For-profit schools sue state over new regulations

BOSTON — An association representing for-profit schools is suing Attorney General Martha Coakley over new regulations they say are unconstitutional.

Coakley says the regulations require for-profit and occupational schools to provide accurate information to the public while prohibiting misleading advertising and addressing unfair lending practices.

The Massachusetts Association of Private Career School filed a complaint in federal court, arguing the rules impose "a new and unworkable regulatory regime on for-profit educational institutions that is unnecessary, overly burdensome, and in many aspects, impossible to satisfy."

The group also argues the regulations are a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech by compelling certain speech while restraining other speech.

Coakley says the regulations will help protect students by requiring schools disclose in advertisements and recruitment materials information about tuition and fees, placement statistics and graduation rates.

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Sox fans buy into Jeter goodbye

Another legend is ending his career at Fenway Park and Red Sox Nation is embracing the moment at a record pace.

Tickets for this weekend's Red Sox-Yankees games are skyrocketing as Derek Jeter ends his career in Boston. In a rare move, the Sox are also selling the Captain's merchandise.

Tickets for the game tomorrow, Jeter's last, are going for an average of $386 per seat, the second most expensive Sox home game this year. Opening Day was tops when World Series rings were presented, according to Jesse Lawrence, CEO of TiqIQ.

That is close to four times more than the average ticket this year, at $101.

"This game will end up being the third most expensive regular season game over the last four years," Lawrence said of the final game tomorrow. He said fans are clearly willing to pay to say farewell to the Big Apple icon.

Still, prices could have been even higher. When Jeter said he would only be a designated hitter for the series in Boston, prices began to drop, Lawrence said.

"If people are going to pay up, they want to see him," he said.

Jeter has been making a goodbye tour this season after announcing he would retire, ending a 20-year career that began when he won the Rookie of the Year award. He was selected to 14 All-Star teams and won five World Series championships.

Tickets to Jeter's farewell to Yankee Stadium on Thursday went for an average of $768, more expensive than any of the five World Series games in the past four years. He also hit the game-winning single in a made-for-the-Hall moment.

"There's a pretty good argument that it was the most expensive regular season game ever," Lawrence said.

All three games this weekend in Boston are sold out.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox team shop is selling Jeter souvenirs — offering merchandise for an opposing player in a rare move for a "special occasion," Red Sox spokeswoman Zineb Curran said.

The Sox sold merchandise for Ichiro Suzuki when he joined the Mariners from Japan and became an international phenomenon, and sold Cal Ripken Jr. souvenirs at one point.

But the Fenway Faithful showed their class last night — even though Jeter wasn't in the lineup — donning Yankees hats and shirts and waving signs praising the shortstop for all the great memories. "Simply the Best," one sign read. "Farewell Captain & Legend. RE2PECT," stated another placard.

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'World News Tonight' anchor David Muir recalls his move from local Boston news

David Muir recently took over the chair at ABC's "World News Tonight," joining the elite club of evening news anchors -- at an age, 40, that is decidedly younger than the rest. He was first noticed in Variety back in July 2003, when he left a gig as a reporter at Boston's WCVB TV to anchor ABC's overnight broadcast.

What was working at WCVB like?

I felt like the luckiest kid in the world when I landed that job. Anyone who knows the industry (there) will remember the anchor team of Chet Curtis and Natalie Jacobson. They were really known for their sign-on as "Chet and Nat." Their standards were extraordinarily high … I remember my first live report, and you do your return, "Chet and Nat, back to you." I felt so good, and then a moment later thought, "Was that too presumptuous to send it back to them in that tone?" When I got to the newsroom, I went to Natalie and I said, "Was that OK?" She looked at me. "Of course, you're part of the team."

Were you aware of your first mention in Variety?

I try not to look at much coverage about me in this job. I try to keep my head down. But I'm honored it was covered.

Was life as hectic for you then as it must be for you now?

It was a different kind of hectic. At that time, Boston was one of the greatest markets to cover. Viewers wanted information on politics, but also the Red Sox and the Patriots. Snowstorms were outsized, too. It was a great training ground.

How did it feel when you got the call to go to a national network?

Network news was always my dream, but it wasn't as though I planned on it happening that quickly. There were a couple of calls of interest, and I felt privileged to have had those calls.

What did it take to adjust to life in New York City?

A Metrocard. I still use it after the show is over. Couldn't live without it.

Did you ever imagine anchoring an evening newscast was in your future?

