Historical Museum Hosts Panel on Worcester Baseball History

WORCESTER - The Worcester Historical Museum presents Worcester Baseball History: Past, Present and Future, on Tuesday, June 20. The event begins at 5:30 PM.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

The event features a viewing of the museum's original short, "Worcester at Bat" followed by a panel discussion moderated by Worcester Bravehearts General manager David Peterson. Panelists scheduled are:

• Bill Ballou, Gold Card Member of the Baseball Writers Association, Sports correspondence for Worcester Telegram and Gazette
• Brian Goslow - Managing Editor, Artscope Magazine
• Julie Creedon-Linton, Co-Owner, Worcester Bravehearts and Nashua Silver Knights,  Vice President, Creedon and Company, Inc.

10 Local Student Awarded Scholarship by Bay State Bank

WORCESTER - Bay State Savings Bank has announced $8,500 in scholarships to local public school seniors who demonstrated excellence through academic achievements, character, and community service.

The selections include one student from each high school in Auburn, Holden, and Worcester, each which has a Bay State Savings Bank branch. Each student receives a $500 scholarship, and one student was awarded a four-year, $4,000 scholarship.

The recipients are:

• Burncoat High School – Joshua Soriano Susana, $500
• Claremont Academy – Tina Nguyen, $500
• Doherty Memorial High School – Lauren Ober, $500
• North High School – Dana Sahar, $500
• South High School – Marvin Alvarado, $500
• University Park – Janneth Mora, $500
• Wachusett Regional High School – Anushri Mohan, $500
• Worcester Technical High School – Hailey Forrest, $500
• Auburn High School (Elizabeth Roy Memorial Scholarship) – James Phillips, $500
• Auburn High School (Bay State Savings Bank Four-Year Scholarship) – Quinn Cahill, $4,000 over four years

Image Credit: Google

Worcester Middle Eastern Festival Begins on Friday

WORCESTER - St. George's Middle Eastern Festival of 2023 begins on Friday, June 9, and runs through the weekend at 30 Anna St. in Worcester.

The annual festival has the following hours over the weekend:

• Friday, June 9, 3 PM - 11 PM
• Saturday, June 10, Noon - 11 PM
• Sunday, June 11, Noon - 6 PM

The festival features a range of food including kebobs to kibbe, shawarma sandwiches, stuffed grape leaves, tabouli, hummus, and pastries. There is also live entertainment, dancing, hookah, a large marketplace, and a kids tent. Beer, wine, and cocktails are also available.

Tours of St. George's Cathedral are available throughout the weekend:

Friday - 6 PM
Saturday - 2 PM, 4 PM, 6 PM
Sunday - 2 PM, 4 PM

A raffle and grand price will be awarded on Sunday at 5 PM.

The festival released the following promotional video for the event.

Find more information at the Middle Eastern Festival website.

Tips for Traveling in Poor Air Quality

WORCESTER - Smoke from Canadian wildfires are creating poor air quality in Worcester. The diminished quality can make travel even more difficult for those with asthma or other respiratory ailments.

AAA Northeast provides the following tips or driving when the air quality is poor:

• Drive with your windows closed.
• Use the “recirculation” button in your car to prevent bad air coming in from the outside.
• Treat visibility the same way you would in any bad weather – slow down and increase your following distance.
• Monitor traffic advisories, especially if you plan on driving over large bridges.

If you have to travel by plane, AAA recommends planning your flight as early as possible in the day and checking with your airline or downloading the airline app to remain aware of delays or cancellations.

AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with 67 offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York, providing more than 6 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services. 

See the 40 Restaurants Part of Taste of Shrewsbury Street 2023

WORCESTER - The Taste of Shrewsbury Street returns on Tuesday, June 20, from 5 PM to 9 PM. Over 40 local eateries giving out samples of some of their signature dishes, along with live music and local vendors on the street.

Tickets for the Taste of Shrewsbury are $30 and available here.

