ENERGY
Lawmakers ask Eversource to rethink solar charge
Eversource Energy’s controversial solar demand charge is now getting scrutiny from the state’s congressional delegation. US Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and US Representative Joe Kennedy signed a letter to Eversource on Thursday asking the company to rethink the new charge before it takes effect for new solar customers on Dec. 31. They cite the extra cost for homeowners who adopt solar — in the neighborhood of $100 a year. The new charge, the federal lawmakers say, could undermine the state’s clean-energy goals and hurt blue-collar solar workers. State lawmakers are also looking at Eversource’s charge and have indicated they may soon revisit the law that initially allowed the charge to be put in place. Meanwhile, Eversource says it simply wants to ensure that solar users pay their fair share of the costs for the poles and wires that carry electricity on their streets. — JON CHESTO
AGRICULTURE
Ocean Spray has new CEO
Ocean Spray Cranberries has a new boss. Bobby Chacko will be the new CEO of the cranberry-farming cooperative in Lakeville, taking over for longtime CEO Randy Papadellis. Chacko was promoted to president and chief operating officer in February, making him the obvious heir apparent. Before joining Ocean Spray last year, Chacko was a regional president in Pennsylvania with Mars Inc. Chacko will oversee about 2,000 employees. — JON CHESTO
LODGING
Mass. Senate unveils bill to tax short-term rentals
The Massachusetts Senate has released a bill aimed at taxing short-term rentals, including those made through online platforms like Airbnb. The bill unveiled Thursday would impose existing state hotel taxes on the rooms and allow communities to impose local excise taxes. The bill differs from legislation approved by the House last week. That bill included a tiered system that would impose a 4 percent state tax on rentals by individuals who offer no more than two rooms for rent. Short-term rentals made through a professional property manager or investor host would be taxed at 5.7 percent and 8 percent, respectively. Airbnb said the House bill goes too far. Backers of the Senate bill say it would generate $34.5 million in state taxes and $25.5 million in local taxes annually. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
FAST FOOD
McDonald’s to add $150 million to tuition program
McDonald’s Corp. plans to pump $150 million into tuition assistance for its US employees, becoming the latest corporate giant to use the federal tax overhaul to boost benefits. An estimated 400,000 restaurant workers will be eligible for the program, the fast-food chain said on Thursday. To qualify, workers will only need to be with the company for 90 days, down from nine months, and work 15 hours a week, down from 20. The infusion, paid over five years, triples the current spending level. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
DRIVERLESS CARS
Family settles over autonomous vehicle death
The family of an Arizona woman killed when struck by an autonomous Uber vehicle apparently has reached a settlement with the company. Cristina Perez Hesano, an attorney for the daughter and husband of 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg, said Thursday that the matter ‘‘has been resolved,’’ but would not go into detail. Herzberg was killed March 18 as she walked her bike across a dark street in Tempe, Ariz., a Phoenix suburb. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUTOMOBILES
Volkswagen vows to accept trades of diesel cars banned in Germany
Volkswagen is trying to reassure German customers worried about the future of their diesel cars by telling them they can trade in their new diesel if it is banned from the road by cities trying to meet air pollution limits. The company said Thursday that the guarantee applies to new cars bought from a Volkswagen dealer from April 1 through the end of the year, and would be good for three years. If the car owner is hit with a ban on driving at work or at home, the car could go back to the dealer for a non-banned model. The German courts have ruled that cities with high pollution levels can ban diesel cars from their streets. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
MORTGAGES
Rates largely unchanged
Long-term mortgage rates moved little this week after a monthslong stretch of increases. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said the average rate on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages ticked down to 4.44 percent from 4.45 percent last week. The benchmark rate averaged 4.14 percent a year ago. Rates are relatively low by historical standards, but they have risen from an average that remained below 4 percent last year. Mortgage rates rose steadily in January, February, and early March, as interest rates generally increased in response to higher levels of government debt and expectations of rising inflation. The previous week’s slight gain was the 10th increase in 11 weeks. The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate loans slipped to 3.90 percent this week from 3.91 percent last week. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
APPS
Snap to cut another 100 jobs
Snap Inc. is cutting another set of employees, focusing this time on the advertising side of the business after earlier trimming staff in engineering and content. The cuts total around 100 workers, according to people familiar with the matter, and represent the final step in a restructuring process set in motion in the fourth quarter. The people didn’t want to be identified discussing internal details. Snap, which operates the Snapchat app, cut around 120 engineers earlier this month, saying it wanted to maintain a high technical bar, according to an internal memo distributed at the time. In January, the company let about two dozen employees go on the content side of its business. Those moves fueled further uncertainty for staff at a company that’s lost key executives and released a widely criticized product redesign. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
PRIVATE CLUBS
Is club offering female work space, networking discriminatory?
New York City is investigating whether a private club founded as a work space and networking hub exclusively for women violates the city’s antidiscrimination law by barring men. The city’s Commission on Human Rights started its probe into The Wing after receiving a tip from the public. The inquiry focuses on whether the club violates the city’s public accommodations law, which bans discrimination on the basis of gender. A lawyer representing The Wing said it does not violate any city or state laws. The club’s cofounder Audrey Gelman said the club’s success shows women have ‘‘a deep yearning’’ for all-female spaces. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
