(NECN: Peter Howe, Canton, Mass.) - Like many Greater Boston residents, Harry Falasca and Bob Maffie went to bed Thursday night thinking they might wake up to six inches of snow, maybe twelve by lunchtime Friday. What they got was a storm that dumped twice as much, and well into the late afternoon Friday, adding an extra 21 to 22 inches -- unofficially -- of wet, heavy snow to a long, deep winter. Canton was one of several communities in a pocket of heavy snowfall that included Walpole, Easton, Stoughton, and one 24-inch report from South Continue reading >>>

Gov. Deval Patrick speaks at a news conference at the Statehouse in Boston in January when he unveiled his proposed $34.8 billion state budget, which includes a hike in the income tax rate, from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent, and a sales tax cut, from 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent. Michael Dwyer / Associated Press file   BOSTON - In an effort to salvage his proposed $1.9 billion tax increase, Gov. Deval L. Patrick testified on Friday that it might be impossible to finance some major transportation projects in regions such as Western Continue reading >>>

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The Democratic candidates running for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts have booked two televised debates in the greater Boston area. U.S. Reps. Stephen Lynch and Edward Markey will square off first in their first debate on March 27 at the studios of PBS affiliate WGBH-TV in Needham. The debate will air live at 7 p.m. and is organized by a media consortium including WGBH-TV, NECN, WCVB-TV, WHDH-TV, WGBH Radio, WBUR Radio and Bloomberg Radio. "The Boston Media Consortium has a strong history of producing substantive debates and this year will be no exception," said WGBH Executive Producer Linda Polach Continue reading >>>

It was an emotional scene in the courtroom yesterday — a guilty verdict in the case that shocked Wayland and has brought new attention to the issue of violence in teen relationships. Nathaniel Fujita was found guilty Thursday of first-degree murder in the July 2011 death of Lauren Astley. Fujita became violent when Astley told him that their relationship was over. Both Fujita and Astley were 18 at the time.    In the wake of the verdict, Greater Boston examined the issue of domestic violence in teen relationships.  Continue reading >>>

  Ireland wasn’t always a progressive place. Even in the 1970s, women couldn’t sit on juries, hold civil service jobs after marriage, or legally obtain birth control.  Well, Ireland’s first female president, Mary Robinson, has something to say about that. After winning election to the Irish Senate in 1969, Robinson struggled to find colleagues who would support her efforts to reform a society dominated by the Catholic Church. But by 1989 she was widely credited with making Ireland a nation that had equal rights for men and women — and she became Continue reading >>>

By Matt Murphy State House News Service BOSTON -- House Speaker Robert DeLeo told business leaders Thursday that the House is committed to finding new revenue to support transportation needs, but will call for a revenue package "of a significantly smaller size" than the proposal offered by Gov. Deval Patrick. With MBTA officials warning of another round of fare increases without additional funding, DeLeo's comments are not unexpected given the speaker's previous promises to address a transportation financing fix early in the session, and concerns raised in recent weeks by legislative leaders Continue reading >>>

<!-- --> <!-- --> <!-- -->   Friday, March 8, 2013 BOSTON —  House Speaker Robert DeLeo is proposing that casino licensing fees be used to create a new program at the state's community colleges that would train students in science, technology, engineering and math. DeLeo told the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce that the STEM Starter Academy, as the program would be known, would help prepare students for careers in a technologically-driven economy. He pointed to studies showing Continue reading >>>

Education and business leaders yesterday applauded House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo’s proposal to create a STEM Starter Academy at Bay State community colleges to help put students on the path to job readiness.In a speech before the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, DeLeo said that by 2018, Massachusetts will have 300,000 job openings, some of which can be filled by community college graduates.But 65 percent of these students are enrolled in at least one remedial course, said Richard Freeland, the state’s commissioner of higher education. And many students don’t successfully complete the required Continue reading >>>

Woburn, MA (PRWEB) March 07, 2013 The new office is located at 17 Cranes Court, Woburn, MA 01801. The need to increase office and warehouse space was spurred by a growth of its customer base over the past three years. The office will be used primarily for regional operations, human resources and their swimming pool renovation division. This office relocation is the second of two, in the past twelve months, for Continental Pools. With increased office and warehouse space, their operation will continue Continue reading >>>