DC memorial for journalist Helen Thomas being held

WASHINGTON — A memorial is being held at the National Press Club in Washington for Helen Thomas, who died in July at the age of 92.

A memorial is being held Saturday for Thomas, who grilled 10 presidents as a White House reporter for United Press International and later as a columnist for Hearst.

She became the first female White House bureau chief for a wire service when UPI named her to the position in 1974. She was also the first female officer at the National Press Club, where women had once been barred as members.

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Mass. oyster beds reopened after contamination

BOSTON — Massachusetts health and fishery officials are reopening oyster beds that have been closed for several weeks because of naturally occurring bacterial contamination.

The state announced Friday that all the oyster beds will reopen Saturday. That includes Back River, Bluefish River, Duxbury Bay, Katama Bay, Kingston Bay and Plymouth Harbor in the towns of Duxbury, Edgartown, Kingston, Marshfield and Plymouth.

The beds had been closed beginning in late August and September after several cases of gastrointestinal illness were linked to oysters from those areas that were contaminated with the Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VIB'-ree-oh par-uh-hee-moh-LIT'ih-cus) bacteria.

The naturally-occurring bacteria are often found in oysters harvested in warm waters.

Officials said there have been no new cases since the closings, and water temperatures are now dropping with cooler fall weather.

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3 formally apply for sole Mass. slots license

BOSTON — Three companies have formally applied to operate a slots parlor, the first type of expanded gambling facility expected to open in Massachusetts, state gambling regulators said Friday.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission had set a 2 p.m. deadline for the companies to return the 236-page application forms. All three had already paid a $400,000 fee to the panel in January during an earlier phase of the application process.

The state's 2011 gambling laws allows for only one slots parlor along with three regional resort casinos.

The commission hopes to award the slots-only license in late December or early January, months before any of the resort casinos are licensed.

As anticipated, Friday's applicants included Cordish Cos., a Baltimore-based group which has proposed a slots parlor in Leominster; Penn National Gaming, which hopes to add slot machines at the Plainridge harness race track in Plainville; and Raynham Park, which hosted dog racing until it was outlawed in Massachusetts in 2009.

The five-member commission is scheduled to hear 90-minute presentations from each of the companies on Monday.

All were able to meet two key requirements before being allowed to submit final applications: They passed an extensive background check conducted by the commission, and they reached agreements with officials in their host communities that were later approved by voters.

The applicants must also negotiate with officials in neighboring towns and, if necessary, offer compensation for increased traffic or other impacts from a slots parlor. The commission on Thursday voted to extend the deadline for reaching surrounding community agreements from Oct. 15 to Oct. 31.

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US pushes Pacific trade agenda despite shutdown

BALI, Indonesia — Talks on a Pacific trade pact are forging ahead with hopes of meeting a year-end deadline still intact, officials said Saturday, despite President Barack Obama's absence due to the government shutdown.

Obama had intended to thrash out issues with leaders of the 11 other trans-Pacific Partnership member countries on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific regional summit in Bali on Monday and Tuesday.

Instead he ended up shelving the trip to focus on resolving the standoff over funding the U.S. government. Still, U.S. and other senior officials sought to downplay the potential loss of momentum in the trade talks known as TPP.

"I do want to make clear none of what is happening in Washington diminishes by one iota our commitment to our partners in Asia, including our efforts to promote trade and investment throughout the region," Secretary of State John Kerry, who is standing in for Obama, said Saturday.

Both Kerry and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said that ministers were determined to put together a framework for the U.S.-led pact, a trading bloc that Obama considers a vital part of the "rebalancing" of U.S. strategy toward Asia.

"The TPP countries are strongly committed to working to conclude negotiations this year," Froman said.

Senior economic ministers of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum finished talks on Saturday by urging the 21 member economies to work toward a longer-term goal of achieving a free trade area encompassing the entire region.

A draft declaration by the APEC leaders, obtained by The Associated Press, hewed to the usual formulations of such communiques in urging "renewed urgency" on negotiations for global trade rules.

With the Doha round of World Trade Organization talks stalled for years, countries have instead been opting for country to country deals and other arrangements narrower than the WTO's global mandate.

But a new commitment to WTO talks on information technology has raised hopes for progress in other areas at high-level WTO meetings planned for December in Bali.

"There is a hopeful sign this week of our ability to work creatively together to solve problems," Froman said. "We were happy to work with China and others to get the information technology talks back on track."

He said negotiators had made "significant progress" in Bali on the Pacific trade pact talks. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key agreed to chair the TPP leaders' meeting in Obama's stead.

The pact has been billed as a "21st century" trade agreement: an attempt not just to slash tariffs but also tackle nontariff barriers to trade, while protecting labor rights. Participants, which account for 40 percent of world trade, include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.

Complex hurdles remain both in reaching consensus among the 12 nations and in persuading citizens and businesses in each country that the agreement is in their national interest.

Japan, which only formally joined the negotiations in July, is under pressure from the U.S. to open up its auto and insurance industries. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, meanwhile, faces stiff domestic opposition, including from Japanese farmers who fear that foreign imports could drive them out of business.

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Health care website gets down time for repairs

WASHINGTON — It's not the sign that the Obama administration wants people to see on its health overhaul website: down for repairs.

Using overnight hours this weekend to debug the system, the Health and Human Service Department hoped to fix the technological problems that overwhelmed the launch of new health insurance markets. Glitches have frustrated millions of consumers unable to complete their applications.

Enrollment functions of the healthcare.gov site will be unavailable during off-peak hours this weekend, HHS said Friday. The department did not release a schedule for hours of operation, but a spokeswoman said the site would be taken down at 1 a.m. EDT each night for a few hours. The website will remain open for general information.

The enrollment function was back online at little before 8 a.m. EDT Saturday, but was working slowly because of heavy traffic.

"Please stay on this page," said a notice. "We're working to make the experience better, and we don't want you to lose your place in line. We'll send you to the login page as soon as we can."

There was no indication of how long the wait would be.

Credit card companies, banks and other online service providers regularly take down websites for repairs. That may also become a feature of the new insurance program.

An effort by congressional Republicans to defund or delay the health care law led to an impasse with Democrats over passing a budget bill, and that sparked a partial government shutdown Tuesday. Republicans quickly pointed to the website problems as another reason that the law they call "Obamacare" should be pulled back.

"Americans have seen once again that Obamacare is not ready for prime time," Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, the No. 2 House Republican, said in a statement Friday. "A dysfunctional website is the least of that law's problems."

