Mayor ups ante on Crosby

It's nothing personal, just hardball politics — that's how several Boston city councilors viewed Mayor Martin J. Walsh's decision to call out state gaming czar Stephen Crosby this week, pressuring him to step down from deliberations over who gets the eastern Massachusetts casino license.

"I'm not aware of any bad blood between Walsh and Crosby, but having worked with (the city law department), they always felt the Gaming Commission has not been fair to the city of Boston," said Councilor Sal LaMattina of East Boston. "I've told the commissioner himself that I'm frustrated with how the commission has treated Boston, and not allowing us to be a host community."

City Councilor Michael Flaherty said he was not aware of any prior dust-ups between the mayor, a former state rep, and Crosby when both men served on Beacon Hill. Crosby was secretary of administration and finance under governors Paul Cellucci and Jane M. Swift.

"Marty, as the CEO of the city, has a responsibility to fight for the best deal for Boston, particularly for the impacted communities of East Boston or Charlestown, and the City Council supports his efforts," Flaherty said.

Boston is demanding host community status to proposed casinos on its borders in Revere and Everett, and has rebuffed offers from the commission to hold a hearing to decide the matter. Walsh has called for votes in East Boston and Charlestown on the Mohegan Sun-Suffolk Downs and Wynn Resorts projects because of the impacts Boston would face despite the gaming parlors not being within city limits.

In a letter to the commission Thursday calling on Crosby to remove himself from the greater Boston casino vote, a city lawyer accused the chairman of making "prejudicial" statements critical of the city for asserting its host status. It also cited a lawsuit against Crosby by Caesars Entertainment that claims he favored the Wynn casino proposal that would be built on property in Everett owned in part by Crosby's former business partner.

"I think emotions are running high, probably higher than is warranted. The chairman is a good man. The mayor is a good man. And we want a good solution," Gov. Deval Patrick said yesterday. "I wish there was, frankly, kind of a cooling-off period, and there are days when I wish that they would start over."

Elaine Driscoll, spokeswoman for the Gaming Commission, said Crosby has no plans of recusing himself. "At this point, the chairman will be continuing with his participation," she told the Herald, declining to discuss the matter further.

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Finish line to see tight security

The parties will go on this year along the Boston Marathon route, but attendees can expect tighter security at some of the more popular bashes in the wake of last year's bombings — especially those near the race's Boylston Street finish line.

Hosts have hired security contingents and are requiring RSVPs and names on lists for entry to parties that in year's past maintained more of a drop-in, open-house policy.

A "significant" show of security, including city and state police, will be at 
Forum on Boylston Street, outside of which the first bomb exploded last year in the middle of the Joe 
Andruzzi Foundation's marathon fundraising party.

The restaurant will host the foundation's party again this year.

"There's going to be a significant presence there as opposed to years past," 
Forum spokeswoman Nicole Russo said. "Forum will have their own security on hand, but they also have been working with city and state authorities, and they will have a presence as well."

Marlo Marketing/Communications, whose office overlooks Boylston Street, hired a security team for the first time for its seventh annual party that typically attracts up to 200 over the course of the day.

"We've never done security before, we've never even done a formal RSVP," owner Marlo Fogelman said. "This year we asked for an RSVP, and have security guards at the front door. I (will have) people down there who will be checking names as well. It's just going to give us some control and a sense of safety with who's in the office."

The two-level office of the firm — one of many Boylston Street businesses that were shut down for more than a week following the bombings — is right next to Forum, and shrapnel from the first bomb hit its windows.

"Nothing incredibly damaging ... pictures were off walls, and our sign fell off. Tons of dust and smoke and debris came in," said Fogelman, who never gave a thought to not hosting the party again this year.

"(The security) was just something I wanted to do for the safety of our guests and the safety of everybody."

Meanwhile, the Charlesmark Hotel, which will be holding its 14th annual marathon party on its Boylston Street patio, plans no extra security this year beyond its usual door people and management staff.

"Business as usual for us," said operating partner Mark Hagopian, who felt the blast of the first bomb last year and captured the immediate chaos on video. "We're open to the public, and we're calling it a marathon celebration party, same as we do every year."

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Home Smart: Woodwork, stairs elevate house

This 1910 Mediterranean-style beige stucco house in West Roxbury has lots of original woodwork and a large, nicely landscaped yard on a corner lot.

The current owners of 251 West Roxbury Parkway have replaced the home's windows, its terra cotta tile roof and copper gutters, as well as rewired the house since buying it in 2003.

The home's entry foyer has a crystal chandelier, built-in wooden seats on either side, a decorative brick fireplace and a dark wood bridal staircase. A large, sunny living room to the left has nine windows, and a bright formal dining room to the right has six windows and a chandelier. Both rooms have restored hardwood floors, and dark-stained paneled wainscoting, crown molding, baseboards and window moldings.

The kitchen was rehabbed about 10 years ago with antique white cabinets, light granite counters and high-end Fisher Paykel and Sub-Zero appliances.

The showpiece bridal staircase, with a center stained-glass window and side-paneled wainscoting, leads up to three second-floor bedrooms with hardwood floors. At the top of the landing is a built-in linen closet and a stairway up to a large storage attic.

The master bedroom has a chandelier, two closets, and an en-suite bathroom redone in 2003 that features Carrara marble floors and a marble-lined walk-in shower.

There are two other bedrooms, one larger and one nursery-sized, and a full bathroom with tile floors and white subway tile that has not been renovated.

The home's basement — which adds an additional 800 square feet of living space — has just been refinished, and features a carpeted living room with two closets, a carpeted bedroom and a new full bathroom with a white tile floor and Fiberglas shower. There's also a laundry room with a Maytag washer and dryer, and the gas-fired boiler was replaced last year. There is no central air conditioning.

The 15,425-square-foot lot includes lots of large trees, grass and shrubs, as well as a perennial garden, a fountain, a flagstone patio with a trellis and an irrigation system. In one corner of the back yard is a storage shed and the other has a two-car garage.

• Address: 251 West Roxbury Parkway, West Roxbury
• Bedrooms: Four
• Bathrooms: Three full, one half
• List price: $929,000
• Square feet: 2,416 (plus 800-square-foot finished basement)
• Price per square foot: $385
• Annual taxes: $7,052
• Location: About a mile to retail, restaurants, services and supermarket on Centre Street, West Roxbury's main commercial district.
• Built In: 1910; major updates from 2003; new boiler 2013; basement refinished 2014
• Broker: Susan Michaelidis of Century 21 Carole White 
Associates at 617-212-2630

Pros:

• Lots of original woodwork including paneled wainscoting and bridal staircase
• Just refinished basement with family room, bedroom, full bathroom
• Large yard with trellis, patio, garden, fountain
• Chandeliers in foyer, dining room, master bedroom included

Cons:

• On busy corner of two parkways
• No central air conditioning

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Nucci: Walsh shows resolve on casino issue

Just in case anyone is still wondering what kind of a mayor Marty Walsh will be, he just sent the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and its Chairman Stephen Crosby a very clear answer. He'll be a mayor who won't back down, and Boston is not going to be a city to be trifled with or dismissed.

So now is the time to see a similarly strong stance from those who would be our next governor. Our current governor is taking the position that the process is playing out just fine, and he has shown zero interest in getting involved.

And while the gubernatorial candidates have made broad statements about gambling in general, they too have walked away from the all-important licensing process. It's easier to just say, "Not my job — call the Gaming Commission."

The process of awarding a casino license in Greater Boston has been amended and twisted into a mysterious patchwork mess created by a gaming panel that has apparently been making it up as they go along. Nobody even knows the rules anymore.

