Greater Worcester

Chairwoman Shannon O'Brien has returned to the Cannabis Control Commission and the agency is delaying the finalization of its long-awaited rules for social marijuana establishments as a result.

Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the Climate Jobs Massachusetts Action coalition and a handful of individual locals were among those who voiced support for a bill (H 3476 / S 2275) that would require energy and air quality audits for public schools, universities and colleges.

The prospect of a shutdown comes as Massachusetts is navigating significant fiscal complexity. The Legislature passed a stream of funding bills earlier this year to address shortfalls in the fiscal 2025 budget, and the state's $61 billion fiscal 2026 budget signed by Gov. Maura Healey this summer relies heavily on federal dollars. 

Hines, a global real estate investment firm based in Houston, has purchased the site of a storage facility near the former site of Rotmans Furniture.

Athol Hospital has risen to the top as the most profitable in Central Massachusetts, according to data released Thursday.

After 46 years of owning and operating the restaurant, Edward Whiterell has decided to retire.

Quinsigamond Community College’s fall 2025 enrollment has grown approximately 15% since last year, reaching the Worcester school’s highest headcount in 13 years. 

Previously, Spectrum was the only wired internet provider available to residential customers in Holden. 

Gov. Maura Healey has been applying a full-court press to pass a $400 million bill aimed at strengthening Massachusetts’ research and innovation economy, but lawmakers have left the governor's plans for a "transformative investment" idling in the seven weeks since Healey proposed it.

The O Shop is overhauling its name, size, and location, all in an effort to strengthen its commitment to providing properly fitting bras and lingerie to Central Massachusetts.