Leominster

Central Massachusetts nonprofits will receive millions of dollars in federal funding in fiscal 2023 as part of the $1.7-trillion omnibus spending bill signed into law by President Joe Biden on Friday.

The number of Worcester County home sales saw a 35% decline year-over-year in November while there was a 30% decline in the number of sales statewide, as Massachusetts prices hit their lowest level of increase in two years.

The Worcester County unemployment rate in November dropped two tenths of a percentage point from October to 3%, the lowest rate since April 2019, according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner received $178,535 from the Massachusetts Campus Hunger-Free grant program to support the school’s effort to minimize food insecurity among its students.

NewVue Communities received a $10,000 dollar donation from Fitchburg-based Rollstone Bank & Trust to help hire and onboard an intake specialist who will help support people seeking assistance with eviction and foreclosure prevention services.

The North Central Massachusetts Development Corp. in Fitchburg ranked third among U.S. Small Business Administration microlenders in Massachusetts, according to a Monday press release by the SBA.

Students took part in Fitchburg State University’s Future Educator Academy which recruits and trains students from traditionally underrepresented populations.

The Worcester Business Journal partnered with the nonprofit Worcester Regional Research Bureau on a new project examining how rent increases over the last decade have impacted the city and its businesses, as well as an historic look at how financial decisions rooted in racism 86 years ago have exacerbated the housing and workforce problems today.

As the cost of leased housing has risen and wages have stayed relatively stagnant, the portion of Worcester renters who are overburdened by the cost of their homes has risen to 51%.

WBJ is conducting its annual Economic Forecast survey, gauging readers' opinions about what 2023 will bring. Those who fill out the survey by Dec. 19 will be eligible to win one of three $50 gift cards.