COVID-19: New Town-By-Town Rates, Trends - Worcester County - Rates Drop COVID-19: New Town-By-Town Rates, Trends - Worcester County - Rates Drop
Covid-19: New Town-By-Town Rates, Trends - Worcester County - Rates Drop Good news! The COVID-19 rate in most Worcester County cities and towns has gone down, according to the most recent information from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Worcester County now has 4 “green” communities as well - a term for communities with a low risk for the spread of the virus. They are Harvard, Holland, Hubbardston, and Millville, according to the Massachusetts weekly community-level report, Dec. 31. SCROLL TO THE END OF THE ARTICLE FOR A LIST OF TOWN STATS Other Worcester County communities where the risk is low include New Braintree, Hardwick, Berlin, Chester, a…
Firefighter Injured In Wednesday Night Repair Shop Blaze Firefighter Injured In Wednesday Night Repair Shop Blaze
Firefighter Injured In Wednesday Night Repair Shop Blaze A fire at a local auto repair shop created a lot of smoke during a three-alarm fire and injured a firefighter. The fire began on Wednesday, Dec. 30, around 10 p.m. at Twisted Piston Automotive on Gore Road in Webster. A “mayday” call was put out during the fire, according to scanner chatter. Though "mayday" means different things to different fire departments, it is generally considered a call for help when a member of the fire department is in imminent danger and/or needs to be rescued. A firefighter was transported to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, accordin…
Man Suspected Of High-End Shoplifting Spree Is Arrested Man Suspected Of High-End Shoplifting Spree Is Arrested
Man Suspected Of High-End Shoplifting Spree Is Arrested At least four stores were robbed before a man stealing high-end merchandise by removing anti-theft tags was caught. On Tuesday, Dec. 29, police were tipped off to the suspected crime spree by the general manager at Ulta Beauty at the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley in Millbury. The GM reported that a man had concealed a bottle of cologne and left the store without paying, police said. Police canvassed the area, and with a detailed description of the suspect, found him soon after outside of Dick’s Sporting Goods. Upon investigation, police allegedly found a bottle of cologne from Ulta as well…
New England For Trump Stores Closing, Consolidating - Ware, Worcester, Somerset New England For Trump Stores Closing, Consolidating - Ware, Worcester, Somerset
New England For Trump Stores Closing, Consolidating - Ware, Worcester, Somerset As the end of Trump’s presidency inches closer, and his chances of overturning an election are dashed, New England For Trump stores are shutting down. On Monday, Dec. 28, a Facebook post by the shop's owner said the Somerset location will close on Wednesday, Dec. 30. Stores in Webster, Middleborough, and Falmouth already closed on Monday. On Saturday, Dec. 26, store owner Keith Lambert said he was consolidating the Ware location with other New England for Trump shops he owns in the area. He spread the word of the closing on social media and is promoting a “YUUUGE SALE,” deep-discounts o…
At Least 26 Central, Western Mass Schools Get Free, Rapid-Result COVID-19 Test Kits At Least 26 Central, Western Mass Schools Get Free, Rapid-Result COVID-19 Test Kits
At Least 26 Central, Western Mass Schools Get Free, Rapid-Result Covid-19 Test Kits Rapid-result COVID-19 testing is coming to 134 public Massachusetts School Districts and facilities in December to help stop the spread of the virus. Among the 134 districts and schools receiving testing, at least 26 individual schools and full districts are from Central and Western Massachusetts (not including the Berkshires). For a list of districts and schools getting the tests, scroll down to the end of the article. Due to the limited number of tests, districts that will get the equipment are those that meet certain criteria and offer in-person education. The 2 million tests provided…
COVID-19: Town-By-Town Rates And Trends For Worcester County COVID-19: Town-By-Town Rates And Trends For Worcester County
Covid-19: Town-By-Town Rates And Trends For Worcester County A little more than one-third of Massachusetts cities and towns are “red” and considered high-risk for the transmission of COVID-19. Of the 122 red Massachusetts communities, 18 are in Worcester County: Athol, Auburn, Bolton, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Hubbardston, Leicester, Leominster, Mendon, Milford, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Webster, West Boylston, Westborough, and Worcester. As of Thursday, Oct. 29, there are now 122 red municipalities reporting high numbers of new COVID-19 cases every day for the past 28 days. The “red” refers to the color-coded system Massachusetts i…
COVID-19: Businesses Forced To Close - Again - In 13 'High-Risk' Communities COVID-19: Businesses Forced To Close - Again - In 13 'High-Risk' Communities
Covid-19: Businesses Forced To Close - Again - In 13 'High-Risk' Communities Some businesses that opened just a few weeks ago will be closed as 13 Massachusetts cities and towns take a step back in reopening their local economies. COVID-19 rates that have spiked over the last several weeks are forcing 13 cities and towns to rollback their local economies to Step 1 of Phase 3. The closures and restrictions are temporary until the community can bring its COVID-19 positive test rate down. There are 26 other Massachusetts municipalities that were sent back to Step 1 of Phase 3 earlier. In total, that's 38 cities and towns with additional economic restrictions due to COV…
Truck Barrels Into Convenience Store Truck Barrels Into Convenience Store
Truck Barrels Into Convenience Store A 28-year-old Webster man is facing charges after he allegedly plowed his truck into a convenience store. On Friday, Oct. 23, Oxford Police said the early morning crash happened at the Mobil Fuel Station, 93 Southbridge Road. The Webster man, who police did not name, is being charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, police said. He was slated to appear in Dudley District Court Friday.  Police did not note any injuries when announcing the accident.
