Latest Massachusetts Headlines

All the headlines from our Massachusetts Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Massachusetts Police Charge Man With Intentionally Setting Brush Fires

Nov 19 2024 // A man was arrested on suspicion of intentionally setting brush fires in Massachusetts during a time of dry conditions that have led to blazes throughout the Northeast, police said Monday.Police said they arrested the...

Massachusetts Still Battling Brush Fires as Drought Conditions Persist

Nov 14 2024 // Massachusetts remains under a red flag warning as multiple brush fires continue to burn across the state.The warning issued by the National Weather Service indicates that the fires now burning are at high risk of spreading...

Massachusetts Voters Allow Uber, Lyft Drivers to Unionize

Nov 7 2024 // Massachusetts voters on Tuesday approved a ballot measure that would allow ride-share drivers to unionize, becoming the first U.S. state to allow drivers for app-based companies like Uber and Lyft to do so.With 94% of...

Massachusetts Governor Urges Safety Amid ‘Unprecedented’ Fire Season

Nov 6 2024 // On Monday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey joined Massachusetts fire service leaders in asking residents to refrain from outdoor activity that could cause or contribute to the state’s recent rash of brush and...

Massachusetts Reports 18 Brush Fires; Smoke Blankets Eastern Communities

Oct 30 2024 // Residents in parts of eastern Massachusetts woke to the acrid smell of smoke Monday as firefighters worked to extinguish several brush fires.The National Weather Service said on the social platform X that smoke was trapped...

Crews Fight Large Brush Fire in Massachusetts; Separate Fire Kills 1

Oct 28 2024 // A woman died in an outdoor fire in Massachusetts at an encampment in Millbury on Saturday night and crews on Sunday were still fighting a large overnight brush fire in Salem as dry and windy conditions have raised the risk...

Tracking Web Users Does Not Violate Wiretap Law, Massachusetts High Court Rules

Oct 25 2024 // A firm’s use of software that tracks users’ activity on its website does not violate a state law against wiretapping, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled.While the state law against wiretapping...

Meta Must Face Massachusetts Social Media Addiction Lawsuit

Oct 21 2024 // Meta Platforms must face a lawsuit by Massachusetts alleging the social media company purposely deployed features on its Instagram platform to addict young users and deceived the public about the dangers it posed to the...

Massachusetts Governor Healey Names Caljouw as Insurance Commissioner

Oct 4 2024 // Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced the appointment of Michael T. Caljouw as state’s new insurance commissioner.Caljouw comes to DOI with 33 years of experience in insurance law and policy in the state,...

Massachusetts Man Charged With Defrauding Home Repair Insurance Provider

Oct 4 2024 // A Massachusetts man has been charged with defrauding a home repair insurance provider by billing for repair jobs that were never performed, the office of Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy reported.According to the...

AssuredPartners Acquires Halstead Agency of Massachusetts

Oct 3 2024 // Global insurance broker AssuredPartners announced it has acquired Halstead Insurance Agency, a Fitchburg, Massachusetts-based agency offering personal and commercial insurance.The Halstead team will remain under the...

Duffy Agency Acquires Neighboring Cowan Agency in Massachusetts

Sep 13 2024 // Duffy Insurance Agency, based in Lynn, Massachusetts, has acquired The Cowan Insurance Agency of Haverhill, also in Essex County.The Cowan agency, founded in 1938, is a fourth generation family business now led by Stefanie...

Ban on Switchblades Violates Second Amendment: Massachusetts High Court

Aug 28 2024 // A 1957 Massachusetts law banning the possession of certain switchblades violates the federal Second Amendment right to bear arms, the highest court in Massachusetts has ruled.The state court found that switchblades qualify...

Rare and Deadly Mosquito Virus Infection Has Massachusetts Towns on Alert

Aug 27 2024 // A rare but deadly disease spread by mosquitoes has one town in Massachusetts closing its parks and fields each evening. Four other towns are urging people to avoid going outdoors at night.They’re concerned about...

Worker Dies After Excavator Is Buried Under Rocks at Massachusetts Quarry

Aug 26 2024 // A worker was killed last Thursday morning after a portion of a rock ledge collapsed onto an excavator with the worker inside, burying it under rocks and boulders at a quarry site in Massachusetts.Firefighters and other...

Bankrupt Steward Health Care Sells Physician Network as Massachusetts Hospital Seized

Aug 19 2024 // Bankrupt hospital operator Steward Health Care received a bankruptcy judge’s approval on Friday to sell its nationwide physician network to a private equity buyer while its stalled efforts to sell Massachusetts...

PCF Acquires Asset Insurance Agency in Massachusetts

Aug 15 2024 // Utah-based PCF Insurance Services reports it has acquired the insurance business of Asset Insurance Agency, based in Peabody, Massachusetts.Asset Insurance Agency sells auto, home, commercial and life insurance in...

Massachusetts Resolves Disputes Worth $600M with Tobacco Manufacturers

Aug 14 2024 // The Massachusetts attorney general has reached a $600 million settlement with major tobacco manufacturers, resolving some of the state’s complaints over how much the tobacco companies owe it under a 1998 master...

Massachusetts Businesses With More Than 25 Employees Must Disclose Salary Range

Aug 2 2024 // Massachusetts businesses with more than 25 employees must disclose salary ranges when posting jobs, under a new bill signed into law Wednesday that puts the commonwealth in line with 10 other states that already require...

Bankrupt Steward Health to Close Two Massachusetts Hospitals

Jul 29 2024 // Bankrupt hospital owner Steward Health Care will close two locations in Massachusetts after failing to find a buyer for them, the company said Friday.Steward filed for bankruptcy in May, putting all of its 31 hospitals up...