MICHAEL CASEY

Driver Carlos Quezada loads rice on a pallet for distribution at Feeding Westchester in Elmsford, N.Y., Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. A growing number of states are working to keep food out of landfills over concerns that it is taking up too much space and posing environmental problems. Some states including New York are requiring supermarkets and other businesses to redirect food to food pantries. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Tackling climate change and alleviating hunger: States recycle and donate food headed to landfills

A growing number of states are working to keep food out of landfills over concerns the waste is taking up too much space and posing environmental problems.

FILE - A Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection worker walks in front of the damaged Seqens plant after crews removed chemicals, May 5, 2023, in Newburyport, Mass. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found the explosion that killed one worker at the pharmaceutical chemical plant could have been prevented and proposed nearly $300,000 in penalties for numerous violations. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, file)

OSHA finds plant explosion that killed 1 person could have been prevented

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found an explosion that killed one worker at a pharmaceutical chemical plant in Massachusetts could have been prevented.

The Alexis family waits in the Immigrant Family Services Institute in Mattapan, Massachusetts on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. The family arrived in Boston a week ago and are struggling to find housing after the state capped the number of family shelter spots and created a wait list. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

Advocates scramble to aid homeless migrant families after Massachusetts caps emergency shelter slots

Advocates scrambling to find shelter for homeless migrant families newly arrived in Massachusetts say families are relying on a patchwork of airport lounges, Uber rides, hospital waiting rooms and walk-in church shelters after the state capped the number of family shelter spots and created a wait li

FILE - A Palestinian child walks with a bicycle by the rubble of a building after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. A new U.N. report paints a stark picture of the devastating collapsing Palestinian economy after a month of war and Israel’s near total siege of Gaza. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair, File)

Tensions running high at East Coast campuses over protests around Israel-Hamas war

One New England university banned a pro-Palestinian student group. Another suspended some students involved in protests around the Israel-Hamas war.

Lewiston High School running back Jayden Sands carries a flag onto the field prior to a football game against Edward Little High School, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Locals seek a return to normalcy after a mass shooting on Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Matt York)

High school football rivals in Maine come together in emotional game after mass shooting

Lewiston, Maine, has taken another step in its recovery from the state’s deadliest mass shooting as a storied high school football rivalry resumed an emotional game.

This cover image released by Merge Records shows "Jenny From Thebes" by The Mountain Goats. (Merge Records via AP)

Music Review: The Mountain Goats go big on ‘Jenny from Thebes,’ a sequel to an old favorite

On the Mountain Goats’ 22nd album “Jenny from Thebes,” the full band flexes its muscle with a record that at times sounds like Broadway, writes the Associated Press’ Michael Casey.

FILE - Visitors pass Faneuil Hall, April 5, 2022, in Boston. A Boston city councilor is expected to introduce a resolution Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, to hold a hearing on renaming Faneuil Hall, a popular tourist site which has ties to slavery. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Boston’s Faneuil Hall was named after a slave owner. City council calls for renaming the site

The Boston City Council has passed a resolution that calls for renaming Faneuil Hall, a popular tourist site that is named after a wealthy merchant who owned and traded slaves.

Massachusetts Sen. Edward Markey, left, stands in support of Anne Anderson, whose son died of leukemia in 1981 and was exposed to water contaminated with the chemical trichloroethylene, or TCE. The two spoke Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, in Woburn, Mass., during an EPA press conference announcing its proposal to ban the chemical. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

EPA proposes banning cancer-causing chemical TCE used in automotive care and other products

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to ban the cancer-causing chemical trichloroethylene. The chemical is known as TCE.

Slavery reparations in Amherst Massachusetts could include funding for youth programs and housing

The town of Amherst, Massachusetts is considering how and when to spend revenue on reparations for slavery.

This image provided by Eran Shani shows Shlomi Mathias playing the guitar as his wife, Debbie ‘Shahar’ Mathias, laughs and sings next to him at her 50th birthday party on Oct. 1, 2023, in Lehavim, Israel. They both died days later while protecting their 16-year-old son, Rotem Mathias, from Hamas fighters who attacked their kibbutz in Israel near the border with Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. (Eran Shani via AP)

His parents shielded him from gunfire as Hamas attacked. He survived. They did not

An Israeli-American teenager survived a siege by Hamas attackers over the weekend after his parents shielded him from the gunfire but were killed themselves.

