Invite to GOP senator’s Christmas party could cost you $25 thousand

Santa might have to skimp on the gifts this year and save some moolah if he wants to attend Sen. Scott Brown’s Christmas party.The Massachusetts Republican on Friday invited his more than 30,000 Twitter followers to his holiday shindig, writing, “My family and I would love to see you at our upcoming Christmas party on Dec. 9.” A link to the party’s website includes a message from the lawmaker that says, “Please join me, Gail, Arianna, Ayla, Doug The Flutie Brothers Band and a host of other special guests to celebrate the holiday season.”But going to the Browns’ second annual Continue reading >>>

Companies donate turkeys to brighten Thanksgiving for those in need

Hoping to brighten Thanksgiving for needy families, Stop Shop has donated 7,200 turkeys to the Greater Boston Food Bank, a spokeswoman for the chain said in a statement. Stop Shop’s gift is the biggest turkey donation to the Greater Boston Food Bank so far this season, said GBFB spokeswoman Stacy Wong. Other companies donating turkeys include Shaw’s, BJ’s, Hannaford, Roche Bros., Whole Foods, Agar Supply, CS Wholesale Grocers, and KINGS in the Back Bay. “Given the high demand for resources this year, food banks are stretched to do more with less,” said Continue reading >>>

N.H. man gets 4-year sentence in Hub mortgage scheme

A New Hampshire man has been sentenced to four years for leading a mortgage scheme that defrauded more than a dozen lenders and several home buyers of more than $2 million in connection with the purchase of 26 multi-family properties in Greater Boston, according to Attorney General Martha Coakley. Following a three-week trial, a Suffolk Superior Court jury convicted Joshua Brown, 31, on charges of making false statements and larceny relating to contracts, banking transactions or credit. Judge Raymond Brassard sentenced Brown to four years, followed by 35 years of probation and ordered him to pay Continue reading >>>

Five Things You Need to Know Today: Nov. 14

"Five Things You Need to Know Today" is a Patch column that provides readers with essential, daily information at a glance. 1. Chance of showers: There’s a slight chance of rain after 1:00 p.m. and again in the evening, mainly between 11:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., with the rest of the day mostly cloudy, according to the National Weather Service. The high will be around 62 degrees, with a low around 53. 2. Visiting legislator: Massachusetts Rep. Denise Garlick or a member of her staff will be in Needham today, giving constituents two opportunities to meet with her to discuss any questions or issues Continue reading >>>

Chelsea Clinton wows charity crowd with off-the-cuff tribute to her late …

With her mother’s cadence and her father’s gift for extemporaneous speaking, Chelsea Clinton wowed the crowd Saturday night at a major fund-raiser for the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston. The former first daughter dropped her planned remarks and instead delivered a five-minute, off-the-cuff tribute to her grandmother, Dorothy Rodham, who died earlier this month at the age of 92. She then seamlessly segued into an introduction of the evening’s honoree, philanthropist and Democratic donor Elaine Schuster, a close friend of her family, with a poise that Continue reading >>>

To do list

PICK OF THE DAY Shaker heights Shaker songs, modern dance, and theater about forbidden sex and unchanneled lust (yeh, you read that correctly) in New England's 18th-century Shaker community is the stuff of "Angel Reapers." ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage presents the work by Oscar- and Tony-winning writer Alfred Uhry and director/choreographer, Martha Clarke. Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m. (Through Nov. 20; contains nudity; recommended for ages 14 and older). $25-$89. Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont St., Boston. 617-824-8400. www.artsemerson.org Continue reading >>>

Massachusetts in Front Line Of 2012 Senate Battlegrounds

BY JENNIFER LEVITZ LOWELL, Mass.—A battle here between Republican Sen. Scott Brown and likely Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren in next year's election is already drawing millions in out-of-state money because it could decide the Senate's balance of power. The race pits two nationally known candidates who have been elevated to prominence by separate populist waves. Mr. Brown, propelled by tea-party activists, scored an upset win in a special election in early 2010, capturing the seat long held by Democrat Edward Kennedy. Ms. Warren, a Harvard Law School professor and prominent Continue reading >>>

Lexington Coldwell Banker selling Thanksgiving pies for nonprofit

The Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office in Lexington will help to sell Thanksgiving pies prepared and donated by more than 150 of Greater Boston’s best restaurants and caterers. Apple, pecan, pumpkin, sweet potato, and diabetic apple pies will be sold for $25 each to benefit the clients of Community Servings, a nonprofit organization that provides free, home-delivered meals throughout Eastern Massachusetts to 775 homebound individuals with acute life-threatening illnesses who are unable to shop or cook for themselves. For every pie sold, Community Servings will be able to feed one Continue reading >>>