Google embraces 'mobile-friendly' sites in search shake-up

SAN FRANCISCO — Google is about to change the way its influential search engine recommends websites on smartphones and tablets in a shift that's expected to sway where millions of people shop, eat and find information.

The revised formula, scheduled to be released Tuesday, will favor websites that Google defines as "mobile-friendly." Websites that don't fit the description will be demoted in Google's search results on smartphones and tablets while those meeting the criteria will be more likely to appear at the top of the rankings — a prized position that can translate into more visitors and money.

Although Google's new formula won't affect searches on desktop and laptop computers, it will have a huge influence on how and where people spend their money, given that more people are relying on their smartphones to compare products in stores and look for restaurants. That's why Google's new rating system is being billed by some search experts as "Mobile-geddon."

"Some sites are going to be in for a big surprise when they find a drastic change in the amount of people visiting them from mobile devices," said Itai Sadan, CEO of website-building service Duda.

It's probably the most significant change that Google Inc. has ever made to its mobile search rankings, according to Matt McGee, editor-in-chief for Search Engine Land, a trade publication that follows every tweak that the company makes to its closely guarded algorithms.

Here are a few things to know about what's happening and why Google is doing it.

___

MAKING MOBILE FRIENDS

To stay in Google's good graces, websites must be designed so they load quickly on mobile devices. Content must also be easily accessible by scrolling up and down — without having to also swipe to the left or right. It also helps if all buttons for making purchases or taking other actions on the website can be easily seen and touched on smaller screens.

If a website has been designed only with PC users in mind, the graphics take longer to load on mobile devices and the columns of text don't all fit on the smaller screens, to the aggravation of someone trying to read it.

Google has been urging websites to cater to mobile device for years, mainly because that is where people are increasingly searching for information.

The number of mobile searches in the U.S. is rising by about 5 percent while inquiries on PCs are dipping slightly, according to research firm comScore Inc. In the final three months of last year, 29 percent of all U.S. search requests — about 18.5 billion — were made on mobile devices, comScore estimated. Google processes the bulk of searches — two-thirds in the U.S. and even more in many other countries.

___

BRACING FOR CHANGE

To minimize complaints, the company disclosed its plans nearly two months ago. It also created a step-by-step guide (http://bit.ly/1GyC0Id ) and a tool to test compliance with the new standards (http://bit.ly/1EVi9R3 ).

Google has faced uproar over past changes to its search formula. Two of the bigger revisions, done in 2011 and 2012, focused on an attempt to weed out misleading websites and other digital rubbish. Although that goal sounds reasonable, many websites still complained that Google's changes unfairly demoted them in the rankings, making their content more difficult to find.

___

STILL CAUGHT OFF GUARD

While most major merchants and big companies already have websites likely to meet Google's mobile standard, the new formula threatens to hurt millions of small businesses that haven't had the money or incentive to adapt their sites for smartphones.

"A lot of small sites haven't really had a reason to be mobile friendly until now, and it's not going to be easy for them to make the changes," McGee said.

___

BURYING HELPFUL CONTENT

Google's search formula weighs a variety of factors to determine the rankings of its results. One of the most important considerations has always been whether a site contains the most pertinent information sought by a search request.

But new pecking order in Google's mobile search may relegate some sites to the back pages of the search results, even if their content is more relevant to a search request than other sites that happen to be easier to access on smartphones.

That will be an unfortunate consequence, but also justifiable because a person might not even bother to look at sites that take a long time to open or difficult to read on mobile devices, Gartner analyst Whit Andrews said.

"Availability is part of relevancy," Andrews said. "A lot of people aren't going to think something is relevant if they can't get it to appear on their iPhone."

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Breaking even tough to do in Boston market

On the fence about renting or buying a home? A new analysis compares the costs and how long you would have to live in a home to rationalize the upfront expense of buying it.

In the Boston metro area, buying makes more financial sense if you plan to stay put for at least 3.4 years. That's how long it would take to break even — for the cumulative costs of renting the same home to exceed the purchase costs, according to Zillow, a Seattle online real estate database company.

Boston has the fourth longest break-even rate among the top 35 U.S. metro areas, behind Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and San Diego.

"The break-even horizons are historically very low," said Svenja Gudell, Zillow's senior director of economic research. "The rule of thumb is if you're going to buy a house, stay in it at least five years. A lot of (break-even rates) we're seeing across the country are lower than that."

Of Boston and Cambridge neighborhoods, Roxbury has the shortest break-even rate at one year, compared to 7.2 years in Beacon Hill. In the middle are West Roxbury at 3.7 years and North Cambridge at 4 years.

The current lower break-even rates are driven by home value appreciation rates that, while slowing, are still quite good, and very low mortgage rates and rising rents. Boston area home values appreciated 4 percent in the 12 months ending in February, while rents rose 5.2 percent.

Based on median household incomes and a 30-year fixed mortgage, Boston-area buyers can expect to spend 22 percent of their monthly income on a mortgage. Renters can expect to pay about 34 percent of their income on rent.

"Affordability is quite good on the for-sale side," Gudell said. "It's not looking so good right now for renters."

Home ownership brings a lot of benefits.

"One of the biggest things is being able to collect equity in your house," Gudell said. "It's like a ginormous savings account for you. But it also brings along a lot of responsibility."

Buyers need to determine the monthly payment they can afford for principal, interest, taxes and insurance, said Norwell financial planner Dan Galli, president of the Financial Planning Association of Massachusetts. Keeping those payments to 26 to 28 percent of gross income and keeping total debt to 33 to 34 percent is a good start, he said.

"The challenge is the down-payment and … whether you can get the 20 percent to avoid (private mortgage insurance), or whether you can catch some sort of first-time home buyers program to perhaps let you put a smaller amount down," Galli said.

Dan Walsh, sales manager for William Raveis Real Estate in Boston, advises consulting a qualified mortgage advisor. "A lot of people think if you're buying a $500,000 condo, that they need to put down 20 percent or $100,000," Walsh said. "They might be able to put down 5 percent or less with great credit and still get good rates. And they're also locking in historically low rates, so if they're going to be there for a long time, it's to their advantage."

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Top 3 bond rating agencies give Massachusetts high marks

BOSTON — The nation's top three bond rating agencies are giving Massachusetts a clean bill of fiscal health.

State Treasurer Deb Goldberg said Thursday that Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch have maintained their ratings for the state and affirmed stable economic outlooks ahead of Massachusetts' next competitive bond offering.

The state has held its current rating — one notch below the top possible rating and the highest in state history — since September 2011.

The ratings are largely based on four factors: the state's economy; financial position; debt and financial management; and long-term liabilities.

While Massachusetts has relatively a high level of debt, that's due in part by the heavier role the state takes in the financing of local projects, often handled at the county level in other states.

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Public needs drive plans: Developers think beyond garage lot

Redevelopment proposals for the city-owned Winthrop Square garage feature impressive soaring skyscrapers that would reach new architectural heights in Boston's Financial District, but their mixed uses and public bene­fits are what's garnering kudos.

Plans include retail, restaurant, residential, hotel and innovation economy office uses to bring around-the-clock activity to the square, with other public benefits ranging from an entrepreneur innovation center to a public school.

"What impressed me about many of them were they just weren't about the building," said architect Tim Love, a Utile Inc. principal and Boston Society of Architects president. "They were thinking about Winthrop Square and that whole little neighborhood there, and they had a lot of positive things to offer."

Since the garage is city-owned, public benefits stand to carry more weight in the competitive vetting process by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

"They certainly like public space," said David Begelfer, CEO of NAIOP Massachusetts, a commercial real estate development trade group. "They like the idea of energizing the ground-floor space. They want to tap into the whole Downtown Crossing and build on that."

How the buildings allow for public connections through long city blocks are among benefits the city should consider, according to Love. And hotel and residential uses — one or both of which are in all proposals — would help the Financial District become a 24-7, live-work neighborhood that would draw in more businesses, he said.

But stacking residential units over offices — as Trans National Properties, Lincoln Property Co., Millennium Partners and Lend Lease Development propose — is easier­ said than done, said John B. Hynes III, CEO of Boston Global Investors.

"There aren't a lot of successful examples," Hynes said. "To stack them vertically is a challenge. We went through that very exercise at One Franklin, then Vornado (Realty Trust) got cold feet on the residential and ... pulled the plug."

Still, he and Begelfer believe Steve Belkin's Trans National — which has had designs on the site since 2006 — has an edge over other teams because it can tie in its adjacent 133 Federal St. property. "We looked at (the site) at length 10 years ago maybe, before it went out to bid and Belkin got it (in 2006)," Hynes said. "It was clear even back then that the best use of that parking garage was to combine it with the Belkin site."

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Loss of Cape Wind sinks bid for marine terminal

A major port operator is no longer competing to run the state's New Bedford marine terminal — a $113 million taxpayer-­funded boondoggle — after the Cape Wind project folded.

"They had a good plan with the wind energy and that's really what we were banking on," said Frank Vannelli, senior vice president for commercial and business development at Logistec Corp. "But when the deal fell through, we just stepped back and we said, 'Let's take a look here at how we're spending our resources' and we decided to put it in a holding pattern."

Without Cape Wind as the main terminal tenant, a bid no longer made sense for Logistec, Vannelli said.

Executives with Cape Wind, who are planning to plant 130 turbines in Nantucket Sound, backed out of a two-year, $4.5 million deal to rent the 28-acre terminal after National Grid and Eversource terminated contracts to buy power from the wind project.

State officials have said a new lease is expected to fetch a lower price for the terminal, which is overbudget and months behind schedule.

Vannelli said the South Coast Marine Commerce Terminal could be conducive to smaller vessels with refrigerated goods, such as frozen fish and fresh fruit, because the area isn't optimal for larger container ships.

