North County

The share of Massachusetts students who take out loans to pay for public higher education has exploded in the past two decades while the combined pressure of inflation and a lack of investment have hamstrung the impact of state-funded financial aid, according to a new report.

Hannaford Supermarkets has begun installing defibrillators at all 185 of its stores to save the lives of customers and employees in case of a sudden cardiac event, the Scarborough, Maine-based food retailer said.

State education officials use criteria that allows exclusionary admissions practices at vocational technical schools, leaving behind students of color, English language learners and students with disabilities, according to a new lawsuit filed by a coalition of educational advocacy groups.

Fitchburg Access Television has moved its studio and offices to 780 Main St. in Fitchburg, the Rollstone Bank & Trust building.

The former location of Scooby Doo’s Bar in Clinton at 675 Main St. was sold for $850,000 to a corporation with plans to demolish the building.

The Greater Worcester Community Foundation in Worcester has granted $2.2 million total to 120 local nonprofit organizations to aid in operations and fund new projects.

The three Central Massachusetts metropolitan areas tracked by the state all saw slight increases in their unemployment rates in December.

Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, along with three Central Massachusetts vocational schools and the nonprofit Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership in Auburn, received $1.57 million in funding for workforce development programs which partner with local businesses.

Merrimack Valley Realty Group, LLC of Lawrence, owned by Bernard Goulet, purchased three multi-family properties in Fitchburg totaling 18 units.

Through the Working Places Challenge program, the Fed supports a competition among cities and towns for grant money provided by states, the private sector and philanthropists to address a "shared goal for improving the economy that benefits low-income people."