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Greater Worcester

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    Employer confidence widespread heading into spring

    State House News Service April 6, 2021

    Business confidence in Massachusetts surged to an outright enthusiastic level in March, buoyed by COVID-19 vaccination progress and the final passage of a $1.9 trillion federal spending law.

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    Applications open Thursday for shuttered venue grants

    State House News Service April 6, 2021

    An application period is about to open for federal relief grants that will become available to live venue operators, theatrical producers, live performing arts organization operators, museum operators, movie theater operators, and talent…

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    Central Mass. hospitals losing patient share to state's other regions

    Grant Welker April 6, 2021

    Central Massachusetts hospitals are losing a slight share of patients statewide and in absolute numbers, including at the area's two biggest hospital systems, Tenet Healthcare and UMass Memorial Health Care.

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    EcoTarium sells Rutland camp site for $400K

    April 6, 2021

    Worcester's EcoTarium has sold a 323-acre camp site in Rutland where it long held kids retreats but found in more recent years it wasn't so easy to utilize.

  • Mass. gas prices drop 2 cents

    Amy Thai April 6, 2021

    As warmer weather approaches, Massachusetts gasoline prices decreased 2 cents this week, resulting in $2.74 per gallon of regular unleaded, the travel association AAA Northeast announced on Monday. 

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    Worcester charter school to move to shuttered school site

    Grant Welker April 5, 2021

    The Learning First Charter Public School in Worcester will move to the site of St. Mary's Schools off Vernon Street to occupy a building that closed last year.

  • Clark receives $250K in seed money for Becker program absorption

    Monica Benevides April 5, 2021

    Just days after Clark University in Worcester announced it would establish the Becker School of Design & Technology, aimed at absorbing a portion of programming at Becker College, which is closing after the spring semester, Clark has received $…

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    Worcester Restaurant Group passing baton to next generation

    Grant Welker April 5, 2021

    After more than four decades running three of Worcester's best known restaurants — initially The Sole Proprietor, and later Via Italian Table and One Eleven Chop House — Robb and Madeleine Ahlquist are ready to pass management of the group to the…

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    Gov. Baker signs bill addressing COVID leave, unemployment system finances

    State House News Service April 5, 2021

    Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday signed the bill authorizing $7 billion in borrowing to stabilize the unemployment insurance system, establishing a paid sick leave program for COVID-19 emergencies, and reducing the size of premium increases employers…

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    State’s fully vaccinated population nears 1.5M

    State House News Service April 5, 2021

    Nearly 1.5 million people in Massachusetts are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and almost 3 million vaccine doses have been administered here, but a potentially more contagious mutant form of the virus first identified in Brazil is now…

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Today's Poll

Should Massachusetts implement more private employee whistleblower protections?
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. 

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