Worcester

A citywide mask mandate went into effect in Worcester Monday, where the number of COVID cases has been climbing for 10 weeks.

Masks are required in all indoor public spaces in Worcester, Massachusetts, as a new mandate takes effect Monday due to a spike in COVID cases.

Masks are required in all indoor public spaces in Worcester, Massachusetts, as a new mandate took effect Monday due to a spike in COVID cases. Officials in Worcester announced the citywide mask mandate Friday. “I think it’s a huge bummer — only because I am so tired of all of this, but I think it’s absolutely essential and until...

Officials in Worcester, Massachusetts, announced Friday that they are issuing a citywide mask mandate that will take effect on Monday, Sept. 20. Masks will be required indoors at all private businesses in the city, City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. said. City employees will also be required to be vaccinated or be tested weekly effective Nov. 1. The mask mandate applies…

A man has been arrested after a Marine was stabbed in the eye over the weekend in a parking lot in Worcester, Massachusetts. Retired Marine Sgt. Tyler Ferrara, 26, may never regain his sight, but that didn’t stop him from coming to court Thursday to support his brother and mother as they faced the man accused of stabbing him. “My…

A moose ran through the busy streets of Worcester, appearing to be OK after hitting a moving vehicle.

A moose wandered through the streets of Worcester on Wednesday, hitting a car and charging at least one person on a porch before being captured. “I look in my rearview, and there’s a moose that just literally ran right behind my car,” said Casey Thomas, who had a close encounter with the animal Wednesday morning after dropping her daughter...

UMass Memorial Medical Center is moving to an elevated alert status caused in part by an influx in new COVID cases. The Worcester hospital is experiencing longer wait times in its emergency room and has fewer available beds for patients. “We’re looking at all elective procedures,” said Chief Nursing Officer Justin Precourt. “We’re evaluating any patient who’s been admitted...

UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester is reporting a major influx in COVID patients, despite the state’s high vaccination rate, that’s putting a strain on hospital resources.

A lake in central Massachusetts was closed to the public Sunday due to high bacterial counts. Worcester officials said persons and pets will be prohibited from swimming, boating and fishing in Indian Lake, including Shore Park Beach, effective immediately. The city’s Department of Inspectional Services said testing results from Saturday showed levels of cyanobacteria that were above recreational thresholds....

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited a Worcester preschool to discuss the challenges parents are facing as the pandemic drags on, including rising child care costs.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi toured a Worcester child care facility Thursday in a visit meant to highlight the importance of affordable child care. The California Democrat was joined by U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts, and also met with local parents. During her appearance at the Rainbow Child Development Center she touted the recently approved investments in the child tax...

A vehicle careened into Brazierr, a restaurant that opened recently in Worcester, Massachusetts.

A nursing assistant was in court Tuesday to face charges he sexually assaulted two elderly woman at Massachusetts nursing homes where he was working overnight shifts. A grand jury in Worcester County had indicted Charles Wachira, a 40-year-old from Lowell, on charges including indecent assault and battery on an elder, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and Middlesex County District...

UMass Medical School to be renamed; receives $175M gift

After nearly six months of walking the picket line, nurses on strike from Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, learned their unemployment benefits have been suspended. “It seems to me that it’s a tactic,” said medical and surgical nurse Dominque Muldoon. “It’s just a pathetic ploy that will not work,” said Marie Ritacco, a recovery room nurse. Under Massachusetts...

While students in kindergarten are busy learning their ABC’s, this year in Worcester, Mass., children will also start a sexual health education curriculum — something garnering mixed reaction among parents. “I don’t think it’s appropriate. They’re way too young for that,” one parent said. During a virtual forum for parents, a consultant for the Worcester Public Schools district explained...

While students in kindergarten are busy learning about their ABC’s, this year in the Worcester Public Schools system, children will also start the sexual health education curriculum.

Worcester residents say they’re tired of getting rain from the streets into their basements as rain has inundated the city as of late.

With the potential for severe flooding Wednesday night into Thursday in New England, local cities and towns, and highway crews have been on high alert. In Worcester, Massachusetts, the city says preparations have been ongoing throughout the day including culvert and stream inspections, and cleaning of catch basins. The owner of the Kenmore Diner is near a flood-prone area. “If…