Kopin plans $80M Westborough expansion, up to 80 jobs with state backing

Westborough-based Kopin Corp. will open a new headquarters at 75 North Drive and invest about $80 million to expand its MicroLED manufacturing in town, the company announced Monday, Nov. 9.

The project could add up to 80 jobs over five years in engineering, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor processing and other business functions, according to the company. A $1.46 million state Investment Tax Credit and an $800,000 state equipment grant support the plan.

Moving headquarters functions next door from 125 North Drive, the company’s longtime base, frees room in that building for more manufacturing and future production programs. Kopin plans a phased buildout that includes facility upgrades and new equipment.

State incentives

The state’s Economic Assistance Coordinating Council approved Kopin’s tax credit Wednesday, Sept. 23, through the Economic Development Incentive Program. Kopin’s project joined nine others that received a combined $11.5 million in credits that day. The state expects the 10 projects to create 674 jobs.

The state’s list of 2026 EDIP awards puts Kopin’s planned investment at more than $80 million, aimed at bringing critical microdisplay manufacturing back to the U.S. The program awards tax credits to companies in exchange for commitments on hiring and capital investment in Massachusetts.

The $800,000 grant comes from the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative, which the Center for Advanced Manufacturing at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative runs. Kopin will use the money to buy production equipment for MicroLED displays and for Neural I/o, an optical interconnect product.

Defense and AI work

Kopin makes microdisplays and optical systems for defense, enterprise, consumer and professional customers. Its color MicroLED displays go into next-generation vision systems for soldiers and pilots.

Neural I/o uses MicroLEDs to send data as light. The company designed it to cut the energy AI processors spend moving data from chip to chip, and it develops the technology with partner Fabric.AI.

Federal money also backs the MicroLED work. In October, Kopin received an additional $18.6 million through the Defense Department’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program, which brings its total funding from that program to $34 million.

“MicroLED is opening new possibilities in how soldiers and pilots see critical information,” CEO Michael Murray said in the company’s announcement. He said state support helps Kopin build capacity in Massachusetts, where the company has operated for more than 40 years.

The Massachusetts Legislative Manufacturing Caucus recently named Kopin a Manufacturer of the Year after state Rep. Kate Donaghue, D-Westborough, nominated the company.

Kopin, which trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol KOPN, will report third-quarter results Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 5 p.m.

Image credit: Google

Massachusetts gas prices fall 9 cents as oil slides, AAA says

The average price of regular gas in Massachusetts fell 9 cents in the past week to $4.08 a gallon, AAA Northeast reported Monday, Nov. 9.

Massachusetts drivers now pay 24 cents less than a month ago, when the average stood at $4.32. The state average remains $1.08 above this time last year, when a gallon cost $3, and runs 8 cents higher than the national average.

Prices dropped across southern New England. Rhode Island posted the largest weekly decline of the three states, 11 cents, and now matches the national average at $4. Connecticut fell 10 cents to $4.14, the highest price in the region.

Gas prices in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut

Average price per gallon of regular unleaded as of Nov. 9. Source: AAA Northeast.

Drivers nationwide saw a steeper drop. The U.S. average fell 16 cents in a week to $4 a gallon, 37 cents below a month ago and 94 cents above a year ago, according to AAA’s Nov. 9 survey.

Why prices are falling

Crude oil prices dropped about 12% last week. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, settled near $90 a barrel when trading closed Friday, Nov. 6, and Brent crude fell to about $98. Both slipped further in weekend trading, with WTI dipping below $90 and Brent below $95.

AAA tied much of the decline to multiple reports that the United States and Iran are open to renewed talks to end the war between them. Oil prices also fell sharply after last week’s midterm elections.

Domestic supply grew. U.S. producers pumped more than 14 million barrels of oil in a single week for the first time, according to the latest Weekly Petroleum Status Report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. AAA said the record reflects how oil and gas companies ramped up production this year amid tight global supplies and high prices.

Refineries ran at 94.5% of capacity, an increase of about 2% for the week and well above the 86% rate a year ago, the EIA reported. Gasoline demand rose by 450,000 barrels a day to 8.8 million barrels a day. Gasoline inventories fell by 200,000 barrels to 209 million barrels, 2.9 million barrels more than a year ago and about 2% below the seasonal average.

