling for restitution to consumers.

The idea of an online claims system was broached as a way to make the claims process easier on consumers in a recent Boston Herald Radio interview with Attorney General Maura Healey.

Earlier this month, Healey announced a $260,000 settlement with Isis Parenting, the Needham-based prenatal and parenting retailer that abruptly shut down last year, leaving many parents and expectant parents in a lurch. Customers still owed money for unpaid merchandise, classes and other services have been advised to start a claims process to recoup money by calling the AG's consumer hotline.

"Isis (Parenting) is the jumping-off point," Healey spokeswoman Cyndi Roy Gonzalez said. "If we can do an online claims process for Isis, then our hope is that going forward, when we have settlements of the same nature, we can put in place the same online process."

"Given that we are in 2015, it makes perfect sense," Gonzalez said. "Our whole effort right now is meeting people where they are. So if it's easier for them to do it online, we want to make that accommodation."

Isis Parenting customers who may be entitled to restitution include those who prepaid for classes never held or completed; prepaid for annual memberships after July 27, 2013; or prepaid for consultations never delivered. Customers with unfulfilled gift cards or credits issued after July 27, 2013, also may be entitled to some reimbursement.

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