"Our organization is still very interested in what's going on in the port of New Bedford and I do think it has a role to play," he said. "I don't think that it's realistic to think that any of these smaller-sized ports would attract large container cargoes. The containers will go to the larger ports. They will go to New York. They will go to Boston."

The quasi-public Massachusetts Clean Energy Center plans to name a port operator by summer, but has yet to make public the three finalists.

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Seattle CEO to cut his pay so every worker earns $70,000

SEATTLE — A Seattle CEO who announced that he's giving himself a drastic pay cut to help cover the cost of big raises for his employees didn't just make those workers happy.

He's already gained new customers, too.

"We've definitely gained a handful of customers in the last day or two," said Stefan Bennett, a customer relations manager at Gravity Payments, a credit card payment processing firm. "We're showing people you can run a good company, and you can pay people fairly, and it can be profitable."

Dan Price, chief executive of the company, stunned his 100-plus workers on Monday when he told them he was cutting his roughly $1 million salary to $70,000 and using company profits to ensure that everyone there would earn at least that much within three years.

For some workers, the increase will more than double their pay. One 21-year-old mother said she'll buy a house.

At a time of increasing anger nationally over the enormous gap between the pay of top executives and their employees, the announcement received immense attention. But corporate governance professor David Larcker of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business said it's unclear if Price's unusual gesture will start a trend.

"It's an alternative way to think about a tough problem, and I give these guys a lot of credit for laying it out there," Larcker said. "Whether this would scale to a bigger organization, it's hard to know. But it's clever, it's interesting and it's fun to think about."

Washington state already has the nation's highest minimum wage at $9.47 an hour, and earlier this month Seattle's minimum wage law went into effect. It will eventually raise base hourly pay to $15.

Labor unions and workers in the Seattle area on Wednesday joined national protests for better pay. Drivers for Uber and Lyft — the app-based car-hailing services — gathered in Seattle, while airport workers rallied at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. In Seattle, police arrested 21 demonstrators who opted for civil disobedience to dramatize their point, refusing to move out of an intersection at the conclusion of their march.

Gravity's CEO launched the company from his dorm room at Seattle Pacific University when he was just 19. He's long taken a progressive approach that included adopting a policy allowing his workers to take unlimited paid vacation after their first year.

"I think this is just what everyone deserves," Price told workers in a video of Monday's announcement released by the company.

But he also acknowledged it won't be easy: The increased pay will eat into at least half the company's profits, he said, and he has no plans to simply raise rates on clients.

"It's up to us to find a way to make it work," he said.

Bennett, 28, went to college with Price and has worked for Gravity since graduation. He said he was already happy to work for a company that treats its employees and customers well in what he otherwise considers a predatory industry. For him, the raise will amount to about $10,000.

"I don't care as much about the money," he said. "But if I look at my colleagues, and what they talk about on a day-to-day basis and what their concerns are — just looking at their faces when Dan announced the pay increase, it was pretty phenomenal."

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Nokia confirms acquisition of French telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent

Photo by: 

The Associated Press

FILE - This Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 shows the Nokia head offices in Espoo, Finland. Nokia says it is in advanced discussions to acquire the French telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent. In a brief statement Tuesday, the Helsinki-based mobile technology concern said the two companies are in advanced negotiations "with respect to a potential full combination which would take the form of a public exchange offer by Nokia for Alcatel-Lucent." (Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via AP, File) FINLAND OUT

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Nokia confirms acquisition of French telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent

Photo by: 

The Associated Press

FILE - This Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 shows the Nokia head offices in Espoo, Finland. Nokia says it is in advanced discussions to acquire the French telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent. In a brief statement Tuesday, the Helsinki-based mobile technology concern said the two companies are in advanced negotiations "with respect to a potential full combination which would take the form of a public exchange offer by Nokia for Alcatel-Lucent." (Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via AP, File) FINLAND OUT

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Asia shares meander as China GDP data disappoints

TOKYO — European shares rose early Wednesday on expectations that European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi will douse speculation over a possible early exit from the ECB monetary stimulus program that is due to last until September 2016. Shares fell in Asia, however, after China reported its economy grew at a 7.0 percent annual rate in January-March, the slowest pace in six years.

KEEPING SCORE: Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.4 percent to 7,106.24 and Germany's DAX climbed 0.6 percent to 12,299.74. France's CAC 40 gained 0.7 percent to 5,253.07. Wall Street's outlook for the day was mixed, with S&P futures down 0.03 while Dow futures were trading 0.06 percent higher.

EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK: Despite glimmers of improvement on Europe's horizon, Draghi, the ECB head is expected to tell reporters the central bank for the 19-country region using the euro will stick with monthly bond purchases meant to raise inflation from an anemic 0.1 percent.

THE QUOTE: "Ahead of European trade, we are looking for mild gains in the major bourses," Stan Shamu, market strategist for IG, said in a commentary. He added that "Mario Draghi could make some positive commentary around signs of improvement in the economy."

CHINA DATA: China's economy cooled further as manufacturing and retail sales slowed in January-March, raising pressure on Beijing to keep the world's second-largest economy on track. Growth fell to 7 percent from the previous quarter's 7.3 percent, the weakest performance since it tumbled to 6.1 percent in the first quarter of 2009.

ASIA'S DAY: Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index fell 0.2 percent to 19,869.76. Hong Kong's Hang Seng recovered from early losses, gaining 0.2 percent to 27,618.82 and South Korea's Kospi gained 0.4 percent to 2,119.96. But the Shanghai composite index yoyo'd to end the day 1.2 percent lower at 4,084.16. In Australia, whose resource sector is vulnerable to fluctuations in Chinese demand, the S&P ASX/200 fell 0.6 percent to 5,908.40. Shares in Taiwan, New Zealand and most of Southeast Asia were also lower.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude rose 75 cents to $54.04 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose $1.38 to close at $53.29 a barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose 57 cents to $60.38 a barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The dollar rose to 119.57 yen from 119.45. The euro fell to $1.0575 from $1.0648.

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Deval Patrick named to Bain Capital

Former Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick will be joining the Boston firm Bain Capital — founded by former GOP Gov. Mitt Romney — to develop a line of so-called "social impact" investing to support causes from climate change to hunger.

A Bain spokesman confirmed the hire for the Boston Herald, but said all other questions, including whether Patrick can still do work for Boston 2024's Olympic bid, will be answered at today's formal announcement.

Patrick told The Boston Globe in an interview that the opportunity is "a chance to have real meaning and mission in my work."

Patrick will become one of Bain's managing directors, sharing in the profits of the firm. He will be the first African-American to take on that role at the firm.

Patrick was tapped to represent Boston 2024 as a 
"global ambassador" at a rate of $7,500 a day. But amid a public outcry over secrecy and hefty salaries for ex-Patrick administration officials hired by the nonprofit, Patrick said he was pursuing 
another job but would serve the bid as he was able for 
no pay.

Patrick served two terms as governor from 2006 to 2014.

He stated repeatedly as he was ending his tenure that he wasn't planning to run for president in 2016 and 
intended to go into the 
private sector.

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Hearst taps Twitter's Periscope for live-video blast across 18 digital brands

Hearst is latching on to the recent craze for live-broadcasting video apps, with the media company planning to host live feeds on Twitter's Periscope Monday night across all of its 18 magazine and digital brands.

On Monday at 10 p.m. ET, Hearst will stream 18 simultaneous live broadcasts -- each pegged to the theme of "Bedtime Stories" -- on Periscope, promoted with the hashtag "#bedtimestory." The video content will feature editors, personalities and social-media influencers.

Some examples: Cosmopolitan's "resident shirtless hunk" CJ Richards is on board to read kids' classic "Goodnight Moon" while stroking a kitten; Redbook will feature "The Bachelor" season 17 contestant Sean Lowe reading an excerpt from his new book, "For the Right Reasons"; and Elle.com editor Leah Chernikoff will interview plus-size model Elly Mayday about her evening beauty routine.

Troy Young, president of Hearst Magazines Digital Media, said the "Bedtime Stories" stunt on Periscope is akin to "'Tonight Show' meets our magazine brands."

"It's an experiment in live programming," he said. "We're trying to learn about live and broadcast in this particular environment." Hearst is not generating any revenue, per se, from the Periscope broadcasts.

Hearst distributes content across multiple partners, including Microsoft's MSN, Young said. He cited Cosmopolitan's recently launched channel on Snapchat Discover as reaching more than 1 million people per day.

"We are aggressive on virtually every social platform, and (Periscope) is part of that," he said. "It's reflective of our embrace of all kinds of distribution channels."

As for why Hearst opted to go with Periscope, as opposed to upstart Meerkat or another live-broadcasting platform, Young cited Periscope's "intimate connection with Twitter." But, he added: "Obviously it's early in how this market is shaping up." Twitter bought Periscope for a reported $100 million and launched the app late last month.

How regularly Hearst expects to produce live Internet broadcasts in the future remains to be seen, Young said.

Hearst's other Periscope broadcasts set for Monday include: a chef from The Cheesecake Factory preparing a special, off-the-menu cheesecake for the Delish food site; author Benjamin Percy reading an excerpt from his new novel, "The Dead Lands," for Esquire; and Seventeen revealing its May 2015 cover image -- as announced by a puppy.

For February 2015, Hearst had 79.9 million unique monthly U.S. users across desktop and mobile platforms, according to comScore. That puts it in 24th place just behind Conde Nast (80.9 million) and BuzzFeed (81.7 million). The top three U.S. Internet properties for February per comScore were: Google (240.8 million), Yahoo (216.8 million) and Facebook (206.5 million).

© 2015 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Roche Bros. opening in Filene’s building April 29

Boston's Downtown Crossing gets its long-awaited grocery store on April 29, when Roche Bros. opens in the former Filene's building on Summer Street.

The 25,000-square-foot, two-level store aimed at busy city dwellers will be the 21st for the private, family-owned Wellesley chain.