Oh, no. I did grow up as a 12-year-old boy in upstate New York who would, playing at the end of the day, excuse myself from the backyard to go and watch the evening news. Peter Jennings was my choice, and I even remember then thinking that this guy is the James Bond of the evening news. I never dreamed I would be sitting in his chair one day. I still don't think it has set in.

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

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Massachusetts electric rates shoot up 37 percent

BOSTON — Many Massachusetts households are going to see their electric bills shoot up 37 percent this winter, a rate increase that some advocates fear will put additional strain on low-income families.

State regulators approved the increase for National Grid household customers that would mean an average of $33 per month more for the typical residential customer and would push a typical monthly bill higher than $150.

Large-business customers will see even higher increases.

National Grid has almost 1.3 million residential and business electric customers in Massachusetts. The new rates take effect in November.

"This is pretty bad, and it's going to really have a bearing on a lot of Massachusetts households' abilities to just make ends meet this winter," John Howat, senior energy analyst at the National Consumer Law Center in Boston, told The Boston Globe.

The utility blame the rate hikes on the cost of buying electricity from power plants, which has soared because of an increased demand for natural gas used to generate electricity.

"This is something that's not within National Grid's control," spokesman Jake Navarro said. "This is a market-based problem."

The rate hikes will also hurt businesses.

"It's a very difficult thing, particularly for small businesses at a time when they're already struggling with the highest health care costs in the country and soon to be highest minimum wage," Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, told the Boston Herald. "All these things are required costs of doing business, and it's very difficult to be profitable."

NStar, with more than 1.1 million customers in the state, and Western Massachusetts Electric Co., with about 213,000 customers, also expect to seek rate increases, a spokesman said.

Those companies, both owned by Northeast Utilities, won't file their winter rate requests until later this fall.

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Boston has designs on Huntington

It's home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, New England Conservatory, Huntington Theatre Co., Northeastern University, Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

And now the Boston Redevelopment Authority wants the Huntington Avenue area, known as the "Avenue of the Arts," to live up to that institutional weight in terms of urban design.

The city's planning and economic development agency is seeking proposals to develop design guidelines that will elevate the area's character in terms of future development and a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape.

Its solicitation comes in the wake of zoning relief and conceptual approval granted last year for future projects — individual components of which still need BRA approval — that will effect the Avenue of the Arts, which runs from Massachusetts Avenue to Longwood Avenue, and the immediate surrounding area.

"The idea is to really give a more coherent urban character for this most important avenue," said Kairos Shen, director of planning at the BRA, who conceded it's "not particularly beautiful" now.

Projects set to affect the area include Wentworth's redevelopment of Sweeney Field at 500 Huntington Ave. into a 650,000-square-foot research and academic complex. Northeastern's master plan includes 2 million-plus square feet of new academic, student life, housing and athletic space. The final location and appearance of those buildings, open spaces and public amenities still are subject to BRA approval.

"There could be better coordination among the projects," Shen said. "These guidelines will help us coordinate the specific design and development review."

Future MFA projects include infilling or enclosing the west courtyard, a new wing on the west side of the museum, upgrading the School of the MFA, a new underground parking garage and landscaping.

The BRA study is in line with Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh's focus on the arts and culture in his administration and the city. Walsh this week named Julie Burros as Boston's first cabinet-level chief of arts and culture, who will oversee the creation of a long-term cultural plan for the city and increase diversity and inclusion in the arts and secure funding.

The planned study was welcomed by the MFA, which asked the BRA to implement a collaborative approach to the future planning of the Avenue of the Arts in August 2013, according to spokeswoman Karen Frascona. "The MFA is pleased that Mayor Martin Walsh and the BRA have authorized a comprehensive planning process, and we look forward to working with our neighbors on a long-term plan for the area," she said.

A spokesman for the BSO said it is "very encouraged by the renewed focus on this incredibly vibrant neighborhood."

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Partners HealthCare agrees to price caps in new deal

Lawrence Memorial and Melrose-Wakefield hospitals would cap prices for 61⁄2 years under a revised agreement between Attorney General Martha Coakley and Partners HealthCare, which is planning to acquire the two medical centers along with South Shore Hospital.

Partners also agreed to maintain the same level of psychiatric and behavioral health at its Hallmark and North Shore hospitals for five years, according to Coakley's office.

"These additional concessions will mitigate the potential for higher prices related to this transaction and ensure that mental health treatment remains fully accessible to the surrounding community," Coakley said in a statement.

