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, June 19 – the City of Worcester’s Summer Impact team is ready to crack down on fireworks, COVID-19 cases in the city are trending in a positive direction, the nine state universities plan to have students return to campus this fall, four Worcester restaurants have applied for outdoor dining, and a Black Lives Matter protest is being held in Sutton today to recognize Juneteenth.
State Universities Announce Plan To Return Students in September
The Massachusetts State Universities announced on Thursday, June 18, that they intend to have students return to their nine campuses beginning in September 2020.
All nine intend to offer a blend of in-classroom and remote course offerings while following state and federal health and safety protocols.
“Because the state universities have very few large lecture-style classes, and maintain low student-to-faculty ratios, we are confident our campuses will be able to provide students some level of in-classroom instruction.” said Vincent Pedone, Executive Director of the State Universities Council of Presidents.
Each of the nine universities are formulating their plans for returning students back to campus safely. They are expected to be released over the coming weeks.
Worcester Summer Impact Launched Early
Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus announced the early launch of the Summer Impact Program on Thursday, June 18.
According to Augustus, each night a command team will be assigned to investigate complaints and address nuisance concerns.
The launch is in response to 335 complaints received between June 7 and June 17 about the use of fireworks in Worcester. On June 15, fireworks caused a two-alarm fire that let 11 people displaced from their home.
Residents can report an anonymous tip by calling (508) 799-1003 or text to 274637.
New Restaurants Apply For Outdoor Permits
Four new restaurants are scheduled to appear before the License Commission in Worcester on Friday, June 19. Each has applied to expand for temporary outdoor dining.
- Vernon Hill American Legion Post 435, 267 Providence Street
- 110 Grill, 123 Front Street
- Route 12 Café, 580 West Boylston Street
- The Broadway, 100 Water Street
The Broadway has also applied for the sidewalk dining license.
The license commission meeting takes place at City Hall and is live steamed on worcesterma.gov.
COVID-19 Trends are Reason for Optimism
COVID-19 has been tough on Worcester, with City Manager Ed August announcing on Thursday, June 18, that a total of 5,115 residents of the city have tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic.
The most recent indicators of COVID-19 are much more encouraging.
Across the Saint Vincent and UMass healthcare systems there were 284 positive patients on May 1. On June 1, there were 142. Augustus announced on Thursday there are now 49.
Positive patients in intensive care have seen similar decreases. On May 1, there were 107 patients in ICU. On June 1, there were 53. Augustus announced there were 18 on Thursday.
On the first day of testing available for free, Wednesday, June 17, UMass Memorial tested a total of 780 individuals. At the time, Augustus made the announcement on Thursday, results had been reported for 665 of those.
Just 1.95%, a total of 13, tested positive.
March for Black Lives in Sutton
A Black Lives Matter Peaceful Protest to commemorate Juneteenth will start from Sutton High School on Friday, June 19, from 3 PM and March to the center of Sutton.
Participants are asked to bring a mask, profane-free signs and friends.
