Merrimack Valley

Fare-free public transit continues to gain momentum in some Massachusetts communities, with the Boston City Council and the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority both taking action on Wednesday to expand the idea’s reach. The City Council signed off on Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposal to use $8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, an abundant but non-recurring source, to...

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu had her first private meeting with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and addressed issues relating to transit and Mass. and Cass on her first full day after being sworn in.

Given its history, the city takes gas leaks very seriously.

Evacuations were made Sunday in part of Lawrence, Massachusetts, after a gas line was struck by a contractor, authorities said. No one was hurt, according to the Lawrence Fire Department, and the mayor’s office said the scene was secure while crews worked to restore things to normal. All the city’s fire crews were at the scene on Manchester Street...

Sept. 13, 2018 is a day that residents of the Merrimack Valley will never forget. Explosions and fires rocked the cities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, killing one man and seriously injuring others.

After three confirmed earthquakes and multiple other mysterious booms, officials sought to calm the shaken community in Peabody, Massachusetts, with a public forum. The forum was held Wednesday evening, with city leaders seeking to educate those with questions about the recent events. Seismologist John Ebel of Boston College, author of “New England Earthquakes: The Surprising History of Seismic Activity in…

City leaders in Peabody hosted a community forum Wednesday in response to a series of booms that have shaken neighborhoods.

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...

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.

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.

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.