The administration put the best face on the situation, noting the unexpectedly strong interest from millions of consumers.

"Americans are excited to look at their options for health coverage, with record demand in the first days of the marketplaces," said the release announcing the planned fixes.

The statement was headlined: "Health Insurance Marketplace Open for Business - Week One Success."

The state-level markets were designed to be the gateway to health insurance for people who don't have access to coverage on the job. Middle-class consumers will be able to buy government-subsidized private plans, while the poor and near-poor will be steered to Medicaid in states agreeing to expand the program.

Federal and state websites experienced problems this week. Some states, including Maryland, have also announced they are scheduling repairs.

The federal site, which serves 36 states, drew millions of users, an indication of strong consumer interest. Yet many people were unable to get on the site. They encountered a screen that told them to wait, and they did, sometimes for hours. Refreshing the screen only sent them to the back of the line.

Quite a few got hung up trying to create security questions to protect their accounts. The drop-down menus providing the questions would not populate. As a result, consumers could not advance through the application process and learn if they were eligible for a tax credit to help pay premiums, much less pick a plan.

Some who did make it through were timed out because they took too long comparing plans.

At the end of the first day at most a handful of people had managed to successfully enroll through the federal site.

However, by Friday, enrollments seemed to be picking up — though not yet at desired levels. The administration is not releasing numbers.

"We are pleased that enrollment for health care coverage through the new marketplaces is picking up," the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association said in a statement. "We expect enrollment to continue to increase."

The so-called Blues are major players in the individual insurance market, but some smaller insurers have yet to see any new customers.

By Monday, "there will be significant improvements in the online consumer experience," HHS said.

The upgrades include extra capacity for more users to get into the system, more technicians working round-the-clock to fix problems, and new pathways to get to the application faster. No details were given. Call centers are also getting more staff and HHS said wait times are now down to less than a minute.

The administration previously announced it is adding equipment to handle the high volume of users. Now it looks like software fixes are also needed.

Consumers have until Dec. 15 to enroll for coverage that starts Jan. 1.

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Market Basket workers to protest

Market Basket employees will converge at the Waltham site of a stalled store Sunday for a protest against the grocery chain's board.

"The point of the rally is to bring attention to the board and the damage they're causing," said organizer Cindy Whelan, store manager at the Market Basket in Epping, N.H.

A June election left majority power with "A" shareholders led by Arthur S. Demoulas, a cousin of CEO Arthur T. Demoulas, whom they're trying to oust. The board's failure to make payments has put on hold stores in Waltham, Revere and Plymouth, said Scott Lang, the developer's attorney.

A board spokeswoman did not respond to Herald inquiries.

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No slots filled at Caesars’ jobs ‘forum’

As the state Gaming Commission cleared the way for three proposals to move forward yesterday, an "employment forum" Caesars Entertainment and Suffolk Downs said it held to tout job opportunities at their proposed resort casino appeared to be more of a get-out-the vote rally for their $1 billion project.

After a panel discussion during which a half-dozen Caesars employees from around the country gushed about the company's benefits and opportunities for advancement, Lynda Tocci, a lobbyist for the proposed casino, took the stage, asking for volunteers to take bumper stickers, canvass neighborhoods, plant lawn signs and man phone banks to urge East Boston and Revere residents to approve the project next month.

"I'm a little disappointed," said 50-year-old Elina Mushin of Marblehead, a recent law school graduate who came with her resume at the ready. "I thought it would be more of a job fair, but they're promoting the casino just to get people to vote."

Suffolk Downs officials said the casino will create 4,000 permanent jobs and 2,500 construction jobs and the average salary at the proposed casino would be $42,000, but they refused to say how much the lowest- and highest-paid workers would make.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission, meanwhile, yesterday granted the city a variance allowing East Boston residents to vote on the project on Nov. 5 even though the commission has not yet completed its background check on Caesars Entertainment and determined the proposed casino's suitability. If the commission finds the proposal unsuitable, that will bring the project to an end, even if voters approve it next month.

The commission unanimously determined Mohegan Sun's proposal for a resort casino in Palmer is qualified to take the next step in the process to secure the sole license in western Massachusetts, and announced that Penn National is qualified to pursue the state's single slots parlor license in Plainville after it completed a hearing and background check.

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The Ticker

Hacking group members indicted

A federal grand jury yesterday indicted 13 members of the Internet hacking group Anonymous for allegedly carrying out cyber-attacks worldwide, including against targets that refused to process payments for WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy website founded by Julian Assange.

The U.S.-based members of Anonymous are accused of zeroing in on the computers of governments, trade associations, law firms, financial institutions and other institutions that oppose the philosophy of Anonymous to make all information free for everyone, regardless of copyright laws or national security considerations.

Twitter's IPO reveals it's losing money

Twitter revealed its confidential IPO filing yesterday, clearing the way for one of largest and most hyped IPOs since Facebook.

The filing reveals that the company is still growing, but is losing money. Twitter's revenue was $253.6 million in the first half of this year, up from $122.4 million in the year-ago period. However, the company had a net loss of $69.3 million in the first half, compared to a net loss of $49.1 million in the year-ago period.

Instagram to start sponsored ads

Instagram has decided to flick on its revenue engine, announcing plans to bring sponsored images and videos into the mix.

Facebook's popular app was widely expected to make the move to launch advertisements. The company plans to launch these sponsored images and videos in the coming months.

Data of 3 million Adobe Systems customers accessed by hackers

Adobe Systems said yesterday that hackers had accessed personal data for nearly 3 million of its customers.

Brad Arkin, Adobe's chief security officer, wrote in a blog post that the hackers had removed data including encrypted credit- and debit-card numbers, but that the company does not believe any decrypted numbers were taken.

The Shuffle

 Kristen Zemeitus, left, has joined the 451 Marketing consumer public relations team as account executive. Zemeitus brings seven years of public relations experience in the food, pet, fashion apparel, footwear and sporting equipment industries.

 J. Barrett & Company announced that Realtor Ann-Marie Ciaraldi has joined the agency in its Beverly Farms office. Ciaraldi's business background includes owning her own marketing company for three years.

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Twitter dishes tantalizing tidbits in IPO treatise

SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter, a privately held company built on blurbs, has finally laid itself bare in documents that read more like a treatise than a tweet.

The roughly 800-page filing Twitter Inc. released late Thursday on its way to an eagerly anticipated IPO contains tantalizing tidbits about its growth and its attempts to make money from its influential short messaging service.

Prospective investors and rivals alike will dissect and digest those morsels during the next few weeks leading up to the San Francisco company's Wall Street debut.

