New MA Laws Take Effect In The New Year

Massachusetts' minimum wage got a bump from $8 to $9 per hour — the first increase since 2008 — starting New Year's Day. It's part of an effort designed to ensure all workers are paid at least $11 an hour by 2017.

Care to drink to that? You can finally order wine from out-of-state wineries online and have it shipped to your home — something that had been forbidden for years in Massachusetts.

Other changes in state laws that took effect Jan. 1 allow gas stations to reinstall those "hold-open" clips on fuel pump nozzles so drivers can keep their hands in their pockets while filling up their vehicles in the winter.