Politics & Government

The Senate Ways and Means Committee has released a nearly $34 billion state budget proposal for the fiscal year starting July 1.

Grief stricken parents were on Beacon Hill pushing for legislation they say could have saved their daughter's life.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has met with Massachusetts Governor Deval  Patrick to offer his condolences and discuss lessons that can be learned from the deadly Boston Marathon bombing.

Update, 10:03 a.m., 05/14/2013: several candidates, including Althea Garrison, have decided against running.

It’s a coincidence, but also a great metaphor – an enormous white circus tent set up on City Hall Plaza. The scrambling and crowds aren’t just appearing inside the tent. Next door, City Hall is buzzing with election activity – there are 24 people who’ve applied to run for mayor, 23 still in the race.

This week's congressional oversight hearing following the Boston marathon bombings highlighted tensions between civil liberties and security.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick says he's glad the family of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has found a burial location, but says he doesn't know where that is.

Gov. Deval Patrick says even if the Boston Police had known about FBI inquiries into it wouldn’t have been enough to stop the bombing:

"Having been briefed thoroughly on the investigation, and, I believe, on the intelligence, I don't think it was enough, I think the term is, to be actionable," he said. "But obviously, we wish we had known."

Patrick was interviewed on WGBH Radio just hours after Davis’ testimony.

Patrick said information sharing between Russia and the United States has gotten a lot better since the bombings.

Massachusetts health officials have finalized the rules and the amount of medical marijuana allowed for patients.

U.S. Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate Ed Markey has joined a chorus of critics, saying suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev should not be buried in Massachusetts.

The backdrop to the day was TD Garden, where Northeastern University held its commencement. As 20,000 people clapped and roared, Gov. Deval Patrick conferred an honorary degree on Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis for his handling of the marathon bombings investigation.

"Your extraordinarily united efforts made possible an investigation that moved with astonishing speed and focus, to identify the suspects, enabling millions to to feel of us to feel safer in our daily lives," Patrick said.

Rhode Island became the nation's 10th state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry Thursday, and the final state in New England to make the decision.

It's a decision that might have cost former Sen. Scott Brown re-election and one Republican U.S. Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez has no plans to repeat.

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth campus has again become the center of attention after federal prosecutors arrested and charged three college friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

After an often listless warm-up, the main event in the race for John Kerry’s old Senate seat is finally underway. Earlier today, newly minted nominees Gabriel Gomez and Ed Markey traded sharp jabs – and made it clear that in this election, mutual respect will be in short supply.