The suspense surrounding Twitter's IPO was heightened by the company's decision to take advantage of a law passed last year that allows companies with less than $1 billion in annual revenue to keep their IPO documents under seal until management is ready to make formal presentations to investors.

Thursday's lifting of the veil means Twitter can start pitching investors during a so-called "road show" as early as Oct. 24. The company's stock should begin trading under the ticker symbol "TWTR" before Thanksgiving, barring a market meltdown or regulatory hurdles.

Here are five key details revealed in Twitter's tome:

—TWITTER'S GOT GROWTH TO GET EXCITED ABOUT

After Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey sent out the first tweet in March 2006, the company didn't even try to make money for its few years. Instead, management focused on attracting more users and making the service more reliable.

It looks like Twitter's patient approach is paying off. Since former Google executive Dick Costolo became Twitter's CEO in 2010, the company's annual revenue has soared from $28 million to $317 million last year. Through the first half of this year, Twitter's revenue totaled $254 million, more than doubling from last year. If Twitter maintains that growth pace through the second half, the company's revenue will surpass $656 million this year.

Twitter gets 87 percent of its revenue from advertising. The rest comes from licensing agreements that give other companies better access to the flow of tweeting activity on its service.

Meanwhile, Twitter ended June with 218 million users, up from 30 million in early 2010. More than three-quarters of those users, or 169 million people, are located outside the U.S. Twitter's fastest growing markets are in Argentina, France, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

—BUT THE COMPANY ISN'T PROFITABLE

It takes more than cultural heft to build a business of substance, as Twitter is learning. The company has suffered uninterrupted losses of $419 million since its inception. That's something Twitter has been able to afford because it has raised $759 million from investors. The company still had $375 million in the bank at the end of June and hopes to raise at least $1 billion more in its IPO.

But shareholders of publicly held companies don't tolerate losses for very long, and it could still be a while before Twitter turns a profit.

Twitter's losses widened during the first half of this year to $69 million, up from $49 million in the same period last year. In contrast, both social networking leader Facebook Inc. and professional networking leader LinkedIn Corp. were profitable when they went public.

To make money, Twitter will likely get more aggressive about showing ads.

In the three months ending in June, Twitter generated revenue of $139 million, or an average of just 64 cents per user. In contrast, Facebook generated second-quarter revenue of nearly $1.2 billion, or an average of $1.58 per user, while LinkedIn posted revenue of $364 million, or an average of $1.53 per user.

As Twitter cranks up its marketing machine, it runs the risk of alienating an audience accustomed to seeing relatively few ads in their news feeds. Beyond the U.S., Twitter is gearing to expand its advertising efforts in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom.

—TWITTER IS MORE "MOBILE" THAN FACEBOOK

Twitter appears tailor made for an age of increasing reliance on smartphones and tablet computers. Three-fourths of Twitter's users already use the service on mobile devices. Perhaps more important to investors, the company sells 65 percent of its ads on smartphones and tablets. Facebook gets 41 percent of its ad revenue from mobile devices.

—ITS MARKET VALUE COULD BE AS HIGH AS $20 BILLION

Twitter hasn't set a price target for its IPO yet, but its documents contain some clues about its recent market value. The company's stock last sold in a privately arranged swap nine months ago at $17 per share. That deal implied Twitter had a market value of $10 billion to $11 billion at the time. Last month, Twitter priced some of its employee stock options at $20.62, based on a third-party appraisal of the company's value.

Some analysts predict Twitter will seek $28 to $30 per share in its IPO. If those projections pan out, Twitter will have a market value of $17 billion to $20 billion, including stock options and restricted stock likely to be converted into common shares after the IPO. Facebook made its stock market debut with a market value of more than $100 billion, but its stock plummeted before making resounding comeback this year.

—CO-FOUNDER EVAN WILLIAMS IS IN LINE FOR THE BIGGEST JACKPOT

Williams, a Twitter co-founder who was CEO for two years until Costolo took over in 2010, owns a 12 percent stake in the company.

If Twitter turns out to be worth at least $17.60 per share in the IPO, Williams will be a billionaire at 41 years old. He remains on Twitter's board of directors.

Another board member, Peter Fenton, and his venture capital firm, Benchmark Capital, own a 6.7 percent stake.

Next in line with a 4.9 percent stake is Jack Dorsey, who came up for the idea for Twitter with Noah Glass and Biz Stone. The stakes of Glass and Stone aren't listed in the IPO documents, meaning they don't own enough stock to trigger legal disclosures.

Many of Twitter's 2,000 employees could become rich, too, if the company's stock fares well. They won't be allowed to sell their stock until Feb. 15, at the earliest.

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MBTA, union sue over arbitrator's pay award

BOSTON — MBTA management and the union representing some workers have filed dueling lawsuits in a dispute over an arbitrator's award that would increase T workers' salaries by an average of more than 10 percent.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials say the raises outlined in the arbitrator's decision would cost $62 million to $88 million, a sum that would put the transit agency in financial jeopardy.

An official with the Boston Carmen's Union said in a message to its 6,000 members, which include MBTA bus and subway operators and maintenance crew, that the T is trying to shortchange them in fighting the award.

A T spokesman tells The Boston Globe (http://b.globe.com/1bDBAS5 ) the arbitrator did not give due consideration to the MBTA's financial ability in her decision.

___

Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.bostonglobe.com

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APNewsBreak: Tesla says car fire began in battery

SEATTLE — A fire that destroyed a Tesla electric car near Seattle began in the vehicle's battery pack, officials said Wednesday, creating challenges for firefighters who tried to put out the flames.

Company spokeswoman Liz Jarvis-Shean said the fire Tuesday was caused by a large metallic object hitting one of the battery pack's modules in the pricey Model S. The fire was contained to a small section at the front of the vehicle, she said, and no one was injured.

Shares of Tesla Motors Inc. fell more than 6 percent Wednesday after an Internet video showed flames spewing from the vehicle, which Tesla has touted as the safest car in America.

The liquid-cooled 85 kilowatt-hour battery in the Tesla Model S is mounted below the passenger compartment floor and uses lithium-ion chemistry similar to the batteries in laptop computers and mobile phones. Investors and companies have been particularly sensitive to the batteries' fire risks, especially given issues in recent years involving the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid car and Boeing's new 787 plane.

In an incident report released under Washington state's public records law, firefighters wrote that they appeared to have Tuesday's fire under control, but the flames reignited. Crews found that water seemed to intensify the fire, so they began using a dry chemical extinguisher.

