A member of the Massachusetts State Police Mounted Unit, Jay, a Percheron horse, died on Nov. 19.

Jay, 12-and-a-half years old, passed away from cancer complications, State Police announced on Facebook.

In March 2023, Jay joined the Mounted Unit at 10 years old from CNY Event Ranch in Oswego, New York, the announcement says.

“He immediately became one of our A-Team horses which meant he was a truly reliable ‘go to’ horse for our Unit members and was always head of the pack with his superior size [18 hands tall] and temperament,” State Police wrote.

Jay patrolled across the state, competed in Mounted Unit events in Kentucky, trained in Washington, D.C., and worked Patriots games outside of Gillette Stadium.

“Jay was always a main attraction wherever he went,” State Police continued. “His noble stature drew adults and kids to his side. He loved the attention and knew the happiness he brought to others.”

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday signed a $2.31 billion spending bill to settle the books at MassHealth and steer funding to former Steward Health Care hospitals and the program that covers some care costs for uninsured and underinsured patients.

The Legislature shipped the spending package to Healey’s desk last Wednesday, which was the last day of formal sessions for the year. Spokesperson Karissa Hand told the News Service Tuesday afternoon that Healey signed the closeout.

The package allocates $1.67 billion for MassHealth, $374 million for Steward hospital payments, $10 million in hosting costs tied to next year’s World Cup games, $18.3 million for student financial aid and $10 million for “operational and technical enhancements” at the Department of Transitional Assistance.

Ahead of the FIFA World Cup next year, local organizers say Massachusetts has yet to keep its end of the deal to help fund certain services.

The law closing the books on fiscal 2025 also increases an assessment on hospital to generate more money for the Health Safety Net program and authorizes a $50 million transfer into the account from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund.

Lawmakers opted to withhold the majority of appropriations sought by sheriffs to settle county budgets, as they wait on the inspector general to file an interim report by the end of February.

As officials investigate the crash that killed a teenager on an electric dirt bike in Stoneham, Massachusetts, last week, House Speaker Ron Mariano on Monday expressed an interest in beefing up enforcement and potentially installing new licensing requirements.

A 13-year-old boy struck a Toyota Corolla on Friday afternoon as the car was making a left turn, according to Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan’s office. The boy was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Mariano called the crash a “tragedy.”

“But we have begun to look at making sure that the rules that are in place are enforced, and if they have to be expanded or training has to be insisted upon, then we begin to do that — to license these folks that ride these bicycles,” Mariano said. “Because if you drive around the City of Boston, I’m sure you’ve been cut off or you’ve been frightened by these folks who are trying to make deliveries and pay very little attention to the traffic pattern or the traffic laws.”

Certain categories of e-bikes do not currently require rider licenses, according to MassBike.

Ryan’s office said its investigation includes the Stoneham Police Department, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.

“We want to get to the bottom of it,” Mariano said. “We want to look at ways to make it safer and make sure that folks follow the laws that we have on the books.”