Greater Boston, the South Shore, and northeast regions of Massachusetts registered the largest number of pending single-family home and condo sales in October, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. Single-family home pending sales, or those with signed purchase and sales agreements, were up nearly 36 percent across the state in October compared to the same month last year, while condos were up 43.5 percent compared to October 2011. The October numbers were almost as high as months which traditionally see the most activity - May and June, the realtors association said. While pending Continue reading >>>

The 13 branches of the YMCA of Greater Boston are encouraging the community to get fit and give back this fall by donating five non-perishable food items when they join the Y now through Nov. 18 as a part of Mayor Thomas Menino’s CANshare program. Individuals and families that donate food items will have the YMCA joiner fee waived ($25 to 50), receive three free sessions of YMCA health and wellness coaching, (valued at $150), and be entered to win a personal training package. Current members who donate will also be entered into a personal training package raffle. The Y is partnering with Continue reading >>>

Stroll through the Faneuil Hall Marketplace this Saturday night, Nov. 17 for the annual tree lighting and hear and see the premiere of Boston's free holiday concert and light show,Blink. The "light and sound extravaganza" featuring the Boston Pops is being billed by organizers as Boston's newest holiday tradition. Attendees can stroll along the Faneuil Hall open marketplace under an 85-foot Christmas tree and 350,000 LED lights choreographed along with a live concert from the Holiday Pops. The show is in partnership with Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Arts Boston and the Greater Boston Visitors and Continue reading >>>

Small-business owners are cautiously optimistic about the coming year in Greater Boston, with most anticipating increased sales and many expecting to hire more workers, according to a Bank of America survey to be released Thursday. More than half of the Boston-area small businesses that were polled said they expect revenues to grow in 2013, while 9 percent believe revenue will shrink. Nearly one in four plans to hire more workers, while 2 percent plan to cut staff. The survey found similar numbers for business owners in other cities across the country. “I think they’re optimistic,” said Continue reading >>>

  Wellesley students mentor adopted children of Asian descent in the Greater Boston Area through the Mei Mei Jie Jie Program. Carol Ling ’13 shared her experiences with the organization and her own Mei Mei.     What does Mei Mei Jie Jie do? The Mei Mei Jie Jie Program started in Fall 2003 as a collaboration between Wellesley College Students of Asian descent and children (ages 8-14) of Asian descent who have been adopted into predominately Caucasian families in the Metro-West area.  The parents of these children have expressed concern about the fact that their daughters Continue reading >>>

Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 10:27am By Colleen M. Sullivan Banker Tradesman Staff Writer   Even as the housing market is sluggishly beginning to turn around, the Bay State needs to start pushing for more growth, according to a new report on the state of the Greater Boston housing market from The Boston Foundation. This year is the 10th anniversary of the foundation's Greater Boston Housing Report Card, Continue reading >>>

If a neighborhood could talk, what would it tell you about its citizens, its resources? A lot, it turns out, as the newly launched website of the Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI) makes clear. By offering aggregated datasets and mapping tools, the site is a platform and a network through which to share information about Boston’s people, places, and events. BARI, an inter-university research partnership led by Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study with the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston and the city of Boston, held “Teaching Boston,” a workshop that introduced Continue reading >>>

NEW YORK CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LHA, a leading provider of best practices global investor and media relations services, announces the firm’s expansion to the greater Boston area with the launch of its Business Development Services unit via a strategic alliance with FEP Capital Advisors, a business development advisory based in Cambridge, Mass. FEP Capital Advisors was founded by Rick Pierce, a seasoned business development and investor relations executive, who will now lead this new unit as well as expand LHA’s presence Continue reading >>>