Locations

Nordstrom 's Half-Yearly Sale for women and kids starts in-store and online today, with markdowns on clothes, shoes, and handbags from BCBG , Elie Tahari , Free People , Nike , and many others. The sale runs through June 5th. Find store locations here . National Jean Company is offering 20 percent off storewide now through Monday. Find denim and other duds from J Brand , Paige , Hudson , Beyond Yoga , Three Dots , and others.

"The Avengers" torpedoed "Battleship" and Hollywood's other newcomers to remain the No. 1 film for the third-straight weekend with a domestic haul of $55.6 million. That lifted the film's domestic total to $457.7 million, while its worldwide ticket sales have climbed to nearly $1.2 billion. "Battleship" opened a distant No. 2 with $25.5 million. Debuting at No. 3 was Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy "The Dictator" with $17.4 million, while the ensemble pregnancy tale "What to Expect When You're Expecting" premiered at No. 5 with $10.5 million.

I was sad to hear that the perennially cheerful Betsey Johnson is going out of business. Right now, clothes, jewelry, handbags, and shoes are 20-50 percent off. The markdowns are expected to last until the merchandise is gone. Find Betsey Johnson locations here .

When little Caleigh Harrison went missing from a Rockport beach last month, local police, state troopers, and the Coast Guard — with divers, helicopters, and teams of dogs — joined the search. Several days later, the family called in another resource: Mission for the Missing. Mission for the Missing is a nonprofit, volunteer group of private investigators, crime analysts, and forensic specialists who search for missing people, at no cost to their frantic families. Alan Tate, who has his own investigative firm, Metro Investigation in ­Quincy, started the organization in...

By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent Dependable Cleaners has ched its annual Read to Ride campaign, which gives youths age 6 to 15 a chance to win a bicycle or another prize for each book they read. The program, which runs through Aug. 13, is intended to foster a lifelong love of books by encouraging children to stay in the habit of reading over summer vacation. Children in the program have read more than 59,000 books since it began in 1999. "Studies show that children who develop a love of reading early in life often see more success in school and in life,"...

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent Blue Hill Avenue between River Street and Talbot Avenue will be closed from Noon to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday due to the Haitian-American Unity Parade. Temporary signs reading, "Tow Zone No Stopping Sunday Parade" will also be posted at the following locations: ߦBlue Hill Avenue, east side, from River Street (Mattapan Square) to Talbot Avenue. ߦBlue Hill Avenue on Center Island, east side of island from Babson Street to Freemont Street.

Strolling the neighborhood around Berklee College of Music at Boylston Street and Mass. Ave. this week, Rick Peckham pointed out where the instrument sales and repair shops used to be: LaSalle Music Inc., E.U. Wurlitzer Music & Sound, and Jack's Drum Shop. Cambridge Music Center and Boston Guitar Works also had locations nearby. "The people that worked in those were not just salesmen, they were musicians who were involved in getting the lore across in a different way, a different way than it was at the music school, that's for sure," said Peckham,...

WHO Kathy Sidell WHAT Sidell's father, Jack, was a banker known for launching the careers of chefs like Jasper White, Lydia Shire, Chris Schlesinger, and Todd English. Her sister, Stephanie Sokolove, is the founder and executive chef of Stephanie's on Newbury. After a career in filmmaking, Kathy opened the Metropolitan Club in Chestnut Hill in 2004. She is currently producing a TV series for a cable network with partner Bob Richardson, who just won an Oscar for best cinematography for "Hugo," and working on a book,...

GENEVA -- President Bush's confirmation of secret CIA prisons re ignited controversy yesterday, with European lawmakers demanding the exact locations and other critics saying the system tacitly approves torture. A top European investigator accused the White House of hiding the truth, though Bush found some support in Australia. The international Red Cross welcomed the transfer of high-level terror suspects to the U S prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying yesterday it planned to check on them very soon.

Locations for community Passover seders in the region: Friday Andover: Chabad of Merrimack Valley Lynn : Congregation Ahabat Sholom Peabody: Chabad of Peabody Jewish Center Swampscott: Chabad Lubavitch of the North Shore Saturday Andover: Chabad of Merrimack Valley Andover: Havurat Shalom Andover: Temple Emanuel Chelsea: Temple Emmanuel Gloucester : Temple Ahavat Achim ...