Walsh believes that Boston should be considered a host community to either casino, and he wants his position dealt with seriously. At Suffolk Downs it seems abundantly clear that the casino complex straddles both Boston and Revere. The Everett project may also be using Boston land. Both projects should then require an opportunity for Boston voters to have their say at the polls.

But the commission has seemed annoyed by, and somewhat dismissive of, Boston's stance. Big mistake. The city has now asked Crosby to step aside, charging him with setting up a process which "stack(s) the deck" against the city, and creating "a cloud over the proceedings."

Hello! Get the message? This will not be a "nice-to-see-you; see-you-later" exercise. Not if Marty Walsh can help it.

Yet from the gubernatorial candidates, there is the deafening sound of crickets on this issue. This is not a casino complex that will be in some out-of-the-way location deep in the woods. This is an urban mega-project. Boston is the capital city and economic engine of the commonwealth.

Do the candidates think the decision on an urban casino, with all its burdens and negative impacts, should rest only with Steve Crosby and the other four commission members?

Which casino makes more sense, the Wynn or the Suffolk Downs plan?

Should Boston get a say on these projects, both of which throw huge burdens on the city?

There should be no ducking behind "the process."

So who will it be? Which candidate wants to weigh in first? Mayor Walsh is stepping up. Who's ready to take a stand? We're all ears.

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CarSmart: Jeep shines 
in all seasons

So the snow is gone for the season — we hope — but that doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy all the exceptional year-round on- and off-road features of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Diesel.

Long popular with New England automotive writers as a top winter vehicle, the Grand Cherokee features the Quadra-Trac II 4-wheel-drive system with the Selec-terrain system linked to the Quadra-lift air suspension. That means you can use just about any combination of traction, height and engaged wheels to conquer any terrain you encounter, or you can leave it in auto mode.

Jeep has long been one of the leaders of off-roading and the Grand Cherokee is the king of the brand. Our dual-tone, leather-clad, 
contrast-stitched seats comfortably put me in a commanding driver's position with all controls at my fingertips. The Bluetooth integrated voice command system ran the Uconnect infotainment system well.

But the intriguing part of this vehicle was the impressive 3.0-liter V-6 ECO diesel powerplant. This engine, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, easily powered this SUV through a classic dose of New England weather. What really stuck out was its good fuel mileage. Rated at 21 miles per gallon around town and a nifty 28 on the highway, I easily averaged 26 mpg — making running the more expensive diesel fuel worth it. The acceleration is smooth and powerful and the only time you hear the familiar diesel growl is when you pop the hood. And guess what? No plumes of blue smoke belching down the road.

The truck handles very well and is managed by electronic stability control. Body-roll for this full-sized vehicle is minimal, but as always, respect that it is a truck. The ride was quiet, solid and compliant with excellent sightlines. You really feel in command of the truck and have a good sense of its dimensions. Storage with the seats down is very good and the power liftgate is standard.

The Overland also tricks out with a full array of safety features, such as front and rear cameras, and with the Advanced Technology Package you bump up to adaptive cruise control, collision and lane-drift warning and blind-spot monitoring.

Absolutely add the Off-Road package to get the 18-inch tires, skid plates and the limited-slip rear differential to complete the powerful array of trail-driving features.

This rugged machine dresses up nicely. Attention to detail, fit and finish are much improved at this level. The plastics and leather blend nicely and the soft touch surfaces are well-placed. The combination of brushed aluminum and wood trim creates a modern look but holds some of Jeep's woodsy heritage. The large sunroof gave the car an airy feel and the tint managed the heat and glare well.

This big, handsome rig starts at $46,195, and fitted out with the upgrade packages runs $54,780. You'll find this a very competitive price in a powerful field of competitors such as the Mercedes ML350, Range Rover, Infiniti QX 80 and Lexus LX570.

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Judge: GM doesn’t have to ‘park’ recalled cars

A federal judge yesterday denied a move to force General Motors to immediately pull 2.6 million recalled cars off the road as U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey slammed the company for failing to voluntarily issue a "park it now" emergency alert for the vehicles with faulty ignition switches linked to fatal crashes.

"GM's culture appears to have been driven by costs over consumer safety, which continues today by refusing to tell drivers to stop operating its defective vehicles until they're fixed," Markey said. "This so-called new GM has the same old values of profits over people that has endangered lives and caused grief to American families."

The car company has come under fire for failing to alert consumers sooner about faulty ignition switches that suddenly shut off the engine and disabled the power steering, power brakes and front air bags.

GM has also avoided issuing "park it now" emergency alerts — unlike other automakers, which have voluntarily issued the notices in the past for problems such as fires.

Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas ruled yesterday that any decision to issue an emergency alert for GM owners to "park it now" should be left up to the federal government through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"The Court is of the opinion that NHTSA is far better equipped than this Court to address the broad and complex issues of automotive safety and the regulation of automotive companies in connection with a nationwide recall," Ramos wrote.

The judge's ruling is a death sentence for GM drivers, said Robert C. Hilliard, who filed the motion and represents more than 100 people injured and the families of 16 fatal crash victims, including a Massachusetts man whose sister died behind the wheel of a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt in South Carolina.

"Somewhere in America tomorrow a family will lose a loved one in one of these defective vehicles. A life, needlessly ended and a family forever changed," Hilliard said in a statement to the Herald. "Meanwhile, GM celebrates winning on a technicality and feeling that they have permission to keep 2 million dangerous cars on the roads of America."

GM spokesman Jim Cain said, "We're obviously pleased with the ruling."

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Boston-to-Beijing flights set for June takeoff

Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday welcomed to Boston the founder of Hainan Airlines, which will begin nonstop flights between the Hub and Beijing in June.

"We've been having this conversation about a direct flight to Beijing for seven years now," the governor told HNA Group Co. Chairman Chen Feng, a Harvard Business School alumnus he met on a trade mission to China in 2007. "But good things come to those who wait."

On June 20, China's fourth-largest airline will begin flights between the two cities four times a week.

"I hope with this flight, HNA builds a new bridge between Beijing and Boston," Chen said at yesterday's Harvard Club reception.

From July 21 to the end of August, Hainan will have daily flights between the two cities before reverting back to four weekly, said Joel M. Chusid, Hainan's executive director in 
the U.S.

"We want to go daily," he told the Herald, "but we have to watch demand."

Massport CEO Thomas Glynn said the new service will be key for business travelers, tourists and the more than 10,000 students from China who study at one of New England's 270 colleges and universities. It will also be key to the nearly 120,000 Chinese citizens who live in the region — the fifth-highest number in the U.S., Glynn said.

"Each year, about 212,000 passengers fly between Boston and China — the sixth most in the United States," he said, "but we are also the largest market to Beijing and Shanghai without nonstop service."

Boston will become Hainan's fourth North American destination, after Seattle, Chicago and Toronto, and the first on the East Coast.

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Tapping into the Great Outdoors

Even if you live in an urban building, you can still have access to the outdoors.

A number of new residential buildings in Boston are creating outdoor spaces — roof decks, garden terraces, courtyards and pools — to connect those who live there with nature.

Copley Wolff Design Group, a Hub landscape architecture firm, is designing outdoor spaces in more than a dozen new buildings, including the Kensington, The Victor, 315 on A, West Square and upcoming work at the Lovejoy Wharf, the Ink Block, One Canal and 101 Seaport.

"Apartment units have gotten smaller and to attract tenants you need to have a lot of common space that's like an extension of their apartments, where they can hang out," said John Copley, principal at Copley Wolff. "Outdoor spaces flowing off these rooms have become an important part of marketing new buildings."

