Bay State growth gains as U.S. 1st-quarter rate sags

BOSTON – Hours after the Massachusetts House of Representatives approved an annual budget bill calling for modest spending increases, federal officials reported Thursday that the U.S. economy nearly stalled last winter, declining from relatively modest growth rates over the past two years. By contrast, a local assessment showed that Bay State growth gained momentum over the past quarter. The U.S. Commerce Department cautioned that its "advance" estimate that pegged first-quarter gross domestic

BOSTON – Hours after the Massachusetts House of Representatives approved an annual budget bill calling for modest spending increases, federal officials reported Thursday that the U.S. economy nearly stalled last winter, declining from relatively modest growth rates over the past two years. By contrast, a local assessment showed that Bay State growth gained momentum over the past quarter. The U.S. Commerce Department cautioned that its "advance" estimate that pegged first-quarter gross domestic…