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By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal to give cities and towns new tax-hike authority would provide “game-changers” at the local level, especially for less populated areas, one mayor said Tuesday.A bill Healey filed last month would offer...

By MARIA JOSÉ BOTELHO, DEB PATTERSON and CAMILLE CAMMACK

In December, Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley made a proposal that the Legislature mandate that schools use “high-quality” reading curriculum across Massachusetts to “fix the literacy crisis.” Gov. Maura Healey’s recent release of her Literacy...

It is with the most heartfelt gratitude that The Salvation Army of Massachusetts thanks all those who contributed to the 2023 Red Kettle Campaign. Throughout the holidays your donations, regardless of size, contributed to aiding so many families...

By MARKELLE SMITH and RAE ETTENGER

This July, in the Connecticut River watershed, from northern Vermont and New Hampshire downstream to western Massachusetts, heavy rains brought intense flooding that swelled rivers, turned backyards into ponds, and ravaged agricultural fields....

By COLIN A. YOUNG

Immigrants who settle and find work in Massachusetts provide “a direct economic benefit to the region in which they are working in both the value of work produced and in added local spending power,” according to a new report that lands as...

By ROB MOIR

With climate change, a 1% increase in watts per square meter of heat energy is warming the ocean, causing seawater to swell, currents to flow stronger, and greater storms to rage. Ancient Greeks believed Oceanus, the ocean river, separated the known...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Massachusetts businesses kicked off the new year with a sunny disposition.Business confidence among employers surveyed by Associated Industries of Massachusetts rose in January to an 11-month high. The business trade group attributed the boost to...

By SAM DORAN

As part of her push to boost housing supply, Gov. Maura Healey swore in around 30 members of two panels late last month, bringing together groups like developers and builders, advocates for the homeless and people with disabilities, and local...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON – Make it seven months.Having already made mid-year budget cuts and dimmed the outlook for tax collections through June based on six consecutive months of underwhelming receipts, the state reported Monday that tax revenue came in below even...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — A wide-ranging, police-endorsed gun reform bill rolled out by Senate Democrats late last week could be headed for a vote as soon as Thursday. The measure is likely to generate considerable opposition among firearm owners.After months of...

By CHELSEA GAZILLO

When farmland owners die without a will, their heirs are often faced with an unequal division of property. Under current law, a single heir, or a speculator who buys out the interest of just one heir, can file a partition action in court and force a...

By MADDIE FABIAN

EASTHAMPTON – Addressing road safety concerns, the state Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has approved speed limit reductions on a stretch of Route 10.The approved speed limit adjustments include a reduction from 35 to 30 mph from West Street to...

Editor’s note: Since this story was published, Blue Cross Blue Shield has paused enforcement of a policy that restricts the use of anesthesia during colonoscopies and other procedures.An updated policy from Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

BOSTON — While the bill has a long path ahead of it, advocates for more government transparency are encouraged that a House-Senate committee on Tuesday gave a favorable report to a bill whose sponsors say it will bring needed “sunlight” to the...

By MADDIE FABIAN

WESTHAMPTON — As Hampshire Regional School District teachers approach five months of working without a contract, over 115 community members showed up to an online forum Thursday night in support of the union’s fight for a new deal.The forum was held...

By MADDIE FABIAN

EASTHAMPTON — Seven years after entering the political spotlight as a member of the Easthampton City Council, Homar Gomez on Thursday officially launched a bid for state representative for the 2nd Hampshire District.“My family, the community, my...

By SAM DRYSDALE

Last month’s Boston Tea Party anniversary celebration was “just the tip of the iceberg” as Massachusetts prepares to leverage a series of upcoming historical anniversaries to market the state and draw in millions of tourists, the state’s top tourism...

By MADDIE FABIAN

EASTHAMPTON — With two years left in office as mayor of Easthampton, Nicole LaChapelle will head the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association, leading efforts around climate change, housing and other issues she has engaged in on a city level at a wider...

By MADDIE FABIAN

SOUTHAMPTON — Over the years, Scott Szczebak has hung a painting that overlooks Southampton, Easthampton, Northampton and the Oxbow in his office. That painting will soon have a new home in Southampton’s Town Hall, where next month Szczebak will step...

By MADDIE FABIAN

NORTHAMPTON — After longtime clerk Harry J. Jekanowski Jr. announced earlier late last week that he would not seek reelection for Hampshire County Clerk of Courts, state Rep. Daniel Carey, D-Easthampton announced his candidacy for the position on...