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By MICHAEL P. NORTON

BOSTON — While the bill has a long path ahead of it, advocates for more government transparency are encouraged that a House-Senate committee on Tuesday gave a favorable report to a bill whose sponsors say it will bring needed “sunlight” to the...

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 MICHAEL P. NORTON

The Massachusetts unemployment rate ticked higher in September and now sits half a percentage point above the rate one year ago. The state’s jobless rate in September was reported Oct. 18 by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development at...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

Gun owners have taken the first step toward putting before Massachusetts voters a proposal to repeal the firearms law signed on July 25 by Gov. Maura Healey, a statute the governor called the “most significant gun safety legislation in a decade.”A...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

BOSTON — With buyers facing rising prices and interest rates, home sales in Massachusetts have plummeted nearly 25% over the first eight months of 2023.The Warren Group on Tuesday reported that the median single-family home sale price increased 6.2%...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

BOSTON — Massachusetts has more than enough solar energy potential to support the decarbonization requirements enshrined in state laws, according to a report officials released Thursday.The Department of Energy Resources report found the state’s land...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

BOSTON — Research work at the University of Massachusetts expanded by 23% over the past five years, with almost all of it in STEM fields and a portfolio that’s the fourth largest in New England, behind Harvard University, MIT and Yale University.UMass...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

In 41 days, National Grid customers will start getting relief from soaring electric rates.The Department of Public Utilities announced Tuesday that it has approved basic service rate reductions that will lead to a roughly 40% reduction in a typical...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

Coyotes are present in every Massachusetts city and town, according to state wildlife officials, who are out Tuesday with new tips to prevent rare “negative coyote encounters” during their ongoing mating season.“Whenever you see a coyote in your yard,...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

Gov. Charlie Baker has agreed to a new law aimed at making roads safer for “vulnerable users” such as bicyclists, pedestrians, skateboarders and anyone else who is not in a vehicle.Baker signed the bill (H 5103) Sunday after it gained momentum during...