“The pace of price declines at the pump has accelerated in recent days and the national average price for regular unleaded is on the verge of falling below $4 a gallon for the first time since July 19,” said Mark Schieldrop, senior spokesperson for AAA Northeast.

Schieldrop said the months from August through October set the highest monthly averages on record. “Time will tell if the streak continues in November, or if prices cool enough to stop the trend,” he said.

Drivers can check current state and metro averages on AAA’s gas prices site.

Falling short of the American Dream

By Emily Micucci

On a Monday morning in October, a sister and brother crunch numbers and trade ideas for growing their fledgling Mexican eatery at 1 Kelley Square in Worcester.

Maria Guadalupe Rodriguez, 55, and Rosalio Carmona, 52, have big ambitions for El Sombrero Taqueria, which they opened in 2022. With another location at the Solomon Pond Mall in Marlborough and a potential third on Park Avenue in Worcester, the siblings are determined to move beyond survival.

“We don’t want to stay small,” Rodriguez said. “We want to grow.”

But growth requires cash. Rising food costs are squeezing margins, and the owners anticipate raising prices. Other neighborhood restaurants have closed under financial pressure.

Carmona, who studied hospitality at Quinsigamond Community College and works in the kitchen at The Beechwood Hotel in Worcester, invests his earnings in the business. Rodriguez, the chef, pursues new revenue through pop-up events at local employers and a new takeout concept called Snackeria. Her children and nieces work there.

One of nine children, Rodriguez learned to cook from her mother and grandmother, both chefs. She remembers her mother selling food to neighbors in Mexico, followed by her young son carrying a pot of steaming food.

Today, she draws on that entrepreneurial spirit.

“We have to keep going with quality, passion, and love,” she said.

Yet determination alone cannot overcome financial barriers. Starting or expanding a business requires capital, and those without home equity, family wealth or other assets often struggle to secure it.

Less than 1 percent each of employer businesses in Worcester County are owned by Black and Hispanic people, far below national rates, according to Worcester County Insights, a data initiative from Greater Worcester Community Foundation and Worcester Regional Research Bureau. Those figures exclude sole proprietors and businesses without paid employees, including many small enterprises operated by entrepreneurs of color.

Conventional financing can be particularly difficult without collateral or an established financial track record.

Rodriguez and Carmona know this firsthand. The siblings previously operated another Worcester restaurant that shuttered during the Great Recession. When they tried again in 2022, financing came from a brother working in Mexico’s petroleum industry, rather than a bank.

Rodriguez wouldn’t risk the four-bedroom Shrewsbury home she and her husband purchased in 2005. Carmona had no property to leverage.

A home of his own

Even as he invests in the business, Carmona is pursuing another financial goal: homeownership.

He hopes to buy a mobile home in Worcester, a modest aspiration competing with the money he directs toward El Sombrero. His circumstances illustrate how business ownership and homeownership are intertwined. Property provides equity for business financing, while business income can help families save for a home. Without either, building wealth becomes harder.

Carmona sees new condominiums rising throughout Worcester and wonders who can afford them as interest rates rise and home prices remain higher than the national median. 

The numbers suggest his concerns are well-founded. According to WCI, Black and Hispanic homeownership rates in Greater Worcester stand at 33 percent, compared with 71 percent among White residents.

Nationally, rates are higher among Black and Hispanic households, although disparities persist. A 2025 National Association of Realtors report found the White homeownership rate was 72 percent in 2023, compared with 51 percent among Hispanic households and 45 percent among Black households.

The business ownership gap is similarly pronounced. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 22.6 percent of U.S. employer firms were minority-owned in 2022, far exceeding the reported share of Black- and Hispanic-owned employer businesses in Worcester County, although the figures use different racial and ethnic groupings and aren’t directly comparable.

Industry help?

Closing these gaps requires financing and institutions willing to help prospective owners navigate the process.

Darryl Caffee, senior vice president of home lending at Auburn-based Webster Five bank, understands the importance of representation in an industry where people of color remain underrepresented.

