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, Jan. 21 — WARL cut its adoption fees for pets for a short time, Worcester high school students went to college – also for a short time, the annual race for the Tarentino Fund is planned, a Railers coach was fined, and Tower Hill unveiled its big plans for 2020.
Adoption Fees Drastically Reduced at Worcester Animal Rescue League
Give an animal a chance. Meet the love of your life. And if funds have been holding you back, now’s the time. The Worcester Animal Rescue League through Jan. 24 is slashing its adoption fees for adoptable cats and dogs that are older than one year of age to $75.
In case you don’t know it, the doggie adoption fee is regularly $225 and for cats it’s $145.
Railers Coach Slapped With Fines
Worcester head coach David Cunniff was been suspended for two games and fined an undisclosed amount as a result of his actions during an East Coast Hockey League against Maine on Jan. 14.
According to an announcement from ECHL, Cunniff was fined under Rule #28, which is “supplementary discipline.” What that means isn’t very clear, but Cunniff had to miss Jan. 19th’s game against Reading and also a game on Jan. 20.
Worcester High School Students “Go to College”
Not your “typical college students,” juniors and seniors from Worcester Public high schools recently took part in “Introduction to Information Technologies” at Quinsigamond Community College as part of the Early College Worcester Program. This early college program enables high school students to participate in college and career readiness activities and free college credit course offerings. It gives students the chance to experience college ahead of time, with the goal of having them enroll in college after they graduate from high school.
These activities and courses are offered at high school at QCC or Worcester State University. Students earn college and high school credits at the same time and can graduate from high school with a high school diploma and at least 12 college credits.
“Early College Worcester enables students to save time and money,” said Christina Hebert, director of Educational Partnership and Early College Initiatives at QCC. “The number of Worcester Public School students who successfully participate in the program continues to increase each semester.”
In last semester’s QCC’s introductory technology class, taught by instructor Robert “Bob” Knox, the students learned the programming language, Python; how to use databases with Access, as well as spreadsheets in Excel, and web design.
“This was my first experience with the early college students, but I can assure you it is unusual to have 90 percent of a class engrossed to a level where they were not on their phones and not watching the clock, but were actually more concerned with the project and working together to complete it,” Knox said.
The Annual Tarentino Strong Road Race Returns in April
Mark your calendars for the annual Tarentino Strong 5k Road Race, happening in Leicester on Sunday, April 26. All of the proceeds, and that means 100 percent, for this event goes to the nonprofit Officer Ronald Tarentino, Jr. Charitable Fund.
Officer Tarentino of the Auburn Police Department, and formerly of the Leicester Police Department, was shot multiple times and killed during a traffic stop on Rochdale Street in Auburn on May 22, 2016, at 12:30 a.m.
“This event is a family friendly way to honor all that Officer Tarentino continues to stand for along with the great work the charitable fund continues to do in his name,” said the announcement. “Officer Tarentino was a respected, well loved police officer who served with distinction in both the towns of Leicester and Auburn. He also was a true family man who loved spending time with his family and friends.”
The mission of the Officer Ronald Tarentino, Jr. Charitable Fund is to provide educational scholarships and to help people who have experienced catastrophic circumstances (illness, serious injury, death of a loved one, etc.) by providing financial support and/or donating items that can assist in their recovery.
The People at Tower Hill Garden Want to Share Their 2020 Vision With You
Board members recently shared that some bigtime improvements, additions and new exhibits are coming to Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston this year, including a “new entry experience and an inspirational garden for children and the young at heart.
“As our members and longtime supporters may have noticed in recent years, more people are visiting Tower Hill than ever before,” continued the announcement. “ We are thrilled to be helping connect more than 160,000 visitors to plants and nature each year. With attendance roughly doubling in the last seven years, it’s important that Tower Hill responds to ensure an excellent guest experience and to place our nonprofit museum in a position to continue thriving for generations to come.”
In 1986, the Worcester County Horticultural Society moved its headquarters from downtown to Tower Hill, where it still stands today.
According to officials, employees have been busy working behind the scenes to prep for construction in the coming year. The first change planned is a renovation of the lobby, designed to improve the entrance with a new info des, sound absorbing elements and info screens.
More parking space is also in the works, as well as more plants and the installation of important water runoff equipment. The lots will be under construction from the spring through the summer.
“Later this year arriving guests will see an updated entry experience that welcomes vehicles to the property,” said the statement, “and does away with our entry gate house that can at times lead to a line of cars backed up on our driveway. Instead, visitors will park and follow a series of paths to the renovated lobby where they will check in (members) or pay admission (guests).”
The Ramble, though, is what Tower Hill is most excited about. This is a garden designed for children and the young at heart. The garden is going to be built in the woods behind the end of Pliny’s Allee.
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