The Ticker

House approves state sales tax holiday

The Massachusetts House voted 132-13 late Wednesday in favor of holding a state sales tax holiday on Aug. 16-17 — a week earlier than tradition — as part of an economic development package.

The proposal must be reconciled with the state Senate, which is working on its own economic development bill and is expected to take up the issue before the end of the session.

The House rejected a move to make the sales tax holiday an automatic annual event.

Massachusetts has held a sales tax holiday every year since 2004, except for 2009.

Southeastern casino license delayed

State gambling officials are concerned Massachusetts won't see any viable casino proposals emerge in the Fall River/New Bedford area and are considering delaying the licensing process another six months.

The members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, at a meeting at the Hynes Convention Center yesterday, voiced support for pushing back the next deadline for the southeastern region casino license from Sept. 23 to March.

Moderna doubles space in Cambridge

Less than three years after its launch, Moderna Therapeutics has expanded to 320 Bent St. in Kendall Square, effectively doubling the size of its footprint in Cambridge to accommodate a nearly nine-fold increase in its staff.

Since 2011, when it started with 20 employees, Moderna has received more than $1.4 million in tax incentives from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, based on commitments to create more than 70 new jobs. It now has about 170 employees and 100,000 square feet of space.

Uniqlo opening in Faneuil Hall this month

Casual clothing chain Uniqlo — often referred to as the Gap of Japan — will open its first Massachusetts store at Faneuil Hall Marketplace later this month.

The 3,155-square-foot, pop-up store will open June 27, the company said.

Uniqlo is known for its inexpensive clothing in vast color lines.

The closing date for the temporary store hasn't been determined, according to a spokeswoman for Uniqlo, which plans to eventually move into a larger, permanent space in Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Other Uniqlo stores will open Aug. 29 at the Natick Mall and Mall at Chestnut Hill in Newton, Sept. 19 at the Northshore Mall in Peabody and Oct. 24 at Legacy Place in Dedham.

• Cartera Commerce has named Erin Warren, left, as its senior vice president of marketing. In this new role, Warren will leverage her previous direct-to-consumer digital marketing experiences in the financial, technology and consumer goods industries. Prior to joining Cartera, Warren served as the chief marketing officer of CollegeWeekLive and led teams at both Sallie Mae and UPromise.

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Senate approves $1B convention center expansion

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Senate has approved a bill that would allow for a $1 billion expansion of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

Supporters of the bill that passed 31-6 on Thursday say it is necessary to keep the facility competitive with similar convention centers in other cities, and the expansion will create jobs, provide additional tax dollars and boost tourism. The bill authorizes a 1.3 million square foot expansion.

Supporters said the convention center in South Boston, which opened in 1997, isn't large enough and doesn't have enough adjoining hotel rooms to attract many large-scale national and international meetings, which are now going to other cities.

The House passed a convention center expansion bill last month that promised now new taxes.

The House and Senate will work on a compromise.

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State senate OKs $11 minimum wage

Business groups fear it will be harder to make it in Massachusetts if a compromise bill passed by the Senate that would hike the state's minimum wage to the highest in the country is signed into law.

Top House and Senate negotiators struck a deal Wednesday to raise the current $8 per hour minimum wage to $11 per hour by 2017, and the Senate quickly passed it yesterday on a 35-4 vote. The bill does not include a Senate proposal that would have tied the hike to inflation. And it goes beyond a House proposal for a $10.50 per hour wage, without automatic increases for inflation. The House is expected to vote on the compromise bill next week.

"Too many people are trying to live and raise a family in Massachusetts on the current minimum wage and failing," Senate President Therese Murray said. "These changes will make a real difference in the lives of our residents and I am proud of the Legislature for this great accomplishment. But, we can't stop here."

But Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, warned the minimum wage hike could drive many stores out of business.

"I am really concerned about the future and viability of thousands of small businesses," Hurst said. "It's a 38 percent increase in the minimum wage, far above any other state."

While Associated Industries of Massachusetts viewed the lack of indexing to inflation as a small victory, a spokesman said the higher wage will hurt businesses.

"There's plenty of economic reasons not to raise the wage," AIM spokesman Chris Geehern said.

But Jim Klocke, executive vice-president of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, said the deal is fair because it balances the higher wage with unemployment insurance reform for business owners.

Business for a Fair Minimum Wage, a Boston-based network of business owners and executives, applauded the compromise bill.

"A higher minimum wage will boost sales, keep more dollars circulating in our local economy, and reduce the strain on our social safety net caused by poverty wages," said Holly Sklar, the group's director.

Deb Fastino, co-chairman of Raise Up Massachusetts, called the bill a "positive step," but said the group for now would keep collecting signatures for a November ballot question to increase the minimum wage to $10.50.

"It has to pass ... through the House and get to the governor, and if all of this happens before the deadline, then we will make our decision," she said.

