Worcester, MA
Schools
COVID-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates COVID-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates
Covid-19 Cases Spike In 2 School Districts; See District-By-District Incident Rates Two local school districts experienced COVID-19 flare-ups over the last week, according to the most recent state data. On Thursday, Jan. 28, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released how many COVID-19 incidents were reported by students and staff from Jan. 21-27. Most of the Central and Western Massachusetts, as well as the Berkshires, had school districts where no COVID-19 incidents were reported that week. However, Shrewsbury and Hampden-Wilbraham school districts each reported 12-15 students and faculty that had become il…

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by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
News
COVID-19: Where Are The Hot Spots? Infection Rates Down In Most Central/Western MA Big Cities COVID-19: Where Are The Hot Spots? Infection Rates Down In Most Central/Western MA Big Cities
Covid-19: Where Are The Hot Spots? Infection Rates Down In Most Central/Western MA Big Cities COVID-19 rates went down in 7 out of 10 of Massachusetts’ largest cities west of I-495. The COVID-19 infection rates per 100,000 people went down in Worcester, Springfield, Chicopee, Leominster, Fitchburg, Amherst, and Shrewsbury, according to town-level data released by Massachusetts’ Department of Public Health on Thursday, Jan. 21. All of these communities, except for Amherst, are in the “red” - meaning they are at the highest risk for the spread of the virus. Amherst is in the yellow category. Massachusetts's color-coded risk system has four levels. They are, from most to least risk, …

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by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
Schools
COVID-19: See How Many Students, Staff Have The Virus In Your School District COVID-19: See How Many Students, Staff Have The Virus In Your School District
Covid-19: See How Many Students, Staff Have The Virus In Your School District The school district with the most faculty and staff suffering from COVID-19 is Worcester, according to the most recent COVID-19 tracking data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Between Dec. 24 and Jan. 6, 12 Worcester School District employees, who had district building access, reported positive COVID-19 cases, said the state’s weekly school-based pandemic tracker. Among the top 10 school districts across Massachusetts with the most faculty and staff reporting COVID-19 infections are Ludlow and Holyoke. Both districts are each reporting 5 fa…

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by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
News
Is Your Town On The List? Showtime's 'Dexter' Revival To Be Filmed In Massachusetts Is Your Town On The List? Showtime's 'Dexter' Revival To Be Filmed In Massachusetts
Is Your Town On The List? Showtime's 'Dexter' Revival To Be Filmed In Massachusetts The new limited return of the serial-murder drama “Dexter” will be shot in Massachusetts. Production is set to begin in late January and run through July, according to the Boston Globe. Showtime announced it was going to revive its hit show for another 10 episodes in October. Communities that can expect to see the “Dexter” crew filming include Worcester, Gardner, Lancaster, and Sterling. “Dexter” is a show about a serial killer/police forensics expert who channels his violent urges into killing people he considers to be bad and his attempts to keep his crimes a secret. The show ran …

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by Kristin Palpini
Amherst, MA
News
Snow Plowing - How Much Does Your Town Spend On Snow Removal? Snow Plowing - How Much Does Your Town Spend On Snow Removal?
Snow Plowing - How Much Does Your Town Spend On Snow Removal? Snow plowing is among the most important services a city or town can provide in the winter - but it’s more of a priority in some places than others. In a review of snowplow/snow removal expenditures per community, differences in how much a town is willing to pay for the service quickly emerge. Among the 10 largest communities in Central and Western Massachusetts, it’s hard to beat Worcester. The city spent $8,530 per mile of city roadway on plowing services in 2019. The biggest city spending the least amount of money per mile to plow its streets is Chicopee - which spent $2,635 per mile in…

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by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
News
Snow Plowing - See How Much Your Town Spends On Snow Removal Snow Plowing - See How Much Your Town Spends On Snow Removal
Snow Plowing - See How Much Your Town Spends On Snow Removal Snow plowing is among the most important services a city or town can provide in the winter - but it’s more of a priority in some places than others. In a review of snowplow/snow removal expenditures per community, differences in how much a town is willing to pay for the service quickly emerge. Among the 10 largest communities in Central and Western Massachusetts, it’s hard to beat Worcester. The city spent $8,530 per mile of city roadway on plowing services in 2019. The biggest city spending the least amount of money per mile to plow its streets is Chicopee - which spent $2,635 per mile in…

