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By SOPHIE HAUCK

HOLYOKE — The Holyoke School Committee voted unanimously to petition state Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to release the city’s public schools from state receivership during a special meeting on Monday night.All eight committee members appeared...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — Cannabis Control Commission Chairwoman Shannon O’Brien was suspended from her position Thursday by Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who chose her for the job a year ago, as upheaval continues to collide with the CCC’s hefty regulatory and policy...

By SAM DORAN

BOSTON — A Governor’s Council meeting that featured approval of four new pardons took an unexpected turn Wednesday as one member persistently rebuked her colleagues, before councilors across the room successfully moved to establish a new Rules...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

More than 200 farms across western and central Massachusetts started receiving checks last week from the Massachusetts Farm Resiliency Fund, which was launched by the Healey administration and United Way of Central Massachusetts after devastating...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

Nearly $2 million in federal dollars will flow into Massachusetts and Boston city coffers to tackle the migrant housing crisis, with the money arriving just over a week after Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency due to strained shelter...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst Town Hall’s large granite steps, in place since the building opened at the corner of Main Street and Boltwood Avenue in 1889, have been dismantled and removed as part of an ongoing repair project.Since the project began June 19, the...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Earl Miller, Amherst’s director of the unarmed police alternative Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service department, is on paid administrative leave until the completion of an independent investigation, according to town...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Investigators in Auditor Diana DiZoglio's office uncovered more than $1 million worth of public benefits fraud from April through June, with the majority linked to cases involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).The...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — All of the town’s more than 5,000 rental units would be inspected at least twice a decade for building and health code compliance rather than waiting for a complaint to prompt an inspector to investigate under a proposed revamp of rules...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Hadley officials are interested in buying new budgeting software to assist various financial and personnel offices at Town Hall, though this will come at a potential cost of more than $25,000 annually.The Select Board last week unanimously...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Residents who live on a cul-de-sac in South Amherst and deal with regular flooding on the road, and the deterioration of pavement the standing water causes, are making a new appeal to the Town Council and town officials for a specific plan...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Regulating large-scale solar projects proposed for land that is actively being farmed or is significantly wooded remains a sticking point for an Amherst committee attempting to write a solar bylaw to be adopted by the Town Council.“It’s...

By JAMES PENTLAND

PLAINFIELD — A dispute between town officials and two residents over alleged health, building and wetlands violations at their property has devolved into a legal stand-off, with the residents flouting a court order to permit inspections.Town officials...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — The deadline for the second round of law enforcement officer recertification passed about two weeks ago and the executive director of the state’s police certification agency reported Wednesday that things went “very smoothly” and that most...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — More details about how to spend the remaining $4.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act money Amherst has available are expected to be presented to the Town Council on Monday.Town Manager Paul Bockelman said this week that he anticipates...

By JAMES PENTLAND

WILLIAMSBURG — After seeing some of the area’s widespread flooding from a helicopter as she flew from Hanscom Field in Bedford to Northampton, Gov. Maura Healey stopped in Williamsburg Wednesday morning to learn more about flood-related damages...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HATFIELD — Money to move the cable control room for the public access station from Smith Academy to Memorial Town Hall is included in a new 10-year contract between the town and Comcast.On Tuesday, the Select Board, acting as the Cable Television...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — The state has issued more than double the number of learner’s permits in the last 10 days than this time last year, after a law went into effect July 1 allowing undocumented immigrants who live in Massachusetts to apply for driver’s...

By MADDIE FABIAN

EASTHAMPTON — After a contentious public hearing Wednesday evening that ended in the City Council passing a pregnancy center ordinance, Mayor Nicole LaChapelle vetoed the measure Thursday afternoon.First introduced nine months ago and revised...

By SAM DORAN

BOSTON — A federal judge hadn’t even ruled yet on suspending approval of the abortion pill mifepristone in April when Gov. Maura Healey orchestrated a major reserve shipment of the drug through the state’s flagship university. But despite pledges of...