Boston braille press puts out ‘Frozen’ book, CD

What more fitting book for children to curl up with on these bone-chilling days and nights than "Frozen," Disney's wildly popular icy adventure. But the more than 50,000 blind children in the United States have largely been left out of the fun — until now.

The Boston-based National Braille Press has just released a version in both print and braille, along with a CD featuring thrilling sound effects, word-for-word narration and original movie voices, so that parents and children can venture together to Arendelle, a kingdom trapped in a never-ending winter.

"What we try to do is make the most popular children's books accessible to blind children so that they can share in the excitement," said Kimberley Ballard, a National Braille Press spokeswoman.

What makes "Frozen" particularly appealing, Ballard said, is that it has a strong female character and emphasizes the importance of bravery and imagination as the young Princess Anna, a dreamer, goes on a quest to save Arendelle.

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Toyota Camry doesn't toy with success

The changes in the redesigned 2015 Camry are sufficient to attract new buyers, yet subtle enough to appease Camry loyalists.

The new grille and wraparound headlights on its front end give the 2015 Camry a sleek, more aggressive appearance, and taillights that extend into the rear quarter panels echo the front. The overall body shape and roof line is the same, as function over form prevails with the Camry, but 17-inch alloy wheels with chrome paint helped my test sedan's unassuming silver metallic exterior stand out.

The new Camry has a smoother yet slightly stiffer ride as a result of tweaks to the suspension and electronic power steering. A 178-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine comes standard with the front-wheel-drive Camry. The base model starts at just under $23,000 but higher trim models, such as my XLE tester that tops out at $36,000, come with a much more powerful 268-hp, 3.5-
liter V6.

While other manufacturers have switched to the occasionally choppy, continuously variable transmission for improved fuel economy, Toyota sticks with a six-speed automatic transmission throughout the Camry lineup, perhaps due to its refined and uneventful shifting. My tester yielded 25 mpg in combined city and highway fuel economy. Toyota also offers a hybrid version.

The Camry's wide stance translates into a spacious and comfortable interior. A wide chasm separates driver from passenger and there's plenty of elbow and foot room to seat three in the back seat. Leather-trimmed seats and steering wheel along with a push-button starter gave my tester an aura of luxury.

The center console had a 7-inch multimedia screen that provided easy-to-use navigation. I appreciated conventional tune and volume control dials located on either side of the console. Both controls also are on the steering wheel along with hands-free calling. Connecting my iPhone was trouble-free, allowing me to seamlessly continue listening to an audiobook that I started in another vehicle.

A backup camera is standard across the Camry lineup. My tester also had optional safety technology features that included adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, a pre-collision system, blind spot monitors and rear cross-traffic alert.

Buying a mid-sized sedan is no longer a coin-toss decision between Honda's Accord and the Camry because there's an abundance of choices from other manufacturers, including better-looking sedans that offer more bells and whistles and better fuel economy. Chrysler, Ford, and Subaru offer all-wheel-drive with their mid-sized sedans, a feature absent from the Camry lineup.

But it's really hard to find anything to dislike about the Camry, and perhaps that's why the solidly built and reliable Camry has been a top-selling car in America over the past decade.

Obviously with Toyota's Camry, the phrase "don't mess with success" is universally understood.

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Enjoy top-floor loft in top location

This New York-style loft in downtown Boston sits on the top floor of a five-story building and has been recently upgraded from its original 2005 conversion.

The current owner of 289 Devonshire St. No. 5 has invested $12,000 in a new gas-fired heating and central air system, renovated the unit's two full bathrooms and added European-style LED lighting throughout.

The 1,564-square-foot one-bedroom loft, which has exclusive rights to a deck on a just redone rubber roof, is on the market for $999,000.

The building, which sits above the Viga restaurant, has four condos with direct elevator access to each floor-through unit.

The elevator opens into Unit 5's large, open living/dining area with nearly ­14-foot ceilings, along with exposed ductwork and LED recessed lighting. This space has three large-front facing windows and maple hardwood floors.

The area segues into the unit's kitchen, which features 15 maple cabinets and honed black-granite counters, as well as a bilevel ­island that seats four with new contemporary pendant lamps above. At the end of the island is a built-in wine rack.

Jenn-Air stainless steel appliances from 2005 include a refrigerator, dishwasher, gas stove and built-in microwave, along with a Kitchen Aid compactor.

Around the corner from the kitchen sits a built-in honed black granite desk with maple built-in shelving­ above.