After dismantling the front end of the vehicle and puncturing holes in the battery pack, responders used a circular saw to cut an access hole in the front section to apply water to the battery, according to documents. Only then was the fire extinguished.

The incident happened as the Tesla's driver was traveling southbound on state Route 167 through the Seattle suburb of Kent, said Trooper Chris Webb of the Washington State Patrol. The driver said he believed he had struck some metal debris on the freeway, so he exited the highway and the vehicle became disabled.

The driver, who did not return a phone call seeking comment, told authorities he began to smell something burning and then the vehicle caught fire.

Firefighters arrived within 3 minutes of the first call. It's not clear from records how long the firefighting lasted, but crews remained on scene for 2 1/2 hours.

Tesla said the flames were contained to the front of the $70,000 vehicle due to its design and construction.

"This was not a spontaneous event," Jarvis-Shean said. "Every indication we have at this point is that the fire was a result of the collision and the damage sustained through that."

There was too much damage from the fire to see what damage debris may have caused, Webb said.

The automobile website Jalopnik.com posted photos of the blaze that it says were taken by a reader, along with a video.

Shares of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Tesla have risen more than 400 percent this year. But some investors likely were alarmed that the fire could be an indication of a flaw in the company's battery packs, and Tesla shares fell $12.05 to $180.95 Wednesday.

Also contributing to the stock's decline was a rare analyst downgrade. R.W. Baird analyst Ben Kallo cut his rating on the stock from "Outperform" to "Neutral," telling investors that while he's still bullish on Tesla's long-term prospects, the company has "significant milestones" during the next 18 months that come with risk.

The company's battery system and the Model S itself have received rave reviews, including a top crash-test score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and a tie for the highest auto rating ever recorded by Consumer Reports magazine.

But lithium-ion batteries have raised concerns in other vehicles.

Two years ago, battery fires broke out in three Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid cars after crash-testing, but NHTSA investigators determined that the Volt was no more risky than vehicles with conventional gasoline engines.

Officials from General Motors Co. and the government believed the fires were caused by coolant leaking from damaged plastic casing around the batteries after side-impact test crashes. At the time, they said there were no real-world fires in any Volts.

Still, the fires tarnished the Volt's reputation and cut into sales. Recently, though, sales have recovered. Sales are up about 3 percent this year, with GM selling about 17,000 Volts through September.

Earlier this year, Boeing Co.'s worldwide fleet of 787s was grounded because lithium-ion batteries overheated or caught fire. Flights resumed four months later after a revamped battery system was installed.

Under normal circumstances, investigators from NHTSA, the government's auto safety watchdog, would travel to Washington state to investigate the Tesla crash. But with the partial government shutdown, NHTSA's field investigations have been suspended.

___

Follow Mike Baker at https://twitter.com/MikeBakerAP .

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Developer bags prime parcel

Construction will begin as early as next week on a 12-story apartment and retail building — including a possible supermarket — on Canal Street just a block from the TD Garden in a deal announced yesterday between developers and the state transportation department.

"It's just a premier location and the views you get up at the building looking down at the Greenway and the harbor is incredible," Trinity Financial Vice President Abby Goldenfarb said. "Five or six years ago, we were taking a chance on the location, but now it's really proven itself to be a great place to live."

Trinity will construct 310 apartments, 147 parking spaces and ground-floor retail at One Canal Street — three mostly empty grassy parcels owned by MassDOT and the MBTA across the street from the Haymarket bus station and the Government Center garage.

Trinity will pay $13 million up-front to the state for the 99-year ground lease. Denver-based Aimco, a real estate investment trust, will pay property taxes on the site.

The 22,000 square feet of retail space will be designated for a supermarket under an agreement with the city, but can be opened up to other retail tenants after 18 months, or if another supermarket opens nearby — such as at the TD Garden, where developers envision both a supermarket and a cinema.

"We understand the community really wants a supermarket in the neighborhood and the Boston Garden site is the preferred site," Goldenfarb said. "But nonetheless, if a supermarket wants to be here, we are obligated to market it to a supermarket for a set period of time."

Construction of the $190 million project could begin within days and will last about 27 months. Several other high-profile projects are slated for the area, including three high-rises with residences, hotels, offices and shops near the site of the old Boston Garden.

Across the street from One Canal Street, developers want to resuscitate the Government Center Garage project with apartments, offices, shops and a hotel.

The project will also replace the Grand Canal's large outdoor patio, which had been part of a temporary lease with the MBTA.

It's been a long process. Trinity originally was the second choice to develop the state-owned sites back in 2005. After the original developer was taken off the project in 2010, MassDot awarded it to Trinity in the $13 million deal, MassDOT spokeswoman Cyndi Roy said.

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Bill filed to greenlight $1B convention center expansion

Lawmakers may soon decide whether to launch a 
$1 billion expansion of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center — a project that would add 1.3 million square feet of space, including additional exhibit and meeting areas and another, larger ballroom.

"My goal is to have it dealt with this calendar year," said Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Executive Director James Rooney. "We have a number of events we'd like to be able to talk to for future years. The industry knows Boston is considering this."

The MCCA filed the expansion bill yesterday and said the project would not require "new fees or taxes." Funding would come from the Convention Center Fund, consisting of tourism-related fees and taxes.

The expansion would increase convention center floor space from 416,000 to 850,000 square feet — making Boston 14th in the country, up from its current 25th rank, Rooney said.

Expansion could draw larger medical and life sciences conventions and re-attract events like BIO that are now too big, he said.

Convention center officials also want to lure two hotels to Massport land across the street, adding 1,200 to 1,500 more rooms — a must, if the center expands, Rooney said.

Two smaller hotels with a combined 510 rooms on 
D Street are expected to open in late 2015, and the Westin Boston Waterfront may also expand.

Rooney downplayed any impact the expansion may have on residential South Boston. Both state Sen. Linda Dorcena-Forry and state Rep. Nick Collins co-sponsored the expansion bill.

"The convention development has served as a transition zone for the neighborhood between all the commercial and residential and retail development that's taken place," Rooney said.

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Suspended: Drug trials, public health initiatives

Each week that the tug-of-war on Capitol Hill continues, the National Institutes of Health will turn away about 200 patients, including children with cancer, from its clinical research center, while local clinical trials remain on hold.

"The longer time goes on, the more deleterious the impact will be on the research community and patients," said Dr. Anne Klibanski, chief academic officer at Partners Healthcare.

Trials that have received funding but need drug approvals could be delayed because the Food and Drug Administration effectively has been shut down.

