Blackstone Valley

An unusually large share of coronavirus deaths in Worcester County — nearly four out of five — have taken place in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, according to state data.

Pints of cherry tomatoes grown in Beverly, hundreds of pounds of salmon and haddock from a Boston pier, jars of curries and chutneys prepared by a Newton retailer, and communications support for local farms and fisheries are among the kaleidoscope of options up for sale on a new state-run online marketplace.

Milford developer D&F Afonso Builders has been given the go-ahead to pursue plans to develop a 15-acre parcel along Westboro Road and Institute Road in North Grafton, according to a Thursday press release. 

Plans are still in place to revitalize Hopedale's roughly 1-million-square-foot Draper mill. But first, about a quarter of it needs to be demolished, according to the owner.

The licensing option is a track intended to make it easier for small businesses with less capital to start making sales and earn back their startup costs, but so far licensing has been plagued with the same types of challenges and delay-induced financing issues as much larger license endeavors.

Stephen Murphy, the director of training at Worcester human services nonprofit Open Sky Community Services, retired after 38 years on June 30, the Worcester organization announced on Tuesday.

In an interview on the WBJ Podcast, the co-founders of Uxbridge cannabis startup Blackstone Valley Naturals said the key to surviving Massachusetts' long and expensive regulatory process is to stay as lean as possible.

After meeting in the Colorado marijuana industry, Kevin MacConnell & Tim Phillips set out to start an Uxbridge cannabis company, creating custom marijuana products for dispensaries.

A retail building with a Dunkin' and a Shell gas station on Lackey Dam Road in Uxbridge has sold for $1.85 million.

Former Uxbridge town accountant Justin Cole, 38, of Harvard was indicted by a statewide grand jury for allegedly stealing more than $729,000 from Uxbridge, Millville and a Western Massachusetts town, Attorney General Maura Healey announced on Tuesday.