Across the hall sits a full bathroom redone in 2012 with white Carrara marble floors and walls for a whirlpool tub and shower, along with a large white sink ­basin and sconce lighting.

Along the hallway to the bedroom is built-in loft storage space.

The unit's one bedroom is large, and could easily be converted into two decent-sized bedrooms. The bedroom area has maple floors, three large windows and 10-foot ceilings.

There's a walk-through closet with custom built-in maple wardrobes on either side leading into a master bathroom with radiant heated porcelain tile floors and porcelain walls for a glass-doored walk-in shower. There's also a contemporary double-sink with white quartz counters and dual mirrors above.

Outside the bathroom sits a closet with a stacked Whirlpool washer and dryer. And on the far side of the bedroom is a utilities closet with decent storage space.

The new rubber roof will support a 1,380-square-foot private deck reachable through a staircase next to the elevator.

The unit doesn't come with an on-site parking space, and with its metered downtown location, nearby garages are the best option.

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Charlie Baker official says Connector to be more transparent

The Massachusetts Health Connector will enter its busiest period of Obamacare enrollment next week as the Baker administration — vowing a new level of transparency — prepares to reveal just how much the agency's "wildcard" costs will add to a budget deficit expected to top $500 million.

"My staff has been working around the clock the past seven days to try to finalize the number," said Administration and Finance Secretary Kristen Lepore. "We're really close, and we should be announcing that very soon."

Baker has said he expects the state budget gap to be more than $500 million. Still unknown is the total cost of temporary health insurance that Bay Staters were transferred onto last year under the Patrick administration when the state's costly Obamacare website failed.

Lepore, in her first Health Connector board meeting as chairwoman after being sworn in last week, pledged at least one major change to the agency.

"Transparency is No. 1," Lepore said.

Meanwhile, Health Connector officials are racing to get the word out to Bay Staters in those temporary plans to sign up for insurance by Jan. 23 or risk losing coverage altogether.

"Our key continues to be this large group that has coverage that ends," said state Obamacare czar Maydad Cohen. "The critical thing we've really been pushing hard in our outreach and communication is the temporary Medicaid program, the Commonwealth Care program, those are ending for these people Jan. 31. There is no extension. They will have no coverage if they take no action."

Cohen said the Connector is expecting its busiest open enrollment period next week and will have more than 300 call center operators to process applications and answer questions.

The Connector's eleventh-hour outreach blitz also includes a radio ad Sunday during the New England Patriots AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts in which the Connector is sponsoring the "Connection of the Game," highlighting the best pass.

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Garden complex signs up a star

Star Market is coming to North Station. The West Bridgewater chain signed a long-term lease for a 63,000-square-foot grocery store in Boston Properties and Delaware North's 
$950 million, mixed-use TD Garden project.

The supermarket will be downtown Boston's largest, and will potentially cap a 16-year push by the North End/West End/Beacon Hill Supermarket Committee to bring an affordable grocery to their neighborhoods.

"My committee is very pleased that it includes the supermarket," committee chairwoman Lia Tota said. "We just hope — and this remains to be seen — that Star Market is willing to keep the prices as low as possible, because the idea of fighting for this was not just having a supermarket."

The committee plans to work with Star Market through the design phase.

"It's a great story of community activism and commitment," said Bryan Koop, senior vice president and regional manager of Boston Properties' Hub office. "There is a population of 75,000 people in these…neighborhoods who do not have a grocery store."

The committee formed after learning that the former Stop & Shop on Cambridge Street would be replaced by a more expensive Bread & Circus, prompting concerns about affordability.

When Stop & Shop finally closed in 2003 — it's now a Whole Foods — a free shuttle bus started transporting residents of the three neighborhoods to a Shaw's in Somerville and Stop & Shop in Medford several times per week. The grocery chains continue to fund the service.

An escalator will take shoppers to the new lower-level Star Market, which will emphasize hot prepared foods, alcohol, cut produce and organics, and include a cheese shop, pizza and salad bars, sushi, a seating area, pharmacy and Starbucks.

Shaw's was attracted to the location because of the tremendous amount of building in the area and access to North Station, a spokesman said. The city in 2013 also approved $7.8 million in tax breaks to help lure the company.

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Heslam: New Boston.com editor needs cred

Boston Globe's beleaguered online sister site, Boston.com, is reeling from its latest viral blunder, and it's high time the rudderless ship finds an experienced captain.

Boston.com yesterday fired Victor Paul Alvarez, an associate editor who posted a story making fun of death threats against House Speaker John Boehner and accusing the Ohio Republican of being a heavy drinker with a "pickled liver" who could survive being poisoned.