"I feel terrible. I wanted to get this going," said Leo Finn, 48, a Buzzards Bay father of three who found out Tuesday that the clinical test of the drug his doctor had hoped might cure his liver cancer was on hold. "I want to see my kids graduate, and I want to walk my daughter down the aisle."

The shutdown impact could prevent the Centers for Disease Control from monitoring the spread of the flu this year, "something that all hospitals look to as an early warning sign," said John Erwin of the Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals.

The Boston Public Health Commission could lose grants for homelessness, violence-prevention and HIV/AIDS programs

"Our public health commission spends about $41,000 a day in federal grants," Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. "If they cease coming, we won't be able to serve the people we have in the city of Boston who need health care the most."

Jordan Graham and the Cape Cod Times contributed to this report.

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Helping out furloughed workers

Furloughed federal workers who don't know when they'll get their next paychecks are being offered everything from free food to a free pass on car payments.

With about 800,000 federal employees now jobless, Pork Barrel BBQ in Alexandria, Va., just outside the capital, gave away 275 pulled pork sandwiches to workers with a government ID, though it took pains to note in its Twitter announcement that the offer "EXCLUDES CONGRESSMEN."

It was one of a number of businesses in and around Washington, D.C., offering freebies for federal workers. But the deals aren't just in D.C. — Hyundai Motor America said federal workers who financed their cars through Hyundai Finance America can stop making payments for as long as they're furloughed. And, furloughed workers who want to buy a Hyundai in October will be offered a 90-day payment deferral.

"We recognize the impact on family budgets that the furlough will drive," President and CEO John Krafcik said in a statement. "This is our way of saying, 'We've got your back,' during this uncertain time."

And to take their minds off the mess responsible for them being out of work, furloughed employees can take in a movie and get free popcorn at AMC Theatres, by showing a valid government or military ID.

"The offer is good until common sense is restored in Washington, D.C.," the company said in a statement, "or, more likely, until the shutdown ends, or we run out of free popcorn."

Herald wire services contributed to this report.

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Evite now selling paper invitations for first time

NEW YORK — Evite is going the paper route. The website, which pioneered digital invitations 15 years ago, is launching paper invites for the first time.

Customers can now create invitations online, have them printed by Evite and sent directly to party guests. The cards cost $2 each, plus any postage fees. The company is calling its new line of paper cards Evite Ink.

The move is the latest example of an online invitation and greeting card business entering the more lucrative paper card market. Competitors, such as Celebrations.com and Paperless Post, already offer their customers the option to buy a physical card, and are able to charge more for the printed ones.

Evite says that it is offering paper cards now because customers were asking for them. "There are people that they still can't reach through digital means," says Angela Wilson Gyetvan, Evite's vice president of marketing. Some also wanted to have printed keepsakes of special events, she says.

As a result, about 300 of Evite's most popular online designs are now available in paper form. All the cards will be the same size: 4 inches by 6 inches. Each will come with a white envelope lined with the same green color as Evite's logo. Evite will mail them to guests or send to customers to hand out on their own. Conveniently, there are no minimum limits, says Wilson Gyetvan. Customers can buy a single paper card, if they want, and send the rest of their invitations digitally, she says. The printed cards will have codes on the back so that guests can even RSVP online, if they choose.

The new paper cards are a way for Evite to get customers to pay for its services. Since it was founded in 1998, Evite's online invitations have been free for customers. (They will stay that way.) The company has depended on advertising to generate revenue. But late last year, it launched Evite Postmark on a separate website, offering more stylish digital greeting cards and invitations for a fee. Customers buy a package of credits, starting at $5, which they can use to purchase digital cards. Evite eventually will offer printed versions of the Evite Postmark cards too, says Wilson Gyetvan.

Evite Ink launched in what the company calls a "public beta" test. That means that pricing and other details may change as the company gets more feedback from customers, says Wilson Gyetvan. Printed cards are available through http://evite.com/ink, and through Evite's main website.

Evite has 32 million registered users that send 28,000 invitations every hour. It offers invitations for several events, including birthday parties, baby showers and holiday dinners. It's most popular category are invites for kid's birthday parties, says Wilson Gyetvan.

The Los Angeles-based company is a part of Liberty Interactive Corp.

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Follow Joseph Pisani at http://twitter.com/josephpisani

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US futures down sharply as budget impasse drags on

NEW YORK — Stock futures fell significantly Wednesday with both sides in the budget battle appearing to grow more entrenched and prepared to slug it out.

Because of the partial government shutdown the ADP private payroll report, usually a precursor to crucial U.S. monthly jobs data, became the most crucial indicator this week.

While private employers added 166,000 jobs, the ADP report was not as strong as economists had expected.

Dow Jones industrial futures fell 77 points to 15,043. S&P futures lost 10 points to 1,679.40. Nasdaq futures slid 17.5 points to 3,228.

Because of the vacuum created by the shutdown of the Labor Department, which will not release the September jobs statistics as scheduled this week if there is no resolution in Washington, the ADP report took on greater weight.

Economists had been looking for job additions in the neighborhood of 180,000, much stronger than the actual number released Wednesday. Employers added just 159,000 jobs in August and 161,000 in July, according to ADP, but both of those figures were slightly lower than the original projections as well.

Markets shook off the partial government shutdown Tuesday, but that sentiment appeared to change Wednesday with no resolution in sight.

The costs of the shutdown, given the fledgling recovery, may be starting to sink in.

Economists say that every week the government is shuttered trims about 0.2 percent from gross domestic product.

That could grow worse if turmoil on the Capitol begins to depress consumer or business confidence.

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Markets jittery on US government shutdown

LONDON — Italy's main stock market was the standout performer Wednesday as the country's government won a confidence vote. Elsewhere, the mood was far more downbeat as investors fretted over the partial shutdown of the U.S. government.

The political upheavals in Washington D.C. and Rome have been the main points of focus in financial markets this week. While the gridlock in the U.S. capital shows few signs of resolution, developments in Italy point to a crisis averted.

In a surprise move, Silvio Berlusconi announced that his party will vote to support the government of Premier Enrico Letta, a major turnabout that signals he was defeated in his efforts to bring down the government. With Letta's government surviving, investors breathed a sigh of relief that fresh elections have been averted and that the government can go along with its economic reform program.

Milan's FTSE MIB rose 0.7 percent to 18,094. Earlier, it had traded as high as 18,340, its highest level since July 2011, before mounting concerns over the U.S. budget gridlock dented sentiment.

