Government & Politics

Madison Properties, the Boston-based developer facing criticism from the City of Worcester for a lack of progress on developments in the Polar Park district, has purchased the 13-acre former site of Rotmans Furniture.

The WRA says Madison’s failure to complete projects is directly responsible for the substantial revenue deficit in the district.

The City of Worcester will now receive legal counsel from its first female city solicitor as Alexandra Kalkounis has been named to the cabinet position.

Until October, the City’s chief equity officer role had been vacant since April 2022.

Some of the largest and most prominent Central Massachusetts apartment communities are managed by firms accused by the federal government of participating in a rent-fixing scheme.

Gov. Maura Healey signed a law Wednesday that bans the sale of puppies and kittens under eight weeks old, as well as the roadside sale of animals, her office said. 

In a decision with massive implications for the state's effort to build more housing, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the zoning reform law does not run afoul of the state Constitution.

The bill intends to protect Massachusetts from another crisis like the Steward Health Care bankruptcy saga, which led to the closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer.

The largest driver: immigration, estimated at 90,217 incoming immigrants between 2023 and 2024.

“After a thorough and thoughtful review, we determined that closing this location was necessary to align our resources with the needs of the broader market,” Blaine Bringhurst, president of Market 32/Price Chopper, said.