Caffee, who is Black, graduated from law school in 2012, entered banking as an in-house attorney and joined Webster Five in 2018. Today, he connects aspiring homeowners with mortgage products offering reduced down payments and first-time homebuyer incentives.

Those efforts have become more difficult since 2025, as federal guidance on creating programs to help lenders address social needs in homebuying has shifted under President Donald Trump’s administration. 

In 2022, federal regulators issued a statement telling lenders that creating special programs to encourage homeownership among people of color does not violate federal regulations, which generally forbid race-based lending and were ostensibly established to protect people of color from discrimination in banking.

The Trump administration rescinded this guidance in August, saying the 2022 interpretation under President Joe Biden’s administration couldn’t be reconciled with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act or the Fair Housing Act. 

To comply with this new federal guidance, Webster Five now emphasizes income-based eligibility criteria. Programs through the Massachusetts Housing Partnership and Fannie Mae provide options beyond conventional mortgages.

“You have to have access to those products and programs. Otherwise, you’re really at the whim of what your portfolio will allow you to do,” Caffee said.

For Alexander Hayden, 26, that access helped turn ambition into investment.

Hayden, a Worcester Housing Authority construction project manager, grew up in Shrewsbury after his family moved from Montreal. He hopes to build a multifamily property portfolio and eventually provide concierge services to tenants.

Of African descent, Hayden doesn’t fall into the category of White privilege, but he acknowledges advantages that many buyers lack. His mother allowed him to leverage her Shrewsbury multifamily property. Still, larger banks showed little interest in his plans.

At Webster Five, he found personalized assistance. Using first-time homebuyer incentives and leveraging his mother’s property, Hayden purchased a small Cape-style home he hopes to convert into a multi-unit property. His mother is a silent partner.

“I want to say I tried something, and if it fails, it fails,” Hayden said.

His experience illustrates what’s possible when family assets, financing programs and lending assistance converge, as well as the disadvantages facing those without such resources.

For entrepreneurs lacking substantial collateral, conventional financing can be especially difficult.

Think small

Overall, business loan approval rates are relatively high. A March 2025 Federal Reserve report found that, in 2023, 75 percent of applicants seeking loans, lines of credit or cash advances from small banks received at least some funding, compared with 66 percent of applicants at large banks.

But denial rates vary by race and ethnicity. According to the Federal Reserve’s 2025 report on small-business financing, 18 percent of White-owned businesses were denied financing, compared with 39 percent of Black-owned businesses and 29 percent of Hispanic-owned businesses. The figures come from a 2024 nationwide survey of small employer firms.

Such disparities point to institutional bias, said Monica Thomas-Bonnick, Webster Five vice president and commercial lending officer. A Black woman and industry veteran, she’s focused on leveling the playing field.

“People who look like me are not in the vast majority of those who own businesses,” Thomas-Bonnick said. “We have not had access to the same things, on purpose.”

Rather than accept those barriers, she advocates providing technical assistance and educating borrowers about loan requirements, particularly the importance of improving credit scores. That personalized attention lengthens the sales cycle, something not every bank embraces, she said.

“Once you educate them and you show you care about them being able to access capital, they start to put things into place to help them reach that goal of business ownership,” said Thomas-Bonnick.

Connecting with such lenders is crucial, said Elizabeth Cruz, president of the Worcester-based Latin American Business Organization.

Cultural attitudes, including distrust of financial institutions and reluctance to discuss personal finances, can discourage Latino borrowers, Cruz said.

Equally important is knowing where to find resources. LABO connects entrepreneurs with city government-backed grants, pitch competitions and Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce membership.

Cruz challenges the perception that Hispanic business ownership is minuscule. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2025 Massachusetts Small Business Profile, Hispanic entrepreneurs owned 70,512 businesses statewide, representing 9.9 percent of businesses. More than 92 percent had no employees, excluding them from federal employer-business statistics. The figures are based on 2022 Census data.

“I tell our members, ‘Hey, you’re making these great contributions in this country,’” Cruz said.

It’s a message Rodriguez of El Sombrero Taqueria embraces. A LABO member, she received a $25,000 City of Worcester grant for kitchen equipment. Although she previously was unsuccessful in obtaining a business loan, Rodriguez plans to try again to support expansion in 2027. She believes entrepreneurs must advocate for themselves, seek resources and find lenders willing to hear their stories.

She’s hopeful someone will listen when she applies for a loan once again.

“I’m not 100 percent confident that we’re going to get it, but we’re going to try,” Rodriguez said.

This story was commissioned by Greater Worcester Community Foundation through the Worcester County Insights Reporting Project. The project supports independent reporting on issues affecting Worcester County communities.

Disclosure: The Latin American Business Organization, one of the sources of information for this article, has received funding from Greater Worcester Community Foundation.

Lead image:Rosalio Carmona (L) and Maria Guadalupe Rodriguez (R)

Photos credits: Joe Brier, Maple and Main Creative

Gardner man surrenders after seven-hour standoff at Waterford Street apartment

A Gardner man who barricaded himself inside his Waterford Street apartment and threatened officers surrendered early Saturday, Nov. 7, ending a seven-hour standoff, police said.

Gardner police arrested David Margeson, 42, on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon, according to a press release from Sgt. Ryan Coates.

Officers went to 53 Waterford St. at about 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, after a report that Margeson might be armed and was threatening violence. They found him locked inside an apartment at the address.

“Margeson barricaded himself in his apartment and continued to make threats of violence against officers,” Coates said in the release.

Officers spent the night trying to de-escalate the situation and brought in the Massachusetts State Police Crisis Negotiation Team to help, according to the release.

Margeson surrendered peacefully at about 2:30 a.m., roughly seven hours after police first arrived.

Coates credited the outside agencies that helped Gardner officers through the night.

“We would like to thank the Massachusetts State Police and the Gardner Fire Department for their assistance in this matter,” he said.

The release did not say whether officers found a weapon in the apartment or describe the threats Margeson made. It also did not say who called police or list a court date.

Editor’s note: The information provided in this report is based on recent events as described by the police. The claims within are allegations by police, which may be challenged by the accused in court.

Worcester relaunches Recycles Right, will skip contaminated bins starting Nov. 9

Worcester will stop collecting curbside recycling bins that hold unaccepted items citywide starting the week of Nov. 9, as the city relaunches its Worcester Recycles Right campaign.

The campaign targets rising contamination in bins at residential buildings with one to six units. Those are the only properties the city serves with recycling pickup; owners of buildings with seven or more units hire their own haulers, according to the city’s recycling page.

The city first developed the campaign in 2022. It pairs curbside audits and targeted education with enforcement carried out alongside Casella Waste Systems Inc., the city’s recycling hauler. Worcester first began leaving contaminated bins at the curb Oct. 1, 2022, according to a city announcement at the time.

“Every resident should have clear information about what goes in the bin, whether they’ve lived here for decades or moved in last week,” said John Odell, the city’s chief sustainability officer.

New residents arrive in Worcester constantly, often without knowing local recycling rules, so the outreach needs to continue in more than one language, the city said. Cleaner recycling also holds more value for reuse.

How the rollout works

• October and November: City staff and volunteers will check bins in neighborhoods with high contamination and hand out bilingual warning tags and door hangers.
• About one week later: Staff will return to the same routes and place “Oops” stickers on contaminated bins, which crews will leave at the curb.
• Week of Nov. 9: Enforcement expands citywide.
• Spring: Staff will prepare mailings for residents to reinforce the rules.

The city plans to promote the campaign on social media and its website, and it will review the results to guide future changes.

What goes in the bin

Worcester uses zero-sort recycling, so residents can mix accepted materials in one bin. Accepted items include paper, cardboard, glass food and beverage containers, plastic bottles and tubs with their lids, metal cans and clean aluminum foil. Containers should go in empty and clean.

Plastic bags and film top the list of banned items because they tangle in sorting equipment. Crews will also skip bins holding Styrofoam, wax-coated paper, hoses or wires, plastic cutlery, paper towels, baking dishes such as Pyrex, or medical waste such as gloves and masks. They will also leave behind any recycling packed inside a plastic bag.

Empty pizza boxes are fine, grease spots included. Residents unsure about an item can search the Recycle Smart Recyclopedia.

