Boston home prices up in March but down from a year ago, survey says. Thomas Grillo Real Estate Editor- Boston Business Journal Email Home prices in Greater Boston increased slightly in March, according to the SP/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. In the Boston Continue reading >>>

Perhaps in demonstration of that ideal, representatives of groups with widely varying interests, including the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, the Massachusetts Medical Society, and others, began meeting nearly two years ago to discuss options for cost containment.

Daniel Buckley Pieper, of Jamaica Plain, a former businessman, died Tuesday at his home. He was 59. Mr. Pieper was formerly of Scarborough, Maine. He was the founder and president of the Southbourne Group, a commercial brokerage company serving Greater Boston. Mr. Pieper enjoyed deepwater sailing, maintaining his rose garden and was a master of culinary arts. He was a man who taught others by example in his willingness to help those in need. Life partner to the late Angela K. Ramker, Mr. Pieper is survived by a sister, Joan F. Pieper of Ramona, Calif.; two brothers, Robert D. of South Portland, Continue reading >>>

Full casting has been announced for the Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston's production of the Edward Kleban-Marvin Hamlisch musical A Chorus Line, which will run June 15-24. The production will feature Michael Bennett's Tony Award-winning choreography recreated by Leslie Woodies. Lorenzo Lamas will play Zach, along with Scott Abreu as Paul; Katie Clark as Cassie; Phillip daCosta as Al; Aimee Doherty as Sheila; Danielle Goldstein as Val; Bradley Jensen as Mike; Maria LaRossa as Kristine; Allison Russell as Maggie; Hannah Shihdanian as Bebe; Jeremy Towle as Larry; Kerri Wilson as Diana; Continue reading >>>

He earned a Bachelor's Degree from Wofford College and both a Master's and Doctorate of Education from the University of Virginia and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He was a WWII veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps where he was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart.He was employed as a Publisher at Ginn and Co. (K-12). Early in his life, Ben taught at Spartanburg's Jenkins Jr. High. He also served as Executive Director of Hammond Castle Museum, Consultant for ESCNE, ABLE and United Way of Greater Boston, was Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Spartanburg and was in Who's Who in Continue reading >>>

The state's unemployment rate, already significantly lower than the national average, dropped again in April, according to figures released by the state's Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The April rate is 5.9 percent, down half a percentage point from March's 6.4 percent mark. Massachusetts gained nearly 19,000 jobs in that time. Most cities and towns in the state experienced drops in their local unemployment numbers, released Tuesday by Workforce Development. Some locations, like Cambridge and Arlington, are well below 4 percent, while others, like Chelsea and Revere, remain Continue reading >>>

From classic rock to classical, the Esplanade will be bathed in music this summer. Oldies signal WODS returns with its annual concert series, which includes performances from the latest iteration of Starship featuring Mickey Thomas (June 16), no doubt belting out “We Built This City,” Burton Cummings, formerly of the Guess Who, and Mark Farner, formerly of Grand Funk Railroad, coming to your town to help you party down on July 21, and Rick Springfield continuing to covet “Jessie’s Girl” on Aug. 4. On Wednesdays, the Boston Landmarks Orchestra will offer varied programming including Aaron Continue reading >>>

Summer’s almost here, and with the arrival of longer days come opportunities to enjoy grooving to tunes under the sun and stars. The window isn’t open for long, so to make the most of your chances, here’s a partial guide to outdoor shows, some of them free, happening around the Greater Boston area this summer. ELAINE AND JEROME ROSENFELD CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD July 11-Aug. 29, 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $30, $24 for students, seniors, and members. (Animal Hospital Ensemble tickets are $16-$20.) Museum of Fine Arts. 800-440-6975, www.mfa.org/programs/music On Continue reading >>>

Greater Boston is the 10th most expensive market for companies looking to relocate their corporate headquarters with strong appeal for Canadian businesses that want to set up shop in the United States, but a growing competitive threat from cheaper Midwestern cities that are luring established U.S. companies, according to a new report. “Companies are reassessing their headquarters with a focus on reducing costs,” said John Boyd Jr., principal of The Boyd Company Inc. “For Boston, the competition historically has been Connecticut and New York, but there really is this sense of companies wanting Continue reading >>>

Peter Bugden opened a Nutri-Lawn franchise in the early 1990s in Halifax, Nova Scotia because he thought it was a good brand for the Canadian market. It turns out that he was right – nearly 20 years later, he’s built a company with $1.8 million in revenues. Now Bugden is turning his eyes stateside, eyeing opportunities for a lawn care operator with environmentally-friendly lawn care experience as well as the Nutri-Lawn brand in the U.S. market. He also believes that his own experiences position him well for this market. “Fifteen years ago, people in Canada responded when I told Continue reading >>>