By MICHAEL NORTON BOSTON — Before addressing a Boston business breakfast last Thursday, Senate President Therese Murray pointed out several of her colleagues in attendance at the Westin Copley. Sen. Stanley Rosenberg of Amherst, who is expected to succeed Murray, and Sens. Harriette Chandler of Worcester, Gale Candaras of Wilbraham, Anthony Petruccelli of East Boston and Thomas McGee of Lynn were all there to hear Murray, who is not seeking re-election, deliver her final speech to the Greater Boston Chamber. “So we might have a quorum actually,” Murray joked. “If we had a conference Continue reading >>>

Gaming Commission to explore ways to resolve deadlocks The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, left with an even number of members after Chairman Stephen Crosby recused himself from votes on Greater Boston casino licensing issues, is going to try to come up with a procedure for dealing with tie votes. A spokeswoman for the commission confirmed that the tie-vote issue will be taken up at this Thursday’s meeting, but she offered no further details. “It is an open discussion about what can and should be done,” said Elaine Driscoll, the spokeswoman. The possibility of a commission stalemate Continue reading >>>

In fact, the number of homes in Middlesex County on the market for at least two months dropped to 46 percent in April, down from 52 percent in April 2013, Trulia reports. That makes Middlesex County No. 10 on Trulia's  "lightning fast" housing markets. That puts us roughly in the same league as Seattle, San Diego and Los Angeles, though not nearly as fast as Oakland and San Jose, according to Trulia. Just 29 percent of the homes on the market in Oakland in April had been hanging around for two months or more, with that number just a wee bit higher in San Jose, at 31 percent. Blame it Continue reading >>>

The second annual Entrepreneur Games is scheduled for June. David Harris Tech Editor- Boston Business Journal Email  |  Twitter It's almost Continue reading >>>

The second annual Entrepreneur Games is scheduled for June. David Harris Tech Editor- Boston Business Journal Email  |  Twitter It's almost Continue reading >>>

Five candidates for governor Saturday called on Massachusetts gambling commission chairman Stephen P. Crosby to step down from the panel, just days after he withdrew from deliberations on the Greater Boston casino license amid allegations of bias. Democrats Steve Grossman, Martha Coakley, and Juliette Kayyem, Republican Charlie Baker, and Independent Evan Falchuk all said Crosby should resign to allow the awarding of the license to move forward without controversy. Continue reading below Crosby removed himself from the Boston license decision on Thursday, saying that his past actions — Continue reading >>>

hardcover fiction 1. The Goldfinch. By Donna Tart. Little, Brown. 2. The Target. By David Baldacci. Grand Central. Continue reading below 3. Serpent of Venice. By Christopher Moore. William Morrow. 4. Lovers at the Chameleon Club. By Francine Prose. Harper. 5. The Invention of Wings (tie). By Sue Monk Kidd. Viking. 5. The Husband’s Secret (tie). By Liane Moriarty. Amy Einhorn Books. 7. Casebook. By Mona Simpson. Knopf. Continue reading below 8. Can’t and Won’t. By Lydia Davis. Farrar. 9. Family Life (tie) By Akhil Sharma. W. W. Norton. 9. Dirty Love (tie) By Andre Continue reading >>>

A lot has broken badly for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission in the license award process for a Greater Boston casino, but never let it be said that they are not quick studies.After all, they were able to digest almost four hours of testimony including facts, figures, graphics and complex legal arguments in a matter of minutes. After a quick recess, the presenters at last week’s hearing on whether Boston should be a host community had hardly returned to their seats when one commissioner announced that she had made up her mind. The other three quickly chimed in with their agreement and, presto, Continue reading >>>

FOR $250,000 $249,900 37 A STREET / HULL SQUARE FEET 1,176 Continue reading below LOT SIZE 0.12 acre BEDROOMS 2 BATHS 1 full LAST SOLD FOR $135,000 in 1999 PROS With Hingham Bay at one end of the street and Massachusetts Bay capping the other, the ocean is only a few minutes’ walk from this turn-of-the-last-century renovated bungalow. The front door opens onto a three-season porch (great for drying beach towels) that leads to (ahh, central air) the family room with gas fireplace and a kitchen with a surprising number of cabinets, a pantry, window seat, Continue reading >>>

Home buyers in the Greater Boston area increasingly are finding themselves competing with foreigners willing to pay top dollar in today’s tight real estate market.Michael DiMella, managing partner at Charlesgate Realty Group in Boston, said his firm has worked with nearly a dozen foreign investors in the past year.“I think recently they’ve seen an opportunity to invest in the U.S. and Boston because of the strong market recovery following the recession, as well as favorable exchange rates for many of them and generally lower real estate costs than other major cities around the world,” said Continue reading >>>