Ice Accumulation Expected, Worcester Declares Parking Ban Jan. 6 at 8 PM

WORCESTER – A declared winter parking ban in Worcester goes into effect at 8 PM on Tuesday, Jan. 6. The National Weather Service (NWS) had not yet issued a winter weather advisory for the area at the time of publication.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Winter Weather Advisory for much of Worcester County beginning at 7 PM through 10 AM on Wednesday. The NWS predicts mixed precipitation with a total accumulation of up to one inch and up to two-tenths of an inch of ice accumulation.

During the Declared Winter Parking Ban, parking is prohibited on either side of main arteries, emergency and bus routes, and streets in the downtown area critical to the flow of traffic. On all other streets, parking is only permitted on the odd numbered side of the street, unless otherwise posted. Find the specific restrictions on your street at the City of Worcester website.

Municipal parking garages are free of charge to any vehicle that enters after 5 PM on Monday until the Declared Winter Parking Ban is lifted.

The following garages are included:

• Federal Plaza Garage – 570 Main St.
• Pearl & Elm Garage – 20 Pearl St.
• Worcester Common Garage – 3 Eaton Place
• Union Station Garage – 225 Franklin St.
• Major Taylor Blvd Garage – 30 Major Taylor Blvd.

Towing and ticketing will be enforced to keep streets clear.

For questions, residents should contact Worcester 311 by dialing 3-1-1, emailing 311@worcesterma.gov, or visiting worcesterma.gov/311.

Worcester City Council Committee Assignments Announced

WORCESTER – The Worcester City Council released Mayor Joe Petty’s assignments to Worcester City Council committees.

Each committee of the council has jurisdiction over assigned components of city government. The definition of the jurisdiction of each committee, as provided by the council, may be found below.

In Worcester’s form of government, the Mayor is an at-large councilor who serves as the chair of the city council and school committee. The chief executive officer of the city is the city manager, an appointee of the city council.

The members of the new lineup of the Worcester City Council, elected in November, took the oath of office on Friday, Jan. 2. The elected members of the city council are:

• Joe Petty – Mayor, Council Chair, City Councilor At-Large
• Khrystian King – Council Vice-Chair, City Councilor At-Large
• Kate Toomey – City Councilor At-Large
• Gary Rosen – City Councilor At-Large
• Satya Mitra – City Councilor At-Large
• Moe Bergman – City Councilor At-Large
• Tony Economou – District 1 City Councilor
• Robert Billotta – District 2 City Councilor
• John Fresolo – District 3 City Councilor
• Luis Ojeda – District 4 City Councilor
• Jose Rivera – District 5 City Councilor

The city council elected in November meets for the first time on Jan. 13.

Committee Assignments

Committee on Economic Development

To consider matters pertaining to economic development, neighborhood development, housing development, marketing, arts, cultural development, workforce development, zoning, planning and regulatory services functions of the city.

Appointed Members

• Morris Bergman (Chair)
• Kathleen Toomey
• Satya Mitra

Committee on Education

To consider matters pertaining to public education, the public libraries, arts, culture and higher education.

Appointed Members

• Khrystian King – Chair
• Tony Economou
• Gary Rosen – City Councilor At-Large

Committee on Municipal and Legislative Operations

To consider matters involving municipal operations and 26 procedures including: human resources; employee health care; workers compensation and injured on duty; unemployment compensation; the retirement system; taxation, fees, charges, and other revenues; and, the city clerk, city auditor and other municipal support operations. Further, to initiate and review proposals for amendments to the rules of the city council and any other matter affecting or determining the conduct of city council meetings or meetings of any standing or ad hoc committees of the city council and to consider matters pertaining to state and federal legislation affecting Worcester and regional affairs.

Appointed Members

• Khrystian King (Chair)
• Tony Economou
• Gary Rosen

Public Health and Human Services

To consider matters relating to public health, the elderly, the equality of women, youth services, public housing, the disabled and community development block grant funding.