"Given the prominence of this project and the importance … to the city and residents of the area, we're looking at it as a very big … project for our company and for our customers," said Paul McGillivray, vice president of sales and merchandising. "The store is going to be a complete supermarket for the residents of that area. At the same time, the assortment of items and the allocation of space will certainly reflect the needs of this unique location."

The 3,000-square-foot street-level portion of the store will include a coffee bar and focus on ready-to-eat prepared foods: a hot bar, cold food/salad bar, grab-and-go sandwiches, sushi, healthy snacks and sweets. Roche Bros. is seeking city approval for seasonal outdoor seating on Summer Street, where it also will operate a fruit and flower stand.

The store's 23,000-square-foot lower level, which occupies a large portion of the former Filene's Basement space, will be a complete supermarket offering, with fresh produce — including a "chop shop" with 40-plus varieties of fresh-cut, recipe-ready vegetables — meats, seafood, grocery items, more prepared foods, and a bakery, deli and specialty cheeses.

"While the store is smaller than a suburban supermarket, all or most of the key categories will be offered," McGillivray said, noting a typical suburban Roche Bros. is 35,000 to 40,000 square feet.

When building owner Millennium Partners finishes the new adjacent Millennium Tower next year, Roche Bros. will add another 10,000 square feet of space in the condo tower's basement and apply to the city for a license to sell beer and wine there, McGillivray said.

The new Roche Bros. will offer catering and $10 grocery delivery for those who want to shop at the store but not cart their own bags home, as well as online ordering with home delivery.

Roche Bros. will hold a 9:30 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony at the store on April 29, followed by outdoor sampling booths and a free evening concert by Boston country band Dalton & the Sheriffs.

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Booting Up: Storage costs cloud police cam issue

Police body cameras are controversial, in demand — and a monumental technological undertaking that should be left to cloud computing experts.

Pressure on police departments to deploy body cameras is boiling over as outrage intensifies over the deadly police shooting in South Carolina in which a North Charleston officer shot and killed an unarmed black man as he ran away earlier this month. A video of the April 4 shooting was filmed by a bystander showing a far different version of events than cops officially reported, renewing calls for video as a requirement.

In contrast, the move by Boston police and prosecutors to release security video of a gunfight that left a police officer wounded and the suspect dead has been widely praised — and renewed calls for body cams here.

Only in recent years has cloud computing made it feasible to start thinking about saving and maintaining the deluge of video data from police-worn cameras. Cloud computing allows anyone to store reams of data on far-flung servers managed by companies like Amazon and Microsoft.

Because most cloud storage platforms don't meet the FBI's security policy standards, many departments have forgone the cloud thus far. But the drawbacks of local storage are numerous, requiring police departments to hire IT personnel for maintenance and security.

Police departments thinking of investing in body cameras should expect to encounter cyberattacks. Locally stored police data is already a huge target of hackers, with departments regularly fending off malicious cyberattacks.

By contrast, cloud computing centers are incredibly secure — in fact they're arguably some of the most secure facilities on the planet, with their locations often kept secret. Armed guards and retinal scans are the norm.

Storing that data is more expensive than purchasing the actual cameras. According to the Police Executive Research Foundation, the cost of data storage can reach $2 million per year for a department. A typical urban police department should expect data from its body-worn cameras to accumulate several terabytes of data per month. Oakland police, with 600 body cameras, report that their servers are crammed with a whopping seven terabytes of data per month. Think of that as about 1,500 feature-length films.

In Fort Collins, Colo., for example, cops discard footage after seven days if there is no citizen contact. Other departments keep everything. In Albuquerque, non-evidentiary video is retained for a year. In Oakland, that data is stored for five years.

Microsoft recently piloted the first FBI-compatible data storage program for police video, a program using its Azure cloud storage system with VIEVU, a Seattle-based maker of wearable police cameras, likely opening the door for many police departments to start storing data in the cloud. As a result, police departments should be able to keep and manage data longer and for a lower cost, putting to rest arguments that cop body cameras are too financially burdensome and not feasible for small departments. Storing all that data is only going to get easier.

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Hospitals eye models to address disasters

Crisis plans that can take hospitals months to develop could be produced in seconds with the right mathematical modeling — cutting out much of the painstaking human analysis — according to Boston professors who hope to incorporate these algorithms into local protocol.

"What these models enable you to do is figure out a complex situation with a lot of interacting factors. The tools help you make the best decision," said Ozlem Ergun, an associate professor in Northeastern's Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department. "Boston is a very specific place, where almost all the big hospitals are research hospitals, so it could really benefit from this kind of thing."

According to Ergun, these systems can determine the most efficient way for hospitals to respond to incidents such as outbreaks of disease, natural disasters or tragedies like the Boston Marathon bombings, which cause an influx of patients concentrated in one area.

"If you're in a situation where many people need access to hospitals, there could be several issues — problems with transportation, congestion due to the number of people, access limitations for security reasons," she said. "There needs to be a plan for things like how to use certain EMS vehicles and where patients should be directed based on their needs."

Ergun, who is reaching out to local hospitals to team up on preparedness efforts, came to Northeastern from the Georgia Institute of Technology in September, and has worked on issues surrounding humanitarian crisis response for organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Jarrod Goentzel, founder and director of the MIT Humanitarian Response Lab, has been using these methods to help West Africa cope with the Ebola outbreak, and said the same approach could be used in Boston to create a central point among its cluster of large hospitals to house supplies needed in crisis situations.

"We have lots of hospitals here. In a panic mode, everyone is trying to procure supplies," he said. "Basic human nature is to hoard and hoard and be prepared. But the more centrally you stock things, the more risk that can cover."

Paul Biddinger, chief of emergency preparedness at Massachusetts General Hospital, said each local hospital conducts a yearly analysis using tools like FEMA flood maps, but that potential coordination among hospitals is not analyzed.

He added that predicting the frequency and severity of pandemics is tricky, and any resources that could shed light on those events "would be of use."

"Anything that will more accurately predict stressors on the system will help us know how to deal with those stressors," he said.

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Inspector Gadget: MacBook a bit pricy, but lightweight and a beauty

MacBook ($1,299 and up, 
AppleStore.com)

The latest iteration of Apple's full-size notebook computer weighs in at two pounds, is 13.1 mm thin, and has a 12-inch so-called Retina display with edge-to-edge glass.

The good: If you like Apple design, you'll love this MacBook. Available in gold, silver or space gray, it's also got a great new trackpad and a wider keyboard.

The bad: Apple's new MacBook has just one USB port. So if you plan to connect a lot of devices to your laptop, this might not be for you.

The bottom line: If you're OK with just one USB port, this gorgeous Mac's for you.

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What could be causing 2004 Durango’s starting issues?

Q: My 2004 Dodge Durango with 170,000 miles has recently developed starting problems. It will start up in one of three ways: 1. Start fine. 2. Start with a knock and go right to idle rpm. 3. Start with a knock and stall. I then have to crank the motor for 5-10 seconds before the motor slowly starts and goes right to idle rpm. I have no dashboard warning lights, the battery is OK and the engine runs fine with no detectable power loss or knocking. My mechanic looked at it and drove it but was not able to diagnose the problem, even after replacing the cam and crank sensors and disconnecting various sensors, cables, etc., trying to identify the problem. Could this be an issue with the starter motor since the engine operates fine once it is running?

A: I wonder if the knocking noise is tricking the knock sensors into retarding ignition timing to protect the engine. Knock sensors are effectively small microphones that listen for the sound of detonation in the cylinders and signal the ECM, which retards the timing. Mechanical noises that mimic the sound of detonation may fool the ECM. The retarded ignition timing might explain the engine's idle rpm and restart characteristics.

You didn't identify whether your Durango is equipped with the 4.7-liter or 5.7-liter V8 engine, but both appear to utilize a geared starter motor. You could have the starter tested for amperage draw on or off the car. Once the starter is removed, the teeth on the flex plate ring gear can be inspected for damage. I found remanufactured starters for under $100.

One final thought: Years ago we had a Malibu wagon that developed an intermittent but very loud knocking noise. After much knuckle-busting, teeth-gnashing and head-scratching, it turned out to be a loose torque converter mounting bolt that intermittently hit the inside of the bell housing.

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Q: My wife's 2001 Ford Escape has a problem with the cruise control. On a recent trip, when I turned on the cruise, the green light went on but when I attempted to set the speed control it would not set. The light to indicate that the speed control was set did not come on. Repeated attempts also failed. Then the green light indicating that the speed control was on also went off and wouldn't come back on. Yesterday my wife informed me that the green light did come on but the speed control would not activate. Could you help us diagnose this problem?

A: Your best diagnostic strategy is to use a scan tool and the cruise control's self-diagnostic capabilities to identify the problem. This may lead to pinpoint testing of the speed control switch, servo, deactivator switch, brake switch and other components. Also, make sure all brake lights are operational.

Please note that Ford issued a recall back in 2000 addressing potential corrosion or binding in the speed control cable.

L L L

Q: My Ford Fusion has about 85,000 miles on it. It has a set of Goodyear tires with about 12,000 miles on them. Both right-side tires leak air enough that the "Low tire" light comes on every two weeks or so. The tires have been removed and resealed to their aluminum rims by the tire shop where I bought them and by my Ford dealer. Nothing seems to work. I've thought of buying new tires or even trading the car, but I like it a lot.

A: Typically, there are two possible causes for air leaks from replacement tires on alloy wheels — corrosion around the bead contact area on the rim or porosity of the wheel itself. Shops remove the corrosion and apply a special sealant to the bead to seal the tire.

You have three choices — have a tire specialist try resealing the tires again, replace the wheels or replace the car. I'd go with option one.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot provide personal replies.

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Library to tackle Boston's data

A new team of librarians will take the mountains of data that the city of Boston releases to the public and make it usable and understandable for everyone, thanks to a nearly half-a-million-dollar grant.

