Government & Politics

Sixteen Central Massachusetts received nearly $1.6 million total in Green Community Grants from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources for energy efficiency and clean energy projects. 

Over the course of 13 hour-sessions to close out the 2021-2022 lawmaking term, the House and Senate worked together to pile more than five dozen bills on Baker's desk.

The day before he departs from the seat of a government that he began leaving a mark on more than three decades ago, Gov. Charlie Baker thanked the people of Massachusetts for their generosity, which he called "the foundation on which we can continue to build great communities."

Zyno Medical, a Natick-based intravenous pump manufacturer, has agreed to pay nearly $500,000 to resolve allegations it knowingly distributed defective medical devices.

A 1,000 megawatt onshore wind project planned for northern Maine and an associated transmission build-out "would provide benefits to Massachusetts and the region," the Mass. Department of Energy Resources said as it determined that it makes sense to have Bay State ratepayers cover 40 percent of the project costs as part of a multi-state clean energy effort.

The Department of Public Utilities on Friday approved the contracts between both the Commonwealth Wind and Mayflower Wind offshore wind projects and Bay State utilities, rejecting Commonwealth Wind's request to scrap an agreement that it says would not allow its project to be financed and built.

The minimum wage for workers in Massachusetts will hit a new high on Sunday, when it rises to $15 an hour and $6.75 per hour for tipped service workers, provided their tips bring them up to at least $15 per hour. 

State lawmakers are in line for another pay raise in the new year, this one worth more than 4 percent.

Beacon Hill seems to have more money than it knows what to do with these days, and lawmakers could soon have even fewer options at their disposal.

The Jane Fund of Central Massachusetts, a Holden-based abortion fund, is among 11 community-based organizations across the commonwealth selected to split $4.1 million in state funding to improve reproductive healthcare, including access to abortion.