Clergy to advocate for paid sick time question

BOSTON — Religious congregations across Massachusetts are rallying in support of a ballot question calling for workers to be allowed to accrue paid sick time.

Clergy supporting Question 4 on the ballot are planning to deliver sermons casting the initiative as a faith values issue and asking congregation members to volunteer on the campaign, as part of a "weekend of action."

Leaders from participating congregations also are planning to canvass voters door to door this week and participate in phone banks.

While sponsors say the measure would be the nation's strongest sick time law, business groups view it as a shortsighted, one-size-fits-all approach that ignores economic realities facing many employers.

Workers could take time off to care for themselves or a sick family member under the proposal.

Election Day is Nov. 4.

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Fauci: Ebola protocols to call for no skin showing

WASHINGTON — Revised guidance for health care workers treating Ebola patients will include using protective gear "with no skin showing," a top federal health official said Sunday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said those caring for an Ebola patient in Dallas were left vulnerable because some of their skin was exposed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working on revisions to safety protocols. Earlier ones, he said, were based on a World Health Organization model in which care was given in more remote places, often outdoors, and without intensive training for health workers.

"So there were parts about that protocol that left vulnerability, parts of the skin that were open," Fauci said.

"Very clearly, when you go into a hospital, have to intubate somebody, have all of the body fluids, you've got to be completely covered. So that's going to be one of the things ... to be complete covering with no skin showing whatsoever," he said.

Ebola's incubation period is 21 days, and Fauci noted that mark was being reached Sunday for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital workers who first treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who later died of the disease.

"The ones now today that are going to be 'off the hook' are the ones that saw him initially in the emergency room," said Fauci, representing the Obama administration as he appeared on five Sunday news shows.

Duncan was seen at the hospital on Sept. 26 and sent home with antibiotics. He returned by ambulance on Sept. 28, was admitted and died of Ebola on Oct. 8.

Judge Clay Jenkins, the chief executive in Dallas County, said that the protective order that has kept Duncan's family isolated expires Sunday at midnight.

"That's going to be a good thing for those families. They've been through so much, and we're very happy about that," Jenkins said.

But, Jenkins continued, "At the same time, we're extremely concerned about these health care workers and we continue to make contingency in the event that there are more cases."

Jenkins called the 75 health workers who cared for Duncan "hometown health care heroes," and said they had signed agreements with the state's public health commissioner to stay off public transportation.

He said if any other health workers test positive for Ebola, a plan is in place that includes:

—all intake will be done at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

—ambulances have been instructed to bring anyone with a history of West Africa travel and a fever to that hospital.

—those found to be infected will be transferred by air ambulance to one of three national health centers set up to handle very risky germs, or by ground ambulance to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, which has the capability of disposing of the "copious waste" that Ebola cases generate.

—If a large number of cases surface, a triage unit at another, undisclosed location will be set up in the next 24 hours, with isolation units. The location was to be announced later Sunday.

Fauci appeared on ABC's "This Week," NBC's "Meet the Press," ''Fox News Sunday," CNN's "State of the Union" and CBS' "Face the Nation." Jenkins was on ABC.

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Bake sales boost breast cancer fight

There's nothing like a dose of nostalgia to get co-workers to donate to a worthy cause, especially when there's food involved.

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Boston-based nonprofit Bakes for Breast Cancer revisited the days of selling brownies in the school cafeteria with its Office Bake Sale fundraising campaign.

During October, participants bring homemade treats (or store-bought — no judging) to sell at their workplace. All proceeds go into donation jars for breast cancer research.

Bakers can go to the Bakes for Breast Cancer website to download a sign-up calendar to post in their office.

"I jumped right on the idea because I thought it was a fun way for our staff to do stuff together that's tasty, but also for a good cause," said Scott Bernstein, COO at the Needham-based marketing group Mittcom.

So far, five Mittcom employees have brought in treats, with three more in the works for later this month. Bernstein said he's seen cookies, cupcakes and Halloween-themed goodies (his own), but the most popular were fresh-baked pies from the Italian bakery A & L in East Boston.

Employees drop off baked goods in the office kitchen, along with their business card. As they come and go throughout the day, workers can grab a treat and leave a donation in the jar. "At first people were throwing in change or a buck, but as people are getting more committed to the cause, we're starting to see larger donations," said Bernstein, whose mother is a breast cancer survivor. He said Mittcom plans to match donations from the bake sale.

