Farmhouse crops up in Roxbury

A one-time Roxbury farmhouse has been restored with many of its original details and high quality craftsmanship.

Located across from Horatio Harris Park, about a half mile from the Jackson Square T station, the six-bedroom house is a legal two family and it has a newly renovated 1,200-square foot basement unit that could be an in-law or au pair suite.

The house has been meticulously restored with a mix of the old and new. There's original red cedar and reclaimed yellow pine floors. refinished marble mantels and staircase, as well as new paneled wainscoting, crown moldings, baseboard, stairs, doors and windows. The house also has new plumbing and electrical, gas-fired heating, central air, surveillance and lighting control systems.

The home's exterior features new unpainted cedar shingles along the front and restored clapboards painted blue and yellow on the sides and back. There's a puddingstone wall with wrought-iron gates out front along with a covered front porch with a mahogany deck.

The first floor features a living room with restored cherry floors, sconce lighting and a wood-mantel fireplace with glass mosaic tile. An adjacent sitting room/fourth bedroom has yellow pine floors, a tiled, marble-mantel fireplace and glass door to a mahogany deck. A nearby formal dining room has original maple floors with inlays added and a tiled, marble-mantel fireplace. All three rooms have Monarch chandeliers or sconces.

The spacious recessed-lit kitchen has new oak floors, Shaker-style maple cabinets, granite counters and stainless-steel Jenn-Air and Miele appliances. There's a dining nook and adjacent half bathroom.

There are three bedrooms on the second floor with restored pine floors, and the two bathrooms have basket-weave marble floors and quartz countertops, with a glass-enclosed shower in the master. There's also a closet with a washer/dryer hookup.

The third floor has a large bedroom with yellow-pine floor under the eaves and two skylights, plus a full bathroom.

The 1,200-square-foot basement unit has a kitchen with maple cabinets and granite counters, a living room, bedroom, washer/dryer hookup and separate utilities. There's a private front and rear entrance, and a sunken rear puddingstone patio for privacy.

The enclosed back yard has a grassy area and bluestone-lined patio, as well as parking for four vehicles.

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The Ticker

Flea market bust yields

$30M in knockoffs

A flea market raid racked up more than 
$30 million in knockoff apparel and electronics, making it the largest counterfeit bust in Massachusetts, authorities said.

Authorities confiscated enough fake designer purses, clothing and pirated DVDs and CDs from two flea markets May 10 to fill three tractor trailers, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

Local businesses told police in January that illegal items were being sold at the flea markets, which have been open for years, said Lawrence interim Police Chief James Fitzpatrick.

"We didn't expect it to be this wide-ranging," he said. "We expected a couple dozen vendors, but I think they were ramping up for Mother's Day."

Forty-two vendors were arrested. Each pleaded not guilty to state charges of selling counterfeit items and is due back in court in July. The markets' managers have not been charged.

Phony items labeled as brands including Michael Kors, Nike, Louis Vuitton and Ugg Australia were confiscated.

"Counterfeiting is not a victimless crime," said Special Agent Bruce Foucart of the Department of Homeland Security. "People are losing revenue and jobs," he said. The items, many of which originated in China, will be destroyed, he said.

S&P 500 closes at record high

The S&P 500 closed at a record high yesterday, buoyed by a rally in housing stocks after better-than-expected home sales and a jump in Hewlett-Packard shares a day after the personal computer maker said it would cut more jobs.

The S&P 500 closed 1,900.53, just below a record intraday high of 1,902.17 set May 13 and above its record closing high of 1,897.45 the same day.

Hewlett-Packard jumped 6.1 percent to $33.72. The stock was among the S&P 500's best performers a day after the personal computer maker said it may cut as many as 16,000 more jobs in a major ramp-up of CEO Meg Whitman's years-long effort to turn the company around and relieve pressure on its profit margins.

Credit card cos. renew microchip push

Visa and MasterCard are renewing a push to speed the adoption of microchips into U.S. credit and debit cards in the wake of recent high-profile data breaches, including this week's revelation that hackers stole consumer data from eBay's computer systems.

Card processing companies argue that a move away from the black magnetic strips on the backs of credit cards would eliminate a substantial amount of U.S. credit card fraud. They say it's time to offer U.S. consumers the greater protections microchips provide by joining Canada, Mexico and most of Western Europe in using cards with the more advanced technology.

