North County

Fitchburg financial institution Workers Credit Union is starting a new loan program for small businesses, it announced Friday.

Now that the first major snowstorm of the season has passed, Worcester businesses and residents have a limited time to clear snow off their sidewalks before facing fines.

The merger of UMass Memorial - HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster and UMass Memorial - Clinton and a proposed emergency department expansion were both approved yesterday by the Massachusetts Public Health Council, the healthcare system announced Thursday.

Marlborough Savings Bank and North Middlesex Savings Bank have a name for their new company post-merger.

Devens wind and power grid services provider AMSC on Monday announced it lost $2.8 million in the last quarter, a slight improvement from the $3 million it lost in the same quarter 2015.

Eleven people in Central Massachusetts have found new positions, including at Fidelity Bank, TechSandBox, the Idea Agency and the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.

Profit-driven health care is a growing local and national trend that doesn't necessarily carry ill effects.

On the heels of a record snowmaking season, Wachusett Mountain Ski Area has seen a 67-percent increase in visitors compared to last year, when lackluster weather patterns dampened the Princeton resort's attendance.

Any business offering a similar at a lower price will almost always succeed in the marketplace. Sure, mitigating factors like taxes, regulation and global competition can throw a company off-track; but for services inherently local – like health care – quality and efficiency are central to a winning formula.

Tim McMahon wanted to return to his passion of helping people in need, prompting him to leave his post at the Massachusetts State Lottery to lead Catholic Charities in Worcester on Jan. 3.