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Massachusetts
Steward landlords turn over properties to their lender, advancing sales talks – The Boston Globe
Two landowners that have been seen as roadblocks in long-stalled talks to sell six Steward Health Care hospitals in Massachusetts appear to be walking away from their properties, boosting the chances that hospital sales can be completed by the end of the week.
After multi-party negotiations dragged on through last weekend, attorneys said during a US Bankruptcy Court hearing Tuesday that real estate firm Medical Properties Trust and its partner Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, which jointly owned a long-term lease on the hospital properties, agreed to turn it over to their mortgage lender.
That surprise agreement would effectively remove MPT and Macquarie from the hospital sales talks, leaving lease negotiations with prospective buyers in the hands of New York-based Apollo Global Management, a Wall Street giant that manages assets of nearly $700 billion but is largely invisible to the public in Massachusetts.
With a single negotiator, and all parties motivated to wrap up sales deals by Friday, “significant progress has been made,” Steward’s lawyer, David Cohen, told Houston bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez.
Steward said it has qualified bids from prospective buyers of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, Holy Family Hospital in Methuen and Haverhill, Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Morton Hospital in Taunton, and St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River.
The bankrupt company said it drew no qualified bids for two other hospitals, Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer. The judge last week approved a Steward plan to close both of those acute care hospitals by the end of August.
Hugh McDonald, a lawyer for the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services and the state Attorney General’s office agreed “we made a lot progress” over the past week and said state officials expect the sales deals to be wrapped up this week.
The progress was enough for Governor Maura Healey’s administration to modify a plan to offer about $30 million in bridge funding for the Steward hospitals on the condition that purchase agreements were finalized by Tuesday. Even with the deals unfinished, the administration will advance a first tranche of the funding, $11.3 million, this week.
A second tranche of $18.6 million will be paid on Aug. 16 only if the deals are completed by Friday, according to the modified funding deal. Judge Lopez, who must sign off on any money flowing to Steward during the bankruptcy proceedings, approved the bridge funding Tuesday.
“This payment agreement represents the Commonwealth’s continued commitment to achieving the transition of the six remaining facilities to new operators,” McDonald told the bankruptcy judge.
The new dynamics of the negotiations cast a spotlight on Apollo, a secretive firm that thus far hasn’t commented on its involvement in the Steward bankruptcy case. Other parties say Apollo has taken a leading role for weeks in the talks about lease terms with prospective hospital buyers while also bickering with the landlords, a dynamic described by a Steward attorney last week as an “intra-stakeholder dispute.”
Judge Lopez last week nullified a lease Steward negotiated with the landlords in 2016 requiring the hospitals to pay more than $100 million in annual rents. Even before it filed for bankruptcy on May 6, the cash-strapped hospital systems had stopped paying the rents, curbing the cash flow of the landowners who owed mortgage payments to Apollo.
The parties didn’t disclose financial terms of the agreement in principal transferring the hospital properties from the landlords to Apollo or whether Apollo planned to retain the properties and collect rents on them or sell the land and buildings to new hospital operators.
Steward, which is selling its hospitals and its doctors group to pay off its scores of creditors, is expected to run out of money from its bankruptcy loans within weeks. The bridge funding can be used only for the hospitals’ operating expenses until they can be sold, not for executive compensation or rental payments, according to the funding terms.
The money is an advance from MassHealth, the state Medicaid program, based on the hospitals’ participation in several quality and equity incentive programs the state sponsors for low-income patients.
Robert Weisman can be reached at robert.weisman@globe.com.
BOSTON, MA — An international restaurant group with locations across the globe is preparing to open its first Massachusetts restaurant this year.
LPM Restaurant & Bar, a French Riviera-inspired restaurant founded in London, is set to open on the second floor of the Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street in Back Bay, according to Four Seasons. The hotel lists the restaurant as “Opening Summer 2026,” while the Boston Business Journal reported the restaurant plans to open in September.
The Boston restaurant will mark LPM’s debut in the Northeast and its third U.S. outpost, following locations in Miami and Las Vegas, according to a Four Seasons announcement.
LPM, also known as La Petite Maison, was founded in London in 2007 and is known for French-Mediterranean food, Mediterranean ingredients and dining rooms influenced by Belle Époque design.
The business operates locations in London, Dubai, Miami, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Riyadh, Limassol, Doha, Mykonos, Kuwait, Boston, Maldives and Bangkok.
