BOSTON (Reuters) – A second Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate reported on Tuesday that he had collected enough signatures for a spot in the race to vie for the seat previously held by John Kerry, setting the stage for two competitive party primaries in April.

Gabriel Gomez, a former Navy SEAL and private equity executive, said his campaign had gathered 25,000 signatures of registered voters, exceeding the 10,000 names required by state law and matching the total claimed by rival Republican Dan Winslow, a state representative.

Feb 13 (Reuters) – General Electric Co expects to
return about $18 billion to investors this year in share
buybacks and dividends as it sells its remaining stake in NBC
Universal.

The sale of the network GE bought in 1986 was the latest
step in Chief Executive Jeff Immelt’s campaign to refocus the
largest U.S. conglomerate back on its industrial roots.

BOSTON (Reuters) – Prosecutors urged a federal judge on Wednesday to reject accused Boston mob boss James “Whitey” Bulger’s claim that he cannot be tried for 19 killings because former prosecutors gave him immunity in exchange for tips.

Bulger, who fled Boston in 1995 after receiving a tip from a corrupt FBI agent that arrest was imminent, has argued that a former top federal prosecutor, now deceased, promised not to prosecute him for crimes committed by the “Winter Hill” gang he is accused of leading because he provided information on rival crime organizations.

By Scott Malone

(Reuters) – General Electric Co expects to return about $18 billion to investors this year as it sells its remaining stake in NBC Universal, a move that executives said should allow it to achieve its long-held goal of buying back the shares it issued in the depths of the financial crisis.

The sale, which came more than a year earlier than expected, is the latest step in Chief Executive Jeff Immelt’s campaign to refocus the largest U.S. conglomerate back on its industrial roots.

By Scott Malone

(Reuters) – General Electric Co expects to return about $18 billion to shareholders through share buybacks and dividend payments as a result of its deal to sell its remaining stake in NBC Universal to Comcast Corp, Chief Executive Jeff Immelt said on Wednesday.

GE, the largest U.S. conglomerate, will pay about $3.2 billion in cash taxes on the proceeds of the deal, which it expects to close next month, GE officials told investors on a conference call.

Feb 13 (Reuters) – General Electric Co expects to
return about $18 billion to shareholders through share buybacks
and dividend payments as a result of its deal to sell its
remaining stake in NBC Universal to Comcast Corp,
Chief Executive Jeff Immelt said on Wednesday.

GE, the largest U.S. conglomerate, will pay about $3.2
billion in cash taxes on the proceeds of the deal, which it
expects to close next month, GE officials told investors on a
conference call.

BOSTON (Reuters) – News that General Electric Co is selling its remaining stake in NBC Universal to Comcast Corp earlier than expected may be just what the largest U.S. conglomerate needed to get out of the penalty box.

Its shares rose 3 percent in postmarket trading to levels not seen in normal trading since October 2008 – when Chief Executive Jeff Immelt was forced to cut GE’s dividend and sell additional shares amid fears that the financial crisis would wreck the future of GE Capital and perhaps the whole company.

BOSTON (Reuters) – Former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez, a Republican, said on Tuesday he would run for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by John Kerry, setting the stage of two competitive primaries in Massachusetts before the June 25 special election.

Gomez, a 47-year-old newcomer to politics, will face State Representative Dan Winslow in the April 30 primary.

BOSTON, Feb 11 (Reuters) – New Englanders struggled to
resume their normal routines on Monday in the wake of a blizzard
that dumped 40 inches of snow across parts of the region, with
Boston’s subway service running again and roadways largely
plowed, though still treacherous.

Two more deaths were reported in Massachusetts, raising the
total number of storm-related deaths in the state to five,
according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. The
men died in a Springfield home when they were overcome by carbon
monoxide fumes after running a generator indoors during the
storm.

BOSTON/NEW YORK, Feb 8 (Reuters) – A blizzard slammed into
the northeastern United States on Friday, snarling traffic,
disrupting thousands of flights and prompting five governors to
declare states of emergency in the face of a fearsome snowstorm.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced a ban on most
car travel starting Friday afternoon, while in Connecticut
Governor Dannel Malloy closed the state’s highways to all but
emergency vehicles.