New Honda CRV is a champ in its class

The 2015 Honda CRV, with its tradition of being a spacious, roomy cargo-
hauler, continues to make stylistic improvements enhancing its looks and refinement.

What struck me first about driving the CRV was that it feels smaller than the body and elbow room suggest. Tight and responsive, the car swings easily into parking spaces and handles surprisingly deftly for a small SUV. Although the CRV still has some rough truckness to it — rumbling road noise and bumps get passed into the cabin — the car settles nicely on the highway, offering a quiet and comfortable ride.

The cabin continues to evolve and the refinements are noticeable. The gauge cluster has a new age 3-D tiered appearance with the speedometer centered prominently. The information box is incorporated into the gauges and by ­using the steering wheel you can toggle different screens that keep you up to date on a ­variety of car data and ­audio settings. Safety features abound with lane drift and blind-spot monitors, collision braking and the passenger-side mirror turns into a rearview camera when signaling a right turn. Rounding out the features are a back-up camera that takes full advantage of the 7-inch touch screen.

Despite the big screen, I'm not a fan of the infotainment system. I found it a bit cumbersome to work through the drop-downs and wished for some rudi­mentary dials to make setting up the radio easier. It's also a bit of a stretch to get to it, but once set with my presets I found life a bit simpler working off the steering wheel controls.

The curb appeal continues to improve. From its boxy '90s forefather, the CRV now features a new stylized, sleeker nose and tail. I liked the subtle improve­ments Honda has worked in, using aluminum door and window trim and elongating the windows to turn the once-
utilitarian machine into an eye-pleaser. The upscale Touring Edition tester adds 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, leather trim on the interior, a moonroof and a power lift-gate. And I really loved pulling one strap to fold the rear seat into a big cargo area.

The CRV gets about 28 mpg on average and really gets you in and out of traffic. The 185-HP 2.4 liter engine driven through a updated Continuously Variable Transmission is quick, smooth and peppy without the whining and indecision I've found in competitors' SUVs. It's a good match for this AWD and powers the CRV confidently while adding 3 to 4 MPG better fuel economy, according to Honda. Burning regular gas is a plus, too, as we see those prices start to creep up.

Another fuel saver is the ECON mode; when engaged it adjusts the power­train operation to help further sip the gas.

With five trim levels starting at an MSRP of $23,320 and topping out at the loaded Touring model at $33,377, there's a CRV for just about everyone. This is a hugely popular and highly competitive SUV that continues to be one of the leaders of its class. But let's face it, with 35 cubic feet of cargo space and head and leg room to spare, the CRV is a winner. From day one it's has been a champ for doing its job: that's getting you, the clan and a large amount of gear from point A to point B safely.

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3 Kansas hospital patients die of ice cream-related illness

DALLAS — The deaths of three people who developed a foodborne illness linked to some Blue Bell ice cream products have prompted the Texas icon's first product recall in its 108-year history.

Five people, in all, developed listeriosis in Kansas after eating products from one production line at the Blue Bell creamery in Brenham, Texas, according to a statement Friday from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA says listeria bacteria were found in samples of Blue Bell Chocolate Chip Country Cookies, Great Divide Bars, Sour Pop Green Apple Bars, Cotton Candy Bars, Scoops, Vanilla Stick Slices, Almond Bars and No Sugar Added Moo Bars.

Blue Bell says its regular Moo Bars were untainted, as were its half gallons, quarts, pints, cups, three-gallon ice cream and take-home frozen snack novelties.

According to a Friday statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all five of the people sickened were receiving treatment for unrelated health issues at the same Kansas hospital before developing listeriosis, "a finding that strongly suggests their infections (with listeria bacteria) were acquired in the hospital," the CDC said.

Of those five, information was available from four on what foods they had eaten in the month before the infection. All four had consumed milkshakes made with a single-serving Blue Bell ice cream product called "Scoops" while in the hospital, the CDC said.

"Scoops," as well as the other suspect Blue Bell items, are mostly food service items and not produced for retail, said Paul Kruse, CEO of the Brenham creamery.

The CDC said the listeria isolated from specimens taken from four of the five patients at Via Christi St. Francis hospital in Wichita, Kansas, matched strains from Blue Bell products obtained this year in South Carolina and Texas.

The five patients became ill with listeriosis during their hospitalizations for unrelated causes between December 2013 and January 2015, said hospital spokeswoman Maria Loving.

"Via Christi was not aware of any listeria contamination in the Blue Bell Creameries ice cream products and immediately removed all Blue Bell Creameries products from all Via Christi locations once the potential contamination was discovered," Loving said in a statement Friday to The Associated Press.

