DEVELOPMENT
Roxbury Prep files plans for new high school in Newmarket
A charter school that has fought a long and unsuccessful battle to build in Roslindale has chosen a spot in the Newmarket area of Roxbury for a new home. Roxbury Prep plans to build a 90,000 square foot high school at 69 Proctor St. The facility will have capacity for all Roxbury Prep students in grades 9 through 12, a full-size gym, meeting spaces, high-tech performing arts and science halls. The location will combine the two Roxbury Prep campuses in Hyde Park and Roxbury. The land is owned by Boston-based Kensington Investment Co., which bought it in 2019 for $4.6 million, according to a Suffolk County deed. Roxbury Prep intends to purchase the site from Kensington. “We couldn’t be happier to move forward with our new campus which guarantees our students the world-class permanent home they deserve in a neighborhood with a long history of celebrating black and brown lives,” Roxbury Prep High School co-founder Shradha Patel said in a statement. “The ability to have our students in one building will enhance learning, achievement, and create community as our scholars prepare to enter, succeed, and graduate from college.” —CATHERINE CARLOCK
HIGHER EDUCATION
$10 million donation to Harvard Business School for health care studies
Venture capitalist Howard Cox has pledged $10 million to Harvard Business School for the school’s “Health Care Initiative,” which supports the teaching of health care management. Cox has nearly 50 years of experience building and advising healthcare companies and spent nearly his entire career at venture capital firm Greylock Partners. Cox, who helped launch the initiative in 2005, said health care is an inordinate part of the US economy and he hopes his donation will inspire other alumni to donate to the cause. In recognition of his commitment to the school, HBS named the position of initiative faculty chair after Cox, a title currently held by Professor Robert Huckman. — JON CHESTO
MEDIA
Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo is suing the network for $125 million
Former cable news anchor Chris Cuomo is seeking $125 million from CNN for what his lawyers claim was wrongful termination when the cable news network fired him in December. In a legal filing with JAMS, an arbitration organization, Cuomo’s attorney Bryan Freedman said he was seeking the $15 million Cuomo owed under his contract as well as “future lost wages to following CNN’s efforts to destroy its reputation”. Cuomo was fired days after the New York Attorney General released a flurry of emails and text messages indicating he had been intimately involved in providing strategic advice to his brother, Andrew Cuomo, who was facing to a growing sexual harassment scandal while he was governor. from New York. Chris Cuomo was fired by then-CNN president Jeff Zucker. Cuomo maintained that Zucker knew about his relationship with his brother, a charge Zucker denied. An internal investigation into Cuomo commissioned by WarnerMedia, CNN’s parent company, quickly put Zucker in jeopardy as well. Zucker resigned under pressure in early February after an investigation revealed he had not disclosed a romantic relationship with network marketing and communications manager Allison Gollus. – NEW YORK TIMES
MANUFACTURING
Koch Industries will not stop manufacturing operations in Russia
Koch Industries will continue to operate its two glass manufacturing plants in Russia, according to a company statement. Koch’s Guardian Industries operates the two facilities, which employ approximately 600 people. The company has no other physical assets in Russia, chief operating officer Dave Robertson said in a statement Wednesday. Koch respects sanctions and regulations regarding Russia, Robertson said. “While Guardian’s operations in Russia are a very small part of Koch, we will not abandon our employees there or hand over these manufacturing facilities to the Russian government so that they can operate and benefit from them” , Robertson said. ― BLOOMBERG NEWS
LODGING
New home construction rebounds at fastest pace since mid-2006
US new home construction rebounded in February at the fastest pace since 2006, suggesting builders were more successful in managing material and labor constraints during the month. Residential housing starts rose 6.8% last month to an annualized rate of 1.77 million, according to government data released Thursday. Building applications, an indicator of future construction, fell to 1.86 million annualized units but remained elevated. The median estimate from a Bloomberg survey of economists predicted a pace of 1.7 million housing starts in February. The data points to a recovery in construction activity after weather and Omicron-related worker absences dampened construction in January. Yet builders are struggling to keep up with buyer demand in the face of tight supply chains, high commodity prices and an ongoing struggle to attract skilled labor. Single-family housing starts rose 5.7% in February to an annualized rate of 1.22 million units. Multi-family housing starts, which include apartment buildings and condominiums, rose to 554,000, the fastest pace since January 2020. ― BLOOMBERG NEWS
LABOR
NLRB accuses Starbucks of retaliating against workers who seek to unionize
The National Labor Relations Board has accused Starbucks of retaliating against two employees who sought to unionize their cafe in Phoenix, according to a complaint reviewed by The Washington Post. The NLRB typically files formal complaints after investigating the charges against employers and finding them to be founded. In this case, two Phoenix baristas brought a series of allegations against the company, including retaliation, threats and changing the terms of employment of people who engaged in “concerted activity”, protected by the policy. National Labor. The NLRB has intervened to prevent alleged retaliatory activities that it deems illegal. Starbucks has repeatedly denied that it engages in surveillance or any sort of retaliatory activity. In an emailed statement, Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges suggested that the company’s efforts to discipline the two employees were unrelated to their union activity. “A partner’s interest in a union does not exempt it from the standards we have always stood for,” Borges said. If the NLRB prevails in its case, Starbucks could be required to read statements and post physical notices in its stores informing workers of their right to organize. ― WASHINGTON POST
FINANCE
PayPal allows customers to send money to Ukrainians
PayPal said on Thursday that its users will now be able to send money to Ukrainians, both in the war-torn country and to those now refugees across Europe. Previously, Ukrainians could only use the payment platform to send money out of the country. They will now be able to receive funds, as well as make transfers in Ukraine and abroad. It is the latest move by banks and other financial services companies looking for ways to help Ukrainians affected by the Russian invasion. PayPal cut Russia off its services last week. Since the start of the war, supporters of Ukraine have sought ways to financially support Ukrainian refugees as well as those still in the country. People have booked Airbnbs in Kyiv or sent cryptocurrencies to Ukrainians. Money transfer companies like MoneyGram and Western Union have seen a surge in demand as people look for ways to send money to friends and family in the area. PayPal said it would waive fees on transfers of funds to Ukrainian accounts, or for anyone receiving funds into Ukrainian accounts until June 30. ― ASSOCIATED PRESS
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