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, Jan. 10 — the Worcester PD is stepping up efforts to prevent underage drinking, a bunch of pot shops have been approved for Massachusetts, state hands out more than $1 million in grants at WorcLab, there’s a really good new ENT doc at Reliant, and another death has been reported due to vaping.
Worcester Police to Increase Efforts to Prevent Underage Drinking
The Worcester Police Department [WPD] announced on Thursday that its Alcohol Enforcement Unit will be stepping up its efforts to prevent underage drinking and prohibit the sale the of alcoholic beverages to minors.
The unit will be conducting a number of programs during the year, including conducting various underage alcohol compliance stings and surveillance activities.
The AEU will also be targeting establishments that over serve patrons and will watch for fake IDs and minors attempting to purchase alcohol.
31 Licenses Approved for Marijuana Establishments in Massachusetts
Approval for Bay State pot shops is burning. The Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday approved 31 new provisional licenses for marijuana establishments. The next public meeting of the commission is planned at its Union Station headquarters next Thursday, Jan. 16, at noon.
“The commission remains committed to ensuring meaningful participation in the legal industry by women-, minority-, and veteran-owned businesses, as well as individuals who have been harmed by previous marijuana prohibition,” said the release. “Specific policies, programs, and regulations have been created to support individuals who are facing barriers to entry. However feedback from applicants who feel they don’t have enough information about the status of their applications is both heard and appreciated by commissioners and staff.”
On Jan. 23 from 1 to 5 PM in Worcester at Union State, the commission holds an applicant forum to understand in more specific detail the challenges that cannabis business applicants encounter during the licensing process. Applicants are invited to attend and share their experiences and concerns.
4th Person Dies From Vaping-Associated Injury in Mass.
A fourth person has died of a vaping-associated lung injury in the state, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) announced on Thursday. The patient, a man in his 70s from Middlesex County, reported vaping tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), an ingredient found in marijuana. The case is among the 36 confirmed cases of e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) that DPH has reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since Sept. 11, 2019, when the state began requiring clinicians to report any unexplained lung injury in a patient to the department.
Since the state began mandating the report, DPH has received 341 reports from clinicians of suspected vaping-associated lung injuries. Of those, 109 cases of EVALI have been identified, with 36 confirmed cases and 73 probable cases reported to the CDC.
“Today’s news is a tragic reminder that we must remain vigilant about the dangers of vaping,” said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH. “There are resources available to help people quit and we encourage anyone to use these resources.”
In November, DPH reported the death of a man in his 50s from Worcester County who reported vaping both nicotine and THC. In October, the state reported the vaping-associated lung injury deaths of a woman in her 40s from Middlesex County and a woman in her 60s from Hampshire County, both of whom vaped nicotine.
In December, the state’s Public Health Council approved new regulations that restrict the sale of nicotine vaping and flavored vaping and tobacco products.
Reliant Welcomes Dr. Jason Kass to Otolaryngology Department
Who the heck knows what otolaryngology is, anyway? Only people who work in it; that’s who.
So we’ll tell you this; Reliant Medical Group is happy to welcome Jason Kass, MD, PhD, to the ENT department. That means he deals with the ears, nose and throat.
Kass got his medical degree at Boston University and then completed his internship and residency at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA. He did a fellowship in Advanced Head and Neck Oncology and Robotics at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY, and is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.
Kass is welcoming new patients at the Worcester Medical Center office at 123 Summer Street, as well as Reliant’s Milford and Southborough offices.
Another Round of Grants, Totaling More Than $1 Million, Goes to Community-Based Innovation
The Baker-Polito administration said yesterday that $1,892,910 in grants was given to 31 organizations to strengthen community-based innovation and entrepreneurship in 22 communities throughout the state. The fourth round of the Collaborative Workspace Program, administered by MassDevelopment, is aimed at building physical infrastructure to support new entrepreneurial ventures while spurring innovation and job creation at the local level.
“Massachusetts’ economy thrives when local entrepreneurs, creators, and small business owners have the space and resources they need to be successful,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The Collaborative Workspace Program represents an important tool for our administration to foster innovation and drive job growth in the Commonwealth.”
Lt. Governor Karyn Polito joined MassDevelopment President and CEO Lauren Liss, Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus, and WorcLab Executive Director and Board Chairman Larry Genovesi to announce the awards at WorcLab in Worcester.
Through its first three rounds of grants, the Collaborative Workspace Program provided over $5 million in 81 awards for the planning, development, and build-out of different types of collaborative workspaces.
Many awards have benefited innovation spaces in the state’s Gateway Cities.
“Congratulations to WorcLab on today’s announcement and I look forward to great things to come out of this space,” said Mayor Joseph M. Petty. “ We’re seeing co-working and manufacturing organizations like this creating dynamic spaces for everything from entrepreneurs to after school programs.”
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