Local celebrity chef Todd English, whose sister, Wendy, passed away from breast cancer in 2006, is a devoted supporter of Bakes. His Boston restaurant Figs is participating in the sale, as well as promoting the nonprofit on its menus. English said the key to bake-sale treats is not to be too fancy.

"Stick to good, basic homemade desserts that everyone always loves," English said. "I'd encourage people to bake something that's a family favorite. Anything from a strudel, if you're German, to an old English pound cake. Those kinds of things work on all levels."

Through partnerships with restaurants and bakeries, Bakes has raised almost $1 million for the cause since its foundation in 1999.

"We need to do anything we can to spread awareness," said English. "Maybe one day we won't have to do this anymore."

Go to bakesforbreastcancer.org/bake-sale to download a calendar for your office.

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Sprint cuts 452 jobs at its Kansas headquarters

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Sprint Corp. has cut 452 jobs from its Overland Park headquarters as part of a previously announced cost-cutting effort, the nation's third-biggest cellphone carrier disclosed in a filing with the Kansas Department of Commerce.

The report, which was filed Friday, covers the first installment of layoffs planned throughout October. It doesn't cover any job losses outside the headquarters campus, although they are believed to be happening too, The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/107Fwdt ) reports.

The company said earlier this month in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was cutting an unspecified number of jobs to better compete with AT&T and Verizon. Sprint said it would book a $160 million charge in its fiscal second quarter to cover the layoffs, which include managers as well as other employees. It may take more charges for future job cuts.

Job reviews are still underway. Friday's disclosure said the local cuts were permanent and more would come.

"We anticipate additional reduction activity in the next few weeks and will provide an updated list of impacted positions," said the notice filed with the Kansas Department of Commerce.

Another 477 Sprint employees in Overland Park were laid off earlier this year, bringing this year's job cut total to 929. Many of the employees in the first round of cuts had worked at a call center that was shut down.

Before the newly disclosed layoffs, about 7,500 worked for Sprint in the Kansas City area, including some employees who weren't at the headquarters. They're among a total of about 33,000 people working for the company, down from 36,000 at the end of March and down from 38,000 at the end of last year. The decline accounts for layoffs, retirements and people leaving for other reasons, but the company also has hired new employees in some areas.

___

Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com

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Ebola monitoring inconsistent as virus spread

DALLAS — The top administrator in Dallas County rushed to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital this week responding to urgent news: One of its nurses had caught Ebola from a patient. He quickly asked for the hospital's watch list to find out who else might be at risk.

Judge Clay Jenkins, who is overseeing the county's emergency response, was told there was no such list. Simply put, nurse Nina Pham and her co-workers, who were handing fluids, inserting IVs and cleaning Thomas Eric Duncan in his dying days, were supposed to take their own temperatures and let someone know if they felt sick.

That wasn't nearly enough for Jenkins, and that evening, he began to make changes. Hospital officials told potentially exposed hospital workers to stop seeing patients other than Pham.

But the next day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allowed another nurse who cared for Duncan, Amber Vinson, to get on a plane in Ohio and fly to Dallas with a mild fever. She was later diagnosed with Ebola, and CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden has conceded that she "should not have traveled on a commercial airline."

The inconsistent response by health officials in monitoring and limiting the movement of health workers has been one of the critical blunders in the Ebola outbreak. Friends and family who had contact with Duncan before he was hospitalized were confined to homes under armed guard, but nurses who handled his contagious bodily fluids were allowed to treat other patients, take mass transit and get on airplanes.

"I don't think the directions provided to people at first were as clear as they needed to be, and there have been changes in the instructions given to people over time," said Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, a doctor who did his residency in Dallas.

Local health authorities have said repeatedly throughout the response that their guidance and direction can change.

"Please keep in mind the contact list is fluid, meaning people may fall off the list or new people may be added to the list depending on new information that could arise at any time on any given day," said Dallas County health department spokeswoman Erikka Neroes on Friday when asked how many people are even being monitored.

On Thursday, Jenkins announced stricter restrictions that require hospital staffers who had been potentially exposed to stay away from the public for 21 days and check their temperature twice a day, once in person with a public health worker. It was the first written order anyone being monitored has been asked to sign.

