twiw-horizontal-trans-150h
Is there a story you think we should be covering? Have a tip on something we should look at?
Contact Us

5 Things You Need to Know Today in Worcester – June 8

By Tom Marino | June 8, 2022
Last Updated: June 8, 2022

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 8 – Worcester Dual Language School dedicated in memory of Officer Manny Familia, the Massachusetts State Police announced a K9 with over seven years of service to the department has died, the Worcester Regional Food Hub begins its milk donation program, Clark University to hold a free esports boot camp in July and Big Brother Big Sister has pickups scheduled in Worcester this week.

Worcester Dual Language School Named in Memory of Manny Familia

Worcester’s La Familia Dual Language School at 355 Grafton Street held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, June 7 to dedicate the school to honor fallen Worcester Police officer Manny Familia.

Familia was born in the Dominican Republic and was a transitional bilingual education student before graduation from Worcester Public Schools. The school teaches students from pre-K through sixth grade in both English and Spanish.

Famlia died while serving as a member of the Worcester Police Department in June 2021 while attempting to rescue a drowning 14-year-old boy at Green Hill Park.

Mass. State Police Announce the Passing of K9 Echo

The Massachusetts State Police announced the passing of K9 Echo on Tuesday. Echo was 10-years-old and served the department for over seven years before her retirement.

K9 Echo served with the same State Trooper during her entire service and retired when that Trooper was promoted several months ago.

The Massachusetts State Police Department said during her career, K9 Echo tracked down an attempted murder suspect, located an article of clothing discarded by a suspect that included key evidence in a murder case, and tracked missing suicidal persons, among other accomplishments.

Worcester Regional Food Hub Donating Milk to Worcester and Fitchburg Youth

The Worcester Regional Food Hub, as part of being awarded a Massachusetts Dairy Promotion Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, is partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, Fitchburg Public Schools, and Growing Places to donate locally produced milk to food insecure students and their families.

The Food Hub is leveraging its relationships with local dairy producers to take milk directly from the farm and deliver it to points of contact for food insecure youth and their families in Worcester and Fitchburg.

The Food Hub received a Dairy Promotion Grant last year and used the funds to purchase milk for the Boys & Girls Club. The application this year included a request to fund an expansion to Fitchburg, using the Fitchburg Public Schools system as a touchpoint and Growing Places as a storage and delivery partner in North County.

The first deliveries take place on Wednesday.

Last year, the dairy donation partnership with the Food Hub led to 2,540 units of milk being delivered to the Boys & Girls Club food pantry through 21 weekly deliveries. Mapleline Farm in Hadley provided the milk and will be doing so again. After the program, youth and families at the Boys & Girls Club expressed an interest in continuing to find ways to get locally produced food products, like milk, in their households.

Clark University to Host Free Esports Boot Camp in July

Clark University will host a free Esports Boot Camp on campus at 950 Main Street in Worcester from Monday July 11, through Friday, July 15, from 10 AM to 4 PM. The camp is for kids 14 to 18 years old.

Participants will of the camp will:

  • Play video games with, and practice against your peers,
  • Participate in video game tournaments and win prizes,
  • Receive advice and feedback from Pro Esports coaches,
  • Enjoy guest appearances and Q&A from professionals in the industry, and
  • Learn what it’s like to play and be part of a pro team environment.

Register for the camp here  or contact [email protected] for more information.

Big Brother Big Sister Picking Up Donations in Worcester

The Big Brother Big Sister Foundation has a truck scheduled for pickups in the Worcester area on Friday, June 10.

Founded in 1904, Big Brother Big Sisters is the nation’s largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brother Big Sister makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 5 through young adulthood in communities across the country.

Foundation pickups accept a range of items, including clothing, certain household items, books and other items. See the full list of acceptable items here.

Schedule a home pickup here.

 

Lead image courtesy: Worcester Police Department/Facebook

Follow us on The016.com, the social network for Worcester and you!