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By STEVE LeBLANC

BOSTON — The highest court in Massachusetts ruled Thursday to raise from 18 to 21 the minimum age at which a person can be sentenced to mandatory life without parole — a narrow 4-3 ruling that juvenile justice advocates are hailing as progress.The...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — “Keep your eyes peeled” for free community college funding in the Senate’s version of the fiscal year 2025 budget, Senate President Karen Spilka said Wednesday.Making community college free for every Massachusetts resident could cost the...

By SAM DORAN

BOSTON — As towns and cities see a rise in natural disasters that require greater emergency response than their local resources can support alone, two western Massachusetts lawmakers renewed their call Tuesday to divert a portion of excess capital...

By STELLA TANNENBAUM

Slowly but surely — and not without opposition — age-old efforts to change images of Native Americans that many view as offensive have gained new momentum across Massachusetts, sparking conversations about history, representation and what it means to...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

After filing legal challenges in several other states to bar Donald Trump from ballot eligibility in this year’s primaries, a Massachusetts-incorporated advocacy group with local ties has now done so in its home state.Free Speech for People, a...

By MADDIE FABIAN

On any given weekday morning, upward of 40 people fill the Holyoke Community College gymnasium to partake in the sport that has become a favorite pastime for those looking to socialize and for people of all ages and abilities looking for a little...

By Colin A. Young

BOSTON — Utility regulators want to hear from Massachusetts residents who grapple each month to make choices between paying utility bills and covering other essential costs.The Department of Public Utilities on Thursday launched an official “inquiry”...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — A pair of reports made public this week illustrate the variety of efforts that are underway to position Massachusetts to live up to its legal requirement to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.In addition to a minimum 50%...

By JAIMEE FRANCIS

Heat pumps, which use electricity rather than directly burning fossil fuel, are a key piece of Massachusetts’ goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. But the state has hit only 1% of its installation target, in large part because...

By MADDIE FABIAN

EASTHAMPTON — On the ground floor of Eastworks, a converted old mill that now houses artists, writers and nonprofits, a different type of tenant can be found — one where its customers practice “ollies” and “grinds,” “pop shove-its” and “kickflips.”...

By MADDIE FABIAN

EASTHAMPTON — The Easthampton School Committee turned a new leaf on Tuesday as members were sworn into office for a new term, with those serving for the next two years looking to put behind them a tumultuous year in which two of its members quit...

By CLARA CHO

At the young age of 15, Rick Dyer’s addiction to drugs and drinking began.Going through over 40 bags of heroin a day at one point, he experienced homelessness and incarceration, both common among people struggling with substance abuse. But what was...

By Colin A. Young

BOSTON — A judge has cleared the way for Treasurer Deborah Goldberg to hold a hearing on the potential termination of Cannabis Control Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien, but the scheduling of that meeting is now tied to an open investigation that...

By MADDIE FABIAN

Editor’s note: This is the fourth and final article from the Western Mass. Solar Forum series. The first three forums took place in September, and another series of forums is in the works for this spring. AMHERST — Most experts agree solar energy is...

By MAX BOWEN

November 2018 was a momentous time for Massachusetts. That’s when the state officially opened the retail marijuana business, some two years after voters said they were cool with recreational cannabis sales by overwhelmingly approving a ballot...

By Declan Langton

A month after selling out trial runs offering bus service from New York to Amherst and from Boston to Northampton, a regional transportation company that specializes in intercity and charter bus trips is now offering these routes on a permanent basis....

By TONY DOBROWOLSKI

PITTSFIELD — State Rep. Paul Mark received the Democratic Party nomination for state Senate on Tuesday, defeating primary opponent Huff Tyler Templeton III.Mark, who recently moved from Peru to Becket, defeated Templeton, of Williamstown, to represent...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — The Registry of Motor Vehicles now has another tool to track out-of-state driving records, an area where gaps in the past have been tied to tragic results.Over the weekend of June 25 and 26, the RMV tested and successfully rolled out a new...

By MAUREEN MILLIKEN

New Hampshire State Police and state Fish and Game Department personnel were conducting a ground search Wednesday in connection with missing Massachusetts woman Maura Murray.The search is in Landaff and Easton off Route 112, a sprawling area north of...

By SAM DORAN

BOSTON — The Legislature on Monday set the dates of this year’s sales tax holiday weekend, settling on Aug. 13 and 14, when Massachusetts shoppers will get a break from state sales tax on most retail items less than $2,500.The annual sales-tax-free...