WORCESTER – Over a hundred business leaders from across New England arrived at Worcester State University over the weekend to attend the second annual New England African Business Expo. The event, organized by the Worcester-based Massachusetts Organization of African Descendants (MOAD), included over 35 vendors from the local African and BIPOC business community. Speakers included Anna Maria College Academic Affairs Vice President Dr. Chioma Ugochukwu and MassHire Business Service Director Ken Messina. “We are just really glad people showed up,” said MOAD President and former Worcester School ..read more

LEOMINSTER – Leominster police and Massachusetts State Police detectives are investigating a fatal stabbing early this morning. Police responded to a report of a stabbing on State Street at around 1 AM, near the Riverside Village Apartment complex. Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered a man suffering from a stab wound. Emergency medical services transported the man to Leominster Hospital. The man was later pronounced dead. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Leominster Police Department at (978) 534-7560 ..read more

WORCESTER – Two members of the Cable Television Advisory Committee, including its chairperson, John Keough, filed a petition on Monday, May 6, to Worcester City Council to vote to support the unanimous recommendations of the committee to deny renewal of the Charter Spectrum franchise license in Worcester. The petition requests: “That the City Council vote on a recommendation that the City Manager adopt the recommendations of the Cable Television Advisory Committee found in their report issued in March. Specifically that they take up a vote to recommend that the City Manager not renew the licen ..read more

WORCESTER – City Manager Eric Batista released his budget proposal for the fiscal year 2025, which begins on July 1. The $893,002,939 total budget is a three percent increase over the final fiscal year 2024 budget. Batista’s proposal projects revenue of $396.2 million (4.7 percent increase) in property taxes, $52.8 million (3 percent increase) in state aid, $387.2 million in education aid (5.4 percent increase) and $56.7 million (7.3 percent increase) in local receipts. The property tax increase includes a $10.1 million increase, consistent with Proposition Two and a Half, and $7.5 million in ..read more

WORCESTER – The Worcester Police Department is encouraging residents to attend their neighborhood watch meetings to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in their neighborhoods and to share any concerns or questions they may have. Representatives from the city also regularly attend these neighborhood meetings. There are over 50 Neighborhood Watch Groups in Worcester. Meetings are held regularly — often once a month in various locations in the city. Contact the Worcester Police Department’s Neighborhood Response Team at (508) 799-8664 for more information. Here are the neighborhood meet ..read more

AUBURN – Rocco’s Doughnut Company opened its newest location on Friday, May 3, at 744b  Southbridge St. in Auburn. This location will be open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and feature doughnuts and Rocco’s full assortment of coffee, latte, and other drinks. The company released a video announcing its store, which they described as a pop-up at a permanent location in Auburn. Rocco’s Doughnut Company also has locations at: 947 W Boylston St., Worcester 238 Millbury Ave., Millbury 3 Colonial Dr., Westborough 19 3rd Ave., Burlington ..read more

WORCESTER – Governor Maura Healey signed transportation infrastructure legislation into law on Friday, May 3, the day after it was passed by the legislature. The law includes $375 million in bond authorization and will provide every city and town with a share of $200 million for maintenance and construction of roads and bridges. The legislation allocates another $150 million equally to six programs targeting specific transportation infrastructure, including $25 million for roads and bridges to cities and towns through the rural roads program. The legislation also allocates $25 million to each ..read more

WORCESTER – In the 7th episode in 2024 of the This Week in Worcester Podcast in, Chair of the Worcester Cable Television Advisory Committee John Keough responds to a Substack blog post by City Manager Eric Batista on Wednesday where he declared he will renew Charter Spectrum’s contract to provide cable television services in the city. Keough is the chair of the committee that unanimously recommended the city deny renewal of the city’s franchise agreement with Spectrum. Keough covers how the company hasn’t complied with the existing contract, how renewal fails to hold the company accountable, a ..read more

WORCESTER – A search warrant served on Main Street led to the arrest of a local man on drug distribution charges. Worcester Police Vice Squad officers reported to Main Street on Wednesday, May 1, with a search warrant for a residence and vehicle on Main Street. At around 6:30 PM, Peter Rivera, 65, of Worcester, walked from the residence toward the vehicle, where officers detained him. According to the Worcester Police Department, while talking with officers, Rivera disclosed he had drugs on his person., Officers seized over nine grams of cocaine and nearly four grams of fentanyl. Inside the ho ..read more

WORCESTER – City Manager Eric Batista indicated in a post on his Substack blog on Wednesday that he will reject the unanimous recommendation of the Cable Advisory Committee and renew the city’s contract with Charter Spectrum. In the blog, Batista writes: “The City could deny Charter Spectrum’s license agreement, but we would have to enter into lengthy legal proceedings. If we won, we would leave cable subscribers without any option in the city and lose funding for PEG Channels and Cable Services in Worcester.” Denial also does not initiate a legal proceeding, defined by Merriam-Webster as ..read more