ENVIRONMENT
Conservation Law Foundation sues Wynn Resorts over idling of shuttle buses at casino
The Conservation Law Foundation has followed through on its threat to sue Wynn Resorts after observing excessive idling among the shuttle buses that serve Wynn’s new Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett. CLF sued Wynn and three shuttle bus operators in Boston federal court on Wednesday. In its suit, CLF cited excessive idling on Mystic Street across from the casino, at a stop on Everett Avenue in Chelsea, and at the Wellington T station in Medford. CLF cited state regulations that are supposed to limit the idle time to five minutes, to curb air pollution from bus tailpipes. CLF says it spotted casino buses idling for times ranging from six minutes to 37 minutes. (One bus was actually observed to be idling for roughly two and a half hours at Wellington.) A spokesman for Wynn said only one of the contractors mentioned in the lawsuit, DPV Transportation, works for the casino company. He said Wynn has taken steps to address the issue with DPV after CLF announced its plans to sue Wynn in November and has been assured that the necessary changes have been taken to eliminate unnecessary idling. — JON CHESTO
COWORKING
Workbar to open site in Needham
Workbar is opening its tenth local outpost this spring, in Needham. The Boston-based coworking operator said this week it will open a 17,000-square-foot space at 117 Kendrick St., in the N-Squared Innovation District, bolstering its growing network of locations in Boston-area suburbs. Unlike bigger-name rivals that concentrate in downtown locations, Workbar has taken a hub-and-spoke approach to coworking, offering offices both in the core of the city — Back Bay, Downtown Crossing, and near South Station — and also in suburban areas where Boston-area workers live. It has also continued to grow even as other coworking operators — chiefly industry giant WeWork — have slowed their expansion. Late last year Workbar announced its first location outside Boston, in San Francisco. The Needham outpost will open April 1. — TIM LOGAN
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RETAIL
L.L. Bean to keep its headquarters in Freeport
The L.L. Bean headquarters is staying put in the Maine community where the mail-order company was founded, after the company considered alternative locations to expand its corporate headquarters. The company disclosed at a Town Council meeting this week that it intends to renovate and expand its corporate headquarters in Freeport after reviewing options that included locations in other towns. Leon Leonwood Bean created the mail-order company in Freeport in 1912. The company’s current headquarters was originally designed as a warehouse and factory. A second floor will be added to the building to double the size of the headquarters. The company’s 1 million-square-foot warehouse and distribution center will remain at a separate location in another part of Freeport. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
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PHARMACEUTICALS
California governor proposes state-run generic-drug wholesaler
California’s governor unveiled plans to establish a state-run generic-drug wholesaler, as part of a series of measures that together would constitute one of the furthest-reaching attempts to curb pharmaceutical costs in the United States. Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday also proposed creating a single market that would allow drug buyers to pool their bargaining power to drive down costs. And Newsom suggested using low prices obtained by the state’s Medicaid program to aid other buyers, among other steps. The most populous state, California has a history of using its economic muscle to try to influence national policy on everything from auto emissions to health care. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
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HIGHER EDUCATION
Higher beer tax would fund higher education in New York
Beer and college often go together. But doubling New York’s beer tax to benefit higher education is up for debate. A bill that would boost the levy to help the State University of New York system and its New York City counterpart gained ground this week as a Manhattan assembly member who proposed the increase on Dec. 30 was joined by a Senate sponsor. Backers will push for support in the new legislative session that began Wednesday, while the burgeoning craft brew industry vows to lobby against the move. “Three cents a bottle could go to higher education,” said Harvey Epstein, the Democrat who proposed the bill. “It’s a critical source of revenue.” The bill seeks to raise more than $50 million annually. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
FISHING
Maine lobster catch better than expected
The state with the largest fishing industry for lobster likely experienced a drop in catch last year, but the dip in harvest was probably not as dramatic as initially feared. Patrick Keliher, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, told Maine Public that initial reports show a harvest of about 100 million pounds of lobster. That would be a drop of nearly 20 million pounds from last year, but still a much higher number than the industry was used to in the 1990s and 2000. The season initially looked like it could produce a substantial drop in catch, but Maine’s lobstermen finished strong, Keliher said. The price for Maine lobster was also strong, he said. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
FAST FOOD
In a tight job market, Taco Bell offering managers $100,000 salaries
Wanted: Restaurant manager. Competitive salary: $100,000. The six-figure sum is not being offered at a haute cuisine location with culinary accolades, but at fast-food chain Taco Bell. Amid an increasingly tough labor market, the company is betting a higher salary will help it attract workers and keep them on the team. The Yum! Brands Inc.-owned chain will test the higher salary in select restaurants in the Midwest and Northeast. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
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FOOD DELIVERY
Grubhub may put itself on the market
Grubhub may put itself up for sale with competition in the online delivery business growing increasingly intense. Shares jumped almost 13 percent after The Wall Street Journal first reported late Wednesday that the company is exploring its options. The Chicago company was a pioneer in the sector, but it’s since been joined by Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Postmates. The companies are finding that customers jump freely between services to find the best deal, making it more difficult to deliver stable sales numbers. In October GrubHub slashed its full-year revenue expectations and cautioned on competition, sending its shares tumbling 43 percent. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
INTERNATIONAL
Workers take to the streets — again — in France
Rail workers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and others joined a nationwide day of protests and strikes Thursday to denounce French President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to overhaul the pension system. As the government and unions pushed on with crucial negotiations about the changes, street protests were staged in Paris and other French cities, with railway strikes entering their sixth week. The Paris march started from the Republique square in central Paris amid a large police presence. The Elysee presidential palace was barricaded as protesters were due to head toward the area. The Eiffel Tower was shut as employees joined the protest movement. Paris metro traffic was severely disrupted, except for two automatic lines running normally. The national rail company, SNCF, said about one third of workers were on strike Thursday. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
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