Those concerns over the U.S. government's partial shutdown have dominated trading elsewhere.

The shutdown, which has seen some 800,000 federal employees put on furlough, went into effect after a politically divided Congress failed to approve short-term funding to keep the government functioning past Monday, the end of its fiscal year.

Though most analysts said they expect the budget stalemate to be resolved before the shutdown inflicts damage on the economy, the latest stalemate has raised concerns over whether Congress will be able to increase the country's debt ceiling later this month. If it doesn't, the U.S. would face a potential default, a development that could inflict massive damage on the global economy.

"The probability that the government goes right up to the wire on the debt ceiling, thus causing some destabilization in equity markets, is higher than we previously thought," said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG. "We had said we were starting to get nervous. If this continues, nervousness will have to give way to fright."

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was down 0.7 percent at 6.416 while Germany's DAX fell 0.5 percent to 8.642. The CAC-40 in France was 0.7 percent lower at 4,168.

The European Central Bank is sharing some of the limelight — its president, Mario Draghi, is holding his annual press conference following the widely-expected decision by the governing council to keep policy on hold.

Wall Street was headed for a lower opening, with Dow futures down 0.5 percent and the broader S&P 500 futures 0.7 percent lower. A private payrolls survey from ADP showing 166,000 jobs were created in September had little impact. Though below market expectations for a 180,000 increase, investors remained focused on Washington.

The dollar remained under pressure too, with the euro up 0.4 percent $1.3562 while the dollar fell 0.7 percent to 97.31 yen.

Earlier in Asia, markets were solid following the previous day's relatively strong showing in U.S. markets. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.6 percent to 22,984.48, reopening after a one-day public holiday while South Korea's Kospi rose marginally to 1,999.47. Markets in mainland China were closed for a public holiday.

However, Japan's Nikkei 225 index plummeted 2.2 percent to close at 14,170.49 after the government Tuesday announced it would go ahead with a sales tax increase in April. The tax, intended to offset the country's soaring public debt, will rise from 5 percent to 8 percent.

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Monsanto 4th-qtr loss widens as seed sales decline

WASHINGTON — Monsanto reported worse-than-expected losses for its fiscal fourth quarter on Wednesday, due to lower sales of its genetically engineered seeds.

The company forecast for fiscal 2014 also came in below Wall Street expectations, and it revealed plans to buy farming software and data firm The Climate Corporation. The combination sent shares lower in premarket trading.

The St. Louis company recorded a loss of $249 million, or 47 cents per share, for the quarter ended Aug. 31. That was wider than its loss of $264 million, or 42 cents per share, in the 2012 fourth quarter. Revenue climbed 5 percent to $2.2 billion, from $2.1 billion last year.

Analysts, on average, expected a loss of 43 cents per share, on sales of $2.26 billion, according to data provider FactSet.

The company's performance was hurt by a steep drop in sales of genetically modified soybean seeds, which fell 38 percent to $87 million. That drop was offset by higher sales of the company's best-selling product, genetically modified corn seeds, which rose 5.1 percent to $618 million. But overall seed sales still edged lower to $1.19 billion for the quarter

Looking ahead, Monsanto said it expects to report earnings per share of $5 to $5.20 in fiscal 2014, including 14 cents from its planned acquisition of the Climate Corporation.

Analysts were looking for $5.31 in earnings per share for fiscal 2014, on average.

Company shares fell $2.54, or 2.5 percent, to $102.94 in premarket trading. The stock closed at $105.05 Tuesday, up 11 percent since the start of the year and near the top end of its 52-week trading range of $82.70 to $109.33.

Monsanto said in a separate release it would pay $930 million in cash for the Climate Corporation, which was founded in 1996 by engineers from Google and other Silicon Valley companies. The company's technology uses weather forecasting and data analysis to help farmers plan their growing seasons.

Monsanto, which has dominated the bioengineered-seed business for more than a decade, reiterated its expectation for ongoing earnings growth in the "mid-teens" for fiscal 2014, based on the company's international growth.

In June, Chinese regulators approved the importation of Monsanto's Intacta soybeans, the first variety of the bean that has been genetically modified to repel pests that eat the crop. The new soybean is rolling out in Brazil this season and will be available in Argentina the following year. Both countries are major exporters to China. Intacta is the company's first product specifically designed for use outside the U.S.

The company's biotech seeds have genetically engineered traits that the company says benefit farmers enough that they come out ahead, despite the seeds' higher cost.

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KPN shareholders to vote on E-Plus sale

AMSTERDAM — Shareholders of Dutch telecom Royal KPN NV are set to vote Wednesday on the sale of the company's German mobile subsidiary E-Plus for $11.4 billion to Telefonica SA at a meeting that may be overshadowed by wider questions about KPN's fate.

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim owns a stake of 30 percent in KPN via his company America Movil, and plans a takeover bid of 2.40 euros ($3.25) per share, or 7.2 billion euros, for the rest.

KPN's managers and board have not expressed an opinion about the offer, angering shareholders' rights groups. In addition, the independent KPN Foundation has branded Slim's takeover attempt as "hostile" and exercised an option to issue itself preference shares with a 49.9 percent voting right in KPN as a poison pill measure.

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UN: Syria refugee crisis threatens development

BERLIN — The head of the United Nations development agency is warning that Syria's refugee crisis is threatening economic development throughout the region because host countries cannot cope with the influx.

Helen Clark told a meeting Monday in Geneva, Switzerland, that the situation not only poses a humanitarian crisis but also threatens economies of neighboring countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey due to its impact on trade, agriculture, tourism, employment and demands on water use.

She said that by the end of the year, nearly 25 percent of Lebanon's population will be made up of refugees. The figure has already reached 10 percent in Jordan. Clark added that "clearly the costs on host communities and countries cannot be borne by them alone."

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Rosneft sets price for remaining TNK-BP shares

MOSCOW — Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft has set a price for buying out minority shareholders in TNK-BP that is far less than the majority shareholders received.

In taking over TNK-BP last year, Rosneft bought out the major shareholders — the British company BP and four Russian billionaires — but left in limbo the minority investors holding the remaining 5 percent.

The value of their shares plummeted and foreign investors cited the case as an example of bad corporate governance in Russia.

Rosneft's chief executive, Igor Sechin, pledged Friday to buy out the minority shareholders and Monday the company announced the price: 67 rubles ($2.07) per ordinary share and 55 rubles ($1.70) per preferred share. This is about half what the Russian billionaires received.

The deal will cost Rosneft about $1.5 billion.

