North County

More than 120 registered nurses at Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer have voted overwhelmingly to join the state's largest nurses' union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), the union said. The 123 RNs at the hospital, owned by Steward Healthcare, cast their ballots last week.

Hometown Bank of Oxford has received state and federal approvals to open a new branch in Leominster at the entrance to the Mall at Whitney Field, the bank announced.

After announcing two years ago it would expand to Devens, French multinational materials company Saint-Gobain has ceased operations there, according to a company official.

House and Senate negotiators on Wednesday evening broke through with a compromise on mercury thermostat recycling legislation that has been tied up in conference since last December.

A report by the UMass Donahue Institute shows that employment, wages, and the number of businesses in Devens all increased between 2013 and 2014, generating economic benefits for the broader Bay State economy.

Net income for Hampton, N.H.-based utility company Unitil Corp. increased by $1.2 million, or 9 cents per share, in the second quarter, compared with 2013.

Unemployment rates in Central Massachusetts worsened in June but are still down considerably from June of last year, the Patrick administration said Tuesday.

Galaxy Development of Auburn said it's looking to turn an abandoned industrial site along Fitchburg's Water Street into a 21,650-square-foot shopping center.

Ten Central Massachusetts communities will receive federal community development block grants that total about $6.6 million for a variety of uses, notably housing and infrastructure upgrades.

A Leominster attorney has purchased downtown Worcester's Guaranty Building for $9.93 million.