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Firm fixing Health Connector site says it’s on target

The head of the company brought on to fix the Bay State's failed Obamacare website told the Herald he's sure his company can get the Health Connector portal ready for a crucial fall relaunch — but stopped short of a guarantee.

"Our confidence level couldn't be higher," said Sanjay Singh, CEO of hCentive, which developed the software the state hopes to use. "I've never seen so much progress in four weeks in any other state we have worked in."

Health Connector officials demonstrated parts of the software at a board meeting yesterday. They are scrambling to meet a June 30 deadline to finish the website's foundation.

"We are very, very, very, very high probability that we will hit that," Singh told the Herald.

State officials also yesterday allowed the 227,374 Bay Staters who were moved to temporary Medicaid coverage — they pay no premiums — to stay on through the end of the year. It has cost $90.5 million to keep people on the temporary insurance, as of June 5, according to Secretary of Administration & Finance Glen Shor.

Critics have pointed out that just about anyone could sign up for the temporary coverage. New state Obamacare czar Maydad Cohen, however, insisted few actually did so.

"Right now, our initial estimate is under 1 percent would be potentially ineligible for that," said Cohen.

The health insurance plans are concerned about how long the temporary coverage may stretch.

"They're not in the right coverage," said Lora Pellegrini of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans. "It could have the impact of folks who haven't paid a premium of 'Why am I suddenly paying a bill?' That's going to be the challenge, and something we all need to work on."

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Elizabeth Arden's Maine estate on the market

ROME, Maine — The former summer home in Maine of beauty magnate Elizabeth Arden is on the market for $765,000.

Arden built the main house in the town of Rome as her summer estate in the 1920s then later established the Maine Chance Spa at the site. Mamie Eisenhower, Edna Ferber, Judy Garland, Lillian Gish and Ava Gardner were among the guests.

Stefan Tufano tells the Kennebec Journal his parents bought the property 41 years ago, a few years after the spa closed in 1970. Tufano moved in to care for them when they were elderly, and now he's ready to sell.

He says the 17-acre property, part of which is in Mount Vernon, is beautiful but hard to maintain.

The property once covered 1,200 acres but was subdivided after Arden's 1966 death.

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Philippines may soon make smoking warnings graphic

MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine legislative committee has approved a bill compelling cigarette manufacturers to print illustrations of smoking hazards on cigarette packs to curb smoking in a country where tens of thousands die yearly from tobacco-related diseases.

The committee with both senators and congressmen passed the bill on Tuesday directing the Department of Health to issue 12 templates of pictures and illustrations that warn about the dangers of smoking.

The full Senate and House of Representatives will formally pass the bill before it is signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III.

The illustrations, which could include pictures of cancerous lungs and throats, will occupy half of the front and back panels of a cigarette pack. The current warning contains only words, saying that smoking is dangerous.

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'Uncharted,' 'LittleBigPlanet' coming to PS4

LOS ANGELES — Sony Corp. announced Monday that it's bringing new installments of the popular video-game franchises "Uncharted" and "LittleBigPlanet" to the PlayStation 4 as it celebrated the 6-month-old game console's marketplace triumph.

Sony also premiered "Abzu," an undersea odyssey from the creators of the award-winning "Journey" and "Entwined," a psychedelic 3-D flying game. And it showed new highlights from the steampunk thriller "The Order: 1886" during its annual presentation at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

On the hardware side, the company said it will bring PlayStation TV, its video- and game-streaming device, to North America and Europe this fall. The $99 device lets users stream video, older PlayStation titles and games for Sony's hand-held Vita system to any TV. The "micro-console," which debuted in November in Japan as PSVita TV, also lets PlayStation 4 players send the action to a second TV.

On July 31, Sony will launch the open beta of its cloud-based PlayStation Now service, which will allow players to stream classic games from Sony's older consoles onto newer devices such as the PS4, the hand-held Vita, Xperia cellphones and Bravia TVs.

Sony is also demonstrating Project Morpheus, its virtual reality headset, at E3. That project, however, won't be available to consumers for at least another year.

Sony has led Microsoft Corp. since both companies began selling their latest consoles in November. Sony has sold 7 million PlayStation 4 consoles to Microsoft's 5 million Xbox One units. However, both companies have outpaced the sales of their predecessor consoles — the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 — during the same amount of time. And Sony's lead is far from insurmountable.

That makes exclusive titles like the just-announced "Uncharted 4: A Thief's End" and "LittleBigPlanet 3" more important. But one much-hyped PS4 exclusive, the racing game "DriveClub," was conspicuously absent at this year's E3 presentation. Many of the games Sony showcased Monday — including Ubisoft's "Far Cry 4," Warner Bros.' "Batman: Arkham Knight" and Deep Silver's "Dead Island 2" — will also be available on the Xbox One, although Sony promised exclusive content or early beta access for each.