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Obamacare dispute sends gov't to brink of shutdown

WASHINGTON — Hours before a threatened government shutdown, the Senate has the next move Monday on must-do budget legislation that has fueled a bitter congressional dispute over President Barack Obama's signature health care law.

But the Senate won't be riding to the rescue, at least not immediately. When it convenes at midday, the Democratic-led chamber is expected to reject the latest effort from House Republicans to use a normally routine measure to attack "Obamacare."

If no compromise can be reached by midnight, Americans would soon see the impact of a government shutdown. National parks would close. Many low-to-moderate incomes borrowers and first-time homebuyers seeking government-backed mortgages could face delays.

About 800,000 federal workers would be forced off the job without pay. Some critical services such as patrolling the borders, inspecting meat and controlling air traffic would continue. Social Security benefits would be sent, and the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs for the elderly and poor would continue to pay doctors and hospitals.

Senate rejection would send the measure back to the House, where conservative Republicans want to delay by a year key parts of the new health care law and repeal a tax on medical devices as the price for avoiding a shutdown. A House GOP leader, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, said the House would rebuff the Senate's efforts to advance the short-term funding bill as a simple, "clean" measure shorn of anti-heath care reform provisions.

Since the last government shutdown 17 years ago, temporary funding bills known as continuing resolutions have been noncontroversial, with neither party willing to chance a shutdown to achieve legislative goals it couldn't otherwise win. But with health insurance exchanges set to open Tuesday, tea party Republicans are willing to take the risk in their drive to kill the law, so-called "Obamacare."

"You're going to shut down the government if you can't prevent millions of Americans from getting affordable care," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

A leader of the tea party Republicans, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, insisted the blame rests with Senate Democrats.

"The House has twice now voted to keep the government open. And if we have a shutdown, it will only be because when the Senate comes back, (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid says, 'I refuse even to talk,'" said Cruz, who led a 21-hour broadside against allowing the temporary funding bill to advance if stripped clean of a tea party-backed provision to derail Obamacare. The effort failed.

The battle started with a House vote to pass the short-term funding bill with a provision that would have eliminated the federal dollars needed to put Obama's health care overhaul into place. The Senate voted along party lines to strip that out and sent the measure back to the House.

The latest House bill, passed early Sunday by a near party-line vote of 231-192, sent back to the Senate two major changes: a one-year delay of key provisions of the health insurance law and repeal of a new tax on medical devices that partially funds it. The steps still go too far for the White House and its Democratic allies.

Senate rules often make it difficult to move quickly, but the chamber can act on the House's latest proposals by simply calling them up and killing them.

A senior leader vowed the House would not simply give in to Democrats' demands to pass the Senate's "clean" funding bill.

"The House will get back together in enough time, send another provision not to shut the government down, but to fund it, and it will have a few other options in there for the Senate to look at again," said McCarthy, the No. 3 House Republican leader.

He suggested that House Republicans would try blocking a mandate that individuals buy health insurance or face a tax penalty, saying there might be some Democratic support in the Senate for that.

On the other hand, Democrats said the GOP's bravado may fade as the deadline to avert a shutdown nears.

Asked whether he could vote for a "clean" temporary funding bill, Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, said he couldn't. But he added, "I think there's enough people in the Republican Party who are willing to do that. And I think that's what you're going to see."

A leading Senate GOP moderate called on her fellow Republicans to back down.

"I disagree with the strategy of linking Obamacare with the continuing functioning of government — a strategy that cannot possibly work," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

McCarthy wouldn't say what changes Republicans might make. He appeared to suggest that a very short-term measure might pass at the last minute, but GOP aides said that was unlikely.

Republicans argued that they had already made compromises; for instance, their latest measure would leave intact most parts of the health care law that have taken effect, including requiring insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions and to let families' plans cover children up to age 26. They also would allow insurers to deny contraception coverage based on religious or moral objections.

Tea party lawmakers in the House — egged on by Cruz — forced GOP leaders to abandon an earlier plan to deliver a "clean" stopgap spending bill to the Senate and move the fight to another must-do measure looming in mid-October: a bill to increase the government's borrowing cap to avert a market-rattling, first-ever default on U.S. obligations.

McCarthy appeared on "Fox News Sunday," while Cruz and Labrador were on NBC's "Meet the Press." Van Hollen appeared on CBS' "Face the Nation."

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UK journalist charged in computer hacking probe

LONDON — British police are charging a journalist as part of an investigation into allegations of computer hacking and privacy offenses, marking the first charges under Operation Tuleta, one of three police probes triggered by the U.K.'s phone-hacking scandal.

Police said Monday that Ben Ashford, 34, has been charged with possessing criminal property between Oct. 11, 2009 and Oct. 16, 2009, and unauthorized access to computer material.

More than 40 people have been arrested in the probes of media wrongdoing and corruption. Criminal charges have been brought against suspects including Rebekah Brooks, the former chief of News Corp.'s British operations.

Ashford, a former journalist with The Sun newspaper, is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 15.

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Futures fall sharply as US careens toward shutdown

NEW YORK — U.S. stock futures slumped Monday as the federal government careened toward a partial shutdown.

The Senate will reconvene just 10 hours before a shutdown would be initiated and there is little evidence of a thaw between the Senate and conservative Republicans in the House who are attempting to derail President Barack Obama's signature health care law

The Dow Jones industrial futures fell 144 points to 15,051. S&P futures gave up 15.6 points to 1,670.80, and the index could see its first back-to-back trading days below 1,700 in three weeks. Nasdaq futures tumbled 30 points to 3,193.

A budget resolution is one of the four huge pivot points in the coming month, with the other three arriving within the next nine trading days.

On Friday, the government releases its jobs report for September. The earnings seasons opens on Oct. 8 when Alcoa reports third-quarter results and on the following day, the U.S. Federal Reserve releases minutes from its most recent meeting.

Given the latest Fed decision to maintain its aggressive monetary policy, perhaps because of political turmoil, even more weight may be given to the thinking of central bank officials.

The fight in Washington is weighing on global markets as well.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares slid 0.9 percent to 6,457 while Germany's DAX fell 1.1 percent at 8,567. The CAC-40 in France fell 1.4 percent to 4,129.

Premier Enrico Letta faces a confidence vote on Wednesday after ministers from Silvio Berlusconi's center-right bloc pulled out of the five-month government and Milan's stock exchange tumbled 1.9 percent to 17,310.

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average closed 2.1 percent lower at 14,455.80. Hong's Hang Seng index fell 1.5 percent to 22,859.86 while South Korea's Kospi was 0.7 percent lower at 1,074.

