Today in Globe Business

MetroWest ends Beth Israel affiliation plan

Six months after agreeing to pursue a broad-based affiliation with Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham has decided to scrap the plan.

The surprise move, which wasn’t disclosed publicly, reflects the ambivalence of some suburban hospitals about aligning with Boston’s prestigious teaching hospitals at a time of general industry consolidation. Such ties give smaller hospitals access to specialists and advanced clinical programs, but also can mean a loss of independence as large hospitals seek to impose their own practices on smaller partners.

“As is sometimes the case in the process of moving from concept to details of operation, our discussions reached the point where it became apparent we had differing views of the structure of an affiliation,’’ Andrei Soran, the president and chief executive of MetroWest, wrote in a Sept. 3 memo to physicians and staff members.

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Sonic barrier broken

PEABODY - It was reminiscent of the 1950s, the glory days of drive-ins: carhops on roller skates carrying burgers and shakes, lots of tailgating, and the aroma of fries wafting through the air.

This was the scene at about 10 on a recent evening at New England’s first Sonic. Since the restaurant opened on Route 1 in late August, thousands of patrons have arrived to try Sonic’s burgers, hot dogs, and milk shakes, jamming traffic late into the night with waits of up to four hours at times.

Of course, the inaugural success doesn’t guarantee longevity in Massachusetts.

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State predicts bright future for jobs in solar energy

The number of jobs in the state’s solar energy industry nearly doubled from 2007 to 2008 - and the numbers are on pace to grow sharply again this year, according to Massachusetts officials.

Ian A. Bowles, secretary of the state’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said he would disclose the numbers today at the trade show Cleantech Forum XXIII. The two-day show opened today at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

A survey of nearly 100 solar energy employers in Massachusetts showed the number of jobs in the sector grew from 1,086 in 2007 to 2,075 in 2008, Bowles said. The growth is “indicative of the health and welfare’’ of the local solar energy industry, he added.

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Boylston Street sold - on online Monopoly game

For decades, fans of the real estate board game Monopoly have squabbled over ownership of Park Place or Virginia Avenue. But a new Internet version of the game lets players bid for control of such familiar streets as Boston’s Massachusetts Avenue, Chicago’s State Street, or New York City’s Broadway. The game uses Google Inc.’s Internet mapping service Google Maps to allow players to make simulated purchases of real-world real estate anywhere on Earth.

“You should be able to buy just about any street in the world,’’ said Pat Riso, a spokeswoman for Hasbro Inc. of Pawtucket, R.I., which produces Monopoly games.

To play Monopoly City Streets, Web users log on to www.monopolycitystreets.com where they receive $3 million in digital Monopoly money. Next, they type in a real-world street name and city. Up pops a Google map of the location. If the street has not yet been purchased by someone else, the player can buy it and start building homes and office buildings. Property owners earn virtual Monopoly money by collecting daily rents on each property. Players can sell their properties to each other. They can also sabotage a competitor by purchasing a nearby street and building eyesores, like garbage dumps. This will reduce the value of the rival’s real estate holdings.

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