North County

The Worcester area's unemployment rate improved slightly in February. But that good news masks a lingering problem: the number of people working dropped for the second straight month.

Colleges in Central Massachusetts are due to receive an estimated $100 million among them under the latest federal pandemic aid program.

The North Central Massachusetts Development Corp. on Wednesday announced it had approved a $35,000 loan to the owners of Black Hydra Tattoo in Fitchburg: Emily Shortsleeves, Matt Gallagher, and Brad Touchette. 

People are on the move at GFA Federal Credit Union, ERA Key Realty Services, Open Sky Community Services and more.

Golf needed a boost, and the pandemic gave it to a sport that lends itself well to social distancing. Now courses are working to keep the golfers playing all those extra rounds.

Fitchburg and Worcester have each received $60,000 in state funds to help with small-business grants meant to aid overcoming the coronavirus pandemic.

The Regal Theatres at the Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough and the Charles River Center in Bellingham are slated to open as soon as April 9.

Fitchburg State University is planning to have a fully in-person fall semester, while Worcester's Quinsigamond Community College is expecting a return to normalcy after a more than a year of remote learning.

A 244,000-square-foot expansion at Bristol Myers Squibb's Devens facility will add to the drugmaker's efforts to fight cancer using specialized technology, company officials said during a virtual tour Tuesday.

Heywood Healthcare and UMass Memorial Health Care are joining to help study the health needs of 29 cities and towns across northern Central Massachusetts.