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 – Thursday, June 16 – the Worcester Fire Department recruitment class graduates on Friday, the Worcester Police begin a summer speed enforcement campaign, there’s a public meeting tonight for a new park on Sever Street in Worcester, Hanover Insurance issues scholarships to local students and a new study finds Massachusetts the best state for working dads.
Worcester Fire Department Graduation on Friday
The Worcester Fire Department hosts its 2022 Recruit Graduation Ceremony on Friday, June 17 at 3 PM at Worcester Technical High School, at 1 Officer Manny Familia Way.
The ceremony will include a graduation and swearing in of 31 candidates who recently completed 16 weeks of drill school training.
The event will include a Presentation of Colors, Invocation, a brief speaking program, the swearing in, the presentation of diplomas and badges.
Worcester Police Summer Speed Enforcement
The Worcester Police Department Traffic Division will be deploying extra patrols to enforce traffic violations throughout the month.
The police department says these efforts also serve as a public awareness strategy designed to educate the public and promote compliance with traffic laws and awareness about the importance of following posted speed limits.
Public Meeting for New Park on Sever Street
A public meeting and presentation of ideas and preliminary plans for a new park at the former Becker College property on Sever Street will take place tonight, Thursday, June 16, at 6:30 PM.
The meeting will take place at Green Hill Park, at the Parks & Recreation Commission, in Meeting Room A, at 50 Officer Manny Familia Way in Worcester.
The hearing will conclude with a public question and comment forum. All presented information and subsequent public comments will be synthesized to develop a Master Plan, to guide future community and neighborhood endorsed improvements.
Hanover Insurance Scholarship Award Winners
The Hanover Insurance Group Foundation recently awarded 46 college scholarships to high school and college students. Students were recognized based on their local community involvement and commitments to academic excellence. This marks the 18th year the Hanover Insurance Group Foundation has awarded college scholarships.
The award recipients in Worcester County are:
Massachusetts is the Best State for Working Dads
A new study finds Massachusetts the best state for working dads in the United States.
The study ranked all 50 states and Washington D.C. to find the best and worst states for working dads using 23 key indicators. The indicator that led to the top ranking for Massachusetts are:
- 1st – Unemployment Rate for Dads with Kids Younger than 18
- 1st – Male Uninsured Rate
- 2nd – % of Kids Younger than 18 with Dad Present Living in Poverty
- 8th – % of Physically Active Men
- 9th – Male Life Expectancy
- 9th – Avg. Length of Work Day (in Hours) for Males
- 17th – Day-Care Quality
The remaining of the top five states, and the other New England states and surrounding states, finished with the following rankings.
- 2nd – Minnesota
- 3rd – Washington D.C.
- 4th – Connecticut
- 5th – New Jersey
- 6th – Rhode Island
- 8th – New Hampshire
- 9th – Vermont
- 11th – New York
- 18th – Maine
- 21st – Pennsylvania
The study found the worst five states for working dads as:
- 46th – Alabama
- 47th – Nevada
- 48th – West Virginia
- 49th – Mississippi
- 50th – New Mexico
- 51st – Lousiana
