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, March 17 – Attorney General Healey highlights South High during “Say Something” week, seven members of the Worcester Fire Department receive promotions, Anna Maria College to honor three community leaders, A Taste of Monrovia is hosting a ribbon cutting on Friday and a new study finds Worcester the 79th most obese city in the U.S.
Attorney General Healey Highlights ‘Say Something’ Week
Attorney General Maura Healey highlighted schools across Massachusetts who have been trained to recognize the warning signs of those who may be at risk of harming themselves or others, and how to get help.
The initiative is part of “Say Something” week, an initiative led by Sandy Hook Promise and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Say Something is a violence prevention program from Sandy Hook Promise that teaches students the warning signs of potential violence and self-harm and to tell a trusted adult.
Through the $1 million federal STOP School Violence Act grant, the AG’s Office brought the Say Something program to middle and high schools across the state. To date, more than 45,000 students have received the training, and 100 schools have participated, with the participation rates to increase as the program continues.
South High School in Worcester completed several Sandy Hook Promise violence and suicide prevention trainings in 2021 and 2022. South High School hosted a Wellness Week last week in collaboration with the Herren Project to celebrate wellness and its importance to substance use prevention and recovery.
A total of 15 Worcester public schools work with Sandy Hook Promise.
Seven Promoted at the Worcester Fire Department
The Worcester Fire Department held promotion ceremonies at City Hall on Tuesday to acknowledge seven individuals with new ranks..
Lt. Michael Butler was promoted to Captain.
Six firefighters were promoted the Lieutenant. They are Matthew Lynch, Matthew Corey, Katie Harrington, Robin Melvin, Evan Parker and Marcos Naranjo.
Anna Maria Honors Three Community Leaders
Anna Maria College hosts its second annual Celebration of Success and Service on Thursday, March 31, at the AC Hotel at 135 Front Street in Worcester. John Spillane, Chair of Anna Maria’s Board of Trustees, and Tim Murray, a trustee, host the event which starts at 5 PM.
Three individuals will receive Anna Maria’s highest honor for outstanding humanitarian service, the Presidential Service Award.
- Dr. Matilde Castiel, the commissioner of Health and Human Services in Worcester and UMass Medical School Chancellor’s Medal for Distinguished Service recipient
- Christopher A. Koretski, a firefighter/ EMT at Centerville-Osterville-
Marstons Mills (C-O-MM) Fire-Rescue on Cape Code, 2016 graduate of Anna Maria’s Fire Science program, a member of the Alumni Board and of the Paxton Firefighter’s Association. - Worcester Police Officer Enmanuel “Manny” Familia, who died at 38 years old in 2021 while heroically trying to save a young boy from drowning in Green Hill Pond
A Taste of Monrovia Ribbon Cutting
A Taste of Monrovia, a new restaurant at 5 Pleasant Street in Worcester, hosts its ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:45 PM on Friday, March 18.
The restaurant features the cuisine of Liberia and is available on Uber Eats.
Visit the A Taste of Monrovia website here.
Worcester the 79th Most Obese City in America
A new study compared 100 of the most populous cities across the United States to find the most overweight city.
The study broke the factor considered into three broad categories.
Here is how Worcester ranked:
- Obesity & Overweight: 91st
- Health Consequences: 67th
- Food and Fitness: 57th
The top five most overweight cities are:
- McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
- Memphis, TN-MS-AR
- Knoxville, TN
- Mobile, AL
- Jackson, MS
See the full study at Wallethub.com.
Lead image: Worcester Police Officer Enmanuel “Manny” Familia will be honored by Anna Maria College on March 31. Familia died while trying to save a teenager drowning in Green Hill Pond in June 2021.