Via Christi has eight hospitals in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Blue Bell handles all of its own distribution and customer service, Kruse said, so it moved to pull suspect products from shelves, as soon as it was alerted to the South Carolina contamination Feb. 13. Kruse did not suspect handling of those products after they left the Central Texas creamery.

"The only time it can be contaminated is at the time of production," he said. That contamination has been traced to a machine that extrudes the ice cream into forms and onto cookies, and that machine remains off line, he said.

All products now on store and institution shelves are safe, Kruse said.

However, "Contaminated ice cream products may still be in the freezers of consumers, institutions, and retailers, given that these products can have a shelf life of up to 2 years," the CDC statement said. CDC recommends that consumers do not eat products that Blue Bell Creameries removed from the market, and institutions and retailers should not serve or sell them.

Listeriosis is a life-threatening infection caused by eating food contaminated with bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes, the CDC said. The disease primarily affects pregnant women and their newborns, older adults, and people with immune systems weakened by cancer, cancer treatments, or other serious conditions.

A person with listeriosis usually has fever and muscle aches, sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. Almost everyone who is diagnosed with listeriosis has invasive infection, meaning the bacteria spread from their intestines to the blood, causing bloodstream infection, or to the central nervous system, causing meningitis. Although people can sometimes develop listeriosis up to two months after eating contaminated food, symptoms usually start within several days. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics, the CDC said.

___

Clayton contributed from Topeka, Kansas. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington also contributed to this report.

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Baker task force to focus on chronic unemployment

Gov. Charlie Baker wants to find new ways of addressing chronic unemployment problems for minorities, veterans and people with disabilities, and is forming a task force of top state officials and advocates to come up with ideas.

"There are still far too many people out there who want and need a job to sustain their families and build a life," Gov. Charlie Baker said. "In many of these communities, unemployment is nearly double the state average, which is unacceptable."

The task force, led by Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Ronald Walker, will include other top Baker deputies as well as officials at local schools and nonprofits. Last month, Baker announced the creation of a task force focused on helping prospective employees get the skills that employers want.

"The key issue here is to make sure we identify the challenges these populations are facing (and) recommend strategies that can reduce barriers to employment," Baker said. "It's clear that doing what we've been doing doesn't really get us anywhere."

In 2014, the state's black population had an unemployment rate of 10.8 percent, while the Hispanic population saw an unemployment rate of 10.9 percent. The overall statewide rate was 5.8 percent.

Tito Jackson, a city councilor who represents Roxbury, said parts of his district have unemployment rates as high as four times the rest of the city.

"My hope is that the aim is really not about restating problems, the objective I believe here is to find solutions, solutions that actually end up with people getting a job and a career," Jackson said. "It's critical that we do an analysis of what is working and what isn't working."

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Harsh winter hasn’t slowed home sales

Spring is typically a popular time to buy and sell homes, but local realtors say this season could be huge.

The Massachusetts Association of Realtors released pending sales figures for February last week that could indicate a promising sales season.

"Historically, February is probably one of the slowest months in real estate for Realtors making contracts," said Corinne Fitzgerald, the association's president. "In this market, the buyer and seller markets were out despite the snow. Some will say, 'I'll take a month off,' but we didn't see it this year."

Pent-up demand — fewer homes listed, and a surplus of buyers — has altered the pattern. The Realtors' group found pending sales from last month were up 2.6 percent compared to last February.

"If there was such a thing as a crystal ball in real estate to know what the future is, that would be pending sales," said Fitzgerald, broker and owner of Fitzgerald Real Estate in Greenfield. "Basically, you are predicting the next couple of months of what is going to close. Not everyone is going to close, but the majority of them do."

At Hammond Residential Real Estate in Charlestown, 58 properties — single-family, condo and multi-family — had sales pending as of Wednesday, compared to 17 last year at the same time.

"That's a 241 percent increase," said Nora Moran, senior vice president and manager of Hammond's Charlestown office.

Low inventory has created a competitive buyer's market for the past two years, but other factors are contributing to the demand.

"Low interest rates continue to drive the buyer pool, and the high rental amounts to live here," said Tracy Shea, senior sales associate in Hammond's Charlestown office. "Job opportunities are coming into the city, and, coupled with the low inventory, you roll all that in and it's a perfect storm for sellers."

Last weekend, Shea hosted nearly 60 prospective buyers at 23 Prospect St. in Charlestown. By Monday, she had five offers, and the property was under agreement by Wednesday.

Anthony Giglio, a broker and owner of ReMax/Legacy in Woburn, said recent open houses have been packed. In Medford, one open house drew 69 interested parties and yielded 11 offers. All but one was over the asking price, Giglio said. Last weekend, a property in Tewksbury listed by Giglio's offce had 50 people visit and eight offers were received.

"If (the home) is in a decent location and priced right, you are going to have a feeding frenzy," Giglio said.

