Worcester bishop planned to transfer accused priest before state was notified in 2021

Worcester Bishop Robert J. McManus planned to move the Rev. Alan J. Martineau to another parish after a teenage parishioner accused the priest of inappropriate touching, according to court records The Boston Globe reported Wednesday, Oct. 7.

A diocesan social worker reported the allegations to the state Department of Children and Families before the transfer took effect. Nearly five months passed between the day McManus first heard the accusations and the day the diocese contacted authorities, the Globe found.

Martineau became the only priest prosecuted as a result of Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s investigation into the dioceses of Worcester, Fall River and Springfield. Campbell’s office released the findings Tuesday, Sept. 30. The report tied 90 accused clergy members to 216 survivors in the Worcester Diocese alone.

The Globe obtained the court records after a judge impounded them. A search for the case in the state’s public court database returns no records.

McManus learned of the allegations no later than Sept. 9, 2021, when he met with Martineau and the Rev. Alfredo Porras, the priest who first heard the girl’s account. She was 14 when the alleged touching began in 2019, according to the records. Martineau told Porras he had held the girl’s hand and might have kissed her forehead, and he denied other allegations.

In the weeks that followed, the girl gave Porras a written note describing prolonged hugging and kissing. Investigators later found that Martineau and the girl exchanged about 80,000 text messages between 2019 and 2021.

The girl’s family lived rent-free on the grounds of St. Stanislaus Parish in West Warren in exchange for work on church property. Her parents told police that Martineau, who ran the parish, cut off their internet service and tried to stop their oil deliveries after the allegations surfaced.

At the end of December 2021, the diocese announced that Martineau would move to St. George Parish in Worcester. In a Dec. 12, 2022, statement, the diocese said it had scheduled the transfer so Martineau could “benefit from the tutelage of a seasoned pastor” because of concerns about boundary issues with a minor.

Judith Audette, the diocese’s victim assistance coordinator, kept corresponding with the girl, who described additional contact by email. Audette, a licensed social worker and mandated reporter, notified DCF in late January and early February 2022. McManus then placed Martineau on leave, and the diocese notified the Worcester County district attorney’s office and hired an outside firm to investigate.

Ray Delisle, chancellor and communications director for the diocese, told the Globe that the family’s concerns in fall 2021 involved boundaries and poor judgment and did not describe sexual conduct. Delisle said the diocese first learned of sexual conduct in late January 2022, and that disclosure prompted the report to the state.

The Legislature added clergy members to the state’s list of mandated reporters of child abuse through a 2002 law passed as the Boston archdiocese scandal unfolded.

Plea deal and early end to probation

After the outside firm finished its work, the diocese announced in December 2022 that it had found a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against Martineau. The diocese barred him from presenting himself as a priest.

Prosecutors charged Martineau in January 2023 with three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older in East Brookfield District Court. He pleaded not guilty.

In September 2025, Martineau accepted a deal in which he admitted to sufficient facts for an assault and battery conviction without pleading guilty. The court dismissed the case and placed him on probation for one year with an order to stay away from the victim. A judge ended the probation early in June.

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported the plea agreement at the time.

Martineau’s lawyer, Louis P. Aloise, told the Globe that prosecutors could prove only that Martineau had hugged the girl. “This is the weakest case I’ve seen,” Aloise said.

Aloise said Martineau has petitioned the diocese for reinstatement. The district attorney’s office declined to comment and cited the impounded case files.

Campbell’s report references the Martineau case in one paragraph without naming him or mentioning the prosecution. The report also identifies the Worcester Diocese as the only diocese in Massachusetts that has not released a public list of clergy credibly accused of abusing children.

Massachusetts ranks No. 1 for health of women and children in national report

Massachusetts is the healthiest state in the nation for women and children, according to the America’s Health Rankings 2026 Health of Women and Children Report that the United Health Foundation released Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Vermont, New Hampshire, Minnesota and Connecticut round out the top five. Louisiana finished last, followed by Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

The report reached its 10th edition this year. Massachusetts has placed among the top states in each of those editions, according to Gov. Maura Healey’s office.

The state leads the country on two measures tied to young people’s health. Massachusetts recorded 4.6 suicide deaths per 100,000 teens ages 15 to 19 from 2022 through 2024, the lowest rate of any state with reportable data and less than half the national rate of 9.7, according to the report’s teen suicide data.