"(The grant) is focused on taking the incredible open data resources that the city makes available and make them more useful to people," said Jascha Franklin-Hodge, the city's chief information officer. "You'll have easier access to that data by working through our public libraries to get it."

The city and the Boston Public Library is hiring a team of librarians who will be charged with making data as easy to find and understand as books.

The project is being funded through a $475,000 grant from the Knight Foundation.

"Librarians are a workforce that specialize in information curation and pointing citizens toward the information when they need it," said John Bracken, vice president of media innovation for the Knight Foundation. "We were particularly taken with the possibility of leveraging the platform of the library, the physical space of the library, to accelerate the use of civic data coming out of open government."

The program will likely include training and reference materials for residents.

"This will have relevance for the individual on the street, any resident," said David Leonard, director of administration and technology for the BPL. "In some ways it's a natural evolution of our traditional reference services."

The data that is routinely released by the city includes Citizen's Connect requests, crime incident reports and food permit maps, information someone interested in moving to a new neighborhood may want to know.

Boston has published much of the city's data for more than a year, starting with an Open Data executive order from Mayor Martin J. Walsh.

But, data.cityofboston.com is overwhelming, and hard to use for people who do not have a data science background.

"Historically, open data has just been a website that we throw up, and we put the data up there and say OK, our job is done, the data is open," Franklin-Hodge said. "That's the equivalent of getting a room and just throwing a pile of books on the floor and saying here's your library."

Last month, Boston released much of its data to techies, challenging them to create apps and visualizations that explain what is happening in the city.

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Stringent reverse mortgage rules near implementation

WASHINGTON — Interested in a reverse mortgage without a lot of hassles? Get your application in now. On April 27, a series of extensive "financial assessment" tests will make applying for a reverse mortgage tougher — much like applying for a standard home mortgage.

Reverse mortgages always have been different — available only to seniors 62 and older who have equity in their homes that they want to convert to cash. There are no repayments required until the borrower sells the house, moves out or dies. Homeowners' main responsibilities are to keep current on local property taxes, pay hazard insurance premiums and keep the place in reasonable condition.

The Federal Housing Administration has for three decades run the dominant insured reverse mortgage program in the country, and it has been relatively easygoing when it comes to underwriting. If you qualified on age and equity, you had a good shot at getting a loan.

But during the recession and mortgage bust years, thousands of borrowers fell into default because they didn't pay required property taxes and hazard insurance premiums. Further, real estate values plunged, producing huge losses on defaulted and foreclosed properties for the FHA. The losses got so severe that the Treasury Department had to provide the FHA with a $1.7 billion bailout in 2013, the first in the agency's history since its creation in the 1930s.

All of which led to the upcoming dramatic changes. Applicants now must demonstrate upfront that they have both the "willingness" and the "capacity" to meet their obligations. Lenders are going to pull borrowers' credit reports, just as they do with other mortgages.

Applicants will need to show that they paid their real estate taxes, homeowner association fees and other property-related charges on time for at least the past 24 months. They will be asked to produce documentation of their employment status, income and financial assets, as well as undergo a "residual income" analysis that examines all their monthly expenses and cash flow.

Inadequate marks on these tests may require borrowers to create a "life expectancy set aside" — essentially a reserve account or escrow funded wholly or in part from their loan proceeds. For some borrowers, the set-asides may be so substantial they'll be left with minimal cash at closing, making the entire reverse mortgage process a waste of time.

All of which, say reverse mortgage industry experts, will exclude potentially thousands of senior homeowners from obtaining a reverse mortgage, especially those who are on the margins economically and need the cash to help pay for ongoing household expenses.

Reza Jahangiri, CEO of Orange, Calif.-based American Advisors Group, the highest-volume reverse mortgage lender, said his company expects a decline in loan activity by "8 to 10 percent" after the assessment rules take effect. He also expects a shift toward "mainstream" borrowers who seek to use a reverse mortgage as part of their overall retirement planning, including raising money to buy a new house or to establish a flexible line of credit they can draw from. Many seniors currently can't qualify for bank home-equity credit lines, he said, but with adequate credit, income and assets, can qualify for a reverse mortgage in the form of a credit line.

Maggie O'Connell, who originates FHA-insured reverse mortgages for The Federal Savings Bank from offices in Reno, Nev., and Danville, Calif., said she's been scrambling "to get people in before the deadline" who might encounter difficulty — or be turned off by all the required documentation — under the new rules. Though she may do fewer loans in the short term, she said, in the long term the tougher rules "are probably a good thing" because they will prevent weak borrowers from taking out loans they can't handle and that will eventually end up in default, "which is bad for them and bad for us."

Bottom line: Tougher credit standards have come to reverse mortgages — finally. Before applying, be aware of the types of documentation you'll need. And when you talk with a lender or financial counselor about a reverse loan, make sure you involve the entire family, so everybody knows what you are getting into.

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Sprint-RadioShack stores launched across Bay State

Forty Massachusetts 
RadioShacks — including locations in Boston, Dorchester, Mattapan, East Boston and Cambridge — were among 1,435 nationwide that relaunched yesterday as co-branded Sprint-RadioShack stores.

The move more than doubles the footprint of the mobile carrier, which will occupy about a third of each store to sell devices and services from Sprint, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile under a "store-within-a-store" model.

RadioShack products will continue to be sold in the stores.

Sprint made the deal with Standard General affiliate General Wireless Inc., which last week bought 1,743 stores from RadioShack after the 94-year-old, Boston-born consumer electronics chain filed for bankruptcy protection in February.

"This important partnership with Sprint has enabled RadioShack to continue to provide a trusted destination for our millions of loyal consumers," RadioShack CEO Ron Garriques said in a statement.

Temporary Sprint-RadioShack signage eventually will be replaced, and Sprint will build out the store-within-a-store concept in the next several months.

Sprint said it plans to hire about 100 workers for the Massachusetts stores.

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MCCA sticks to expansion plan

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority is pushing ahead with plans for the expansion of its South Boston exhibition center even as the governor has put the brakes on $1 billion in bonding needed for the project and its champion, authority head James Rooney, is taking a new job.

The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center expansion committee yesterday voted to designate the architectural team of Brooks + Scarpa of Los Angeles and Spalding Tougias of Boston as its preliminary choice to design two garages on E and D streets.

The garages, with a combined 1,500 spaces, would replace parking that will be lost to the expansion project. The MCCA will now negotiate a contract with the architectural firms.

The move comes as Gov. Charlie Baker's administration continues to review the financing of the BCEC expansion after the bonding was put on hold soon after the governor took office.

Rooney, the executive director of the MCCA who has pushed hard for the expansion, is taking over the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on July 1, but said yesterday he remains confident the BCEC project will go forward without him at the helm.

"I don't think this is about me. I think that the vision, the program, the economic development opportunities are much bigger than one person," Rooney said. "There's a very strong team of people here that have contributed to the success of the operation."

But Rooney also is looking ahead to his new job, saying he plans to reach out to startups and tech companies to integrate them into the chamber, and may even do away with its signature breakfast networking events.

The breakfasts are a Boston business institution, but may not be as welcoming to a new generation of business leaders, he said.

"These breakfasts and other things the chamber does that might have been part of the success strategy for the past 25 years, I think we need to take a fresh look at those," said Rooney. "Is this the kind of thing that millennials want when they think about networking and socialization?"

Under retiring CEO Paul Guzzi, the chamber has started to become more active in the high-tech community, and Rooney said he will focus on continuing to expand the diversity of the chamber's membership.

"Certainly understanding how the so-called new economy and the technology, innovation-based industries affect what we define as commerce in Boston will be a focus area," he said.

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The Ticker

No-tipping shops can keep money

The state Supreme Judicial Court says shop owners can keep tips left for workers if their businesses have policies against tipping. The SJC ruled yesterday that where a no-tipping policy has been clearly communicated to customers, any money left behind as a tip can be kept by the owner or put in a cup of abandoned change for other customers.

The ruling came in a case brought by current and former employees of a Dunkin' Donuts franchisee.

The court also ruled if an employer hasn't communicated a no-tipping policy then tips left by customers belong to the workers who served them.

No long lines 
for Apple watch

An online rush replaced the traditional overnight queues outside Apple stores yesterday as the iconic tech company began taking orders and letting shoppers get their hands on its much-anticipated smartwatch for the first time.

Eager customers placed online orders for the Apple Watch as soon as Apple's website began accepting them. Within half an hour, the company appeared to sell out the initial batch of watches that were available for the first official day of shipping on April 24.

• The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative has hired Juan Leyton as executive director. Leyton has worked extensively in the field of community economic development and community-building. Most recently, he worked as a consultant with the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund and some of Boston's leading nonprofits like Sociedad Latino, Family Independence Initiative and the Greater Boston Latino Network. He has also previously served as executive director for CityLife/Vida Urbana and Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts.

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Healey: Forgive student debt

Attorney General Maura Healey, along with attorneys general across the country, is asking the federal Department of Education to forgive the student loan debt of students who they say fell victim to unfair and misleading practices by for-profit schools.

"These are situations where students are simply seeking a way to better themselves, and they get lured in by these false promises, and then they're on the hook for $15,000, $20,000," Healey said. "I've heard from so many people who were victimized by these schools."

Healey and the top law enforcement officials for eight other states sent a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan yesterday, saying students at schools operated by Corinthian Colleges, including Everest Institute in Chelsea and Brighton, were taken advantage of and asking that their federal loan debt be wiped out.

"At the end of the day, these students were nothing but a pass-through for these schools to get their hands on federal dollars," Healey said. "The welfare and education of students was not their priority; it never has been."

Corinthian reached an agreement last year with the DOE to sell or shut down its campuses. The AG's office sued Corinthian a year ago, claiming students were misled about the schools' track record, and were pressured into accepting loans. The AG has also targeted three other for-profit schools, and Healey said "there are a number of schools under investigation."

