Mass Residents Will Need REAL ID in 2025

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BOSTON — The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is reminding residents that beginning May 7, 2025, anyone traveling by plane domestically or entering certain federal building areas will need a Registry-issued REAL ID-compliant driver's license or ID, or a valid passport. 
 
To help ensure compliance, a countdown clock is now live at Mass.Gov/RMV.  
 
The Registry is encouraging everyone seeking a REAL ID compliant license or identification card to go online at Mass.Gov/ID to learn what documents are needed for a required in-person appointment. 
 
The RMV has posted helpful information on REAL ID requirements that customers can use to prepare for their in-person visits, including convenient document checklists to help pre-stage REAL ID applications, at Mass.Gov/ID. Documents required for this transaction include two proofs of Massachusetts residency, proof of a full Social Security Number (SSN), and proof of lawful presence. Customers who have had a name change since the issuance of a birth certificate, passport or other document, will need to show the reason for the name change by presenting documentation like a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court document. These required documents must be original or certified versions. The RMV recommends customers gather these documents well in advance of appointments to ensure they have the information required by federal law. 
 
Currently, Massachusetts is at 54 percent REAL ID adoption with almost 3 million credentials being REAL ID-compliant. Customers are eligible to renew up to one year in advance of the expiration date printed on their license or ID, and up to two years after the expiration date.  
 
Prior to May 7, 2025, customers will not need a federally compliant REAL ID for the purposes of boarding domestic flights or entering certain federal buildings. 
 
The fee for renewing a non-commercial standard or REAL ID driver's license is $50. The fee for renewing a Mass ID is $25. The fee for upgrading to a standard or REAL ID card is $25. Customers with a less than five-year stay in the U.S. pay a pro-rated fee. 
 
Appointments can be scheduled by RMV customers by visiting the RMV's Online Service Center at Mass.Gov/RMV or if you are a AAA member at https://northeast.aaa.com/automotive/registry-services/massachusetts.html

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Companion Corner: Baby at Berkshire Humane Society

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a sweet and chatty girl at the Berkshire Humane Society awaiting her new home.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Baby is a 10-year-old shorthair feline that has been at the shelter since December.

Feline/small animal adoption counselor Alyssa Petell introduced us to her.

"She is our lovely senior lady. She's about 10 years old, is what we estimate her to be. She's a very, very affectionate, sweet girlie," she said. 

Baby came from a home that couldn't care for her anymore because of an abundance of animals in the house. 

"When she first came in, she, of course, was surrendered because there were so many animals in the home that people couldn't handle the amount of animals they had, mostly cats. I think there was a dog, but it was too much for them," Petell said. "We quickly realized she had an upper respiratory infection, and she eventually got over it. It did take her a pretty long time, but she's since recovered from that issue, and she's doing much, much better."

Even though she came from a family of animals she would do well as the only pet. 

"The perfect home for our girl, baby would be a nice, quiet home with adults, preferably adults only. She does not like other animals, although she did come from a home with a bunch of other animals, she prefers to be the only pet in the home," she said. "But she is a very lovely girl, and I think that she would do really well in a nice home, quiet, maybe older people."

Baby is quite affectionate, curious, and can be quirky.

"I honestly think she is a very, very sweet girl. She loves … one quirky thing that she does is walls. She pretends that they're scratching posts, so she'll kind of scratch them a little bit. And it's very, very funny. She does that in her cage. She loves her scratching posts."

She also loves to play with toys and eat treats. 

"She actually does have a pretty playful side when she gets the time. I've seen her have the zoomies before, and it was very cute. Once she has the space and the energy, she does like to play and chase things around, Baby, she's very curious," Petell said.

She also loves to have conversations with you and will chat with you all day if she could.

"She's a very, very sweet girl. She will come up to you and rub on you and give you all the love in the world. She's also very vocal. She will talk to you all the time," she said.

Baby is a senior and she might need some dental work and some blood work to make sure she is completely healthy.

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