Latest Massachusetts Headlines
All the headlines from our Massachusetts Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Duffy Agency Acquires Neighboring Cowan Agency in Massachusetts
Sep 13 2024 // Duffy Insurance Agency, based in Lynn, Massachusetts, has acquired The Cowan Insurance Agency of Haverhill, also in Essex County. The Cowan agency, founded in 1938, is a fourth generation family business now led by...
Ban on Switchblades Violates Second Amendment: Massachusetts High Court
Aug 28 2024 // A 1957 Massachusetts law banning the possession of certain switchblades violates the federal Second Amendment right to bear arms, the highest court in Massachusetts has ruled. The state court found that switchblades...
Rare and Deadly Mosquito Virus Infection Has Massachusetts Towns on Alert
Aug 27 2024 // A rare but deadly disease spread by mosquitoes has one town in Massachusetts closing its parks and fields each evening. Four other towns are urging people to avoid going outdoors at night. They’re concerned about...
Worker Dies After Excavator Is Buried Under Rocks at Massachusetts Quarry
Aug 26 2024 // A worker was killed last Thursday morning after a portion of a rock ledge collapsed onto an excavator with the worker inside, burying it under rocks and boulders at a quarry site in Massachusetts. Firefighters and other...
Bankrupt Steward Health Care Sells Physician Network as Massachusetts Hospital Seized
Aug 19 2024 // Bankrupt hospital operator Steward Health Care received a bankruptcy judge’s approval on Friday to sell its nationwide physician network to a private equity buyer while its stalled efforts to sell Massachusetts...
PCF Acquires Asset Insurance Agency in Massachusetts
Aug 15 2024 // Utah-based PCF Insurance Services reports it has acquired the insurance business of Asset Insurance Agency, based in Peabody, Massachusetts. Asset Insurance Agency sells auto, home, commercial and life insurance in...
Massachusetts Resolves Disputes Worth $600M with Tobacco Manufacturers
Aug 14 2024 // The Massachusetts attorney general has reached a $600 million settlement with major tobacco manufacturers, resolving some of the state’s complaints over how much the tobacco companies owe it under a 1998 master...
Massachusetts Businesses With More Than 25 Employees Must Disclose Salary Range
Aug 2 2024 // Massachusetts businesses with more than 25 employees must disclose salary ranges when posting jobs, under a new bill signed into law Wednesday that puts the commonwealth in line with 10 other states that already require...
Bankrupt Steward Health to Close Two Massachusetts Hospitals
Jul 29 2024 // Bankrupt hospital owner Steward Health Care will close two locations in Massachusetts after failing to find a buyer for them, the company said Friday. Steward filed for bankruptcy in May, putting all of its 31 hospitals up...
‘Surface Waters’ on Roof Are Not ‘Flood’ Waters, Massachusetts High Court Rules
Jul 23 2024 // The highest court in Massachusetts has ruled that rainwater accumulation on roofs of buildings does not constitute “surface waters” within the meaning of “flood” in property insurance policies. The...
Massachusetts Insurance Agency Deland, Gibson Acquires Atchue Agency
Jul 17 2024 // Independent insurance agency Deland, Gibson Insurance Associates in Wellesley, Massachusetts announced it recently acquired Atchue Insurance Agency, which is located about 35 miles away in Worcester. Founded by Earl V....
Massachusetts Orders 14.6% Cut in Workers’ Compensation Rates
Jul 15 2024 // Massachusetts businesses will see an average 14.6% reduction in workers’ compensation rates–a cut that is almost twice the size of what the insurance industry’s rating bureau proposed in its filing. The...
Uber and Lyft Agree to Higher Wages, Work-Accident Insurance in Mass. Settlement
Jul 1 2024 // BOSTON (AP) — Drivers for Uber and Lyft will earn a minimum pay standard of $32.50 per hour and will be eligible for occupational accident insurance paid by the companies for up to $1 million for work-related injuries...
Massachusetts Allows Uber to Force Paralyzed Rider to Arbitrate
Jul 1 2024 // Uber can require that a passenger seriously injured in a crash involving an Uber driver go to arbitration over his $63 million damages claim without a trial, the highest court in Massachusetts recently ruled, overturning a...
Massachusetts Orders 14.6% Cut in Workers’ Compensation Rates
Jun 27 2024 // Massachusetts businesses will see an average 14.6% reduction in workers’ compensation rates—a cut that is almost twice the size of what the insurance industry’s rating bureau proposed in its filing. The lower...
Massachusetts 911 System Restored After Outage Caused by Firewall, Not Cyber Attack
Jun 20 2024 // The 911 system across Massachusetts was restored Tuesday after going down for several hours, which made it impossible for anyone to reach emergency services through the call number. The Massachusetts State Police announced...
Massachusetts Town Loses $446,000 in Cyber Attack
Jun 12 2024 // The Massachusetts town of Arlington reports it has lost $445,945 in funds intended for a contractor working on a high school building project that were instead diverted to hackers orchestrating a wire fraud scam. Town...
Massachusetts High Court Reverses, Says Uber Can Force Paralyzed Rider to Arbitrate
Jun 11 2024 // Uber can require that a passenger seriously injured in a crash involving an Uber driver go to arbitration over his $63 million damages claim without a trial, the highest court in Massachusetts has ruled, overturning a...
Massachusetts Drivers Lose Second Bid for Class Certifications Over Lost Resale Value
Jun 7 2024 // Three Massachusetts drivers have hit a dead end for the second time in their drive for court certification of class actions against two auto insurers over missing payments for the lost resale value of vehicles. Superior...
RiverStone Acquires Electric Insurance; Plymouth Rock Gets Renewal Rights
Jun 3 2024 // RiverStone International reports it has closed on its acquisition of Electric Insurance Co. and its two subsidiaries, Elm Insurance Co. and Electric Insurance Agency. Electric Insurance is a Beverly,...