A spokesman for Corinthian said the allegations against it focus on isolated incidents.

"Corinthian continues to dispute the allegations made against it and continues to believe its schools provide significant value for its students," the spokesman said.

The letter also asks the Department of Education to create a framework for students of other schools that have been deemed predatory.

"Through their predatory practices, these unscrupulous for-profit schools have co-opted a public loan program intended to increase access to higher education and left hundreds of thousands of students in financial ruin," the letter says. "Aggressive recruitment is the only thing these for-profit schools do well."

The letter says for-profit schools are responsible for nearly half of all student loan defaults, despite only enrolling 13 percent of all students who borrow.

In December, a group of U.S. senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, sent a similar letter to the DOE.

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Parking fines go up for game days

Beginning Monday on Opening Day, people who park in resident-only spaces in the neighborhoods around Fenway Park during Red Sox games will have to pay more than double the usual fine.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh yesterday signed an ordinance — passed by the City Council Wednesday — that will pilot increasing the fine from $40 to $100 to discourage game attendees who don't live in those neighborhoods from parking in resident-only zones.

"This ordinance is a great step forward for residents of the Fenway, Kenmore Square and Audubon Circle," said City Councilor Josh Zakim, who sponsored the ordinance. "These changes will help restore the parking balance in the neighborhoods around Fenway Park during some of the busiest months of the year."

The increase in fines will take effect two hours before any Major League game at Fenway Park and extend to two hours after the game. Fines also may be hiked during other Fenway Park events on a case-by-case basis.

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Hot Property: Communities the ‘new neighborhoods’

From pet-washing stations and green roofs to bocce courts, yoga studios, fire pits and screening rooms, Boston-area apartment and condo complexes are piling on the amenities.

With studios fetching upward of $2,000 per month and $1 million-plus condos, developers are sweetening the deal — so much so that the complexes are becoming the "new neighborhood," according to Boston Realtor David Bates.

"The new buildings have so many exciting amenities," Bates said. "A lot of them go out of their way to create community, to create that sense of things you get from a neighborhood."

Millennium Partners is exporting its La Vie lifestyle program — exclusive activities and social events for condo residents that have included fireside chats with notable guests and culinary and theatrical events — to its new Millennium Tower project in Boston's Downtown Crossing after success at its nearby Millennium Place.

"It's so hot they copyrighted the whole thing," Bates said. "It really goes over well."

Tenants are looking to connect, whether it's electronically or in person, said Kay Nilakantan, general manager of Van Ness, Samuels & Associates' 172-unit luxury apartment complex in the Fenway neighborhood, where residents will start moving in June 1.

"There seems to be more focus and attention on communal spaces where customers can gather together," Nilakantan said.

But communal spaces these days go far beyond a bland shell of a community room. At the Van Ness, there's a poker area in an alcove and a TV lounge with a billiards table connected to a separate conference room. There's also a rooftop lounge with grills and a fifth-floor green terrace.

"Since we're developing a lot of buildings in one neighborhood, we want each building to have its own personality and be different from each other," said Peter Sougarides, Samuels' executive vice president of development.

The Van Ness' green design and amenities take cues from the Emerald Necklace park system that extends through the Fenway. Thousands of plants will be growing on the "living wall" in the lobby, and the green terrace is almost a half-acre of green space with trees and grass.

Amenities also are geared toward pet owners: a secure "bark park" at Atmark in Cambridge and even an "indoor dog relief area" at 315 on A in Fort Point.

The Merc at Moody & Main, Northland Investment's Waltham apartment complex that started leasing this week, has a dog-bathing room. "We're also arranging for other services we can bring in for pet owners," senior vice president Peter Standish said.

The Merc will include a lounge with a fireplace, a billiards room, a library, a rooftop deck and a club room with a full kitchen that can be used for parties or cooking demonstrations. "One of the important things we like to include is areas where people can gather together and really use that as an extension of their apartment," Standish said.

Developers also up the ante to rival outside fitness centers, with yoga and spinning rooms, and virtual training. "You can have an instructor who's offsite, and they get on the screen and take you through your workout," Bates said. "Some have exercises bikes that connect over the Internet, and you can race your friend in California."

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State to streamline Rx medical marijuana pipeline

Medical marijuana companies yesterday welcomed the news that state health officials plan to streamline the way they issue dispensary licenses to prevent delays in treatment for those who qualify for it.

"Anything that can be done to facilitate getting medication to patients is something I'd support," said Dr. James Kurnick, a cancer researcher and CEO of Mass Medicum Corp., which received a provisional license in November to open a dispensary in Taunton and a cultivation site in Holbrook.

Department of Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel yesterday said the licensing system has been "a confusing, overly lengthy process that has delayed appropriate patients from getting access" to medically needed marijuana — a sentiment Kurnick shares.

Under the new process, dispensaries will be licensed in a format similar to pharmacies and other health care facilities, Bharel said. The process, which will formally launch May 15, will set high safety and suitability standards for dispensaries to meet, particularly when it comes to security and background checks, she added.

"This change will create a more efficient, market-driven licensure process that allows the commonwealth to maintain the highest standards of both public safety and accessibility," Bharel said in a statement.

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

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Asian shares mixed; Hong Kong, Japan benchmarks surge

TOKYO — Asian shares were mixed Thursday, with gains supported by lower oil prices, firmness in U.S. markets and strong buying in Hong Kong by mainland Chinese investors.

KEEPING SCORE: Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index rose 0.6 percent to 19,909.26, tapping fresh 15-year highs as the Japanese yen softened against the U.S. dollar. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index jumped 3.4 percent to 27,136.37, breaching seven-year highs. South Korea's Kospi fell 0.2 percent to 2,054.49, while Australia's S&P ASX/200 slipped 0.4 percent to 5,938.80. Shares in Southeast Asia were mixed, while China's Shanghai Composite fell 1.2 percent to 3,946.74.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong shares rose after mainland Chinese investors bought heavily, pushing the benchmark up 6.3 percent before it lost some ground on profit-taking. Chinese are shifting investments into Hong Kong, which is seen as a bargain following rallies in mainland Chinese markets that have made shares in Shanghai and Shenzhen relatively expensive.

THE QUOTE: "Money came flooding into Hong Kong's stock market Wednesday, and the market took flight, trading at its highest since 2008 and setting record trading volumes," Stephen Innes, senior trader for OANDA Asia Pacific, said in a commentary.

GLOBAL DEALMAKING: Shares were boosted by news that oil company Royal Dutch Shell had agreed to buy BG Group for $69.7 billion in cash and stock. A revival of major acquisitions has yielded almost $1 trillion in deals this year, according to data provider Dealogic. The premiums typically paid in such transactions tend to raise share prices.

WALL STREET: U.S. shares posted modest gains Wednesday as investors awaited company earnings and puzzled over the likely timing of a future interest rate hike, following the release of minutes from the latest meeting of the Federal Reserve. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 5.57 points, or 0.3 percent, at 2,081.90. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 27.09 points at 17,902.51.

ENERGY: Oil fell nearly 7 percent on Wednesday, its biggest drop in two months, after the Energy Department reported oil in storage was about triple what analysts had estimated. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 56 cents to $50.98 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost $3.56 to close at $50.42 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, gained 48 cents to $57.17 after falling $3.55 overnight to close at $55.55 in London.

CURRENCIES: The euro was trading at $1.0767 versus $1.07797 on Wednesday. The dollar rose to 120.22 yen from its previous close of 120.15.

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CBS News' Bob Schieffer retiring

"Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer has announced he is retiring, CBS News confirmed on Wednesday, in a move that will open a seat at one of the longest-running programs on television.

The journalist, who has worked in the industry for more than 50 years — 46 of them with CBS — will say goodbye to the newsroom this summer. He made the announcement in Fort Worth at TCU's Schieffer College of Communication, where he was speaking at its annual Schieffer Symposium.

"Bob's been with CBS since 1969… chief Washington correspondent since 1982 … and host of 'Face the Nation' since 1991. That broadcast is in its 60th year and has never been better or more powerful, ranking consistently No. 1 this season," CBS News president David Rhodes said in a statement. "He's been an inspiration and a mentor to so many colleagues — and frankly, to me. You could see at TCU tonight how that inspiration extends to a wider community of reporters and editors and academics … Not to mention the example he sets as a father and husband with his wife Pat and his whole family here and elsewhere."

But, Rhodes continued, "It's not over yet. Bob will be on the air this Sunday from the Washington bureau. And for a number of Sundays to come. We'll have more to report soon about the plans for this important broadcast and for the Washington bureau as a whole. An important 2016 campaign season is beginning. But this is Bob's night, and I hope we can all celebrate with him the remarkable achievement which is his career here at CBS."

Schieffer, who has interviewed every president since Richard Nixon, has been talking retirement for awhile. In January 2008, he said he would step down after the inauguration of a new president. Last November, he interviewed President Obama.

The announcement will inevitably start a round of jockeying for the anchor chair at "Face the Nation." The show is typically the most watched of TV's Sunday public-affairs programs, but ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos has made strides over the months in attracting younger viewers while NBC's "Meet the Press" has experienced new momentum since Chuck Todd took over hosting duties for that program last year.

© 2015 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Report: New England should do more to nurture manufacturing

BOSTON — New England can reclaim its title as a manufacturing hub by working together to nurture the development of the advanced manufacturing industry.

That's the conclusion of a new report being released Wednesday by the nonpartisan New England Council.

The new advanced manufacturing sector bears little resemblance to the shipyards and textile mills that dotted the region's landscape in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Instead it requires more technologically savvy workers to produce highly precise, customized components with complex designs — including those needed in the defense, aerospace and biotechnology fields.

The report says the nurturing of the advanced manufacturing sector will also require coordination between government, schools and industries to ensure there are enough skilled workers to fill the needed jobs.

The report says New England's six states should collaborate to support the industry.

