COLUMBIA GAS

Thousands of Merrimack Valley residents have had to wait over a year for their compensation checks from the multimillion-dollar class-action lawsuit against Columbia Gas after the region’s explosions in 2018. But we’ve learned that roughly $1,000 checks will be issued to late claimants starting next week, on Thursday, Dec. 29. John Roddy, one of the lead attorneys on the lawsuit…

It has been three years since gas explosions rocked Merrimack Valley, but many victims are still without compensation from a class action settlement. The Massachusetts communities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover were impacted. About 8,000 people were displaced, and 18-year-old Leonel Rondon was killed. Columbia Gas was forced to pay more than $56 million in fines and was barred…

Sept. 13, 2018, is a day that residents of the Merrimack Valley will never forget. Explosions and fires rocked the cities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, killed one man and seriously injured more than a dozen others. Leonel Rondon, 18, died when a chimney fell on top of his parked car. About 8,000 people were displaced after more than…

Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, a Democrat and ally of Gov. Charlie Baker’s, has been named the next CEO of MassDevelopment, the agency said Thursday. MassDevelopment, the quasi-public body tasked with spurring economic development, said in a press release it had extended a contract offer to Rivera. “I am both honored and humbled to be chosen as the President and...

A week after a federal judge sentenced a Massachusetts utility to pay $53 million for its role in the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, Massachusetts’ attorney general has reached an agreement with the company for an even greater sum. Columbia Gas agreed to a $56 million settlement and will not be allowed to operate in the Bay State again, Attorney General…

Columbia Gas, the utility behind the deadly gas explosions that rocked Lawrence, Andover and North Andover more than a year and a half ago was sentenced Tuesday to pay a $53 dollar fine and serve three years probation.

Columbia Gas will be sentenced virtually by a federal judge in Boston Tuesday in connection with the Merrimack Valley Gas Disaster.

The utility behind the deadly gas explosions that rocked Lawrence, Andover and North Andover more than a year and a half ago must pay a hefty $53 million fine in 30 days and serve three years probation. U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV sentenced Columbia Gas of Massachusetts in Boston Tuesday morning, setting a deadline for the…

The first $70 million in settlement payments to people affected by a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018 will be mailed Friday.

The first $70 million in settlement payments to people affected by a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018 will be mailed Friday, about six weeks earlier than expected, attorneys involved in the case said. “For those residents who filed a claim with the administrator seeking a lump-sum payment, the average per-household payment will be more than $8,000,”…

A Massachusetts judge approved a $143 million class action settlement Thursday for residents and business owners affected by natural gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018. The settlement’s approval comes days after Columbia Gas of Massachusetts pleaded guilty to causing the explosions that killed one person, injured dozens of others, and damaged or destroyed more than 100 buildings. “This community suffered…

Coumbia gas will go to court later today.

A 42-year Columbia Gas employee said his bosses ignored repeated warning about potential safety issues. But not federal investigators, who used the retired utility worker’s testimony to help build their criminal case. On Wednesday, Bart Maderios reacted to the federal criminal charges against his former employer. “I cried for days. It devastated me for months,” Maderios said of the...

Columbia Gas will pay a $53 million criminal fine for breaking a federal pipeline safety law and plead guilty to causing a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts that killed one person and damaged dozens of homes, federal officials announced Wednesday.

Columbia Gas, the utility behind the deadly 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions, will pay a $53 million fine and be sold by its parent company, NiSource.

Columbia Gas, the utility behind the deadly 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions, will pay a $53 million fine and be sold by its parent company, NiSource, after agreeing to plead guilty in connection with the disaster, authorities announced Wednesday. U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in a press conference that Columbia Gas had agreed to plead guilty to felony violation of…

Columbia Gas just finished work on another gas leak in the Merrimack Valley.

Repairs have been completed in Lawrence, Massachusetts after yet another gas leak was detected in the Merrimack Valley town on Wednesday. Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said it is bothersome that there is yet another gas leak in the Merrimack Valley, but officials believe this one near the intersection of Haverhill and Ames streets is weather related. “What we believe has…