Hospice of the North Shore and Greater Boston has come a long way from the all-volunteer company that began in a two-family house in downtown Beverly in 1978. Today it has 385 employees, offers a range of services, not just hospice, helping 550 people each day while serving about 90 cities and towns from the New Hampshire border to Norfolk County communities just south of Boston. And starting Jan. 1, the Hospice will take on a new name — Care Dimensions. Part of the reason for the new name, was the length of the old name. “We realized that that’s kind of Continue reading >>>

OK, sure, all those hot homes that buyers flocked to in the fall and summer are no longer on the market. In fact, they are long gone, with the new owners now decorating for the holidays. But yes, there are opportunities for determined buyers. There are homes where the sellers stuck out for an unrealistic price and may now be ready to negotiate, as well as properties that may have an issue or two that have left them as second, third, or fourth runners-up in the home sales beauty contest. And, of course, there are those homes that suddenly come on the market in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Continue reading >>>

DANVERS — Hospice of the North Shore and Greater Boston is changing its name.The nonprofit has found that its rather long moniker does a poor job of describing what it does and where it does it. A business expansion in 2011 tacked the words “and Greater Boston” onto the end of the name, making it unwieldy.“We added five more syllables to Hospice of the North Shore,” said President and CEO Diane Stringer. “We find that even ‘North Shore and Greater Boston’ doesn’t effectively capture the area we service, since some people say, ‘I live in MetroWest.’”The 35-year-old Danvers-based Continue reading >>>

“I’m used to it with Amtrak, because I’m from Connecticut,” said Somerville resident Devon Butler, 24, who spent the holiday with family in New London. “We were told it was an engine malfunction, but it turned out it was just a door jammed in New Haven.”

Whether by plane, train, or bus, Thanksgiving weekend travelers returned to Greater Boston from destinations across the country and around the world today — in most cases, smoothly. There were minor delays at South Station, where the 1:13 p.m. Acela Express arrived 65 minutes late and the 2:15 was nearly a half-hour behind schedule. Passengers said they took the minor inconvenience in stride. “I’m used to it with Amtrak, because I’m from Connecticut,” said Somerville resident Devon Butler, 24, who spent the holiday with family in New London. “We were told it was an engine malfunction, Continue reading >>>

  Hospice of the North Shore Greater Boston will hold its annual Tree of Lights ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 5 p.m. at People’s United Bank on 1 Conant St. in Danvers Square. The Tree of Lights is an event that invites members of the greater Danvers community to sponsor a light in memory or in honor of a loved one with a donation to support the mission of Hospice of the North Shore Greater Boston. Immediately following the tree lighting ceremony, there will be a reception inside the bank where guests will be able to view the Honor Roll Book inscribed with the Continue reading >>>

Sunday, December 1, 2013, 3:00am By Allison DeAngelis Special To Banker Tradesman While the Greater Boston Housing Report Card for 2013 indicated last month that the Boston housing market is undergoing a turnaround, the city is facing a declining home inventory and a lack of mid-range housing to serve both millennial and middle class families. A valid subscription is required to read the article Continue reading >>>

LEOMINSTER -- The number of homeless children has risen across the state in recent years, with as many as 148 from Greater Boston who are being temporarily housed in Leominster motels and going to public schools without financial support from the state. The state is running low on motel accommodations in the Boston region, so it's sending families to other communities, including Leominster. "They are coming farther west, and we've had the Motel 6 and Super 8 in the area, so it has provided opportunities for the state to place families," said Schools Superintendent James Jolicoeur. The Continue reading >>>

Thanksgiving has particular connections to Cambridge, Boston and Massachusetts as a whole. At a time when we give thanks for family, friendship and more, we should remember the history of this holiday, especially since this is the 150th anniversary of the Presidential Proclamation of 1863, first noting a formal Thanksgiving Day for the United States. The first harvest festival of this type so noted is, of course, Plymouth of the Pilgrims, in 1621. Here in Cambridge, a declaration was made by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in October 1774, likely meeting in the Fourth Continue reading >>>