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Asian stocks mostly higher, Japan central bank keeps policy

TOKYO — Asian stocks were mostly higher Wednesday after Japan's central bank maintained its expansively easy monetary policy.

KEEPING SCORE: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.8 percent to 19,810.38 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.3 percent at 5,944.60. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 2.4 percent to 25,877.70 after a five-day long weekend. South Korea's Kospi added 0.5 percent to 2,057.70. Markets in Southeast Asia were mixed while benchmarks in Shanghai and India rose.

BANK OF JAPAN: The Bank of Japan maintained its policy of super-easy lending, which had been expected. Japan is trying to escape two decades of economic stagnation and deflation by massively expanding the supply of money in the world's No. 3 economy. Japan's main index had risen in anticipation that accommodative monetary policy would be maintained and held its gains after the decision was announced.

THE QUOTE: The aggressive monetary stimulus program in Japan has "provided a compelling backdrop for strong Japanese stock performance," said analyst Nicholas Teo at CMC Markets in Singapore. "Japanese equities have had a tough twenty years mostly languishing in the backseat," he said. "The Nikkei at around the 20,000 level now, is barely half of where it was in the early 1990s."

WALL STREET: The Dow Jones industrial average lost 5.43 points, or 0.03 percent, to 17,875.42 on Tuesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 4.29 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,076.33. The Nasdaq composite lost 7.08 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,910.23.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude was down $1.06 at $52.92 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract jumped $1.84, or 3.5 percent, to close at $53.98 a barrel in New York on Tuesday. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, was down 83 cents at $58.27 a barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The dollar fell to 120.10 yen from 120.30 yen Tuesday. The euro rose to $1.0839 from $1.0823.

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Bill would toughen oversight of planned hospital mergers

BOSTON — Attorney General Maura Healey is pushing legislation designed to give her office stronger oversight of hospital mergers.

The bill would toughen the authority of the Health Policy Commission when considering mergers of health care providers.

The bill would allow a report issued by the commission to be considered strong enough evidence that the Healey's office could use it to seek a temporary block of a proposed deal between health care organizations if the deal would force up health care costs.

In February a Suffolk Superior Court judge rejected a deal that would have allowed Partners HealthCare to merge with South Shore Hospital.

After Healey said she would try to block any future merger, Partners abandoned the plan.

The bill is sponsored by House Majority Leader Ron Mariano, a Quincy Democrat.

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Asia stocks gain after Fed official signals slow rate rises

BEIJING — Asian stocks rose Tuesday after Wall Street gained on a jump in crude prices and expectations the Federal Reserve will put off an interest rate hike until late in the year.

KEEPING SCORE: The Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.8 percent to 3,933.49 and Tokyo's Nikkei 225 added 1.3 percent to 19,653.15. Taipei, Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok also rose. Seoul's Kospi was steady at 2,047.11 while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 1.1 percent to 5,961.10. Hong Kong was closed for a holiday.

U.S. ECONOMY: U.S. investors were reassured by a comment from William Dudley, president of the Federal Reserve's New York branch, that rate increases will be "shallow." That helped to buoy sentiment that was dented by Friday's weak employment numbers.

ANALYST'S TAKE: Dudley's comment that a negative reaction by stock markets to an interest rate hike would "slow us down" was confirmation the Fed has used monetary policy to create a "wealth effect," said Evan Lucas of IG Markets in a report. "It's a simple idea: make people feel wealthier and they will consume more," Lucas said. "It is why the market is pricing in an October move and why most now believe, as Mr Dudley himself stated, that the rate rise will be shallow."

WALL STREET: A jump in the price of U.S. crude set off a rally in energy stocks. Transocean, an operator of drilling rigs, soared 10 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 13.66 points, or 0.7 percent, to close at 2,080.62. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 117.61 points, or 0.7 percent, to 17,880.85, and the Nasdaq composite rose 30.38 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4,917.32.

ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude sank 35 cents to $51.79 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $1 on Monday to close at $52.14. Brent crude, used to price international oils, shed 57 cents to $57.55 per barrel in London after soaring $3.17 on Monday to $58.12.

CURRENCY: The dollar gained to 119.64 yen from Monday's 119.48 yen. The euro edged up to $1.0941 from the previous session's $1.0937.

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Business Protocol: In the office, just say ‘no’ to being like Joe Biden

Don't be the office Joe Biden.

Too much touching can land you in the human resources office faster than you can say, "Give me a hug."

The trend of having more open workspaces with big kitchens, free food and lots of "team spirit" doesn't mean you can intrude on personal space.

Colleagues still need their comfort zones. Biden felt the heat recently for getting too close to Stephanie Carter, the wife of Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Nuzzling her neck from behind while grabbing her shoulders was, well, invading her space.

Comfort zones change from country to country, culture to culture, and there are different office cultures. For example, a Silicon Valley startup might encourage lighthearted casual physical contact versus a more professional setting in, say, a buttoned-down investment firm.

Generally speaking, we here in the U.S. prefer one arm's length distance for our comfort zone, while those in England prefer more like two arms' lengths of distance, and those in Asia and Arab countries prefer more like three arm's lengths of distance for their comfort zone. Latin countries prefer more like 3 inches. (American businesswomen: Please be aware of this. It's just their way.)

Remember, the all-embracing goal in business is to get to know, like and then trust. You need to earn the right to cross that line to kiss, hug and embrace and (technically) violate unspoken boundaries of personal space.

Be careful, as some advances are unwanted, and sexual harassment issues are real. Be conscious of this and condition yourself to read body language before it's too late.

If the action is already underway, go with it — you can't really push them away. Also, especially go with it after a big project completion, huge sale, a major life announcement or a personal loss.

Here's how to avoid unwanted intimacy:

• Take Control. Extend a rigid handshake to keep someone at arm's length.

• Just say you're not a touchy person.

• Maintain a barrier — a desk, even a portfolio — until the moment passes.

If you must, here's how to embrace, safely:

• Ask for a "big hug" and just give a warm squeeze.

•   Don't close your eyes.

•   Don't hug from behind.

Just ask Joe Biden how breaking that rule went.

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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Discredited rape story a test for Wenner, Rolling Stone

NEW YORK — Through decades of digging into the private lives of rock stars and providing a forum for colorful writers like Hunter S. Thompson and P.J. O'Rourke, Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner has never been afraid to push boundaries.

Now Wenner, who founded the magazine as a 20-year-old college dropout, is weathering the stiffest test of Rolling Stone's credibility that the magazine has faced in its 48-year history.

On Sunday, the magazine retracted last November's story on sexual assault at the University of Virginia in advance of the release of a damning Columbia University report about its reporting and editing, and on Monday, a fraternity named in the story threatened a lawsuit.

The magazine also faced criticism Monday for what some critics deemed a muted response to the problems outlined in Columbia's exhaustive report.

The sharply funny O'Rourke, who worked at Rolling Stone from 1985 to 2000, said he found the editing and fact-checking there to be as rigorous as the legendarily tough New Yorker magazine.

"When Hunter S. Thompson dies and I leave, and the factual reliability of a publication goes down, there must be something wrong with modern media," he said.

Rolling Stone's unique niche in magazines was an outgrowth of Wenner's interests, a mixture of authoritative music and cultural coverage with tough investigative reporting, usually from a liberal world view. The magazine's circulation of just under 1.5 million copies an issue has been consistent over the past three years, according to the Alliance for Audited Media.

The music coverage now bears the hallmark of a clumsy 50-year-old struggling to stay hip. Cover subjects can range wildly from Miley Cyrus and Kanye West to Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr as Rolling Stone tries to cater to all tastes.

Specialty websites like Pitchfork offer sharper music coverage. Like many media organizations founded in a different era, Rolling Stone has struggled to become an influential online presence, said veteran music writer Alan Light, a former Rolling Stone employee and still occasional contributor.

Yet the magazine has survived and thrived as once-hip competitors Spin, Vibe and Blender fell out of publishing.

The music coverage coexists with the long-form journalism, from Thompson's drug-fueled political coverage to an investigative report that forced the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal in 2010. Rolling Stone has aggressively covered climate change and the impact of money in politics. The Virginia story had an immediate impact: Its 2.7 million online views were more than any non-celebrity story the magazine ever published.

The Columbia report criticized Rolling Stone for failing to establish that a man accused of orchestrating a fraternity house gang rape even existed, failing to contact the accuser's friends and not pushing hard to investigate information that might contradict its narrative.

The episode doesn't erase Rolling Stone's legacy, but it's a significant blow, Light said.

"Obviously the greatest risk is that this becomes so associated with their name and this kind of a story," he said. "It's bad for everyone — it's bad for the magazine, it's bad for the readers, it's bad for the issue that they were setting out to address in the first place."

Like many publications, Rolling Stone has suffered with the online explosion. Its editorial staff, not including people working in art and photo, has dropped by 25 percent since 2008, according to the Columbia report. But the examination said Rolling Stone's failures in the Virginia story had nothing to do with being short-staffed.

The magazine's managing editor, Will Dana, took responsibility for the retracted story, written by Sabrina Rubin Erdely. In a note to readers — Rolling Stone published the full Columbia report on its website — Dana called it painful reading and said the magazine was committing itself to a series of recommendations about improved journalistic practices that was recommended.

At least initially, no one — Dana, Erdely or Sean Woods, the principal editor on the story — lost their jobs. That has surprised many long-time observers of Wenner, who's been known for having a quick trigger finger for employees who don't meet his standards, and speaks to his respect for veteran employees Dana and Woods.

Asked at a news conference on Monday about whether he thought the incident should cost someone their job, Columbia University School of Journalism Dean Steve Coll, one of three authors of the report, declined to offer his opinion, saying he didn't know the work of the journalists involved beyond the one story.

"We're not the D.A.'s office," Coll said. "We're not a special prosecutor."

