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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 vaccinations.Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said last week that these...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — A Boston area congressman on Monday positioned himself opposite one of his colleagues from north of the city in one of the longest running debates about transforming the state’s public transit system.Congressman Stephen Lynch said that he...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — After months of delay, the Legislature sent a major clean energy bill to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk amid shifting national energy policy dynamics.The House voted 125-17 to approve the 139-page House-Senate compromise bill (S 2967), and both...

By JULIAN MENDOZA

Making his way from Springfield to Greenfield during his annual walk to raise money for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, local radio personality Christopher “Monte” Belmonte looks to increase the visibility of one of the country’s greatest...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — The House on Thursday moved to overhaul audits of the chamber’s business after voters overwhelmingly said the state auditor has the power to audit the Legislature. Representatives voted 135-10 to adopt a House rule change that provides...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON – Voters defeated a proposal to gradually increase how much employers must pay workers who collect tips, like servers in restaurants.The campaign opposed to phasing out the current tipped-wage structure and increasing the pay for waiters and...

By SAM DRYSDALEand ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON – Massachusetts students will no longer have to pass the MCAS exam to earn a diploma here.Question 2, which advanced with a hard push by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, prevailed in Tuesday’s election. The measure was favored by 59% of...

By STEVE LeBLANC

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts voters said yes to auditing the Legislature but rejected increasing the hourly wage for workers who collect tips.Those were among five measures on Tuesday’s ballot, including giving union rights to drivers for ride-hailing...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

Gov. Maura Healey cast her ballot at an Arlington elementary school Tuesday morning, and after dropping off Dunkin’ coffee and donuts for poll workers turned north to spend most of Election Day in her native — and more electorally active — New...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

At their first meeting last week, members of a new state panel tasked with combating the scourge of antisemitism in Massachusetts outlined priority issues, as well as the vitriol they have personally experienced over the past year.The commission,...

By AVA BERGER

Some of the financial contributions to the committees behind the MCAS question on the November ballot follow unfamiliar practices or lack transparency, experts say.Question 2 on the Nov. 5 ballot seeks to end the MCAS as a graduation requirement. The...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — The University of Massachusetts is simplifying its message for prospective in-state students and their families: If you make under $75,000, you can come to any one of the system’s campuses for free.There’s been a surge in state funding for...

By Staff Report

STOW — With 47 active brush fires reported statewide, including 18 in the past 24 hours, local and state officials are urging residents to use extra caution with any open flame or other heat source outdoors.“The dry, sunny, breezy weather is great...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

The Massachusetts unemployment rate ticked higher in September and now sits half a percentage point above the rate one year ago. The state’s jobless rate in September was reported Oct. 18 by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development at...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — Auditor Diana DiZoglio on Monday escalated her long fight with the Legislature, publishing a report slamming lawmakers for a lack of transparency that the top House Democrat derided as “pure political self-promotion and...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON – House and Senate Democrats announced a breakthrough Thursday morning on “comprehensive climate and clean energy siting and permitting legislation,” calling for a vote soon on a major bill that stumbled at the traditional end of formal...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON – Low-income families in Massachusetts are in store for significant natural gas and electric bill discounts through a new state partnership with utility companies, Gov. Maura Healey’s office announced Wednesday.Bay Staters enrolled in SNAP...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

With the higher education landscape shifting due to investments in free community college and financial aid, Massachusetts officials are honing in on quality and affordability concerns, infrastructure, and transfer credits through new...

By MARA MELLITS

Earlier this year, a nationwide outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in cows caused panic for dairy farmers everywhere. Now, Massachusetts has become the only state to test all of its dairy herds, from 95 farms, and achieve 100% negative...

By CHRIS LISNISKI

BOSTON — Gun owners outraged by a sweeping new firearms law are ready to move to the next phase of their repeal campaign, and a leader of the effort suggested Bay Staters should expect “lots of legal action” in the next few weeks. Lobbing criticism at...