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 – Thursday, October 8 – Worcester ranks as one of the most insured cities in America, 30,000 mail in ballots sent to Worcester voters, Columbus Day travel advisory issued by MassDOT, Leominster awarded $754k for clean water and Reliant Foundation launches fall fundraising.
Worcester Ranked One of the Most Insured Mid-Size Cities
Worcester ranks 9th highest among mid-sized cities, and 32nd highest of all cities in the U.S., for the rate lowest rate of uninsured residents, according to a new study by WalletHub.com.
The study compared the rates of 548 cities across the country. Worcester ranked well in many of the individual metrics used to compile the overall rankings:
- 32nd – Overall Uninsured Rate (3.33%)
- 36th – Children’s Uninsured Rate (0.72%)
- 38th – Adults’ Uninsured Rate (4.04%)
- 110th – Whites’ Uninsured Rate (3.43%)
- 15th – Blacks’ Uninsured Rate (2.99%)
- 14th – Hispanics’ Uninsured Rate (4.04%)
- 25th – Lower-Income Households’ Uninsured Rate (4.14%)
In the overall rankings, Newton, Cambridge and Quincy were ranked the top three of all cities in the US. Cranston, RI finished 25th, Warwick, RI was 26th and Somerville was 27th.
Among large cities, Washington, DC finished first with Boston coming in 4th. Among mid-sized cities, Cambridge was first in the country.
The least insured cities were overwhelmingly in the state of Texas. Fort Worth, El Paso, Dallas and Houston were at the bottom of the list for large cities. Irving, McAllen, Garland, Pasadena, Laredo, Edinburg and Brownsville were the worst ranked mid-sized cities. Mission and Pharr ranked the lowest small cities.
30,000 Mail-In Ballots Sent Out in Worcester
Some 30,000 mail-in ballots were sent to Worcester residents over the weekend of October 3 and 4.
Completed ballots may be dropped off at one of the two drop boxes at City Hall, one of the City’s 10 Fire Stations or any in-person Early Voting location from Oct 17-30,
See more information on voting in Worcester.
Columbus Day Travel Advisory
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation [MassDOT] is reminding members of the public to plan ahead for the upcoming Columbus Day weekend.
MassDOT asks those travelling to:
- Utilize the appropriate technology tools to make informed decisions
- Be aware there may be limited public amenities on trips due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Pack essential items including face coverings
- Remember that if visiting specific states, travelers will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon return to Massachusetts.
Massachusetts has information about the pandemic and regulations pertaining to COVID-19, including the need to quarantine for 14 days when returning to Massachusetts after visiting specific states. Information can be found at www.mass.gov/coronavirus.
Specific travel-related rules can also be found at a website set up when the Governor’s Executive Order pertaining to travel was signed: www.mass.gov/MAtraveler.
Leominster Awarded $754k from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust
Leominster has received $754,404 in a grant for loan forgiveness from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust.
The grant is applied to borrowing for the $11m Aeration Basin and Secondary Clarifier Upgrade project.
The project is a nutrient removal project that evaluates Leominster’s Water Pollution Control Facility’s aeration and secondary clarifier systems and upgrades all systems with new premium motors equipped with variable frequency drives for optimum efficiency.
State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, Chair of the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust announced more than $20.8 million in loan forgiveness awarded for 36 projects in 26 communities across the Commonwealth.
The loan forgiveness funds are administered on a competitive basis to cities, towns and water utilities most in need of financial assistance to help pay for improvements to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.
Reliant Foundation launches Fall Fundraising
Reliant Foundation has launched its annual Fall Appeal fundraising initiative with a goal of distributing $700,000 in grants in 2020.
Reliant delivers grants and community support to increase mental and behavioral health services, and substance use disorder and recovery programs across Central and MetroWest Massachusetts.
Reliant has distributed more than $220,000 in COVID-related emergency funding already this year. It hopes the incremental funding from the fall appeal will ultimately support more than 50 non-profits, impacting more than 100,000 lives across the region.