It's a tough call, since there's no evidence the journalists involved were intentionally deceitful, said Kelly McBride, an ethics expert at the Poynter Institute. The initial response suggests Rolling Stone is putting its own self-interest ahead of its readers, she said.

"That's a completely reasonable management reaction to this," she said. "But you also have to look at what the audience needs to trust you."

Samir Husni, a University of Mississippi journalism professor who publishes an annual guide to consumer magazines, said it was a master stroke by Wenner to invite Columbia in to investigate Rolling Stone's practices.

"It takes guts to apologize for everything that has gone down," Husni said. "The only person that can save Rolling Stone is Jann Wenner. By going outside and doing what he did, he was able to contain the story."

The lasting damage may be if Rolling Stone decides to pull back from investigative pieces. It already feels that this has happened to a certain extent while the magazine waited for the Columbia report to come out, said Aileen Gallagher, an assistant professor in the magazine department at Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Wenner, 69, is at the stage of his career where legacy is an important issue. New York magazine writer Joe Hagan recently signed to write a biography, with Wenner's cooperation, to coincide with the magazine's 50th anniversary. Wenner's son Gus is a potential successor at the company that also includes Us Weekly and Men's Journal, works at Rolling Stone if his father opts to leave things in the family.

Gallagher said that ultimately, writer Erdely's career will suffer more than Rolling Stone as an institution.

"The writer always takes the heat for these things," she said. "The magazines do at the beginning, they apologize and lessons are learned. Are people not going to read Rolling Stone anymore? I don't think so."

___

Follow David Bauder at twitter.com/dbauder. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/david-bauder

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Rolling Stone rape story discredited, retracted

A belated Rolling Stone retraction of its controversial University of Virginia rape article — published yesterday with a Columbia University report that called it "avoidable" — opens the door to legal damage claims and raises questions about how the university handled the situation, media watchers and victim advocates said.

"If I was that fraternity, I'd have a lot of big legal offices on my speed dial and I would just be teeing them up," said Tobe Berkovitz, a media expert at Boston University. "The University of Virginia is, I think, also responsible for not thoroughly investigating and sort of going beyond what would be responsible for an administration to make sure that justice is served. I think they have failed on pretty much every level."

The report released last night by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism called the story behind the article "A Rape on Campus," published in Rolling Stone last November, a "story of journalistic failure that was avoidable."

"The failure encompassed reporting, editing, editorial supervision and fact-checking," said the report, which was posted on the magazine's website, accompanied by an apology from Rolling Stone Managing Editor Will Dana, who also announced that the publication was officially retracting the story.

The article focused on a student identified only as "Jackie" who said she was raped by seven men at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house more than two years earlier. Police, who received no cooperation from Jackie, found no evidence to support the claims.

The report found that people Jackie offered to corroborate her story weren't interviewed, and cast serious doubts on Jackie's claims when located and interviewed by Columbia's researchers.

"If these stories are going to be written about, then they have to based on facts. I don't think it does anybody any favors if they're not," said Laurie Meyers, founder of Community VOICES, a victim advocate group who has extensive experience counseling rape victims. "But on the other side of it, as a person who works with victims ... most often they did not want to go and file a police report, so there was never documentation there. But did it mean to me that they weren't sexually assaulted? No, and it was my job to assist them. I don't even know what to say at this point."

Glenn Reynolds, a University of Tennessee law professor who was critical of the Rolling Stone story, said "all the results of this story are bad."

"On the one hand, women who are actually raped are going to find that people are going to be much more skeptical of them because they have seen yet another lurid campus rape story explode," Reynolds said. "Second of all, it has tarred men as presumptive rapists on campus, particularly fraternities, and that created greater gender divisions. Even though this story has collapsed, that division will probably remain."

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Mophie shows power 
with supplemental battery

Mophie Powerstation Plus 2X ($79.95 and up, various retailers)

Now that you might actually want to venture outdoors for more than a millisecond, you might consider a supplemental battery for your smartphone or tablet. There are tons of external batteries on the market, and Mophie has the best reputation around.

The good: This slim, compact power station features two cable choices: a Micro USB or Lightning cable for Apple users. It is also available in higher capacities of up to 8X battery life, but that comes with more bulk and a higher price tag.

The bad: The price is a bit on the high end.

The bottom line: At this price, you're paying for the reliability that comes with a Mophie. The Powerstation Plus delivers as a consistent supplemental battery device.

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Watch war: Apple smartwatch entries available for pre-order at week-end

The smartwatch wars kick off in earnest this week as Apple's hotly anticipated new wrist candy becomes available for pre-order on Friday, setting the stage for the latest arm-wrestling match between Android and iOS.

The Apple Watch debut provides the first real litmus test for smartwatches: Will Baby Boomers — who remember a time when having a watch was as crucial as having a toothbrush — embrace this reimagined version of the relic that does much more than just tell time? Will Millennials, who never lived in a world where watches were necessary, find them novel, trendy — maybe even ironic enough to be cool? And will the richest few who still regard high-end watches as a status symbol be impressed enough with Apple's design chops to make the investment?

Apple has a lot riding on the answer to all three key questions being an emphatic "yes," having designed an unprecedented 20 models of its Apple Watch, which come in two sizes and start at $349 for the "Sport" version. The "Apple Watch Edition" costs an eye-popping $12,000 for the 42 mm, 18-karat rose gold version, signaling a bold play for the market of bejeweled luxury timepieces.

So while both Apple and Android-makers battle for hearts and wrists, only Apple has essentially expanded into the business of selling jewelry. It shouldn't surprise anyone if Apple Stores take on a look similar to Tiffany & Co. on April 24, when watches finally ship and become available.

On the Android side, Samsung has had its foot on the gas for well over a year, churning out the Galaxy Gear, Gear 2, Gear Fit, Gear 2 Neo, Gear S and Gear Live. Each successive smartwatch from Samsung has its own niche. And to an extent, its panoptic strategy to pre-empt Apple has paid off, resulting in a respectable 1.2 million smartwatches sold in the U.S. in 2014. But analysts say Apple could sell millions of its watches in the first month alone.

Samsung is taking a wait-and-see approach to the Apple debut. With no public plans for a new Gear model on tap, Samsung wants to see how the market evolves and expands this month.

The newest Samsung watches have a healthy stable of apps, voice recognition and the ability to make calls and answer them. Kickstarter-enabled Pebble also remains a player, with the Pebble Time Steel bearing a striking resemblance to the Apple Watch and boasting a seven-day battery compared to Apple's 18 hours of power. And the Pebble works with iOS and Android devices, while the Apple Watch is a closed platform.

Some companies have decided the only way to win the smartwatch wars is not to play. The highly reviewed Microsoft Band is much more function over form, and unmistakably a band. And successful manufacturers of fitness-tracking devices like Jawbone and Nike don't appear to be switching up their formula of focused wellness devices anytime soon, and Apple is probably hoping to peel off some of those customers this week.

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Area hospital to use new security device

Newton-Wellesley Hospital will be rolling out new, non-lethal devices for its security staff in the coming weeks, as hospitals across the country have seen an increase in violent attacks by patients.

"As the services in the community decrease, more folks turn to the emergency room for their needs," said Dave Corbin, director of public safety at Newton-Wellesley. "(Hospitals are) all saying we're seeing more violence, and if any hospital turns around and says they're immune to it, they're either in the middle of nowhere or they're lying. It's certainly a trend across health care."

Violent crime in U.S. hospitals increased by 25 percent from 2012 to 2013, according to an International Healthcare Security and Safety Foundation report, and disorderly conduct has increased by 40 percent over the same time period. In January, a cardiovascular surgeon was shot and killed in his office at Brigham and Women's Hospital by the son of a former patient.

Newton-Wellesley is training its officers to use the Pro V2, a high-tech device designed specifically for security staff.

"It was built with this layered defense concept in mind, as the situation intensifies it is able to escalate and meet that threat, without getting carried away," said Paul Hughes, chief operating officer for Guardian 8, an Arizona-based company that sells the devices.

Guardian 8 will be at the ASIS International Boston Security Expo 2015 on Thursday in Boxboro to show off the Pro V2.

The Pro V2 has three phases to respond to escalating threats.

The first phase simply records audio and video — Newton-Wellesley will only record video thanks to the state's wiretapping laws. The second stage emits a strobe light and a siren, intended to catch an aggressive person off-guard. The last phase shoots a concentrated stream of pepper spray, which the company says is more reliable and precise than traditional pepper spray canisters.

"This is purely a defensive tool," Hughes said.

Corbin said the decision to use the device was not based on a single incident, but was part of a regular evaluation of the hospital security practices. Newton-Wellesley had planned to get pepper spray canisters for its security staff, but decided the Pro V2 was a better fit for the hospital.

"It takes the old-school pepper spray can, which is a dumb device," Corbin said, "and wraps it in technology."

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5 years after coal mine blast, explosion risks persist

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The nation's worst coal mine disaster in decades exposed lax safety measures at some Appalachian mines, issues that persist five years later despite the crackdown that followed, according to an Associated Press review of federal inspection records.

Excess methane gas and flammable coal dust fueled a fireball that raced through the Upper Big Branch mine in southern West Virginia on April 5, 2010, killing 29 men. The explosion and mass casualties rocked the mining community, which had just recorded its safest year ever in coal mines.

The revelation that inspectors repeatedly had cited the mine for buildups of coal dust and methane, with little disruption to the mine's operations, drove calls for greater accountability. Federal authorities responded by stiffening safety rules, stepping up inspection raids and going after company higher-ups.

Prosecutors have won four convictions against former officials at Massey Energy, the company that owned Upper Big Branch, and secured a rare indictment on conspiracy charges against Don Blankenship, the former CEO. He has pleaded not guilty and is set for trial April 20.

In 2014, the nation again set a new low for coal mining deaths — 16 — in part because about a hundred underground mines have closed in West Virginia and Kentucky over the last five years as the energy industry has moved away from Appalachian coal.