Realtor Kristin Buker of Keller Williams in Braintree has seen similar results.

"We've done better than we did last year," Buker said. "We are constantly increasing, even with the weather."

From last February to this year, Buker's office has seen a 14 percent increase in sales. In February, business was up 63.5 percent in her office; and year to date, January to February, was up 41 percent on closed sales volume.

"When (properties) come on, if they are priced properly and staged, they sell quickly," Buker said. "There are a lot more buyers out there right now."

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Boston-Cambridge biopharma ranked first in U.S.

The Boston-Cambridge biopharma cluster plays second fiddle to the San Francisco Bay area no more.

In a reversal of fortunes, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, or GEN, this week ranked Massachusetts' cluster first in the nation, above last year's favorite — the Bay Area — followed by New York/New Jersey; San Diego; Maryland/Metro Washington, D.C.; Greater Philadelphia; Seattle; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Los Angeles; and Chicago and its suburbs.

"It's always nice to get accolades, but we can't really be satisfied until we're accelerating more cures and getting more remedies to bedsides," said Peter Abair, director of economic and global affairs at the trade group MassBio.

GEN said the Boston-Cambridge cluster ranked first on three measures: 2014 venture capital ($1.82 billion in 110 deals), National Institutes of Health funding ($312.797 million) and lab space (21.2 million square feet).

The cluster's 5,002 patents were second only to the Bay Area. And its lowest ranking — third — was on the number of industry jobs — 57,642 — behind New York/New Jersey and L.A., though it had the highest number per capita, said Susan Windham-Bannister, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the quasi-public organization charged with administering the 10-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative enacted by the Legislature in 2008.

What GEN also didn't include was the 17 Massachusetts biopharma IPOs last year, up from nine in 2013, and seven drug approvals, up from three the previous year, Abair said.

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Health Connector scramble spikes calls

Calls from Bay Staters with problems enrolling in the Health Connector and MassHealth to an unrelated state health office have increased by 49 percent since December, according to independent state agency Health Policy Commission.

Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders attributes the spike to the 1.2 million MassHealth subscribers who need to reapply since the Connector crashed in 2012.

The calls cited in the commission's report are coming into its Office of Patient Protection, not the MassHealth or Health Connector call centers.

"We don't have any jurisdiction over MassHealth," said Jenifer Bosco of the OPP. "Hopefully this is something that will quiet down over time."

Sudders said at a commission meeting yesterday that she is "not surprised" by the higher numbers — up to 103 calls about MassHealth and the Health Connector as of March 9, from 11 in December and 12 in January.

"We have 1.2 million people who need to be redetermined by December," said Sudders. "As of this week we've added 100 staff to the call centers."

The phone calls came flooding in starting in February.

Sudders also said open enrollment, which was extended to Feb. 23 because of the snowstorm Feb. 15, likely contributed.

The OPP did not specify what portion of the calls were about MassHealth or the Health Connector.

Joshua Archambault, a senior fellow for the Pioneer Institute, said the increase is a "sign of the amount of frustration that people are dealing with a 'fixed' site."

Bosco suggested having the site direct calls elsewhere, but Archambault said "having a more efficient bureaucratic process won't fix the problem."

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Apartments driving Hub

Metro Boston's apartment industry has been a boon to the local economy, emerging as one of the strongest sectors to come out of the Great Recession, according to a new study.

"In the darkest depths of the downturn in 2007-08, a lot of developers knew Boston is still a desirable place to live," said Greg Vasil, CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board. "It's smaller than New York, but becoming more cosmopolitan. It's not far from the beach and from great shopping. And it's easy to get around without a car."

Apartment construction and operations as well as renter spending contributed $17.7 billion locally and supported more than 147,000 jobs in the metro area in 2013, the most recent year for which statistics were available, according to research commissioned by the National Multifamily Housing Council and the National Apartment Association.

"It's the volume of what it means to the economy in terms of jobs and money that comes back into the community," Vasil said.

At $12.2 billion, renter spending accounted for the vast majority of the contribution to the local economy, followed by apartment operations at $2.8 billion and apartment construction at $2.7 billion, the study found.

Vasil summed up the driving force behind the rental boom in one word: demand. The city's positive features contributed to an influx of Millennials into the rental market, many of whom went to college here and decided to stay, he said.

And the rental boom has not been confined to the city.

Statewide, the apartment industry and renters contributed $21.4 billion to the economy and supported 189,500 jobs, the study found, while nationally, they contributed $1.3 trillion and supported 12.3 million jobs.

But in Boston, which a Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland study called the fastest-gentrifying city in the nation, many of the apartments being built are beyond the grasp of low- and middle-income people, said Kathy Brown, coordinator of the Boston Tenant Coalition.