The state's Health Policy Commission has warned that the Partners takeover of the three hospitals would spike costs by between $38.5 million and $49 million for the state's top three insurance companies.

"I commend the attorney general for pushing Partners to mitigate the price impact of the Hallmark transaction, one of the major concerns identified in our report," said Dr. Stuart Altman, chairman of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. "I look forward to learning more details as we review the amended consent judgment and the attorney general's response to the public comments."

Partners — the health care behemoth that owns Massachusetts General, Brigham and Women's and six other acute care facilities and employs some 6,500 doctors — has entered into a settlement with Coakley to avoid an antitrust investigation by her office.

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Renters show appetite for luxury

Renters are snapping up the first wave of new luxury apartment buildings in the Hub even as a second wave of high-end rentals are starting to pre-lease.

"People ask how many more people can afford these rents, but there are a lot of well-paid, dual-income households who can," said Travis D'Amato, a senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle who focuses on multihousing. "We've gained 67,000 new jobs since the bottom of the recession and Boston's population is growing 1 percent a year. The rental base is increasing."

D'Amato believes that 8,800 new Hub apartments already completed or scheduled to be by 2017 will not be enough to meet demand. First-wave projects such as 315 on A and the Kensington are nearly full, but other buildings are offering concessions to stay on target for leasing up within a year of opening.

"It's marketing magic," D'Amato said. "You get people in the door with one or two months free but they're still getting the high monthly rents over the life of the lease."

High-end buildings such as Avalon Exeter have been attracting empty nesters.

"Many of these renters still own properties on the Cape or in Florida, but want to rent in the city," said Dennis Gramolini, community manager of Avalon Exeter.

Avalon Exeter, which is about 55 percent leased, has rents ranging from $2,600 to more than $13,000. A 1,621-square-foot 27th-floor two-bedroom penthouse with panoramic views of the Back Bay and Charles River on two sides just rented for $12,800 a month

"The first wave of luxury apartments in Boston is doing well because it addressed the pent-up demand from the years that there was no new production," said Michael Roberts, vice present of development for AvalonBay Communities. "The second wave is all about the new demographics of the city and the growth of the local economy."

Along with baby boomers, a big part of new urban demographic is the millennials, young professionals between 25 and 35.

"Millennials are willing to pay a higher percentage of their income for rent because many don't have cars, but they need apartments near public transportation," D'Amato said.

Avalon Bay is targeting millennials with its new Ava brand in a 398-unit Theater District project under construction as well as a nearly completed 250-apartment building in Somerville's Assembly Row. The Ava brand features Twitter walls, modern interior design and social spaces that encourage networking.

The upcoming 378-unit Troy Boston in the South End will have an eco-friendly focus much like 315 on A.

The neighboring Ink Block's 392 apartments, on the former site of the Boston Herald, will be in three buildings, each with a unique look.

"1 Ink will have sophisticated Euro-style interiors, 2 Ink will be more edgy and colorful and 3 Ink will use a lot of natural materials," said Ted Tye, managing partner of National Development, who said pre-leasing will start next week for an early 2015 opening. "We are taking a different approach to appeal to a wide variety of renters."

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Coakley: Partners agrees to price cap under deal

BOSTON — Attorney General Martha Coakley said Partners HealthCare has agreed to cap prices at Hallmark Health Centers for six and a half years if it's allowed to acquire Hallmark under a revised deal.

Coakley's office renegotiated the agreement after the state's Health Policy Commission criticized part of the original deal to allow Partners to acquire Hallmark, which owns Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Medford and Melrose-Wakefield Hospital.

The original agreement included a provision that allowed Coakley and Partners to reopen negotiations if the commission determined there would be a "likelihood of materially increased prices" as a result of Partners' acquisition of Hallmark.

Coakley said Thursday that her office pushed for the cap. The agreement is part of Coakley's anti-trust investigation into Partners.

Coakley said Partners also has jointly agreed to maintain the current level of psychiatric and behavioral health services at its Hallmark and North Shore facilities.

"These additional concessions will mitigate the potential for higher prices related to this transaction and ensure that mental health treatment remains fully accessible to the surrounding community," Coakley said Thursday in a written statement.

The revised agreement was filed in Suffolk Superior Court on Thursday. Coakley said the amended consent judgment is expected to be considered by Judge Janet Sanders. The next court date is Monday.