The U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration also credits its revamped approach to inspections. After Upper Big Branch, MSHA began sending teams of inspectors to target problem mines, many of them underground operations in West Virginia and Kentucky, which are still home to nearly half of the nation's coal mines. Federal inspectors have written nearly 14,000 citations during those visits, called impact inspections.

MSHA chief Joe Main has said the increased enforcement has reduced serious violations that could lead to injury or death by about 60 percent in mines that MSHA has kept a close watch over since 2010.

Yet some mines consistently fail to follow rules meant to curb explosion risks, including some owned by the company that took over Massey's operations.

In January, federal officials found excess methane and coal dust at Mill Branch Coal Corp.'s Osaka mine in Wise County, Virginia. The mine is owned by Alpha Natural Resources, which bought Massey's mines in 2011. During the visit, inspectors pulled miners out of two working sections, temporarily shutting down production. The January visit to Osaka was the fifth impact inspection at the mine.

At another Wise County mine in November, inspectors found 2-foot deep accumulations of combustible materials and coal dust in working areas of Regent Allied Carbon Energy's No. 2 mine. MSHA ordered the belt lines shut down since the mine had not followed an approved ventilation plan, and officials noted that the water supply to sprayers that suppress coal dust were not turned on.

A worker at the Regent Allied mine referred questions to company president Ervin Stiltner, but calls to two numbers listed in his name were not answered.

MSHA named six more mines in an August report that have had repeated problems meeting ventilation and dust control standards since Upper Big Branch. Five are in West Virginia and one is in eastern Kentucky.

"You just have to shake your head and wonder what in the world are these mines doing?" said Celeste Monforton, a former MSHA official and a member of a special investigative panel that compiled a report on Upper Big Branch for the West Virginia governor.

The fact that some mine operators continue to create conditions similar to those at Upper Big Branch should "really send chills up peoples' spines, knowing that these situations are still occurring," she said.

As with many regulatory agencies, MSHA's enforcement powers are limited. It can levy fines and temporarily shut down a mine, but getting a mine closed for good requires asking a federal judge. MSHA has almost never taken it that far.

MSHA chief Joe Main declined to comment, with an agency spokeswoman citing Blankenship's approaching trial.

Data provided by MSHA indicates a crackdown in West Virginia on ventilation and combustible material problems after Upper Big Branch. Federal inspectors wrote an average of about 700 more of those citations annually from 2010 to 2014 than they did in the five years before the tragic explosion. West Virginia has about 30 fewer underground coal mines operating today than in 2010. For all U.S. coal mines, those same types of citations and orders decreased after Upper Big Branch, as MSHA wrote about 1,500 fewer per year from 2010 to 2014 compared to the five years before.

Other mines found to have explosion risks have recently shown safety improvements.

Another Alpha-owned operation, the Camp Creek underground mine in Wayne County, West Virginia, had been cited 64 times in the last two years for failing to follow its ventilation plan, MSHA said last year. The vent plan is designed to keep air moving and flammable gas from concentrating underground.

Bristol, Virginia-based Alpha said that Mill Branch and Rocksprings Development, which runs the Camp Creek mine, addressed the problems found during the impact inspections. A follow-up impact inspection in November at the Camp Creek mine, a huge operation with 400 employees, ended with three citations, an improvement over the problems found in August.

"Alpha's affiliated operations receive mine inspections almost daily and take nothing more seriously than safety," the company said in an email to the AP.

After acquiring Massey's mines, Alpha agreed in 2011 to pay $210 million to compensate the victims' families, pay for safety improvements and settle years of Massey fines.

The ventilation plan problems cited in recent inspections were also a problem at Upper Big Branch, as contaminated air stagnated where miners worked. Gas in the mine forced workers out from underground the day before the explosion, Pam Napper recalled. She got a call from her son Josh that day, after he left the mine.

"I could just tell he was really thinking about something really hard," Napper said. "Apparently he knew something was going on but he wasn't sure what it was all about."

The next day, sparks from machinery cutting into rock ignited gas in the mine. Water sprays on the machinery were defective, meaning the flame wasn't immediately put out. The fiery blast moved through the mine, growing as it touched flammable coal dust that had built up in underground shafts.

When it was over, Josh Napper and 28 other miners were dead.

It was a staggering number, the highest death toll in an American mine since 1970.

Three hundred feet underground when it happened, Stanley "Goose" Stewart later recalled trying to revive some of his fallen co-workers, then covering their bodies with blankets, their faces obscured by black soot.

"It's always in the back of your head, and often times it comes to the front of your head," said Stewart, who retired shortly after.

The mine, he told Congress during an investigation, was a "ticking time bomb."

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Verizon to contribute total of $1.5M to three local startups

Three local startups will receive a total of $1.5 million this month as winners of Verizon's Powerful Answers Award.

Vaxess Technologies of Cambridge will receive $1 million, and Aldatu Biosciences and School Yourself, both of Boston, will each receive $250,000 at the Saturday grand opening of Verizon's Boylston Street store for their part in a challenge that encourages entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions in education, health care, sustainability and transportation.

"These winners were chosen by panels of industry experts based on their ability to leverage cutting-edge technology to create solutions that deliver social good," said Michael Murphy, a spokesman for Verizon Wireless New England.

Each year, about 2.4 million people around the world die from vaccine-preventable diseases. And every vaccine on the market has to be either refrigerated or frozen. Vaxess Technologies hopes to either eliminate the need for refrigeration — or expand the range of temperatures at which vaccines could be kept — by combining them with fibroin, a protein found in silk, via the work of Tufts University researchers David Kaplan and Fiorenzo Omenetto.

"The nice thing about the (Verizon) money is that it allows us to pursue vaccine candidates, such as ones for polio, that will be very impactful from a global health standpoint," said CEO Michael Schrader, who co-founded Vaxess in 2012.

Eventually, the company may also use the same silk protein to make orthopedic screws, instead of titanium ones, that could dissolve in the body over time, as well as a micro-needle patch, similar to a postage-stamp-sized piece of velcro, that could be used for drug delivery, eliminating the need for a needle and a syringe, Schrader said.

Aldatu Biosciences will use its award money to help grow the company as it prepares to move to Cambridge and develops a kit to detect HIV drug-resistance in Sub-Saharan Africa.

"It will not only improve health outcomes, but it will also help health care systems save money," said Iain MacLeod, Aldatu's co-founder and chief scientific officer.

The company hopes to start a clinical trial in Botswana by the end of this year, MacLeod said.

School Yourself, an online learning platform developed by MIT alumni Zach Wissner-Gross and John Lee, this spring launched AlgebraX and GeometryX, which have become the highest-rated interactive math courses on edX, with a combined 25,000 students enrolled.

"Personally, I think how a scrappy, four-person startup, rather than a huge university with unlimited resources, has created the top two math MOOCs (massive open online courses) is an interesting story," said Wissner-Gross, School Yourself's CEO. "We'll be using the prize money to release a public version of the powerful authoring tools we developed along the way, so that anyone can make interactive, personalized lessons like ours."

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Benz with 449 hp is a head-turner

Here's what a friend of mine had to say about the 2015 Mercedes-Benz S550 4­Matic Coupe: "It looks like it's going 100 mph sitting still!"

This handsome and fast coupe's interior is elegantly trimmed in "Designo" Napa leather with piano black lacquer solid surfaces and is a dream to drive. Whether set in the Econ/Comfort or performance-minded Sport mode, the S550 — formerly badged the CL — is lightning-quick and exquisitely precise.

The front seats automatically adjust as you swing through turns, keeping you and your passenger snug in the racing-inspired leather. The front seats also electronically slide forward, revealing a smallish back seat. Although it's more than a two-seater, folks in the back might be a bit squeezed. The panoramic sunroof gives the cabin an airy feeling but maintains the feline shape and slick aerodynamics of the body.

Powered by a 449-hp V­8 4.7-liter twin turbo and mated to a silky smooth seven-speed automatic transmission, the Mercedes­-Benz powers from a stop and has plenty extra when you boot the sport-styled accelerator pedal looking to move through traffic. Reset the driving mode to Sport and you feel the air-suspension stiffen and the shift-points change to make this a formidable full-sized grand tourer.

Don't mistake the S550 for a lithe sports car, though this more than 4,500-pound machine is only eight inches shorter than the full four-door sedan it shares the class with.

The all-wheel-drive melds the car to the road, providing you a sense of complete control and confidence in the car. Sweeping on and off ramps, the S550 flattens out nicely, so maintaining a good head of steam through them is a snap. Rain and wet roads are no issue and snowy terrain is easily handled with winter-mounted 
Pirelli performance snow tires. And the accurate and sure braking keeps this two-door safely grounded.

Speaking of safety, the S550 has a full array of sensors and alerts to help keep you in your lane, awake at the wheel and at an appropriate distance from cars in front of and behind you. Bird's-eye, front and rear cameras, head's-up display and blind-spot monitors help you pilot the Mercedes free and clear of danger.

Despite what appears to be a daunting electronic display, managing your listening needs, navigation and Bluetooth integration is straightforward and simple. The "Command" system only takes a short time to learn and with audible and steering wheel controls, in addition to a center stack mouse and controller wheel, setting your favorites is quick and pain-free. Cellphone integration is a one-click setup and there's no need to raise your voice to talk. The whisper-quiet interior is only interrupted when you ask the beefy engine to get going, but the reward is a gutsy roar that settles into a dynamic hum even at highway speeds.

I took it on a coast run to Portland, Maine, in Econ mode and got a reasonable 24 mpg while managing about 16 in local driving. It loves super high test gas but only requires 91 octane to keep the fuel lines happy.

With all the technology, creature comforts, craftsmanship and performance, this classy car has a delivered MSRP of $149,875 and competes in class with the BMW 6 Series and Bentley GT.

Sadly, I had to turn the test car back in, and they had to pry the key from my fingers.

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