BOSTON – The Mass. Department of Environmental Protection penalized New Bedford-based waste hauler ABC Disposal Inc., $1,500 for solid-waste violations related to the dumping of excessive amounts of construction and demolition wood at a landfill in December 2012. more

PROVIDENCE – The Humane Society of the United States has awarded Sen. Dominick Ruggerio, D-North Providence, and Rep. Patricia A. Serpa, D-West Warwick, as Rhode Island’s Humane State Legislators for 2012. more

PROVIDENCE – R.I. Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher F. Koller is stepping down to take a post as president of the Milbank Memorial Fund, a national health-policy foundation based in New York, Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee announced last week. more

BOSTON – Attorney General Martha Coakley this month launched a consumer-protection campaign that includes free educational training across the state and a new website offering resources for consumers related to for-profit schools. more

PROVIDENCE – A partnership that includes GTECH Corp. is slated to be awarded a 15-year lottery-marketing contract by New Jersey, Bloomberg News reported. more

It’s an ongoing dilemma for millions of business owners: How to take vacations or other time off and still keep business on track. Not only do Americans take far fewer vacations than workers in other countries (hundreds of millions of vacation days go unused in the U.S. annually), but studies show that business owners take the least amount of time off of anyone. more

One-time nightclub owner and Coventry native Barry Blair has long been a man about town who ran his business with a focus on going above and beyond for any customer. more

Webster Bank is holding a “one-stop shopping” Home Buyer Open House with bank officers on hand to assist with pre-qualification for mortgages and local realtors on-site with area listings, according to a press release from the bank. more

They’re back after barely a decade: Escalation clauses in real estate contracts, “naked” contingency-free offers and lowball-priced listings designed to pull in dozens of bidders and turn routine sales transactions into auctions. more

After serving 17 years in the military, Matthew Paquette left his work as an electrician’s mate in the Navy, where he was assigned to the USS Shasta Battle Group Echo, stationed off the coast of Kuwait. more