Government & Politics

Higher education advocates are escalating their calls to steer a large portion of the more than $1 billion in anticipated income surtax revenues to students who attend public colleges and universities.

Worcester Assistant City Manager Nicole Valentine will step down from her position on Feb. 8.

UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester will receive a public assistance grant of $4.3 million to reimburse the school for COVID-19 tests administered between May 2020 and December 2021.

Gov. Maura Healey has tapped Kate Walsh, president and CEO of Boston Medical Center, to lead the state's sprawling health and human services secretariat, the largest department in state government that manages everything from MassHealth to the child welfare system and the opioid epidemic, according to a source familiar with the search.

The Massachusetts Attorney General earlier in January reopened the case where Peterson Oil delivered heating fuel to the state allegedly containing too much biodiesel.

The projected impact of the state's new surtax on income above $1 million is likely to be a topic discussion at Tuesday's revenue hearing.

Through the Working Places Challenge program, the Fed supports a competition among cities and towns for grant money provided by states, the private sector and philanthropists to address a "shared goal for improving the economy that benefits low-income people."

With new building codes on the horizon, battles will be fought in the name of progress, as developers and various interest groups are hesitant to make sweeping changes.

Land-use attorneys help developers smooth the path with a knowledge of local codes and laws, and the ability to reach out to community leaders.

Despite falling prices and increasing competition, marijuana business officials across the state, and particularly in Central Massachusetts, still see the cannabis market as primed for opportunity, with operators having to be smarter about the way they operate their marijuana businesses.