COVID-19: Nearly 80 Massachusetts Towns Are 'High-Risk' For Infection COVID-19: Nearly 80 Massachusetts Towns Are 'High-Risk' For Infection
Covid-19: Nearly 80 Massachusetts Towns Are 'High-Risk' For Infection Nearly 80 Massachusetts communities are at “high-risk” for the spread of COVID-19, according to the most recent state data. COVID-19 incidents have spiked across the state leading to clusters of coronavirus incidents in nearly every corner of Massachusetts. The overall daily average infection rate is 1.4 per 100,000 residents as of Friday, Oct. 22. Among the 77 communities that are high-risk or “red” (so-named due to the state’s color-coded incident map), there are 19 in Hampshire, Hampden, and Worcester counties. Communities newly added to the high-risk category include Holyoke, Hudson, a…
COVID-19: These 15 'Red' Cities And Towns Pose Highest Infection Risk COVID-19: These 15 'Red' Cities And Towns Pose Highest Infection Risk
Covid-19: These 15 'Red' Cities And Towns Pose Highest Infection Risk More than 50 Massachusetts cities and towns are now considered to be at “high-risk” for spreading COVID-19 infections, according to the most recent state data. Among the communities where the risk is highest - 8 or more new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, per day - are 15 Western and Central Massachusetts municipalities. The community with the highest daily incident rate is Marlborough - 19.9 new cases per day per 100,000 and going up. Though the risk is still high, infections in Amherst, Southborough, Springfield, and Sunderland are decreasing. On Wednesday, Oct. 14, Massachus…
COVID-19: Positive-Test-Rate Spikes - Twice As High As Summertime Average COVID-19: Positive-Test-Rate Spikes - Twice As High As Summertime Average
Covid-19: Positive-Test-Rate Spikes - Twice As High As Summertime Average The daily COVID-19 positive test rate has shot up to 4 percent in Massachusetts - a stark change from the 2 percent - or under - rates that the state enjoyed for much of the summer. More than 4.8 million COVID-19 tests have been administered in Massachusetts since the start of the pandemic. In the most recent weekly COVID-19 town-by-town state data, there were 40 communities listed as high-risk for the virus’ spread. The data was reported on Oct. 7. The week prior, there were 23 communities considered high-risk. The places where COVID-19 is spreading the fastest are in the Northeastern p…
COVID-19: Dozen Central/Western Mass Communities Are 'High-Risk' For Infection COVID-19: Dozen Central/Western Mass Communities Are 'High-Risk' For Infection
Covid-19: Dozen Central/Western Mass Communities Are 'High-Risk' For Infection COVID-19 rates are spiking in new communities in Western and Central Massachusetts. According to the most recent state data, Wednesday, Oct. 7, there are about a dozen “high-risk” or “red” communities in the second half of Massachusetts. High-risk communities have 8 or more positive COVID-19 tests per 100,000 residents - a level that puts the town at high-risk for spreading the disease. The community with the highest rate of average daily COVID-19 infections is Sunderland, with 20.67 new infections per 100,000 residents. The community with the most total cases over the past two weeks is …