HEALTH

As sports betting expands across the U.S., states are on their own to make the rules. A growing movement of U.S. health leaders and legislators want to strengthen and standardize the way gambling is regulated. But they are facing opposition from the betting industry.

In 2005, the U.K. passed a law that liberalized the gambling industry, which had previously been merely tolerated. Public health leaders across the Atlantic say the U.S. should take note of the challenges the U.K. has faced since gambling spread to almost every city.

When it comes to gambling, Norway is one of the most regulated countries in the world. What can Massachusetts and the U.S. learn from its public health approach to betting addiction?

Norway's highly controlled approach to gambling includes reaching out to players who appear headed for trouble. At Norse Rikstoto, the government-run company that oversees horse racing, staff make personal calls to people who show an uptick in time or money spent on betting.

The proposed biomass plant would burn wood to create energy, something local advocates say will make Springfield's already poor air quality even worse.

Easthampton, Mass. medical marijuana dispensary INSA recently released a study that found mislabeled and potent hemp products are widely available to all.

A CDC-funded research center based at UMass Amherst is looking for natural alternatives to chemical tick repellants, and they believe a substance produced by donkey glands might offer one.

Berkshire Eagle reporter Heather Bellow found the majority of nursing homes in the Berkshires fed each resident for less than $10 a day.

A western Massachusetts family practice doctor has testified at seven hearings on Beacon Hill. Meanwhile, lawmakers have not enacted meaningful changes to enable her to keep from laying off staff.

We meet many of the folx making up the former factory, now work/event/living space Greylock WORKS in North Adams.