One exclusive that will appeal to comic book fans: A live-action drama based on Brian Michael Bendis' popular series "Powers" will begin airing on Sony's PlayStation Network in December.

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Online

http://www.playstation.com

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Follow Lou Kesten on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lkesten

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Bridgewater State Hospital accreditation at risk

BOSTON — A national nonprofit that accredits health care facilities has given Bridgewater State Hospital 45 days to respond to the findings of a surprise inspection prompted by what it called "patient safety concerns."

Failing to do so could cost the facility run by the state prisons agency its accreditation.

The Joint Commission did not release details of what it described as "a preliminary report" from the May 30 inspection, which came after a articles in The Boston Globe (http://bit.ly/1lkiCGm ) about a patient death and widespread use of restraints on mentally ill patients. The facility has also faced several lawsuits.

A Department of Correction spokesman acknowledged the inspection and said the commission's concerns are being addressed.

Bridgewater is a medium-security prison housing men involved with the criminal justice system who are diagnosed as mentally ill.

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

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Weakness in mobile business hurts RadioShack 1Q

FORT WORTH, Texas — RadioShack's first-quarter loss widened and revenue slumped as the retailer dealt with weakness in its mobile business and consumer electronics.

Its performance missed Wall Street's view. The stock dropped more than 18 percent in premarket trading on Tuesday.

CEO Joseph C. Magnacca said in a statement that its mobile business was hurt because the current handset assortment didn't resonate well with customers. It was also contending with more promotions, including those of wireless carriers.

Magnacca said that RadioShack is working on building its pipeline of new products, including private brand and exclusive items such as those from new partnerships with Quirky and PCH.

The company is trying to update its image and compete with the rise of online and discount retailers. Long known as a destination for batteries and obscure electronic parts, RadioShack has sought to remake itself as a specialist in wireless devices and accessories. But growth in the wireless business is slowing, as more people have smartphones and see fewer reasons to upgrade.

Part of its turnaround efforts have included cutting costs, renovating stores and shuffling management. It also announced in March that it planned to close up to 1,100 of its stores in the U.S., leaving it with more than 4,000 U.S. locations.

For the period ended May 3, RadioShack Corp. lost $98.3 million, or 97 cents per share. That compares with a loss of $28 million, or 28 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding certain items, its loss from continuing operations was 98 cents per share. Analysts, on average, expected a loss of 52 cents per share, according to a FactSet poll.

Revenue for the Fort Worth, Texas-based company declined 13 percent to $736.7 million from $848.4 million. Wall Street was calling for $767.5 million.

Sales at stores open at least a year, a key gauge of a retailer's health, fell 14 percent on softer traffic and weakness in the mobile business. This metric excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.

Shares of RadioShack fell 29 cents, or 18.8 percent, to $1.25 om premarket trading about two hours ahead of the market opening .

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FAA OKs commercial drone flights over land

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it has granted the first permission for commercial drone flights over land, the latest effort by the agency to show it is loosening restrictions on commercial uses of the unmanned aircraft.

The BP energy corporation and drone maker AeroVironment of Monrovia, California, have been given permission to use a Puma drone to survey pipelines, roads and equipment at Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, the agency said. The first flight took place on Sunday.

Made by AeroVironment, the Puma is a small, hand-launched craft about 4 1/2 feet long and with a 9-foot wingspan. It was initially designed for military use.

Last summer, the FAA had approved the Puma and the ScanEagle made by Boeing subsidiary Insitu Inc. of Bingen, Washington, for flights over the Arctic Ocean to scout icebergs, count whales and monitor drilling platforms.

"These surveys on Alaska's North Slope are another important step toward broader commercial use of unmanned aircraft," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "The technology is quickly changing, and the opportunities are growing."

Last week, the FAA said it was considering giving permission to seven filmmaking companies to use drones for aerial photography, a potentially significant step that could lead to greater relaxation of the agency's ban on commercial use of drones. So far, the only exceptions to that ban have been limited flights that have been approved over the Arctic Ocean and now Alaska.

Congress directed the FAA to provide commercial drones access to U.S. skies by September 2015, but the agency's efforts to write safety rules for such flights by drones weighing 55 pounds or less have been slow, and it is not expected to meet the deadline. FAA officials are on their third attempt to draft regulations acceptable to the Transportation Department and the White House.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta has said drafting such rules is complex because they must ensure that the large volume and diversity of manned aircraft in U.S. skies are protected. Even a small drone that collides with plane traveling at high speeds or gets chewed up by helicopter rotors could cause a crash.

But as the cost of small drones has come down and their sophistication and usefulness has increased, entrepreneurs and businesses from real estate agents to wedding video makers aren't waiting for government permission. Drone industry officials have warned that the longer the FAA takes to write regulations, the more rogue commercial operators will multiply.

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Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

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