Greater Worcester

After months of discussions, UMass Memorial Health in Worcester and Milford Regional Medical Center have signed a definitive agreement for corporate affiliation, allowing the struggling MetroWest hospital to receive support from Central Massachusetts’ largest healthcare system. 

The amount of single-family homes sold in Worcester declined 22.5% in 2023, as the total number of statewide home sales fell to a 12-year low.

At a Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast in Boston, Gov. Maura Healey on Monday announced that two state offices are partnering to reopen unspecified statewide contracts to provide more opportunities to diverse and small businesses.

Christian Scorzoni, Vineyard Offshore's head of external affairs, said it's "incredibly encouraging that Massachusetts residents continue to strongly embrace wind as a critical resource in our energy mix."

The fiercely independent Milford hospital long resisted efforts to join with another hospital system, but a $15-million operating loss in fiscal 2023 helped force the board of trustees' hand.

Massachusetts ranks 3rd amongst states with the oldest housing stocks with a median age of 58 years. Only New York and Rhode Island rank higher.

Cries of "shame" echoed in front of the State House as speakers like Rebekah Gewirtz of the National Association of Social Workers deplored how the cuts will mean "more desperately hard times" for residents including "the most vulnerable kids."

The Department of Public Health is working to implement a new classification system into its hospital licensing regulations, which would specify the types of facilities that are suited to treat pregnant patients depending on their risk levels.

More and more patients have turned to walk-in appointments at these clinics for issues such as colds or sprains, where they may have previously either gone to the emergency department or made an appointment with their doctor.

The Senate president has said that she hopes to make the state's 15 community colleges free for all by the fall of 2024, but her goal may be affected by the state's changing fiscal environment.