Copley Wolff works with the architects and marketers to create unique concepts for each building,

At the Kensington, Copley and landscape architects Michael D'Angelo and Cortney Kirk created an outdoor lounge and pool area on the sixth floor. The outdoor lounge has a gas fireplace, a built-in flat screen TV and comfortable couches. The deck steps up to a swimming pool with an ipe wood deck, lounge chairs, a trellis for shade and city views.

Fred Goldberg, general manager of the Kensington, said the pool and outdoor lounge, which will open for the season next week, proved popular with tenants last fall.

"It's a huge wow factor to show to prospective tenants," Goldberg said.

At 315 on A, Copley Wolff created an entirely different feel with a 20th floor common roof deck with views over the Seaport District to Boston Harbor. The ipe-decked space has large sliding doors that connect it to a common kitchen/lounge area, and there's two infrared gas grills and dining tables. On the ground level, Copley lined a long entry driveway with upright hornbeam trees and ornamental grasses.

At The Victor apartment complex in North Station, the firm put in larger trees on one rooftop terrace and grass on another.

They've also created an interior courtyard at West Square in South Boston so first-floor units open onto a landscaped area with grass and shrubs.

"Interior courtyards help in leasing what could be seen as less-desirable units without city views," Copley said.

Copley is designing a large pool, plaza and roof decks for the Ink Block now under construction and a park-sized 15,642-square-foot fifth-floor landscaped roof deck at 101 Seaport Square with Boston Harbor views that will be open to the public.

"Roof decks let people get outside quickly, rather than having to walk four or five blocks to a park," said Kirk. "Nature in the city has become a building amenity."

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Brighton women arraigned in elder scam

A probate lawyer urged seniors to give power of attorney only to someone they know well after two Brighton women were arraigned yesterday on a 63-count indictment accusing them of stealing more than $450,000 from a disabled elderly neighbor by leveraging the woman's cat to gain control of her finances.

Bob O'Regan, a partner in the Boston law firm Burns and Levinson, said before seniors become frail and dependent, they should grant someone they know is trustworthy "durable power of attorney," or written authorization to act on their behalf in private, business or legal matters, even after they lose the mental capacity to supervise the person.

"Too often, you have a senior citizen who lives alone, whose family is far away or not in much contact with them, and they become dependent on the wrong people," O'Regan said. "As their health declines, they sign documents to make life easier. That's a license to steal."

That's what prosecutors allege Randi Berkowitz, 63, did to a 74-year-old neighbor with progressive dementia after Berkowitz and her roommate, Patricia DiGiacomo, 58, ingratiated themselves with the woman by caring for her 7-year-old tabby, "Puddy Cat."

Berkowitz and DiGiacomo then used the woman's money to buy a 2010 Mini Cooper, an iPad, exercise equipment, meals, specialty kitchen supplies and other items for themselves and ultimately got her to transfer ownership of her condominium to Berkowitz, prosecutors said.

Berkowitz's attorney, Susan Rayburn, said the defendants had a "loving relationship" with their elderly neighbor, and authorities' pursuit of them has been a "witch hunt."

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Liz Smith: CNN's Flight 370 coverage; Stephen Colbert; Mrs. Doubtfire and more...

"Generalissimo Francisco Franco of Spain is still dead!"

For months on end, "Saturday Night Live" got big, big laughs and results from this on-going "news" announcement, made repeatedly in 1975 during 'SNL's' first season.

AND now I suggest that CNN can get the same results by continuing to lead into every announcement by saying, that it is "BREAKING NEWS," as they can hardly wait to get through other international information to announce the latest about the disappearance of the missing Malaysian airliner over the Indian Ocean.

I don't know that there has ever been any real information announced about this tragedy, just that it is still always BREAKING NEWS.

MANY of you have asked how I feel about Stephen Colbert leaving his Comedy Central gig and taking over David Letterman's hosting job on CBS.

This is what I think. Stephen Colbert is one of America's greatest actors. His impersonation of a dunderheaded conservative TV personality has won him seven primetime Emmy Awards on Comedy Central. But it is actually the theater's Tony or Hollywood's Oscar that Colbert should be up for some fine day.

Now he'll give up "comic acting" to replace Letterman on CBS. He will then have to be himself -- witty, smart, liberal-minded, a host selecting and playing straight man to guest celebrities. Lots of people have predicted DOOM for this change coming in Colbert's on-air personality. He won't be like either of the two Jimmys (Fallon or Kimmel) or like Letterman or like Leno or even Johnny Carson.

Instead, he'll be a new Stephen Colbert and he'll have to drop his successful GOP actor hit. He says that he got the Letterman job only because he has good legs. We'll see.

It will become TV history after next year and who knows what we'll be watching then or how we'll be watching it -- maybe we'll then watch such things on ring fingers. But I wouldn't bet against the brilliant Stephen Colbert.

Still I'll really miss him as an actor who votes conservative!

A RUMOR I hope is not true -- that 20th Century Fox is looking to do a sequel to "Mrs. Doubtfire." You remember the tale of a divorced man so obsessed with seeing his children that he disguises himself as an old Scottish nanny? It starred Robin Williams and Sally Field. (Pierce Brosnan also appeared as a guy interested in Sally.)

Although beloved by many, I always found "Mrs. Doubtfire" one of the strangest movies ever made. Robin's character was an immature man-child and Sally Field, who is the responsible working parent, is made to look like a soulless, humorless monster. I know it's just a movie, and a comedy at that, but I recall thinking, as the film wound up, "When is he going to go berserk?"

No word on Sally Field reprising her role. Well, listen. Didn't she suffer enough as Mary Todd Lincoln?

On Vanity Fair's website, I notice that good reporter Sue Carswell has an exclusive interview with the real Alex Vause of the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black." The Vause character is based on a real person, Catherine Cleary Wolters, who served six years in prison for conspiracy to import heroin. Her "crazy mad love affair" with Piper Kerman, author of the memoir on which the series is based, did NOT begin until both were working for an alleged Nigerian drug kingpin.

Kerman, a Smith College graduate, did time on a money-laundering charge. "We weren't girlfriends," Wolters says. "We were friends with benefits."

"But that is startling news to me," says Kerman to reporter Carswell. Of the few weeks they were incarcerated together, Wolters claims, "We were ghosts of the humans we had once been, milling about amongst hundreds of other human ghosts, shackled and chained, prodded through transport centers at gunpoint." Wolters goes on: "A reality that was too wretched and stinky for TV."

So much for cinema verite! There is much more in the Vanity Fair interview, including how Kerman learned to communicate with Wolters in prison through the toilet. "A little something you'll never pick up at Smith," says Wolters.

And speaking of real life turning into "respectable" literary porn, the other night at the appealing little Veau d'Or on 60th Street in Manhattan, there were Nan and Gay Talese (New York's distinguished book people) dining with the Daily News/Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen. They were joined by an attractive brunette. Turns out she is California's Toni Bentley, a onetime ballet dancer whose book "The Surrender: An Erotic Memoir" received high praise in 2004.

Maybe you saw her on the Howard Stern show or on "Topic A with Tina Brown." Ms. Bentley once danced under the tutelage of none other than the great George Balanchine. She has written about her idol, dancer Suzanne Farrell, and also about costume design and is much in demand for her frank self-appraisal: "I became an archetype, a myth, a Joseph Campbell goddess spreading my legs for the benefit of all mankind for all time."

You never know who you might see at Veau d'Or where the proprietor Cathy Treboux might just shut and lock the door for conversation after 9:30 p.m. The comic Sandra Bernhard, society writer Billy Norwich, old-timers from Time, Inc., cookbook kings, politicos from the Bloomberg era, Leonardo and De Niro and I don't know who all, love the Veau's informal atmosphere and its attractive owner!

(E-mail Liz Smith at MES3838@aol.com.)

