Greater Worcester

"We are aware that our state faces urgent budget and shelter crises," the 117 clergy members who signed the letter said, acknowledging that lawmakers have little wiggle room when it comes to budget decisions lately.

Tutwiler said the field is already flooded with "misinformation" about the proposal, stressing that it would not eliminate the MCAS altogether but would instead decouple results from high school graduation requirements.

Even with a slowing of the Massachusetts economy in the fourth quarter, business leaders in both Greater Worcester and the state-at-large are feeling increasingly confident in the current economic climate.

In January, Dixon was named a 2024 presidential scholar, among 60 nationwide to participate in the ninth class of the leadership program collectively put on by the presidential centers for Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Lyndon Johnson.

Professionals are being hired and promoted at Central Massachusetts businesses like Geisel Software, Shepherd & Goldstein, Cornerstone Bank, and Consigli Construction.

Any lingering animosity from the Worcester Bravehearts toward the Worcester Red Sox seems to be a thing of the past, as Worcester’s two baseball franchises held a joint press conference at Polar Park on Thursday to announce a trio of community initiatives. 

Healey highlighted parts of her planned legislation, which she dubbed the "Mass Leads Act," at Somerville-based Form Energy, an energy storage technology and manufacturing company.

The governor's plans to let cities and towns raise local taxes on hotel rooms and restaurant meals surprised some this year, after Healey touted a major tax relief law last year as the landmark accomplishment of her first year in office.

The threat of a looming recession is weakening, but much economic uncertainty remains as financial experts attempt to predict what’s ahead in 2024, according to a leading economic expert.

"We for some reason had urgency in the pandemic that we've lost since the pandemic when, in fact, those same communities are dying, but it's not COVID," Curry told attendees at a Wednesday legislative briefing. "It's diabetes, it's heart disease. It's a whole list of things."