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent Blue Hill Avenue between River Street and Talbot Avenue will be closed from Noon to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday due to the Haitian-American Unity Parade. Temporary signs reading, "Tow Zone No Stopping Sunday Parade" will also be posted at the following locations: ߦBlue Hill Avenue, east side, from River Street (Mattapan Square) to Talbot Avenue. ߦBlue Hill Avenue on Center Island, east side of island from Babson Street to Freemont Street.

I was sad to hear that the perennially cheerful Betsey Johnson is going out of business. Right now, clothes, jewelry, handbags, and shoes are 20-50 percent off. The markdowns are expected to last until the merchandise is gone. Find Betsey Johnson locations here .

By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent Dependable Cleaners has ched its annual Read to Ride campaign, which gives youths age 6 to 15 a chance to win a bicycle or another prize for each book they read. The program, which runs through Aug. 13, is intended to foster a lifelong love of books by encouraging children to stay in the habit of reading over summer vacation. Children in the program have read more than 59,000 books since it began in 1999. "Studies show that children who develop a love of reading early in life often see more success in...

Boston police said Monday that a missing package of drug evidence that was highlighted by a recent audit was improperly shelved due to an administrative mistake. Police began investigating internally late last month after an audit showed that drugs seized by the department as evidence in one pending case could not be located. "As a result of a routine audit of a random sampling of 500 pieces of evidence executed by the Boston Police Audit and Review Unit, investigators have discovered a discrepancy as to the location of one package of...

Shake Shack, the New York City burger stand whose frozen custard has gained a fierce following, plans to open its first Massachusetts store next year at the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center. Shake Shack will take over roughly 3,000 square feet in the Boylston Street space formerly occupied by the Rugged Bear children's store, where it will feature its signature line of burgers, hot dogs, and frosty treats. "With its proximity to Boston College, Chestnut Hill is a thriving community to bring Shake Shack," said Randy Garutti, Shake Shack's chief executive.

Milton's annual Town Meeting will begin Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the same hall where residents first gathered for meetings more than 300 years ago -- First Parish in Milton. The Milton 350th Committee approached the town about changing the venue after learning that townwide meetings were held at the church at the time of Milton's incorporation, and the Board of Selectmen approved the change in March. Since the space is small, only the first day of the meeting will take place at the church before it moves to the regular location at Milton High School.

Even as Fidelity Investments has shrunk its Massachusetts operations, it has added or promised to add jobs in other locations, including: Albuquerque, N.M. Fidelity opened a 210,000-square-foot office on 25 acres in December 2008. It now has 375 workers in Albuquerque (excluding investment centers) and has said it eventually plans to have 1,250. The building houses Fidelity's human resources service division. Covington, Ky. Fidelity agreed six years ago to expand its campus across the Ohio River from Cincinnati and add 1,500 jobs by the end of 2010, in exchange...

RE "SHARP elbows help banks' footprints grow; some protest as prime storefronts bought up" (Page A1, Feb. 20): The article describes a backlash against banks that open branches in high-visibility storefronts, but that has not been the case with First Commons Bank, which is mentioned in the article. When First Commons Bank moved into Wellesley, we took space in Linden Square that had been vacant for years, created new jobs, and moved some current employees from Newton Centre to Linden Square.

Police said Saturday they located the body of the girlfriend of a Southern California man who led officers on a chase that shut down a busy freeway for an hour. Shazer Fernando Limas, 31, was arrested early Friday following the chase on Interstate 5. He is suspected of killing his girlfriend, Arlet Hernandez Contreras, 31, and the couple's two young boys. Detectives found evidence in his apartment indicating that the victims were killed about three weeks ago and the bodies were dumped elsewhere.

Baskin-Robbins plans to nearly double the number of ice cream stores it has in the U.K. with 80 new locations over the next three years. The company, which is run by Dunkin' Brands Group Inc., said Friday that it currently has almost 100 U.K. locations. These include restaurants and concession locations in other shops and movie theaters. Baskin-Robbins has more than 6,700 locations in nearly 50 countries. It is currently opening three new restaurants in London. Dunkin' Brands, based in Canton, Mass., also operates the Dunkin' Donuts chain.