Appointed Members

• Gary Rosen (Chair)
• Khrystian King
• Kate Toomey

Public Safety

To consider matters pertaining to criminal and civil law enforcement, public safety communications services and ambulance, first responder services in the city
and inspections of health, safety and environmental stability of Worcester’s business and residential community.

Appointed Members

• Kate Toomey (Chair)
• Moe Bergman
• Tony Economou

Public Service and Transportation

To consider matters concerning cable television and telecommunications, public transportation, taxis, and liveries.

Appointed Members

• Rob Bilotta (Chair)
• John Fresolo
• Luis Ojeda

Public Works

To consider matters pertaining to streets, water, sewers, sanitation, recycling, streetlights, snow removal and the construction of public buildings

Appointed Members

• Tony Economou (Chair)
• Satya Mitra
• John Fresolo

Traffic and Parking

To consider matters pertaining to traffic and parking ordinances, off street parking facilities.

Appointed Members

• Jose Rivera (Chair)
• Luis Ojeda
• Rob Bilotta

Urban Technologies, Innovation and Environment

To consider matters pertaining to smart city solutions, process engineering, technology, telecommunications, strategic planning, green spaces, blue spaces, urban agricultural, urban trees, climate change and electric aggregation

Appointed Members

• Luis Ojeda (Chair)
• Jose Rivera
• Khrystian King

Veterans’ Memorial, Parks and Recreation

To consider matters pertaining to parks, playgrounds, youth recreation activities, veterans’ services, military and veterans’ monuments, memorial monuments and historical markers and Hope Cemetery.

Appointed Members

• John Fresolo (Chair)
• Rob Bilotta
• Jose Rivera

See the Neighborhood Meetings This Week in Worcester

WORCESTER – The Worcester Police Department is encouraging residents to attend their neighborhood watch meetings to stay up-to-date on what’s happening in their neighborhoods and to share any concerns or questions they may have. Representatives from the city also regularly attend these neighborhood meetings.

There are over 50 Neighborhood Watch Groups in Worcester. Meetings are held regularly — often once a month in various locations in the city.

Contact the Worcester Police Department’s Neighborhood Response Team at (508) 799-8664 for more information.

Here are the neighborhood meetings this week in Worcester.

Wednesday, Jan. 7

• Seabury Heights Apartments Neighborhood Meeting, 240 Belmont St. – 4 PM
• Coes Pond Village Apt Meeting, Coes Pond Village, 39 First St. – 5:30 PM

Thursday, Jan. 8

• South Lenox St Neighborhood Meeting, First Congregational Church, 1070 Pleasant St. – 6 PM
• Burncoat/Greendale Neighborhood Meeting, 340 Burncoat St. – 6 PM

Lawsuit against TWIW, Chair of Public Safety Committee, Inauguration Ceremonies

This Week in Worcester Podcast, Jan. 4, 2026, on:

• Worcester Police Union President Files Lawsuit against TWIW
• Who will be named chair of the Public Safety Committee?
• Inauguration Ceremonies

If you can contribute to our legal defense in this frivolous lawsuit, we’d be grateful.

Old Grumbly Fan’s Week 18 Patriots Preview vs. the Dolphins

There really isn’t much more a team can beat another team then the way the Patriots beat the Jets last week. If only Andy Borregales had hit his 41 yard field goal attempt in the 3rd quarter, then my prediction would have been spot on. 42-10 versus 45-10. Not bad for Old Grumbly.

With last week’s win, the Patriots are your 2025-26 AFC East Division Champs.

Mike Vrabel’s team won this game in the early second quarter with a 7 play 66 yard drive that resulted in a 22-yard pass to Rhamondre Stephenson, putting the Pats up 21-0. There was no chance at all the Jets were coming back. The crowd knew, the Jets knew, and the Pats knew. The only thing was to get out of there healthy.

Drake Maye is very much in the MVP consideration for the season with yet another stellar game. 19 for 21 for 256 and 5 touchdowns. A week after setting his personal yardage high against the Ravens, he set his career touchdown high against the Jets. He also came out of the game in the 3rd quarter. The Jets foolishly tried to rough him up late in the second, which led to Vrabel running up the score. Typical Jets.