If your bin gets skipped

Residents can pull out the unaccepted items and set the bin out the following week, or bring the accepted materials to the Residential Drop-Off Center at 1065 Millbury St.

The city stopped handing out recycling bins Sept. 21 because of limited supply. Residents who need a new bin can use any durable, open-top, weatherproof container that holds 35 gallons or less and carries a clear “Recycling” label.

Collection schedules and the full list of accepted items are available at worcesterma.gov/recycling.

Southbridge police investigate Marcy Street shooting that left 1 wounded

Southbridge police are investigating a shooting on Marcy Street that sent one person to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Officers responded to reports of gunshots near Marcy Street at about 6:09 p.m. and found spent shell casings, according to a statement the Southbridge Police Department released Thursday, Nov. 5.

While officers were at the scene, they learned a person had gone to a local hospital on their own for treatment of a gunshot wound to the leg. Officers then went to the hospital and confirmed the wound was not life-threatening.

Detectives also responded to the scene and continue to investigate what led to the shooting.

Police have not identified the injured person or said whether they have a suspect.

The department said it will not release further information while the investigation continues. It plans to provide updates once the investigation concludes.

Anyone with information can call the Southbridge Police Department at 508-764-5420.

Marlborough man charged after officer hurt in Southborough arrest

Southborough police arrested a Marlborough man Thursday, Nov. 5, after he pushed an officer to the ground and ran from a Turnpike Road parking lot, according to Police Chief Ryan M. Newell. A second officer hurt his arm in the pursuit.

Anyelo Gonzalez Escarate, 25, faces the following charges:

• assault and battery on a police officer (two counts)
• resisting arrest
• intimidation of a witness/police officer
• vandalizing property
• disorderly conduct

Officers went to a parking lot outside an office building on Turnpike Road at about 4:53 p.m. after a report that an apparently intoxicated man was trying to drive away, police said.

Officers found Gonzalez Escarate and saw signs of impairment, according to the release. After talking with him, they took him into protective custody for his own safety.

When an officer tried to handcuff him, Gonzalez Escarate pulled away, pushed the officer to the ground and ran, police said.

A second officer hurt his arm trying to gain control of Gonzalez Escarate during the chase. A sergeant then used a Taser, and officers took Gonzalez Escarate into custody after a struggle. Police said he also threatened an officer on the way to the hospital.

Southborough Fire personnel took the injured officer to a local hospital. He received treatment and left the hospital that evening.

Gonzalez Escarate went to a local hospital for evaluation. Police then brought him to the Southborough Police Department for booking.

He was scheduled for arraignment Friday, Nov. 6, in Westborough District Court.

The charges are allegations. Gonzalez Escarate is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Grease theft in Auburn ends with arrest of man wanted by U.S. Marshals

Two people Auburn police caught taking used cooking oil from a restaurant dumpster included a man wanted on a federal warrant, according to the Auburn Police Department.

Officers responded to Auburn Plaza at about 5:37 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, after a T.J. Maxx employee reported two people removing used cooking oil from a dumpster behind Jasmine Restaurant, police said. The pair drove off in a van before officers arrived.

Officers searched the surrounding area and soon found a van police described as suspicious behind Chili’s on Southbridge Street. Inside were large containers used to collect cooking oil, including one already partially filled. Police said neither restaurant had given anyone permission to take the oil.

Both people in the van gave officers several different names during the investigation, according to police. Officers eventually identified them as Joseph Reyes Rodriguez, 19, and Carlos De Leon, 46, both of Worcester.

Further investigation showed De Leon had an active arrest warrant from the U.S. Marshals Service out of Virginia, police said. The department did not release details about the case behind the warrant.

The department took a lighthearted tone in announcing the arrests.

“We’re certainly not in the business of giving career advice to fugitives, but if federal authorities are looking for you, driving around Auburn at 5:30 in the morning stealing cooking oil might not be the best strategy for staying under the radar,” the department wrote.

Police also had fun with the arrest location: “Usually, a trip to Chili’s ends with us taking a Triple Dipper to go. This time, we took a wanted fugitive to go.”

