Greater Worcester

The chief of staff for U.S. Rep. James McGovern will become the top liaison to government for UMass Memorial Health Care, the Worcester-based health care system announced Monday.

Worcester is home to $4.4 billion worth of tax-exempt property, according to a new report by the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, unveiled today.

A group of Worcester restaurants is participating in the semiannual Worcester Restaurant Week beginning this week, offering three-course meals at a fixed price of $23.13, the Worcester Executive Office of Economic Development said.

The EcoTarium in Worcester announced it will use a $244,290 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) to connect to the electrical grid, reducing reliance on its aging power plant.

Tufts Medical Center and Vanguard Health Systems New England, the parent of Saint Vincent Hospital and MetroWest Medical Center, have signed an affiliation agreement to enhance and expand cardiovascular services to patients in Central and Eastern Massachusetts, according to a statement from Tufts.

Worcester-based Mass Megawatts Wind Power is entering the $12 billion U.S. solar power market, announcing the development of a new solar-tracking technology that it says will increase solar energy production 30 percent.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has selected a Utah State University professor and internationally recognized leader in biotechnology education, research and workforce development programs to lead WPI's Biomanufacturing Education and Training Center (BETC), the university announced today.

Boston-based Bristol Recording and Voice Studios announced the opening of a Worcester location.

United Way of Central Massachusetts has awarded nearly $2.9 million to Greater Worcester agencies that operate 50 programs, including those in education, health and family stability, the Worcester-based nonprofit organization announced.

The Venture Forum (TVF), a Worcester-based organization that supports technology and life sciences entrepreneurs, is accepting business plan entries for its 2013 Business Plan Contest (BPC) this fall.