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President Obama lays out corporate tax plan
Obama’s plan would eliminate dozens of tax subsidies and loopholes for certain industries including oil and gas companies in order to lower the overall corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent; reduce the effective rate on manufacturing to no more than 25 percent, down from about 32 percent, and encourage greater research and development as well as the production of clean energy; provide incentives to encourage companies to create and build things in America; create a new minimum tax on foreign earnings; and simplify and reduce the tax burden for small businesses – all without adding a dime to future deficits, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said.
White Coat Notes
State insurance exchange awarded $11.6 million to adjust to Affordable Care Act
Massachusetts will receive $11.6 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to move the state’s online insurance marketplace ...
The Big Picture
HomeRuns founder launching new food delivery service in Cambridge and Arlington
Would you make meals at home more often if you could do it like a Food Network star, with the fish already filleted, the carrots julienned and ready, and the knowledge that every required seasoning was within arm's reach? That's the premise of a new Cambridge start-up, Of Course Meals, which is cranking up operations this week. The company delivers a box of prepped ingredients to your home on Sunday evening. Inside the box are the items you need to make two, three, or four meals for a family of four. The proposition is that you spend less time grocery shopping, and less time cooking (the meals take about a half-hour to cook), but still provide healthy, home-cooked food for your family. ...

Hanscom Air Force Base contract workers face cuts

The Bedford base is set to lose three-quarters of its funding for contract workers and is facing the loss of hundreds of government jobs. (Boston Globe)
Martha Coakley

Martha Coakley’s comeback

Two years after her crushing defeat to Scott Brown in a special election for US Senate, the Massachusetts attorney general has rebuilt her reputation. (Boston Globe)
Mild weather has Boston gardens, gardeners springing to life already

Blossoms already enliven forsythia and hellebores in Boston gardens, and buds even hint at spring in higher elevations. (Boston Globe)
Discuss Starting early?
Looking for budding engineers in preschool

The push to focus on science, technology, engineering and math follows decades of advocacy by education experts and policy makers. (Boston Globe)
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LATEST MASSACHUSETTS NEWS FROM AP

US Sen. Brown: Allow women into combat units

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is urging top defense officials to let women serve in front line combat, saying barring women from those units could make it harder for them to rise up the military ranks. (AP, 1:48 p.m.)

Feds award health overhaul grants to 10 states

Federal officials say another 10 states are getting a total of $230 million to set up new health insurance markets under President Barack Obama's overhaul. (Associated Press, 1:38 p.m.)

Romney calls for 20 percent income tax cuts

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is calling for 20 percent across-the-board cuts in personal income tax rates as part of a program to help the economy grow. (AP, 12:58 p.m.)

'Wimpy Kid' author buys dilapidated building

The best-selling author of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" children's books thinks he's the man to determine the future of a ramshackle building in downtown Plainville that some people say is a landmark and some say is an eyesore. (AP, 12:38 p.m.)

Wounded vets regain bit of camaraderie in kitchen

Julio Gerena is in a wheelchair, his long career in the U.S. Navy and Army forever behind him. But the 52-year-old recaptured some of the old military camaraderie while peeling potatoes and chopping cilantro in a crowded kitchen. (Associated Press, 11:38 a.m.)

2 in Sturgis stabbing to be sentenced together

Two members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club who were convicted in a stabbing at last summer's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in western South Dakota will be sentenced at the same time. (AP, 11:08 a.m.)

News around the region

Newburyport voters to decide fate of school building projects, local senior center

Newburyport voters on June 5 will decide the fate of three comprehensive capital projects: Construction of a new Bresnahan school; major renovations to the Nock/Molin school building; and a new community/senior center, which would be carved out of the existing Bresnahan. Voters will be asked to approve three separate debt exclusions, or temporary property tax hikes, to fund the debt service on the projects. (By Brenda J. Buote, Globe Correspondent)

Board games allow students to interact at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill

Friday nights are (board) game nights at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill with a new club that plays a variety of the hottest new games. The club is also open to the general public as members or drop-in players. “Board games allow for relaxation, while promoting healthy competition, mental stimulation, and social interaction,’’ said Mike Cross, a Northern Essex chemistry professor who started the club. (By Wendy Killeen, Globe Correspondent)

MBTA’s proposed cut to Chelsea bus route will leave some elderly stranded

To close a projected $161 million deficit for the fiscal year starting July 1, MBTA officials have proposed raising subway fares and reducing service or cutting several bus routes, including Bus 112 in Chelsea, which is primarily used by elderly residents. (By Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff)

Divisions shadow Carver’s push to regulate solar energy projects

A new committee formed to write local rules to guide solar energy development in Carver is divided over how severely such projects can be restricted in the rural town, which has seen a raft of proposals over the past year. At its first meeting last week, the group discussed a proposed bylaw that would restrict solar projects to industrial zones, but did not reach agreement. The group will try again before a special Town Meeting takes place Feb. 27. (By Robert Knox, Globe Correspondent)

Hanover’s Starland recreation park has new owner with big plans

A longtime Hanover destination for family fun that’s been looking a little worse for wear in recent years has a new owner, who says he has big plans to enhance the park’s offerings while adding large indoor sports facilities. Norwell resident John Poirier, along with a local group of investors, recently closed a $2.7 million deal for Starland, a 30-acre recreational site on Route 53. The Hanover Planning Board begins its review of Poirier’s plan on Feb. 27. (By Christine Legere, Globe Correspondent)

Foxborough proposes ban on private parking during stadium events

A tradition among some Foxborough home owners of selling parking spaces on their lawns and driveways to fans going to games and concerts at Gillette Stadium could soon be a thing of the past as town officials seek to ban the practice they say is prohibited by local zoning and threatens public safety. For years, residents near the stadium, especially on North Street, have been allowed to park as many as 10 vehicles for a fee without a commercial license. (By Michele Morgan Bolton, Globe Correspondent)

Newton Star Market’s liquor license application ferments opposition

In Newton, this Tuesday, the Star Market in Chestnut Hill will ask the city’s licensing board for permission to sell beer and wine. The supermarket’s application for one of the city’s 34 alcohol licenses has uncorked anger and opposition from the three liquor stores near the Route 9 intersection and area residents. (By Deirdre Fernandes, Globe Staff)

Ghost Light Players debut in Marlborough

Katherine Alix-Gaudreau and Kim Beauchemin love the theater life but got tired of the traveling. They solved the problem with a bold stroke. “We decided to start our own theater company in Marlborough,’’ said Beauchemin. Enchantingly called Ghost Light Players, the first production will be the quirky play “Almost, Maine,’’ which runs the weekend of March 23 at the First Church of Marlborough. (By Lenny Megliola, Globe Correspondent)