Claudia Goldin speaks to a reporter on the phone in her home in Cambridge, Mass. after learning that she received the Nobel Prize in Economics, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded to Claudia Goldin for her work on the understanding of the gender gap in the labor market, it was announced on Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)

Nobel economics prize goes to Harvard’s Claudia Goldin for research on the workplace gender gap

Claudia Goldin, a Harvard University professor, was awarded the Nobel economics prize for research that helps explain why women around the world are less likely than men to work and to earn less money when they do.

FILE - A man walks through wildfire wreckage in Lahaina, Hawaii, Aug. 11, 2023. Federal authorities have started removing hazardous materials from the Maui wildfires and laying the groundwork to dispose of burnt cars, buildings and other debris. The hazardous materials, including oil, solvent and batteries, are being shipped to the West Coast while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers works with local officials to develop a plan to dispose of an estimated 400,000 to 700,000 tons of debris on the island. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

Cleanup from Maui fires complicated by island’s logistical challenges, cultural significance

Federal authorities have started removing hazardous materials from the Maui wildfires and laying the groundwork to dispose of burnt cars, buildings and other debris.

Massachusetts man indicted on charges of trying to open jet’s door, attacking crew on United flight

A Massachusetts man has been indicted for allegedly attacking a flight attendant earlier this year with a broken metal spoon and attempting to open an airliner’s emergency door on a cross-country flight.

Danielle Wilkes is seen by a dentist during a clinic visit Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Wilkes waited five years to have her teeth repaired after getting several teeth knocked out in a car wreck. She was able to receive dental care after an expansion of the state's Medicaid program. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Many states are expanding their Medicaid programs to provide dental care to their poorest residents

A growing number of states are offering dental care to low-income adults who once had to rely on charity or the emergency room to treat their tooth problems.

Climate activists display banners as they block traffic, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, at South Station, in Boston. The demonstrators briefly disrupted the morning commute Thursday near the train station to put pressure on the state's governor to ban fossil fuel infrastructure. (Kevin Martin/The Boston Globe via AP)

Climate activists disrupt traffic in Boston to call attention to fossil fuel policies

Climate activists briefly disrupted the morning commute in Boston to put pressure on the state’s governor to ban fossil fuel infrastructure.

FILE — Lights illuminate Gillette Stadium before an NFL football game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. Police are investigating the death of a man following an "incident" in the stands at the New England Patriots home game Sunday. The Norfolk County district attorney's office says 53-year-old Dale Mooney, of Newmarket, N.H., "was in apparent need of medical attention." He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

Autopsy finds man who was punched at New England Patriots game before he died had medical issue

Authorities in Massachusetts announced that a man who died at a New England Patriots home game last weekend after he was punched twice in the head did not suffer a “traumatic injury” in the stands but had a medical issue.

A brook in Leominster, Mass. overflows into the garage of a home following heavy rains overnight, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)

Climate change could bring more monster storms like Hurricane Lee to New England

Climate scientists say storms like Hurricane Lee could become more common in the future as the Gulf of Maine and other bodies of water rapidly warm.

Climate change could bring more storms like Hurricane Lee to New England

Climate scientists say that storms like Hurricane Lee could become more common in the future as the Gulf of Maine and other bodies of water rapidly warm.

A sidewalk is removed by an excavator in front of a home where the front yard and road were washed away by recent flooding, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023, in Leominster, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Recent floods heighten concerns that New England dams may not be built for climate-induced storms

Flooding in Massachusetts that put several dams at risk have raised concern the structures may increasingly be at risk as New England is hit by stronger and wetter storms.

Firefighter Rod MacKinnon, left, and Lt. Chris Stevens don their turnout gear as they respond to a call at the Engine 21 fire station, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Firefighters fear the toxic chemicals in their gear could be contributing to cancer cases

Firefighters around the country are concerned that gear laced with PFAS, a group of toxic industrial compounds, could be one reason for cancer among their ranks.

Water from a nearby overflowing river submerges the parking lot at the Sterling Lofts apartment complex in Attleboro, Mass. Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP)

Rain-soaked New England hit by likely tornado amid wild weather ahead of Hurricane Lee’s arrival

The National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane watch for portions of Maine and a tropical storm watch for a large area of coastal New England as Hurricane Lee heads to the region.

