Greater Worcester

Worcester-based Spectrum Health Systems has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to operate a reentry program for offenders leaving prison considered at high-risk for resuming criminal activity.

The city of Worcester received a $3 million MassWorks infrastructure grant award that will help the flow of traffic from Route 146 into downtown.

Worcester-based UMass Memorial Health Care will bring 500 information-technology employees downtown following the $36 million redevelopment of 100 and 120 Front St. in downtown Worcester.

RDW Group has absorbed TWS Group of Portland, Maine, into its Boston-based iFactory division, the company announced recently.

Dick Fiske Sr. and his Heart to Heart Foundation of North Brookfield was honored by the Children's Smile Coalition at Hanover Theatre in Worcester last month.

When Worcester-based Reliant Medical Group announced the layoff of 78 employees early last month, the healthcare provider cited a projected budget shortfall.

The Baker administration announced the first non-stop commuter rail train from Worcester to South Station in Boston. The train will run at 7:55 a.m. during the week and shave a half hour off of the commute, eliminating up to 16 stops along the way. In our poll for the week of Oct. 12, most respondents said they would use it never or only occasionally.

The hoopla surrounding this month's announcement of a $33-million, high-end luxury hotel for downtown Worcester may seem a bit overhyped, but given the step-by-step nature of economic revitalization, business and city officials have the right to be excited to get another important piece of the puzzle in place and can't be faulted for shouting their successes from the rooftops.

Katherine Fairbanks knows a thing or two about branding – and business survival. A lifelong Millbury native, she has 20 years of experience in rubbish disposal through the family business, Millbury Rubbish Removal (MRR).

TODD DONOHOE was hired as a commercial lender at Hometown Bank in Oxford. He was most recently...