WORCESTER COUNTY

Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim, making his first run at higher office, earned the upset endorsement of the Democratic Party convention Saturday, dealing a significant blow to Secretary of State William Galvin and showing that his campaign could be a legitimate threat to the state's longest-serving constitutional officer.

Pledging to win back the corner office in November on behalf of the "little guys" who fight for their beliefs, Massachusetts Democrat Jay Gonzalez on Saturday accepted his party's endorsement for governor, giving the former state budget chief a lift coming out of the Democratic convention in a primary in which neither candidate has been able to separate themselves as a frontrunner.

A fourth Democrat -- and third write-in candidate -- has announced plans to run for the seat left vacant by Massachusetts state Senator Stan Rosenberg.

Updated at 9:18 a.m. on Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Northampton City Council President Ryan O'Donnell and the area's veterans' services director, Steven Connor, on Monday launched write-in bids for the Massachusetts state Senate seat formerly held by Stan Rosenberg.

With Massachusetts state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg's resignation taking effect last Friday, four of his colleagues from western Massachusetts announced plans to "collectively advocate" for the needs and policy priorities of the 24 communities in his district. 

Police have charged a Massachusetts man with misleading investigators as they searched for answers in the killings of a mother and her three young children. 

The Southbridge, Massachusetts, schools are facing a loss of 30 jobs, including some teacher positions. This comes about a month after the state appointed a new receiver to try and improve district performance.

Four bodies found in a home in central Massachusetts are a woman and three children, according to authorities.

Students are taking part in walkouts across the country on Wednesday following the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. Massachusetts public schools are on February break, but students are organizing for the next planned walkout, scheduled for March 14.

The board of trustees for the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, met Feb. 3 and decided that the school mascot will continue to be the crusader.

The state of Massachusetts has appointed a new receiver to oversee the Southbridge schools. He'll be the latest in a string of leaders who have tried to improve the district.

The Exchange Street Bridge, in Athol, Mass., remains closed after a chunk of ice hit the bridge over the weekend. 

Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien says time is running out to strike a deal with the PawSox and keep the baseball team in Rhode Island. Grebien said that if lawmakers fail to approve the latest proposal on the table, Pawtucket is ready to take matters into its own hands.

GOP lawmakers in Massachusetts are celebrating a seat gained after a special election Tuesday. 

Worcester is the ideal Massachusetts location for Amazon to build a second headquarters and the technology company could help pay for high-speed rail linking both ends of the state, gubernatorial candidate Setti Warren said Friday.

Worcester's mayor said he's hoping school bus drivers in his city vote on Wednesday to accept a five-year contract.

The bus drivers nearly went on strike this week, which could have delayed the first day of school in Worcester. But Mayor Joseph Petty said he asked union leadership to keep talking.

They did and now have a deal, although union members still must approve it.

"My understand [is] it's a good contract," Petty said. "So hopefully they will ratify it, and we won't have to worry about the buses...not running."

Updated at 10:00 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2017: A statement from the mayor's office Monday night said the union and bus company reached a 5-year deal, "with the goal of ratification by the union members on Wednesday night."

The union representing school bus drivers in Worcester had considered a strike starting Monday, the first day of school, but agreed to stay on the job for three more days while negotiations continue.

A Massachusetts state lawmaker representing the North Quabbin said she's leaving the Republican Party.

Susannah Whipps has served in the state House since 2015, part of the small Republican minority in the Democratic dominated legislature.

A proposed memorial honoring World War II veterans is causing controversy. The dispute focuses on just who should be honored.

The memorial is designed to be an exact copy of one that was removed in 1959 to make way for a new highway. It honored black veterans who served in World War II, but only covers those who enlisted or were drafted through 1943.

It's been a little over two months since the Worcester police introduced officers on horseback. There are four horses and seven officers in the new mounted unit.

They've been patrolling parks, the Worcester Common and across the city. Police Chief Steven Sargent said they're also sent out to a neighborhood after a report of a shooting.

Massachusetts education officials must find a new leader for the Southbridge school district, following the resignation of its state-appointed receiver.