Bird flu is now believed to be widespread in Massachusetts and is likely present even in places where there has not been a confirmed positive, state environmental and health officials said Wednesday.

Georgia is the nation's largest poultry producing state. Last week, bird flu was found for the first time in a commercial poultry plant in the state.

Cicadas will be returning in 2025, and this time there will be a brood in Massachusetts. "In 2025, 17-year periodical cicadas, also known as Brood XIV, will emerge in parts of the United States," The Nature Conservancy states on its website.

Meanwhile, by the end of May, Greif will permanently close its containerboard and URB mill in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The company says a combination of high operating costs and need for “significant capital investment” were the determining factors in the decision to shut the mill.

Forty-six Democrats crossed party lines in voting to pass a bill requiring undocumented immigrants arrested for violent crimes to be held in jail pending trial.

The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs will go head to head for the 59th annual Super Bowl national championship title on Feb. 9.

Army helicopter. There were 64 people on American Airlines Flight 5342 from Wichita, Kansas to DCA — including 60 passengers and four crew members. The Blackhawk Army helicopter had three soldiers on board.

The progression of the species-jumping disease has been unprecedented, including the first-ever U.S. cases of infections in dairy cattle and heightened pandemic risks.

Abraham Lincoln was assassinated 160 years ago. There had been four years of terrible conflagration and the loss of thousands of lives. I have chosen to honor Black History Month by featuring two of the black volunteers who served from Clinton County.

Someone in the Atlanta area is facing a felony charge for breaking into a mall and stealing cinnamon rolls. Dunwoody Police Department said someone broke into Perimeter Mall for a midnight snack and stole Cinnabons. "Now, instead of enjoying a warm, gooey cinnamon roll, you're facing a felony burglary charge," a Facebook post from police said.

World champion figure skaters, a pilot planning his wedding and teenaged skaters seen as the "future of the sport" were among the 67 victims of the

The Gophers football program extended a scholarship offer to 2027 Ohio tight end and edge rusher Jaylen Mercer on Wednesday, Mercer said in a social media post. The Gophers already have plenty of competition in their pursuit of Mercer.