By Martine Powers, Globe Staff About 20 members of the Student Immigrant Movement gathered on Friend Street this morning to commemorate a historic day: The first day young people living in the United States illegally can apply for a work permit and a reprieve from the threat of deportation. But the gathering also had a more nuts-and-bolts objective: to provide much-needed information on the application process. Isabel Vargas, who came to the United States from the Dominican Republic when she was 8 years old, told others at the meeting, held inside the offices of Greater Boston Legal Continue reading >>>

by SPAR Point Group staff August 15, 2012 BEVERLY, Mass. - Meridian Associates announced this week it has received a Small Business of the Year award from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Now in its 28th year, the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year awards honor the Top 10 small, high-growth businesses in the Greater Boston region. These for-profit companies have gross revenues of more than $1 million and display strong financial performance, achievement Continue reading >>>

BOSTON (CBS) – It’s a question that frustrates tenants across the state:  why are rents so high? In fact, rents in the Greater Boston area are among the highest in the country. By one estimate, it takes $1,700 to get a unit in the suburbs and $3,000 in downtown Boston. “This season has been extraordinary.  Rents are super high.  I think the vacancy rate is 3-percent right now,” said Tim Schmidt of ReMax Destiny in Cambridge. That vacancy rate is second only to San Francisco. Schmidt believes one reason for the high rents is good news.  The region’s job market is stronger than Continue reading >>>

AP The summer edition of the twice-annual Restaurant Week Boston begins Sunday, August 19 and runs through August 31 (with Saturday, August 25 excluded). More than 200 eateries in the greater Boston area will be offering special multicourse meal deals over the event's 12-day duration. The basic price for a three-course dinner at participating establishments is set at $33.12. A number of locations are also offering a three-course lunch for $20.12. Sponsored by the Greater Boston Convention Visitors Bureau, Restaurant Week Boston is being observed by a full range of Hub eateries, from Continue reading >>>

The Uber car service says it has been told to stop operating in the Boston metropolitan area. The issue stems from a complaint filed in Cambridge, Mass. that holds that there are no standards for the use of GPS devices in this context. Uber customers use their smartphones to summon the car service. According to the Massachusetts Division of Standards, “there are no established measurement standards for [GPS's] current application and use in determining transportation costs similar to that of  approved measurement systems in taximeters and odometers.” The decision came after a “sting” Continue reading >>>

Architecture firms in the Boston area are continuing their recovery from the sharp declines in 2008 and 2009, according to the 2012 Architectural Survey from accounting firm CBIZ Tofias. In 2011, these firms saw a slight improvement from the slowdown, which for most firms began in 2008. There were slight increases in the direct labor utilization rate (the percentage of time worked on billable projects) and the profit per direct hour compared to 2010. Most of the participants’ statistics either improved or stayed flat as compared to last year’s survey. Additionally, the overhead rate continues Continue reading >>>

(Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com) Mark Boado, a 24-year-old Chelsea resident, enjoyed a sweet snack from Daddy’s Fried Dough at the 2011 Suffolk Downs Food Truck Festival. By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent Boston’s food truck fever continues, as Suffolk Downs prepares to host its second annual Food Truck Festival in September . In 2011, its inaugural year, the festival drew thousands from across Greater Boston, creating long lines for some of the most popular trucks. This year’s festival promises to be even bigger, with more than 20 trucks participating, as well as live music, children’s Continue reading >>>

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It's yet more evidence that the drop in inventory - which has been a hot topic on this blog - is much more than just a seasonal blip. The big question now is whether the dearth of homes for sale will send the market back into reverse or will self-correct as more sellers get off the sidelines. The shortage of homes to choose from, at least in the short-term, is helping stabilize prices. But at some point, will buyers simply throw up their arms in frustration and put their house hunting on hold? Here's a section of the Globe piece that deals with this issue. Tim Ellis, Redfin's real estate analyst, Continue reading >>>

Among the most novel responses has been so-called micro-housing: tiny, sub-studio-size apartments that have room for little more than a galley kitchen, bathroom, sleeping area, and chair. The units, some as small as 350 square feet, are mostly being built in the emerging Seaport District and will rent from $1,200 to $1,600 a month.