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, December 3 – Worcester Police issue a downtown traffic advisory for Friday evening’s Festival of Lights, Ricky Duran’s next album drops in February, the Indian Lake Community Association hosts a Winter Wonderland Celebration, Anna Maria announces its annual Christmas concert, and Massachusetts ranks the second best state for elder abuse protections.
Traffic Advisory for Festival of Lights in Worcester
The Worcester Police Department issued a traffic advisory on Thursday, December 2, informing residents of expected traffic delays and road closures on Friday, December 3, for the Festival of Lights on the Worcester Common.
The Department says it expects thousands of attendees to produce heavy pedestrian traffic and asks residents to avoid the area if possible and use caution when travelling in and around downtown.
The following streets are closed on Friday from 2 PM to 9 PM:
- Front Street from Main Street to Church Street
- Franklin Street from Main Street to Church Street
- Church Street from Front Street to Franklin Street
- A portion of Main Street will be briefly impacted in front of City Hall
Parking for the event is available at Worcester Common Garage at 2 Eaton Place, Mercantile Center Parking Garage, Federal Plaza Parking Garage and the Pearl-Elm Parking Garage.
Ricky Duran Announces Release Date of New Album
Ricky Duran, the performing artist from Worcester who finished as the runner-up on NBC The Voice in 2019, announced the release day of his first album since 2019.
In an email to fans on Wednesday, December 1, Duran said his album release date is February 1, 2022.
Indian Lake Neighborhood Winter Wonderland Celebration
The Indian Lake Community Association announced it will host a Winter Wonderland Celebration at 121 Higgins Street from 1 PM to 4 PM.
The event includes refreshments, food, movies, fun activities, drawings for prizes and more in a festive atmosphere!
To RSVP contact [email protected].
Anna Maria College Music Department Annual Christmas Concert
The Anna Maria College Music Department presents its annual Christmas Festival Concert on Sunday, December 12, from 3 PM to 5 PM at Christ the King Church, at 1052 Pleasant Street in Worcester.
The concert celebrates the Sisters of Saint Anne and will feature performances by the Bel Canto Chamber Choir, Wind Ensemble, and Concert Choir with special guests: Shepherd Hill Regional High School’s Women’s Choir. Musical programming includes selections from Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria, Tomás Luis de Victoria, as well as many Christmas favorites.
For the first time, the Sisters of St. Anne will join the music department in song to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Anna Maria College.
Admission to the event is free.
Worcester Ranked the State with the Second Best Elder-Abuse Protections in the U.S.
A new study by Wallethub.com ranked all 50 states and the district of Columbia across 16 metrics to compile 2021’s States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections.
The metrics ranged from “gross-neglect and exploitation complaints” to “financial elder-abuse laws.”
Here is how Massachusetts scored in some of the key metrics:
- 6th – Elder-Abuse, Gross-Neglect & Exploitation Complaints*
- 1st – Total Expenditures on Elder-Abuse Prevention*
- 21st – Total Long-Term Care Ombudsman-Program Funding*
- 16th – Number of Eldercare Organizations & Services*
- 6th – Number of Certified Volunteer Ombudsmen*
- 30th – Nursing-Homes Quality
* Per resident 65+ years old and older
The only state ranked higher than Massachusetts was Wisconsin. Rounding out the top five are Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. The worst five states according to the study are New Jersey, California, South Carolina, Montana and Utah.
To review the methodology of the study and see the full results, visit Wallethub.com.
