In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition – Wednesday, August 5 – Health and Human Services is holding a public meeting tonight, WPS will hold a forum in Spanish next week on the return to school, 22 Worcester Fire Department recruits will graduate tomorrow, there’s a call for downtown storefront artwork in Worcester and Harrington Healthcare is now taking online check-ins.
Bilingual Health & Human Services Committee Public Meeting
The Worcester Public Health and Human Services Committee will hold a virtual open meeting on today — Wednesday, August 5 — at 5:30 PM.
Chairwoman of the Committee, City Councilor Sarai Rivera, has invited public participation in the meeting. The meeting will be bilingual and translated from English to Spanish.
The agenda of the meeting is available here.
To take part in the meeting, dial in at 415-655-0001 (Access Code: 735751404#). The meeting will also be broadcast at worcesterma.gov/video-on-demand or on Channel 192.
WPS to Host Community Forum in Spanish Next Week
Worcester Public Schools will be hosting a forum on Thursday, August 6, to discuss the school district’s reopening plans for the fall.
On Tuesday, August 11, WPS will host a similar forum for the Spanish-speaking members of the school community from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM.
Click the Twitter link below for details:
Conversación en Español sobre la reapertura de las Escuelas Públicas de Worcester, MARTES 11 DE AGOSTO 5:30–7:30 PM. #WPSAprende pic.twitter.com/903rO1gQjs
— Worcester Schools (@worcesterpublic) August 4, 2020
Worcester Fire Department Recruit Graduation
The Worcester Fire Department will graduate 22 recruits on Thursday, August 6.
The ceremony will take place at Rockwood Field at 540 Chandler St., starting at 11 AM.
Fire Chief Michael J. Lavoie, Mayor Joseph M. Petty, At-Large City Councilor Kathleen M. Toomey, City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr., District Chief Anthony Grokaitis and Local 1009 President Michael Papagni will speak at the ceremony followed by the swearing-in of the recruits and presentation of diplomas and badges.
Call for Art for Display at Downtown Storefronts
Four storefronts at 554 Main St. have issued a call for art to be displayed over several months.
Worcester based artists with a focus on diversity and inclusion are encouraged to apply, in addition to civic-minded artists interested in community engagement.
The deadline for submission is Friday, August 14. For detailed instructions to submit, visit here.
The partners for this project are The Menkiti Group; the Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District [BID]; the Worcester PopUp at the JMAC, a program of the Worcester Cultural Coalition in partnership with the Hanover Theatre; and the planning firm Civic Space Collaborative.
ER Online Check-In At Harrington Hospital
Harrington HealthCare System now allows online check-in for its emergency room in Southbridge.
Patients with non-life-threatening illness can check in to the ER using a smartphone, tablet or computer and have the comfort of home as their waiting room. The system allows patients to choose the next available check-in time or later and opt-in to receive text message updates.
Patients with life-threatening conditions should report to the hospital immediately and not use the check-in system.