Globe CEO Mike Sheehan wouldn't comment on Alvarez's ouster but said no other Boston.com staffers were disciplined over the site's latest mishap.

"It's onward and upward," Sheehan said.

Sheehan, who sent an apology letter to Boehner, said they are in the "final stages" of interviewing candidates to fill the Boston.com editor job, which has been vacant since the end of November.

Boston University School of Communications Dean Tom Fiedler said it's "prudent" that the next Boston.com editor have a strong journalistic background to "avoid the kinds of embarrassments" and "controversy that has come up in recent weeks."

It's also important, Fiedler added, that the next editor run Boston.com "in alignment with the journalistic values of the company in general."

Alvarez confirmed his ouster yesterday but said he was surprised by the firing. He declined to elaborate. As for Boehner, Alvarez said, "I'd like to apologize to the man in a way that is sincere, and I don't think a tweet would do it. He deserves more than that."

In an emailed statement, Boston.com's GM Corey Gottlieb said, "We do not comment on individual personnel matters. Any decisions made are far less about one employee than they are about the collective Boston.com team and maintaining and strengthening the standards and values they share."

Sheehan said he has "100 percent confidence" in Gottlieb leading the site.

Last month, then-deputy editor of Boston.com Hilary Sargent was suspended after hawking T-shirts that mocked a Harvard professor embroiled in a $4 flap with a Chinese restaurant owner — a story she doggedly covered. Sargent, now a senior columnist, also posted a piece that was quickly taken down that accused the professor of sending a racist email.

A contrite Alvarez took to Twitter to address his firing — and critics.

"The story I wrote was awful. Tasteless. Mean. Bosses felt it was inexcusable. They fired me," Alvarez wrote in a tweet. "I did not pine for murder. I made a tasteless joke that I clearly regret. Before I was fired and now."

Alvarez tweeted: "Also, in case it wasn't abundantly clear, I'm looking for a job. I doubt there will be any offers. But I am available."

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Judge won’t dismiss church bankruptcy

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge yesterday found insufficient grounds to dismiss Greater Love Tabernacle Church's bankruptcy case at the request of its mortgage holder, who cited the Dorchester church's inability to refinance its debt.

Judge Joan Feeney ordered the church to file an appraisal and report on its fundraising efforts toward a purchase of its property or mortgage refinancing before an April hearing.

The church, which filed for bankruptcy in 2013 with some $803,000 in debt after VFC Partners 118 LLC threatened foreclosure, owes its Texas lender approximately $700,000.

"What we're trying to do is come up with a combination of contributions and a new loan ... to pay off the existing debt, and we hope (VFC) will take that at a discount since they purchased the loan at a deep discount," said Michael Goldberg, the church's attorney. "Another option is to use the bankruptcy to restructure the existing note, lower the interest rate and stretch it out over time."

The church so far has raised $150,000 for its refinancing fund.

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Buyers to make recon missions

GM president Charles "Engine Charlie" Wilson, chosen in 1953 to be secretary of defense for President Dwight Eisenhower, was famously misquoted as saying, "What's good for General Motors is good for the country."

In 2014, GM sold more than 2.9 million vehicles. It was good for the country.

And GM wasn't alone: Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and Subaru had record years, and Chrysler and Toyota posted big sales gains.

Against this backdrop, expect happy faces when the 58th New England International Auto Show gets underway today through Monday at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Manufacturers and franchised new vehicle dealers are obviously psyched; their annual party has a lot of promise.

Kelley Blue Book thinks sales could reach 17 million in the U.S. this year, closing in on the record 17.3 million vehicles sold in 2000. American consumers bought
16.5 million new vehicles last year, according to Autodata Corp., a 6-percent hike and a sign that the economy is picking up steam. It was the fifth consecutive year of improving sales.

Boston's auto show is an enthusiast's dream; 57 percent of show guests consider themselves "car fanatics." But almost a third are going to the show for more than just the fun of it — they're on a reconnaissance mission. Thirty percent of the show's annual attendees are thinking of making a vehicle purchase in the next three months.

It's a great time to buy. The more affordable cost of fuel, record-low interest rates and an improving economy have all kicked the buying climate into high gear.

The auto show gives prospective buyers a rare opportunity: They can scout choices from among 36 different manufacturers. Hundreds of cars and trucks will dot the BCEC floor and for five days, it will be the largest showroom in the world.

"It's a great opportunity for consumers to plan their next purchase," said Robert F. O'Koniewski, executive vice president of the Massachusetts State Automobile Dealers Association. "A few hundred cars will be there."