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Mazda recalls midsize cars to fix door latches

DETROIT — Mazda is recalling 161,400 midsize cars in the U.S. because the doors can open while they're being driven.

The recall affects Mazda 6 cars from the 2009 through 2013 model years. The company says the door latch mounting screws can loosen. That can stop the doors from latching. If the latches come loose, a door ajar light will warn drivers.

Mazda traced the problem to improper tightening at the factory or uneven door surfaces. The company will notify owners and dealers will put on a thread-locking adhesive and tighten the screws. The recall will start around Oct. 18. Mazda says the problem hasn't caused any crashes or injuries.

Owners with questions can contact Mazda at (800) 222-5500.

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Trout habitat being restored in Maine stream

FRENCHTOWN TOWNSHIP, Maine — Maine's wildlife agency is restoring brook trout habitat in a stream in the Moosehead Lake area.

The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Plum Creek land and timber company have been working together to enhance the habitat on Intervale Brook, an important tributary of First Roach Pond in Frenchtown Township.

Back in the days of log drives, streams like Intervale were straightened, had in-stream boulders and trees removed, and had their banks heightened to make log drives easier. But those things also hurt the habitat for brook trout.

The new restoration initiative involves using what's known as a "chop-and-drop" method to strategically add fallen trees to the stream to provide additional cover for the fish, increase the insect population and create or enhance pools on a four-mile stretch of stream. Plum Creek also has removed berms, restored disconnected stream channels and placed large boulders in the stream.

In one of the final steps in the restoration effort earlier this week, Plum Creek removed an old log-driving dam at the headwaters of the stream.

"Intervale Brook has great water quality, but we need to provide more habitat diversity," said Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologist Merry Gallagher, who's overseeing the project. "By adding woody material, we can provide habitat and help diversify the stream substrate, which enhances the food supply and provides protection for fish."

Maine is home to 97 percent of the nation's lake and pond brook trout population.

___

Online:

Restoration project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdrvwXUNaDg

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White House: GOP bill 'reckless,' 'irresponsible'

WASHINGTON — The White House says a House Republican bill that would delay a major provision of President Barack Obama's health care law is reckless and irresponsible.

Obama spokesman Jay Carney also says any Republican who votes for the bill is "voting for a shutdown." He notes that House Republicans have tried and failed to delay or eliminate the law's funding more than 40 times.

The House is expected to vote on the bill Saturday night.

The bill would delay for one year the requirement for nearly all uninsured people to buy health insurance or face penalties. It also would repeal a tax on medical devices.

Obama has said he will not delay his signature legislative achievement. The White House also has expressed opposition to repealing the medical devices tax.

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Friendly’s fights slide

Two years after filing for bankruptcy, Friendly's Ice Cream continues to churn away at a tall order: reinvigorating a 78-year-old chain competing against the likes of Applebee's, Panera, IHOP and Chipotle.

While analysts cite progress important to a turnaround — in customer service, and menu and restaurant updates — some question whether the Wilbraham-based chain can survive in the long run.

Customer satisfaction surveys show consumers like the changes, according to Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic, a Chicago food industry consulting and research firm.

"The important element is will they be able to sustain that positive reaction?" he said. "It will take continuous effort. As some of these older brands continue to age, it gets increasingly difficult to turn them around."

Friendly's CEO John Maguire — a Weymouth native and former Panera COO who joined the company in April 2012 — said Friendly's has seen steady progress in three focus areas: the friendliness and retraining of employees; food quality and menu changes; and the cleanliness and energy level of its restaurants.

By year's end, Friendly's expects to have renovated 45 restaurants, with another 50 planned for 2014.

"We have a long ways to go," Maguire said. "We're just starting out, so sales increases will come as we get more consistent and make the improvements we need to make."

Friendly's expects about $500 million in revenue this year — down from 
$700 million in 2011 — from 355 restaurants and ice cream sales at 7,500 supermarkets and other retailers.

"We're going to exceed our profit expectation for 2013," Maguire said. "We grew in 2012, and we'll grow our earnings in 2013."

Friendly's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2011, citing the economic downturn and rising commodity prices. Over time, it had stopped investing in its employees, quality of its food, and the cleanliness and upkeep of its restaurants, according to Maguire. "If we (address those issues), we'll survive," he said.

Friendly's closed about 100 restaurants before emerging from bankruptcy protection in January 2012 as a leaner chain under an affiliate of private investment firm Sun Capital Partners, which acquired Friendly's in 2007.

Maguire disagrees with those who view Friendly's as past its time, noting the chain holds a special place for many customers who visited as children with parents or grandparents.

"There are people who love and always did love and probably always will love Friendly's," agreed Michael Tesler, senior marketing lecturer at Bentley College. "But I don't know if there is enough. Time has sort of passed by Friendly's between Panera and Chipotle and Shake Shack and Tasty Burger."

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App’s the way to monitor baby

A Boston-based MassChallenge finalist is taking baby-monitoring beyond devices that record only sight or sound.

The SensibleBaby SmartOne is a onesie with a front pocket containing an embedded sensor that sends a constant signal to a nearby smartphone via an app that alerts parents when a sleeping infant is too hot, too cold or sleeping on his or her stomach.

"We want to be a co-parenting tool that empowers people with information so that they don't have to worry about their child," said SensibleBaby CEO Ben Cooper, who's expecting his first child in December.

Cooper and his three co-founders — Jeff Tagen, Jill Ju and Jack Sivak — met as strangers in March at Start-up Weekend, a 54-hour marathon during which aspiring entrepreneurs form teams, pitch an idea and make it a reality.

The four decided to try to create something better than baby-monitoring audio recorders and video cameras on the market.

"Audio monitors are wonderful, but if you're not listening, they don't help," said Cooper, 29. "We wanted to only alert parents when they need to act."

By the end of the weekend, they had a name for their new company, a logo, a website and a working prototype consisting of a taped-together sensor that dropped into a hand-sewn sock.

"It wasn't very pretty," Cooper recalled with a laugh, "but it worked."

It worked well enough that the four won, and one of their prizes was a waived application fee to MassChallenge, the Boston start-up accelerator and $1 million competition, which wraps up on Oct. 30.

In the meantime, the team won $100,000 through Founder.org and is using the money to refine and test their product for what they hope will be a launch in the first quarter of next year.

SmartOne sets will contain a sensor and three onesies, and will sell for between $100 and $150 in baby boutiques and on the company's website, mysensiblebaby.com.

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