It’s a Whole new story at 
old Herald site

Whole Foods Market debuted its newest Boston store in the South End yesterday — its second largest in the region and considered a flagship for its North Atlantic division — and co-CEO Walter Robb sees room in the Hub for another of its size.

"We've seen the city evolving, so we have lots of plans," the Boston native said. "The opportunity to come in here and get 50,000 square feet — that's hard to do these days, and I do think there's another one (in the future pipeline)."

The Austin-based natural and organic food company entered Massachusetts in 1992 with its $26.2 million purchase of the former six-store, Boston-based Bread & Circus.

Its South End supermarket is in National Development's $200 million Ink Block project, the former Boston Herald headquarters site for more than half a century, and it memorializes the newspaper's history throughout its decor.

"It will be a great part of the community, but I'm also blown away by how much recognition of the Herald has been preserved," said Herald Publisher Patrick J. Purcell, a minority investor in the Ink Block project.

Newton's National Development worked for five years to bring a supermarket there, according to managing director Ted Tye.

"But no one quite got this neighborhood and what we were trying to do," Tye said. "Is it Chinatown? Is it the South End? Is it safe? There was a little risk at the time. (Whole Foods) set the tone for what we're trying to do here — nice, upscale development."

South End resident John Young was shopping at the new Whole Foods just after its opening yesterday.

"We've had a wonderful Foodie's (Urban Market in the South End), but we've been hankering for a Whole Foods," he said. "Now I don't have to get deep lines in my hands carrying heavy bags all the way from (the Symphony Whole Foods)."

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Dec. gains cap year of strong job growth

Employers posted strong gains in hiring in December, capping the best year for job creation since 1999 and showing businesses are increasingly confident, but analysts don't expect a repeat of those blockbuster numbers this year.

"Prospects for 2015 are good, but not great. The 2015 job tally will still be solid at about 2.65 million," said Doug Handler and Michael Montgomery, of IHS Global Insight, in a research note. "(2015) will only earn a silver medal rather than gold."

Employers added 252,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department reported yesterday, for a total of close to 3 million jobs last year.

"It's a strong report, 252k jobs is good," said Nigel Gault, co-chief economist at The Parthenon Group, "and the number in the previous couple of months was revised up."

The jobs numbers for October and November were revised upward by 50,000 and the unemployment rate dropped to 5.6 percent from 5.8 percent in November. The rate is now at its lowest point since 2008, but that was affected at least in part by people giving up looking for work.

Yesterday's jobs report also threw a puzzling wrench in the cogs for economists. Conventional wisdom says more jobs will put pressure on employers to pay workers more, but average hourly earnings actually declined in December.

"It's just very odd to understand why wage inflation would be slowing at this point," Gault said. "People don't see the sort of spending power increases helping increase their real incomes and give consumer spending a boost."

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They introduced Boston to the top designers

Bloggers are abuzz with the big fashion news about Louis closing. The Louis legacy, started by Murray Pearlstein, father of current owner Debi Greenberg, is both impressive and transformative.

Before Louis, Boston didn't have the pleasure of knowing high-end European designers such as Marni and Dries Van Noten. Greenberg brought those and many others here. Recently, she invited in designer Jason Wu to meet clients.

It all started with a pawn shop in Roxbury opened by Greenberg's great-grandfather Louis and continued with her pops Murray, famous for introducing Boston to Armani, the three-piece suit, pastels for men and more.

The store's move to Fan Pier sparked mixed emotions in shoppers and employees as the Newbury Street location was a stylish mainstay. Fashion designer (and former Louis customer) Daniela Corte reminisced about the old Louis.

"It's sad. I bought so many amazing pieces that I still own and love. I had so many great moments there. When they moved they lost me," Corte said.

Even if you couldn't afford to shop at the Newbury site, you still might go in for lunch at Cafe Louis (later called restaurant L), which introduced the city to master chef Michael Schlow. You could also browse the first floor, filled with apothecary items, quirky home wares, international mags and vintage finds. Level 1 also featured one of the coolest music bars around with a curated collection run by in-house DJ Felix Cutillo.

"Louis was a leader in this industry doing things that no one else was doing. Like the music bar. They did it and then Bergdorf Goodman followed," Cutillo said. "It was about a lifestyle, music, fashion food and everyone wanted to be a part of it."

Goodbye Louis. Thanks for the memories.

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Stylish townhouse resides 
in Somerville

This stylishly designed four-level contemporary townhouse between Davis and Teele squares in Somerville comes with a number of smart-home-enabled features.

An apps package lets you use your mobile device to control the unit's fireplace, lighting, built-in Sonos surround system and Nest thermostats. The doorbell rings on your device and an entry camera lets you see who's at the door and open it.

