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Boston, MA

Battenfeld: Elizabeth Warren wins as Amazon abandons iRobot deal, forcing 350 layoffs

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Battenfeld: Elizabeth Warren wins as Amazon abandons iRobot deal, forcing 350 layoffs


Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who urged federal regulators to kill the Amazon-iRobot merger, finally got her wish this week when Amazon abandoned the deal, forcing the layoffs of 350 workers at the Massachusetts-based robotics company.

The Massachusetts senator has been noticeably silent about the collapse of the iRobot acquisition and the loss of the jobs even though she’s railed against Amazon for years.

“I have serious concerns about the Amazon-iRobot deal – dominant companies like Amazon shouldn’t be allowed to just buy their way out of competing,” Warren said in a 2022 statement. “The FTC should oppose this proposed merger to protect competition, lower consumer prices, and rein in Amazon’s well-documented anti-competitive activities.’

The Federal Trade Commission – which is now led by a Warren acolyte – did raise concerns about the deal and worked with the European Union, which eventually blocked the merger.

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iRobot, which makes the popular Roomba vacuum cleaner, did not say where the job layoffs would be but the company is based in Massachusetts.

As a result of the collapse, iRobot head Robin Angle — a star in Massachusetts high-tech circles – announced he was stepping down. Angle said in a statement that he and the iRobot board decided “that iRobot will be better served by a new leader with turnaround experience.”

Amazon had to pay iRobot a $94 million termination fee for ending the deal to add the robotics company to its portfolio, which would have allowed them to sell iRobot products directly on its website.

Amazon is also a major employer in Massachusetts, with a robotics innovation facility in Westboro that opened in 2021.

Warren’s office did not respond to a Herald request for comment about the layoffs and the blow to iRobot, which is expected now to restructure, possibly triggering more layoffs.

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The far-left Massachusetts Democrat has for years had Amazon and other big high-tech companies in her sights for their anti-competitive, anti-consumer behavior. Along with a phalanx of other liberal lawmakers, she sent a letter to the FTC urging them to kill the $1.65 billion iRobot acquisition in 2022.

But the loss of jobs? Not so much as a word out of Warren about that.

She puts policy and partisan politics over people.

Warren lives a millionaire lifestyle in her Cambridge house and has no idea how ordinary people struggle to get by. She does softball interviews with CNN and other friendly outlets and rarely exposes herself to hostile questions.



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Boston, MA

Be on the lookout for a bull roaming the streets of Boston – Caught In Dot

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Be on the lookout for a bull roaming the streets of Boston – Caught In Dot


When it comes to wildlife, Boston has it all!  Mean turkeys, swimming coyotes, bald eagles, bunnies, chickens, and now a bull.  Yes, a bull.  Earlier this week, a bull escaped from a home in Roslindale and is on the loose. Evidently, the resident had no idea that you’re not allowed to keep farm animals, other than chickens, in the city limits. Hmmmm, we can’t imagine why. Maybe for exactly this reason, now there’s a bull roaming the streets of the city.

According to Axios Boston, he was spotted near Stella and Harding Road on Saturday but “was able to evade capture” and slipped off into the woods.  Boston Animal Care and Control even tried using a thermal drone but had no luck finding the bull.  

With this bull on the loose, there’s a real possibility that it could wander into any neighborhood at any time. The question is, where might the elusive bull will turn up next?  Wrong guesses only in the comments? We’ll start – having a frozen margarita at Yellow Door.

Has anyone checked any of the neighborhood china shops?

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And for the love of God, if you see the bull don’t try and wrangle it!





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Boston, MA

First oyster farm on Boston’s South Shore now selling to chefs around the country

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First oyster farm on Boston’s South Shore now selling to chefs around the country


DUXBURY — An oyster farm south of Boston is shipping their harvest around the country.

Island Creek Oysters of Duxbury was the first oyster farm on the South Shore.

“We spawn oysters, so people get blown away by that process. We’re creating oysters here,” boat captain Dave May told WBZ-TV.

Growing oysters

“They’re grown on the bottom in the mud and so they have an earthier taste to them,” May said. “There’s really cold, nutrient-rich water out there and when the water here goes out, six hours later it comes back in, it’s new water. And so the oysters are never really sitting in the same water for more than a day.”

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Different oyster varieties are grown at three separate farms in Duxbury, but the originals are the Island Creek. 

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The original Island Creek Oyster farm in Duxbury Bay.

CBS Boston


The popular “Row 34” oysters are grown six inches off the bay’s floor in the Aunt Dotty in a farm a little further away.

“They get the first taste of the cold Atlantic water as it rushes on the tide cycle,” May said. “They’re a little brinier, little sweeter.”

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The oyster-growing process begins in the hatchery. First they start in a lab, then they’re fed algae before they’re moved to Duxbury Bay to finish growing in cages.

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An oyster at Island Creek Oysters in Duxbury.

CBS Boston


National oyster business

But the oysters aren’t just popular locally. They’re sold to businesses as far away as Napa, California.    

Island Creek’s CEO Chris Sherman said that they “distribute now to 700-800 chefs around the country.”

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From Island Creek’s raw bar, restaurants, tours and shucking lessons, the farm has established a name for itself locals have trusted for almost 30 years. They run tours from May to September.

“Coastal communities is really at the heart of what we do,” Sherman told WBZ. “It’s our mission as an organization to grow thriving coastal communities.”

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Creighton's Baylor Scheierman selected 30th overall by Boston Celtics in NBA Draft

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Creighton's Baylor Scheierman selected 30th overall by Boston Celtics in NBA Draft


OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman was selected 30th overall by the Boston Celtics in Wednesday’s NBA Draft.

The Aurora, Nebraska native celebrated with over 100 friends, family and teammates gathered at Let It Fly Sports Bar in downtown Omaha.

Scheierman averaged 18.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists for a Bluejays team that reached the Sweet 16 in his fifth season of college basketball. He also became the first player in NCAA Division I history to score 2,000 points, and tally 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 three pointers in a career.

As impressive as Scheierman was in his Bluejays career, his draft stock took off after his performance at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. The 23-year-old turned heads with not only his shooting ability, but his passing skills and defensive flashes, prompting ESPN’s  Jonathan Givony to declare him ‘the best player on the floor’ in his first combine scrimmage.

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