Federal regulators are considering the effects modernizing America’s energy grid will have on wildlife. A 2023 NatureServe report showed 40% of animals are at risk of extinction and 41% of ecosystems are at risk of range-wide collapse; photo via Pexels.com. Conservation groups in Massachusetts are backing the Biden Administration’s new plan to update the nation’s power grid….
Parents and educators in Massachusetts are collecting signatures for a possible ballot measure this November to end the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System or MCAS (“M-cass”) graduation requirement. Massachusetts is one of only eight states that still requires students to pass a standardized test to receive their diploma, but data show a disproportionate number of students of color, those with disabilities and English-language learners are failing to make the grade.
Massachusetts residents pay some of the highest grocery prices in the nation. A new report finds families already struggling to meet their needs are increasingly turning to debt to cover their food costs or using up savings they’d set aside for the future.
Massachusetts’ lawmakers are backing legislation to expand Medicaid coverage and help improve pregnancy-related care in under-resourced communities. The “Mamas First Act” would allow reimbursements for doula and midwife services known to significantly improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.