"They can walk their dog, but they can't go to church; they can't go to schools; they can't go to shopping centers," said Mayor Mike Rawlings.

Public health epidemiologists were notifying the health care workers of the directions Friday, said Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Carrie Williams.

But even those medical agreements allow some wiggle room. For example, they say public transit isn't outright banned but "should be discussed with the public health authority."

Officials say 125 friends, family, doctors, nurses, technicians, ambulance drivers and others may have been exposed in the days before Duncan died on Oct. 8. Since then, the two nurses have tested positive and at least 18 other people in Texas and Ohio have been identified as secondary contacts who also merit watching.

At first, the monitoring sounded relatively simple: track down the contacts, monitor them with least twice daily temperature records and test people who develop symptoms for Ebola. State officials would be in charge, working with the CDC and Dallas County authorities.

But for a time after Pham was diagnosed with Ebola, different hospital workers had different levels of monitoring, based in part on their exposure risk. Some self-reported their temperatures. Some continued to care for patients. Hospital spokesman Wendell Watson on Saturday referred all questions about the facility's monitoring practices to county officials.

The county moved Duncan's girlfriend, Louise Troh, her 13-year-old son, Duncan's nephew, and a family friend from their apartment to a guarded house in an undisclosed location, where a health official comes by twice a day and takes their temperatures. The unusual confinement order was imposed after the family failed to comply with a request not to leave their apartment, Jenkins said.

Pham and Vinson have been taken to medical centers with isolation units in Maryland and Atlanta. There are four such centers in the U.S.

At the National Institutes of Health medical center in Bethesda, Maryland, spokeswoman Amanda Fine says staff involved in caring for people with Ebola are given thermometers and instructions and must measure and submit body temperatures twice daily.

Taylor Wilson, a spokesman for the Nebraska isolation unit, which has also been treating Ebola patients, said that every time health care workers go into the unit, they must stop and take their temperature and other vital signs and log the results. They are also advised to keep an eye out for any symptoms.

He said that there are no restrictions on the staff's movements outside of work.

In Washington, President Barack Obama presided at a rare Saturday evening meeting of Cabinet officials and advisers on health and security to receive an update on domestic Ebola cases and the status of tracing, contacting and monitoring people who may have come into contact with Ebola patients in Dallas. The meeting included a discussion of broader steps to increase the preparedness of the nation's health sector, the White House said.

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Associated Press writer Emily Schmall contributed to this report from Fort Worth.

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Startup’s software helps protect workers from emails sent by imposters

Boston University, Target and the New York Times in the past year all have been victims of targeted "phishing" attacks, in which hackers posing as employees' contacts have gotten them to open emails and unwittingly share their credentials or infect their employers' networks.

But a new, Boxboro-based startup and MassChallenge finalist is giving companies and their employees the tools to fight back.

Astra IDentity's PhishingGuardian software uses patented technologies to combine big data processing and behavioral analytics to protect employees against emails that may be from imposters.

"A lot of people think a spam filter protects them from phishing attacks, but it only filters junk mail," said Gagan Prakash, Astra IDentity's founder and CEO. "It doesn't detect imposters because the email looks like it's from someone the recipient knows and trusts."

A hacker targeting a certain company uses social networks and other Internet data to find employees with access to the company's data or systems.

The hacker identifies other people the employees may know and then creates a fake but recognizable email address to impersonate a colleague or boss.

From that fake address, the hacker sends the employees a personalized email with a link or attachment. The email bypasses the spam filter and lands in the employees' inboxes, where they open it because it looks like the "real deal," Prakash said.

Then they click on the enclosed link, allowing the hacker to steal their credentials, or open an attachment, causing damaging software known as "malware" to infect the computer, smartphone or the company's entire network.

"There's a full-fledged black market for all this information the hacker steals because the money's there," Prakash said.

For $2 per person per month, Astra IDentity's software guards against this by monitoring a company's email traffic and building a "behavioral fingerprint" based on the communication pattern of employees and their contacts, such as whether the sender typically uses a computer, smartphone or tablet; what geography the sender's emails come from; and whether the sender's emails usually contain typos.

