Braintree

As the price of gold hovers near historic highs of more than $1,000 an ounce, consumers have faced a barrage of flashy billboards, glaring electronic signs, and high-octane television advertisements promising they can make a mint by trading in unwanted jewelry. But what the ads don't say takes the shine off gold buyers' pitches. ``People think there's a big cash grab waiting for them and that's simply not the case,'' said Ben Popken, comanaging editor of Consumerist.com, owned by the publisher of Consumer Reports. ``It's a really bad deal for consumers.'' To find out just how much gold jewelry might fetch, the Globe purchased three pairs of identical 14-karat gold hoop earrings at a local department store; each pair had a retail price of $160, and a sale price of $62. First, an independent gold coin deal er - Miles Coggan, a rare coin and precious metals specialist who co-owns JJ Teaparty in Downtown Crossing - was asked to estimate the actual value of the gold in the earrings. His fin

BC7Northeastern1 Brian Gibbons scored his first collegiate hat trick, picking up his 100th career point on his first goal, to spice a strong effort from Boston College as the Eagles, ranked No. 8 in the nation, blasted Northeastern, 7-1, yesterday before 6,180 at Conte Forum. The junior from Braintree, by way of Thayer Academy and Salisbury School, scored in each period, improving his season total to 14 goals. He leads the Eagles with 40 points. BC (18-10-2, 13-8-2 Hockey East) is in second place in the conference behind the University of New Hampshire, with just four games left in the regular season. It was a good time for a dominating performance. ``This was a very important game for us,'' said Eagles coach Jerry York, ``coming off what we thought was a well-played game on Friday night. The outcome [a 3-2 loss] concerned us because Northeastern took the two points from us, but I thought we played very well. We talked about coming back with the same type of effort but eliminate the od

Police chief: Ala. prof accused of killing 3 at meeting shot brother dead in Mass. in 1986. An Alabama university professor accused of fatally shooting three colleagues at a faculty meeting this week shot her younger brother dead at their home in the Boston suburbs more than 20 years ago, but records of it are missing, police said Saturday.

T he odds of getting a good night's sleep are rising in America's Hometown. On Obery Street in Plymouth, South Shore Sleep Diagnostics just opened a state-of-the-art sleep center, where the medical team started seeing patients this weekend. Early this month, Jordan Hospital launched its own such center in a medical office building on Resnik Road. The fact that two sleep centers are opening in Plymouth - just a few miles apart - reflects a much larger trend that's playing out across the country, as the quest for sound sleep has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar industry. Since the first handful of sleep labs gained accreditation in 1977, advances in medicine, expanded treatment options, and increased public awareness are leading more people to discuss their sleeping habits with their doctors and seek relief from restless nights. If you happen to snore, have a tendency to sleepwalk, or suffer from insomnia, there are plenty of places south of Boston where your doctor can send you, inc

While contemplating stepping down in 1987 as the state banking commissioner, Paul E. Bulman wanted everyone to know why his four-year tenure was smooth and successful. ``The banks in this state are safer and sounder than ever before,'' he told the Globe that February. ``People say it's because of me. But it isn't. It's the division.'' From someone else, that might have sounded like false modesty, but Mr. Bulman was the first banking commissioner to rise through the ranks to the politically appointed position at the top. Beginning as an entry level junior bank examiner, he held six titles before moving into the corner office with its dazzling vistas of Boston, and he never forgot the view was different at the bottom of the ladder. Mr. Bulman, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, not long after he took care of his wife during her own long illness, died Thursday in South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. He was 71 and lived in Scituate. ``Paul Bulman had that rare combination of perfect integ

BC beats Harvard 6-0; BU tops Northeastern to advance to Beanpot title game. Boston College and Boston University will play in the Beanpot finals for the city's college hockey bragging rights.