Massachusetts also has the highest concentration of pediatricians in the country, with 224.2 for every 100,000 residents from birth through age 21. That nearly doubles the national figure of 118.2, according to the report’s pediatrician data from September 2025.

The report also gave Massachusetts strong marks for its low infant mortality rate and low obesity rate among women, along with the share of children who have enough food at home, according to the governor’s office.

Where the state trails

The findings point to weaker spots as well. State officials cited illicit drug use among teens and cervical cancer screening as areas that need work. Massachusetts also lags on the share of infants exclusively breastfed for their first six months.

“We’re proud that Massachusetts is ranked number one in the country for the health of women and children,” Healey said in a statement. “But we also know there is more work to do, particularly to close disparities and make sure everyone can get the care and support they need.”

National trends

The United Health Foundation report found long-term gains in infant health across the U.S. Infant mortality fell 7% between 2012-2013 and 2022-2024, and cigarette smoking during pregnancy dropped 71% from 2014 to 2024.

Maternal health worsened over the same stretch. Severe maternal morbidity rose 36% between 2016 and 2023, and maternal mortality climbed 34% from 2014-2018 to 2020-2024.

Child mortality increased 18% between 2012-2014 and 2022-2024, and suicide remained a leading cause of death among children throughout the decade. Drug deaths among women grew 50% between 2014-2016 and 2022-2024, though the rate improved in the latest period for the first time in a decade.

Pediatrician supply and use moved in opposite directions. The number of pediatricians grew 18% between September 2019 and September 2025, while well-child visits slipped 3%.

Food insecurity showed a similar split. It fell 7% over the decade, yet it has risen 28% since 2019-2021.

Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein said the top ranking leaves out part of the story.

“We are proud of the progress reflected in this ranking, but a number cannot provide a full picture,” Goldstein said. “Too many families still experience unacceptable disparities in health outcomes based on race, ethnicity, geography, income, and other factors.”

State response

Healey signed maternal health legislation in 2024 that expanded access to midwifery care and birth centers, among other changes.

Her administration has since announced new postpartum and maternal mental health measures, including an expansion of Welcome Family, the state’s universal postpartum home visiting program. The Department of Public Health is also updating postpartum screening rules to better identify perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, according to the governor’s office.

State to cover half the cost for Massachusetts businesses weighing employee ownership

Massachusetts business owners who want to know whether selling to their employees makes sense can now have the state pay half the cost of finding out, up to $25,000.

The Executive Office of Economic Development launched the Massachusetts Center for Employee Ownership Technical Assistance Stipend Program on Tuesday, timing the announcement to the start of National Employee Ownership Month.

The program covers 50% of approved consulting costs that a business incurs before it converts. For companies exploring an employee stock ownership plan, or ESOP, the state will pay up to $25,000 toward as much as $50,000 in qualifying costs. Worker cooperative projects can receive up to $12,500, half of as much as $25,000 in costs.

Eligible work includes feasibility studies, business valuations, legal services and transaction structuring. Businesses must hire one of seven consultants that the center, known as MassCEO, chose through public procurement. Four of the firms handle worker cooperative conversions, and three handle ESOPs.

“Employee ownership can be a great way to keep a business thriving and give workers a stake in its future,” Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley said in a statement. “By helping cover the cost, this stipend gives more Massachusetts businesses the opportunity to explore employee ownership and plan for what comes next.”

Who qualifies

Applicants must currently operate a business in Massachusetts and must show they can pay their 50% share from their own funds or private financing. Companies that employees already own a majority of cannot apply. Existing businesses must also certify good standing with several state agencies, including the Department of Revenue.

MassCEO pays its share directly to the consultant after the business shows proof of its own payment, according to the program page. The stipend excludes any costs a business incurs before MassCEO approves the project, along with work performed after a conversion.

The program page describes the stipend as competitive, and applicants must demonstrate a credible need for support. Each business may hold one application at a time.

How employee ownership works

In an ESOP, a trust holds company shares on behalf of workers. Employees typically pay nothing for the stock; the company funds the purchase, often with pretax profits, according to the National Center for Employee Ownership. The nonprofit counts 6,411 ESOP companies nationwide covering 15.1 million employees. In a worker cooperative, employees own the business directly as members.

