Arts & Entertainment

(UPDATED) A state panel has upheld a series of tax incentives for the Great Wolf Lodge water park and hotel in Fitchburg after a carpenters' union alleged the company failed to use local contractors to build the facility and that subcontractors did not comply with some labor laws.

In a move that will have funding and tourism implications at historic sites throughout Central Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Congress has voted to create a new national park in the Blackstone River valley.

Holding the Summer Olympic Games in Boston a little less than a decade from now would either sacrifice the city's goals to a three-week party for the world elite or give the Bay State a chance to lead the games toward a more frugal and less autocratic future, according to opponents and proponents of the nascent bid.

More governments and nonprofit groups across Central Massachusetts are focusing on culture and the arts as money-making cornerstones capable of anchoring entire neighborhoods while making cities more livable.

The Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts (GSCWM) said it will divest of three of its seven outdoor facilities while leaving open the possibility of expanding its four remaining properties in the future.

Worcester city officials, Comcast Corp. and Charter Communications have agreed to extend the deadline for a decision on the transfer of the city's cable television license, according to a statement Tuesday from City Manager Edward M. Augustus' office.

The fate of casino gambling in Massachusetts is far from certain as a ballot question that could nix it looms closer. But developers of the Plainridge Park Casino aren't faltering. “We are already underway with construction … In fact, we are a little more than halfway done,” said Eric Schippers, senior vice president of public affairs for Penn National Gaming, the Pennsylvania-based firm that was awarded the state's single slots parlor license by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts has taken a step toward expanding Worcester's theater district with the purchase of a three-story building adjacent to its downtown location.

Nine months away from its planned opening, Plainridge Park Casino operators are now accepting applications for 500 new jobs.

Boost Fitness is moving its Hudson club in the fall to a larger facility in town, the company announced.