As Holbrook moves ahead with plans for construction of a new trash transfer station, officials in the neighboring town of Randolph appear to be taking a tougher stand against the project, while at least some leaders in Braintree, another close neighbor, are taking a more conciliatory approach. Randolph selectmen at the end of last year symbolically voted, 3 to 1, to oppose the facility, one of the last acts by the now-defunct board, as rhetoric began heating up about possible problems, such as traffic, noise, and pollution. Some town officials from Braintree are also taking a hard line. Ken Clifton, a newly elected Randolph town councilor from District 1, said his constituents who live near the site, just across the town line, are horrified. Holbrook, as host of the facility, gets free trash pickup, ``but we get the negative effects,'' Clifton said. ``We want Holbrook to make money, yes, but not at the expense of our residents.'' Some local officials, including Braintree Mayor Joseph C

When a job opened up at Christopher Kokoras Insurance this summer, the agency's manager, Anne Bates, hoped to hire someone right away. A help-wanted ad was posted online and published in local newspapers. Months later, no qualified candidates had applied. Bates was surprised. ``With the economy the way it is,'' she said, ``you would think we'd get responses.'' Sampson Insurance, a 109-year-old agency based in Weymouth, has experienced similar difficulties. ``There seems to be a shortage of talent,'' said president Craig A. Thompson. ``When we post a customer service or account manager job, we'll get the same people we looked at five years ago.'' It's one of several challenges facing today's small independent insurance agencies: They're dealing with unhappy customers (upset over rate increases), competition from national auto insurers (thanks to changes in regulation), and the not-so-easy task of filling their ranks with the next generation of insurance agents. ``It is getting more diff

BRAINTREE - Tim Gadon found himself in a procrastinators' paradise as the clock struck midnight. After the weekend snowstorm blew off the start of his Christmas shopping, Gadon launched a 9 p.m. gift-buying spree at South Shore Plaza Tuesday night. In three hours, he dropped about $700 on everything from books to shoes to Disney toys. ``Usually, I spread out my shopping more, but I waited until the end. I was trying to save up money and holding out for the deals,'' said Gadon, as he stood in the deserted mall with bags hanging from almost every finger. ``These late hours are great and the sales are everywhere.'' Across the region, anxious merchants battered by last weekend's wicked northeaster are offering holdouts like Gadon a cornucopia of promotions and extended hours during the final countdown to Christmas. Toys ``R'' Us welcomed customers until 1 this morning - an hour longer than usual - and Sears for the first time planned to open its doors at 5 a.m. on the day before Christmas

DEDHAM - By 8:30 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving, when the frenzy of Black Friday besieged other malls, Legacy Place was deserted. But the managers at this new shopping center insisted they weren't worried as sheets of rain fell across the empty parking lot. Hours later, shoppers packed the open-air plaza off Route 1, streaming into Showcase Cinema de Lux to catch new releases such as ``The Twilight Saga: New Moon,'' tearing up the alleys at Kings bowling, gorging on sweets at Sugar Heaven, and hitting the sales at various merchants. While traffic dropped off at other retail outlets after Black Friday, Legacy Place was bustling for the rest of the post-Thanksgiving weekend. This holiday, Legacy Place is changing the shopping landscape in Massachusetts by spurning such traditional gimmicks as door-buster deals at the break of dawn and photos with Santa. Instead, the Dedham complex is vying to attract customers with its unique combination of entertainment, upscale restaurants such as

There are the obvious casualties from Tiger Woods's infamous infidelity: the tarnished reputation, lost sponsors, broken marriage, angry fans, and spurned mistresses. But the fallout from Woods's implosion stretches far beyond the orbit of the disgraced superstar, and the aftershocks carry serious implications for Massachusetts, with its $1.6 billion golfing industry. The indefinite leave from golf of this lord of the links has left many businesses - from golf courses to retail shops - worried about the future of a sport that has already been hurt by the recession. Attendance at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, the biggest golfing event in New England, which brings in upward of $50 million annually for the region, is likely to fall with the absence of Woods. Attendance at the tournament plunged 20 percent in 2008, the one year Woods missed the event, due to a season-ending knee injury. And Golfers Warehouse in Braintree is concerned that fewer people, especially youths, will w