Josh McDaniels ialed in all the right plays. Seven players caught passes, all 5 touchdowns went to different players. Stevenson and Henderson continue to complement each other, and Stevenson is really becoming effective in the pass game. The offensive line has not missed a beat and frankly has gotten better since injuries early in December. This offense is playing elite going into the playoffs.

The Jets were not much of a test for the defense. They shut down most of the Jets except for Breece Hall, who is going to get PAID in the offseason by someone. He had almost half of the Jets offense and a long 59 yd TD in the fourth. Without him, the Pats likely shut out the Jets. They might have been if the Pats had left everyone in.

Steffon Diggs continues to be one of the best free agent signings in the NFL, with 5 catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. He is 38 yards away from 1,000 on the season. He was hit with some accusations by a personal chef that made all the sports talk shows. Frankly, we live in a country where you are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. I definitely do not see that in the local sports media.

Christian Barmore was also hit with some legal trouble as well. We will wait to talk about it.

Old Grumbly Fan Predictions

The Patriots are 13-3 and have already clinched the division. Denver has caught somewhat of a break in that the Chargers announced that Justin Herbert will not play this Sunday. I doubt that Vrabel will not have his team ready to play against the Dolphins, who have had a huge bounce back after a 1-6 start. They have gone 6-3 in their last nine games, probably saving Mike McDaniels’ job, although they will likely make a change at the QB position.

This is a different team than the one the Patriots beat in Miami in September. So are the Patriots. They have become a heavily run-based team, and De’Von Archane has delivered a career year with 1350 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground to go with 67 catches, 483 more yards and 4 more touchdowns. He is a fantasy manager’s dream. He is 170 yards or so away from a 2,000 yard in total yards this season. I expect McDaniels to feed him early and often.

The Patriots are getting healthy, and it looks like Milton Williams will be back on D to end the season. I expect a much stouter run defense with him, and I think the offense will look to go up early again and pour it on.

In the Dolphins’ last two losses to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, and their win last week against Tampa, they gave up 336, 407 and 380 yards. Not exactly a lockdown defense.

This game takes a little longer to get under control, but in the end the Pats roll again into the postseason.

Pats 38 – Dolphins 17

The Top Viewed Stories at This Week in Worcester in 2025

WORCESTER – On the last day of 2025, we look back at a year where the list of local news stories seemed endless. Many of the hottest topics this year, like immigration and the U.S. Department of Justice pattern or practice investigation of the Worcester Police Department, had long life cycles and led to ongoing reporting throughout the year.

As we look forward to 2026, here is a last look back at 2025 and the top 10 individual news articles viewed by visitors to the This Week in Worcester (TWIW) website in 2025.

Thank you for your support of our work.

1. Exclusive: Trump DHS Plans Immigration Raids on Churches Over Holidays

Published on Nov. 17, TWIW contributor John Keough wrote of a plan which Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to target Spanish-speaking churches across the country during the holiday season. Raids on churches took place in Charlotte, New Orleans, Chicago, and other locations.

See the full story

2. Man Dead After Fall from Upper Floor of Worcester Courthouse

3. Auburn Police Officer Arrested by Massachusetts State Police

In April, Massachusetts State Police Detectives arrested several men, including Auburn Police Officer Dominick Boschetto, after an online sting. The charges filed against Boschetto included sexual conduct for a fee and enticing a child under 16  for sex.

See the full story

4. Three Women Slashed with Box Cutter at Bar in Worcester

Three women, including two 20 -year -olds and another 21 years old, sustained significant injuries after an altercation at a bar on Pleasant Street in Worcester. All three received wounds from the use of box cutters.

This piece has images of the wounds the woman received. Viewer discretion is advised.

