Merrimack Valley

Pam Wool, a retired Merrimack Valley resident with a stable income, got a hefty stimulus check in the mail, and decided to donate it to a local non-profit called Emmaus.

Believe it or not there are people who haven’t been financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, but those people are still getting stimulus checks. And now, one nonprofit in the Merrimack Valley says it’s benefitting from generous neighbors, who want their relief check to go to those who really need it. Pam Wool is a retired Merrimack Valley resident...

Sunday marks two years since the Merrimack Valley was rocked by gas explosions that left 18-year-old Leonel Rondon dead and 25 others injured. During an emotional ceremony Sunday, Rondon’s family thanked firefighters for their continued efforts to keep their community safe. “These brave men and women rushed to save lives and they saved every life except for one,” said Doug…

Sunday marks two years since the Merrimack Valley was rocked by gas explosions.
During an emotional ceremony, the family of the man who died, Leonel Rondon, thanked firefighters for their continued efforts to keep their community safe.

Separate drug busts by Massachusetts authorities over a period of 48 hours last week resulted in the seizure of 6.5 kilograms of fentanyl, numerous pills, $13,000 in cash, a firearm and the arrests of at least five people, state police announced Monday. State police were joined by Homeland Security and Brockton and East Bridgewater police to announce what they called…

Separate drug busts by state and local police as well as Homeland Security dealt “crushing blows” to two major fentanyl trafficking organizations, authorities said Monday.

Small businesses across Massachusetts are struggling, especially those in Merrimack Valley that had to shut down after the gas explosions.

A Massachusetts judge approved a $143 million class action settlement Thursday for residents and business owners affected by natural gas explosions in Massachusetts in 2018. The settlement’s approval comes days after Columbia Gas of Massachusetts pleaded guilty to causing the explosions that killed one person, injured dozens of others, and damaged or destroyed more than 100 buildings. “This community suffered…

A hearing was held Thursday on the proposed $43 million Merrimack Valley gas settlement and how the money gets divided. The judge at Salem Superior Court did not make a final decision but heard from attorneys and community members impacted by the Sept. 13, 2018 explosions in Andover, North Andover and Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Columbia Gas, the utility behind the deadly 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions, will pay a $53 million fine and be sold by its parent company, NiSource, after agreeing to plead guilty in connection with the disaster, authorities announced Wednesday. U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in a press conference that Columbia Gas had agreed to plead guilty to felony violation of…

A 42-year Columbia Gas employee said his bosses ignored repeated warning about potential safety issues. But not federal investigators, who used the retired utility worker’s testimony to help build their criminal case. On Wednesday, Bart Maderios reacted to the federal criminal charges against his former employer. “I cried for days. It devastated me for months,” Maderios said of the...

A whistleblower says he warned his company of potential problems before the Merrimack Valley gas explosions.

Columbia Gas will pay a $53 million criminal fine for breaking a federal pipeline safety law and plead guilty to causing a series of natural gas explosions in Massachusetts that killed one person and damaged dozens of homes, federal officials announced Wednesday.

Columbia Gas, the utility behind the deadly 2018 Merrimack Valley gas explosions, will pay a $53 million fine and be sold by its parent company, NiSource.

If you get pulled over in another state, it could come back to haunt you in Massachusetts.

Officials are reminding Merrimack Valley residents that Friday is the deadline to file a claim in the $143 million class action settlement stemming from 2018’s natural gas explosions and fires. Lawyers encourage anyone impacted to file a claim, even if they’ve already filed one through their insurance or Columbia Gas, the utility company blamed for the Sept. 13 disaster. The…

Columbia Gas just finished work on another gas leak in the Merrimack Valley.

The leak is in the area of Haverhill and Ames streets, authorities say.