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, June 2 – the Worcester Red Sox give away a free general admission ticket to those who get a COVID-19 vaccination at Polar Park during this week’s homestand, the newest Massachusetts State Police recruit class reports to training, Worcester Public Schools open summer school applications, MassWildlife to hold public hearings on increases to license fees and gas prices go up one cent in Massachusetts this week.
Worcester Red Sox Offer Vaccines at Games this Week
The Worcester Red Sox are making 50 Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines available at each home game this week through Sunday, June 6.
The team partnered with Worcester’s Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center to administer the program.
Fans who receive a Johnson & Johnson vaccine at Polar Park will receive a complimentary General Admission ticket to that day’s game, along with a WooSox cap. Recipients must be at least 18 years of age.
Staff from the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center will administer the vaccines on the first base concourse at Polar Park on a first-come, first-served basis. UMass Memorial Health, the official healthcare provider of the Worcester Red Sox, will have paramedics on site as they do for every WooSox home game to offer any support needed.
Anyone who wishes to be vaccinated at Polar Park will be escorted to the first base concourse by a WooSox Ambassador upon receiving their complimentary General Admission ticket at the Ticket Office. Fans who already have tickets to this week’s slate of games and would like a vaccine can simply check in with the Kennedy Health Center staff members after the gates open. Those who do will receive a General Admission ticket to a future 2021 home game.
Massachusetts State Police 86th Recruit Training Troop Begins
Two-hundred sixteen began 21 weeks of intensive training at the Massachusetts State Police [MSP] Academy in New Braintree this week.
The MSP 86th Recruit Training Troop will undergo classroom and field instruction in police procedure, criminal law, ethics, defensive tactics, de-escalation tactics, physical training, firearms training, emergency vehicle operation, communications skills, and other relevant topics.
Following Academy graduation this fall, members of the Recruit Training Troop will undergo an additional three months of field training,
MSP released racial and gender demographics of the 86th Troop:
- White: 67 percent
- Hispanic: 16 percent
- Black: 11 percent
- Asian: 3 percent
- Undeclared race: 3 percent
- Female, all races: 15 percent
Worcester Public Schools Summer School Applications Open
Worcester Public Schools announced on Tuesday, June 1, that its 2021 Secondary Summer School Applications are now available.
Applications are available in eight languages.
For High School students, Summer School session one runs from July 6 to July 22, meeting for 13 days. Summer School session two runs from July 26 to August 10, meeting for 10 days.
For Middle School students, the summer program runs from July 6 through July 22, meeting for a total of 13 days.
For more information or to apply, visit the Worcester Public Schools website.
Public Hearing on Hunting, Freshwater Fishing, and Trapping License Fees
For the first time since 1996, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife [MassWildlife] is proposing changes to hunting, freshwater fishing, and trapping license fees.
According to MassWildlife, these fee changes are necessary to ensure the continuation of scientific management of fish and wildlife, management of wildlife lands, and popular programs including trout and pheasant stocking, Hunter Education, and Angler Education.
Public hearings will be held on June 22, 23, and 24 on Zoom to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the new proposed changes.
See the current and proposed fees from MassWildlife.
You can provide public comment by speaking at one of the hearings, or provide written comment through 4 p.m. on July 8, 2021 using this feedback form, or by mail to: MassWildlife Re: License Fee, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough, MA 01581.
See more info from MassWildlife on the need for proposed fees and the public hearings.
Gas Prices Up One Cent This Week in MA
AAA Northeast reports changes in gas prices across the region on a weekly basis.
Massachusetts’s average gas price is up one cent last week, averaging $2.92 per gallon. That price is the 13 cents higher than a month ago ($2.79), and 94 cents higher than May 24, 2020 ($1.98).
Massachusetts’s average gas price is 12 cents lower than the national average.
AAA Northeast’s June 1 survey of fuel prices found the current national average to be one cent higher than last week, averaging $3.03 a gallon. Today’s national average price is 15 cents higher than a month ago ($2.89), and $1.07 cents cheaper than this day last year ($1.97).
Comparison to neighboring states, according to AAA Northeast:
