North County

For better or for worse, Central Massachusetts is out of the running for any type of gambling site, after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission awarded the state's only slots parlor license to Penn National Gaming, which will build a facility down Interstate 495 in Plainville.

A global firm specializing in water, hygiene and energy technologies has signed a lease for 4,000 square feet of warehouse space in Shirley.

Unemployment in Central Massachusetts jumped significantly in January but is down from January of last year, the Patrick administration said today.

Quinsigamond Community College (QCC) will receive a $500,000 grant for their engineering, science and technology center, the school announced.

Three community development organizations in Central Massachusetts received a combined $330,000 to increase economic opportunities for low- and middle-income households, the Patrick administration announced today.

The state gaming commission has picked Plainville over Leominster and Raynham for the one slots parlor license mandated in the 2011 gambling expansion law.

Four life science companies in Central Massachusetts received a combined $1.54 million in tax incentives to create 87 jobs in 2014, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) announced Wednesday.

MassEcon, the state's private-sector economic development partner, unveiled 81 new sites that have been deemed ready to accommodate business tenants interested in locating in the Bay State.

Precision Optics Corp. Inc., of Gardner, said new and larger business contracts led to revenue that nearly doubled in the second quarter ending Dec. 31, according to an earnings statement.

For the past three years, it's been hard to get away from questions about gambling in Massachusetts. Headlines have been filled with proposals, disqualifications, public meetings and community votes. Within the next five weeks, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission plans to finally make one firm decision: where to site the state's only slots parlor.