FEMA unveiling new Hub flood zone maps

Suffolk County residents will get a first look today at new flood zone maps that have prompted outcry over rising federal flood insurance costs and a deluge of lawsuits across the nation.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency today is unveiling the new maps that Boston officials say are likely to affect about 10,200 residential units and as many as 3,600 businesses.

"As a city, we're committed to accurately identifying the risks from coastal storm flooding and finding ways to support those home and business owners who will be impacted by the remapping of the flood zones," Mayor Thomas M. Menino said.

The city is working on hiring a consultant with the Boston Redevelopment Authority to review the maps to ensure their accuracy and applicability, he said.

The earliest the city of Boston expects to adopt a final flood hazard map is December 2014.

Sticker shock from the new federal mandate has kicked off a rising tide of opposition nationwide.

"These new rates will devastate many families and businesses throughout Massachusetts," said state Attorney General Martha Coakley, who yesterday joined a lawsuit against the new rates in Mississippi federal court. "In setting these new flood insurance rates, FEMA not only failed to evaluate their economic impact, but also failed to gather all the data required to ensure the new rates are accurate."

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Townhouse condo has roomy charm

A townhouse condo in Cambridge's Inman Square that's priced at nearly $1 million shows just how much has changed in the once-inexpensive neighborhood known for its funky, independently owned shops and eateries, including the iconic S&S Restaurant.

A new three-bedroom attached townhouse at 15 Oak Street, one of three available units carved out of an expansive 1854 house and attached barn, was initially listed last week for a jaw-dropping $999,000, but has just been reduced to $969,000. For that money, you get three floors with 2,550 square feet of living space, oak floors throughout, custom maple cabinetry, Bosch appliances, a huge master bedroom suite and nicely done ceramic tile bathrooms.

The original house and rear barn have been gut renovated, with new clapboard siding, roof and windows and all-new systems added, including gas-fired heat and central air conditioning.

Unit 1, the front townhouse, has a covered front porch and opens into an oak-floored open living/dining area, with a picture window and a light/fan over the dining space. Off to one side is a sunny sitting room, and opposite is a half bathroom with gray ceramic tile. An adjacent formal dining room gets lots of sun but is cut off from the adjacent kitchen by a full wall.

Reachable through the living room, the well-
appointed kitchen features 25 custom maple cabinets and Absolute black granite counters. Appliances are all Bosch stainless-steel, including a side-by-side refrigerator, a dishwasher and a five-burner gas stove. Right off the kitchen is a good-sized pantry closet.

The three bedrooms on the second floor are reachable via a charming winding wood staircase with new custom-designed wrought-iron railings.

The oak-floored master bedroom is huge, with a row of four front-facing windows and recessed lighting. There's a large area suitable for a master closet and a smaller closet as well. The stylish en-suite master bathroom has striated ceramic-tile floors and walls for a glass-doored walk-in shower and an Absolute black 
granite-topped vanity.

There are two other decent-sized oak-floored bedrooms on this floor, along with a second stylish full bathroom with striated ceramic tile floors and walls surrounding a tub and shower. The vanity has a beige granite top. There's a closet in the hallway with a washer/dryer hookup, and the developer will throw in a washer and dryer on closing, says real estate agent Adam Day.

A winding staircase leads to two more finished, oak-floored rooms with windows on the third floor under the eaves. One room would make a great home office, while the other, with low headroom due to the eaves, could work as a playroom.

The townhouse has all-new electrical and plumbing systems, and new gas-fired heating and central air-conditioning systems.

The unit comes with one parking space in the three-unit complex's driveway. But there is no other open yard space.

Broker: Adam Day of Realty Executives at 617-908-5653

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Hyundai shifts gears, turns heads

While I was photographing this car a man approached and asked what kind of car I had. Told a 2014 Hyundai Equus, he let out a whoop, a friendly cuss and exclaimed "A Hyundai!" and left chuckling about how much better the car was than the 1990s rust-buckets.

The cackling has stopped about paying nearly $70,000 for the Equus since its introduction in 2011 because this is one beautifully made luxury automobile.

Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Cadillac certainly aren't laughing anymore. These high-end carmakers are being challenged by the Koreans, with their imported European designers who are now making great looking, well-engineered and elegant machines while muscling in on market share.

