Greta Jochem

Mass. sends people to correctional-run facilities for involuntary addiction treatment. A look inside the system and how it’s changing Some legislators and advocates have said Massachusetts is the only state in the country where people facing no criminal charges are involuntary committed for substance use disorder treatment in facili...

Many states have involuntary commitment laws, but some legislators and advocates have said Massachusetts is the only state in the country where people facing no criminal charges can be involuntary committed for substance use disorder treatment in facilities run by prisons and jails.

Greater Springfield suffers one of the highest rates of asthma in U.S. Trump has cut millions that would address it Why does the area have such high asthma rates?

Greater Springfield suffers one of the highest rates of asthma in U.S. Trump has cut millions that would address it

Will the long-closed Victory Theater in Holyoke ever re-open? “Every day I deal with: ‘When’s it going to open? Why is it taking so long?’” Donald Sanders said.

Once billed as “America’s most beautiful playhouse,” the Victory Theatre in downtown Holyoke has been dormant since 1979. A nonprofit bought it 16 years ago from the city, but it remains vacant. Will it ever re-open?

How an Afghan family fled their home country as refugees and made a life in Western Massachusetts As the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban took over. Nazifa and Safieullah were targets.

When the Taliban marched into Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, Nazifa Safie and Safieullah Safie knew they had to evacuate their home country. “In 24 hours, everything changed,” Nazifa said.

As the grid goes green and electrifies, residents fret over safety of battery storage Projects have kicked up controversy in Westfield, Hadley, Wendel and elsewhere

Clean energy experts say more battery storage in Mass. is key to become net-zero by 2050. Proposals have cropped up all over the state. But some have hit resistance as residents fear battery fires and local communities attempt to regulate them.

WMass advocates feared a nursing home closing would force long travel. They were right Of the 68 residents moved to another Massachusetts nursing home, the new facilities were, on average, 53 miles away.

When a Northampton nursing home closed last year, Barbara Sours' 62-year-old brother had to move more than an hour away from home and lung cancer treatment. Many other residents also faced long moves, data from the state shows.

Mass. Medicaid gives $73 allowance for nursing home residents. Bill would add more Advocates gathered for a briefing Monday at the State House and streamed online to rally support for legislation filed earlier this year that seeks to increase the allowance to $113.42.

Mass. Medicaid gives $73 allowance for nursing home residents. Legislation aims to change that

Veteran was helping fellow troops at the Springfield Vet Center when the Trump administration fired him Michael Slater was one of 2,400 employees at the VA fired by the Trump administration this month as part of federal workforce shrinkage.

Veteran was helping fellow troops at the Springfield Vet Center when the Trump administration fired him

“I wanted to be part of improving the VA. ... To be terminated the way I was, was a slap in the face.”

‘More presence on the street’: How Hampden County is addressing homelessness There’s outreach workers in Holyoke and Springfield visiting encampments trying to connect people with resources, community centers welcoming unhoused people inside, and Springfield’s newly-revived Pr...

‘More presence on the street’: How Hampden County is addressing homelessness

‘The system is buckling’: A look inside rising homelessness in WMass This is the first of two articles on the increase in homelessness in the region.

‘The system is buckling’: A look inside rising homelessness in WMass.

For Western Mass. groups working with immigrants, a ‘roller coaster’ last few weeks How Trump’s crackdown on immigration is impacting Western Massachusetts

For Western Mass. groups working with immigrants, a ‘roller coaster’ last few weeks