ELECTIONS

Saying "trust takes time to build" new DNC executive director Roger Lau says Democrats will be working hard for the coming years to communicate the party's messages.

Mass. Senate lawmakers passed some session rules aiming to make the legislative process a little easier for people in the Commonwealth to understand.

Franklin County's Interim Sheriff Lori Streeter is a few weeks into her new job. While she is no stranger to Greenfield, Mass., her new role job makes her the face of the agency. That's something she says she is slowly getting used to.

Even before Donald Trump became president again and signed several anti-LGBTQ+ orders, more than two dozen states had been building up their policies. Seeking a quality of life with less discrimination, some families with LGBTQ+ children decided to move to states with more protections in place. One family recently arrived in western Massachusetts from South Carolina.

During a special election this week voters in Holyoke approved making the city treasurer an appointed position instead of an elected one.

Voters will decide whether Holyoke's treasurer should continue to be elected, or be appointed by the City Council, chosen from a pool of qualified applicants.

After 14 years on the job Franklin County Sheriff Christopher Donelan announced this week he will retire at the end of the month. Donelan, who turned 60 in December, would have been up for a third term reelection in 2028.

We take a look at the biggest political and government stories of the year.

According to numbers released this week by the secretary of state's office, more than 3.5 million Massachusetts voters cast a ballot. That's nearly 5% fewer than the previous presidential election.

Some colleges and universities, including the University of Massachusetts Amherst suggest if students and academics travel outside the U.S. during winter break, consider returning before Jan. 20, 2025, when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.