North County

Four Central Massacusetts cities — Framingham, Gardner, Marlborough and Worcester — are bucking a state trend that is generally showing fewer opioid-related deaths.

Half of Massachusetts cities and towns have enacted or are considering a ban on recreational marijuana businesses, towns like Uxbridge and Athol have gone in the other direction.

Worcester could have up to 15 cannabis shops. Western cities of similar size show there could be demand for far more, but the economic impact may not be so noticeable.

With cannabis businesses steadily entering the mainstream, it can be easy to lose sight of how difficult it is to launch and operate an organization in a quickly evolving industry.

The moment the ballot initiative passed in November 2016 allowing for recreational marijuana in Massachusetts, economic development officials across the state should have been sharpening their pencils.

When Chinese firms virtually stopped buying recycled mixed paper from the United States, the effects didn't take long to become visible at E.L. Harvey & Sons' Westborough facility.

The Baker Administration has given $784,000 to five sites in four Central Massachusetts communities to help clean contaminated properties.

Funding cuts to prevention services are one cause for a rise in gonorrhea and other STI's. That's brought a stronger response from health officials in Central Massachusetts.

Two Central Massachusetts hospitals gave sharply diverging news on labor relations Thursday.

Fidelity Bank's assets grew by 14% last year, landing it in what the Leominster bank says is in the top one-tenth nationally in growth rates.