A Walpole man charged with drunken driving in connection with an accident that left a veteran state trooper dead has been granted bail following a mental health evaluation.

Mental health – Driving under the influence – Death – Health – Policy and Advocacy

Gasoline in Massachusetts has crept up a penny after five consecutive weeks of declining prices.

Gasoline and diesel usage and pricing – Business – Energy – Oil and Gas – Gasoline

Officials say a fire at a Peabody mulch company that has already caused an estimated $1 million in damage may take a couple more days to completely douse.

Mulch – Agriculture – Field Crops – Pests and Diseases – Soil

Transportation officials are examining how much money Massachusetts might save if they have state employees do more highway snow removal instead of the current patchwork of private contractors.

Massachusetts Department of Transportation – Roads and Highways – Recreation – United States – Snow removal

PLYMOUTH Three people survived when a small plane crashed in Plymouth yesterday afternoon, according to the town’s Fire Department. The aircraft, a dual-engine Cessna 401 propeller plane, was on its way to Plymouth Airport when it went down at about 5 p.m. near Billington Sea Road, said Arlene Salac, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration. The pilot and two …

Plymouth – Cessna – Aircraft – Recreation – Federal Aviation Administration

In a crowded, walled-off section of City Hall Plaza yesterday, Anne Gagne and Caroline Marchant took photos of a small plaque memorializing their mother, Micheline M. Gagne, who succumbed to lung and brain cancer last year.

Escorts Boston – City Hall Plaza – Health – Cancer – Brain tumor

CAMBRIDGE — The memory is a blurry snapshot in his mind. Eric Balderas was 4 years old, curled up under covers on a raft. He could see the sun poking through the sky, hear whispers above him, and feel the swell of the Rio Grande below.

United States – Harvard University – US Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Mexico – Eric Balderas

WESTON — The detective work continues. So far, no good. With the spending meter at $137,000 and counting, state officials still have not found a 1,200-pound, 31-foot steel coupling that could show why 2 million people in Greater Escorts Boston suddenly lost their drinking water May 1.

Greater Escorts Boston – Drinking water – Steel – Environment – Water Resources