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Greater Worcester

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    Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Gants dies, at 65

    State House News Service September 14, 2020

    Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants has died, the court's associate justices announced Monday afternoon.

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    Assumption's liberal arts college to be named for Big Y founders

    Monica Benevides September 14, 2020

    Assumption University in Worcester will name its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences after Big Y founders and longtime benevolent alumnus Donald D’Amour and his wife Michele D’Amour, the school announced on Monday.

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    Auto repair question draws $35M to campaigns

    State House News Service September 14, 2020

    Fundraising reports have emerged as the latest point of contention in the tense fight automobile manufacturers and third-party repair companies are waging over a Massachusetts ballot question.

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    Corporate, cap gains tax hikes favored in poll

    State House News Service September 14, 2020

    With crunch time for difficult and potentially painful budget decisions drawing nearer each day, advocates for greater state spending are touting survey results that they say show "overwhelming support" among Massachusetts voters for increasing…

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    Planned $23M parking garage for Polar Park delayed

    Grant Welker September 14, 2020

    A planned Worcester parking garage for more than 500 spaces meant to help with vehicle traffic for baseball games at Polar Park has been delayed, with an undetermined finish date next year.

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    Worcester sees 43% spike in coronavirus cases in past week

    Grant Welker September 11, 2020

    Just over a week into September, Worcester has already seen a major jump in the number of reported coronavirus cases. The City of Worcester said Friday afternoon it has recorded 140 cases in the past week, a 43% jump from a week prior and the…

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    Presidents: Keep Mass. colleges out of sport betting

    State House News Service September 11, 2020

    The schools made their thoughts known in a letter to House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Karen Spilka and the six legislators who have been negotiating a compromise economic development bill since late July.

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    New Worcester County coronavirus cases ticked upward this week

    Riley Garand September 11, 2020

    Worcester County had a reported 195 new coronavirus cases and seven deaths in the week ending Wednesday, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

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    CCC hiring for new eyes and ears on Beacon Hill

    State House News Service September 11, 2020

    The Cannabis Control Commission will soon have a new liaison to policymakers on Beacon Hill and local leaders in communities around the state.

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    Outdoor dining gets boost with Shared Spaces

    State House News Service September 11, 2020

    Vittorio Ettore's Medford restaurant, Bistro 5, was "basically 100 percent empty" at 7:30 p.m. on a Friday when a city official happened to stop in and suggested he needed a patio.

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Today's Poll

Should Massachusetts significantly reduce the environmental review time for new housing projects?
Poll Description

In an effort to increase the pace of new housing development in Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey has proposed streamlining the environmental review process for certain new housing projects, with the goal of reducing the time spent on the process from about one year to 30 days. Environmental reviews are a hallmark of community planning, to ensure new development doesn't negatively impact surrounding properties or natural resources, even though the process does add significant time and often cost to projects. Healey's proposal comes after Massachusetts fell behind the national average in new housing production, despite adding 90,000 new units since she became governor in 2023.

New England already averages the longest timeline in the nation to build a single-family home once the developer has been giving the authorization to move forward with construction, according to U.S. Census statistics compiled by the National Association of Home Builders. In 2023, single-family homes in New England averaged 13.9 months from permit to completion. The South Atlantic states have the lowest average of 8.9 months while the region that includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana is the second quickest at 9.4 months. The second-longest average after New England is the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania region, which takes 13.2 months.

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