State law places MassCEO within the Massachusetts Office of Business Development and directs the center to increase the number of employee-owned companies in the state, including through grants.

How to apply

MassCEO accepts applications on a rolling basis while funding lasts and may cancel the program at any time. The administration did not say how much money it set aside for the stipends.

Business owners can review the program guidelines and submit an application online. Jeremy Romanul, the program administrator, fields questions at jeremy.romanul2@mass.gov.

I’ve operated both alcohol and cannabis businesses. Here’s which is more heavily regulated.

by Wes Ritchie, CommonWealth Beacon

I have spent the last seven years of my career operating businesses in two highly regulated industries in the Commonwealth. Over that time, my partners and I have operated both a package store, multiple cannabis dispensaries, and a cannabis farm. Today we have over 45 employees across our facilities.

I read the commentary piece by Robert Mellion, executive director of the Package Stores Association, with great bemusement. He argues that oversight of the state’s cannabis sector has been lax and that it should be regulated like alcohol. I think he has it backwards in two fundamental ways.

First, alcohol is a much more deadly intoxicant than cannabis. Full stop. It’s worth wondering out loud whether alcohol and cannabis should have the same regulatory regime. Under the existing legal cannabis industry, there have been zero reported deaths from legal cannabis use. The same is not true of alcohol use.

Second, cannabis is regulated more comprehensively than virtually any other retail product sold in Massachusetts.

Importantly, Mellion may not understand the existing compliance regime that cannabis operators are subject to. He notes that the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission performs “routine, random, and unannounced compliance checks,” and goes on to conclude that “the state must fund and execute regular, unannounced, third-party compliance inspections of all licensed cannabis premises [as] has been done for alcohol and tobacco retail.”

Yet, the Cannabis Control Commission does in fact conduct routine, random, and unannounced compliance checks. I know, because we’ve had them.

Mellion claims that cannabis retailers face only a fraction of the oversight applied to liquor stores and tobacco retailers. My experiences as an operator in both industries is that cannabis, despite being safer than alcohol, is already regulated much more strictly.

The oversight of cannabis starts before the seeds even hit the dirt — with required testing of the growing medium. From there, every harvest is subject to mandatory laboratory testing for potency, pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, microbes, mycotoxins, and other contaminants. The Cannabis Control Commission has extensive requirements for proper testing protocols and audits us to make sure we’re following them. If at any point in the process a product fails testing, it never reaches consumers.

Before a cannabis product ever reaches a store shelf, from seed to sale, there is a statewide inventory system that follows every plant on its journey with continuous state oversight.

Every package must be child-resistant, clearly labeled, and carry health warnings. Every transfer between businesses is electronically tracked. Every sale is recorded. Every gram is accounted for.

None of that exists in the alcohol industry.

No one is testing every bottle of wine or whiskey for contaminants before it reaches consumers. Beer isn’t quarantined pending laboratory approval before distribution. Every individual bottle isn’t tracked through a state inventory system from planting to production through retail sale.

But cannabis is.

Can anyone in the alcohol industry tell me about the soil quality of the California grapes that make up their favorite Blanc de Bleu sparkling wine? Or better yet, what even makes it blue?

Cannabis businesses are required to report this information.

That doesn’t even account for the rigorous process we undergo as operators. For me to become a cannabis operator, I had to go through an extensive process that began with comprehensive background investigations before even receiving a license. Our employees undergo the same background checks before they are badged to enter and work at a cannabis facility.

Our facilities are built to exacting security specifications that include 24-hour surveillance, restricted access, alarm systems, alarm monitoring, secure transportation requirements, and detailed operating procedures that regulators can inspect at any time.

The compliance burden doesn’t end once we receive our license.

Licensed cannabis retailers are required to verify identification before every purchase, regardless of a customer’s apparent age. Employees receive mandatory training. We maintain thousands of pages of records and terabytes of video archives. We report every unusual incident to regulators. Surveillance cameras record every transaction.

Our strict 21+ retail rules don’t even let parents bring their kids into our stores when they swing by to pick up a to-go order. Kids can run free around package stores.

Could enforcement continue to improve? Sure. It’s a new industry. The industry continues to improve every year with changes to both the statute and regulations.