The three-bedroom Unit 3
at 41 Elmwood St. is one of eight townhouses in three buildings. It has an attached garage and a private top-floor deck, and is on the market for $1,249,900.

You enter the attached HardiePlank-sided townhouse into a foyer with a coat closet. A few steps up is an open living/dining area with 14-foot ceilings with recessed lighting and built-in speakers. This space has three tall 9-over-9 windows with transoms above, stained oak floors and a built-in stone-faced gas fireplace with storage shelves on one side.

You step up from the living area into a stylish oak-floored kitchen with 20 dark-stained custom 
locally made wood cabinets and white quartz countertops, including an island/breakfast bar that seats four. Stainless-steel appliances include a built-in Sub-Zero refrigerator, a Bosch wall oven, microwave and dishwasher, and a Wolf electric induction cooktop with a glass-mosaic tile backsplash. The kitchen has four windows as well as a built-in white quartz-topped desk area.

Off the kitchen sits a ceramic-tiled half bathroom.

A turning oak staircase leads up to two bedrooms on the second level, with a closet off the hallway holding a stacked stainless-steel Asko washer and dryer.

The master bedroom has oak floors, two windows, and two closets with built-in storage, one a walk-in. The en-suite master bathroom features porcelain-tile floors and surround a walk-in shower with a rolling glass door. A digital shower controller warms up the water, displays temperature and has a timer. There's a double-sink wood vanity topped with light-brown granite.

Across the hall is a smaller second bedroom with oak floors, five windows and a double-door closet. There's also a second full bathroom with a porcelain tile floor, a white-quartz-topped vanity and white subway tile around a tub shower.

Stairs to the third level open onto a flex space — a third bedroom or home office with two windows and a skylight. A glass door leads out to a decent-sized private deck.

The fourth level leads down from the living area. Halfway down is direct access to an attached one-car garage. And there's a glass door out to a rear passageway but no private or common yard space.

The lower level has a carpeted family room with a full-size window. Off this space sits a half bathroom with a pedestal sink.

A utility room holds a tankless water heater and the unit's forced-air heating and central air-conditioning systems.

Home Showcase

• Address: 41 Elmwood St., Unit 3, Somerville
• Bedrooms: Three
• Bathrooms: Two full, two half
• List price: $1,249,900
• Square feet: 2,199
• Price per square foot: $568
• Annual taxes: To be determined
• Monthly condo fee: $195
• Location: A half mile to restaurants, retail and Red Line T station in Davis Square; quarter mile to offerings in Teele Square.
• Built in: 2014
• Broker: Stephen Bremis of Bremis Realty at 617-828-1070

Pros:

• Living dining area with 14-foot ceilings, tall windows, horizontal gas fireplace
• Smart-home technology with Sonos sound system with built-in speakers, Nest thermostats
• Stylish kitchen with white quartz counters, custom-made cabinets, high-end appliances, built-in desk
• Master bedroom suite with two closets, bathroom with digital-controlled shower
• Top floor flex room opens out to private deck

Cons:

• No private or common yard space

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Jeb beats the bushes for Boston donations

Likely Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush quietly swooped into Boston yesterday for a fundraising lunch with business bigwigs as he builds his 2016 campaign war chest.

Bush, the former Florida governor, was hosted by Robert Reynolds, chief executive of Putnam Investments.

Laura McNamara, a Putnam spokeswoman, described the event as a "fundraising luncheon," but did not provide any other details

Former Bay State U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who told the Herald on Thursday that he would be meeting with Bush, tweeted out a picture from the luncheon and said they were "discussing 2016 possibilities."

Bush is likely to be a favorite of the Boston business community, according to Marc Landy, a Boston College political science professor.

"Certainly because the Boston money community and ... the monied Republicans (in Massachusetts) are not as conservative, he's probably going to make some good hay," Landy said.

Bush has formed the Right to Rise PAC to lay the groundwork for a presidential bid, and has been making trips across the country to raise money.

He also met privately this week with donors in Connecticut and Manhattan.

Aides to the former governor yesterday shot down a Bloomberg News report that Bush aims to raise $100 million by April.

Bush was the third potential Republican presidential contender to come to Boston in two days. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and repeat candidate Mitt Romney attended Gov. Charlie Baker's inauguration on Thursday.

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Jaguar sedan’s power doesn’t pounce

The 2015 Jaguar XF Sport delivers a highly refined driving experience worthy of its price.

Built to compete with the Audi A6, BMW 5 series, and Mercedes-Benz E-Class vehicles, the Jaguar XF is an excellent choice for those who want to stand out from the crowd. With an MSRP of $59,875, it could even be considered a good value as it comes packed with standard features.

This British-made sedan possesses plenty of power — enough to maintain interest, but not so much that it overwhelms. It has a responsive and peppy 340-horsepower, 3.0-liter V6 engine with acceleration that doesn't lurch or intimidate. The XF Sport's engine is in the middle of the XF lineup, which ranges from a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder to a 5.0-liter V8 engine.

