Greater Worcester

In the midst of struggling condo sales statewide, Worcester County is bucking the trend with empty nesters bolstering the residential segment that has traditionally been known as supporting first-time home buyers.

After several years of a relationship that many would describe as adversarial, UMass Memorial Health Care and a key union turned a critical corner last week when they reached a one-year contract agreement for the thousands of nurses who work at the system's UMass Memorial Medical Center campuses in Worcester.

Tons of freight roll daily into and out of Worcester on tracks used by CSX, Pan Am Railways and the Providence & Worcester railroads. As the economy continues to bounce back from the Great Recession, freight transportation is growing as well, bringing more goods of all kinds through the region on the rails — everything from cars and toilet paper to flammable liquids and hazardous materials.

Citing problems with economic sustainability, Fallon Health of Worcester has announced it will end its insurance program that serves members eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare insurance, known as Fallon Total Care, effective Sept. 30.

The DCU Center retail space on Commercial Street formerly used as the pro shop of the Worcester Sharks will soon house Worcester Wares, a sell of “all things Worcester,” according to the DCU Center.

Greater Worcester is a good place for businesses to operate, but a looser regulatory environment could make the region even better, especially in the face of an increasingly competitive global marketplace, according to four business leaders who engaged in a panel discussion Wednesday morning.

Worcester has been ranked fourth in the nation for climbing medical procedure costs, narrowly beating Boston but falling behind Springfield, according to a new report.

Primetals Technologies is upgrading a wire-rod mill in Turkey to allow for expanded production.

Two printer management companies – one in Shrewsbury and the other in Southbridge – have become one, they announced Friday.

More than 2,200 unionized nurses at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester have voted to ratify one-year contracts after negotiations that the union called “relatively smooth.”