Data contained in this report are from the CE, which is collected on an ongoing basis by the U.S. Census Bureau for BLS. Here are some other interesting Boston-related figures from the study: Boston households spent more money on alcohol ($813) as compared to the national average ($454). Boston area households spent an average of $64,982 per year in 2011–2012, over 28 percent more than the $50,581 average expenditure level for the typical U.S. household. Among expenditure categories, housing was the largest expenditure outlay which accounted for 31.8 percent of a Boston area household's Continue reading >>>

Home Depot is gearing up for its big spring selling season, which means it's also adding to its employee ranks for the season. The company plans to hire 1,800 people in Greater Boston and 80,000 around the country for the spring season, Home Depot said in a news release. The jobs are open to students and retirees. Additionally, Home Depot said it will work especially hard to pair openings with the skills veterans acquired during recent stints of active duty. Continue reading >>>

BOSTON - Forecasters latest projections for Thursday's nor'easter show upwards of six inches blanketing the Greater Boston area. Areas to the west and north of the city will likely get more heavy, wet snow while towns south of Route 128 will see mostly rain. Meteorologists have watched the storm all week uncertain of its path but now a clearer picture shows the storm going from snow to rain and then back to snow over the course of the day on Thursday. Western Massachusetts is due to get upwards of a foot of snow. Heavy winds are expected to cause some problems along coastal areas but the Continue reading >>>

Posted Feb. 11, 2014 @ 11:01 am
Updated Feb 11, 2014 at 11:21 AM

BOSTON-

BOSTON (CBS) — The FBI is looking for a serial bank robber they say is responsible for at least four crimes in the Boston area. Investigators say the man, seen in surveillance pictures, hit banks in Allston, Brookline, Brighton and Braintree in December and January. In each robbery, the man showed a gun, threatened the teller and demanded money. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. MORE LOCAL NEWS FROM CBS BOSTONWalsh: All First Responders Must Carry ‘Narcan’Investigators Searching For Cause Of Explosion At NH PlantFBI: Serial Bank Robber Hit Continue reading >>>

Posted Feb. 11, 2014 @ 11:01 am
Updated Updated at 11:21 AM

BOSTON-

A typical nor'easter will hit the Greater Boston area on Thursday but whether it brings mostly rain or snow is still undetermined. Forecasters are estimating right now approximately five inches of snow for the area. The warmer temperatures are expected to make the snow wet and heavy which will make the snow great for snowballs but difficult to shovel. The National Weather Service has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook bulletin. The extended forecast from the National Weather ServiceToday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 25. Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph. Tonight: Clear, with a low around 8. Continue reading >>>

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has asked state gambling regulators to bar casinos from placing liens on the homes of people with unpaid gambling debts. The Boston Globe (http://b.globe.com/1gkQCyK ) reports that Coakley in a letter to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday wrote that "Protecting against predatory lending and overly aggressive debt collection in the gaming industry is critical, because the odds are stacked against the patron being able to earn back the value of the loan." Coakley cited an article in the Globe that detailed the practice by Continue reading >>>

SCS Building Maintenance, Inc. Makes Boston Business Journal Book of Lists Boston-based Maintenance Business Makes Top 20 List for 2014 for Second Year in a Row BOSTON, MA, February 11, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- SCS Building Maintenance, Inc., a professional cleaning company committed to quality service, reliable and quick response, and open lines of communication. This is the second year in a row the business has joined the Boston Business Journal Book (BBJ) of Lists "Who's Who in Boston Business." The BBJ the guide profiles some of the largest corporations in the Greater Continue reading >>>

Boston has a history of throwing tax breaks at large firms. But Glaeser’s report suggests that if Boston and Cambridge are serious about growing, they need to focus more on what’s causing companies like Biogen, Novartis, Pfizer, Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Zipcar to grow locally. The answer is in Greater Boston’s startup engine — MIT and Harvard, the Cambridge Innovation Center and MassChallenge. Kendall Square and the Seaport are only magnets as long as they continue growing the small firms that compel big firms to stay in town. And those small companies can only grow as long as they Continue reading >>>