PUBLIC SAFETY

PFAS chemicals are all around us — they are used in non-stick cookware, food packaging, children's products, carpets, leather goods, ski wax, firefighting foams and more, and they have leeched into drinking water supplies and the soil.

In the wake of the Feb. 16 fire, residents want to know what they breathed in, and what local and state officials are going to do to keep them safe in the future.

A new bill is generating support from Hartford’s North End advocates who are seeking systemic changes after what they’ve described as years of sewage and flooding problems in their community.

The International Association of Fire Fighters is suing the Quincy-based group that sets national standards for firefighter’s protective gear, saying it colluded with industry and set standards that require toxic PFAS chemicals are used in turnout gear.

Passengers traveling through Logan International Airport are not discouraged from traveling by plane.

Officials in Holyoke this week debated how best to move forward after an independent audit released last month found the police department poses a “substantial risk” to the city.

Health emergencies tied to carbon monoxide poisoning increase during winter months, especially during cold snaps when residents look for ways to boost indoor heating. To avoid a poisoning, don't light an unventilated stove, lantern or fireplace. If you are unusually tired, dizzy or get a headache, move into fresh air and seek help.

Last May, the Massachusetts Legislature passed a bill allowing immigrants without proof of legal presence to get licenses, and overrode a veto by Governor Charlie Baker.

The undocumented driver's license law passed by the Massachusetts Legislature is set to go into effect next year, unless voters repeal it by voting "no" on ballot Question 4.

A "yes" vote on Question 4 will preserve the Massachusetts law that allows people living in the U.S. without authorization to apply for driver's licenses starting next July. A "no" vote would overturn the law.