Massachusetts
$15 million prize won on scratch ticket sold in western Massachusetts
Imagine winning $15 million on an instant lottery ticket.
The Dublin Street Nominee Trust of Boston has claimed a $15 million prize in the Massachusetts State Lottery’s “Diamond Deluxe” instant ticket game, state lottery officials said Friday.
The trust, represented by trustee Greg Racki, opted to receive its prize in the form of a one-time payment of $9,750,000, before taxes.
Racki said the winner plans to invest and help out their family with the winnings.
The winning ticket was purchased at King Mart, 494 Westfield Rd. in Holyoke.
The store receives a $50,000 bonus for its sale of this ticket.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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Massachusetts
Nita Ambani conferred with Governor of Massachusetts’ Citation – All you need to know | Today News

Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani on February 16 was conferred with the prestigious Governor’s Citation by the Governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey, in recognition of her visionary leadership and compassionate philanthropy.
According to a post shared on Instagram by Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, the citation honours Nita Ambani’s lifelong dedication to transformative impact across education, healthcare, sports, arts, culture, and women’s empowerment – touching millions of lives in India and beyond.
“Our Founder Chairperson Mrs. Nita Ambani was conferred with the prestigious Governor’s Citation by the Hon’ble Maura Healey, Governor of Massachusetts, recognizing her as a visionary leader, compassionate philanthropist, and true global changemaker. The citation honours Mrs. Ambani’s lifelong dedication to transformative impact across education, healthcare, sports, arts, culture, and women’s empowerment – touching millions of lives in India and beyond,” NMACC wrote on Instagram.
“For this special occasion in Boston, Mrs. Ambani once again championed India’s rich artistic heritage by adorning a stunning handwoven Shikargah Banarasi saree, a masterpiece of Indian craftsmanship featuring the intricate Kadwa weaving technique and traditional Konya design. A proud moment of global recognition, wrapped in the timeless elegance of Indian tradition!” it added.
Massachusetts
Weekend winter storm to bring snow, dangerous icy conditions to Massachusetts
Another weekend winter storm is approaching which will bring snow, and dangerous icy conditions to Massachusetts.
Snow is expected to begin falling Saturday evening, between 5-8 p.m., moving in from the west. “The steady stuff doesn’t begin until we get towards the later hours in the evening, closer to 10 to 11 p.m.,” the Boston 25 Weather team wrote in their latest weather blog.
A Winter Weather Advisory goes into effect Saturday night and lasts through Sunday night for most of Massachusetts (excluding the Cape and Islands).
“The worst of the travel will be early Sunday morning with snow, ice, and rain,” said Boston 25 Meteorologist Vicki Graf in her Saturday morning forecast.
Estimates show the possibility of 1-3 inches of snow for the Cape and Islands and 3-6 inches for points south of the Massachusetts Turnpike and along the coast.
Weekend snow map
Six to nine or more inches of snow is possible for points north of Interstate 90, including Fitchburg and southern New Hampshire.
“As the storm winds down, there’s still a lingering threat for icy spots,” Graf said.
When it comes to ice, some areas will see about a quarter of an inch which can be really disruptive. “We’re looking at a lot of those tree limbs and branches starting to sag or break, we’re looking at some slick travel out there and also potentially power outages,” Graf added.
Weekend Ice potential
On Monday, the winds will pick up significantly and a high wind watch has been issued for the day with gusts possibly reaching up to 60 mph which could lead to power outages.
For the latest on the forecast, stay tuned to the Boston 25 Weather page.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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Massachusetts
Massachusetts sees highest surge in flu cases in years

Massachusetts is seeing a sharp spike in cases of influenza.
Since Feb. 1, flu severity in the state has been classified as “very high” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest state data shows higher rates of flu-like illness than any other winter peak in years — and cases are still trending upward. Clinicians at local hospitals say this season has been the harshest they’ve seen in some time.
“One of the remarkable things is that we’re seeing … more respiratory illness caused by influenza than caused by COVID-19,” said Dr. Paul Sax, clinical director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “That’s the first time that’s happened since the pandemic.”
Nearly 11.5% of patient visits in the last week were for flu-like symptoms, according to
data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
That’s compared to 5% of visits for the same time period in 2024 and just 2% in 2023.
UMass Medical Center Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Sandeep Jubbal said he thinks the weather could be one of the main causes of the spike.
“Flu is a virus with a short incubation period that lasts one to four days, which means that symptoms typically begin within two days after being exposed,” said Jubbal. “That’s why we’re seeing this steep upslope in cases when referring to the curve, and it basically coincides with the time where we all moved indoors due to the cold weather.”
Jubbal also said that while flu vaccination rates among those age 65 or older are fairly high, only about 45% of children across the U.S. have received the vaccine.
“This is a virus that spreads close, congregate settings, and based on children going to school, is a high risk factor,” he said. “That’s why vaccinating kids is also very important in decreasing the overall burden of infection and the number of cases.”
Hospitalizations for influenza are at nearly 9% in Massachusetts, the highest since December 2022.
Nationwide, dozens of other states are also experiencing high spread of the virus. The
CDC estimates
at least 29 million people have been sick with the flu so far this season and about 16,000 have died.
Sax said that while generally healthy individuals are unlikely to require hospitalization, the flu can be severe for certain populations.
“The people we worry about the most are people with current medical illnesses, people at the extremes of age and pregnant women,” he said. “We know that those groups have much higher rates of flu complications.”
Both Sax and Jubbal emphasized that there’s still time to get the influenza vaccine.
“Vaccination cannot guarantee that it’s going to prevent someone from having an infection, but definitely at least moderately, usually shorter sick days, and it does help in preventing the spread,” said Jubbal. “We can’t control the weather, but we can definitely control the vaccination.”
“It takes only a couple of weeks for the flu vaccine to start generating antibodies to protect you, and one thing these numbers are telling us is that it’s not not going away any time soon,” he said.
While Sax and Jubbal both agree that rates will continue to increase, Jubbal said he expects the curve to reach a plateau and ultimately downslope as the weather improves.
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