At least one of the many complaints about the demise of Brigham's restaurants has landed in court. The owners of Westgate Mall in Brockton have sued Brigham's Inc., claiming the company breached its lease and failed to pay rent before the ice cream shop at the mall was shuttered this fall. ``It's disappointing,'' said Westgate Mall's general manager, Luciano Villani. ``Brigham's had a great product - the ice cream was a nice premium quality ice cream that was well-liked by the New England customer.'' Villani said Brigham's had been a tenant for six years. According to court papers, the restaurant abruptly stopped paying rent in the fall. According to the lawsuit, filed Dec. 8 in Plymouth Superior Court, Brigham's violated the terms of its lease with Westgate Brockton Mall LLC, making it liable for about $50,000 in rent. In November, Brigham's locations across Greater Boston closed, leaving behind angry customers and frustrated employees. At the Arlington restaurant, one of the oldest i

The submarine sandwich wars might soon be upon us. Officials at the Subway sandwich chain said yesterday that they plan to open 130 new stores in Massachusetts over the next five years. There are already 175, according to Bob Hurley, a Subway development agent. ``As far as Subway is concerned, it's just underdeveloped,'' Hurley said yesterday of the Massachusetts sandwich market. ``There's only one store for every 25,000 people. If you look at surrounding areas, states like Rhode Island and Maine, there's one store for every 12,000.'' But veteran Massachusetts sub shop owners said they see no sandwich shortage in the state and questioned whether the effort will be successful. Mike Baravella, manager of Richardi's Original Submarine Sandwich in Braintree, believes the chain could stumble, citing the economy. He said a Subway nearby closed in the last year. ``We buried that one,'' Baravella said. ``I don't think Subway can even compete with mom and pop places.'' Total traffic in the quic

A 38-year-old former Dedham woman serving a one-year prison sentence for shoplifting died Thursday at the minimum- security South Middlesex Correctional Center in Framingham, and authorities are investigating to determine the cause. A roommate of Kelly A. Donovan told employees at the center at 3:43 a.m. that Donovan was having difficulty breathing, according to Diane Wiffin, a spokeswoman for the prison system. Emergency medical personnel from the Framingham Fire Department responded within minutes, but Donovan was pronounced dead at 3:58 a.m. There was no evidence of foul play, Wiffin said, and the death did not appear to be a suicide. She said prison employees followed emergency response procedures, but Department of Correction officials are investigating and contacted state prosecutors, as they do with all unattended deaths of inmates. State Police investigators assigned to the office of Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. and the Framingham police are investigating, ac

Relatives of a Boston firefighter who was killed in January when a 14-year-old firetruck lost its brakes and slammed into a building in Mission Hill are outraged that a bill to upgrade the city's fire fleet has been bottled up for months in the City Council. The bill, which would require the city to replace firetrucks after 10 years, was introduced in June and has not had an initial public hearing. The measure is opposed by city officials, who say the Fire Department has a successful program to replace aging equipment. But in recent days, relatives of Lieutenant Kevin M. Kelley have sent emotional e-mails to city councilors expressing frustration that the bill has not received a hearing. ``Had it already been in effect, Kevin would be alive today,'' said Kathleen Nazzaro of Braintree, Kelley's sister. ``I'd really like an explanation of why it wasn't put on [a hearing schedule] during the summer. I just think the family deserves more than that. He gave 30 years for the city. . . . Are