Businesses on County Street in Attleboro, Mass. remain closed due to flooding from heavy rain Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (Mark Stockwell/The Sun Chronicle via AP)

Massachusetts city got nearly 10 inches of rain in 6 hours, flooding homes and eroding dams

Heavy rainfall has flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with two communities declaring a state of emergency as water poured into homes, creating moats around their foundations and leading to boat rescues of residents.

A package of Paqui OneChipChallenge spicy tortilla chips is seen on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, in Boston. Authorities are raising the alarm about a OneChipChallenge social media trend that encourages people to avoid seeking relief from eating and drinking for as long as possible after eating the chips, days after a Massachusetts teenager died hours after taking part in the challenge. The dare is popular on social media sites, with scores of people including children unwrapping the packaging, eating the chips and reacting to the heat. (AP Photo/Steve LeBlanc)

Teen’s death leads to outpouring of concern over spicy chip challenge as sales are halted

The death of a Massachusetts teenager after his family said he ate an extremely spicy tortilla chip has led to an outpouring of concern about the social media challenge.

Company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves as Massachusetts investigates teen’s death

Authorities are raising the alarm about a social media challenge in which people eat extremely spicy chips and attempt to avoid eating or drinking anything for as long as possible.

FILE - This 1974 image provided by the FBI shows a poster seeking information for homicide victim Ruth Marie Terry. On Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, authorities in Massachusetts concluded that Terry, a woman whose mutilated body was discovered on Cape Cod nearly 50 years ago, was killed by her husband. (FBI via AP, File)

Authorities identify husband as killer in ‘Lady of the Dunes’ cold case

Authorities in Massachusetts have concluded a woman whose mutilated body was discovered on Cape Cod nearly 50 years ago was killed by her husband.

Buddy Jantoc, center, plays guitar at a hula show at the Lahaina Cannery in Lahaina, Hawaii, on April 23, 2023. (Agnes Dinh via AP)

A family, a beloved sister, 2 senior housing residents. These are some of the lives lost in Maui

Wildfires devastated parts of Maui in Hawaii last week, leaving a trail of destruction and devastation, decimating a historic town.

Adam Montgomery is led to the defense table for his sentencing hearing in Hillsborough County Superior Court in Manchester, N.H. on Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. The New Hampshire father charged in the murder of his missing 5-year-old daughter Harmony Montgomery used the court hearing on unrelated gun charges to proclaim his innocence. Montgomery, 33, was found guilty of six gun charges in June was in court to be sentenced for those crimes. (Paul Feely/Union Leader via AP)

Father of missing girl Harmony Montgomery insists he didn’t kill his daughter

A New Hampshire father charged in the murder of his missing 5-year-old daughter Harmony Montgomery used a court hearing on an unrelated gun charges to proclaim his innocence.

A girl carries a sign that reads in Creole "Free school is broken. Release the nurse," during a march to demand the freedom of New Hampshire nurse Alix Dorsainvil and her daughter, who have been reported kidnapped, in the Cite Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, July 31, 2023. Dorsainvil works for the El Roi Haiti nonprofit organization and the U.S. State Department issued a "do not travel advisory" ordering nonemergency personnel to leave the Caribbean nation amid growing security concerns. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Haitians, weary of gang violence, protest the kidnapping of an American nurse and her daughter

Hundreds of Haitians have marched through the capital, Port-au-Prince, in protest at the reported abduction of an American nurse and her daughter.

FILE - Black Belt Eagle Scout performs during the Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park in Chicago, Saturday, July 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Casey, File)

Black Belt Eagle Scout’s latest record inspired by return home to Swinomish tribe’s ancestral lands

The beginning of the pandemic was devasting for the leader of the indie rock band Black Belt Eagle Scout, Katherine Paul.

FILE - Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge, speaks at the annual Freedman's Bank Forum at the Department of the Treasury in Washington, Oct. 4, 2022. The White House has announced a series of measures that it said would reduce the cost and increase the supply of housing while bolstering protection for renters. The measures announced Thursday, July 27, 2023, would provide communities with funding to reduce zoning barriers, expand financing for affordable and energy efficient housing as well as promoting the conversion of commercial buildings to residential housing. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

White House rolls out measures aimed at lowering cost of housing, increasing supply

The White House has announced a series of measures that it said would reduce the cost and increase the supply of housing while bolstering protection for renters.