See the full story

5. One Seized by Federal ICE Agents, Two Arrested by WPD

Federal agents arrested a woman on Eureka Street on May 8, leading to a significant crowd, mostly women, gathering at the scene. Worcester Police officers arrested the woman’s daughter, a minor, but those charges were later dropped. Ashley Spring, of Worcester, was also arrested and charged with a felony, which was later dropped. She still faces misdemeanor charges.

A Worcester officer charged City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj days after the incident. Both Haxhiaj and Spring face a trial in separate cases, scheduled for February.

See the full story

6. Federal Govt. Cancels Over $1 Million in Central Mass. Leases

Just over six weeks after the inauguration of President Donald Trump for his second term, an analysis by the Worcester Business Journal found that the federal government had cancelled leases for properties it rented in central Massachusetts that combined for an annual rent of $1.34 million.

See the full story

7. Worcester Woman to Voters: Reject Candidates that Protected Alleged Child Rapist

A Worcester woman, Heather Prunier, who reported in 1997 that the principal of Belmont Street School, John Monfredo, sexually abused her between 1991 and 1994, when she was between nine and 12 years old, appears in a video in October urging Worcester voters to reject the candidates that helped protect him. Monfredo went on to serve as a member of the Worcester School Committee.

8. Who Wasn’t Protesting in Worcester Tells the Story

A column by John Keough discusses the lack of diversity he saw in the crowd at the “No Kings” rally in Worcester in April.

At a subsequent rally, the crowd appeared to represent far more diversity.

See the full story

9. Records Show New Details of Monfredo Sex Crimes Investigation

In early November, the Worcester Police Department released 23 pages of documents related to the allegations against John Monfredo. The department released the records to Heather Prunier, the survivor of Monfredo’s alleged crimes, who provided those records to This Week in Worcester. This piece covered what information those documents revealed, some of which appears to be in dispute with Monfredo’s long-held position that he was never alone with Prunier.

See the full story

10. $3.4 Million in Federal Food Assistance to Mass. Cancelled

On March 31, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) received notice from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Northeast Regional Office that the federal government cancelled the allocation of $3.4 million from the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to Massachusetts.

Worcester Nonprofit Offering Free Winter Meals Every Monday

WORCESTER – A local nonprofit organization, RICEMA, offers free meals every Monday from 3 PM to 5 PM at its location at 75 Webster St.

The organization also stocks meals at the Woo Fridge locations on Mondays. Woo Fridges are located at 695 Southbridge St. and 44 Portland St.

RICEMA describes itself as a group of passionate educators dedicated to bringing cultural art to the community. Its adult education program includes English or Vietnamese as a second language and citizenship/naturalization classes. It also hosts a community garden program, a lion dance team, and other cultural programming.

Learn more about RICEMA on its website and Facebook page.

Image Credit: RICEMA/ Facebook

Old Grumbly Fan’s Week 17 Patriots Preview vs. the Jets

Late on a Sunday night Drake Maye led his first big-time comeback against a reeling Baltimore Ravens team. The Patriots won 28-24 to extend their road record to 7-0.

This was the first time Coach Vrabel had to deal with a disappointing loss late in the season in his first year at the helm in New England. Losing to the Bills did not end the season, but if you listen to local sports radio and read the comments online, the negative nellies, who are way Grumblier than me, it seemed like the Bills loss was the end of the world.

Vrabel’s team made the right plays at the right time, and did not let an 11-point deficit early in the fourth keep them from fighting back. This is a great sign for a young team in its first year under a new coach. The Pats also clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2021. They are close to clinching the division, and with a little help are still in the race for the first seed.

Josh McDaniels had a good plan again, especially getting Stefon Diggs involved heavily. Diggs is clearly an emotional leader for the offense, and they respond to him when he is fully invested. Throw him the damn ball! 9 for 138 is a good, good thing for a young QB.

Drake Maye had his first 300-yard game, and it was a big one. He went 31 for 44 with 380 yards and two touchdowns to go along with an interception.

The Ravens’ Derrick Henry ate the defense up on the ground, not an unknown thing for him over the years. The Patriots benefited from a curious decision not to use him in the 4th quarter. The Pats defense forced two fumbles, including a key one on Zach Flowers that really ended the game. The defense continues to suffer with little to no pass-rush consistency, which could be a big issue in the playoffs.

