“We’re repositioning our OneWorld chain of Indian restaurants in Greater Boston and exploring the opportunity to open a high-end Indian restaurant on the Boston waterfront. Also, we will be soon opening our Dosa Factory brand in Waltham and a few other suburban locations,” said Amrik Pabla, president and chief executive officer of OneWorld Cuisine. “As we launch our new strategy, we will be closing our Mantra restaurant in Boston. And yesterday, we closed our Café of India in Harvard Square in Cambridge after the lease expired.” Café of India has been a stalwart in Harvard Square Continue reading >>>

Star basketball players stick out in a crowd, but grandmasters at chess? Not so much. So to the uninitiated, the grandmaster peering over shoulders to watch a chess match in Harvard Square is indistinguishable from the weekend warrior or the tourist. But the regulars know. On an unusually warm weeknight in March, Farzad Abdi, a chess master, took on Billy Collins, a homeless man who is widely acknowledged as one of the best players in the square. Toward the outer edge of the circle of spectators stood grandmaster Marc Esserman. As Abdi moved in for the checkmate, Collins – down in pieces Continue reading >>>

The contest pits bands from nearly three dozens communities in Greater Boston, the North Shore, Merrimack Valley, South Shore, Cape Cod and the Islands. The contest will work this way: We’re asking local bands to upload a video of themselves performing an original song until Friday, April 20. On Monday, April 23, we’ll kick off a regional competition across Eastern Massachusetts. Voters will be able to comment and tell us their favorites. Voting for the first round will close on Friday, May 4. The top two winners from each regional group (Boston/Greater Boston North, North Shore/Merrimack Continue reading >>>

Boston real estate brokerage Richards Barry Joyce Partners has been selected to be the new leasing agent for commercial space at the planned SouthField Corporate Center. The firm is the third brokerage since 2006 to be assigned the marketing duties for the 1.7-million square feet of commercial development permitted at SouthField, the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station. The brokerage was picked by LNR Property LLC, the 1,400-acre site’s master developer. LNR hopes Richards Barry Joyce’s local contacts and experience in the Greater Boston office and industrial markets will lure Continue reading >>>

BOSTON– Grubb Ellis Company released its First Quarter 2012 Industrial Market Trends report for the Boston market. Here are some of the highlights: • Greater Boston’s overall industrial market began 2012 on an upbeat note, registering 520,000 square feet of positive net absorption in the first quarter. Tenant occupancies in newly constructed buildings carried the market improvement. Properties built since 2002 accounted for 615,000 square feet of positive net absorption, while those older than 10 years saw negative absorption of 95,000 square feet. Thanks to the strong occupancy gains in Continue reading >>>

“We are honored to be recognized for our unique approach to energy efficiency by this year’s BBJ Best Green Practices awards committee,” said Swapnil Shah, co-founder and CEO of FirstFuel. “Boston has been a great birthplace for our technology, which is already making its mark not only locally, but on a national level as well.”Since its launch in 2011, FirstFuel has seen early success and extraordinary momentum. In the past 12 months, the company received two successive rounds of funding totaling $12.4M from influential venture capital investors such as Rockport Capital, Continue reading >>>

BERLIN, N.J., April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- This weekend, there's a crafty and creative way kids and adults in the greater Boston area can help people living with autism. On Saturday, April 21, 2012, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., all local A.C. Moore ( www.acmoore.com ) stores will host a family t-shirt decorating event. Decorating is free, with the on-site purchase of a shirt. Continue reading >>>

All through her arduous journey to the Boston Marathon, Salem's Chrissy St. Hilaire said a finish would be a win for her in the world's most famous race. When extreme heat gripped Greater Boston on Monday, St. Hilaire decided all she needed to do was just that: finish. And after overcoming a history of smoking, a life-threatening fight with hyperthyroidism, and Monday's heatwave, St. Hilaire finished the Boston Marathon's 26.2 miles in six hours, 15 minutes and three seconds. "I enjoyed myself out there and was really glad I decided to run," St. Hilaire said by phone Tuesday, noting she did not Continue reading >>>

In a first for Framingham State University, this spring’s commencement will revolve around a central theme: food, hunger and nutrition. “It just seemed to come together and make sense,” school spokesman Dan Magazu said of the commencement planning committee’s new approach to the May 20 graduate and undergraduate ceremonies. “It’s obviously a relevant topic — a lot of food banks across the country are seeing more requests than ever.” Catherine D’Amato, this year’s undergraduate commencement speaker, is president and CEO of one of them, the Greater Boston Food Bank. New Continue reading >>>

Sophomore Erica Keisling broke out with two goals and an assist, while senior Holly Rigoli had a goal and three assists, as the Waltham High girls lacrosse team defeated former Greater Boston League rival Medford, 16-10, in a non-league match on the road on Saturday. Senior Michelle Kudlate led the Hawks with six goals, while junior Leah Wheaton had two goals and three assists, junior Olivia Gardiner scored twice, and senior Michelle Magno had a goal and assist for Waltham (2-2). "It was really nice to see some of the newer varsity players step up in this game," Waltham coach Kristina MacLaughlan Continue reading >>>