Charlie Baker

Count Gov. Charlie Baker among those uninterested in reversing the state's decades-old ban on "happy hour" drink promotions, even if that position makes him, as he put it, "a stick in the mud."

Massachusetts can avoid the "tremendous additional work, disruption and cost" involved with retrofitting buildings to meet its 2050 net-zero emissions target if the state requires all new construction and major renovation projects to install electric infrastructure, lawmakers said Tuesday.

Gov. Charlie Baker has decided how to spend nearly all of the $200 million of federal money the Legislature gave him sole discretion over, proposing to invest $186 million on a slate of health care and workforce development priorities.

The Legislature passed an infrastructure bill on Thursday that had been under negotiation for several weeks, padding the traditional $200 million in annual financing for local road and bridge repairs with $150 million spread across six grant programs to pay for bus lanes, electric vehicles and other municipal transportation projects.

Gov. Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey will formally announce an agreement Thursday afternoon to resolve the state's lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, a deal in which Massachusetts is expected to get $90 million of a $4.3 billion settlement.

In an attempt to end the battle over who gets to spend nearly $5.2 billion in federal relief money, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday pitched a plan that would see him cede much of his control over the aid to the Legislature, as long as lawmakers agree quickly to spend more than half on priorities such as home ownership assistance, substance abuse treatment and job training.

Reflecting on the state of emergency that came to an end Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker praised the sacrifices Bay Staters made over the past 462 days and urged those who still have not done so to get vaccinated.

Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday morning signed into law a bill extending pandemic-inspired authorizations for remote public meetings, to-go cocktail sales, eviction protections and more, according to Senate President Karen Spilka.

Gov. Charlie Baker made it official early Friday afternoon: the great majority of the state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions that have shaped life in Massachusetts since last March will no longer be in effect starting Saturday.

The Gov. Charlie Baker Administration announced Thursday afternoon the work-search requirements will be reinstated for all regular unemployment insurance claimants effective the week of June 15.