Thailand OKs bigger warnings on cigarette packs

BANGKOK — A court in Thailand has given the go-ahead to a new regulation requiring packs of cigarettes sold in the Southeast Asian country to be 85 percent covered with graphic health warnings.

Public Health Ministry executive Dr. Nopporn Cheanklin said Friday that the change will take effect in September.

Currently, warnings illustrating the dangers of smoking must cover 55 percent of each pack of cigarettes sold in Thailand. Last year, the health ministry issued a regulation increasing the level of coverage to 85 percent.

Tobacco giant Philip Morris and more than 1,400 Thai retailers sued, and a court temporarily suspended the order. On Thursday, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the regulation can take effect before a lower court reaches a final verdict in the lawsuit.

Opponents have argued that such warning labels are ineffective and put the burden on cigarette makers.

00.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Marty Walsh to panel: Delay casino OK

A casino mitigation deal that appeared close to being inked between Boston and Mohegan Sun is now up in the air after Mayor Martin J. Walsh's surprise call for the state Gaming Commission to delay its decision on the Boston-area license until after November's casino repeal referendum.

Walsh said yesterday the Supreme Judicial Court's Tuesday decision to allow a repeal question on the ballot "changed everything."

"We're spending money, the taxpayers' dollars, on lawyers and legal fees to work on these agreements," Walsh said. "At the end of the day, if the voters vote it down, we wasted taxpayers' dollars on having a negotiation that should have been put off until after November."

Walsh — who faces commission-imposed arbitration deadlines this week and has been negotiating for months with Mohegan and competitor Wynn Resorts — has already requested several delays. His latest was delivered via email shortly after 3 p.m. yesterday, while the commission was in formal session.

The commission, which wants to issue a Boston-area license decision by September, said it will review the request and noted it retains "the ability to deal with the contingences of the licensing process in a manner that serves the best interest of the public."

Walsh's announcement blindsided many, including Suffolk Downs, where Mohegan is planning its casino on property in Revere. In a statement, Suffolk Downs chairman Bill Mulrow directly criticized Walsh.

"On behalf of the family of workers at Suffolk Downs, we are dismayed by the approach the mayor has chosen here in dealing with our tenant, Mohegan Sun Massachusetts, and its proposal to create jobs — many of which would undoubtedly go to Boston residents," Mulrow said.

Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo told the Herald he'd heard Boston and Mohegan "were pretty much in-sync and, but for a few details, primarily legalese, that they had conceptually been on the same page." Rizzo noted other licenses have been awarded contingent on the outcome of November's referendum.

Rumors swirled for weeks that Walsh was close to a deal with Mohegan. He declined yesterday to comment on the status of the negotiations.

Asked Wednesday if he was leaning toward Mohegan over Wynn, Walsh responded, "I'll probably let you know in 12 hours." Asked about traffic mitigation, he said, "One proponent is willing to invest some serious money in mitigation, and the other proponent's willing to not invest that much. You'll know pretty soon who those are."

00.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

John Fish: Public support critical to Olympic bid

With the U.S. Olympic Committee expected next week to begin its road show to Boston and three other cities on its shortlist to host the 2024 Summer Games, John Fish is facing a tough sell to get naysayers to consider the bid, much less embrace it.

"I think the biggest hurdle is convincing people, the common person, to engage in the conversation in a thoughtful way without saying to themselves 'I do not want the Olympics in Boston,'" said Fish, the CEO of Suffolk Construction who is spearheading the effort to land the Games. "We are not asking people to host the Olympics. We are asking people to entertain the conversation about the potential of hosting an Olympic venue."

Fish said yesterday on Boston Herald Radio that getting public support for the Olympic plan is critical to sway the U.S. Olympic Committee to pick the Hub over three other contenders: San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

"They will review traffic, they will review infrastructure, and they will review the temperature socially of how it's going to be sort of met with in the community," he said. "The United States Olympic Committee does not want to entertain a host city that does not support this value proposition."

