MENTAL HEALTH

Northampton is among the Massachusetts cities ready to give out grants from the state’s opioid settlement fund. The state is set to get $1 billion dollars from the national settlement with drug makers over the two decades.

We learn about the convergence of art, healthcare, policy and research at the "Art for the Common Good" convention at UMass. Plus, we check in with Rep. Jim McGovern about what's new in Washington.

The Trump administration does not want children to have access to gender-affirming care — and is using federal policies and financial threats to make that happen. Massachusetts is among the states assuring families the care will be protected. But those promises are hard to keep when hospitals, including Baystate Health in western Massachusetts, stop providing the treatment on their own.

Massachusetts legislators have until mid-March to vote on measures that would legalize online roulette, blackjack, and other casino-style games. Opponents say that form of gambling is highly addictive.

NAMI New Hampshire and the Concord and Manchester school districts received letters late Tuesday announcing the termination of their grants. A White House official said less than 24 hours later that those cuts would be reversed.

As people with SNAP food benefits brace for stricter rules and eligibility, retired teacher Mary Cowhey of Northampton, Mass., can attest to the longterm consequences of not having enough to eat.

When politicians use food benefits as political football, Prof. Mariana Chilton says the country — not only hungry families — experience a collective trauma.

Angel Rios, of Springfield, is the host of “The Rally Cry” podcast and founder of the card game “Enough Said.”

Massachusetts lawmakers sent a supplemental budget to the governor before their August break, including a proposed pay raise for court-appointed bar advocates.

As part of a national class action lawsuit, drug companies and pharmacies have to pay $1 billion to Massachusetts over 18 years. Sixty percent of the money goes to the state to distribute, and 40 percent to cities and towns directly.