Leominster

Leominster commercial office furniture manufacturer AIS will provide facemasks to every poll worker needing one on Election Day, covering needs for up to 351 cities and towns in the state, the company announced on Tuesday.

Leominster Credit Union said Wednesday its president and CEO will retire at the end of November and be replaced by its chief operating officer, its first female to hold the top position.

The unemployment rate in the Worcester area improved to 10.3% in August, down from 14.9% a month earlier, according to new data Wednesday from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While the economy was growing into the longest economic expansion in the nation’s history, most Worcester County neighborhoods missed out – not only failing to capture rising income and attracting new residents but even going backward in many cases.

Girouard Tool Corp., a Leominster injection molding company, was approved Thursday by the state for tax breaks to help make possible a $2.8-million expansion, and a Fitchburg restaurant has received a tax credit to move downtown.

A retail plaza on Route 12 just south of downtown Leominster has been bought by a Paxton resident for just under $2.4 million.

Unemployment rates in July improved in Greater Worcester and Northern Worcester County, but each remained among the nation's worst, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Wednesday.

The North Central Massachusetts Development Corp. has received $946,000 in federal aid to help small businesses suffering during the coronavirus pandemic.

An unusually large share of coronavirus deaths in Worcester County — nearly four out of five — have taken place in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, according to state data.

After a small spike in confirmed Worcester County coronavirus cases at the end of July and the start of August, the number of positive tests is again on the decline, falling for the last two weeks.