Fish said Mitt Romney, who rescued the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002, suggested treating the Olympic bid as a business venture.

"His advice was to us, our committee, you can win this thing, if you really want, but you have continue executing as if it is a business plan, a business strategy ... We are going to specifically take a business approach. And we are going to work with City Hall and the State House to see if this is right for us.

Among the greatest costs will be building the Olympic Stadium and Olympic Village, which he noted could be turned over to a college for student housing.

"There are one strong and potentially two institutions that would like to engage in a conversation (to build a stadium). That would be a public-private partnership, where it would be privately financed to a college or a university or a sports team that could utilize it," he said.

Fish mentioned that Cambridge, Somerville and East Boston as possible sites for some of the larger venues. "The most important thing we can bring to this equation is our impact and our passion to youth and sport. It's in our blood," he said. "Why don't we let the world see what offerings Boston, Massachusetts, and the commonwealth have ... and our love and passion for sport."

00.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Deal could avert ballot questions on hospitals

BOSTON — A union representing nurses in Massachusetts says it will withdraw two proposed November ballot questions if a deal reached on nurse-patient ratios is signed into law.

On Thursday, the Senate joined the House in approving the agreement that would set strict limits on the number of patients that registered nurses who work in hospital intensive care units can be assigned to at a given time. The measure now goes to Gov. Deval Patrick's desk.

Once the bill becomes law, the union will withdraw two proposed ballot initiatives: one that would require nurse-patient ratios and another that would force hospitals to be more transparent about their financial holdings, Massachusetts Nurses Association President Donna Kelly-Williams said in a statement.

The union said it has already collected enough signatures to put both measures on the ballot.

"This is a landmark victory for patient safety," Kelly-Williams said. "This measure will protect the most critically ill patients in our hospitals and moves us closer to our ultimate goal, which is to extend these limits in all hospital units to protect all patients."

Massachusetts Hospital Association President Lynn Nicholas said the bill was better than that the ballot question.

Nicholas said the bill "appropriately keeps staffing decisions at the bedside and based on individual patient needs, the skills and experience of the entire care team, appropriate use of technology and the knowledge and expertise of our hospitals' nurses and nurse managers."

She also praised the legislation for focusing on the ICU and leaving staffing flexibility throughout the rest of the hospital.

00.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gov. Deval Patrick signs minimum wage hike

Massachusetts' minimum wage will rise from $8 to $9 on Jan. 1 under legislation signed yesterday, but workers at Ikea in Stoughton can look forward to a much bigger boost to $12.65.

The Swedish furniture retailer yesterday unveiled its own new U.S. minimum hourly wage rates that are based on store locations and calculated using the MIT Living Wage Calculator, which takes into consideration housing, food, medical and transportation costs, and annual taxes.

The wage hikes take effect Jan. 1 and will impact about half of Ikea U.S. retail workers, the company said.

"The transition to the new minimum hourly wage structure is not only the right thing to do, it makes good business sense," Rob Olson, acting Ikea U.S. president and CFO, said in a statement. "We are basing our wages on our co-workers and their needs, rather than what the local employment market dictates."

On average, the minimum hourly wage in U.S. Ikea stores will be $10.76 — $3.51 above the current federal minimum wage.

The increases were based on the MIT Living Wage Calculator for a childless single person. MIT professor Amy Glasmeier created the tool to determine wage rates required to meet minimum standards of living in particular communities.

Retailer Gap Inc. also is increasing its U.S. minimum hourly wage, announcing in February that it would raise it to $9 this year and $10 in 2015.

Massachusetts' minimum wage will hit $11 an hour by 2017. Gov. Deval Patrick said it will bring "a little relief to the working poor" who "recycle money right back into the economy."

00.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nurses set to drop ballot questions

A union representing Bay State nurses says it will withdraw two proposed November ballot questions if a deal reached on nurse-patient ratios that the Legislature put on the fast track is signed into law.

