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Dozens of fires still burn in US Northeast but California fire is under relative control
Read full article: Dozens of fires still burn in US Northeast but California fire is under relative controlThe Northeast is keeping a wary eye on dozens of fires that killed at least one person and continue to burn amid very dry weather.
State police graduation takes on somber tone as officials remember recruit who died
Read full article: State police graduation takes on somber tone as officials remember recruit who diedFriends and family of a state police recruit who died during training protested outside their graduation ceremony, demand to know how he died.
Gun activists say they are aiming to put Massachusetts gun law repeal on 2026 ballot
Read full article: Gun activists say they are aiming to put Massachusetts gun law repeal on 2026 ballotMassachusetts gun advocates say they have gathered enough signatures to place a question on the 2026 ballot to repeal the state's sweeping new gun law.
Nibi the 'diva' beaver to stay at rescue center, Massachusetts governor decides
Read full article: Nibi the 'diva' beaver to stay at rescue center, Massachusetts governor decidesThe question of whether a 2-year-old beaver named Nibi can stay with the rescuers she has known since she was a baby or must be released into the wild as winter approaches was resolved when the Massachusetts governor stepped in to protect Nibi.
Nibi the beaver's fate lands in court as rescuers try to stop her release into the wild
Read full article: Nibi the beaver's fate lands in court as rescuers try to stop her release into the wildWhether a 2-year-old beaver named Nibi gets to stay with the rescuers she has known since she was a baby or must be released into the wild as winter approaches in Massachusetts has ended up in court — and caused such an uproar that even the governor has weighed in.
Large police presence at funeral for Massachusetts recruit who died during training exercise
Read full article: Large police presence at funeral for Massachusetts recruit who died during training exerciseA large law enforcement presence has turned out in Worcester to honor a state police recruit who died after becoming unresponsive during a training exercise.
'Crisis pregnancy centers' sue Massachusetts for campaign targeting their anti-abortion practices
Read full article: 'Crisis pregnancy centers' sue Massachusetts for campaign targeting their anti-abortion practicesA conservative law firm is suing Massachusetts Gov_ Maura Healey over an initiative the state launched earlier this summer targeting “crisis pregnancy centers” that Healey calls strictly “anti-abortion.”.
Gun rights activists target new Massachusetts law with lawsuit and repeal effort
Read full article: Gun rights activists target new Massachusetts law with lawsuit and repeal effortMassachusetts gun rights activists are vowing to pursue repealing a gun bill signed into law by Democratic Gov. Maura Healey.
Massachusetts governor signs law phasing out toxic PFAS in firefighters' gear
Read full article: Massachusetts governor signs law phasing out toxic PFAS in firefighters' gearMassachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has signed into law a bill that would phase out the use of PFAS in firefighters’ protective gear.
Massachusetts governor says Steward Health Care must give 120-day notice before closing hospitals
Read full article: Massachusetts governor says Steward Health Care must give 120-day notice before closing hospitalsGov. Maura Healey says she is pressing Steward Health Care to adhere to a state Department of Public Health regulation that hospital owners must give 120 days notice before any medical facility can close in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts on verge of becoming second-to-last state to outlaw 'revenge porn'
Read full article: Massachusetts on verge of becoming second-to-last state to outlaw 'revenge porn'A bill aimed at outlawing “revenge porn” has been approved by lawmakers in the Massachusetts House and Senate and shipped to Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, a move advocates say was long overdue.
Steward Health Care says it is selling the 30+ hospitals it operates nationwide
Read full article: Steward Health Care says it is selling the 30+ hospitals it operates nationwideSteward Health Care says it plans to sell off all its hospitals after announcing this week that it filed for bankruptcy protection.
Steward Health Care strikes deal to sell its nationwide physician network to Optum
Read full article: Steward Health Care strikes deal to sell its nationwide physician network to OptumFinancially embattled hospital operator Steward Health Care has struck a deal to sell its nationwide physician network to Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, as it works to stabilize its finances.
Massachusetts governor to pardon those convicted of misdemeanor cannabis possession
Read full article: Massachusetts governor to pardon those convicted of misdemeanor cannabis possessionMassachusetts Gov. Maura Healey says she'll issue pardons for tens of thousands of people convicted of misdemeanor marijuana charges going back decades in the latest example of a state ambitiously seeking to forgive low-level drug offenders.
No room at the inn? As holidays approach, migrants face eviction from New York City shelters
Read full article: No room at the inn? As holidays approach, migrants face eviction from New York City sheltersIt could be a cold and grim New Year for thousands of migrant families living in New York City’s emergency shelter system.
Advocates scramble to aid homeless migrant families after Massachusetts caps emergency shelter slots
Read full article: Advocates scramble to aid homeless migrant families after Massachusetts caps emergency shelter slotsAdvocates scrambling to find shelter for homeless migrant families newly arrived in Massachusetts say families are relying on a patchwork of airport lounges, Uber rides, hospital waiting rooms and walk-in church shelters after the state capped the number of family shelter spots and created a wait list.
Biden's Democratic allies intensify pressure for asylum-seekers to get work permits
Read full article: Biden's Democratic allies intensify pressure for asylum-seekers to get work permitsAs migration to the United States from Venezuela and other countries soars, Democratic elected officials are pressing the Biden administration to quickly grant work permits for asylum-seekers while their cases wind through immigration courts.