(c)2014 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

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SPJ lauds Boston Herald for marathon reporting

The Boston Herald staff has been recognized with a 2013 Sigma Delta Chi award "for excellence in journalism" by the Society of Professional Journalists for the paper's reporting on the marathon bombings and manhunt.

The Herald award was for deadline reporting on the breaking news events.

The SPJ panel chose the winners from among 1,800 entries in categories covering print, radio, television and online.

Herald Publisher Patrick J. Purcell said, "I couldn't be more proud of this award and the job our editorial team does every day."

Editor-in-Chief Joe Sciacca said, "We all remember the terrible week our city endured, and the concern and pain we felt for those so tragically affected. And we were mindful that many of our colleagues put themselves in harm's way to do their jobs. They met the challenge with professionalism and compassion."

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Both sides weigh in on South End biolab

The battle between supporters and opponents of BU's controversial South End biolab continued at a hearing yesterday during which city councilors considered a ban on some research, fearing it could lead to deadly disease outbreaks.

"The type of research that will be done in this facility could pose a very serious risk to the health and safety of the public," City Councilor Charles Yancey said. "I don't want to see our first responders in harm's way because of a catastrophic event taking place in the Level 4 lab."

Boston University's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories on Albany Street already are conducting research, but want to expand to what falls under the designation of "biosafety level 4" — dangerous and exotic viruses such as Ebola and Marburg.

"The Roxbury community has enough challenges," Councilor Ayanna Pressley said. "I see no reason to be inviting in those other threats ... 
I am pro-science, but more than anything I am pro-community."

But Ronald Corley, BU's associate provost for research, said the lab is a national resource that can be used for good. "We know this work can be done safely in the South End ... This is public health," he said.

BU Police Chief Thomas Robbins displayed the vials and cases that samples would be locked inside.

The room was packed with people on both sides of the issue, with lab supporters wearing stickers that said "I stand for cures."

Waiting to testify, Robert Coughlin, president and CEO of the industry group MassBio, told the Herald, "Banning this research would send a chilling message to the global research community, which is contrary to Boston's standing as a research leader."

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Following the money

Steven Palladino has been charged with 25 counts of criminal contempt for violating court orders freezing his assets, drawing thousands in cash advances and spending lavishly at high-end restaurants and stores. Some of his alleged purchases include:

Date Violation Amount

5/31/2013 Cash Advance on Bank of America Credit Card $2,500.00

6/12/2013 Bank of America Credit Card Purchase at Strega Restaurant $372.40

6/25/2013 Sale of Ford F-350 Truck $9,500.00

6/30/2013 CitiBank Credit Card Purchase at Bloomingdale's $770.31

7/15/2013 CitiBank Credit Card Purchase at Mercedes-Benz of Westwood $500.00

7/19/2013 CitiBank Credit Card Purchase at Barney's $1,046.25

10/9/2013 CitiBank Credit Card Purchase at Smith & Wollensky restaurant $376.19

11/15/2013 CitiBank Credit Card Purchase at Tartufo Restaurant $137.35

11/15/2013 CitiBank Credit Card Purchase of Coins at Kenmore Collectibles $4,170.00

11/15/2013 Cash Advance on CitiBank Credit Card $1,000.00

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Feds: Freeze didn’t stop spendthrift schemer

Even after he was indicted last year for running a Ponzi scheme that bilked dozens of people out of more than $10 million, a West Roxbury man flouted an asset freeze and other court orders by taking cash advances on new credit cards and spending money on lavish meals, rare coins and shopping excursions to Bloomingdale's and Barney's, federal prosecutors said yesterday.

Steven Palladino, who was sentenced in January to 10 to 12 years in state prison, now faces 25 counts of criminal contempt, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, with a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted.

"He's been thumbing his nose at the system for years," said Dr. Ronald Nasif, 62, of Roslindale, who lost his life savings — close to $2 million — to Palladino's scheme. "This is too little too late."

From May to November 2013, Palladino violated court orders in the civil case brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission by incurring thousands of dollars in credit card charges for collectible coins and meals at Strega, Tartufo, and Smith & Wollensky, prosecutors said. He failed to deposit thousands more in cash advances, as well as $9,500 from the sale of his 2004 Ford truck, into a court-established escrow account, prosecutors said.

Palladino, 57, also violated a court order to undo his transfers of a 2012 Mercedes, a 2012 Range Rover and a 2013 Audi to his wife, Lori, and about $137,000 in new loans on those vehicles by last November, prosecutors said.

In January, Lori Palladino was sentenced to two years, suspended for five years, and their son, Gregory Palladino, was sentenced to two years, with five years probation. All three were ordered to pay restitution for convincing dozens of people to loan Viking Financial Group more than $10 million, promising high returns, and then transferring the money into their personal accounts.

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Big cuts at UMass hospital

Worcester-based UMass Memorial Health Care, the biggest hospital system west of Boston, is slashing hundreds of jobs and cutting services in an attempt to close a gaping budget hole.

The 103 job cuts come on top of 285 positions eliminated since October. UMass Memorial Medical Center President Patrick Muldoon told the Herald the changes are needed because the hospital has seen a dip in patient volume. He didn't rule out future cuts.

"We continue to look at lots of options," Muldoon said. UMass Memorial posted a $55 million budget deficit last fiscal year.

The changes announced yesterday include the closing or consolidating of operating rooms, inpatient rooms, endoscopy services, IV therapy and more. UMass Memorial CEO Eric Dickson said in a blog post that the big Worcester hospital can't be all things to all people any more and must shrink its footprint.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association blasted the changes, which it said would cause 81 nurses to lose their jobs. The union negotiated contracts last year that forced the hospital to hire more nurses.

"All the gains we made with the hospital over the year — we are in fear of being undermined by this constant barrage of cuts," union spokesman David Schildmeier said. "We believe this is going to have a really negative impact on the quality of care for the patients."

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US home building up in March after frigid winter

WASHINGTON — U.S home construction rose moderately in March as builders resumed work at the end of a frigid winter. But applications for building permits slid, clouding the outlook for future construction.

Builders started work on 946,000 homes at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in March, up 2.8 percent from 920,000 in February, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Construction of single-family homes rose 6 percent, more than offsetting a 3.1 percent drop in the construction of apartments, condominiums and town houses.

As the weather moderated, construction rose 30.7 percent in the Northeast and jumped 65.5 percent in the Midwest. But it fell 9.1 percent in the South and 4.5 percent in the West.

Applications for permits, a gauge of future activity, fell 2.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 990,000.

"The outcome is less dynamic than anticipated," Annalisa Piazza, an economist at Newedge Strategy, said in a research report.

Economists had expected housing starts to hit 970,000 last month. Piazza noted that housing construction in March was 5.9 percent less than a year earlier.

"It echoes several of the other reports we've seen of late which do show a spring snapback, but one not nearly as strong as once hoped," said Dan Greenhaus, chief strategist at BTIG.

Many analysts have been expecting an improving economy to lift the housing market, which has been recovering the past two years. But housing has struggled to maintain momentum. Rising prices and higher mortgage rates have deterred some home buyers. Others have had trouble qualifying for mortgages.

Builders complain of a shortage of workers and lots to build on.

U.S. homebuilders' confidence in the housing market rose modestly in April but remained at low levels for the third straight month, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index, which came out Tuesday.

The index, which measures confidence in the single-family home market, edged up to 47 in April from 46 in March., Readings below 50 mean builders view sales conditions as poor. The index had been above 50 from June through January.

Still, the March gain in single-family home construction is encouraging. Every single-family home built creates three jobs and generates $90,000 in tax revenue, according to the homebuilders' group.

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Record 1 million pay to access WWE's 'WrestleMania 30' in U.S.

"WrestleMania 30" was available in a record 1 million households in the U.S., WWE said Tuesday.

