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, March 26 – a fundraiser is launched to support a Worcester Police officer battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Massachusetts launches homebound vaccination program, Quinsigamond Community College freezes tuition and fees, Worcester leads the state in wrong-way car crashes, and Dunkin’ launches three iced coffee drinks inspired by Girl Scout cookies.
GoFundMe for Worcester Police Officer Fighting Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer
Worcester Police officer Iggy Garcia recently received a diagnosis of Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will oversee an aggressive treatment strategy.
Garcia is a 17-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department and a coach and mentor for youth in Worcester.
Garcia has three children. He’s married to Shana Belsito Garcia, who has served within the Worcester Public Schools for 15 years as a physical education teacher.
A GoFundMe started on Wednesday, March 24, raising more than $112,000 by Friday morning, March 26. The fundraiser’s goal is $350,000.
Those who are able to contribute can do so at the link below:
Massachusetts Launches Homebound Vaccination Program
Beginning Monday, March 29, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will launch a homebound vaccination program to provide in-home vaccinations to homebound individuals who cannot leave their home to get to a COVID-19 vaccine appointment.
In-home vaccinations will be available to homebound individuals who:
- Have considerable difficulty and/or require significant support to leave the home for medical appointments
- Require an ambulance or two-person assistance to leave the home
- Are not able to leave home for medical appointments under normal circumstances.
Homebound individuals and their loved ones can call 1-833-983-0485 to schedule an appointment and determine if they meet eligibility for in-home vaccination. The registration phone line is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM and has representatives who speak English and Spanish, as well as translation services available in 100+ languages.
Quinsigamond Community College Freezes Tuition for 2021
Quinsigamond Community College [QCC] announced on Thursday, March 25, that it would freeze tuition rates for 2021.
The College said it recognizes recognizing the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic has affected many students and their families who lost jobs or had their hours reduced.
QCC has also made emergency funds available.
Emergency funds assist students in paying bills, obtaining laptops, Wi-Fi and other basic life and educational necessities to offset some financial burden brought on by the pandemic.
“We are committed to making college affordable for anyone who wants to better their lives through higher education,” said QCC President Luis G. Pedraja, Ph.D. “We want to remain the most cost-effective higher education option in our area, which is why we are proactively keeping our tuition rates the same for our students.”
Worcester Leads Massachusetts in Wrong-Way Crashes
AAA and the National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB] are warning on the increase of fatal wrong-way crashes in Massachusetts and across the United States.
According to the latest data analysis from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, there were 2,008 deaths from wrong-way driving crashes on divided highways between 2015 and 2018, an average of approximately 500 deaths a year. That’s a 34% increase from the 375 deaths annually from 2010 to 2014.
In Massachusetts, the number of deaths increased from 19 to 27 over the same period – an increase of 77.6 percent in the annual average.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation [MassDOT] Crash Data Portal, 150 people have died and more than 4,500 were injured in wrong-way crashes since 2010, including wrong-way drivers, their passengers and victims. There were have been over 8,200 wrong-way crashes in Massachusetts during the same period.
Worcester experienced the most of any municipality in Massachusetts (366) during that time. Outside Worcester, the locations with the most wrong-way crashes were Springfield (315), Boston (265), New Bedford (243), Lowell (202) and Fall River (179).
Researchers examined eight factors related to these types of crashes, and three stood out – alcohol-impairment, older age, and driving without a passenger. Six in ten wrong-way crashes involved an alcohol-impaired driver. Those with blood alcohol concentrations over the legal limit were significantly more likely to be wrong-way drivers than non-alcohol-impaired drivers.
Dunkin’ Launches Girl Scout Cookie Inspired Bottled Iced Coffees
Dunkin’, in collaboration with Coca-Cola, launches ready-to-drink bottled Iced Coffee in Girl Scout Cookie inspired flavors.
The new Dunkin’ Iced Coffee in Girl Scout Cookie inspired flavors are available now at retailers nationwide,
The new flavors include Thin Mints, Coconut Caramel and S’mores.
A new, limited-edition set of merchandise includes three bottles of the new Dunkin’ iced coffee in Girl Scout Cookie inspired flavors, a sweatshirt, sweatpants, cozy socks, iced coffee tumbler, ice cube tray, and enamel pins. A limited number of merch boxes will be available to fans for free, while supplies last, beginning at 10 AM today — Friday, March 26, 2021 — at www.dunkinanytime.com/chillcollection.
Lead image credit: The Garcia Family/Submitted Photo
