Boston

Agency to pay $14m to settle MassHealth claim

A home health agency has agreed to pay more than $14 million to settle allegations it improperly sought and received payments from Mass-Health, the state’s Medicaid program, the attorney general’s office said Tuesday. Maxim Healthcare Services Inc., an affiliate of Centrus Premier Home Care Inc., has six locations in the state — Needham, Plymouth, Springfield, Taunton, Wilmington, and Worcester. “This company billed MassHealth for services that were not eligible for reimbursement under state regulations,’’ Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. MassHealth referred the matter to the attorney general’s Medicaid fraud division in January, after Maxim made a voluntary provider overpayment disclosure to MassHealth in October 2016, Healey’s office said. In a separate statement, Maxim chief executive Bill Butz said the company “is deeply committed to maintaining a strong culture of compliance and integrity and we take our obligations to MassHealth and the other programs we serve very seriously . . . While we regret this error, we are pleased we were able to identify it on our own and take the necessary steps to resolve it quickly.’’

Fuel spill closes shelter, displaces 400 homeless

A homeless shelter for men in the South End was closed for the night Tuesday because of a fuel spill, city officials said. About 400 guests were displaced from the shelter at 112 Southampton St. after fire crews responded at 4:20 p.m. for a report of a spill behind the building, fire officials said. About 100 gallons of gasoline spilled from the truck that was refilling a pump behind the shelter, according to the Boston Public Health Commission. The spill was contained by 6:30 p.m., but clean-up crews were expected to be on the scene overnight. All shelter residents were sent to temporary shelters set up at the South End Fitness Center and the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Building, officials said.

FITCHBURG

Republican wins special election for Senate

Republican Dean Tran, a Fitchburg city councilor, won a special election Tuesday for a state Senate seat serving 11 cities and towns in Middlesex and Worcester counties. “Senator-elect Dean Tran will be a terrific advocate for the people . . . and a champion for taxpayers and small businesses on Beacon Hill,’’ Kirsten Hughes, chairwoman of the state Republican Party, said in a statement. He will fill the seat vacated in August by Democrat Jennifer L. Flanagan of Leominster, who was appointed by Governor Charlie Baker to the Cannabis Control Commission. Tran will boost the number of Republicans to six in the 40-member senate. He defeated Democrat Susan A. Chalifoux Zephir, a Leominster city councilor, as well as unenrolled candidate Claire Freda and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Charlene DiCarlegero. Exact totals for each candidate were not immediately available late Tuesday.

Needham

Racist graffiti found in high school bathrooms

Racist graffiti was found in two boys’ bathrooms at Needham High School during the past month, according to a letter sent Tuesday from the school’s principal. In early November, the n-word was found scrawled on a wall. The second instance, which included a variation of the slur, was discovered Monday, principal Aaron Sicotte wrote in the letter. “When racist slurs are written on our walls, we are not a safe place,’’ Sicotte wrote. The school’s administration is investigating and is seeking help from the public.