"The overwhelming majority of apartments being built has been on the luxury side," Brown said. "So it's not low- and middle-income people who are benefiting from this boom. Instead, they're being pushed out of the communities they grew up in."

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Bay State job growth hits fifth straight month

Massachusetts added 2,600 jobs in January, the fifth straight month the state has added more than 2,500 jobs — prompting optimism from economists.

"Finally we've reached escape velocity from the recession," said Robert Nakosteen, an economist and professor at UMass Amherst. "All systems seem to be go."

The state Department of Labor and Workforce Development said yesterday the economy added 2,600 jobs in January, with six of nine sectors seeing job growth. Some of the largest gains came in the trade, transportation, utilities, and construction sectors.

The last time the state lost jobs was in August, but even that decline was largely explained by economists as a ripple effect of the temporary Market Basket kerfuffle.

"The indications are that the trends are moving in the right direction," said Ronald Walker, secretary of the department. "There are indications that jobless residents who had given up are now feeling more confident about finding a job."

The labor force also grew in January, a sign that people are feeling more confident about their chances of getting a job. Still, Massachusetts has room for more improvement, Nakosteen said.

"We still have a ways to go before we have a real, healthy, tight labor market," he said. "If the trajectory we're on continues even through the rest of the year, and I think there's a good chance it will, I think you'll see that start to turn around."

The unemployment rate also fell 0.2, to 5.1 percent, the lowest the rate has been since May 2008.

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Business Protocol: Facebook a powerful tool... use it wisely

Facebook is a business vehicle as much as it is a way to share and connect with friends and family. Most corporations have company Facebook pages to promote and extend their brands online. Every employee engaging in social media is an instant online ambassador representing their company brand 24/7 — and without an understanding of para­meters, the companies' brands could be abused.

Things to avoid include:

•   Over-sharing.

•   Posting too frequently.

•   Any negativity.

•   Vague posts.

• Overbearing or pushy posts — being loud versus being heard and understood.

Things you should do include:

•   Accept connections from those you know or those with/for whom you have actually worked.

•  Use their email address when provided on the profile page after connecting.

• Personally forward job opportunities to connections. This broadens your company's hiring pool for talent and signals to your connections that you are a resource and generous.

Remember, never post anything on Facebook you would not want to see on a billboard or on the World Wide Web. This will be out there forever and can impact your professional impression. Think before you post. Ask yourself if you really need to share that particular detail with the world.

Check your posts before you update your status; proof for grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. — and then double-check that you really want this content "out there."

With friend requests, personalize connections and use their names. Be discerning. Don't ask everyone to "like" your professional page. Do you really want to see the feed from someone who has nothing to do with your business, or who goes on and on and posts every little detail about their lives? And don't be that person on someone else's feed!

When unfriending, there's no need to announce this. Hide them from your feed. Should others ask, simply explain that you are "reorganizing." You can also limit the number of status updates you see from others and delete without fear of offending anyone.

Be intentional regarding format, tone and word choice. Proof for clarity and accuracy. Just as you strive to be fabulous in your work, respect the capability Facebook provides in business to help connect with others, reinforce your message, illustrate your professionalism and perpetuate your brand.

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

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Asia stock markets overshadowed by US interest rate outlook

TOKYO — Asian stock markets mostly fell Tuesday as the prospect of higher U.S. interest rates dimmed the outlook for equities.

KEEPING SCORE: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.3 percent to 18,733.31 and South Korea's Kospi dropped 0.2 percent to 1,989.72. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.5 percent to 24,105.60. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.2 percent to 5,812.40. Southeast Asian markets were mixed.

FED WORRIES: Exceptionally strong U.S. jobs data on Friday, and the higher inflation that will eventually bring, raised the chances that the U.S. Federal Reserve will bring forward the timing of its first interest rate hike since the 2008 global financial crisis. Ultra-low interest rates and other monetary stimulus have been a boon for stock markets for several years as investors sought higher returns. But a return to more normal levels for interest rates in the world's biggest economy likely spells an end to the bull market for stocks.

THE QUOTE: "The news out of the U.S. on Friday has certainly sent shock waves through all global markets, as rate rises from the Fed build momentum," said IG strategist Evan Lucas in a market report. "Commentators are getting nervous about the direction of the US market in 2015" and rate rises are likely to "spell the end to the bull market," he said.

WALL STREET: The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 8.17 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,079.43 on Monday, clawing back from a sell-off after the jobs data. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 138.94 points, or 0.8 percent, to 17,995.72. The Nasdaq composite climbed 15.07 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,942.44.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude added 16 cents to $50.16 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 39 cents to close at $50 a barrel on Monday. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, gained 16 cents to $58.69 a barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The euro fell to $1.0796 from $1.0844 late Monday. The dollar rose to 121.86 yen from 121.44 yen.

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