CAMBRIDGE - He set his sights on Harvard University while in middle school, after stumbling across it in the encyclopedia. Though he lived in a nearby town, the son of a gas station owner had never visited the campus. The nuns at his Catholic high school refused to write him recommendations, proclaiming the college full of atheists, communists, and rich snobs. Not only did William Fitzsimmons get in, one of just a handful of students on a nearly full scholarship the 1960s, he has spent his nearly four-decade career in Harvard admissions helping transform a bastion of privilege into one more accessible to students from backgrounds like his. Now, as the admissions season kicks into high gear, the 65-year-old dean traverses the country on recruiting trips, sharing his tale of how a working-class youth managed to make the trip from the modest streets of Weymouth to Harvard Yard, just 15 miles away but seemingly a world apart. It's a story line he imparts frequently to put Harvard on the ra

CAMBRIDGE - He set his sights on Harvard University while in middle school, after stumbling across it in the encyclopedia. Though he lived in a nearby town, the son of a gas station owner had never visited the campus. The nuns at his Catholic high school refused to write him recommendations, proclaiming the college full of atheists, communists, and rich snobs. Not only did William Fitzsimmons get in, one of just a handful of students on a nearly full scholarship the 1960s, he has spent his nearly four-decade career in Harvard admissions helping transform a bastion of privilege into one more accessible to students from backgrounds like his. Now, as the admissions season kicks into high gear, the 65-year-old dean traverses the country on recruiting trips, sharing his tale of how a working-class youth managed to make the trip from the modest streets of Weymouth to Harvard Yard, just 15 miles away but seemingly a world apart. It's a story line he imparts frequently to put Harvard on the ra

After spending years developing plastic solar energy cells, Konarka Technologies Inc. of Lowell was ready to begin full-scale production of flexible films that could be incorporated into purses and backpacks to create solar chargers for electronic devices. Needless to say, several states were interested in having the company build a factory there. Konarka, however, chose New Bedford, where it found a former Polaroid plant with equipment suited to rolling out its thin films. But more important, said Konarka chief executive Rick Hess, the company was able to hire former Polaroid workers who had the skills to do it. ``We got a manufacturing team with the right capabilities,'' Hess said. ``And certainly, Massachusetts is the right place to be to hire the chemists and scientists that can help us advance our technology.'' Konarka, which acquired the New Bedford plant earlier this year, is the kind of Massachusetts company that often seems to get overlooked: one that is expanding and adding w

When sheriff's deputies unexpectedly told employees at the Brigham's restaurant in Arlington to leave last Friday, locking the doors behind them, longtime waitress Kathy Hogan was angry. But not at the county officers. The owner of the failing ice cream shop chain, Luke T. Cooper, is ``terrible,'' said Hogan, who waited tables at the Arlington location for 37 years. ``It's very obvious he doesn't care about people or give a damn about them.'' The abrupt closure, caused by a landlord's eviction of the restaurant for failure to pay rent, meant she was unable to say goodbye to regular customers she considered family. They included an elderly blind woman who relied on Hogan to read her mail aloud most days. The restaurant chain - once a household name in New England - is expected to file for bankruptcy today, and the 13 locations operated by Cooper's company, Deal Metrics LLC, are closing, Cooper said this week. About a dozen independently owned stores that feature Brigham's ice cream rema

When sheriff's deputies unexpectedly told employees at the Brigham's restaurant in Arlington to leave last Friday, locking the doors behind them, longtime waitress Kathy Hogan was angry. But not at the county officers. The owner of the failing ice cream shop chain, Luke T. Cooper, is ``terrible,'' said Hogan, who waited tables at the Arlington location for 37 years. ``It's very obvious he doesn't care about people or give a damn about them.'' The abrupt closure, caused by a landlord's eviction of the restaurant for failure to pay rent, meant she was unable to say goodbye to regular customers she considered family. They included an elderly blind woman who relied on Hogan to read her mail aloud most days. The restaurant chain - once a household name in New England - is expected to file for bankruptcy today, and the 13 locations operated by Cooper's company, Deal Metrics LLC, are closing, Cooper said this week. About a dozen independently owned stores that feature Brigham's ice cream rema