This full-sized Ultimate — one of two trim levels available — with rear-wheel drive and a 5-liter V8 mated to an 8-speed transmission, is quiet, powerful and full of tech goodies including sunroof, navigation, a Blue Link integrated infotainment system, wonderfully comfortable leather seats and a rocking sound system. The 429-horsepower engine purrs on the highway and effortlessly accelerates through traffic. High-test gas is recommended but the car will run well on lower octane with only the miles per gallon dropping slightly from the estimated 15 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

This car could easily assimilate into a livery fleet as rear-seat passengers get to enjoy individually controlled DVD screens, personal climate control, reclining seats and, in one model, a refrigerator. The trunk is massive, providing ample storage.

The refreshed interior is well laid out and trimmed with wood, brushed aluminum and leather. The infotainment center is run by a mouse-like controller, similar to that found in a Lexus, but not as intuitive. It was the only part of the car that left me underwhelmed. The newly designed dash has electronic display gauges and the center stack is smartened up, in­cluding a square analog clock.

The Equus may not have true European sport sedan handling but the sedan has three driving settings: normal, sport and snow. Sport was my preferred style, adjusting the car height, suspension and shift points to make cornering and performance just a bit tighter. Maneuvering the big machine is made easier by the fore and aft bird's-eye cameras that play out on the 12-inch video screen.

The exterior lines are simple and elegant. Also reworked for 2014, the simple five-fin horizontal grill is framed by LED headlights and running lights and Hyundai-­added fog lamps.

The catch? It's all included in the luxury budget $68,900 price tag.

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Gov offers boo$t to affordable housing

State officials are touting a massive influx of state and federal money for low- and moderate-income housing as a boon to economic development across Massachusetts.

At the Putnam Square Apartments in Cambridge, Gov. Deval Patrick announced more than 
$73 million in state and federal funds and tax credits for housing, and signed a bond bill totaling 
$1.4 billion for further investments over the next five years.

Patrick said "inglamorous" spending on housing and related programs can make an area more attractive for private investment.

"Affordable housing serves as a platform for other opportunities," added Aaron Gornstein, undersecretary for the Department of Housing and Community Development.

The bill is largely comprised of housing investments, but also will underwrite programs such as affordable childcare.

"All of these things combine to make a strong quality of life," Patrick said.

One of the focuses of the investments will be to improve existing affordable housing, he said. At Putnam Square, one of two dozen projects slated to receive the $73 million, the funds will be used for a new boiler, a new elevator and improved windows.

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BRA sued over no-bid deal with Sox on Yawkey Way

A sweetheart land and air rights deal between the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Boston Red Sox is now being attacked in court.

Everett businessman and attorney Joseph Marchese is suing the BRA over the recent $7.3 million agreement that awarded the Red Sox air rights for Green Monster seats over Lansdowne Street and an easement to shut down part of Yawkey Way for concessions so long as the team plays at Fenway Park.

Marchese said he had approached the BRA in May with his own offer to operate concessions on Yawkey Way under a proposed $3 million, 10-year deal, but the BRA never put the rights out for public bid.

"What we're asking the court to determine is whether or not that contract should have been put out to bid," Marchese said. A former restaurant owner, Marchese said he wanted to partner with local businesses to offer food on Yawkey Way in a "taste of Boston" atmosphere.

"We thought we'd put together a group and have something a little different — a little nicer," he said. "The people should have the opportunity to get the best price and the best operator. Myself and others are being deprived of submitting a bid, which may have been more than what the Red Sox offered. We're just looking for fairness."

BRA spokeswoman Susan Elsbree called Marchese's lawsuit "meritless."

The BRA has pinned the Red Sox deal on a state law that gives it power to protect against or eliminate "urban blight." But the agreement has come under fire from government watchdogs.

The state Inspector General's office criticized the BRA for negotiating behind closed doors without public input, and the Boston Finance Commission has labeled the deal financially irresponsible for essentially "giving away" rights to city-owned land.

Matthew Cahill, executive director of the Boston Finance Commission, said of the lawsuit, "I expect it probably won't be the only one."

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Foes: Revere casino would nix track

Suffolk Downs says it will have a new gaming partner before the end of the month to build a resort casino on the Revere portion of its property, but casino opponents are claiming that if that happens, East Boston's "No" vote means the racetrack can't continue to operate in Eastie if it is part of a Revere casino complex — potentially threatening hundreds of track jobs.

Matt Cameron, a lawyer volunteering with the group No Eastie Casino, said under state law, a "gaming establishment" includes "any other non-gaming structure related to the gaming area."

"Our interpretation of that definition is that a casino can't so much as plant flowers on the Boston side at this point," he said, adding that the law holds "an applicant for a gaming license who holds a live racing license ... shall maintain an existing racing facility on the premises."

"(Suffolk Downs) therefore cannot apply for a gaming license without also operating a horse track as a condition of the license, and that track can't be in Boston as part of a gaming establishment following East Boston's (no) vote," Cameron said.

