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 – Tuesday, July 7 – a crowdfunding campaign has been launched for the Neil Fingleton documentary, the Worcester Art Museum announces its opening date, Resinate announces opening to public, gas prices continue to rise and Massachusetts is ranked among states with strongest COVID-19 regulations.
Crowdfunder Started for Documentary on Holy Name, Holy Cross Star Neil Fingleton
The team behind a documentary on the life of the late Neil Fingleton has launched a Crowdfunder campaign to raise money to complete the documentary.
Filmmaker Paul Stainthorpe and Lone Pine Pictures will feature the 7’7″ tall, Durham, England native in the documentary film “Big Smooth.”
The goal for the Crowdfunder is 10,000 €. If the campaign can raise 5,000 €, the North East Local Enterprise Partnership has agreed to match the other half. As of Tuesday morning, the fundraiser had already raised over 1,000 €.
Fingleton moved to the United States to attend Holy Name in Worcester at the age of 16. He helped lead the Napoleons to the 1999 District 1 Championship. The McDonald’s High School All-American would go on to play two seasons at the University of North Carolina before transferring to Holy Cross and coming back to Worcester.
Fingleton graduated from Holy Cross in 2004.
From basketball star to world record actor, Big Smooth is a documentary telling the story of Neil Fingleton. Please support it and help us tell this amazing life story: https://t.co/fTEryIcRpq 🏀 #BigSmoothFilm @HCrossMBB @GoHolyCross @JaredCurry32 @thisweekinWoo @GoTorey pic.twitter.com/snCX99Tl11
— Lone Pine Pictures (@LonePinePics) July 7, 2020
Worcester Art Museum Announces Reopening Date
The Worcester Art Museum will reopen to the public in early October 2020.
The museum is choosing this time to accommodate two exhibitions already scheduled. The Kimono in Print: 300 Years of Japanese Design opens October 3 and Kimono Couture: The Beauty of Chiso opens November 7.
In the interim, the Museum is focused on renovations and improvements ongoing at its facility.
Locally Owned Cannabis Company Launches Adult Use Sales
Resinate announced that it will open its flagship retail location at 1191 Millbury St. on Friday, July 10.
“We are proud of our progress, but more so of the outstanding team we’ve assembled at Resinate. We opened during the Pandemic. Not only we were successful in meeting demand, but we’ve maintained the health and safety of our staff and patients. As we continue to adhere to the re-opening plans set forth by Governor Baker, we are excited to offer the same level of safety to our Adult Use customers,” said CEO Peter DeCaro.
Resinate offers pre-orders and curbside pickup to Recreational and Medical users and offers free delivery within a 20-mile radius to Medical Patients.
Gas Prices Continue Rise
AAA Northeast reported that that gas prices continue to rise in Massachusetts.
As of Sunday, July 6, the average for a gallon of gas was $2.10. That is a 10 cent increase over the last two weeks.
Over Independence Day weekend in 2019, prices were 65 cents higher than in 2020.
Massachusetts Ranks Among States with Strongest COVID-19 Restrictions
With some states pausing their reopening processes due to spikes in COVID-19, the personal-finance website WalletHub released updated rankings for the States with the Fewest Coronavirus Restrictions.
To identify which states have the fewest coronavirus restrictions, WalletHub compared the 50 states and Washington, D.C. across 18 key metrics — ranging from whether the state has any penalties for non-compliance with COVID-19 legislation to whether the state has required face masks in public and health checks at restaurants.
Massachusetts ranks 40th overall. To see how it compares to the rest of the country, scroll the map below.