PhishingGuardian then crunches all this data, comparing incoming emails to the fingerprint, and alerts employees or the company about emails from potential imposters.

Dale Johnson, a Woburn -based email and security consultant, began using the software last month, and it alerted him that someone was trying to get him to click on a link and log in to what turned out to be a fake bank.

"I have customers who need this product because right now, phishing is the biggest threat to businesses and their employees," Johnson said. "If you can get into the right person's computer, you can have access to a whole company. And that is the ultimate nightmare."

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Guidelines suggest when tires should be repaired

I have a car that I drive only a couple of thousand miles a year. It had a slow leak in a tire more than 10 years old. I took it to a tire dealer who said that because of its age, he couldn't touch it. He told me that in Minnesota it's a $10,000 fine if he did so. Of course, he was happy to sell me a new tire. I then took it to local mechanic who pulled the small nail out, patched it and sent me on my way. Setting aside the safety issue of driving on 10-year-old tires, is there a law or regulation that prevented that dealer from repairing my tire?

While there have been efforts at both federal and state levels to develop tire age and tire repair regulations, to my knowledge there are no specific laws yet. Each tire manufacturer has its own repair guidelines and the Rubber Manufacturers of America, (RMA) publishes specific guidelines for tire repair.

In general, a tire can be repaired if the damage is
1⁄4-inch or smaller, not in proximity to other damage, is confined to the tread block area of the tire and the tire is deemed reparable.

Methods of repair include the one-piece stem and patch repair or the two-piece stem and patch repair, requiring that the tire be dismounted from the wheel. The RMA recommends never repairing a tire with just a plug, or just a patch.

Our 2011 Subaru Legacy has a dashboard panel lit up like a Christmas tree. The following lights remain on constantly: check engine light, traction, brake light and the cruise control light flashes. Since the check engine light remains constant, the service center says it is OK to drive even though the cruise control doesn't work. Before taking it in to a dealer for diagnostic testing, having a second opinion might help.

The car isn't "OK" to drive — there's a fault in the system, likely in the ABS/traction control. And it really isn't "OK" to drive if the brake warning light is on. This light illuminates if the brake fluid level is low, the parking brake is still on or if there's an imbalance of hydraulic pressure in the system.

So take the car to your dealer to have its diagnostic equipment identify what's wrong. The basic Subaru OE warranty is three years/36,000 miles, the powertrain is covered for five years/60,000 miles and the federal emissions warranty covers the computer and catalytic converter for eight years/80,000 miles.

Subaru issued TSB #06-41-11 dated October 2011 that identified low battery voltage — DC C0074/C0075 — as a possible cause for multiple warning lights.

I have a 2011 Ford Escape. The air conditioning works in the morning after it has been in the garage all night, but the minute it sits outside in a normal heat it no longer works. It blows hot air only. I have had Ford check it three times and it works when I drive off, but then stops working. I took it to an independent mechanic who replaced the hose, not cheap, and again it worked for one day and then failed. He then put dye to try and trace the problem but that failed as well. He was stumped and said to take it back to Ford.

At this stage, it is possible the A/C has been overcharged with refrigerant. As ambient temperatures rise, pressures in the A/C system also rise.

The system pressure switch will disable the compressor when pressures climb above a certain threshold, usually in the 300- to 400-psi range.

Other possible causes for overpressure are moisture/debris partially blocking the expansion valve, radiator fans not working and restricted airflow through the condenser.

If the vehicle is still within its three-year/36,000-mile OE Ford warranty, take it back to the dealer.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number.

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Dunkin’ to go mobile

Dunkin' Donuts customers will be able to skip the lines when the Canton coffee-and-doughnut chain starts piloting mobile ordering by year's end, in advance of a planned U.S. rollout next year.

"We are planning to test mobile ordering in the fourth quarter, and we anticipate adding the ordering feature to our existing mobile app in 2015," Scott Hudler, vice president of global consumer engagement, said in a statement. "For the consumer, there is a huge benefit to skip the line, and improve order accuracy and speed."

Dunkin' would not provide details on test locations for mobile ordering.

Its rival, Seattle's Starbucks, this week announced that it would debut its own mobile ordering application in Portland, Ore., this year, with a U.S. rollout also planned for 2015.

