North County

Gardner-based Precision Optics Corp. saw a 37-percent decline in sales for a net loss in the second quarter ending Dec. 31.

Webster Square Dental Care, a Worcester dental office, improperly billed patients for about $247,000, the state auditor's office said.

The Legislature may restore some, but not all, of the $98 million in spending Gov. Charlie Baker cut from the budget in December, but House Speaker Robert DeLeo said Wednesday he wants at least one more month's revenue report before taking any action.

Fitchburg financial institution Workers Credit Union is starting a new loan program for small businesses, it announced Friday.

Now that the first major snowstorm of the season has passed, Worcester businesses and residents have a limited time to clear snow off their sidewalks before facing fines.

The merger of UMass Memorial - HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster and UMass Memorial - Clinton and a proposed emergency department expansion were both approved yesterday by the Massachusetts Public Health Council, the healthcare system announced Thursday.

Marlborough Savings Bank and North Middlesex Savings Bank have a name for their new company post-merger.

Devens wind and power grid services provider AMSC on Monday announced it lost $2.8 million in the last quarter, a slight improvement from the $3 million it lost in the same quarter 2015.

Eleven people in Central Massachusetts have found new positions, including at Fidelity Bank, TechSandBox, the Idea Agency and the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.

Profit-driven health care is a growing local and national trend that doesn't necessarily carry ill effects.