BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has ordered six local utility companies to reduce their gas bills as customers continue to express outrage over skyrocketing energy costs across the Bay State.

Officials from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities have ordered gas utility companies to lower customer bills after many reported skyrocketing rates this year. In a letter Thursday, the department's commissioners ordered the state's five gas utilities to lower customer bills by at least 5% for March and April.

An 8-year-old snowboarder had to be rescued from a ski lift at Vermont’s Killington Ski Resort on Wednesday. According to a Killington spokesperson, the child loaded onto the Ramshead Express Quad chairlift around 12:12 p.