Like every regulator, the Cannabis Control Commission should continually evaluate inspection practices, compliance strategies, and enforcement priorities. The Legislature recently took important steps to strengthen the agency’s governance, and industry operators welcome improvements that are consistent, transparent, and effective. Standardization and clarification of enforcement have already taken center stage with the appointment of new commissioners to oversee the industry.

Strong regulation protects responsible businesses as much as it protects consumers.

Ironically, one of the greatest public safety successes of legalization is often overlooked: legal cannabis is displacing a market that has no age verification, no product testing, no labeling standards, no contaminant screening, and no regulatory oversight whatsoever.

Unlike the illicit market, licensed businesses have every incentive to follow the rules because the consequences for failing to do so are severe.

As someone who has operated under both alcohol and cannabis regulations and sold both alcoholic beverages and cannabis to consumers, I can tell you exactly where every gram of our cannabis comes from based on a compliance chain that’s a mile long.

Data, our own experiences, and common sense lead to the conclusion that cannabis is safer than alcohol yet still regulated more strictly. Let’s keep it real about the state of industry regulation.

Wes Ritchie is co-founder and co-CEO of Tree House Craft Cannabis, which operates dispensaries in Dracut, Pepperell, and Groton and an outdoor cultivation facility in Colrain.

This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

AG joins multistate lawsuit over Trump administration fuel economy rollback

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has joined a coalition of states and cities suing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over its rollback of federal fuel economy standards for new cars and light trucks.

Campbell’s office announced the lawsuit Friday. The coalition filed its petition in the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, arguing that NHTSA’s new rule violates federal law and will cost drivers money at the pump.

Attorneys general from California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia joined Massachusetts in the case. Chicago, Denver, New York City and San Francisco also signed on.

What the new rule does

NHTSA finalized the rule on Sept. 28, resetting corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, standards for model years 2022 through 2031. The agency projects the new standards will require a fleetwide average of 34.9 miles per gallon by model year 2031, down from 49.3 mpg under the standards it replaced.

The rule also ends the CAFE credit trading program beginning with model year 2028 and changes how the agency classifies vehicles starting in model year 2030. Electric vehicle makers have used the trading program to sell credits to other automakers.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the administration had “finally ended the illegal mandate” that he said pushed automakers to build costlier electric vehicles that families did not want. NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the rule balances vehicle affordability with energy conservation and will make roads safer.

The agency estimates the rule will cut the average price of a model year 2031 vehicle by $1,289, assuming manufacturers pass the savings to buyers. NHTSA also projects about 1,900 fewer traffic deaths through 2050, which its model attributes mostly to people driving less as fuel costs per mile rise.

The coalition’s case

The 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act requires NHTSA to set fuel economy standards at the “maximum feasible” level. Congress directed the agency to weigh technological feasibility, economic practicability, other federal vehicle standards and the nation’s need to conserve energy.

The coalition argues the new rule ignores that mandate. According to Campbell’s office, NHTSA’s standards for the next five years call for less efficiency than the U.S. fleet actually achieved in 2021.

The dispute centers on electric vehicles. NHTSA concluded in a June 2025 interpretive rule that federal law bars it from considering electric vehicles when it sets standards. The coalition says that reading forced the agency to ignore millions of EVs already on the road, which distorted its estimate of what automakers can achieve.

The states also challenge NHTSA’s analysis of vehicle affordability, fleet turnover, fuel savings and safety. They say the agency glossed over nearly $220 billion in fuel savings that drivers would have kept under the previous standards and assigned no value to future damages from climate change.

Campbell’s office said ending credit trading will hurt electric vehicle manufacturers and the workers they employ. The office also said the weaker standards leave consumers exposed to rising gas prices and what it described as a global oil shock tied to President Donald Trump’s war with Iran.

The coalition alleges the rule is arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act and violates the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.

The rule takes effect 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register.

Worcester man pleads guilty to second-degree murder in 2021 killing of Erica Lara

Kyle Curley, 35, of Worcester, pleaded guilty Sept. 28 to second-degree murder in the 2021 killing of Erica Lara, 29, whose body authorities found inside a Worcester hotel, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said.

Curley received a life sentence with parole eligibility after 20 years. He also pleaded guilty to one count of assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and received a sentence of two to three years in state prison, to run concurrently with the life term.