The restaurants taking part are:

• Vintage Grill
• 4th and 1 Club
• Redemption Rock
• Little Caesars
• Funky Murphy’s
• Basil n spice
• Flying Rhino
• Mexicali
• La Scala
• Subway
• Meze
• Valentino’s
• Piccolos
• Boulevard Diner
• Miranda Bread
• Nuovo
• Volturno
• Wormtown Brewery
• Victory Bar and Cigar
• The Pint
• Leo’s
• Ralph’s Tavern
• Meraki
• Pepe’s
• Cafe Reyes
• Via Italian Table
• 111 Chop House
• Wonder Bar
• Dad's Keto Kitchen

The Taste of Worcester is the largest annual fundraising for the Shrewsbury Street Merchants' Associations. Revenue from the event is also donated to local children's charities.

City of Worcester Releases Additional Polar Park Financial Info

WORCESTER - In a presentation to the Worcester City Council Finance Committee on Tuesday, June 6, Worcester Chief Financial Officer Timothy McGourthy presented new financial projects for Polar Park for FY 2023, which ends June 30, and FY 2024.

During a presentation led by City Manager Eric Batista, McGourthy presented the section about the financial obligations of the city, and revenue projections.

McGourthy's part of the presentation on the financials is below.

During questions by councilors after that presentation, reporting by This Week in Worcester was called into question.

The article in question can be found here. There was a recent update to the piece that was not content related. You can verify via the Wayback Machine version last updated May 24. The story was originally published on May 23.

In response to an inquiry by This Week in Worcester, the City Manager's office provided the following information on May 15, at 3:42 PM:

1. The District Improvement Financing (DIF) Reserve began the year with $2.7M in the account, representing prior-year revenues and working capital.
2. During the course of FY23 (which ends on June 30, 2023), the DIF is estimated to generate approximately $3.1M from property & meals taxes, permit fees, team rent, Madison lease payments, parking revenues, and advertising.
3. During the course of FY23 (which ends on June 30, 2023), the DIF is estimated to pay approximately $5.2M in debt service on bonds issued in support of the ballpark project.
4. The result is a positive year end result of approximately $600K+, which will remain in the DIF reserve for FY24.

A follow-up email provided the city's loan service obligation for FY 2024, at $6.2 million.

The information provided by the city to This Week in Worcester over three weeks ago, on May 15, is presented alongside figures presented by McGourthy during the City Council Finance Committee meeting on June 6.

The only difference in the figures are new projections by the city for revenue. That upward projection also changes the end-of-year balance in the Polar Park reserve.

Based on the figures provided at the time, This Week in Worcester used basic arithmetic for two simple calculations. The first calculation sought the difference between the FY 2024 expenses and the end of FY 2023 reserve.

The slide in McGourthy's presentation for FY 2024 projects revenues of the same amount, $5.6 million.

In other words, this simple arithmetic showed that if the city spent all of its reserve from 2023, $600,000, it would need an additional $5.6 million to meet expenses in 2024 of $6.2 million.

The second calculation sought to determine the percentage increase of revenue from FY 2023 to FY 2024 required to cover expenses. The formula to calculate percentage increase is:

Percentage Increase = [ (Final Value - Starting Value) / |Starting Value| ] × 100

Final value = revenue required in FY 2024 = $5.6 million

Starting value = revenue generated in FY 2023 = $3.1 million

[ (5.6 - 3.1) / |3.1| ] × 100

[ 2.5 / 3.1 } x100

.80 x 100 = 80%

Based on the figures provided by the City Manager's office on May 15, the DIFF revenue of FY 2023 must increase by 80% in 2024 to meet expenses. This is the same figure This Week in Worcester published in its May 23 piece.

Using the updated figures provided on June 6, if the entire reserve, projected at $954,487 at the end of FY 2023, was applied to expenses, the remaining revenue required to meet $6.2 million in expenses is $5,245,513.

From the required revenue to meet expenses in FY 2023, $3.4 million, to the required revenue to meet expenses in FY 2024, $5,245,513, is a 54% increase in revenue.

Those are mathematical facts.

This Week in Worcester stands by its reporting.

