GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

Massachusetts high school students would take end-of-course tests designed, administered and scored by the state under new graduation requirements recommended Monday by a state council. Passing the tests would not be a condition of receiving a diploma, as it was under the former "high stakes" MCAS system, but a major teachers union said the proposal still "defies the will of the voters" in 2024.

We wrap up the 16th annual March for the Food Bank with conversations from the first-ever Berkshires Mini March, words from Gov. Maura Healey and other ways to support the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Last week Mass. Gov. Maura Healey signed the 104-page $2.3 billion supplemental budget. Her requested FIFA World Cup tournament funding for next year's games in Foxborough was halved.

We keep up with Monte Belmonte and marchers as the 16th annual March for the Food Bank continues on to Greenfield, Massachusetts.

Health care costs for millions of Americans could rise at the start of 2026 if action is not taken to restore subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

Beacon Hill moved several policy priorities forward in mid-November, but most bills weren’t finalized, leaving much of the work for next year.

We speak with author Chuck Collins about the elite class and his book, "Burner by Billionaires," preview the Northampton Book Fair this weekend and McGovern with Rep. Jim McGovern.

We discuss the divisions as rent control makes its way on the 2026 ballot, how decreased rail use in western Mass. could impact the east-west rail project and historical debates on the route of Henry Knox's artillery march.

Food banks around the U.S. have been busier than usual in the past month. Produce for soup kitchens and pantries comes from several sources, including fields that are gleaned of excess crops, after farmers finish their harvest.

The housing complex Springfield Gardens was involved in a $10 million dollar settlement that her office reached with the building's landlords for significant housing violations.