Lara and Curley had been dating, according to authorities. Lara left behind two daughters, who were 9 and 6 at the time of her death, Daily Voice reported.

Authorities found Lara’s body June 29, 2021, inside the Hotel Vernon at 16 Kelley Square after her family filed a missing persons report. An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined she died of complications from blunt force injuries to the head.

Investigators obtained a warrant for Curley’s arrest. In July 2021, he contacted the Worcester Police Department Detective Bureau to turn himself in on unrelated warrants, and San Diego police arrested him in California, prosecutors said.

A Worcester County grand jury indicted Curley on March 24, 2023. He faced arraignment in Worcester Superior Court on April 10, 2023.

Curley also faced a 2027 trial on charges of witness intimidation and destroying Lara’s phone. The court canceled that trial after his murder sentencing, according to court documents reviewed by Boston.com.

“We never stop working towards justice for victims and their families, especially in cases that remain unresolved,” Early said.

Early thanked Assistant District Attorney Joseph Simmons and Victim Witness Advocate Margaret Rwaramba for their work on the case. He also thanked Lara’s family for their patience.

“We are proud of the work of our prosecution team in bringing some measure of justice to the family,” Early said.

Early credited the Worcester Police Department Detective Bureau and the San Diego Police Department for their roles in the investigation.

Leominster restaurant owner gets 2 years for stocking kitchen with stolen SNAP benefits

A Fitchburg man who used more than 100 stolen identities to collect food assistance and stock his Leominster restaurant will spend two years in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Margaret R. Guzman sentenced Raul Fernandez Vicioso, 38, on Monday in federal court in Worcester, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. Guzman also ordered three years of supervised release, $1.1 million in restitution and $1.1 million in forfeiture.

Fernandez Vicioso pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, SNAP benefit fraud, aiding and abetting and money laundering. The wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering charges each carried a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors said Fernandez Vicioso and his co-conspirators bought personal information belonging to more than 100 real people and used it to build 24 fictitious “households” on SNAP applications in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Every application listed one of two apartments in Providence, Rhode Island, as the home address.

The stolen identities belonged to people from Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico. Fernandez Vicioso also mixed his own personal information into the applications, prosecutors said.

To back up the applications, the group submitted photos of counterfeit passports and passport cards. Metadata on those images showed someone took them inside or near El Primo Restaurant, which Fernandez Vicioso operated in Leominster.

The group then used the benefit cards to buy multi-pound packages of meat and other bulk food at local wholesalers and markets to supply El Primo, according to prosecutors. A surveillance image in the court filings allegedly shows Fernandez Vicioso checking out at a BJ’s in Leominster with a fraudulently obtained SNAP card, WBUR reported.

Because the restaurant paid nothing for those supplies, it kept the full revenue from its menu sales, prosecutors said. The group wired proceeds to people in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, among other places.

The scheme reached into pandemic-era jobless aid as well. Between April 2020 and December 2021, prosecutors said, the group collected more than $700,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance by filing false applications in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington and Nevada.

At least 29 identities appeared on those applications, and each one listed El Primo’s address as the applicant’s home. Bank records show about $276,021 in unemployment benefits landed in accounts held in the names of the restaurant, Fernandez Vicioso and others, according to prosecutors.

Investigators who searched Fernandez Vicioso’s home and the restaurant found Massachusetts and Rhode Island EBT cards, documents bearing the Providence address, printed ledgers, handwritten lists of over 100 identities and SNAP-related mail.

Federal prosecutors charged three others in February: Joel Vicioso Fernandez, 42, of Fitchburg, along with Roman Vequiz Fernandez, 32, and Coralba Albarracin Siniva, 24, both of Leominster.

Vequiz Fernandez and Albarracin Siniva pleaded guilty in June to unauthorized use, transfer, acquisition, and possession of SNAP benefits. Guzman scheduled their sentencings for Sept. 22. Monday’s announcement did not report an outcome for either defendant or an update on the case against Vicioso Fernandez.

• The charge of conspiracy to commit SNAP fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
• The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud 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 illegal acquisition or use of SNAP benefits provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
• The charge of money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000 or twice the amount involved in the transaction, whichever is greater.

Healey declares energy emergency, opens heating aid to middle-income oil customers

Massachusetts families who heat with oil and earn up to $171,749 a year for a household of four can collect as much as $680 this winter under a new benefit Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday.

