Some US states stock abortion medications after court ruling
A handful of states led by Democratic governors are stockpiling doses of drugs used in medication abortions amid fears that a court ruling could restrict access to the most commonly used method of abortion in the U.S. Massachusetts has purchased enough doses of the drug mifepristone to last for more than a year.
Royals tour US green tech incubator, meet at-risk youth
The Prince and Princess of Wales got a first-hand look at some groundbreaking innovations at a green technology startup incubator in suburban Boston, then followed with a visit to an organization that works to raise up young people struggling through poverty and violence.
Trump-backed Diehl to take on Healey in Mass. governor race
A former state representative endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Geoff Diehl, has won the Republican nomination for Massachusetts governor over a businessman, Chris Doughty, who was considered the more moderate candidate in the race.
AP Interview: State AG pushes accountability in opioid cases
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey says she opposes the current plan by Purdue Pharma to settle thousands of lawsuits over the opioid epidemic in part because it would help preserve wealth for members of the Sackler family who own the company.
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to plead to 3 criminal charges
The Justice Department says on Wednesday, Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion. The deal does not release any of the company’s executives or owners — members of the wealthy Sackler family — from criminal liability, and a criminal investigation is ongoing. Family members said they acted “ethically and lawfully,” but some state attorneys general said the agreement fails to hold the Sacklers accountable. Purdue will make a direct payment to the government of $225 million, which is part of a larger $2 billion criminal forfeiture. Until recently, the Sackler name was on museum galleries and educational programs around the world because of gifts from family members.
2 charged for handling of virus outbreak at veterans home
BOSTON – Two former administrators of a Massachusetts veterans home where nearly 80 people sickened by the coronavirus died have been charged for their handling of the outbreak, the state's attorney general said Friday. The “worst decision” was to combine the two locked dementia units, both of which already housed some residents with the virus, said investigators led by former federal prosecutor Mark Pearlstein. Attorneys general in other states, including Pennsylvania, have also launched investigations into coronavirus deaths at nursing homes. And earlier this month, federal agents searched two nursing homes near Pittsburgh, one of which had the worst coronavirus outbreak of any nursing home in Pennsylvania. But the law applies only to nursing homes owned or run by the states.
States sue over rule allowing prolonged migrant family detention
(CNN) - California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, along with 18 other state attorneys general, announced a lawsuit Monday challenging the Trump administration's new rule to hold migrant families in detention indefinitely. "This new Trump rule callously puts at risk the safety and well-being of children. "We're taking the Trump Administration to court to protect children from the irreparable harm caused by unlawful and unnecessary detention." The rule, unveiled by the Department of Homeland Security last week, replaces the so-called Flores Agreement that set a 20-day limit for holding children. Becerra, along with other attorneys general, also opposed the Trump administration's initial proposal to extend detention of migrant families.
Massachusetts investigates company tied to motorcycle deaths
CNNBOSTON - The Massachusetts attorney general's office has opened an investigation into the trucking company that employed the driver charged in the deaths of seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Maura Healey confirmed Tuesday an investigation into Westfield Transport Inc. She couldn't comment further because the probe is ongoing. The 23-year-old driver, Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, has pleaded not guilty to negligent homicide in connection with the June 21 crash in New Hampshire. Officials say Zhukovskyy's license should have been suspended because of a drunken driving arrest in Connecticut. A man who answered a phone number listed for Westfield Transport said the company does not exist anymore before hanging up.