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Government & Politics

  • Worcester economic development committee takes up inclusionary zoning

    Timothy Doyle July 19, 2022

    Inclusionary zoning is on the agenda for the Worcester City Council’s Standing Committee on Economic Development’s meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

    Timothy Doyle July 19, 2022
  • Worcester County rural landowners now eligible for carbon credit program

    Timothy Doyle July 18, 2022

    Worcester County woodland property owners can now get paid to maintain their forests.

    Timothy Doyle July 18, 2022
  • House packs $85M in earmarks onto economic development bill

    Colin A. Young | State House News Service July 18, 2022

    The House agreed Thursday afternoon to add more than $85 million in funding for a potpourri of local economic development and infrastructure projects as part of the second consolidation of amendments to its $3.8 billion economic development bill,

    Colin A. Young | State House News Service July 18, 2022
  • U.S. inflation increases 9.1% in June

    Greg Bordonaro | Hartford Business Journal July 13, 2022

    Inflation during the month of June hit a 40-year high of 9.1% compared to a year earlier, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Greg Bordonaro | Hartford Business Journal July 13, 2022
  • Worcester chamber to endorse gig worker bill

    Alexander MacDougall July 12, 2022

    The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce intends to announce its support for a bill in the Massachusetts House of Representatives that would classify gig workers, such as for ride sharing apps, as independent contractors and not employees.

    Alexander MacDougall July 12, 2022
  • QCC awarded $735K workforce training grant

    Timothy Doyle July 12, 2022

    On Monday, Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester received a $750,000 workforce training grant from the state, part of $15 million awarded to the 15 community colleges in Massachusetts.

    Timothy Doyle July 12, 2022
  • House $3.8B spending bill includes $500M In tax relief

    Chris Lisinski | State House News Service July 12, 2022

    The House on Monday advanced an economic development bill that invests $350 million in hospitals, $100 million in port development, $175 million in housing development and more than $3 billion in other areas, all while rolling out a series of one-

    Chris Lisinski | State House News Service July 12, 2022
  • Abandoned HQ of Solar Wolf now back up for lease

    Brad Kane & Timothy Doyle July 11, 2022

    The former Auburn headquarters of defunct and legally troubled Solar Wolf Energy is available for lease, less than a year and a half after the renewable energy firm moved to the location.

    Brad Kane & Timothy Doyle July 11, 2022
  • Alicia’s Spice advances toward long-term goal of national brand recognition

    Sadie Leite July 8, 2022

    The woman-owned Alicia’s Spice Co. in Worcester is racing down a path of growth, evident with its Biz-M-Power partnership in June or its developing goal of putting products in schools. 

    Sadie Leite July 8, 2022
  • Four Central Mass. organizations tabbed as centers for state’s behavioral health reform

    Alexander MacDougall July 8, 2022

    Four Central Massachusetts health organizations have been selected by the state government as newly designated Community Behavioral Health Centers, meant to provide greater access to mental health treatment across the commonwealth. 

    Alexander MacDougall July 8, 2022
  • Worcester nonprofit COO resigns to run for public office

    Timothy Doyle July 8, 2022

    Robyn Kennedy, chief operating officer of YWCA Central Massachusetts in Worcester, will step down from her position at the organization to focus on her election run for the 1st Worcester District state senate seat.

    Timothy Doyle July 8, 2022
  • Relief rebates would flow to 2 million in Mass.

    Chris Lisinski, State House News Service July 8, 2022

    House Democrats estimate their new tax rebate plan would help more than 2 million Massachusetts residents, and the half billion-dollar program might only represent an opening salvo of tax relief proposals.

    Chris Lisinski, State House News Service July 8, 2022
  • Negotiators start cannabis reform talks with optimism

    Chris Lisinski, State House News Service July 8, 2022

    Six lawmakers kicked off their work Thursday to finalize a cannabis industry reform bill that would represent the first major legislative action to modernize regulations on the recreational marijuana industry since it launched.

    Chris Lisinski, State House News Service July 8, 2022
  • UMass Chan leaders top list of highest-paid state employees

    Alexander MacDougall July 6, 2022

    Seven employees at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester ranked among the top 16 highest-paid state employees in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the 2021 fiscal year, including Chancellor Michael Collins, who is the overall highest-paid state

    Alexander MacDougall July 6, 2022
  • Proposed closure of MWMC cancer department prompts in-person public hearing

    Alexander MacDougall July 6, 2022

    Various state and public officials, nurses’ union members, and representatives of the Tenet Healthcare corporation will gather at Framingham’s city hall on Wednesday evening to discuss the proposed closure of the oncology department at MetroWest

    Alexander MacDougall July 6, 2022
  • Owner of Worcester temp agencies charged with $49K insurance fraud

    Alexander MacDougall July 5, 2022

    A Worcester woman who runs two staffing agencies was charged by the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General on Thursday, having allegedly evaded more than $49,000 in premiums from insurance companies. 

    Alexander MacDougall July 5, 2022

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Today's Poll

Should Massachusetts should implement more private employee whistleblower protections?
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Poll Description

Massachusetts whistleblower laws predominantly safeguard public employees from retaliation when they report violations, abuse, or risks to public health and safety. However, private employees have far more restrictions in regards to their state-provided whistleblower protections, but there are still ways they file retaliation complaints, including federally through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Act.

In January, the state agency Cannabis Control Commission suspended a whistleblower featured in a WBJ investigation. Without providing reasoning, the CCC put Business Operations Manager Meghan Dube on paid administrative leave. Dube subsequently resigned from her role.

In May, Carla LeBlanc, a nurse at Saint Vincent Hospital was fired for her appearance on a local podcast in which she spoke out about long-documented concerns regarding working conditions and interpersonal dynamics at the Worcester facility. She then filed a lawsuit against the hospital and its operator under the Massachusetts Healthcare Whistleblower Protection Act, which offers protections to private healthcare workers.