Four Seasons said LPM will take over the space that formerly housed One Dalton’s breakfast concept, One + One. The restaurant will join other dining options at the hotel, including Zuma and Trifecta.
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Massachusetts
Massachusetts high school under investigation after teachers diagnosed with breast cancer
A Massachusetts high school is under investigation after “several” teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions.
The state Department of Public Health is set to visit Uxbridge High School on Thursday to “conduct a series of air quality tests,” to determine whether the multiple cases are potentially connected.
Superintendent David Ljungberg and Principal Michael Rubin alerted families and district staff on Monday of the “sombering news,” after Uxbridge High School’s graduation over the weekend.
“We are writing to inform you about a concern we are investigating at Uxbridge High School,” Ljungberg and Rubin stated in the letter. “Several female teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions over the past few years.”
“It is, of course, possible that these multiple cases are not connected to one another,” the leaders added, “but out of abundance of caution, we are looking into any environmental factors at the school that may be a factor in their diagnoses.”
The 123,000-square-foot school, with an enrollment of roughly 600, was constructed in 2012 at a cost of $45 million, including a $22-million state reimbursement.
Uxbridge school leaders say they notified the state Department of Health and local health board as soon as they became aware of the cases, seeking “counsel about how best to proceed.”
“Massachusetts DPH officials have indicated that there is no evidence of immediate danger in the building and no reason to limit access to or use of the facility at this time,” they wrote in their letter. “In fact, the public health officials have commended our decision to approach them with these concerns, our readiness to partner with them in support of the evaluation process.”
Health officials are assessing the school’s interior and exterior to “ensure there are no issues with the infrastructure that would present risks (including electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, and other systems)” and the indoor and outdoor air quality on campus.
The superintendent and principal said that state officials have ruled out water supply as a “risk factor” after “thorough testing.”
“The team has reached out to the women who have been diagnosed, requesting data to evaluate whether there may be a connection among their cases,” Ljungberg and Rubin wrote. “We are grateful for their cooperation.”
They added that the state has said discovering an environmental “smoking gun” is “rare” in workplace investigations.
“However, even if a direct causal link is not established,” the leaders wrote, “the administration is utilizing this process to rigorously test the building and guarantee that it meets all safety standards moving forward.”
Local News
The legislation would allow licensed establishments to sell alcohol one hour later than their normal closing time, up to 3 a.m., between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026.
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow cities and towns to temporarily extend bar and restaurant hours during the summer, as the state prepares to host FIFA World Cup matches and celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The legislation (H.5465) filed by state Rep. Carole Fiola, would allow licensed establishments to sell alcohol one hour later than their normal closing time, up to 3 a.m., between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026. The bill would also allow communities to establish designated public consumption districts where alcohol could be consumed in approved public spaces.
In a press release announcing the bill, Fiola said the summer’s threefold events lineup — the World Cup, Tall Ships, and July 4th — is an economically significant moment that the state should take advantage of.
“We should capitalize on these events that will generate economic benefits for small businesses and the state as a whole. It’s a local opt-in idea worth exploring that’s being done in other states,” Fiola said.
The proposal has received support from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and most recently Gov. Maura Healey, who submitted written testimony Monday to the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies urging lawmakers to advance the measure.
“Massachusetts is planning for a once-in-a-generation summer,” Healey wrote, according to the Boston Globe. “In 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, welcome tall ships from around the world to Boston Harbor for Sail Boston, and host seven FIFA World Cup matches in Foxborough, along with watch parties across the Commonwealth.”
The governor argued that the added flexibility could help local economies benefit from an influx of visitors.
“That flexibility can help communities capture more visitor spending, support jobs, keep downtowns active, and strengthen Massachusetts’ image as a dynamic destination ready to host the world and a place our residents, including our young professionals, are proud to call home,” Healey wrote.
She also urged lawmakers to move the legislation forward, saying it will “help Massachusetts meet the full economic and cultural opportunities for the summer ahead.”
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Rhode Island bill proposes 24-hour bar hours during World Cup
In Rhode Island, a similar bill to allow bars and restaurants to remain open until 4 a.m. during the World Cup was signed into law on Friday.
Fiola’s bill remains before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Any final version would require approval from both the House and Senate before reaching Healey’s desk.
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