There will be a changing of the guard, so to speak, for the tall ships of the Boston Tea Party Ships Museum — and it will be in Gloucester on Monday morning. After months of undergoing restoration at Gloucester Marine Railways on Rocky Neck, the tall ship Beaver will be launched from the railways Monday at high tide, pegged for between 11 and 11:30 a.m. Once the Beaver hits the water, its place will be taken at the railways by the Tea Party Museum's second ship, the Eleanor. Lauren Black of Conventures Inc. in Boston, said the overhaul of the Beaver has included new frames, hull planks, deck, Continue reading >>>

HOLDERNESS – Some 200 tons of ice which will be used this coming summer in ice boxes at the Rockywold-Deephaven camps are being harvested from a Squaw Cove in Squam Lake this week. The 140 pound blocks of ice help keep alive a connection between the camps and the natural environment that surrounds them says John Jurszyinski, camp director, who is working along with other members of the ice-cutting crew. He says that ice harvest maintains the camp’s unique tradition of supplying its summer guests with ice boxes, rather than refrigerators, to keep things cool during the summer months. "Every Continue reading >>>

The year’s first significant snowfall gave the Department of Transportation a chance to flash its new toys overnight, with three of its five “tow plows” going to work to clear what meteorologists say is a preview of things to come this weekend. The $100,000 contraptions — rear-mounted trailers rigged with salt spreaders and 26-foot blades that can clear more than two lanes in a single swoop — ploughed some of the state’s hardest hit areas, Mass DOT officials said, and are expected back on the road tomorrow when more of the white stuff blankets the state. Up to five inches fell in some Continue reading >>>

LYNN, Mass., Jan. 20, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Michael Tourkistas, President CEO of East Coast Seafood, Inc., is pleased to announce the acquisition of Seatrade International Co., Inc by East Coast Seafood's parent company, American Holdco, Inc. (AHI). East Coast Seafood, who sells live and frozen lobster and seafood throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, recently celebrated a 30 year anniversary.  The company's headquarters are in the greater Boston area of Massachusetts with direct distribution offices throughout Europe.  AHI owns and operates several additional Continue reading >>>

The outlook for commercial real estate in 2012 may come down to one simple thing: jobs within the financial sector. The Massachusetts economy last year generated about 50,000 new jobs, as the life-science and high-tech sectors gained momentum and produced demand for office space in key regions in Greater Boston. The Cambridge and Burlington office markets were particularly hot in 2011, reflecting the expansion within the life science and high-tech sectors. The vacancy rate in Boston’s Back Continue reading >>>

Boston saw two inches of snow Thursday night, while the southeastern part of the state saw twp to four inches.

Massachusetts can expect more snow over the weekend. According to the National Weather Service, the greater Boston area can expect two to four inches, while southeastern Massachusetts, including Bristol county, can expect four to six inches.

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• School Closings

Last weekend more than 300 student ambassadors from cities and towns across Massachusetts came together at the State House for a Town Hall Meeting with Governor Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray before spreading out to various service sites throughout the Boston area. Three Masconomet Middle School students participated including Anne Messenger of Boxford, Johanna Lara of Topsfield and Will Erickson of Middleton.  Project 351, launched during Governor Patrick’s inaugural in 2010, is dedicated to celebrating youth leadership and inspiring the ethic of service.  The Continue reading >>>