Now that shark season is officially here, researchers on Cape Cod are busy trying to find a way to predict when the animals are swimming close to the shore.

As hospitals across Massachusetts experience a severe blood shortage, the Red Cross is putting out an urgent call for donations. Without an increase in supply, they say, some surgeries and procedures will have to be postponed.

Nearly 100 days into a nursing strike, elected leaders joined the picket line Saturday to show their support fir the staffers of St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Representative Jim McGovern and others attended the solidarity rally in Worcester. It has been three months since nurses walked off the job, demanding higher staffing levels.  “We...

A nationwide lifeguard shortage is having an impact at beaches and pools across Massachusetts. As cities and towns scramble to fill open positions, they are closing some swimming locations and leaving others unguarded. In Barnstable, the town usually hires 105 lifeguards for the season. This year, they have yet to fill 22 of the positions. They have a training class…

The man accused of killing Vanessa Marcotte argued at a hearing Wednesday that key DNA evidence that allegedly links him to the crime should be tossed. Angelo Colon-Ortiz, of Worcester, is accused of killing Marcotte, 27, five years ago as she was running near her mother’s home in Princeton. Colon-Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and appeared...

From pool testing to music class with no singing, Massachusetts’ top education official got an up-close look at how the coronavirus pandemic has changed Roberts Elementary in Medford Thursday.  “We were one of the few districts that started testing, which helped with anxiety and worry,” Medford Superintendent Dr. Maurice Edouard-Vincent said.  Medford officials plan to continue the pool testing into…

A police report released Tuesday included new details about Sunday’s incident in which a Boston Celtics fan threw a water bottle at Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving as he walked off the TD Garden court. Cole Buckley, 21, of Braintree — whose occupation is listed in court paperwork as a student at the University of Rhode Island — made national…

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association released new mask guidance for youth sports in the state on Tuesday. The new guidance, based on the state dropping its mask mandate on May 29, says that athletes, spectators and staff are not required to wear a mask or face covering for outdoor sports in most cases. However, plenty of Massachusetts student athletes were…

Hazmat crews decontaminated a family and two firefighters Monday night in Boston’s Roslindale neighborhood after potential exposure to an unknown chemical. A Brook Street resident opened a package that was delivered to his home Monday and found an unknown chemical inside. He brought it to a nearby fire station at 945 Canterbury Street, prompting a Level 3 hazmat situation. The…

Thousands of parents are calling on Gov. Charlie Baker to relax the mask mandate for children in Massachusetts. In a letter Thursday to the governor, a grassroots group of approximately 5,000 parents said children should be allowed to ditch the masks for outdoor sports, summer camps and recess, even if they can’t stay six feet apart. “I haven’t seen...