Massachusetts was battered by a swath of heavy rainstorms this week, with some areas flooded under several inches of water. “This time of year, we get thunderstorms and rain events that produce very localized pockets of heavy rainfall,” said National Weather Service forecaster Hayden Frank.

Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, undersecretary of health in the office since April 2023, will take over as the agency’s secretary on Monday. He replaces Kate Walsh, a former hospital executive whom Governor Maura Healey appointed 2½ years ago and who has steered some of the state’s most influential health care institutions for decades.

Employees at the United States Institute of Peace were terminated for a second time by the Trump administration, after a federal court ruling last month paved the way, according to multiple fired employees.

Videos show emotional scenes as tearful State Department employees emerge to applause from colleagues after being abruptly fired.

The Massachusetts Turnpike was closed Friday morning as police and firefighters responded to an electric vehicle on fire just beyond the Prudential Tunnel, State Police said. The car caught on fire on Interstate 90 westbound shortly after 7 a.m., State Police said.

Officials say that a pooled fund where neighboring municipalities help Boston pay for recovery services at Mass. and Cass is needed.

U.S. diplomats in Washington are bracing for cuts to the State Department workforce, with dismissal notices expected to hit inboxes as soon as Friday, according to three State Department officials with knowledge of the plans.

The rapper’s father is facing federal gun charges. Prosecutors noted one alleged gun sale happened just days after the mass shooting but clarified there was no evidence linking Melvin Doyle to the attack at his daughter’s party.

DNA analysis is considered the gold standard for identifying victims of mass fatalities. But how does it work?