BOSTON (AP) — For a third consecutive day, Republicans thwarted attempts by the Democratic-controlled Massachusetts Legislature to approve a spending bill that includes money for temporary shelter spaces for migrant homeless families.

Saturday’s session had hardly gotten underway before the Republican caucus used a procedural process to once again delay a vote on the $2.8 billion spending package. A fraction of that money — hundreds of millions of dollars — would support shelters that are being strained by a crush of migrant and homeless families.

Legislators already wrapped up their formal session without approval of the supplemental budget, and won’t return for another formal session until next month.

Legislation can be adopted in informal sessions but rules for those sessions allow a single lawmaker to derail the process. Action on the budget was delayed on Thursday and Friday. They’ve scheduled another informal session on Monday.

Republicans who’ve blocked the budget say the legislation needs to include provisions to stem the flow of migrant families into Massachusetts. They’ve proposed considering the shelter funding in a separate spending bill, which would allow lawmakers to move forward on the rest of the budget.

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BOSTON (AP) — Eight aging dams in central and western Massachusetts will be removed as part of a $25 million initiative announced Friday by state environmental officials.

The structures to be dismantled include the abandoned high-hazard Bel Air Dam in Pittsfield.

Removing the dams will restore fish and other wildlife habitats, increase biodiversity, improve water quality, promote climate resiliency and make communities safer, officials said.

“This summer, we saw firsthand the catastrophic impacts of severe flooding and the stress and pressure it puts on our dams,” Gov. Maura Healey said.

The floods earlier this year put a few dams at risk and raised concerns that the structures may increasingly be at risk as the region is hit by stronger and wetter storms.

There are thousands of dams across New England and many were built decades if not centuries ago, often to help power textile mills, store water or supply irrigation to farms. The concern is they have outlived their usefulness and climate change could bring storms they were never built to withstand.

Of the $25 million, $20 million will support the removal of Bel Air Dam, and $5 million will go toward the removal of the remaining seven dams.

The removal of the Bel Air Dam will reduce the risk of downstream flooding that could affect nearly 500 parcels of land, including residential, business, commercial, and industrial areas.

As part of the dam’s removal the state will dispose of contaminated sediments off-site to reduce health risks, officials said. The dam’s removal should also improve fish passage and improve ecological restoration of the west branch of the Housatonic River in Pittsfield, where the dam sits.

The remaining seven dams are: Cusky Pond Dam in New Braintree; Schoolhouse Pond Dam in Sutton; Patrill Hollow Pond Dam in Hardwick; Thousand Acre Reservoir Dam in Athol; Arnold Pond Dam in Sutton; Salmon Pond Dam in Brookfield; and Weston Brook Dam in Windsor.

On the biggest stage, these high school football stars shined the brightest.

We decided to rank the top 10 performances we saw at Gillette Stadium this week in the eight MIAA Super Bowls. There were record-setting performances, programs’ first state titles, a rematch of a 2021 state championship and plenty more.

This was certainly not an easy list to cut down, as the biggest game of the season brought out tons of top-notch performances. Let’s dive into what was a stellar week of Super Bowls.

10. Jackson Belsan, Scituate

Although his Sailors lost to Duxbury in the Div. 4 final, Belsan’s passing prowess kept the Sailors alive for much of the second half. Belsan finished 14 of 26 passing for 328 yards and three TDs (70, 9 and 64 yards). Scituate’s 33 points were the most the Dragons surrendered in a game this season after giving up 13 points in their three previous tournament wins.

9. Caleb Brown, Xaverian

Entering Wednesday’s Div. 1 final, Brown had scored three TDs all season. He doubled that total with a breakout performance in a 31-25 win over Xaverian. The Brockton resident’s three receptions turned into 62 yards and three TDs. The last TD put the Hawks ahead for good on an 18-yard grab from Hasselbeck early in the fourth quarter.