"We see no other logical possibility than that they are prepared to destroy the track in order to save it."

But Chip Tuttle, Suffolk Downs' chief operating officer, countered it's still "our preference and our plan" to preserve racing.

"No, we won't have to move the track," Tuttle insisted, "But there's a strong likelihood we'll have to relocate the barn area, which takes up about 25 acres in Revere that we're now looking at for gaming development. We haven't reached any conclusions about where we'll put it."

If, however, Suffolk Downs' casino plan is shot down, Tuttle said, the track's future — and its 350 jobs — are "very much in jeopardy."

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Experts: Sales of statins to soar

New guidelines for keeping cholesterol in check are likely to dramatically boost sales of statins — with a doubling to an estimated 33 million statin patients — but it won't cut into sales of non-statin cholesterol-controlling drugs, at least for now, experts say.

The American Heart Association's guidelines, updated this week for the first time in a decade, recommend that doctors, when prescribing statins, look at a full range of each patient's health and lifestyle issues, rather than using preset cholesterol levels.

The Pharma Letter, an industry publication, is predicting that statin sales should double thanks to the new guidelines. But analysts say most of the growth in sales will be in cheaper generics, with little benefit to the big pharmaceutical firms.

An investment research note from Cowen and Company said the firm will be "closely monitoring" how physicians prescribe statins and non-statins going forward.

But the boost in statins potentially could be a problem for non-statin drugs that are designed specifically to lower the amount of LDL cholesterol.

"I read the new guidelines as a negative for any drugs that aren't statins," Jon LeCroy, an analyst with MKM Partners, told Reuters. Still, LeCroy said the effect will not be immediate: "It will probably take another year before the Merck drugs feel it."

Merck's cholesterol-inhibiting drug Zetia, combined with a similar drug Vytorin, has annual sales of more than $4 billion, 10 percent of the company's revenue.

"We do not foresee a significant business impact to Merck based on these guidelines," said Merck spokeswoman Pam Eisele. "We continue to see strong need for our products in the market."

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Prof reacts to bitter taste left by Lululemon remarks

Remarks about the size of women's thighs by the founder of a red-hot yoga­wear brand are rubbing some women the wrong way.

And Salem State University professor Rebecca Hains is leading the call for lululemon athletica's Chip Wilson to apologize to women and girls and start making yoga pants larger than size 12.

In an interview last week about problems with lululemon's yoga pants "pilling," Wilson said that "some women's bodies just actually don't work" for the company's pants.

"It's really about the rubbing through the thighs and how much pressure is there over a period of time," he said.

Hains fired back with a petition at change.org/­lululemon demanding that Wilson "stop shaming women's bodies."

"In media culture, what researchers call extreme thinness — a thinness level­ that's actually not possible for most women — is valor­ized and promoted and fetishized," said Hains, an adver­tising and media studies professor whose research focuses on girls, media and body image. "I've also seen how lately girls and young women online have Web pages and discussions about wishing they had a 'thigh gap.' It's part of normal adult womanhood that thighs touch."

Lululemon did not respond to a Herald request for comment.

Wilson issued a YouTube video apology on Friday, but it was addressed to lululemon employees. Hains hopes the petition spurs him to do more, and show "he actually reflected on the issue and understands the problem."

"His brand is about providing products to women who want to be healthy," she said. "He has a responsibility to understand what healthy is."

Meanwhile, Candace Corlett, president of WSL Strategic Retail, sug­gested that Wilson just "stop talking."

"He should be the smart brains behind the business and should figure out a fabric that works well for all sizes," she said. "A company like lulu­lemon that prides itself on the technology behind their clothing has an obligation to make sure that the promise is delivered to all customers."

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Boeing machinists reject contract proposal

SEATTLE — Boeing machinists in the Northwest rejected a contentious contract proposal Wednesday that would have exchanged concessions for decades of secure jobs.

The International Association of Machinists District 751 announced Wednesday night that the proposal was rejected 67 percent of the votes.

Union members who called for a no vote did so to protest the Boeing Co.'s push to end a traditional pension plan and increase their health care costs. Workers would have received a $10,000 signing bonus if they approved the deal.

"We preserved something sacred by rejecting the Boeing proposal. We've held on to our pensions and that's big. At a time when financial planners are talking about a 'retirement crisis' in America, we have preserved a tool that will help our members retire with more comfort and dignity," said Tom Wroblewski, District 751 president in a statement.

