Red Cross

Plasma is precious for people sick with COVID-19. The liquid portion of blood taken from survivors of the disease may be rich in antibodies that doctors hope can speed up recovery for the sickest patients.

Could the blood of people who have recovered from COVID-19 help those who are still sick with the illness?

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and first lady Lauren Baker visited a Red Cross donation center in Dedham Saturday to donate blood and call for the public to do the same. Their visit comes amid nationwide calls for blood during the deadly coronavirus crisis, despite the need for social distancing. Baker said that due to the closure of schools and other…

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker explains why people should donate blood during the coronavirus crisis while speaking at a Red Cross location in Dedham.

The American Red Cross and blood banks across the nation are putting out an urgent call for donors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As the virus spreads and events and businesses close, donations are dropping, dangerously in some areas.

A heavy, two-alarm fire in East Boston displaced four residents from their homes late Monday evening, authorities said. When Boston fire crews arrived at the scene around 11:25 p.m., they observed flames from the basement to the top floor at 296 Princeton St. The building at 294 Princeton St. also suffered damage, according to the Boston Fire Department. One firefighter…

A Worcester, Massachusetts, fire lieutenant died early Wednesday as he and his crew attempted to save a baby and others from a raging fire. Chief Michael Lavoie said in a press conference that Lt. Jason Menard, a father of three, succumbed to his injuries after his “heroic efforts” to save people in the four-alarm fire at 7 Stockholm Street.

John Moroney reports from Roxbury, where an overnight house fire left one person dead.

The death of Worcester Fire Lt. Jason Menard early Wednesday in an apartment blaze was a stark reminder of the city’s history of tragic fires. Menard, a father of three, died saving members of Ladder 5, who were responding to reports of a trapped baby on the third floor of an apartment building on Stockholm Street.

A Worcester fire lieutenant who died in a 4-alarm fire overnight was responding to a report of a trapped baby and heroically sacrificed himself to get two of his fellow firefighters to safety. Lt. Jason Menard was killed in the fire, leaving behind a wife and three children. The family had been scheduled to leave on a trip to Disney...

Massachusetts residents can now have a non-binary gender designation on state driver’s licenses. The state’s Registry of Motor Vehicles says it now recognizes three gender designations: “male,” “female,” and “non-binary.” The change took effect Tuesday.

Crews battled a fire in Worcester, Massachusetts Wednesday, hours after a fire lieutenant tragically died in another blaze. The fire appeared to have damaged businesses, including a pet shop, on the 1100 block of Pleasant Street Wednesday morning.

A Worcester Fire Department lieutenant died battling an early morning blaze at a home on Stockholm Street.

Up to 15 residents are displaced and several people were hospitalized in an roaring 4-alarm house fire in Worcester, Massachusetts amid frigid weather conditions.

Firefighters successfully knocked down a 2-alarm fire in Canton, Massachusetts early Monday but faced difficulties in the battle because of the burning home’s location. The fire broke out at about 2:45 a.m. at the home on Weathervane Road, according to authorities. Upon arrival, crews saw flames coming from the roof of the building — over the garage.

Firefighters from multiple nearby towns responded Sunday morning to a fire at a home in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries in the blaze that started sometime after 7:30 a.m. at 2 May Street. One firefighter had chest pain and another suffered minor burns. The fire was concentrated on the second and third floors of the home, and it...

Flames broke out around 7:30 a.m. Sunday at 2 May Street in Lawrence, Massachusetts.