WWE announced that there were 667,000 subscribers to its all-digital streaming WWE Network following the company's biggest pay-per-view event April 6 in New Orleans, while the event also generated nearly 400,000 PPV buys.

That means roughly 1.067 million people in the U.S. had paid to access a "WrestleMania" for the first time domestically, WWE said.

It's a clever crunching of numbers for WWE, but one worth noting, considering "WrestleMania" typically generates around 1 million PPV buys overall through traditional cable and satellite PPV providers worldwide.

WWE is charging $10 a month for its WWE Network with a six-month commitment. WWE's goal is to sign up 1 million subscribers by the end of 2014. The network was already turning a profit, according to WWE, with just 400,000 subscribers. The network will make all of WWE's 12 PPVs available to subs.

PPV providers typically charge around $70 to watch the four-hour "WrestleMania" in HD.

WWE Network launched Feb. 24 in the U.S. and streamed six hours of live coverage of "WrestleMania 30" on April 6. The company also said more than 7.1 million hours of video content was viewed on the WWE Network during "WrestleMania" week, from April 1 through April 8.

The company plans to launch its network in Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Nordic countries in late 2014 and early 2015.

To boost numbers, WWE is now offering a free one-week trial of WWE Network that will give users access to "WrestleMania 30" as well as its lineup of original series and vast library of programming and PPVs.

(C) 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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Did Comcast raise cable-TV rates 68% in the past four years? Not exactly

The eye-popping claim certainly got some headline play: Comcast raised basic-cable rates 68% from 2009-13, while Time Warner Cable -- the target of Comcast's proposed $45 billion acquisition -- actually reduced them by 2.5% over the same time period.

That's according to an analysis of rates for several providers conducted by Free Press, a public-interest group that vehemently opposes the MSOs' combination. Cablevision basic rates climbed 47% over that time frame, while those for AT&T U-verse TV didn't increase at all.

"If the Obama administration signs off on the merger, you can bet your bottom dollar -- while you still have it -- that Comcast's vast market power will allow it to dictate prices no matter which company is your actual cable and Internet access provider," Free Press editor Amy Kronin wrote in a blog post Monday.

Comcast did not have a response to Free Press's claims by press time.

But there are some big caveats attached to the Free Press analysis of SNL Kagan data.

First, the organization's analysis looked only at data from individual markets for wireline providers: Boston for Comcast, Rochester, N.Y., for TW Cable, Chicago for AT&T's U-verse and Long Island for Cablevision.

Why did the study look only at those markets? In an email, Free Press research director Derek Turner said his choices were based on which markets had complete data for nonpromotional prices of basic and premium packages. Total video revenue per subscriber for all pay-TV providers is on the rise, he acknowledged, but Comcast "is near the top, so it's not as if Comcast over all its franchises is somehow a better company for consumers, which is the point of our original infographic," he wrote.

SEE ALSO: Comcast, TW Cable Execs Grilled By Skeptical Senators at Merger Hearing

Still, it's not clear how reflective the rate changes in those markets are for Comcast, Time Warner Cable or AT&T across the board.

Meanwhile, the term "basic cable" doesn't really mean "cable TV" at all -- it refers to the entry-level packages operators are required to offer that include broadcast networks, without pay channels like ESPN or Fox News.

For basic cable, the biggest factor in cost increases are retransmission-consent fees paid to broadcasters - which more than tripled from $758 million in 2009 to $3 billion in 2013, according to SNL Kagan. So in Boston, Comcast was apparently socked with considerably higher retrans fees than Time Warner Cable in Rochester, while AT&T appears to have locked in retrans rates in Chicago over that time period. (In citing the 11% price increase for Dish Network's "basic" service from 2009-13, Free Press used the satcaster's America's Top 120 rates -- which isn't an apples-to-apples comparison, as Dish doesn't offer a broadcast-only tier.)

In addition, basic-cable fee increases come off lower price points than expanded basic or other premium TV packages. The average monthly price of basic TV in 2012 was $20.55 for the industry at large, according to the FCC's 2013 video competition report.

Now, the Free Press analysis also compared price increases of "premium" TV packages. Here Comcast rates increased 21% from 2009-13, not too out of line with Time Warner Cable (+17%), Dish (+17%) and Cablevision (+15%), while AT&T rates rose 8%. But again, with the exception of Dish, those are specific to individual markets; the study didn't look at average increases across all subscribers.

Finally, the rates Free Press studied were for standalone TV services, whereas most cable and telco customers buy video in a bundle with broadband and/or phone service -- and operators offer discounts as an incentive for subscribers to take multiple services.

To be sure, pay-TV rates are indeed rising, and they will continue to for the foreseeable future. But they're increasing among all pay-TV providers, not just Comcast.

For its part, Comcast continues to insist that its takeover of Time Warner Cable won't result in higher consumer bills: "I will make one firm commitment that there is absolutely nothing in this transaction that will result in an increase in prices for Comcast customers," exec VP David L. Cohen said at a Senate hearing last week.

That carefully worded statement is not meant to imply that cable TV prices will decline. In fact, as Cohen told reporters when the deal was announced in February, "We're certainly not promising that customer bills are going to go down or even that they're going to increase less rapidly." Comcast blames programmers, of course, saying programming costs of Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications have increased, on average, by 54% in the last five years.

Sure, Comcast may be the biggest, greediest cable company in the biz. It's worth noting that both Comcast and Time Warner Cable engage in the customer-unfriendly practice of charging a one-time fee of up to $6 to downgrade to a lower-priced TV package. That's just one of many things that go toward explaining why Comcast and Time Warner Cable rank near the bottom of the pay-TV industry in customer satisfaction, according to a survey by Consumers Union (although -- another caveat -- that group also is actively lobbying against the proposed deal). But claiming Comcast boosted cable TV prices 68% whereas TW Cable actually dropped them is misleading.

(C) 2014 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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France targets welfare for big spending cuts

PARIS — France's prime minister has announced plans to cut 21 billion euros ($29 billion) from pensions, social care and health care as a part of a 50-billion-euro effort to rein in the country's debt and deficit.

Manuel Valls on Wednesday detailed the government plan to cut 10 billion euros from health care and 11 billion euros from pensions and social care by 2017, though he vowed to maintain the benefits for those with the lowest incomes.

The central government will have its spending cut by 18 billion euros, while local councils will see cuts worth 10 billion euros.

France's public spending accounts for about 57 percent of gross domestic product, one of the highest levels in the world.

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Ford to offer 50th anniversary Mustang

NEW YORK — Ford is building a limited-edition Mustang GT to honor the pony car's 50th anniversary.

The company will only build 1,964 special cars, honoring the year the Mustang first went on sale.

The 50 Year Limited Edition will come in one of the two colors of Ford's logo: white or blue. Buyers can choose a manual or automatic transmission.

There are special chrome highlights around the grille, windows and tail lights. The Limited Edition will also be the only 2015 Mustang with a faux gas cap badge on the rear, where the original cap sat.

Limited Edition cars will be among the first built when 2015 Mustang production begins later this year.

Ford is showing the Limited Edition at the New York auto show, which begins this week. Pricing wasn't announced.

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Coulson: 'Didn't know about tabloid phone hacking'

LONDON — Prime Minister David Cameron's former communications chief said under oath Tuesday that he was never involved in phone hacking when he was the editor of a Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid.

Andy Coulson was asked by his lawyer in court whether he was "ever party to or in agreement with phone hacking at the News of the World." Coulson answered: "No, I was not."

Coulson said he would have considered the practice of illegal eavesdropping — now known to have been widespread at the newspaper — "a breach of privacy" and "lazy journalism." But he said he was not aware at the time that it was against the law.

