Today in Globe Business

A slice of the stimulus

WATERTOWN - More than $6 million will be spent fixing the often treacherous Nonantum Road to make it safer. Watertown public schools will get about $390,000 to bolster the special education program. Battery maker A123Systems wants a piece of a $2 billion federal fund to produce batteries for electric vehicles. And Pauline Hennrikus, 81, just got notice that she'll be receiving a stimulus check - an additional $250 payment from Social Security.

"I feel an urgency to go out and spend it," Hennrikus said recently while nursing a cup of coffee from a counter-side stool at the Deluxe Town Diner. Or maybe she'll put it in the bank to help pay her medical bills. She's still trying to decide. "I've got to do my part," she said.

Federal stimulus dollars are starting to wend their way from Washington to Watertown and other communities nationwide. The $787 billion plan approved by Congress earlier this year aims to spur cash-strapped municipalities, companies, and consumers to spend, and in doing so create jobs to help heal a wounded economy. Massachusetts is expected to get $8.7 billion that will create or save 79,000 jobs over the next two years - money that can be used for a variety of projects, from repairing roads to funding research and development. Increased government benefits and federal tax breaks for residents are expected to add up to a few more billion dollars.

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For some firms, swine flue brings more caution, more work

Face masks were flying off the shelves so fast that Joe Blumenfeld had to make five stops at different pharmacies and shops before finding them yesterday at a Wal Mart in Framingham.

"I literally followed a man who was professionally dressed, making a beeline for the first aid section. We both stocked up on masks," said Blumenfeld, of Natick. "On the off chance that my wife and kids would need face masks, I wanted to make sure that I had them - struck me as a worthwhile investment of less than $10."

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The digital wallet

Banking by phone used to mean dialing a number and speaking with a teller. For Peter Kastner, 61, a consumer electronics consultant in Westport, it means whipping out his iPhone and touching an on-screen icon.

Up pops a program that connects Kastner to his Bank of America accounts, where he can check his balances and pay his bills, even when he's traveling or boating on the Westport River. No need to interact with a bank employee.

"I don't have to be tethered to a desktop anymore," said Kastner. "Everything I can do on a Web browser, I can do on my iPhone."

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Despite planners' advice, many spend tax refunds

The federal government's stimulus program offered a strong incentive for Katie Dirocco and John Wilbur to bump up the shopping for their first home: an $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit.

So, in February, the couple closed on a house in Braintree and claimed the credit on their 2008 tax return, resulting in an $8,000 federal income tax refund. But instead of rushing out to spend it on a lavish vacation or expensive new furniture, they put the bulk of the money in the bank.

"Now we have a nest egg," Dirocco, 29, said. "It's such a good feeling."

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Restaurateurs want more days to dine alfresco

It feels like winter in the Back Bay until restaurants break out their sidewalk tables and chairs, inviting diners to soak in the sun while they sip Chardonnay and nibble on expensive sandwiches. So yesterday, optimistic restaurateurs urged city officials to permit sidewalk dining even earlier in the season.

State law limits sidewalk dining to May through October. For the past several years, the city has bent the rules and allowed restaurants to open their sidewalk cafes earlier, in April, to accommodate unseasonably warm temperatures.

While that move has produced a payoff, with meals served outside on days like yesterday, when temperatures soared into the 90s, business groups now say they want even more flexibility.

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