Around New England

Transgender Inmate Suing Western Massachusetts Sheriff for $100,000

Matthew McDonald

The inmate, a biological male who now identifies as a female, says prison staff at the Hampden County jail failed to provide protection against harassment, extortion, and rape. The county sheriff's office says jail staff didn't treat the inmate disrespectfully and made extraordinary efforts to accommodate the inmate's special requests.

Around New England

Enormous Mass of Warm Rock Rising Beneath Western Massachusetts

Matthew McDonald

Geologists liken it to a hot air balloon deep beneath the earth's surface in western Massachusetts, central Vermont, and western New Hampshire. They think the enormous mass of warm, rising rock will take millions of years to lead to volcanic activity; but their study, which used seismic measurement devices all across the continental United States, may upend previous understandings about how continents behave.

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