Dunkin' customers likely will have to place their mobile orders once they get to a Dunkin' location or close to one, rather than an hour before pickup, for example — at least for the initial rollout — to ensure items such as coffees and breakfast sandwiches remain hot.

"Our products are amazing, but they don't age particularly well if they're sitting in a bag," Hudler said at a Dunkin' investor and analyst conference in Dallas last month. "We want to crawl before we run in this area, so it'll be more of the guests will let us know that they're on the premises, and then we'll trigger the order, because we think our speed-of-service is so fast that that's probably the best way to deliver a great product."

The Dunkin' mobile app for payments and gifting was launched in August 2012, and has had more than 8.5 million downloads.

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Market turmoil: A gift for mortgage refinancers?

A sudden plunge in mortgage rates last week raised an urgent question for millions of Americans:

Should I refinance my mortgage?

Across the country, homeowners and would-be homeowners eager for a bargain rate fired off inquiries to lenders.

The opportunity emerged from the tumult that seized financial markets and sent stock prices and bond yields tumbling. Rates on long-term mortgages tend to track the 10-year Treasury yield, which fell below 2 percent for the first time since May 2013.

Accordingly, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage, mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported, dipped below 4 percent to 3.97 percent — a tantalizing figure. As recently as January, the average was 4.53 percent.

Ultra-low rates do carry risks as well as opportunities. Charges and fees can shortchange refinancers who are focused only on the potential savings. And falling rates are often associated with the broader risk of an economic slowdown that could eventually reduce the income that some people have to pay their mortgages.

Yet the tempting possibility of locking in a sub-4 percent rate has a way of motivating people.

"It gets people excited," said Michelle Meyer, an economist at Bank of America. "It gets mortgage bankers excited. It gets prospective buyers excited."

The drop in rates could finally give homeowners like Issi and Amy Romem of Mountain View, California, the chance to refinance.

Amy Romem bought the condo at the peak of the housing boom for $400,000, using an adjustable-rate loan with an initial 5.875 percent rate that would reset after 10 years. The reset would amount to an extra $400 a month on the condo, which the couple now rents, Issi Romem said.

"Seeing rates go down even more is something I wasn't expecting," he said. "It reminds me that I need to do this now, before interest rates do go up."

Before last week, many bankers, lenders and borrowers had assumed that home loan rates would soon start rising closer to a two-decade average of 6 percent. That was based on expectations that the Federal Reserve would start raising its key short-term rate next year — a move that would likely lead to higher mortgage rates, too.

But that assumption fell suddenly into doubt as stocks plunged Monday and Wednesday amid fears about global economic weaknesses, the spread of Ebola and the threat of the Islamic State militia group in the Middle East.

Seeking safety, investors poured money into U.S. Treasurys. Higher demand drives up prices for those government bonds and causes their yields to drop.

The yield on the 10-year note traded as low as 1.91 percent Wednesday before ending the day at 2.14 percent. A stock market rally on Friday helped lift the yield to 2.20 percent. That suggested that the moment to refinance might be fleeting.

"It's likely to be the last time we see these rates for a generation, if ever again," said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Realtor.com.

Even a slight drop in mortgage rates can translate into significant savings over the long run. For a median-priced home worth $221,000, a 0.5 percentage point decline in a mortgage rate would produce savings of $50 a month, according to a Bank of America analysis.

Still, it takes time for the savings to offset the costs of refinancing.

"There's no free lunch in this," noted Gary Kalman, executive vice president at the Center for Responsible Lending.

Lenders typically charge fees for paperwork on the loan and to pay for a home appraisal and title insurance, among other costs.

"You want to make sure the interest rate you're getting is dropping enough that it more than offsets whatever fees you may be paying," Kalman said.

Refinancing from a 5.5 percent rate — which some borrowers still have — to 4 percent would save $180 a month on a $200,000 mortgage. But the fees — averaging around $2,500 — mean it would take about 14 months to break even.

Research done this year by economists at the University of Chicago and Brigham Young University found that 20 percent of eligible households failed to refinance when rates first made doing so profitable in late 2010. They essentially cost themselves $11,500 in potential savings.

Those who missed those late rates last year now have a second chance.

"When you get these little boomlets like we see now, most of that is what drives refinancing activity," said Bob Walters, chief economist at Quicken Loans.