See the REC 2023 Farmers Markets Schedule

WORCESTER - The Regional Environmental Council has announced the schedule for its 2023 farmers markets.

Standing Farmers Markets

The following farmers markets begin on June 23

Beaver Brook Park
Mondays & Fridays, 9 AM - 12 PM
306 Chandler St., Worcester MA
Closed on July 3rd, September 4th, October 9th

University Park
965 Main St., Worcester MA
Saturdays, 9 AM - 12 PM

Mobile Farmers' Markets

The following farmers markets begin on June 13th.

Worcester

Tuesdays

Webster Square Towers, 1050 & 1060 Main St., 1 PM - 2 PM
Green Hill Towers, 27 Mt. Vernon St., 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Coes Pond, 39 1st St., 3 PM -4 PM
Elm Park Towers, 425 Pleasant St., 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Wednesdays

Autumn Woods, 38 Upland Garden Dr., 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Family Health Center, 26 Queen St., 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Seabury Heights, 240-244 Belmont St., 2 PM - 3 PM
Plumley Village, 42 Everett Gaylord Blvd, 4 PM - 5 PM

Thursdays

Worcester Senior Center, 128 Providence St., 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Murray and Wellington, 50 Murray Ave., 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Lincoln Village Apartments, Victoria Center, 116 Country Club Blvd., 1 PM - 2 PM
Great Brook Valley Apartments, 69 Tacoma St., 3 PM - 4 PM

Southbridge

Wednesdays

Tri-Community Family Branch YMCA, 43 Everett St., 9 AM - 10 AM
Central Street Parking Lot, 11-33 Central St., 11 AM - 1 PM

Webster

Thursdays

Webster Housing Authority, Golden Heights, Building 19, 10 AM - 11:30 AM
Webster Town Hall, Front Lawn, 350 Main Street, 1 PM - 2:30 PM

Bluegrass Legend Same Bush at Hanover Theatre on Friday

WORCESTER - Bluegrass legend and American Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award winner Sam Bush appear live in concert at Hanover Theatre on Friday, June 9.

The mandolin, fiddle, and guitar has performed for 50 years and worked with Leon Russell, Emmylou Harris, Béla Fleck & The Flecktones, and Lyle Lovett.

The performance is presented by Music Worcester and begins at 8 PM. Tickets range from $28 to $48.

To learn mre about Bush's appearance and get tickets, visit the Music Worcester or Hanover Theatre website.

Image Courtesy of Music Worcester

Abby's House Names New Executive Director

WORCESTER - The Board of Directors of Abby's House named Julie Orozco, LICSW as its next Executive Director.

Abby's House is a Worcester-based non-profit founded in 1976 that provides shelter and affordable housing, as well as advocacy and support services, to homeless, battered, and low-income women.

Orozco was the Vice President of Behavioral Health at ConcertoCqre in her previous position. She was also Vice President of Recovery Environments and Supports at Community Healthlink and has has serve on the Regional Environmental Council for the past 13 years. Orozco has been a Worcester resident for 23 years.

Orozco begins will join Abby's House on June 26. She will take over the executive director position from Stephanie Page, who first joined Abby's House in 2014.

Worcester Man Arrested for Gunshots on Main Street

WORCESTER - Police arrested a man on Tuesday in connection with gunshots fired on Main Street in May.

Police investigated a report of gunshots near 802 Main St. on May 22 at around 2 AM. The investigation substantiated reports that shots were fired at the scene.

According to the Worcester Police Department, detectives discovered probable cause for the arrest of Tuaune Berry, 50, of Worcester.

On Tuesday, June 6, officers engaged in a traffic stop at around 8:40 PM after identifying Berry driving a vehicle near 1260 Main St., where he was arrested.

Berry faces charges of:

• Unlawfully Carrying a Firearm;
• Unlawfully Carrying a Loaded Firearm;
• Discharging a Firearm within 500 Feet of a Dwelling; and
• Armed Career Criminal Level 3.

Police did not release information on Berry's prior record.

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