1. Extend commuter rail to Manchester, N.H., study recommends
NASHUA — Expanding commuter rail from Lowell, Mass., to Manchester, N.H., is the best option to help attract employers, lure new residents, and support economic growth, according to a two-year study released Tuesday. The New Hampshire Capitol Corridor Rail and Transit study shows that stretching rail to Manchester would cost $246 million. That plan envisions 3,120 riders each weekday and 5,600 jobs created. Getting the rail to Nashua would cost $120 million in capital expenses and attract about 2,000 riders a day. That option would create an estimated 1,200 jobs. Federal funding would cover at least half the cost of the Manchester project and probably more. Governor Maggie Hassan called for expanded commuter service from New Hampshire to Boston in her inaugural address in January.
— ASSOCIATED PRESS
2. Things go better with — milk?
NEW YORK — That the carbonated drink market has gone, well, soft, and beverage behemoth Coca-Cola has been looking to diversify its offerings has been a given for years. But high-end moo juice? Coke is rolling out Fairlife, a premium milk with more protein and less sugar. And it’s betting people will pay twice as much for it. The national rollout comes as people increasingly seek out some type of functional boost from their foods and drinks, whether it’s more fiber, antioxidants, or protein. That has left the door open for Coke’s entry into your neighborhood milk case. The result is a drink that Fairlife says is lactose free and has 50 percent more protein, 30 percent more calcium, and 50 percent less sugar than regular milk. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
3. Amazon could be in market for RadioShack outlets
SAN FRANCISCO — Amazon.com, aiming to bolster its brick-and-mortar operations, has discussed acquiring some RadioShack locations after the electronics chain files for bankruptcy, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Amazon has considered using the RadioShack stores as showcases for the Seattle-based company’s hardware, as well as potential pickup and drop-off centers for online customers, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the deliberations were private. The possible move, discussed as part of RadioShack’s looming trip to bankruptcy court, would represent Amazon’s biggest push into traditional retail. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
4. Shire signs Seles to raise awareness of binge eating disorder
Four days after one of its drugs was approved to treat binge eating disorder, the Boston drugmaker Shire plc said it had partnered with several nonprofits and popular figures to raise awareness of the disease. Shire said Tuesday it had made arrangements with the Binge Eating Disorder Association, the National Eating Disorders Association, and former tennis champ Monica Seles (right) as part of a “national effort” to draw attention to binge-eating disorder, which the company said affects 2.8 million Americans. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration approved Shire’s application to prescribe the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder drug Vynase to treat the disorder. In its approval notice, the FDA said Vynase was the only drug approved to treat the disorder. — JACK NEWSHAM
5. T2 gets funding to develop a test for Lyme disease
T2 Biosystems, a Lexington company spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has agreed to codevelop a test for Lyme disease with Canon US Life Sciences Inc. Under the terms of the deal, Canon will pay T2 $2 million up front and up to $8.5 million more contingent on hitting certain developmental milestones. The companies said the new test would use the T2MR platform, which they say offers a faster alternative to testing a blood sample. Lyme disease is spread by bacteria from tick bites, and most cases reported to the Center for Disease Control occur in the Northeast and Midwest. About 30,000 people are diagnosed with it every year, but the CDC said the number could be ten times higher. — JACK NEWSHAM
6. Energizer debuts recycled batteries — at a premium
ST. LOUIS — Billions of discarded household batteries end up in landfills every year and now one of the nation’s largest battery makers says it is putting some of them to good use. Suburban St. Louis-based Energizer Holdings on Tuesday introduced Energizer EcoAdvanced, described as the first disposable AA and AAA alkaline batteries made with recycled batteries. The recycled materials constitute about 4 percent of the weight of the new batteries, but the company is aiming for 40 percent by 2025 and hopes to eventually include other battery sizes. Energizer said the new battery will last longer than any produced by the company and will cost 25 to 30 percent more than standard batteries. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
7. Iconix buys rights to Strawberry Shortcake for $105m
NEW YORK — Snoopy and Charlie Brown are getting a new corporate buddy. Iconix, the brand licensing company that owns the ‘‘Peanuts’’ gang of characters, says it is buying the rights to cartoon character Strawberry Shortcake for $105 million from card company American Greetings. The New York company hopes to breathe new life into the 35-year-old brand with possible clothing, toy, and TV show or movie spinoffs. The deal is expected to close within 45 days. Iconix owns and licenses clothing brands such as Joe Boxer, London Fog, Badgley Mischka, and Candie’s.
— ASSOCIATED PRESS
8. Boston YMCA names a new chief
Two months after the departure of a leader who led it through four years of rapid growth, the YMCA of Greater Boston has chosen James Morton to be its next head. Morton has served as the chief executive of the YMCA of Greater Hartford since 2010, where he oversaw a double-digit growth in contributions. He also led a capital campaign that netted $15 million. Before that, he led the YMCA in Springfield. He will replace Kevin Washington, who is leaving the post to lead the national YMCA organization in Chicago. Under Washington, who also led the Hartford Y before taking the top post here in 2010, the membership of the Greater Boston YMCA doubled, from around 20,000 to 40,000. Morton will assume the top post on April 6. — JACK NEWSHAM
9. Suffolk to sell buildings on Beacon Hill
Suffolk University is proceeding with the sale of two of its classroom buildings on Beacon Hill, presenting a rare redevelopment opportunity in the tightly packed neighborhood. The university is seeking buyers for its Archer and Donahue buildings, which contain a total of nearly 175,000 square feet that could attract proposals for residences, hotel rooms, or office space. The sale of the buildings is part of Suffolk’s effort to shift the center of its campus closer to downtown Boston. The university is building an eight-story building at 20 Somerset Street (left) that houses more modern classroom facilities. The Archer and Donahue buildings are next to each other at the corner of Derne and Temple streets. They are both six stories, and they have a combined assessed value of about $45 million. The buildings are being marketed by the real estate firm JLL. — CASEY ROSS
10. S&P to pay $1.38b in mortgage crisis settlement
NEW YORK — Standard & Poor’s is paying about $1.38 billion to settle government allegations that it knowingly inflated its ratings of risky mortgage investments, which helped trigger the financial crisis of 2008. The McGraw Hill Financial subsidiary reached a settlement with the Justice Department over ratings issued from 2004 through 2007. The settlement also resolves lawsuits filed by the attorneys general of the District of Columbia and 19 states, but not including Massachusetts. The Justice Department filed civil fraud charges against S&P two years ago this week. It accused the company of failing to warn investors that the housing market was collapsing in 2006 because doing so would hurt its ratings business. — ASSOCIATED PRESS