Fitchburg

Fitchburg State University and Framingham State University have each received $100,000 grants, both schools announced Monday.

The coronavirus pandemic isn’t stopping two major Fitchburg developments from moving forward, while the city administration and others are working to expand aid programs for small businesses.

A North Shore-based entity has bought eight residential buildings in Fitchburg and Leominster for just under $1.9 million.

Quickly picking up on technology has become a necessary skill these days for museums more accustomed to bringing in crowds to see artwork, watch and hear animals in their habitats, or experience first-hand the wonders of science.

Companies like Nashoba Valley Medical Center, Worcester Fitness, Worcester Art Museum and Tegra Medical had recent hires and promotions.

Essential manufacturing includes a wide spectrum of workers, ranging from those who produce medical supplies to those who support the agricultural market, and everything in between.

The Gov. Charlie Baker Administration has leaned on the state’s manufacturers, creating the Manufacturing Emergency Response Team under the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to coordinate manufacturers’ move toward pandemic-related materials.

Worcester is slated to receive over $4.1 million in additional community development block grants to assist with coronavirus relief efforts, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern's office announced in a Thursday press release.

Fitchburg State University's Landry Arena is being set up as a mortuary for coronavirus in case it's needed to give extra capacity to hospitals and funeral homes.

Among the CARES Act provisions of direct payments to U.S. residents, expanding unemployment benefits and a bailout to airlines is a $367-billion small business relief effort designed to encourage companies with 500 or fewer employees to maintain their payrolls and avoid layoffs.