Police arrested Reyes Rodriguez and De Leon and charged each with larceny under $1,200, attempted larceny and conspiracy.

The department credited Officers Donahue, Lareau, Montague and Ortiz, Detective Ryan and Sgt. Wildman, writing that their teamwork “turned a report of suspicious activity into two arrests and the identification of a fugitive wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service.”

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

Paxton fire vehicle crashes near Paxton Center School while responding to call

A Paxton Fire Department vehicle crashed near Paxton Center School shortly before 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, while responding to an emergency on West Street, the department said.

The department member driving the fire vehicle suffered minor injuries and went to a local hospital for evaluation, as department policy requires. The department reported no other injuries.

Tow trucks removed both damaged vehicles from the scene. On-duty crews handled the original West Street call without interruption, according to a department news release.

The crash snarled traffic in the area for a time. Paxton Center School, a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school at 19 West St. in the Wachusett Regional School District, briefly changed its parent drop-off procedures while emergency responders and investigators worked the scene. The department said school operations otherwise ran normally.

The Paxton Police Department is investigating the crash. The Fire Department will also conduct its own internal review under department policy to evaluate the incident and look for ways to improve responder safety.

Beyond emergency calls, the department used the damaged vehicle for administrative and fire prevention work, including inspections. Despite the damage, the department said the crash has not affected its ability to serve the community.

The town is working with its insurance carrier to assess the damage and decide whether to repair or replace the vehicle.

The department did not identify the member who drove the fire vehicle or the driver of the second vehicle, and it did not say what caused the crash. The release also did not say what type of vehicle the department member drove or whether its emergency lights and siren were on at the time.

The Fire Department thanked the agencies that helped manage the scene and keep the public safe.

Image credit Paxton Fire Department/Facebook

Worcester State wins state grant to build paid co-op program

Worcester State University will design a paid cooperative education program with help from a state grant announced Friday, Nov. 6. The first students could begin placements in the 2027-28 academic year.

The state awarded a combined $60,000 to Worcester State and UMass Dartmouth. Worcester State plans co-ops in municipal and cultural affairs, chemistry and biotechnology, and early childhood education. UMass Dartmouth will focus on allied health and health care, with placements across the South Coast.

A co-op places a student in a full-time, paid job tied to the student’s field of study for four to eight months. At UMass Lowell, which runs the leading co-op program among the state’s public universities, students on six-month co-ops earn an average of $20,714 during the work term, according to the governor’s office.

“We are excited to receive this state investment in the development of Worcester State’s co-op program,” Worcester State President Barry Maloney said. He said the grant would help the university build a co-op model that connects students with employers and the surrounding community.

Maloney outlined early plans in a letter in the spring 2026 issue of Worcester State Magazine. He wrote that the university was planning three municipal co-ops with the city of Worcester, each pairing the urban studies major with a different minor through the university’s MajorPlus framework. He also wrote that the School of Science, Technology and Health had begun using employer partnerships to set up paid work experiences in several departments.

The money comes from the Massachusetts Cooperative Education Initiative, a partnership between the Department of Higher Education’s Innovation Hub and UMass Lowell. The state opened this “Fast Follower” grant round in July for public four-year campuses.

Earlier this year, the initiative awarded $210,000 in “First Mover” grants to Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Bridgewater State University and Framingham State University. The two new grants bring the number of participating campuses to five.

Over the next year, Worcester State and UMass Dartmouth will build academic programs and employer partnerships, recruit students and plan how to keep the co-ops running long term. UMass Lowell will provide technical assistance and coaching, and both campuses will join statewide peer learning sessions.

Gov. Maura Healey said co-ops let students earn money and build ties with employers before they graduate, which helps keep talent in Massachusetts. “Paid co-ops give students the chance to put what they’re learning into practice,” Healey said.

Interim Commissioner of Higher Education José Luis Santos called the growth from three campuses to five a step toward a statewide co-op model.

The Department of Higher Education launched the Innovation Hub in 2025 with a $2.1 million grant from the nonprofit Axim Collaborative. The hub tests new approaches to college access and student success and expands the ones that work. Expanding co-ops ranks among its top priorities.

Image courtesy of Worcester State University