Massachusetts city got nearly 10 inches of rain in 6 hours, flooding homes and eroding dams
Read full article: Massachusetts city got nearly 10 inches of rain in 6 hours, flooding homes and eroding damsHeavy rainfall has flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with two communities declaring a state of emergency as water poured into homes, creating moats around their foundations and leading to boat rescues of residents.
Governor activates Massachusetts National Guard to help with migrant crisis
Read full article: Governor activates Massachusetts National Guard to help with migrant crisisDemocratic Gov. Maura Healey is activating members of the Massachusetts National Guard to assist at shelters and hotels as the state struggles with an influx of migrants.
Massachusetts governor declares state of emergency amid influx of migrants seeking shelter
Read full article: Massachusetts governor declares state of emergency amid influx of migrants seeking shelterMassachusetts Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency Tuesday, citing an influx of migrants seeking shelter at a time when the cost of housing continues to rise.
Boston remembers deadly marathon bombing 10 years later
Read full article: Boston remembers deadly marathon bombing 10 years laterThe 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing is being marked with a wreath laying at the finish line to remember those who were killed, a day of community service and an event for the public to gather to reflect on the tragedy.
Some US states stock abortion medications after court ruling
Read full article: Some US states stock abortion medications after court rulingA handful of states led by Democratic governors are stockpiling doses of drugs used in medication abortions amid fears that a court ruling could restrict access to the most commonly used method of abortion in the U.S. Massachusetts has purchased enough doses of the drug mifepristone to last for more than a year.
Massachusetts governor: Pharmacies must stock abortion pills
Read full article: Massachusetts governor: Pharmacies must stock abortion pillsThe governor of Massachusetts is reminding pharmacies that they are required to stock a key abortion pill, despite a nationwide effort by anti-abortion activists to ban the medication.
Royals tour US green tech incubator, meet at-risk youth
Read full article: Royals tour US green tech incubator, meet at-risk youthThe Prince and Princess of Wales got a first-hand look at some groundbreaking innovations at a green technology startup incubator in suburban Boston, then followed with a visit to an organization that works to raise up young people struggling through poverty and violence.
Democrats carry close governor races on abortion, democracy
Read full article: Democrats carry close governor races on abortion, democracyDemocrats held onto a string of competitive governors’ seats in the midterm elections after making the case to voters that Republican challengers posed a threat to abortion rights and democracy in their states.
Massachusetts' Healey is 1st lesbian elected governor in US
Read full article: Massachusetts' Healey is 1st lesbian elected governor in USDemocratic Attorney General Maura Healey has been elected governor of Massachusetts, making history as the nation’s first openly lesbian governor and the state’s first woman and openly gay candidate elected to the office.
Trump-backed Diehl to take on Healey in Mass. governor race
Read full article: Trump-backed Diehl to take on Healey in Mass. governor raceA former state representative endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Geoff Diehl, has won the Republican nomination for Massachusetts governor over a businessman, Chris Doughty, who was considered the more moderate candidate in the race.
ExxonMobil loses bid to nix climate change lawsuit
Read full article: ExxonMobil loses bid to nix climate change lawsuitMassachusetts’ highest court has rejected a bid by ExxonMobil to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the state that accuses the oil giant of misleading the public about the role its products play in causing climate change.
Democrats push bill aimed at family that owns Purdue Pharma
Read full article: Democrats push bill aimed at family that owns Purdue PharmaA congressional committee has heard grievances against the owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma as it considered legislation that would keep them from using a corporate bankruptcy as a shield for personal liability.
AP Interview: State AG pushes accountability in opioid cases
Read full article: AP Interview: State AG pushes accountability in opioid casesMassachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey says she opposes the current plan by Purdue Pharma to settle thousands of lawsuits over the opioid epidemic in part because it would help preserve wealth for members of the Sackler family who own the company.
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to plead to 3 criminal charges as part of settlement of more than $8B
Read full article: OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to plead to 3 criminal charges as part of settlement of more than $8BWASHINGTON – Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, the powerful prescription painkiller that experts say helped touch off an opioid epidemic, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion, Justice Department officials announced Wednesday. To Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, the Justice Department “failed” and she said in a statement that she was not done with either Purdue or the Sacklers. Purdue will make a direct payment to the government of $225 million, which is part of a larger $2 billion criminal forfeiture. About half the states oppose that settlement, and also wrote Barr to ask him not to make the federal deal that includes converting Purdue into a public benefit corporation. As the maker of the best-known prescription opioid, Purdue is the highest-profile player in the opioid crisis, but it’s far from the other one.
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to plead to 3 criminal charges
Read full article: OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to plead to 3 criminal chargesThe Justice Department says on Wednesday, Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion. The deal does not release any of the company’s executives or owners — members of the wealthy Sackler family — from criminal liability, and a criminal investigation is ongoing. Family members said they acted “ethically and lawfully,” but some state attorneys general said the agreement fails to hold the Sacklers accountable. Purdue will make a direct payment to the government of $225 million, which is part of a larger $2 billion criminal forfeiture. Until recently, the Sackler name was on museum galleries and educational programs around the world because of gifts from family members.