Boeing had proposed the eight-year contract extension, saying it needs the deal to assemble the new 777X in Washington state. With the threat of those jobs going to another state, lawmakers rushed to approve $8.7 billion in tax breaks last week.

"...without the terms of this contract extension, we're left with no choice but to open the process competitively and pursue all options for the 777X," Boeing said in a statement.

In a late night press conference, Gov. Jay Inslee said Washington state could have won the production of the plane without competition.

"This is a tough night for the state of Washington," Inslee said. "We could have had a big win tonight. We could have grabbed the brass ring for this airplane. But I want to say this, what we were unable to finish tonight, means that we are starting a new chapter of competition for this airplane."

Inslee said that Boeing officials assured him that Washington state was still a contender.

Inslee added that the state would still have a strong showing, citing the recent tax incentive package that was quickly passed by the Legislature, a potential transportation package the governor still hopes could be taken up in coming weeks, as well as the "best aerospace workers in the world."

"The fact is this, if you want to build reliably, with the highest quality in the world, on time, the state of Washington is the place to do it," Inslee said.

Throughout Wednesday, the mood was tense at the union hall in Seattle where the votes were tallied.

Dian Lord, a toolmaker at Boeing's facility in Renton who is nearing retirement, said Wednesday morning she believed the company was extorting its workers by pushing a swift contract vote while threatening to place 777X operations elsewhere if machinists don't oblige. Still, Lord said she felt intense pressure to vote for the contract, especially considering that it could impact a variety of other Boeing workers and vendors should the company move elsewhere.

"I'm very conflicted," Lord said.

Political leaders, including many Democrats who are closely aligned with unionized workers, declined in recent days to encourage machinists how to vote but asked them to consider the broader impact on jobs and future generations. IAM leaders issued a similar message, with Wroblewski saying the vote is about 30 years of jobs for the region.

"This is an opportunity we will never see again to secure thousands of good-paying jobs in the State of Washington," Wroblewski wrote in a message to members before the vote.

Ray Conner, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said earlier this week that the company was not bluffing in its message that the 777X line could be placed elsewhere. He said the company prefers to stay in the Puget Sound and that a positive vote by the union makes that decision easy.

Along with extending tax breaks to 2040, lawmakers this past weekend also approved millions of dollars for training programs for aerospace workers. Lawmakers have also said that Boeing supports the development of a large transportation package, and the Legislature is still exploring a plan valued at about $10 billion.

____

Associated Press writers Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Wash., and Manuel Valdes in Seattle contributed to this report.

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Wal-Mart steps up competition for holiday shopping

As more stores push for Thanksgiving shoppers, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is stepping up its game for the official kickoff to the holiday shopping season.

The world's largest retailer said Tuesday that it will start to offer its holiday blockbuster deals at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving at its stores, two hours earlier than last year. It will stagger holiday deals throughout the night and into "Black Friday" — the day that's traditionally the start of the holiday shopping season.

The company will increase its stock of TVs by 65 percent and double the number of tablets for sale that weekend, while promising sharper discounts. It's also bulking up the list of guaranteed popular items that it will sell in designated sections of its store to 21, from just three last year.

Wal-Mart is responding to what's expected to be a fiercely competitive holiday shopping season, the busiest time of the year for retailers. The Friday after Thanksgiving has traditionally been the official kickoff to the period, but in the last few years, that start has increasingly crept into Thanksgiving as stores realize they need to be the first ones to grab shoppers' dollars. This year, stores including Macy's Inc., J.C. Penney Co. and Kohl's Corp. are opening for the first time on Thanksgiving evening.

Best Buy Co. announced that it was opening at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving, earlier than last year's midnight opening. Toys R Us said that it will open at 5 p.m. on the holiday, three hours earlier than last year.

Most of Wal-Mart's 4,000 U.S. namesake stores are already open 24 hours year-round. But it's now concentrating the holiday deals on Thanksgiving.

During a media call Monday, Duncan McNaughton, executive vice president and chief merchandising and marketing officer at Wal-Mart's U.S. namesake division, said the discounter carefully studied the competitive landscape when it decided to start the deals earlier at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving.

"Everyone's moved up this year so it will be a new dynamic," said McNaughton.

For online shoppers, Wal-Mart will be offering special deals starting Thanksgiving morning, some of which will be the same as those offered at the sales events at the stores later in the evening.

The stakes are high for retailers since the holiday season accounts for up to 40 percent of their annual revenue. The National Retail Federation, the nation's largest retail trade group, expects an increase of 3.9 percent to $602.1 billion in holiday sales.

There's also more pressure on retailers this year because the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas is six days shorter than in 2012.

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