In January, a mental wellness check by the Hinsdale, Massachusetts, police department left 27-year-old Biagio Kauvil dead. Many aspects of the lethal police response are under scrutiny – from the lack of mental health professionals on scene before police breached a locked door to confront Kauvil to how the Hinsdale PD determined that rushing the distressed young man was the best way to address the situation.

In eastern Massachusetts, the bog-standard cranberry holds the mantle of “state fruit” (technically, “state berry”).But in western Mass., a third grade class and several lawmakers have been the tip of the spear in calls to make asparagus the state vegetable.