While applications for refinancing were rising last week at Quicken, Walters added, it's unlikely that many would-be home buyers will be able to benefit. It can take buyers months to mobilize, because they need to first find a suitable house in the right neighborhood. That makes it hard for them to immediately snap into action when rates drop, though it might coax them into looking.

"It's a bonus if rates are lower," Walters said, "but it doesn't dictate the decision."

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Boak reported from Washington, Veiga from Los Angeles.

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New England raking in millions from leaf peepers

JAFFREY, N.H. — On Mount Monadnock, hikers file up the 3,165-foot peak in lockstep, protected from drizzling rain by a luminous golden canopy of leaves. They're not just gazing at foliage — they're looking at cold, hard cash.

Money really does grow on trees in autumn in New England, and all six states are raking it in. Officials say tourists will spend upward of $3 billion to catch a glimpse of the red, yellow and orange hues — and the windfall is steadily rising as the economy regains strength.

Every year, the radiance of fall draws nature-lovers to Monadnock State Park — and countless other mountains, hills, scenic look-outs and shady country lanes — by the droves.

"We wanted to get out in the fresh air and see the colors while it's still warm," said Christopher LeBeau, who drove from Connecticut to hike Mount Monadnock. "This is full peak here, and it's amazing."

Lingering warm weather is causing leaves to stay on the trees longer in New England. Some experts say 2014 could be an outstanding year for foliage, aesthetically and financially.

The New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism Development projected the state would see 8.2 million visitors this fall, and they're expected to spend $1.6 billion. In 2009, New Hampshire had 7.5 million fall tourists and spending totaled $1 billion.

Vermont had 3.6 million fall tourists and $460 million in spending in 2011, the last year for which comprehensive figures were available, up from $331 million in 2009 with roughly the same number of people visiting. Visits to state parks in the Green Mountain State will surpass 950,000 this year, an increase of 8 percent and the highest visit count since 1989, tourism officials said.

The fall season accounts for a quarter of annual tourist spending in Vermont. And with this autumn providing an exceptionally brilliant show, the state is seeing a strong turnout.

"The weather has been excellent this year, and we're expecting a longer season," said Megan Smith, Vermont's commissioner for tourism and marketing. "If we can show these colorful leaves are out, through our website or social media, then people will drive from Montreal. They'll drive here from Boston."

Smith said Vermont fall visits have grown between 3 and 6 percent every year since 2009, when the recession that hit in 2007 bottomed out.

Though states calculate tourism spending using different metrics, two key factors are hotel bookings and money spent on restaurant meals.

"We were hit pretty hard and hotel rooms and meal taxes were off" during the recession, said J. Gregory Gerdel, chief of research for Vermont's tourism division.

In Maine, spending is up about $92 million since 2009, when autumn visitors brought in $489 million. Last year, they spent $581 million, according to state tourism department figures.

"Weather and foliage alike have been quite exceptional this year with vibrant color," said Carolann Ouelette, director of Maine's office of tourism. "Cruise ship traffic helps add to the numbers, and from what we have heard, fall events have seen strong numbers across the state."

States have been devoting money and manpower to marketing campaigns in hopes that fall visitors who come for the foliage stay for some of their other attractions: craft beer tasting in Vermont, history in Connecticut and mansion tours in Newport, Rhode Island.

In southern New England, where peak foliage generally lasts from late October until mid-November, Massachusetts has the region's largest market for fall tourism, with $2.8 billion in spending in Sept.-Oct. 2013 — up from $2.2 billion in the same period in 2012 — the state tourism office's research division said.

Massachusetts officials don't distinguish how much of that money is spent by visitors drawn by the foliage as opposed to Boston or the Cape Cod beaches. Because of budget constraints, Rhode Island only tracks tourism spending on an annual — not seasonal — basis; and cash-strapped Connecticut is expected to release figures in December dating back to 2006, the last time it took a hard look at travel in the state.

At Concord, Massachusetts' historic Walden Pond, the inspiration for Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," leaf-peepers took advantage of a long Columbus Day weekend, even though peak season was still a week off.

"I drove up here from New York to see the fall colors, and I chose Massachusetts because of all the historical sites here," said Glenn Cronick, of Staten Island. "I haven't been here in the fall before, so I had to see it."

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