•  Gordon Brothers Group, a Boston-based global advisory, restructuring and investment firm specializing in the retail, consumer products, industrial and real estate sectors, announced that Michael P. Muldowney has joined the firm as chief financial officer. Muldowney's primary focus will be to work with all business units on transactional, strategic, financial and operational initiatives.

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Summer rides great for escape

Summers in Boston are precious.

The winters can be long and tough. Spring lasts about 45 minutes. And fall is barely 100 days away.

So New Englanders know when summer finally gets here, it's time to own it. We work hard, we play hard. And it all begins in earnest on Memorial Day weekend.

Almost 90 percent of travelers this holiday weekend will go by car, and the 36.1 million Americans hitting the road for trips of more than 50 miles will be the highest in 10 years, according to AAA.

"It's an economic indicator," said Mary Maguire, director of public and government affairs for AAA Southern New England. "The great majority of people travel by car, especially if you have a large family. These numbers are very encouraging. We all endured 'Snowmaggedon' and now we're ready for summer."

New England's top summer travel destination is the beach. Cape Cod has more than 550 miles of shoreline, and the Cape Cod National Seashore alone draws more than 4.5 million people each year.

Ready to go? On the recommendations of Mark Takahashi, the automotive editor of Edmunds.com, here are three vehicles perfect for a Cape escape:

Audi A5 convertible

Admit it: Nothing's better than a convertible when you're thinking sea and sand. And if you're going al fresco, go in style — ditch the Geo Metro and get the luxury A5 droptop. The folding soft top doesn't impact trunk space, so you've got room for your beach chairs. Headroom is a little lacking in the rear seats, but with the top down, it won't matter. And really, the top should be down. (Starting MSRP: $44,500)

Mazda CX-5

If your beach trip skews more toward family fun than romantic getaway, this stylish choice has more room for passengers and stuff — as well as attractive fuel economy, averaging more than 30 mpg on the highway. "As one of our favorite compact crossover SUVs, the Mazda CX-5 delivers all the space and utility you'd expect, but also brings a more engaging driving experience," Takahashi said. "It also looks pretty sharp for an SUV. With available all-wheel drive, you can also venture out onto the sand." (MSRP: $22,945)

Jaguar F-Type

Probably more suitable to the one-percenters who summer on the Vineyard or Nantucket, the Jaguar F-Type is the pick if you can't make it to the Hamptons. A V8-powered roadster ($92,000) might be a waste, because there's no place to open it up on Route 6. But you can still be the first one to the yacht club. (MSRP: $69,000)

Some people prefer a different approach to summer. Rather than sun, sand and salt water, many Hub escapees head for the hills — to the Berkshires, the Adirondacks or the peaceful Green Mountains of Vermont. For those folks, a luxury sedan doesn't make sense, but these rides do:

Toyota Highlander

Takahashi's top recommendation for a mountain excursion combines roominess and affordability. "It's one of our highest-rated SUVs for good reason," he said. With a thoughtful, refined interior and strong V6 power, the Highlander is right at home for camp or cabin. Best of all: seating for eight, although the rear-most seats should be reserved for children. (MSRP: $29,215)

BMW X5

What's better for a westward march than a well-crafted, powerful, stylish SUV? As it's a BMW, expect and receive luxury and superior construction. "This one should make a long road trip seem shorter," said Takahashi, who recommends the diesel-powered xDrive35d for its authoritative acceleration and frugal fuel consumption. (MSRP: $52,800)

Range Rover Sport

There aren't a lot of vehicles that have the wide range of capabilities of the Land Rover Range Rover Sport. "The V8-powered version defies logic, and probably physics, with its sports car-like performance, yet it also can handle off-road terrain like a pickup," noted Takahashi. "It makes a strong statement." (MSRP: $62,600)

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Iran billionaire executed over $2.6B bank fraud

TEHRAN, Iran — A billionaire businessman at the heart of a $2.6 billion state bank scam, the largest fraud case since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution, was executed Saturday, state television reported.

Authorities put Mahafarid Amir Khosravi, also known as Amir Mansour Aria, to death at Evin prison, just north of the capital, Tehran, the station reported. The report said the execution came after Iran's Supreme Court upheld his death sentence.

Khosravi's lawyer, Gholam Ali Riahi, was quoted by news website khabaronline.ir as saying that his client was put to death without any notice.

"I had not been informed about execution of my client," Riahi said. "All the assets of my client are at the disposal of the prosecutor's office."