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
City Pays $8,000 Per Mile For Snow/Ice Removal - See How Your Town's Plowing Budget Compares City Pays $8,000 Per Mile For Snow/Ice Removal - See How Your Town's Plowing Budget Compares
City Pays $8,000 Per Mile For Snow/Ice Removal - See How Your Town's Plowing Budget Compares Snow plowing is among the most important services a city or town can provide in the winter - but it’s more of a priority in some places than others. In a review of snowplow/snow removal expenditures per community, differences in how much a town is willing to pay for the service quickly emerge. Among the 10 largest communities in Central and Western Massachusetts, it’s hard to beat Worcester. The city spent $8,530 per mile of city roadway on plowing services in 2019. The biggest city spending the least amount of money per mile to plow its streets is Chicopee - which spent $2,635 per mile i…

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by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
News
For Pan Am Flight Tragedy's 32nd Anniversary, US Charges Alleged Bomb-Maker For Pan Am Flight Tragedy's 32nd Anniversary, US Charges Alleged Bomb-Maker
For Pan Am Flight Tragedy's 32nd Anniversary, US Charges Alleged Bomb-Maker More than 30 years after it happened, charges have been filed against a former Lybian Intelligence Officer and bomb-maker in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. More than a dozen of the passengers who perished were from Massachusetts - including people who lived in South Hadley and Shrewsbury. On Monday, Dec. 21, the U.S. Department of Justice announced new charges against Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi, aka Hassa Abu Ojalya Ibrahim, or Masud, for his role in building the bomb that killed 270 people in the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland 32 years ago. The U.S…

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by Kristin Palpini
Hackensack, NJ
News
Libyan Charged In Airline Bombing That Killed 270, Including 119 From Daily Voice Area Libyan Charged In Airline Bombing That Killed 270, Including 119 From Daily Voice Area
Libyan Charged In Airline Bombing That Killed 270, Including 119 From Daily Voice Area Federal authorities announced charges Monday against an accused Libyan terrorist on the 32nd anniversary of the Flight 103 bombing over Scotland that killed 270 people. Abu Agila Mohammad Masud is charged with terrorism-related crimes in the 1988 bombing over the village of Lockerbie that killed 190 Americans in all, Attorney General William Barr said Monday. The victims in modern-day history’s worst attack on Americans before 9/11 included 33 New Jerseyans and 61 New York State residents, as well as 11 from Massachusetts, nine from Pennsylvania and five from Connecticut (see list below). …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Worcester, MA
News
COVID-19: Town-By-Town Rates And Trends For Worcester County COVID-19: Town-By-Town Rates And Trends For Worcester County
Covid-19: Town-By-Town Rates And Trends For Worcester County A little more than one-third of Massachusetts cities and towns are “red” and considered high-risk for the transmission of COVID-19. Of the 122 red Massachusetts communities, 18 are in Worcester County: Athol, Auburn, Bolton, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Hubbardston, Leicester, Leominster, Mendon, Milford, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Webster, West Boylston, Westborough, and Worcester. As of Thursday, Oct. 29, there are now 122 red municipalities reporting high numbers of new COVID-19 cases every day for the past 28 days. The “red” refers to the color-coded system Massachusetts i…

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
COVID-19: Nearly 80 Massachusetts Towns Are 'High-Risk' For Infection COVID-19: Nearly 80 Massachusetts Towns Are 'High-Risk' For Infection
Covid-19: Nearly 80 Massachusetts Towns Are 'High-Risk' For Infection Nearly 80 Massachusetts communities are at “high-risk” for the spread of COVID-19, according to the most recent state data. COVID-19 incidents have spiked across the state leading to clusters of coronavirus incidents in nearly every corner of Massachusetts. The overall daily average infection rate is 1.4 per 100,000 residents as of Friday, Oct. 22. Among the 77 communities that are high-risk or “red” (so-named due to the state’s color-coded incident map), there are 19 in Hampshire, Hampden, and Worcester counties. Communities newly added to the high-risk category include Holyoke, Hudson, a…

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by Kristin Palpini
Worcester, MA
Business
Worcester's Wonder Bar Expanding - Express Location Open Worcester's Wonder Bar Expanding - Express Location Open
Worcester's Wonder Bar Expanding - Express Location Open The iconic Worcester Wonder Bar is expanding to offer an express restaurant. On Thursday, Oct. 15, the Wonder Bar opened a second, similar location on Route 20 in Shrewsbury. The Wonder Bar Pizza & Subs Express, 6 Hartford Turnpike, opened from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on its first day and has plans to expand hours. The eatery is offering dine-in and take-out options. The Wonder Bar was founded in Worcester in the 1920s. It’s well known for its pizzas and recognizable signage. 

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by Kristin Palpini