The weekend is here, and I promise not to whine about the lack of rain. (But we do need it.) After a chilly, dry day, night settles in and the cool air will start to pool around New England. Another night of snow making in the mountains? Perhaps (see photo from Sunday River to the right.) In some respects - along the coast and throughout Greater Boston - it will be colder tonight than last night thanks to a lighter wind and a sharper temperature drop this evening.I like the look of the weekend overall. Sunday's warmer than Saturday, and sunny skies will be hindered by some clouds both days. I'm Continue reading >>>

Expect big changes, including strengthening the connection with innovation businesses, once the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce finds a new leader, said the head of the search committee looking for a replacement for retiring President Paul Guzzi.“We’re not going to be able to find another Paul Guzzi,” said Chamber Chairman John Fish, the CEO of Suffolk Construction. “What we need is to find someone different from Paul that represents where the puck is going in our community, not where it is today.”Fish said the innovation economy is one of the Chamber’s priorities for the years ahead, Continue reading >>>

IMAGE COURTESY OF GUO WEI Tsinghua Alumni Association at Greater Boston held an Annual Welcome Summer Gathering and Welcome Party in Arsenal Park on Sunday, Sept. 7. About 180 alumni attended the summer party, half of whom are students, the other half are employed. The association specializes in academic and is the largest Chinese Alumni Association with about 2000 Tsinghua Alumni in Boston. The non-profit, founded in 1976, is dedicated to serving graduates from Tsinghua University in Beijing and National Tsinghua University in Taiwan, and who study, work and live in Greater Boston. Most of the Continue reading >>>

Greater Boston host Emily Rooney joined Jim Braude and Margery Eagan on Boston Public Radio. Rooney supplied another edition of "Emily's List," her weekly list of gripes, observations, predictions and ultimatums. Predictions for the casinos to come: 1. It will take five years to start building an Everett casino — five years until [we see] the first shovel of dirt in Everett. 2. The Springfield casino will go up sooner, but will go bankrupt first. 3. The slots parlor in Plainville will do no better than the racetrack at Suffolk Downs. 4. [Massachusetts] will permanently Continue reading >>>

Friday, September 19, 2014, 11:46am By Steve Adams Banker Tradesman Staff A Which Wich Superior Sandwiches shop will open the first week in November at Assembly Row in Somerville, and could serve as a springboard to a planned expansion bringing up to 50 locations to Greater Boston in the next few years."Boston is going to be a big focus for us long-term," said Jeff Vickers, senior vice president of development Continue reading >>>

Arthur C. Anton, of Lowell, left, Nancy Cook, a volunteer, of Westford, and Christopher Dobens, a Boston Strong co-founder and Lowell High alumnus, were among the honorees at the Greater Lowell Community Foundation Awards dinner held Thursday at the Westford Regency. Sun photos / Bob Whitaker Sun staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site. WESTFORD -- Scott Hyder calls Nancy Cook the "beacon of hope" in Westford. Five years ago, Hyder had just lost fellow Westford Police Officer Billy Duggan to suicide when Cook asked him to join her in fundraising to help prevent such tragedies. Continue reading >>>

Mohegan Sun's failure to win the Greater Boston casino license could make it harder for its parent company, the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, to manage its debt, an analyst told investors this week.Keith Foley, a senior vice president of Moody's Investors Service, issued a three-page "sector comment" in the wake of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission's award of the Boston-area license to Wynn Resorts."This heightens our concerns about (the authority's) ability to refinance at an interest rate and on terms equal to or better than its existing rate, particularly given the possibility Continue reading >>>

Voters of all persuasions can be glad for one thing: The Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s decision Tuesday to award a casino license to Wynn Resorts in Everett brings into much sharper focus just what casino gambling in the state would actually look like. The commission has now selected three of the four license recipients envisioned under the 2011 law; Tuesday’s license was by far the most extensive plan approved yet. So when voters decide in a November referendum whether to repeal the casino law, they won’t just have general impressions to guide them — they’ll know what they’re accepting Continue reading >>>

The last thoroughbred horse racetrack in New England is closing, as a result of this week’s casino licensing decision in greater Boston. The last horse race at Suffolk Downs is scheduled for September 29th and the 80-year old track will close for good in December.  About a thousand people will lose their jobs.  Suffolk Downs Chief Operating Officer Chip Tuttle said the track has not been profitable since 2006. "Our owners have been extraordinarly generous in keeping racing going and preserving those jobs while we awaiting the outcome of this decision. It is impossible Continue reading >>>

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce's Paul Guzzi is retiring from the organization after running it for 18 years. Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Guzzi is retiring from the organization after running the chamber for 18 years. A search committee led by Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish and Hill Holliday CEO Karen Continue reading >>>