Government & Politics

Gov. Maura Healey's plan to rescue five bankrupt Steward Health Care hospitals could cost Massachusetts taxpayers $700 million by 2027, the Boston Globe reported Saturday, citing "people with direct knowledge of the bailout plan."

Mindful of how difficult it is to grow much of anything in the outdoor climate of Massachusetts, never mind growing a crop that is legal here but still entirely prohibited at the federal level, the Cannabis Control Commission traveled to Great Barrington on Thursday to hear from outdoor growers about the challenges they face.

Massachusetts Chambers Policy Network members include regional chambers for Greater Boston, Worcester, Springfield, Western Massachusetts, the North Shore, the South Shore, the South Coast, the Berkshires and Cape Cod.

The fatal incident drew a wide variety of first responders to the scene, including multiple local fire departments, the Massachusetts State Police, and officials from the U.S. Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration. 

The Town of Shrewsbury has developed an new plan for state-mandated multifamily zoning.

Three Worcester nonprofits have been named among the first recipient cohort of Massachusetts’ new grantmaking program Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership, an initiative providing funding to grassroots organizations working to reduce harm caused by the ongoing opioid epidemic within communities disproportionately affected and historically underserved. 

A state fund meant to open the legal marijuana industry up to more entrepreneurs from communities most harmed by prohibition and enforcement now has more than $27 million at its disposal.

Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center each provide an "essential service necessary for preserving access and health status" in their areas, public health regulators concluded this week.

The City of Worcester has issued just under $3 million in grants designed to boost Worcester’s art and culture scene.

"Enough is enough," Gov. Maura Healey declared Friday as she announced that all the bankrupt Steward Health Care hospitals still up for sale have new owners lined up and that the state is going to assist in the transitions with financing and, in one case, the use of its property-taking powers.