Among those will be the newest models, such as the Honda HR-V Crossover and the Jeep Renegade. And the first East Coast showing of the new Audi A6 and A7, is expected to be among the big enthusiast draws.

Even better for some, four manufacturers — Ford, Kia, Scion and Toyota — will provide qualified show attendees the opportunity to take a test drive. Each manufacturer will also have numerous product experts working the displays to answer questions. And guests can also take home reams of product info.

Talk about one-stop shopping.

O'Koniewski says that prospective buyers may have a bit more urgency this year.

"The average age of a car on the road in Massachusetts is 12 to 13 years old," he said. "During the down economy, people focused on keeping what they had. So the last time someone bought or leased a car may have been awhile, and they are going to find that cars are better-made now. They're more fuel-efficient and structurally safer."

Enhancing the festivities will be fun and games. Contests give guests a shot to win a Nascar Driving Experience, a remote car-start system, a gas card, or tickets to a Celtics game, among other prizes.

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Cambridge to get Charlie Hebdo mag

Cambridge's Out of Town News so far is the lone Massachusetts retailer slated to receive the "survivors edition" of Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine that yesterday released its first issue since last week's deadly attack by Islamic extremists in Paris.

The Harvard Square newsstand will get five to 10 copies from the first print run of the edition, which features a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad on the cover, according to Martin McEwen, sales and marketing vice president at LS Distribution North America, the Montreal-based North American distributor for the magazine.

"We're trying to get them there for Friday, but it will be probably be over the weekend or Monday morning," McEwen said. "For the first distribution, there are only 300 copies going into the U.S."

The new issue of Charlie Hebdo, which had a press run of 5 million copies, sold out within minutes yesterday in France. Al-Qaeda's branch in Yemen, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for the Jan. 7 attack on the magazine's offices that killed 12 people, saying it ordered the killings because it believed the weekly had insulted Muhammad.

LS Distribution has been inundated with calls from U.S. and Canadian outlets seeking copies of the magazine. "We're expecting additional copies when they do their second print run, but we don't have any confirmation on timings or quantities," McEwen said.

The owners of Out of Town News, which a worker said was slammed with calls yesterday, couldn't be reached. It's unclear if the copies that it will receive already are spoken for by customers. "Most of the retailers I've spoken with, all of the copies are reserved," McEwen said. "They have waiting lists."

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The Ticker

Job openings climb in Nov.

Job openings climbed in November to the highest level in almost 14 years as the strengthening U.S. economy fueled demand for labor.

The number of positions waiting to be filled rose by 142,000 to 4.97 million in November, the most since January 2001, a report from the Labor Department showed yesterday. The pace of hiring cooled and fewer Americans quit their jobs.

Gains in hiring, waning dismissals and rising confidence underscore a vibrant labor market that in 2014 marked its strongest performance since 1999.

Seesaw Dow ends down again

Stocks swung from gains to losses and almost back again yesterday.

The U.S. market opened the day higher, getting a boost from encouraging news on hiring and small business confidence. The market then swooned in the afternoon as oil closed lower. The pendulum then swung back late in the day as oil gained in after-hours trading and stocks ended with small losses.

From peak to trough, the Dow Jones industrial average swung 425 points. The Dow fell 27.16 points, to 17,613.68. The Nasdaq composite slipped 3.21 points, to 4,661.50. The Standard & Poor's 500 index eased 5.23 points to 2,023.03.

Oil prices continue to tumble

Oil tumbled 5 percent to near six-year lows before recovering ground yesterday, and Brent briefly traded at par to U.S. crude for the first time in three months as some traders moved to take advantage of ample storage space in the United States.

Traders were searching to store the glut of oil, which has knocked prices down 60 percent in the last six months. So far this week, Brent has lost 7 percent and U.S. crude 5 percent.

Brent crude settled down 84 cents at $46.59 a barrel, after falling to $45.19, its lowest since March 2009. U.S. crude oil closed down 18 cents at $45.89, after hitting an April 2009 low of $44.20.

Today

 Commerce Department releases retail sales data for December.

 Commerce Department releases business inventories for November.

 Federal Reserve releases Beige Book.

TOMORROW

 Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims.

 Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for December.

 Freddie Mac releases weekly mortgage rates.

THE SHUFFLE

Re/Max Leading Edge, with offices throughout Greater Boston, has announced the appointment of Christine George to executive vice president of marketing and business development. George will be responsible for setting the overall direction of the company's marketing and business development strategy.

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