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5 Things You Need to Know Today in Worcester – July 19

By TWIW Staff | July 19, 2021
Last Updated: July 19, 2021

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 – Monday, July 19 – the Worcester Historical Commission will study the creation of a new local historic district in the Elm Park neighborhood this summer, there’s two days of free COVID-19 testing this week, Doughnut Homies is opening a second location at the Midtown Mall, the Compass Tavern is providing shuttle service to Polar Park and see how Massachusetts’ unemployment rate compares to other states.

Elm Park Neighborhood to be Studied this Summer for Historic District Designation

The Worcester Historical Commission will study the potential creation of a new local historic district in the Elm Park neighborhood this summer.

The neighborhood includes the Worcester campus of the former Becker College and neighboring residential areas located adjacent to and east of Elm Park. This neighborhood is comprised of many varied examples of mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century residential architecture.

Worcester currently has three local historic districts: Massachusetts Avenue, Montvale, and Crown Hill.

If the study recommends establishing the neighborhood as a historic district, a favorable two-thirds vote by the City Council will be required.

 

Free COVID-19 Testing this Week in Worcester

UMass Memorial Health Care continues to offer free COVID-19 testing during the month of July as part of the state’s Stop the Spread campaign.

Free, walk-up testing is done at the Mercantile Center, 100 Front St.

There are two days this week when testing will be offered:

  • Monday, July 19, 11 AM to 3 PM
  • Thursday, July 22, 9 AM to 12 PM

 

Doughnut Homies Opening Second Location at Midtown Mall

Specialty donut shop, Doughnut Homies, located at the Worcester Public Market is opening a second location in downtown Worcester at the Midtown Mall, according to a report from Spectrum News 1.

Doughnut Homies opened at the Worcester Public Market last September.

Spectrum News 1 reports the new location will be called “DOHO Café & Donut Bar” and will have a full donut bar where customers can customize their own donuts.  There will even be donut sandwiches and donut pizza on the menu, according to Spectrum News 1.

You can check out Doughnut Homies at the Worcester Public Market from 11 AM to 8 PM Wednesday to Sunday. And follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

 

Compass Tavern Giving Customers Rides to Polar Park

If you’re heading to a Worcester Red Sox game at Polar Park, you may want to consider grabbing a bite at Compass Tavern first.

The restaurant and bar on Harding Street is giving customers rides to WooSox games in four-seat golf cart if they come in to Compass and grab a bite to eat or have a drink.

The best part? You can leave your vehicle in their parking lot during the game.

 

Massachusetts’ Unemployment Rate Ranked #22 in the U.S.

Last month, 850,000 nonfarm payroll jobs were created in the U.S., according to the latest report from the data experts at WalletHub.

The U.S. unemployment rate is at 5.9%, which is still high but is much lower than the nearly historic high of 14.8% in April 2020.

In order to identify the states whose unemployment rates are bouncing back most, WalletHub compared the 50 states and Washington, D.C. based on five key metrics that compare unemployment rate statistics from the latest month for which data is available (June 2021) to key dates in 2019 and 2020.

Massachusetts is ranked #22 in the report, with a 69.2% change in unemployment since January 2020.

To see how Massachusetts compares to the rest of the country, scroll the map below:

Source: WalletHub
Lead image credit: Patrick Sargent for ThisWeekinWorcester.com

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