The Senate yesterday joined the House in approving the agreement that would set a one nurse, one patient ratio in Bay State hospital intensive care units, with certain exceptions.
 It now goes to Gov. Deval Patrick's desk.

"This is a landmark victory for patient safety," Massachusetts Nurses Association President Donna Kelly-Williams said in a statement.

"This measure will protect the most critically ill patients in our hospitals and moves us closer to our ultimate goal, which is to extend these limits in all hospital units to protect all patients."

Once the bill becomes law, the union will withdraw two proposed ballot initiatives: one that would require nurse-patient ratios and another that would force hospitals to be more transparent about their financial holdings, Kelly-Williams said.

00.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

The Ticker

Calif. co. teams with Synergy in downtown

San Francisco real estate investment firm 
DivcoWest has dealt itself into additional deals with Boston's Synergy Investments — this time at Boston's Downtown Crossing.

The two companies are now partners in the buildings at 71, 75-79 and 83-87 Summer St., based on documents filed with the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds.

Synergy bought the properties in 2012 for a combined $30.85 million from New York-based Centurion Realty. It teamed with DivcoWest on them under two transactions totaling $31.5 million.

Synergy did not return calls, and DivcoWest declined comment.

Welfare overhaul has work program

The Massachusetts Senate has approved a welfare overhaul bill.

The bill would revive a 1995 state program designed to help place welfare recipients in full-time work and require the Department of Transitional Assistance to assign specialists to help high-risk recipients.

The bill includes a program to help recipients save money for first and last month rent and security payments and education while stiffening penalties for store owners who knowingly allow the purchase of prohibited products or services with electronic benefits transfer cards.

Fraud charges for woman affiliated with Mass.-based broker dealer

A Pennsylvania woman affiliated with a Massachusetts-based broker dealer was indicted yesterday in U.S. District Court in Boston on charges that she orchestrated a multi-million dollar investment fraud scheme.

Patricia S. Miller, 67, was charged with five counts of wire fraud. The indictment alleges Miller used her position as a trusted financial adviser, as well as her association with the Massachusetts broker dealer, to obtain money from clients for purported investments never made on the behalf of clients.

MBTA opens Wareham rail station

MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott was joined by legislative leaders and local officials yesterday to celebrate the opening of the Wareham Village Station on the CapeFLYER line. Service to the Wareham Village Station will start today at the new stop, located off Main Street in Wareham. The service will provide Wareham residents the opportunity to board the CapeFLYER and avoid sitting in traffic.

THE SHUFFLE

Millennium Partners, developer of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Towers and other projects in Boston and around the country, has announced the appointment of Brian Clark as general manager of Millennium Place, a 15-story luxury residential building at the intersection of Avery and Washington streets. Clark is formerly the director of residences at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Towers, Boston Common — Millennium Partners' first Boston project.

00.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

The Kensington using perks to full effect

When you're 90 percent rented, what's the best way to reach the fully leased finish line?

For The Kensington, a 27-story, 381-unit downtown luxury tower that's had a successful first year, it's generating some new ideas to attract tenants to its 26 penthouses on the top two floors.

Many buildings are offering concessions such as a month or so of free rent and reduced fees, but the Kensington is taking a different approach, as it competes with top-floor apartments at the nearby Radian, The Arlington in Park Square and the nearly completed Avalon Exeter at the Pru.

"There's lots of high-end penthouse apartments on the market, so we asked how could we differentiate ourselves other than by price," said Keri Walker, regional vice president of Bozzuto Management Co., which leases and manages the property. "We decided that adding free services was the best way to make tenants' lives easier and offers the best overall rental value."

If you sign a one- or two-year Kensington penthouse lease, you get a choice of a free Sports Club LA membership, free weekly housecleaning or free dog walking five days a week. There's a complimentary storage unit, as well as a premier space in the parking garage at the regular $425-a-month rate. Also, package and dry-cleaning delivery services are free to these floors.

