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By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey gave her OK to sweeping statewide policy changes Monday afternoon as part of the overdue fiscal year 2025 budget, signing free community college, online Mass Lottery products, free rides on regional transit authorities and...

By DOMENIC POLI

With the state Department of Public Health having reported an adult case of measles in Worcester County earlier this month following international travel, public health officials are advising there are measures people can take to reduce their...

By EMILEE KLEIN

On Nov. 15, 2022, thousands of Taylor Swift fans glued one eye to the clock and the other eye to their computer screen, counting the seconds until their one-in-a-lifetime chance to see the artist’s cumulative career on stage in the United States’ leg...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — Supporters of medical aid in dying pressed Wednesday for a late-session vote on the proposal, pointing to growing numbers of legislative backers and movement at the committee level as a sign that “anything is possible.”With one week remaining...

By CHRIS LARABEE

BUCKLAND — Peggy Warwick was on a walk one day in her neighboring town when she came across a peculiar looking plant featuring triangular leaves, curved thorns and saucer-shaped leaves on the stem.Soon enough, Warwick, a member of Shelburne’s Open...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — The Massachusetts House was split along party lines Wednesday night in voting to support climate and energy legislation that would “help accelerate the green transition,” according to the bill’s lead architect.“The bill before you continues...

By CHRIS LARABEE

After a frantic emergency response to save animals and equipment on July 10, 2023, David Fisher and Maggie Toran assessed their farm field as memories of Hurricane Irene came flooding back.At their horse-powered, community-supported agriculture (CSA)...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Massachusetts drivers could be banned from FaceTiming their friends and livestreaming onto social media platforms while they’re on the road under legislation the House quietly passed last week.Lawmakers approved a distracting driving bill (H...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

ROWE — A new website geared toward those looking to get involved with forest stewardship was recently unveiled during the annual meeting of the Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts.Woodlands Partnership members saw a need for interested...

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

AMHERST — On the 10th floor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus Center, Samuel Noel, a welder by trade, works as a dishwasher — his first job in the United States.Noel, a Haitian immigrant who moved to Greenfield’s Days Inn shelter on...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

The national group pursuing a ballot question that would increase what Massachusetts employers must pay tipped workers faces a new 11th-hour obstacle that could imperil its fate.A restaurant industry trade group higher-up filed an objection with state...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Lawmakers from both parties signaled Tuesday they share a government watchdog’s concerns about upheaval at the Cannabis Control Commission, but Democrats who wield decision-making power stopped short of indicating what kind of response they might...

By SAM DRYSDALE

The Senate will dig into a massive economic development package Thursday after top Democrats on Monday morning released their own vision for how Massachusetts should pursue job and economic growth opportunities.The Senate’s bill (S 2856) authorizes...

By IAN RHODEWALT

 While it is true that President Joe Biden gave a historically disastrous debate performance, and the fallout in the following week put his chances of winning r-election in distinct jeopardy, we should not forget that he has been funding, abetting,...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

A Senate-passed bill featuring a streamlined approach to permitting and siting solar and energy storage projects in Massachusetts, with a consolidated permit for approving clean energy infrastructure instead of multiple local, regional and state...

By EMILEE KLEIN

A bill moving through the Legislature will require all new vehicles sold in the state after Jan. 1, 2026 to include adaptive headlights that illuminate the road without shining into the windshields of oncoming drivers.According to the U.S. Department...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Health officials are urging residents to use insect repellent when outdoors this summer, after mosquito samples tested positive for two viruses.The Department of Public Health said the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus was detected in...

By LEAH VERESS

Alice Colman recalls the day a routine fennel harvest turned into a wake-up call. As she stood in her field, carefully examining a plant’s feathery leaves, she felt herself growing increasingly frustrated with the crop’s appearance. When she kneeled...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Leyla Connolly’s battery-powered wheelchair has been broken for more than a year. As she waits for it to be fixed, she is consigned to her Dorchester apartment, where she feels trapped without a safe way to leave to get groceries, go to...

By CHRIS LARABEE

The number of homeless people in Franklin County has more than doubled in the last year, as the annual Point-in-Time count in January found 252 people sleeping in shelters or outside, compared to 104 in January 2023.Franklin County accounted for...