He said in the years immediately after he joined the newspaper as deputy editor in 2000 he was aware "in vague terms" that it was possible to listen to another person's mobile phone voicemails by using a PIN code.

"I think it was in the ether," he said. "It was something that was gossiped about."

But he said he did not know "in any detail" how it was done.

Coulson and six others are on trial on charges stemming from the revelation that the News of the World eavesdropped on the voicemails of people in the public eye. All deny wrongdoing.

Coulson edited the News of the World from 2003 until 2007, then served as Cameron's chief spin doctor until resigning when the hacking scandal erupted in early 2011.

Amid the furor over the phone hacking, Murdoch closed the newspaper in July 2011. Dozens of journalists and police have been arrested in the scandal and Murdoch's company has paid out millions in compensation to hacking victims, mostly celebrities and public figures.

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China Film takes 1st stake in Hollywood movies

HONG KONG — China's state-owned film distributor is making its first investment in Hollywood movies by taking a stake in two Legendary Entertainment productions.

China Film Co. will make an "eight-figure equity investment" in two upcoming films, "Seventh Son" and "Warcraft," the Chinese unit of Legendary Entertainment said Tuesday.

The exact amount of the U.S. dollar investment was not specified.

"Seventh Son" is a fantasy adventure starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore that's scheduled for release on Feb. 6, 2015. "Warcraft," based on a popular video game series, is slated for release March 11, 2016.

If approved for release in China, China Film would distribute the movies under current rules and regulations for foreign films, which are limited to just 34 a year. The deal calls for China Film to be credited on the movies.

China Film, which is planning to go public, owns stakes in movie theater chains that make up half of the country's box office receipts. Its parent, China Film Group, is the gatekeeper for foreign studios because it controls film imports and co-productions.

The projects are the first since Legendary and China Film teamed up about a year ago to produce global blockbusters. It's one of a number of recent tie-ups between companies in the world's two biggest movies markets.

As box-office revenue growth flattens out at home, Hollywood studies are keen to move into China, now the world's second biggest movie market with $3.6 billion in ticket sales last year. China's leaders hope that entertainment companies can benefit from the joint ventures by acquiring know-how to develop their own cultural industries in order to expand influence abroad.

Legendary Entertainment's films include "The Dark Knight" and "Hangover" trilogies and last year's sci-fi action adventure "Pacific Rim."

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Tufts Medical Center, Lowell General, seek merger

LOWELL, Mass. — Tufts Medical Center in Boston and Lowell General Hospital have reached a tentative deal on a merger officials say will make both institutions stronger while lowering medical costs.

Both are among the last remaining independent hospitals in the state and had been looking for partnership opportunities.

Under terms of a tentative agreement announced Monday, each nonprofit hospital would continue to operate independently under a new parent organization, which has yet to be named. Other health care providers could eventually be added.

Lowell General and Tufts already have clinical affiliations.

The two hospitals are similar in size, each with more than 400 beds. The Boston hospital is the principal teaching hospital for the Tufts University School of Medicine.

The deal is subject to approval from state regulators.

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German economic confidence slips on Ukraine worry

FRANKFURT, Germany — A key German measure of investor confidence in the economy slipped in April as the conflict in Ukraine created uncertainty about the future.

The ZEW survey of investment analysts fell to 43.2 points from 46.6 the month before and below markets expectations for 45.0.

It is the second month the index has fallen because of concern over Ukraine, where Russia has annexed the Crimean Peninsula and is now accused of stirring unrest in the eastern part of the country.

Europe and the United States have imposed sanctions such as travel bans and asset seizures aimed at individual Russian officials, raising fears of wider sanctions that could disrupt trade. Russia remains a significant emerging market for German carmakers and industrial giants like Siemens AG. Germany, meanwhile, gets about a third of its natural gas from Russia.

The ZEW, or Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim, said Tuesday that Ukraine "still creates uncertainty" about coming months despite strong confidence in the current state of the German economy.

Still, the index remains well above its long-term average of 24.6 points as the German economy continues to expand with low unemployment.

The index was based on a survey of 238 investment analysts March 31-April 14.

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US consumer prices rose just 0.2 percent in March

WASHINGTON — Lower U.S. gasoline prices kept consumer inflation in check last month, helping offset higher costs for food and clothing.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that the consumer price index rose 0.2 percent in March, after scant 0.1 percent increases the previous two months. Prices have risen just 1.5 percent year over year. That remains well below the Federal Reserve's 2 percent target for inflation.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices increased 0.2 percent in March and 1.7 percent in the past year.

Prices at the gas pump tumbled 1.7 percent in March, lowering costs for the entire energy category.

But food prices jumped 0.4 percent, led by increases in eggs, milk, butter, oranges, pork chops, ground beef and poultry. Prices for clothing, used cars and cable television also rose.

Overall, signs point to continued low inflation. Sluggish growth and a tough job market have limited price increases, making it harder for retailers and other businesses to charge more.

Consumer prices rose just 1.5 percent for all of 2013, down from 1.8 percent in 2012.

Though shoppers welcome lower prices, super-low inflation can stall economic growth. Lower prices encourage consumers to delay purchases. Extremely low inflation can also raise inflation-adjusted interest rates, thereby discouraging borrowing.

Still, low inflation has enabled the Fed to pursue extraordinary stimulus programs to try to boost economic growth.

The Fed is now trying to unwind some of that stimulus. It plans to buy $55 billion in bonds this month, down from $85 billion in March of last year. The bond purchases are intended to lower long-term rates, which can spur borrowing and spending.

Despite scaling back its purchases, Fed officials have expressed concern about inflation running below their target. As a result, the Fed is prepared to hold shorter-term rates near zero even if unemployment falls by roughly a percentage point from its current level of 6.7 percent. This suggests that the Fed might not raise rates until the middle of 2015.

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Space station launch Monday despite dead computer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The International Space Station is about to get some fresh groceries and material for an urgent repair job.

An unmanned SpaceX rocket is on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. It's scheduled to blast off at 4:58 p.m. Monday with more than 2 tons of supplies.

NASA spent much of the weekend debating whether to proceed with the launch. A critical backup computer failed outside the space station Friday. Mission managers decided Sunday to stick with the plan after making sure everything would be safe.

The Dragon supply ship holds a gasket-like material for next week's computer replacement. Spacewalking astronauts will perform the job April 22. This new material was rushed to the launch site following the computer outage.

SpaceX is one of two American shippers hired by NASA.

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Boston mayor seeks tax breaks for Fenway project

BOSTON — Boston Mayor Martin Walsh is proposing a $4.6 million tax break to spark construction of a $550 million retail-residential development near Fenway Park that would straddle the Massachusetts Turnpike.

A vote on the financing is scheduled for Thursday at a Boston Redevelopment Authority board meeting.

Fenway Center has languished for years due to legal and permitting challenges. The developer has struggled to generate enough funding to move forward.

Walsh says construction would generate jobs and continue a city building boom.

The Boston Globe (http://b.globe.com/1hAEaNs ) reports that Fenway Center would result in construction of a total of 1.3 million square feet of residential and commercial space in five buildings between Brookline Avenue and Beacon Street. It would include 420 apartments, space for stores, restaurants and offices, and nearly 1,000 parking spaces.

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Vast majority of Massachusetts taxpayers e-filing

BOSTON — The overwhelming majority of Massachusetts taxpayers are filing their state tax returns electronically.

The Department of Revenue reported that as of Friday it processed just under 2.5 million returns, of which nearly 2.2 million had been e-filed.

The agency reported issuing about 1.8 million refunds totaling $858 million. The average turnaround time for a refund was 3.3 days for returns filed electronically, and 5-1/2 days for paper returns.

The deadline for filing state and federal taxes is Tuesday.