Step off the access-controlled elevator on the top two floors and there are tables with bottled waters, Lindt chocolates and fresh flowers. Scented air is piped through hallways with stylish wall coverings and original art. Inside the penthouses are upgraded French door refrigerators, and California Closet built-ins are included in all bedroom closets.

And not all the penthouse units at the Kensington are super-expensive. A smaller 26th-floor one-bedroom with 553 square feet starts at $4,135 that includes all the extras. But if you want a spacious unit, be prepared to pay. A 27th-floor, 1,558-square-foot two-bedroom is renting for $8,825.

The penthouse units are nicely outfitted with stylish cabinets and quartz countertops, laminated oak floors and higher ceilings than apartments on lower floors.

"What's made the Kensington successful is that it has the best amenities package of any other luxury downtown building," said Kensington general manager Fred Colberg. "So our focus on adding more services makes sense for us."

The Kensington is one of the few downtown luxury buildings with a large outdoor pool and roof deck, and almost its entire sixth floor is a series of clubroom, conference, kitchen and billiards spaces, along with a 3,000-square-foot fitness facility.

"One reason why the building has done well is that there are no extra charges for any of the building's amenities," added Jason Gomes, The Kensington's assistant general manager.

Walker, whose company also manages The Victor and Waterside Place in Boston, says the Kensington's approach to penthouse-level service wouldn't work at all buildings. Kensington has been renting units from the bottom floors up and was able to save the choicest units, and views, for last.

The view from Penthouse 27G, a 1,073-square-foot, two-bedroom renting for $8,125, rivals the best in the city with the Boston Common and Public Garden serving as a front lawn and the entire Back Bay and Charles River beyond.

"The views from these penthouses are spectacular and beat those of our competitors," Walker said. "To be successful at this level, you need create a memorable experience for tenants from the front door to the top floor."

00.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boston suit targets Uber drivers’ contractor status

A new class-action lawsuit alleges that the car service Uber takes advantage of its drivers.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in Suffolk County Superior Court, alleges that the company misclassifies its Uber Black Car, UberX and UberSUV drivers as independent contractors and forces them to pay for gas, insurance and other expenses that should be borne by Uber Technologies Inc.

"Is Uber a car service? We contend that it is, and the drivers are its employees," said Shannon Liss-Riordan, a Boston labor lawyer who filed the lawsuit.

"If the drivers are independent contractors, the burden is on Uber to prove that the services provided by the drivers are outside the ordinary course of its business."

The lawsuit also alleges that Uber violates Massachusetts law by advertising to customers that tips are included in the cost of its car service but refusing to give the total proceeds of any such gratuity to drivers.

In addition, Uber has tried to prevent its drivers from joining class-action lawsuits through an arbitration clause in their contracts, Liss-Riordan said. But a federal court in California ordered the company to notify drivers they have 30 days to opt out of the arbitration clause by emailing optout@uber.com.

In an email yesterday, Uber spokesman Taylor Bennett said: "While we can't comment on active litigation, I can tell you that Uber will vigorously defend the rights of drivers to build their own small business, and riders to enjoy competition and choice."

Also in today's Boston Herald:

00.32 | 0 komentar | Read More

Officials to give update on medical pot licensing

BOSTON — State public health officials say 11 medical marijuana dispensaries have been cleared to move forward in Massachusetts.

The process has been on hold while the state worked to verify information provided in the applications of 20 companies that were initially cleared for licenses in January.

Karen Van Unen, head of the state's medical marijuana program, said the 11 dispensaries cleared the enhanced investigation process but will still be subjected to final inspections before they are granted final operating licenses. Nine others were rejected.

Van Unen said the first dispensaries could open by November. She said 97 percent of Massachusetts residents will live within 30 miles of one of the 11.

The voter approved law allows up to 35 dispensaries in Massachusetts to grow and sell marijuana for patients with certain medical conditions.

00.32 | 0 komentar | Read More