The XF Sport has an intelligent all-wheel-drive system that keeps the power on the rear wheels until needed, providing sure footing even in slick road conditions. For further control in adverse weather conditions, it also has winter and dynamic modes.

Our tester had an aerodynamic exterior coated in Italian racing red metallic paint, a charcoal interior and 20-inch dark grey wheels. It comes equipped with heated leather seats and a heated steering wheel, which were both tested on a raw, cold day and proved strong enough to use instead of the climate control system. It also had a heated windshield.

Retractable air vents automatically open on ignition for a James Bond effect when using the car's push-button start. Access to the car is gained by a keyless entry system, so you only need to have the key in your pocket to open the locked doors.

Xenon headlights present clear definition even on back streets at night. Signature LED lights outline the headlights, giving this Jaguar an even more distinctive look.

The steering is impressive. Tight spots are easily navigated and parking is incredibly easy. The XF also has a blind spot monitor to alert you to oncoming vehicles in other lanes.

Like its recent Jaguar and Range Rover predecessors, the XF has "intelligent stop-start," which is annoying in that it can only be overridden on a trip-by-trip basis.

Jaguar (and Range Rover for that matter) could use a revamp of the electronics/entertainment cluster. It is a very capable 380-watt touch screen GPS/entertainment system with great sound, but it is not customizable and cannot be configured to match your preferred mode as a default.

A four-year, 50,000 mile warranty with roadside assistance matches the other vehicles in its class. The only drawback when considering a Jaguar is its reliability reputation and lower than average resale value.

In the end, the Jaguar XF Sport is a thoroughly enjoyable vehicle that boasts both style and performance.

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SpaceX launches for NASA, no luck with rocket landing at sea

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX pulled off another successful launch of supplies to the International Space Station on Saturday, but its revolutionary attempt to land the leftover booster on an ocean barge fared less well.

The company's billionaire founder Elon Musk said the first-stage of the unmanned Falcon rocket made it to the platform floating a couple hundred miles off Florida's northeastern coast. But the booster came down too hard and broke apart, he said.

"Close, but no cigar this time," Musk said via Twitter. He said it bodes well for the future, though.

It was the first time anyone tried anything like this. Musk maintains that recovering and reusing rockets is essential for bringing down launch costs and speeding up operations.

The primary mission for SpaceX was delivering more than 5,000 pounds of supplies ordered up by NASA, including hasty replacements for experiments and equipment lost in the destruction of another company's cargo ship last fall, as well as extra groceries. Belated Christmas presents were also on board for the six space station astronauts.

"Hurrah! A #Dragon is coming to visit bringing gifts," Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti said in a tweet from orbit.

Without interfering with the $133 million delivery, Musk had fins for guidance and landing legs installed on the first stage of the rocket, and positioned a modified barge off the coast of Jacksonville. A ship with SpaceX staff watched from a safe 10 miles away as the 14-story booster approached the platform, marked with a giant X.

Musk reported that the platform itself — 300 feet by 100 feet, with wings stretching the width to 170 feet — was fine following the attempted touchdown well before dawn. But he said some of the equipment on deck will need to be replaced. There ended up being no good video of the "landing/impact," he said in a tweet, noting it was "pitch dark and foggy" out in the ocean.

"Will piece it together from telemetry and ... actual pieces," he said.

Brief TV images from booster cameras, broadcast by NASA, showed water bubbles.

In the weeks preceding the landing test, Musk had estimated there was a 50-50 chance, at best, that the Falcon's first-stage booster would land vertically on the platform. A pair of attempts last year to bring boosters down vertically on the open ocean went well, but company officials conceded before Saturday's try that a platform touchdown was considerably more challenging.

Once separated from the upper stage of the rocket Saturday, the main booster re-ignited as planned for the flyback, according to SpaceX. Automatic engine firings maneuvered the booster down toward the autonomous, modified barge. The Air Force maintained the ability, as always, to destroy the booster if it strayed off course.

NASA watched the post-launch drama with keen interest, but its biggest focus was on the Dragon racing toward the space station. The capsule is due to arrive there Monday.

The shipment — the sixth by SpaceX since 2012 — is needed more than usual because of the recent loss of another company's supply ship.

Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Antares rocket exploded seconds after liftoff in October, destroying the entire payload and damaging the Virginia launch complex. That rocket is grounded until next year.

This SpaceX delivery was supposed to occur before Christmas, but was delayed by a flawed test-firing of the rocket. Then a problem with the rocket's steering system cropped up at the last minute during Tuesday's initial launch attempt.

