STATE HOUSE — The state would be required to develop a climate change mitigation plan and meet new long-term carbon emission reduction benchmarks under legislation passed unanimously by the Senate on Thursday.
Senate President Pro Tem Marc Pacheco, who sponsored the legislation, praised the bipartisan collaboration of Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, contrasting that with the partisan divisiveness that accompanies political discussion of climate change on a national level.
BOSTON – Massachusetts had the highest rate of child abuse and neglect in the nation in 2014, with almost 31,900 cases reported, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The rate of abuse or neglect rose to 22.9 cases per 1,000 children in the state in 2014, the report shows. That's up from 14.5 cases per 1,000 children in 2013, when the state ranked ninth, with about 20,300 cases.
