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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...

By Bob Katzen

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the percentage of times local representatives voted with their party’s leadership in the 2024 session through Sept. 20....

By BOB KATZEN

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House and Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the number of times each representative sided with Gov. Maura Healey on her 20 vetoes of state budget items in the 2024...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Ten years ago, Sara Guttierez dropped out of college because she could not make the finances work.It was a hard, stressful decision, she recalled Wednesday, one that left her feeling “lost and uncertain” about the future. But today, Guttierez is back...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — Westfield Sen. John Velis and Concord Rep. Simon Cataldo will lead the state’s new commission on combating antisemitism, which they say will set out to stamp out Massachusetts’ recent “ignominious reputation as a hub of antisemitic activity.”...

By ZICHANG LIU

BOSTON — Not long after state Sen. Jo Comerford took office in 2019, a constituent reached out for help after they received a bill from MassHealth in the wake of a family member’s death.The state was seeking to recover expenses associated with caring...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

The Healey administration’s budget chief is “cautiously optimistic” about the economic outlook for the year ahead, even though he expects lackluster tax collections to continue and sees “unavoidable deficiencies” on the horizon.Administration and...

By CAROLYN BROWN

Earlier this month, the Massachusetts Center for the Book, the state branch of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, announced the winners of its 24th annual Massachusetts Book Awards — and six authors from the Pioneer Valley were on the...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Opponents of a major new gun law say they have collected a bit less than half of the signatures they need by early next month to suspend the measure until voters would potentially get a chance to decide its fate in 2026.A group of gun owners and...