Massachusetts

Top Democrats expect to file a compromise Wednesday on a bill designed to continue funding the state’s overrun emergency family shelter system and implement reforms to cut costs by limiting how long families may stay in shelters. As State House News Service first reported, lawmakers working on a fiscal 2024 supplemental budget (H 4466 / S 2711) picked up the…

A man from western Massachusetts was arrested in New York state Tuesday on a murder charge after police responding to a call for a bad odor found a body inside the man’s apartment, authorities said. The investigation began when someone reported a foul odor coming from an apartment on Chapman Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Inside, police found a dead...

Since 1983, the state has promised families and pregnant women a right to shelter. Now, lawmakers are moving to overturn that right

If you filled your gas tank recently, you may have experienced some sticker shock, as gas prices are soaring. According to AAA Northeast, gas in Massachusetts is up 19 cents a gallon over the last week. Compared to one month ago, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas is up 27 cents. AAA Northeast says the biggest…

A former police chief in western Massachusetts is accused of embezzling from the town he served. Former Leyden Police Chief Daniel Galvis was arraigned Monday, according to the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office. Galvis is accused of selling equipment owned by the Leyden Police Department and keeping the money for himself. The items included a skid steer loader, a motor,...

Gov. Maura Healey has joined a chorus of voices pushing back against an idea floated by the secretary for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation about adding tolls at the state’s borders. MassDOT Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt was giving a keynote speech at a WalkMassachusetts gathering on April 10 when she talked about the need to get “aggressive” to have enough money…

Let our meteor season begin! Early January through April, the sky is pretty quiet from any meteor showers.  Now, that changes as we have our annual Lyrid meteor shower kicking off a bunch of meteor shower events this year. This shower is caused by debris from a passing comet named Comet Thatcher that comes around every year. But don’t...

Massachusetts is among the top 10 states people left in 2023. We’re taking a look at who’s leaving and why.

A supercentenarian who survived the Armenian genocide is being celebrated for her resilience.

Two unsettling reports of animal cruelty involving dogs in different towns in Massachusetts were unfounded, according to police. Authorities in Townsend and Newburyport issued press releases Friday looking to debunk rumors that had been circulating around the towns. Police in Townsend, located in northern Massachusetts along the New Hampshire border, said they received a report on April 11 that someone…

The tax collectors at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue raked in $1.713 billion during the first half of April, the most critical month for state finances. But while that represents a slight increase compared to the same period last April, DOR warned that comparisons “are not meaningful” for a variety of factors. April is the most significant month for state…

While negotiators remain at odds over how much they want to draw from state savings and exactly what kind of time limits to place on shelter stays — plus whether restaurants should resume takeout drink sales — funding could run out in less than two weeks, a Healey administration official confirmed

A couple in New England was left in stitches from a hilarious mistake made by their local bakery. On April 14, Reddit user John Ellis (u/Soggy_Reindeer3635) shared a post to the subreddit r/mildlyinfuriating that quickly went viral with over 70,000 upvotes. In the post, the Massachusetts-area man shared the laughable result of errors that befell his wife Chanda Ellis’ custom birthday...

As House Democrats eye the expansion of its public drinking water service area, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is considering whether the communities where that water comes from should finally get to reap the benefits of the system. The MWRA board is undertaking a preliminary study to direct water from the Quabbin Reservoir — which provides Boston and other eastern…

A 17-year-old boy was killed in a crash during a dirt bike race in western Massachusetts over the weekend, according to NBC affiliate WWLP. The crash happened Sunday at the J-Day Off Road competition in Southwick. Southwick police described Noah DuPont’s death as a “freak accident.” “Riders crash on a regular basis, it’s part of racing unfortunately,” Sgt. Thomas...

As the state convenes meetings to safeguard access to care at Steward hospitals in Massachusetts, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey are calling on the company’s landlord to play a role in stabilizing health care operations. In a letter Monday to CEO Edward Aldag Jr. of Medical Properties Trust, Inc. and CEO Karl Kuchel of Macquarie Infrastructure Partners,...

The search is on for three men who robbed two 7-Elevens at gunpoint on the South Shore early Wednesday morning, police said. The two armed robberies, which took place in Norwell and Quincy about 20 minutes apart, are believed to be related, Quincy police said Thursday, noting that a car crash is believed to be related as well. A blue…

The body of a Massachusetts woman who’d been missing for over a month was found off a trail in New York State, police said Tuesday. Fae Morgana Barbone, 40, had last been seen in early March, according to police. Barbone’s body was found off the Taconic Crest Trail close to the border of Massachusetts border, according to local police...

Money for Massachusetts’ emergency family shelter system could run out sometime before the end of April, according to a top senator, who is part of a six-person group of lawmakers trying to come up with funding solutions. A supplemental spending package could ship hundreds of millions of dollars to shore up the shelter system, but House and Senate Democrats disagree…

The signs of spring are all around: the days are getting warmer, baseball is back, and Massachusetts home prices are setting records as demand continues to significantly outpace the inventory of houses for sale. The real estate analysts at The Warren Group reported Wednesday morning that $580,000 was the median price of the 2,563 single-family homes sold in the Bay…