Old Grumbly Fan Predictions

The Patriots are 12-3 and have a shot to clinch the division title against the Jets. The could also achieve their third 8-0 road record in team history. In 2007 and 2016, the Pats had 8-0 records on the road and went to the Super Bowl. The Jets are seemingly more focused on the fan kicking a field goal for charity than their team. The ownership continues to be one of the worst in pro sports. While it is good for the Pats, how can it be good for the league to have this team be a continual laughingstock?

Even with a bunch of injuries, I think the Pats roll big in this game, going in favored by two touchdowns. I think they go up big and coast.

Pats 45 – Jets 10

Exclusive: DOJ AI Tools Lead Epstein Files Redactions

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) heavily uses artificial intelligence tools in its operations, including for transcription and in the redaction of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.

According to multiple assistant U.S. Attorneys across multiple districts, the DOJ searched nearly all the Epstein-related documents using the Veritone aiWare suite of services coupled with the DOJ’s internally developed Intelligent Records Consolidation Tool. The DOJ developed the internal tool in concert with the Savan Group.

According to DOJ attorneys familiar with their development and use, both tools show high levels of failure when faced with large amounts of documents.

The Trump administration has gone all in on the use of AI-tools, as many of the larger companies have attached themselves to Trump administration priorities. On page three of the DOJ document announcing the Veritone usage plan, one paragraph raises questions about the accuracy of the tool.

“The level of human oversight needed varies by use case. For example, if a user were bulk transcribing phone calls for the purpose of searching for responsive content by keywords or phrases, there would be little to no human oversight required to correct the AI transcription results since the accuracy of each individual word is not as important as identifying the right phone call recordings to review.” (emphasis added)

Previous administrations assigned teams of attorneys to review documents related to high-profile cases like the Epstein files. Using the tool for transcription raises concerns about errors leading to unjustified investigations and warrants.

Dozens of attorneys who are normally dealing with trial preparation, deposition management, and other investigation focused areas are scouring the AI-powered redactions for errors. In one Epstein-related case, the information redacted in released documents could be revealed.

DOJ attorneys also told This Week in Worcester that DOJ leadership exerts disproportionate energy on attempting to identify leaks of information.

One Asstistant U.S. Attorney said:

“The level of energy that {Attorney General} Pam{ela Bondi} puts into searching out leaks, and identifying enemies compared to accurate legal work is hard to watch. At many senior staff meetings, high-level cases that are out of the media spotlight are being understaffed. These are corporate scams, murders, human trafficking, and even espionage cases that are not being taken seriously by her inner circle. These tools are not ready for prime time, and this case is too big for them to fail like this. Morale is at an all-time low.”

The DOJ has subjected attorneys working with the Epstein files to polygraph tests. It has also searched the personal devices of attorneys in offices suspected of providing information to This Week in Worcester related to reporting on a Department of Homeland Security plan to raid churches.

Former State Senator Pleads Guilty to Federal Obstruction Charge

FITCHBURG – A local man and former state senator convicted in September 2024 for fraudulent collection of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and tax charges pleaded guilty to additional charges on Friday, Dec. 19.

Dean Tran, 50, of Fitchburg, pleaded guilty to single charges of Obstruction of Justice and Making False Statements in September 2024. He is serving an 18-month sentence in federal prison.

A federal grand jury indicted both Tran and his sister, Tiyet Martin, in June 2024, for the most recent charges.

According to federal prosecutors, while investigating the prior charges, federal agents questioned Tran at his home while executing of a search warrant. During questioning, agents asked him about a letter he submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) to get benefits reinstated that were suspended.

Prosecutors say that during that interview, Tran made false statements to federal agents, including that Martin authored the letter. Tran revised the letter before sending it to DUA. He also said that Martin signed the letter when he signed her name to it.

The charge of obstruction of justice provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of false statements provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.