North County

A group of seven friends were charged by federal regulators Friday of illegally making more than $550,000 through insider trading of Devens-based AMSC stock.

As health care facilities continue to ramp up advanced technology, HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster continues to keep pace, making the list of Health Care's Most Wired hospitals in the country for a seventh straight year, it announced.

Precision Optics of Gardner has received more than $1 million from a recent agreement to sell stock, the manufacturer of optical instruments announced.

Boston-based solar energy provider Nexamp has opened a 2.3-megawatt project in Winchendon that it says will generate “tens of thousands” of dollars in new tax revenue for the town over the next 20 years.

With momentum continuing and “Greater Boston at a remarkable turning point in its economic development,” analysts from Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) said they saw strong commercial leasing activity in the second quarter in Boston and core submarkets, including the Interstate 495 and MetroWest regions.

Registered nurses at HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster have filed an unfair labor practice charge over what they say is the hospital's refusal to provide key information about its plans to merge hospital services and cut staff, according to the union that represents the nurses.

Two Central Massachusetts accounting firms – one based in Worcester and the other in Leominster - have agreed to merge, according to one of the two parties.

State public health officials on Friday announced 11 approved medical marijuana dispensaries – including two in Central Massachusetts - will move to the inspectional phase after completing a verification level that included background checks.

Unemployment rates in Central Massachusetts improved again in May and are down dramatically from May of last year, the Patrick administration said Tuesday.

HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster plans to layoff the equivalent of at least 20 full-time workers, according to the union representing nurses.