Healey announced the benefit after declaring a state of energy emergency. Her executive order also boosts aid for low-income households and lifts some charges from electric bills. The administration values the package at nearly $150 million and says it will lower bills for about 85% of ratepayers.

“Families are seeing the impact of the war in Iran every time they fill up their gas tank, place an order for heating oil or open their electric bill,” Healey said in a statement.

Who qualifies for the new oil benefit

The one-time benefit covers heating oil customers with incomes between 60% and 100% of the state median income, a group that typically earns too much for existing aid. For a family of four, that means income above $103,049 and up to $171,749. The state lists income limits for each household size on its heating assistance page.

The administration expects about 50,000 households to qualify. Applications open in December, and the state will pay benefits through April 30, 2027, or until the money runs out. The local agencies that run the state’s existing heating aid program will handle applications.

Larger payments for low-income households

The state will add $15 million to the Home Energy Assistance Program, known as HEAP. The program helped more than 156,000 households, about 300,000 people, last heating season. Households that heat with oil will receive 20% more, and those that heat with gas or electricity will get a 15% increase.

State estimates put this winter’s HEAP benefits at $870 to $1,450 for oil or propane and $600 to $1,000 for gas or electric heat. A family of four earning up to $103,049 can qualify. Renters whose heat comes with their rent may also apply, and applicants do not need to receive public assistance or owe a heating bill.

The HEAP season runs Nov. 1 through April 30, 2027. Residents can apply for HEAP online or through a local agency.

Changes to electric bills

The administration will move $80 million in state money to cover the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, charge on residential electric bills from January through March 2027. That charge pays for incentives for solar projects.

Through emergency regulations, the state will also cut the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard requirement by 50% this winter. The administration estimates the cut will save ratepayers $20 million. The standard dates to 2009 and supports certain large heating and cooling systems through electricity supply rates.

Healey’s office said the state will pay for the expanded aid and bill credits with alternative compliance payments, which electricity suppliers owe the state when they miss clean energy quotas, according to the State House News Service.

Oil prices and price gouging

Heating oil averaged $6.08 a gallon statewide on Sept. 28, up 73% from $3.52 a year earlier, according to the state Department of Energy Resources’ weekly price survey. About one in five Massachusetts households heats with oil, mostly in older homes and rural communities.

The emergency declaration activates state protections against price gouging on petroleum products. Healey directed state agencies to monitor sellers and enforce those rules.

“No one should be afraid to turn on the heat when costs are high. This is a matter of public health,” said Rebecca Tepper, the state’s energy and environmental affairs secretary.

Charity fund and federal request

Citizens Energy Corp., the nonprofit led by former U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, will start a new Emergency Winter Warmth Fund with $100,000. Local agencies will distribute donations to households in HEAP and in the new middle-income program. Details are on the Citizens Energy Winter Warmth Fund page.

“Every family deserves a warm and safe home, especially when winter arrives in Massachusetts,” Kennedy said.

Healey also asked congressional leaders for $3 billion more in emergency funding for the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which would bring it to about $7 billion. Congress provided about $4.05 billion for the program in fiscal 2026.

Healey faces Republican Mike Minogue in her reelection bid, and energy costs have become a campaign theme. Last week, she filed legislation to suspend the state’s 24-cent-per-gallon gas tax for two months. The House’s top budget writer has responded coolly to that proposal.

Museum of Worcester opens online auction ahead of sold-out Harvey Ball

The Museum of Worcester’s online silent auction is open to all bidders until 8:45 p.m. Oct. 8, when bidding closes during the museum’s sold-out Harvey Ball at Mechanics Hall.

Bidders don’t need a ticket to the ball. Anyone can place a bid online, and winners can take home their packages whether or not they attend.

The lineup includes vacation packages to Costa Rica and the Adirondacks. Other lots offer a trip to Kennedy Space Center and Broadway tickets, and one package puts a personal pasta chef in the winner’s kitchen. The museum plans to add more packages before the bidding ends.

Proceeds support the museum’s exhibits and educational programming, as well as its collections and archives. Bidders can browse the auction packages online.

Sold-out ball honors Bill Wallace

The Harvey Ball begins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Mechanics Hall, 321 Main St. The museum will present its Harvey Ball Smile Award to Bill Wallace, its executive director for nearly 50 years.