If approved by the court, the consent judgment will also resolve the antitrust investigation by Coakley's office into Partners and its acquisition of South Shore Hospital.

Coakley also said Thursday that her office filed its formal response to the more than 100 comments received as part of the public comment period ordered by the court.

Coakley, who is running for governor, has been criticized over the deal by her political rivals.

Republican candidate for governor Charlie Baker, the former head of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, has said the agreement is too complicated and too hard to enforce.

Baker has said the deal should have focused on two or three items, like requiring Partners to post the prices of its medical services and freezing any expansion of its physician network.

Under the agreement a monitor — selected by Coakley's office and paid for by Partners — will ensure that Partners complies with the terms of the consent judgment for the duration of the agreement.

If Partners violates the terms of the consent judgment, the organization could be held in contempt of court and face penalties, Coakley has said.

Partners HealthCare is Massachusetts' largest hospital and physicians' network.

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One Seaport Square complex to include movie theater

WS Development has signed a 20-year lease for a movie theater at One Seaport Square, an estimated $600 million pair of 22-story apartment and retail towers slated for South Boston's Seaport District.

Chicago-based Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres will occupy about 41,375 square feet of third-floor space in the project, which will include 260,000 square feet of retail in total.

Kerasotes operates ShowPlace ICON Theatres in Chicago and St. Louis Park, Minn., that include a lobby lounge, reserved seating and dining with alcohol in leather sofa-style chairs with tables. It also runs a standard multiplex movie theater, Kerasotes Showplace 14, in Secaucus, N.J.

Kerasotes couldn't be reached for comment, but its website says it plans to open more of its ICON Theatres in other major U.S. markets.

Michael McNaughton, senior vice president of Chestnut Hill-based WS Development, would not comment on the deal.

"We're planning a groundbreaking in the next 30 days, and our goal was to work within that time-frame to unveil some key announcements," he said.

At 1.1 million square feet, One Seaport Square is the largest project in the $3.5 billion Seaport Square neighborhood, which is set to include 6.3 million square feet of mixed-used projects on 23 acres. WS Development is handling all of the leasing for the 1.3 million square feet of Seaport Square's retail space.

Boston multifamily-housing investor and manager Berkshire Group paid $72 million in December to buy three acres for One Seaport Square from master developers Morgan Stanley and Boston Global Investors, which will remain a limited partner.

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Permits Wynn Resort's next battle

Among the mountain of permits Wynn Resorts must secure to capitalize on its casino license in Everett is a risky waterfront development approval that one expert said is prone to delays and appeals from project opponents.

Wynn, which has a 3-year construction schedule, needs up to 15 permits for its $1.6 billion casino from a range of agencies, including the state departments of transportation, conservation and recreation, and environmental protection, as well as the Boston Transportation Department, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

Wynn also needs to close a $6 million deal with the MBTA to acquire land for its site access, and file detailed reports with the DEP on cleanup of the arsenic and lead contamination on the former Monsanto site.

One of the most difficult permits Wynn has to obtain for its casino on the Mystic River is a "Chapter 91" waterfront approval, which can be appealed by a group of 10 opponents, as long as five are residents. And it's not unheard of for competitors to prop up local opposition, said Jamy Buchanan Madeja, a permitting expert and former general counsel to the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

"The processing time is always long and the appeal opportunities abound," Buchanan Madeja said. "There is no reason this proposal couldn't meet all the legal criteria. However, appeals are allowed either way."

Wynn project manager Chris Gordon acknowledged Chapter 91 is the "longest-lead item" in the menu of approvals it needs, but said the recent explosion of development under the law along Boston's waterfront bodes well.

"I don't think we have any more exposure than a regular developer would have all along the waterfront in Boston," Gordon said. "We've built it into our schedule so it won't hold us up, but it's one we want to make sure we get going on. In this kind of development, you certainly have a lot of regulatory work that's required. We think that we're in pretty good shape."

Gordon said Wynn reps are meeting weekly with state transportation officials to answer their questions about traffic counts, and plan to meet with Boston officials about traffic work at Sullivan Square in Charlestown before filing a key catch-all environmental impact report by the first week of November, when voters will decide whether to repeal the state's casino law.

Gaming commission spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said the panel will require periodic progress reports from Wynn.

"The commission will use those reports to see where progress is occurring at an appropriate level and where greater speed or effort is needed," Driscoll said in a statement. "However, the commission ... respects the statutory and regulatory responsibilities that other agencies have in making permitting decisions."

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