The department said it was fielding about 34,000 calls a week with tax questions and the average wait time for callers was 46 seconds.

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Federal judge to rule on Massachusetts drug ban

BOSTON — A federal judge will hear arguments in a lawsuit claiming the state's first-in-the-nation ban of Zohydro, a powerful new painkiller, is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Court Judge Rya Zobel is expected to decide Monday whether to order an immediate but temporary halt to the ban, which is believed to be the first attempt by a state to block a federally-approved drug. The court would decide later if the ban should be permanently vacated.

Drug maker Zogenix argues that the ban is unconstitutional because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already approved Zohydro's use for treatment of severe and chronic pain. The state argues that Zohydro will "exacerbate a severe public health crisis" in Massachusetts, where Gov. Deval Patrick has declared prescription drug abuse a public health emergency.

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US retail sales up strong 1.1 percent in March

WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales in March rose by the largest amount in 18 months, led by strong gains in sales of autos, furniture and a number of other products.

The 1.1 percent jump reported by the Commerce Department on Monday was the best showing since September 2012. The government also revised February to a 0.7 percent gain, more than double its previous estimate.

Sales had fallen in January and December.

Sales of autos climbed 3.1 percent while sales at general merchandise stores, a category that covers retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target and department stores, increased 1.9 percent, the strongest one-month gain since March 2007, before the country fell into recession.

The strong March gain provides more evidence that the economy is emerging from a harsh winter with some momentum.

Economists believe that warmer weather will encourage people to make purchases that they had not during a wave of winter storms. Consumers account for 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, so spending on that front is critical in fueling a stronger recovery.

Overall economic activity, as measured by the gross domestic product, likely slowed significantly in the January-March quarter, to somewhere between 1.5 percent and 2 percent. But analysts are looking for a strong rebound in the current April-June quarter with some forecasting growth of around 3 percent and similar strong readings for the rest of the year.

For March, sales in a core category of products that feed into the government's calculations of overall growth rose by 0.9 percent, more than double the 0.5 percent gain in February.

In addition to the strong showing for auto dealers and general merchandise stores, sales increased by solid amounts at furniture stores, hardware stores and clothing stores.

Stronger growth is expected to translate into more hiring and an improving labor market.

In March, the economy reached a milestone that was a long time coming. All of the private-sector jobs lost during the recession were recovered. Private businesses shed 8.8 million jobs during the 2007-2009 economic downturn. With the March gains, they have now hired 8.9 million workers. Government jobs are still below prerecession levels.

In March, employers added 192,000 jobs, just below February's gain of 1972,000 jobs. Going forward, some economists believe the stronger economy will lift average monthly job gains to around 225,000. That will mean more income earners and more consumer spending.

A more optimistic outlook for this year in which the economy gains momentum is the reason that the Federal Reserve has been trimming its monthly bond purchases and is expected to keep doing so throughout 2014. The bond purchases were designed to keep long-term interest rates low to give the economy a boost. But with the economy gaining strength, Fed officials have come to believe that the level of government support should be removed gradually.

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Seatbelt warning chimes in even though belt’s buckled

I really appreciated your response to the non-seatbelt wearer! I wear my seatbelt all the time, but a number of months ago the driver's side seatbelt light/warning chime in my 2006 Pontiac G6 started going off while the seat belt is buckled. The shop said it would be $400 to repair because they would have to take the seat out to get to the area to repair. The chime comes on immediately after starting the car, then again about five minutes later and always chimes five times. The light illuminates several times while I am driving and the chime does, too.

From the symptoms you describe, the problem could be as simple as the seatbelt switch located in the seatbelt buckle at your right hip or its harness connector under the seat. Or it could be a more serious issue with the SDM (sensing and diagnostic module) or IPC (instrument panel cluster).

I would suggest having the shop unplug and test the seatbelt switch to determine if it's the culprit. I think this can be done without removing the seat. If the switch is bad, have it replaced. If the switch is good and a scan tool confirms the SDM is telling the IPC the seatbelt is fastened — yet the light/chime are still indicating the seatbelt is unfastened — the problem is in the IPC. You'll have to decide if it's worth this level of repair.

Because of the somewhat intermittent nature of the light/chime coming on, my best guess is the seatbelt switch.

I have a 2014 Mitsubishi Lancer and was informed by the dealer service department that I need to use synthetic oil. I thought this was usually required for luxury or high-performance cars and an option for the rest of us. Do I really need to use synthetic oil in this car?

Without knowing which engine option is in your vehicle, my answer will have to be a bit generic. The maintenance recommendations from Mitsubishi call for API "SN" 0W-20 for their non-turbo engines and API "SN" 5W-30 for their turbocharged engines. Both petroleum-based and synthetic motor oils can meet these specifications, but why not use the best — a premium synthetic motor oil.

L L L

I am curious what your opinion is about using only DexCool antifreeze in our two Buick vehicles as recommended by GM. An auto mechanic and auto body repairman with 30 years experience advised me not to use this product as he found it clogged up the heaters/heating systems in vehicles.

DexCool coolant/antifreeze utilizes an organic acid anti-corrosion technology and claims a much longer service life than conventional antifreeze that utilizes phosphate/borate/silicate anti-corrosion technology. Both coolants are ethylene glycol-based for their antifreeze capabilities.

Is one type better than the other? That question has been and continues to be heavily debated. The biggest issue is oxidation of the coolant over time and mileage. As long as the coolant level is properly maintained and the coolant is flushed/replaced within recommended intervals, both work well.

I have a 2000 Buick Park Avenue. The driver's door refuses to open as easily as the others. It feels like there is a vacuum between the weatherstripping and the door frame. Please advise.

First, clean and lubricate the door seal/weatherstripping and seal area on the body with an aerosol silicone lubricant. If this does not help, perhaps the door has "sagged" on its hinges over the years and miles. A body shop may be able to realign the door for easier opening.

In the "old days" I used to do this by placing a piece of 2x4 below the hinges between the door and door frame and "push" the door toward close to slightly "readjust" the hinges.

If the hinge pins/bushings are worn, they can be replaced.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please include a daytime phone number.

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'Obamacare' under attack as conservatives eye 2016

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Republicans eyeing the 2016 White House race battered President Barack Obama's health care law and nicked each other Saturday, auditioning before a high-profile gathering of conservatives that some political veterans said marked the campaign's unofficial start.

A speaking program packed with potential presidential candidates weighed in on the House Republicans' controversial budget, the party's struggle with Hispanics, the GOP's future and the upcoming midterm elections while taking turns on a conference room stage facing hundreds of conservative activists gathered in New Hampshire's largest city.

But the Republican Party's near-universal opposition to the president's health care law dominated the conversation just days after Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius resigned after leading the rocky rollout of the program derided as "Obamacare."

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz declared that one resignation is not enough. "We are going to repeal every single word of Obamacare," said the first-term senator and tea party favorite.

Another tea party favorite, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, insisted that the GOP must broaden its appeal in order to grow. The Republican Party, he said, cannot be a party of "fat cats, rich people and Wall Street."

Neither Paul nor Cruz defended the sweeping budget plan authored by another potential presidential contender, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. The budget, approved by the Republican-led House in recent days, transforms entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid to help reduce federal spending.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said the Ryan plan was simply "a starting point," but that, "there would be some things I'd probably change," declining to be more specific.

Another high-profile Republican, real estate mogul Donald Trump, was more critical.

"His whole stance is to knock the hell out of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security," Trump said of Ryan. "I would leave it alone. I don't want to hurt people."

The summit comes as prospective presidential candidates begin to step up appearances in key states ahead of the 2016 presidential contest, even though New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary isn't planned for another two years.

