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A statewide database of all vital records, including birth and death certificates and marriage licenses, would be established under legislation given final approval by the House on Monday.

Deval Patrick was pilloried four years ago during both the primary and general election campaigns for what his opponents called overpromising, a glut of pricey policy avowals that pleased many constituencies while frustrating critics who called them unattainable.

Former Gov. Michael Dukakis dropped his gloves on former Bay State CEO Mitt Romney on Monday, calling the presumptive 2012 Republican presidential candidate a “disappointment” as governor and a political shape-shifter.

The deadline to register to vote in the Sept. 14 primary elections, or to change party enrollment, is Wednesday, Secretary of State William Galvin said in a press release reminder on Monday.

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Word of the Day, Website of the Day, Number to Know, This Day in History, Today’s Featured Birthday and Daily Quote.

Word of the Day, Website of the Day, Number to Know, This Day in History, Today’s Featured Birthday and Daily Quote.

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Wonderland Greyhound Park’s decision to close and lay off its 85 employees renewed a Beacon Hill blame game on failed expanded gambling negotiations and spurred House Speaker Robert DeLeo to reveal plans Thursday to pour $2 million into retraining track workers displaced amid the industry’s contraction this month.

Private sector employers in Massachusetts added more jobs in July than in any month over the past 20 years, but the state’s unemployment rate remained at 9 percent, according to figures released Thursday morning by the state.

Wonderland Greyhound Park, slammed by the one-two punch of a voter-imposed ban on dog racing and failed expanded gambling talks, is closing down after 75 years of continuous operation.

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Like the state’s three other tracks, Wonderland Park, the former greyhound racing facility, is facing an uphill climb in the weeks after expanded gambling talks faltered on Beacon Hill.

Of the 1,279 bills that have become law since Gov. Deval Patrick took office, just 12 have been put on the books without his explicit approval. Two of those came last week when Patrick declined to sign, veto or amend proposals to enhance the retirement benefits of two public employees who, for different reasons, sought legislative relief.

Amid the dozens of bill signings that followed the July 31 end of formal legislative sessions, Gov. Deval Patrick also returned a few bills with vetoes or amendments. Bills he vetoed are likely dead because overrides require roll votes that can only occur in formal sessions. Amended bills could advance during informal sessions but there has been little movement so far.

A $6 million appropriation for the Trial Court has become a proxy in a constitutional struggle between Gov. Deval Patrick and legislative leaders, a contest that some officials and observers said could be marked for resolution by the state’s high court.

Gov. Deval Patrick and lawmakers have thrown a lifeline to aggrieved construction contractors, agreeing on a new law that requires private construction project owners to pay them within 90 days after their work begins.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles, which deployed $11-an-hour interns this summer to help address customer wait times, received more than 1,000 applications for 42 full-time customer service jobs.

Although the three major gubernatorial candidates have highlighted nuanced differences in how to handle an impending infusion of federal aid, all made clear Wednesday that they would accept it and spend it, as prescribed by Washington.

The campaigns of the three major gubernatorial candidates are in agreement on at least one thing: eight debates.