Maura Healey

Dismayed by the looming closure of a state-run pediatric rehab hospital in Canton, more than 14,300 people have signed a petition calling on state officials to scrap their plan, and a powerful union is asking members to put pressure on Gov. Maura Healey to halt health care budget cuts.

They could have at least a few more days to figure out the landscape. A federal judge in Washington, D.C. temporarily blocked the proposed freeze late Tuesday afternoon, according to POLITICO. The judge's order is due to expire at 5 p.m. Monday.

Healey, in her annual budget bill filed last week, proposed removing candy's exemption from the sales tax in Massachusetts.

After voters rejected a ballot question last November that would have legalized some psychedelics, a number of newly filed bills have reignited the conversation and will lead another attempt to move toward decriminalizing psilocybin.

The governor outlined her new proposal after touring the Cyber Range at Bridgewater State University, a hands-on lab where she lamented that too many public higher education campuses don't have the proper facilities to train students for cutting-edge jobs that can keep the state economically competitive. 

Massachusetts must pay the federal government $2.1 billion over the next decade after the Baker administration mistakenly used federal pandemic funds to cover unemployment benefits, officials said Monday.

In addition to a focus on affordability and addressing cost burdens on residents and businesses, Healey also pitched her administration's plans to implement last session's headlining laws, including major housing, energy and economic development packages.

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. 

Some reports have suggested task force members -- who stretch across a range of professional backgrounds and industry interests -- have been split over how far their recommendations to the governor should go.

Top Democrats needed a few extra months to reach agreements on major laws this session, but wrapped up business for the term with almost a day to spare and New Year's Eve plans intact.