"It's the unofficial kickoff of the 2016 process," said Republican operative Mike Biundo, who managed Rick Santorum's last presidential campaign.

As potential presidential candidates jockey for position, the stakes are high for the November's midterm elections, where Republicans are fighting to claim the Senate majority. The president's health care law could figure prominently in November House and Senate contests across the country.

The industrialist Koch brothers-affiliated Americans for Prosperity, which co-hosted Saturday's summit, has already spent millions of dollars on health care-related attack ads aimed at vulnerable Democratic senators in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Alaska, Colorado, Iowa and elsewhere.

Sebelius resigned on Friday, days after the Obama administration announced that enrollment in the Affordable Care Act had grown to 7.5 million, a figure that exceeded expectations and gave Democrats a surprise success after a disastrous rollout. It was welcome news for Democrats who've been forced to defend their support for the unpopular law.

In a conference call, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., insisted that "Democrats are not running away from the Affordable Care Act."

Democratic National Committee spokesman Mike Czin noted that Republican opposition to the health care law was the foundation of the GOP's unsuccessful political strategy in 2012. He said that the debate has changed now that the law has been implemented and millions of people are enjoying its benefits.

"That's a debate that we're going to have, and we're eager to have," Czin said.

At the same time, Van Hollen, the senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee, called for Republicans to defend their support for a GOP budget plan introduced this week that would repeal the health care law, transform Medicare, reintroduce the "doughnut hole" for prescription drug costs and enact deep cuts in education.

Trump, who says he's also considering a Republican presidential bid, echoed many of the Democrats' concerns. "Leave my Medicare alone," he declared.

Campaigning in Iowa the night before, Ryan defended his recently passed budget plan as a sign of growing GOP unity.

"Some people wanted to go further, some people thought it went too far. The point is we unified around these common principles in a plan," the Wisconsin congressman said after headlining an Iowa GOP dinner. "That's very important to me — which is we can't just oppose, we have to propose."

Back in New Hampshire, conservatives also criticized another potential presidential contender who was not in attendance, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who recently suggested that many immigrants enter the United States illegally because of love for their families.

Trump described Bush's suggestion as "out there."

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NSC backs disclosing software vulnerabilities

WASHINGTON — Disclosing vulnerabilities in commercial and open source software is in the national interest and shouldn't be withheld from the public unless there is a clear national security or law enforcement need, President Barack Obama's National Security Council said Saturday.

The statement of White House policy came after a computer bug called "Heartbleed" caused major security concerns across the Internet and affected a widely used encryption technology, the variant of SSL/TLS known as OpenSSL, that was designed to protect online accounts. Major Internet services worked this week to insulate themselves against the bug.

The NSC, which Obama chairs, advises the president on national security and foreign policy matters. Its spokeswoman, Caitlin Hayden, said in a statement Saturday that the federal government was not aware of the Heartbleed vulnerability in OpenSSL until it was made public in a private sector cybersecurity report. The federal government relies on OpenSSL to protect the privacy of users of government websites and other online services, she said.

"This administration takes seriously its responsibility to help maintain an open, interoperable, secure and reliable Internet," she said. "If the federal government, including the intelligence community, had discovered this vulnerability prior to last week, it would have been disclosed to the community responsible for OpenSSL."

The president's Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, which Obama appointed last year to review National Security Agency surveillance programs and other intelligence and counterterrorism operations, recommended in December that U.S. policy should generally move to ensure that previously unknown vulnerabilities "are quickly blocked, so that the underlying vulnerabilities are patched on U.S. government and other networks."

"The White House has reviewed its policies in this area and reinvigorated an interagency process for deciding when to share vulnerabilities. This process is called the Vulnerabilities Equities Process," Hayden said. "Unless there is a clear national security or law enforcement need, this process is biased toward responsibly disclosing such vulnerabilities."

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Signs to point way for downtown guests

Locals and visitors are getting additional assistance as they navigate downtown Boston on foot.

The Downtown Boston Business Improvement District is rolling out new directional signs that will help people identify where they are, points of interest inside and outside of the district — including tourist attractions, hotels, public parking and transit, and free Wi-Fi zones — and how many minutes it should take to walk to those destinations.

The organization, which is funded by property owners, already has two of the signs in place in front of Macy's on Washington and Summer streets, with more to come in June on existing street furniture and new structures under design.

The BID will spend approximately $750,000 on the way-finding project, which will take two to three years to complete to accommodate construction projects in the district.

"There's no question that everyone needs this assistance based on the feedback we have from our ambassadors," BID president Rosemarie Sansone said, referring to the paid BID employees who patrol the district's streets and handle cleaning and hospitality duties.

Those workers assist visitors with directions about 60,000 times per year, according to the BID, which has coordinated its efforts with WalkBoston and local hotels among others with tourist and map expertise.

"We want this system to help them get from one point to another as easy as possible," Sansone said.

The most frequently asked questions at the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau's Tremont Street visitor information center also involve directions, according to CEO Pat Moscaritolo.

"Now you're going to have current, up-to-date, user-friendly maps that will help both people who are new to our city, who are visitors to the city or haven't been down in the area for a while," he said.

Even with GPS technology in mobile phones, it's reassuring to see directional signs that tell where you are and whether you're on track, he said.

"It's all part of having a service-oriented focus in taking care of visitors. We need to replicate that across our city, not just for the area that the BID operates in."

The BID's way-finding program coincides with an initiative by the city's Geographic Information Systems Division to create new informational maps that are displayed in outdoor advertising stands and include information such as tourist destinations, hotels, hospitals, MBTA stations and public toilets.

But existing city maps are "very stagnant" and don't really help people navigate from one place to another, according to Sansone.

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Tracking Gambling’s impact

Members of the state Gaming Commission will meet with a UMass Amherst-led research team this week for a progress report on the first year of a groundbreaking study that will help shape how the commission and the Legislature respond to the social and economic impacts of casino gambling.

Chairman Stephen Crosby and Commissioner Enrique Zuniga will meet Tuesday with researchers the commission hired last spring to conduct the study, which will cost 
$3.5 million for the first three years, with one-year extensions possible at a cost yet to be determined.

"This is a unique study in the history of gaming," Crosby said, noting it is the first one to trace the impact of casinos in real time, from before they are built to years afterward. "If the research identifies problems emerging, that data will inform us as we try to identify strategies to mitigate any negative consequences."

By mid-May, the researchers expect to complete a baseline survey of 10,000 randomly selected adults to determine whether they gamble, drink or engage in other behaviors that have been linked to gambling, said Rachel Volberg, a UMass Amherst sociologist and the study's principal investigator.

"This is an attempt to take a snapshot of what gambling behavior looks like in Massachusetts before casinos," said Volberg, whose 15-member team includes researchers from MIT, the University of Nevada and the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada.

The team also is working with the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling and the state Department of Public Health to evaluate services for problem gamblers over the past 10 years, she said. Future prevention and treatment services, as well as the study, will be paid for with casino revenues through a public health trust fund DPH will oversee.

"Every jurisdiction is unique, but in general, what we've seen elsewhere is an increase in the prevalence of problem gambling in the wake of the introduction or expansion of gaming," said Volberg, who has studied gambling in more than two dozen states and 15 countries. "But that's typically been followed by a reduction as individuals and communities adapt and as services are introduced."

Richard McGowan, a Boston College professor and expert on gaming, called the study worthwhile and said it should have been done sooner, even though it comes with some caveats.

"One of the problems is people are going to want to know what's the actual social cost of gambling, and it's virtually impossible to do," McGowan said. "How do you figure the cost of divorce (as a result of problem gambling)? I don't know."

Equally difficult, Volberg said, is how to start a conversation about problem gambling with an addict.

"We've learned a lot," she said, "but we're still learning."

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