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By CHRIS LARABEE

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is seeking information about weather-related losses in 2023 and 2024 from farmers across the state as it prepares to report damages to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will split up $220 million in relief funding among eight states.

By JAMES BUCKSER

As the cost of living rises, some families will have trouble paying to keep their homes warm this winter. One option they may not have considered is the Home Energy Assistance Program.

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

BOSTON — Drought conditions are no longer considered “critical” in the Pioneer Valley and two other regions of Massachusetts, following designation adjustments made in the wake of what state officials described as “several weeks of snow and rain.”

By ALISON KUZNITZ and SAM DORAN

BOSTON — The three-day countdown for Beacon Hill lawmakers to comply with Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s probe of the Legislature started Monday afternoon, DiZoglio said, with her office now requesting specific records from the House and Senate.Meantime,...

By CHRIS LARABEE

NORTHFIELD — The Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) has invited the Pioneer Valley Regional School District into its eligibility program for building a new school, the first major step in what could be a years-long process.The MSBA’s board...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Fresh off winning another term leading the Massachusetts Senate, President Karen Spilka quickly set her sights on a combination of new and old priorities, including one that will have significant interest in the Pioneer Valley — reexamining...

By AUSTIN CHEN

Massachusetts has long been at the forefront of providing and protecting access to reproductive health care. Its role in doing so — in a national context — will likely increase once President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.Throughout...

By ZICHANG LIU

For decades, Massachusetts’ adoption procedures have been a catalyst for happy endings for families across the state, including out-of-state birth parents who just want their child to be smoothly transferred to a new, welcoming home.However, within...

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

BERNARDSTON — A 49-year-old man from Guilford, Vermont, died after crashing into a utility pole on Brattleboro Road (Route 5) on Tuesday morning just before 6 a.m.According to Northwestern District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Laurie Loisel, the...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

Fewer people who gave birth in 2022 received adequate prenatal care compared to the prior year, and more Massachusetts residents used fertility treatment, according to a new report from the Department of Public Health.DPH’s look-back into the 68,579...

By SCOTT MERZBACH

NORTHAMPTON — Expectant mothers prescribed medication for substance use disorders can seek prenatal care without risk of being reported to the state’s Department of Children and Families, under the omnibus opioid bill signed into law this week.That...

By MADISON SCHOFIELD

Stamps have run a-fowl at the Great Falls Discovery Center. The center is currently home to the top entries of the 2024 Massachusetts Junior Duck Stamp competition. Every year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosts a duck stamp competition as a way...

By ZICHANG LIU

“Did you smell the barbecue smell in the air?” That was a question many Massachusetts residents frequently asked over the last few months.New England is well-known for its vibrant autumn foliage, especially this fall — when days were mostly bright and...

By SAMUEL GELINAS

NORTHAMPTON — Even many in Donald Trump’s circle are unsure whether the president-elect intends to follow through on his often expansive, and some would say, hyperbolic rhetoric — the kind of exaggerated speech that heralded a “big, beautiful wall”...

By SAM DORAN

BOSTON — Lawmakers dropped the controversial idea to pursue so-called safe injection sites in a compromise addiction and substance use disorder bill they filed Tuesday after months of private negotiations.Reps. Alice Peisch and Adrian Madaro and Sen....

By ZICHANG LIU

In an era where communication is no longer confined to one medium, Massachusetts’ wiretap law remains frozen in time, a 56-year-old statute that doesn’t entirely fit into the realities of today’s digital landscape, raising questions for lawmakers,...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

State officials are preparing for the rollout of expanded maternal health care services in 2025, stemming from a new law and recommendations they issued last year.Public health officials said the bevy of reforms were fueled by the controversial...

By DOMENIC POLI

WENDELL — The citizens group that formed last year in opposition to a now-withdrawn proposal for a 105-megawatt battery storage facility held a virtual forum this week to shed light on local permitting and the role of municipal power in the wake of...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

A recent survey conducted by the abortion fund Tides for Reproductive Freedom evaluated obstacles to accessing abortion care in Massachusetts.The organization both provides funds for those who would otherwise be unable to access abortion care and...

By SYDNEY TOPF

Ahead of the holiday season, consumer advocates are warning parents about the dangers posed by toys coming from overseas.International sellers are using “legal loopholes” to ship unsafe toys into the U.S., bypassing inspections and safety standards...

By ADA DENENFELD KELLY

While the recent passage of a new clean energy law leaves details of implementation to be solidified over the next 15 months before it takes effect, Mass Audubon’s director of legislative and government affairs is feeling hopeful about one aspect...