NASA is paying SpaceX and Orbital Sciences to keep the space station stocked in the wake of the retired shuttle program. The $1.6 billion contract with SpaceX calls for 12 flights; the $1.9 billion contract with Orbital calls for eight. SpaceX also returns items to Earth; Orbital cannot.

Russia and Japan will make their own supply runs this year.

SpaceX, headquartered in Hawthorne, California, also has been contracted by NASA to develop beefed-up Dragons for astronaut rides to the space station, beginning as early as 2017. Boeing also is hard at work on a manned capsule. In the meantime, NASA is paying tens of millions of dollars to Russia for each U.S. astronaut launched aboard the Soyuz spacecraft.

___

Online:

SpaceX: http://www.spacex.com/

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

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Massachusetts investment adviser, companies charged by SEC

BOSTON — Officials with the Securities and Exchange Commission say they've charged a Massachusetts investment adviser and his companies on allegations they misappropriated at least $16 million belonging to a fund managed by some of the defendants.

The SEC announced the charges Friday against 40-year-old Daniel Thibeault of Framingham and several companies the agency said he controls, including Graduate Leverage LLC, GL Capital Partners LLC and GL Investment Services LLC, all based in Waltham.

The SEC alleges Thibeault and GL Capital Partners were the investment advisers to a fund called the GL Beyond Income Fund and misappropriated at least $16 million from the fund to use for personal expenses and to run other businesses.

Thibeault and his lawyers didn't immediately return messages Friday.

Thibeault also was charged with securities fraud last month.

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AP Source: GM plans affordable 200-mile electric car in 2017

DETROIT — General Motors plans to start selling an affordable electric car in 2017 that will be able to go 200 miles on a single charge.

A person briefed on the matter told The Associated Press that GM plans to start selling a $30,000 battery powered family car called the Chevrolet Bolt sometime in 2017.

A concept version of the car will be unveiled Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the official announcement hasn't been made.

The Bolt has been in the works for years and is designed to compete with electric offerings from Tesla Motors Inc. and Nissan Motor Co.

The Palo Alto, California-based Tesla has plans for a $35,000 electric car called the Model 3, which also is expected to go 200 miles per charge. Nissan sells the electric Leaf, which starts at about $30,000 and can go up to 100 miles per charge.

GM has been selling the Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car since late 2010, but it goes only 38 miles on electric power before a gas generator kicks in. An updated version of the Volt with greater all-electric range also will be unveiled at the auto show.

GM conceived the $35,000 Volt as a mass-market car that could handle most trips on electric power, but had the generator to end worries that people would run out of juice. A concept version of the first-generation Volt was unveiled eight years ago at a time when GM didn't know for certain that the battery system would work.

The company also offers the all-electric Chevy Spark subcompact that can go 82 miles on a charge. It starts at $26,685. Electric cars are eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Doug Parks, GM's vice president of global product development, said in 2013 that GM was working on a 200-mile electric car for around $35,000, confirming that the company was in a race with other automakers to hit that mileage range at a moderate price.

GM has invested millions in developing electric cars starting with the EV1 in the 1990s. It doubled the size of its battery testing lab at a technical center in suburban Warren, Michigan, to 100,000 square feet in 2013, allowing it to test batteries and controls faster. It took about four years for GM to develop the Volt and bring it to market.

The new Volt, due out later this year, will hit showrooms at an uncertain time for electric vehicles with gas prices at $2.15 a gallon nationwide, down more than $1 per gallon from a year ago.

The 200-mile electric car was first reported late Friday by the Wall Street Journal.

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Oil price fall a top topic as Venezuelan president in Iran

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran and Venezuela vowed Saturday to work together to stabilize falling global oil prices as Iran's supreme leader accused "enemies" of using crude prices as a political weapon.

With Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by his side, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged OPEC members to "neutralize schemes by some powers against OPEC and help stabilize an acceptable oil price in 2015." Maduro also called for OPEC's cooperation in stabilizing oil prices.

Both Iran and Venezuela rely on oil prices to boost their respective economies. Oil prices have plunged more than 55 percent since June to less than $50 a barrel, placing a severe strain on the two countries.

Maduro is touring several OPEC nations to drum up support for a production cut to boost prices. He is to visit Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, to discuss the oil market slump.

"We are making efforts to create a consensus among OPEC members and other oil-producing states, including Russia, to cooperate and use novel mechanisms to reverse the oil price to an acceptable level," Maduro was quoted by Iranian state television as saying.

Maduro later met with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who blamed the freefall in oil prices on "enemies."

"Our common enemies are using oil as a political weapon and they definitely have a role in the sharp fall in oil price," state television quoted Khamenei as saying.

Khamenei did not elaborate, but Shiite power Iran indirectly has blamed the Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a regional rival, for pushing down the prices over refusing to cut its production. OPEC as a whole has yet to agree to curb production.

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