State officials did not immediately comment on Riahi's claim.

The fraud involved using forged documents to get credit at one of Iran's top financial institutions, Bank Saderat, to purchase assets including state-owned companies like major steel producer Khuzestan Steel Co.

Khosravi's business empire included more than 35 companies from mineral water production to a football club and meat imports from Brazil. According to Iranian media reports, the bank fraud began in 2007.

A total of 39 defendants were convicted in the case. Four received death sentences, two got life sentences and the rest received sentences of up to 25 years in prison.

The trials raised questions about corruption at senior levels in Iran's tightly controlled economy during the administration of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mahmoud Reza Khavari, a former head of Bank Melli, another major Iranian bank, escaped to Canada in 2011 after he resigned over the case. He faces charges over the case in Iran and remains on the Islamic Republic's wanted list. Khavari previously admitted that his bank partially was involved in the fraud, but has maintained his innocence.

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New ISD chief wants permits to be predictable

Ensuring city permitting processes are very clear, transparent and predictable is the top priority for Boston's new inspectional services commissioner.

"There are still some mysteries about when things can happen and when things actually get processed out of ISD," said William Christopher, a Dorchester architect who officially starts in his new role Tuesday.

"The problem … is that every permit has its own unique nuances — whether you're applying for a dormer for your house or a 10-story building," he said. "There are so many layers and so many regulations that have to be dealt with. We're trying to define what's needed and not needed."

ISD administers and enforces city and state building, housing, health, sanitation and safety regulations, including building permits and zoning reviews, restaurant permits and inspections, and rental housing inspections.

It's working with the city's Department of Innovation and Technology on a more interactive online system that lets permit seekers know exactly where applications stand in the approval process.

Christopher already has met with restaurateurs concerned about the time it takes to permit their establishments.

"The mayor has directed me to look at that entire process and see if there are ways to expedite (it)," he said. "We have to make sure Boston is business-friendly."

Inspection of rental housing — and making it clear to landlords what is expected — also will top priorities, Christopher said.

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Marty Walsh: Build for the middle class

Boston's middle-income residents are facing a daunting lack of housing, even as the Hub's luxury rental housing market continues to explode, say local officials and housing experts.

"We have to find ways to create workforce housing, middle-class housing," Mayor Martin J. Walsh told the Herald at yesterday's ribbon-cutting ceremony for Radian, a new luxury apartment building in the Financial District. "We don't have the supply."

Radian is the latest luxury complex to open, unveiling its 240 rental units yesterday, which start at nearly $3,000 per month. The $130 million project was co-developed by Forest City Boston and Hudson Group North American and the Kingston Street building includes a lounge, fitness center and 24-hour concierge service.

"Radian's location on the Greenway — adjacent to the Financial District and two blocks from South Station — make this project unique," said Ron Ratner, executive vice president of Forest City.

There are thousands of high-end units in the Hub that are just opening, under construction or in the pipeline, but more affordable options for middle-income residents have not kept up.

"It is a huge problem," said Michael DiMella, president of the Realtors association. "It's very, very difficult to afford Boston right now, especially if you're trying to establish a family."

Walsh announced a Housing Task Force last month to look at options for increasing affordable housing in the city.

"Everything is going to be on the table," Walsh said.

He said the biggest problem is figuring out how to pay for development of middle-market housing, which does not qualify for government subsidies the way low-income housing does, and does not offer the high investment return that luxury units do.

"Everybody seems to have plenty of incentives to create (luxury units)," said Timothy Warren, CEO of real estate publisher The Warren Group. "To create something in the middle is much more difficult."

As part of a city requirement to provide 15 percent affordable housing, the developers of Radian are building the Oxford Ping On project in Chinatown, which will have 66 affordable units.

But that's just a drop in the bucket.

"We need 110,000 units over the next 10 years in this region to sustain the growth in population," Walsh said. "We have to create more housing."

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Website logs state of search topics

What do Canadian men, eyebrow waxing, George Costanza, hangover cure, Muppets, PCP, Tinder and yoga have in common? When they're the subjects of online searches, Massachusetts residents are behind the greatest number of queries about them.

Real estate search site Estately opted for a silly approach to highlighting the differences between states. It ran random search terms through Google Trends — from glam rock to conjugal visits to infected piercing — to see which states performed the most searches on the topics.