The museum called Wallace “a builder of cultural bridges” and credited him with spending half a century gathering and sharing Worcester’s history.

Wallace led the institution for most of the decades it operated as the Worcester Historical Museum. The museum traces its roots to the Worcester Society of Antiquity, founded in 1875, and today it also runs Salisbury Mansion and a library and archives.

Wallace has long defended the city’s claim to the smiley face. He told the New England Historical Society that newspaper coverage, photographs, and the insurer’s own records document Harvey Ball as its creator.

An award rooted in a Worcester icon

The museum began the award in 2001 to recognize Ball and the yellow smiley face he designed in 1963 for State Mutual Life Assurance Co. Ball, a Worcester native and commercial artist, died in 2001.

Each year the museum honors a person or group whose work has made a difference in the city, according to a Worcester Business Journal event listing. Former Senate President Harriette Chandler received the 2025 award.

The ball follows the Oct. 2 opening of an expanded Harvey Ball Smiley exhibit at the museum, which Spectrum News 1 reported features one of the museum’s largest collections.

Image Credit: John Phelan, Worcester Historical Museum, Worcester MA, CC BY 3.0

Worcester leads Massachusetts in 2026 Schools of Recognition

WORCESTER – Worcester Public Schools earned more 2026 School of Recognition designations than any other Massachusetts district, with four elementary schools making the state list.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education named Columbus Park, Francis J. McGrath, Midland Street and Worcester Arts Magnet among the 56 Schools of Recognition statewide. DESE released the list with its annual accountability data Sept. 22.

The state’s Schools of Recognition program honors schools that make significant progress toward accountability targets in English language arts and math and rank above the 20th percentile of schools statewide.

“I’m happy for these four schools and I’m hoping we see even more schools earn this honor in the years to come,” Superintendent Brian E. Allen said.

How the schools performed

Columbus Park Elementary School in the South Quadrant posted the strongest results, meeting or exceeding 98% of its targets. Its overall accountability percentile climbed 12 points from last year and 21 points across two years.

Worcester Arts Magnet School in the Burncoat Quadrant met or exceeded 90% of its targets this year, and its percentile rose 11 points.

McGrath, also a Burncoat Quadrant school, came in at 89%. Its percentile grew 13 points from last year and 21 points over two years, matching the two-year gain at Columbus Park.

In the Doherty Quadrant, Midland Street Elementary School met or exceeded 70% of its targets and gained 10 percentile points from last year.

“Every school is unique,” Allen said. “Columbus Park, McGrath, Midland and Worcester Arts Magnet schools have done tremendous work tailoring their approaches to meet the needs of their students.”

Principals credit staff and families

Columbus Park Principal Lisa Carignan tied the school’s results to its expectations for students. “Our success at Columbus Park starts with a deep belief that all students are capable of achieving great things,” Carignan said. “This accomplishment belongs to all of us.”

Midland Street Principal Tara Dexter pointed to student growth. “We are extremely proud of the growth our students have demonstrated and of what our school community has accomplished together,” Dexter said.

Worcester Arts Magnet Principal Mary Ellen Scanlon credited teachers and families. “Our faculty brings a strong commitment to our students every day, and our families are such important partners in that work,” Scanlon said.

Emily Kokansky led McGrath as acting principal last year and now serves as principal of Belmont Street School. “I am incredibly proud of the students and staff at McGrath for earning this recognition,” Kokansky said.

Erin Derr now leads McGrath. “I am honored to join the McGrath team at such an exciting time, and I look forward to building on this incredible momentum as we continue to grow and achieve even higher goals together,” Derr said.

Tracking progress during the year

Along with MCAS, the district gives the STAR assessment throughout the year to measure student comprehension in reading and math. WPS students have shown steady progress on STAR since 2022, and Allen has set a goal of raising achievement by at least 3 percent by June.

Students at the four schools have celebrated with extra recess time and assemblies since the state released the data. Smiley, the Worcester Red Sox mascot, visited some of the celebrations.

Image Credit: “Midland”: Students and staff at Midland Street Elementary School gathered for a large photo while wearing school pride shirts and displaying banners celebrating their School of Recognition achievement. (Photos by Kyle Prudhomme/WPS)