More: Brockton resident brought his best game for Xaverian in thrilling D-1 Super Bowl win

8. Patrick Miller, Milton

The senior first-year starter has been a TD machine for the Wildcats all season, and Thursday’s Div. 3 state championship was no different. Miller, who was 16 of 26 passing for 148 yards, threw four TD passes in a 42-21 win over Walpole. Ronan Sammon was his favorite target, hauling in six catches for 75 yards and a pair of TDs.

Miller broke the school record for passing TDs in a single season with 33. Owen McHugh, last year’s starter, was the previous record holder with 31.

More: Comeback kids: Milton football rallies from early deficit to win Div. 3 Super Bowl

7. Connor Muldoon, West Boylston

The Lions offense was nearly unstoppable in a 41-7 win over Carver in the Div. 8 Super Bowl. West Boylston completed only one pass in the win, of which Muldoon was the recipient in the form of a 54-yard TD. Muldoon was one of five WB players with at least 50 yards rushing. He turned his 11 carries into 62 yards and a pair of TDs.

More: West Boylston captures second straight state championship as Lions roll past Carver

6. Tommy McLeish, King Philip

The Warriors’ offense was surgical in a 42-14 win over Marshfield in the Div. 2 Super Bowl. McLeish, a senior QB, was precise behind center. He completed 11 of his 15 passes for 166 yards and three TDs. He connected on TD throws of 7, 42 and 12 yards.

5. Lincoln Moore and Brandon Mazenkas-O’Grady, Foxboro

Moore and Mazenkas-O’Grady spearheaded the Warriors’ suffocating defensive outing as coach Jack Martinelli took home his fifth Super Bowl in the Div. 5 game. Moore had an interception, and scored a TD offensively, and Mazenkas-O’Grady scooped up a fumble and returned it 39 yards for score. Together, the two collapsed the pocket and lured a high-flying Hanover offense into four turnovers, capping to just 36 rushing yards and an uncharacteristic output of 21 points.

4. LaChapelle brothers, Uxbridge

The brothers ran wild as the Spartans defeated Amesbury, 42-16, in the Div. 7 Super Bowl. They combined for 31 rushes for 302 yards and six TDs. Kellen LaChapelle tied an MIAA Super Bowl record with five TD rushes. He finished with 14 carries for 148 yards. He also threw for 25 yards. Camden rushed 17 times for 154 yards and one TD.

3. Henry Hasselbeck, Xaverian

Although his father, 17-year NFL QB Matt, never won a game at Gillette Stadium, Henry put on a show in a thrilling Div. 1 final victory over St. John’s Prep, 31-25. The dual-threat QB was 7 of 13 passing for 101 yards and three TDs. He also turned 13 carries into 122 yards, highlighted by a 55-yard run, as the Hawks knocked off the defending Div. 1 state champs for the second time in less than a week.

More: Xaverian’s Henry Hasselbeck adds to family’s football legacy with Super Bowl win

2. Justin Marques, Fairhaven

The junior set an MIAA Super Bowl record with 46 carries (the previous record was 45) in the Blue Devils’ 26-22 win over Salem in the Div. 6 final. Still, his coach thought he didn’t give him the ball enough.

“I think I gave it to him almost every time tonight,” said Fairhaven coach Derek Almeida to The Standard-Times. “I probably should have gave it to him more. He just runs the ball so hard.”

Marques turned the 46 carries into 228 yards and four touchdowns. His 46th carry was a 3-yard TD with 3:48 remaining to seal the state title. Marques tallied 38 TDs this season, bringing his career tally to 68.

More: ‘Greatest moment of my entire life’: Fairhaven beats Salem to capture Div. 6 Super Bowl

1. Alex Barlow, Duxbury

In a Thanksgiving win over Div. 2 finalist Marshfield, Barlow ran for 292 yards and three TDs. In Friday’s Div. 4 final win over Scituate, 62-33, Barlow rumbled his way to 275 yards and five TDs on 32 carries. His five TDs tied an MIAA Super Bowl record. His TD jaunts, four of which came in the second half, covered 1, 1, 3, 9 and 35 yards.