Greater Worcester

The March unemployment rate remained unchanged from February’s revised estimate, according to a Friday press release from he Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, which sited U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

A Clinton-based cannabis dispensary permanently closed its doors in April, as the company faces a lawsuit from a vendor regarding alleged missed payments over HVAC work done at its building.

Overall, this $6.9-million pool of funds will be used to redevelop or rehabilitate 37 homes across the state. 

Developers behind the plan have shifted course and are now in the process of welcoming a handful of new tenants to the plaza, including a new upscale Brazilian steakhouse.  

The average price of a gallon of gasoline in Worcester County jumped by 18 cents since April 15, mirroring a significant jump in the statewide average.

A first-of-its kind lithium-metal battery recycling process may be on the horizon as SES AI will fund a two-year research initiative at Worcester Polytechnic Institute to develop the new technology. 

Current rules require two employees to be in any vehicle that is transporting cannabis, but commissioners voted in December three to one to approve a change to eliminate that requirement. Business owners are waiting for the commission to formally rewrite and approve the regulations, a process that has taken four months.

The City of Worcester is now offering $5,000 grants to women and minority-owned businesses through its newly launched Diverse Business Certification Grant Program. 

Comparisons to April 2023 might not be helpful anyways. Last April, tax revenue came up $1.435 billion short of what was expected and turned what was shaping up as a surplus into a deficit.

The Hospital for Behavioral Medicine in Worcester has named Evelyn Alsup as the hospital’s new CEO, marking the hospital’s third CEO in five years.