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By SAM DORAN

LEXINGTON — Gov. Maura Healey signed off Thursday on a new veterans’ benefits law that she touted as “a big deal,” while Veterans’ Services Secretary Jon Santiago told a packed town hall that the Holyoke Veterans Home had been awarded licensure by the...

By SAMUEL GELINAS

WILLIAMSBURG — A new state housing law approved this summer that spells out state rules for accessory dwelling units will likely have minimal impact on the town.At a Select Board meeting last Thursday, Planning Board Chair Steve Smith said “we’re not...

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 SAM DRYSDALE

As scores on statewide standardized tests rolled in Tuesday, revealing that students are still struggling from pandemic-related learning losses, education officials contemplated an overhaul of the state’s accountability system – against the backdrop...

HOLYOKE — The city is contracting with a public policy consultant to help initiate a formal policy that would ask tax-exempt property owners to make payments in lieu of taxes, also known as a PILOT.Mayor Joshua A. Garcia notes that Holyoke is home to...

By Bob Katzen

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of July 29-Aug. 2.CREATE COMMISSION TO STUDY MISREPRESENTATION OF A SERVICE ANIMAL (H 4917): House 158-0, approved and sent to...

By EMILEE KLEIN

GRANBY — After 23 years as town administrator, Christopher Martin will retire on Nov. 1, leaving the Select Board to rethink the position’s responsibilities before hiring a replacement.“I’d truly like to thank you for your service to the town for...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — A small crowd of climate activists marched through the State House on Thursday morning, chanting about lawmakers’ failure to strike a deal on a clean energy bill deemed urgent and essential by the very lawmakers who could not agree on a...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — House and Senate negotiators sent an agreement on a policy-filled $5.16 billion housing bond bill to Gov. Maura Healey Thursday morning, potentially salvaging a priority for the House, Senate and governor. A number of policies sponsored by...

HOLYOKE — Police Chief David Pratt wrapped up his 31-year career with the Holyoke Police Department on Wednesday, opening the door for a new chief in the coming weeks.A search committee charged with evaluating candidates for the position and then...

By CLARENCE FANTO

PITTSFIELD — Vice President and likely Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris will attend a campaign fundraiser in Pittsfield on Saturday.She’s the headliner at a star-studded event featuring author-historian Heather Cox Richardson and musical...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON – The hundreds of Democrats who make up the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee voted unanimously Wednesday night to endorse Kamala Harris’ bid for the party’s 2024 presidential nomination, joining a wave of support this week for the vice...

By JAMES PENTLAND

NORTHAMPTON — Governor’s Council member Tara Jacobs met with Deepika Shukla about a year ago, and was impressed by the assistant U.S. attorney’s breadth of experience.“Where she started you wouldn’t necessarily guess from where she is now,” Jacobs...

By Colin A. Young

BOSTON — Without a single Republican vote, the Massachusetts House and Senate sent the governor a massive overhaul of the state’s gun laws late last week, crossing one of the most significant items off of the Legislature’s rest-of-July to-do list. The...

By Bob Katzen

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of July 8-12. PROTECT PRIVACY OF PEOPLE SEEKING REPRODUCTIVE AND GENDER AFFIRMING CARE (H 4844): House 159-0, approved and sent...

By JAMES PENTLAND

CUMMINGTON — Plans for the reuse of the town’s old elementary school are at a pivotal stage, with a $1 million state grant hanging in the balance and another $1 million federal grant set to fund the first phase of redevelopment.Select Board members...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

The shock waves from the shooting at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday have continued to reverberate across the country, including in western Massachusetts.Local politicians reacted to the shooting, which resulted in the death of an...

By JAMES PENTLAND

HADLEY — Elements Massage studio in Hadley closed recently after it was issued a stop-work order by the state for operating without workers compensation insurance.The state Department of Industrial Accidents ordered the studio at 379 Russell St....

By SAM DRYSDALE

After the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a landmark $6 billion opioid settlement last month that would have steered up to $110 million to the Bay State for prevention, treatment and recovery programs, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell said...

By EMILEE KLEIN

SOUTH HADLEY — Edward Wall rushed down Pynchon Street one morning in June to find his little white Maltipoo no longer white.“I arrived on the scene 20 minutes afterwards and it was just carnage. My wife had blood all over her. My daughter had blood...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Lawmakers from both parties signaled Tuesday they share a government watchdog’s concerns about upheaval at the Cannabis Control Commission, but Democrats who wield decision-making power stopped short of indicating what kind of response they might...