"We try to find interesting differences between places for people trying to buy homes," said Ryan Nickum, the Seattle site's lead blogger. "It's superfluous information, but it's kind of a fun way to think about where you want to live."

After starting with basic topics such as religious and political names and terms, Nickum expanded to pop culture, and music and food preferences, before deciding that the stranger the search, the more interesting the results.

"I'm sure people in Massachusetts are searching for the best places to eat, the best places to travel — all the sort of normal searches — but that wouldn't have been as interesting," he said.

But now, Nickum finds himself policing a rather uncomfortable discussion on the blog's comment section. "One of the top results for Washington state was circumcision, and that's led to a little bit too detailed debate … on the merits," he said.

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The Ticker

State Senate votes to expand bottle bill law

Advocates for an expanded bottle bill in Massachusetts are praising a Senate vote to expand the nickel deposit law to include bottled water and other non-carbonated beverages.

The measure was approved as an amendment to the state budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. Supporters of the effort to update the three-decade-old law are gathering signatures to put it before voters in November if the Legislature doesn't act first.

The Senate has voted in the past to expand the law to cover bottled water and sports drinks, but the measure has not advanced in the House.

HP to cut more

Hewlett Packard is bracing to slash an additional 11,000 to 16,000 jobs after it announced a dip in revenue for its second quarter.

The computing giant, which is in the midst of a long restructuring program by CEO Meg Whitman, said revenue was down 1 percent, to $27.3 billion, from the same quarter a year ago.

HP had previously announced plans to cut 34,000 jobs.

TODAY

 Commerce Department releases new home sales for April.

THE SHUFFLE

Disruptor Beam, the company that developed the popular "Game of Thrones Ascent," announced the appointment of Boston PR veteran Elicia Basoli as the company's new director of communications.

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Most frequently Googled phrases across N.E.

Search queries performed in each of the New England states more than any other, according to real estate website Estately:

 Massachusetts: Canadian men, eyebrow waxing, George Costanza, hangover cure, Muppets, PCP, tinder, yoga

 Maine: Cat pics, how to roll a joint, growing marijuana, Michael Flatley's "Lord of the Dance"

 New Hampshire: Cats, Ellen Degeneres, fireworks, free kittens, Live Free or Die, Ron Paul

 Rhode 
Island: Andre the Giant, beer pong, how to roll a blunt, MSNBC

 Vermont: Kale recipe, "The Daily Show", poetry, Phish, LSD, Stephen Colbert

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John Henry sells Worcester paper

Boston Globe owner John Henry announced yesterday he'll sell the Worcester Telegram & Gazette — not to a local owner as he had originally hoped, but to Florida-based Halifax Media Group, which one analyst predicted will soon take a butcher's knife to the newsroom.

"I'd expect layoffs," said Ken Doctor of Newsonomics. "In general, they take a pretty lean approach to management and staffing. ... For readers, they shouldn't expect much of an investment in the news product."

Henry acquired the T&G when he bought The Boston Globe from the New York Times Co. last year. At the time, he told T&G staffers "it's important" for the paper to be under local ownership and he was looking for someone with "tremendous energy and a passion" for the paper, according to a Telegram article.

But Doctor told the Herald that Halifax is a lot more concerned about the bottom line, compared to Henry, who has alluded to turning the Globe into a "laboratory for journalism."

"What they are is a company that looks at this as financial people who say, 'We can make money in the next three to five years if we run them this way'," said Doctor. "Their understanding of the business is as business people ... That's a different take on it than John Henry."

Halifax owns 35 newspapers, with the Telegram being its first venture in the Northeast. It first bought The Daytona Beach News-Journal four years ago and scooped up the New York Times' Regional Media Group a year later.

For a young company, it's been buying and selling quickly. Halifax sold the Santa Rosa Press Democrat of California within a year, and the Sebring News-Sun of Florida within seven months.

The company is backed by Stephens Capital Partners, run by Arkansas billionaire Warren Stephens.

The T&G reported yesterday its interim publisher, James W. Hopson, told staffers three groups — none local — submitted bids. He also said some staffers will lose their jobs by June, the T&G reported.

"The T&G is an excellent local newspaper with a dedicated and talented staff," said Halifax CEO Michael Redding in a statement.

"They understand the Worcester market and bring the passion and commitment needed to preserve the T&G's traditions and build for the future," Globe CEO Mike Sheehan said in a statement.

The companies did not disclose a sales price, and Redding and Sheehan did not return messages seeking comment.

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