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 – Friday, October 9 – tickets are on sale for Old Sturbridge Village’s all new Halloween production, a study shows Massachusetts will be the seventh-most represented state on Election Day, Quinsigamond Community College launches free business workshops, Assumption University is awarded $1 million from the Department of Education and a AAA report issues concerns about child passenger safety in Massachusetts.
Old Sturbridge Village Celebrates Halloween with Phantoms & Fire
Old Sturbridge Village will host a series of haunting outdoor performances and seasonal activities for all ages., called Phantoms & Fire, on Wednesdays through Saturdays between October 21 and October 31.
A cornerstone of the new event is “Nevermore,” a series of six outdoor performances written and directed by P.J. Griffith, specifically for Old Sturbridge Village and partner Coggeshall Farm Museum.
“Nevermore” welcomes a professional cast to the Village to bring to life the short stories and poems of author Edgar Allen Poe, told from the perspective of characters who have just witnessed these terrors occur.
Old Sturbridge Village is also introducing a new 2020 version of Trick-or-Treat at the Village, called “Clues & Candy.” Families can collect clues and stamps throughout the commons that can be turned in for a big bag of goodies at the end of their visit! Participation in “Clues & Candy” is open to all ages.
There are three times for arrival for Phantoms & Fire: 5 pm, 6 PM and 6:30 PM.
Tickets are on sale for $16 per adult and $12 for youth ages 4-17. Children under 4 are free to the Village during this event.
MA the 7th Most Represented State on Election Day
Massachusetts will be the 7th best represented state on election day, according to a new study by Wallethub.com.
The study compared each state’s voter distribution to its electorate distribution by race, age and gender to determine the state’s Voter Representation Index. Massachusetts had an overall representation of 91.37%
In the individual demographic areas, Massachusetts scored:
- Racial Representation: 84.06%
- Age Representation: 89.18%
- Gender Representation: 99.41%
Starting with the most represented state, Maryland, Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Oregon finished higher than Massachusetts.
The worst represent states in the study were Washington, Florida, Tennessee, Kansas and finally, South Dakota.
Free QCC Business Workshops
Quinsigamond Community College [QCC] is offering business workshops to area companies through the Massachusetts Workforce Training Fund.
Most companies with less than 100 employees can access the workshops for free.
QCC’s new fall workshops include sessions on how to manage in a virtual marketplace; successfully managing change; employee accountability; time management, in addition to business essentials and communication workshops.
QCC was awarded a $143,000 Direct Access Grant from the Workforce Training Fund in 2019, enabling the College to become an approved training provider for these types of workshops.
See a complete list of fall workshops.
Assumption University Awarded $1 Million
Assumption University’s Rehabilitation Counseling program has been awarded a $1 million training grant from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE).
The grant will provide financial tuition assistance to Assumption students currently enrolled in or interested in the rehabilitation counseling program.
Priority will be given to enrolled students currently working or completing their internships in federal or state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies assisting individuals with disabilities.
The DOE grant is aimed at addressing the national shortage of rehabilitation counselors who empower those with varying disabilities to seek an independent lifestyle.
AAA on Reports Massachusetts Child Passenger Safety
AAA Northeat analyzed the MassDOT crash data from 2019 and found that one third of 5-year-olds and more than half of 6 to 7-year-olds wore only seat belts or, in some cases, were unrestrained entirely.
Massachusetts law requires children to ride in a child restraint until age 8 or until they are taller than 57 inches.
The AAA analysis also produced the percentage of children who had been involved in crashes that were riding outside a child restraint, broken down by age:
- 0 – 2 Years Old: 11%
- 3 Years Old: 15%
- 4 Years Old: 21%
- 5 Years Old: 33%
- 6 Years Old: 45%
- 7 Years Old: 61%
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ride in a:
- Rear-facing car seat as long as possible (at least until age 2), followed by a
- Forward-facing car seat until they reach the highest weight or height allowed by the manufacturer, followed by a
- Booster seat until they are 57 inches tall
Image Credit: Martinde, Old-sturbridge-village-carding-mill, CC BY-SA 3.0
