Search Results

Keyword search: Massachusetts

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

Leading a roughly 100-person crowd across a two-day, 43-mile trek from Springfield to Greenfield, NEPM radio host Christopher “Monte” Belmonte raised more than $572,000 to end hunger during the 15th annual March for the Food Bank.Belmonte, dressed as...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

State officials are preparing for the rollout of expanded maternal health care services in 2025, stemming from a new law and recommendations they issued last year.Public health officials said the bevy of reforms were fueled by the controversial...

By DOMENIC POLI

WENDELL — The citizens group that formed last year in opposition to a now-withdrawn proposal for a 105-megawatt battery storage facility held a virtual forum this week to shed light on local permitting and the role of municipal power in the wake of...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

A recent survey conducted by the abortion fund Tides for Reproductive Freedom evaluated obstacles to accessing abortion care in Massachusetts.The organization both provides funds for those who would otherwise be unable to access abortion care and...

By SYDNEY TOPF

Ahead of the holiday season, consumer advocates are warning parents about the dangers posed by toys coming from overseas.International sellers are using “legal loopholes” to ship unsafe toys into the U.S., bypassing inspections and safety standards...

By MARA MELLITS

With the new climate and clean energy law changing the permitting process for solar and battery storage projects, western Massachusetts residents are left wondering how the regulations will impact their rural communities.“An act promoting a clean...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

While the recent passage of a new clean energy law leaves details of implementation to be solidified over the next 15 months before it takes effect, Mass Audubon’s director of legislative and government affairs is feeling hopeful about one aspect...

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

NEW SALEM — Two Gardner residents were killed in a three-vehicle crash on Daniel Shays Highway (Route 202) on Friday, according to Northwestern District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Laurie Loisel.Both the driver and passenger, ages 89 and 74, in one...

By CHRIS LARABEE

GREENFIELD — More products and facility upgrades will be coming to the Western Massachusetts Food Processing Center, as the Franklin County Community Development Corporation has reeled in two separate grants.The Franklin County CDC was awarded a...

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

BOSTON — Three Massachusetts Appeals Court judges heard oral arguments on Wednesday after former Greenfield Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. and the city challenged a 2022 Hampshire County Superior Court ruling that found he and the Police Department...

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

Gov. Maura Healey signed the Statewide Accelerated Public Health for Every Community (SAPHE 2.0) bill in late November on the coattails of a $4 billion economic development bond bill. Now roughly four years in the making, local health officials say...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, joined by a cohort of Massachusetts health leaders, has declared he will vote against confirming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary, saying Americans need a leader who...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — The head of the state’s K-12 education board expects the state will be sued for failing to assure there’s adequate and equitable learning taking place in schools, after voters overwhelmingly supported a new law this November that got rid of...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Tobacco and nicotine products would eventually become banned in Massachusetts, under a regulatory trajectory that a trio of lawmakers hope will become law next session.Sen. Jason Lewis and Reps. Tommy Vitolo and Kate Lipper-Garabedian...

By ZICHANG LIU

BOSTON — A day ahead of World Pancreatic Cancer Day, which fell on Nov. 21, lawmakers and advocates gathered to bring hope to a promising bill aimed at improving survival rates and treatments for pancreatic cancer patients.Pancreatic cancer ranks as...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey’s office intends over the next roughly 19 months to phase out the use of hotels and motels for emergency shelter, seek a legislative change to boost rental assistance for needy families, create a reserve account for shelter...

By SOPHIA FALBO

BOSTON — A spike in whooping cough and pneumonia cases has prompted public health officials to closely monitor case levels at the local and state levels and emphasize the importance of vaccinations.Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the Department of...

By ALEXA LEWIS

While many families are gearing up for their holiday feasts, a large number of Massachusetts residents are struggling to put food on the table. Amid unusually high prices and the conclusion of many pandemic-era supports, local food banks and survival...

By ALEXA LEWIS

The 15th annual March for the Food Bank with Monte Belmonte will once again traverse the 43 miles from Springfield to Greenfield over Monday and Tuesday.The march has come to be known not just for the creative costumes donned by marchers pushing...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

State officials characterized the drought in Massachusetts as being in a “critical” stage across most of the state Tuesday.The state environmental affairs secretariat said precipitation was “at an unprecedented low over the last three months,” and...

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

GILL — After advocating for funding since 2017, the Gill Elementary School roof replacement project has been accepted by the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) Accelerated Repair Program.The Selectboard, detailing the status of the...