News Minute: Here's the latest Massachusetts news from The Associated Press - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

News Minute: Here's the latest Massachusetts news from The Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) - Boston Marathon organizers say runners who couldn't finish this year's race because of the explosions at the finish line can come back next year. The Boston Athletic Association says people who passed the halfway checkpoint but not the finish line will get a code they can use to sign up in August. Regular registration for the 2014 Boston Marathon is scheduled to start in September.

BOSTON (AP) - The state's gambling commission has voted to allow failed applicants for casino licenses in eastern or western Massachusetts the opportunity to compete for the sole license in southeastern Massachusetts. The motion was approved today by the panel, which had earlier voted to open the southeast region to commercial casino bids. The Mashpee Wampanaog tribe previously enjoyed exclusivity in the region while it pursued regulatory approvals for a proposed resort casino in Taunton.

BOSTON (AP) - Outside groups are beginning to pour money into the U.S. Senate battle pitting Democrat Edward Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez. The Service Employees International Union's political action committee has reported spending more than $340,000 on voter canvassing efforts designed to encourage Markey supporters to get to the polls on election day.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - A high-ranking Internal Revenue Service official at the center of a scandal into revelations that the agency improperly scrutinized conservative groups has bowed out of her commitment to deliver the keynote address at a Massachusetts law school's commencement. Western New England University School of Law officials says Lois Lerner has decided not to participate in Saturday's scheduled ceremonies.

BOSTON (AP) - The Massachusetts unemployment rate held steady in April while preliminary estimates show the state losing 1,400 jobs during the month. The state office of Labor and Workforce Development has reported an unemployment rate of 6.4% last month, the same as in March.

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