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By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — Maura Healey, reflecting midway through her first term as governor, noted the many investments she is making in the state, such as access to free college and free school lunches and breakfasts, the results of which aren’t fully known as...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

Just less than half of the roughly 3.5 million voters who cast a ballot in November’s elections here did so in person on Election Day, Secretary of State William Galvin’s office said in a new report on the roughly $8 million costs associated with the...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

Fewer people who gave birth in 2022 received adequate prenatal care compared to the prior year, and more Massachusetts residents used fertility treatment, according to a new report from the Department of Public Health.DPH’s look-back into the 68,579...

By ZICHANG LIU

For decades, Massachusetts’s adoption procedures have been a catalyst for happy endings for families across the state, including out-of-state birth parents who just want their child to be smoothly transferred to a new, welcoming home.However, within...

By COLIN A. YOUNG and SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — At the midway point of her term in office, Gov. Maura Healey said last week she’s comfortable with what she’s gotten done and is more focused on implementing what she sees as “transformational” accomplishments than on pondering her next...

By BOB KATZEN

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll call votes in the House or Senate last week. Both branches spent most of their time in session listening to the farewell speeches of legislators who will not be returning to the Legislature next year.The...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Massachusetts school districts have to come up with new processes before the end of the school year to determine if a student has shown competency over state academic standards, as state officials face an onslaught of questions raised by...

By ZICHANG LIU

“Did you smell the barbecue smell in the air?” That was the question many Massachusetts residents frequently asked over the last two months.New England is well-known for its vibrant autumn foliage, especially this fall — when days were mostly bright...

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — Even many in Donald Trump’s circle are unsure whether the president-elect intends to follow through on his often expansive, and some would say, hyperbolic rhetoric — the kind of exaggerated speech that heralded a “big, beautiful wall”...

By SAM DORAN

BOSTON — Lawmakers dropped the controversial idea to pursue so-called safe injection sites in a compromise addiction and substance use disorder bill they filed Tuesday after months of private negotiations.Reps. Alice Peisch and Adrian Madaro and Sen....

By Bob Katzen

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ votes on roll calls from budget vetoes by Gov. Maura Healey. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. $3 MILLION FOR EDUCATION OF EARLY...

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 last week to shed light on local permitting and the role of municipal power in the wake of...

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 Zichang Liu

In an era where communication is no longer confined to one medium, Massachusetts’ wiretap law remains frozen in time, a 56-year-old statute that doesn’t entirely fit into the realities of today’s digital landscape, raising questions for lawmakers,...

By ZICHANG LIU

AMHERST — University of Massachusetts professors Chang Liu and Xiaojun Wei have discovered a new method to detect per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — “forever chemicals” found in water, soil, air, food and other consumer products, paving the way for...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

Thousands of older Bay Staters could lose access to home care services this spring or see support scaled back due to looming funding shortfalls totaling millions of dollars, elder advocates and providers say.Elder services organizations are urging...

By SAM DORAN

BOSTON — Auditor Diana DiZoglio plans to hold a press conference Wednesday marking a month since her legislative audit ballot question cruised to victory. But the victorious Question 1 will be staying on ice for at least another month.The Methuen...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — MassHealth recently expanded access to its doula services program, and regulatory changes that state officials made on an emergency basis yielded scant public feedback Monday.During a roughly 10-minute hearing, only a state health official...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — Attorney General Andrea Campbell plans to stay on the sidelines in the donnybrook between Auditor Diana DiZoglio and the Legislature, at least until the two sides wind up in a “legal dispute” if DiZoglio seeks to exercise her new auditing...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, joined by a cohort of Massachusetts health leaders, declared Tuesday 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...