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In The News
>WEATHER: Mark Rosenthal's 7-day forecast (1:17). High of 34 today in Worcester
-How much snow will Massachusetts get in February? See the forecast
>TOP OF THE NEWS
-Worcester firefighter saves life of fellow firefighter
-Auburn K9 tracks, helps arrest domestic violence suspect
-Man charged with kidnapping teen at Westborough hotel (2:11)
-TODAY! Downtown Worcester Winter Festival
-Worcester police will give out fewer speeding tickets in February. Here’s why
-Worcester plant shop to close, shifting focus to wholesale
-Lawmakers push back against proposed CarMax auction site in Worcester
-Former State Rep. John Fresolo to run for Worcester District 3 City Councilor
-Worcester Chamber Music Society performs at Abby’s House
-Worcester Public Schools celebrates School Counseling Week (:58)
-Radio Worcester's The Rundown (17:03): Worcester Human Rights Commission, city manager relations & more
-Radio Worcester Roundtable (49:27): W.P.S. & Diocese on I.C.E. policy, Sheriff Evangelidis debate
>DINING OUT: New Chandler Street restaurant gets into the groove of the "neighborhood vibe"
-ICYMI: Worcester Art Museum, Italy enter agreement as 2 objects in collection may be stolen
-Bird flu spreading in state, but cases still low in Central Mass.
-Worcester undocumented immigrants anxious over I.C.E. raids, deportation
-Man stabs woman in Downtown Worcester, police arrest suspect
-See the rest of the day's Worcester news
>HOLDEN (brought to you by Lamoureux Ford): Holden fiscal 2026 budget schedule
-Longtime customer salutes Lamoureux Ford (3:53)
-Holden update from Town Manager Peter Lukes (8:00)
>THE BURBS (brought to you by North End Motor Sales): Shrewsbury M.B.T.A. Communities Act plan ruled in compliance
-Shrewsbury special election February 4th
-TODAY! Car seat safety & infant/child C.P.R. event Saturday in Shrewsbury
-Auburn woman charged with O.U.I. after car overturns in water
-Nashoba receives literacy grant
-The Item's Neighbor to Neighbor column
-The Item's calendar of events
>BARS & BANDS: The Mayor's Live Music List for Saturday
>SHOWTIME: Five Things to Do: St. Olaf's Choir, Masta Killa, JOMPATHON and more
-Local writer Meredith O'Brien explores family dysfunction in this political era
-Register to perform at the second Worcester Youth Poetry Slam
>OPINION: Jennifer Julien Gaskin: The world is watching
-WCCA-TV's Chandler Chat No. 450 (29:45): Holy Cross Prior PAC & Cantor Art Gallery
-Unity Radio's Unity in the Community (58:46): BrujaTheVillain
>OBITUARIES: Tribute to longtime WPI professor who helped create the semiconductor industry
>SPORTS: Drake Maye reveals big thing he wants to work on in offseason
-Celtics beat Pelicans, 118-116
-Bruins captain Brad Marchand reacts to trade rumors as team struggles
-Holy Cross men's basketball set for Coaches vs. Cancer game on Saturday
-Holy Cross women's hockey edged by U.N.H., 1-0
-'Sader Stories podcast (51:31): Holy Cross Athletics update with Kit Hughes
-Clark honors 1,000-point scorers
-“Breaking Through: The Rise of Women in Sports” at Bravehearts' New England Sports Summit
-Railers beat Adirondack, 4-3
>NATIONAL: Small jet carrying 6 crashes in Philadelphia neighborhood
-Dashcam catches moment a small jet crashes in Philadelphia (:21)
-Tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China to go into effect Saturday
-Tragic: Nearly 40 die in India stampede
>NEW ENGLAND: No easy answers on cellphones in Massachusetts classrooms
-Potholes in Mass. wreak havoc on vehicles, repair costs soar (1:02). Article
>COLLEGES: Surgical device invented at WPI gets patent (1:13)
>TRAVEL (brought to you by Fuller RV & Rental): The most beautiful official residences you can visit around the world
>BUSINESS: Top insurance executives warn Mass. health care is at breaking point
-Worcester Business Journal seeks readers’ ideas for Power 100 list of most influential professionals
-Radio Worcester (12:35): Alex Guardiola on the Latest EZ Drive scams
>SHOPPING: Patagonia winter sale — Save up to 50% on fleece sweaters, down jackets, gear
>HOMES: This is the most affordable city in America to buy a home
>HEALTH: How mindfulness can improve your sleep
-What to know about the "cold plunge sauna circuit" trend (2:38)
>FOOD: Wegmans recalls chicken nuggets after bone fragments found in meat
>TV/STREAMING: Trailer for new Netflix doc, "Surviving Black Hawk Down" (1:55)
>MOVIES: New movies on demand — "Moana 2," "Babygirl," and more
>CELEBRITY: Jon Hamm reacts to his Hasty Pudding Man of the Year roast (1:52). Article
-Remembering Marianne Faithfull, multi-generational icon of song and screen
>HISTORY: Literary roads lead to Poet Hill neighborhood in Worcester
>ANIMALS: Dog waits by the window for her grandparents to come home (1:46)
>GOOD NEWS: Eaton Fire evacuee finds bear in his crawlspace upon return home
-Meanwhile, eerie "HELP" messages spotted in L.A. lot on Google Maps spark worry across internet
Latest obituaries | | Friday's highlights | | Today's horoscope | | Local Sports
In The News
>WEATHER: High of 71 today in Worcester (3:36)
>TOP OF THE NEWS
+4:00: As Robert Stoddard slept, thieves made off with 9 valuable paintings, including recovered Avercamp
+4:00: Related: Stolen Dutch master painting back in Worcester after nearly 47 years — to be shown at Worcester Art Museum
+4:00: Man arrested after pursuit through Worcester Common
+4:00: WPI lays off 24 employees, citing rising costs and federal uncertainty
+4:00: Radio Worcester (9:25): At airport, 44 acre solar farm planned and American Eagle flights return
+4:00: Holy Cross baseball falls to North Carolina in NCAA regional tourney opener
+4:00: 210 Sports' Friday 4: Handshakes, USA Hockey, Touch the trophy, and Wienie racing
+Noon: It's Friday! Check Dining Out and Bars & Bands before making plans
+Noon: Table Hoppin': Bella Pizzeria brings Brazilian pizza to Worcester
+Noon: New shows & movies to watch this weekend
+Noon: New movies on demand — "Fight or Flight," "The King of Kings" and more
-Counterfeit ticket scam leads to parents missing Worcester high school graduation
-Related: Worcester Technical High School graduation (1:23:13)
-Facing eviction, Worcester's Boston Market owner plans a rebranding instead
-Worcester police arrest suspect in connection with shooting near University Park
-D.O.J. retracts investigations of 8 police departments. What about Worcester?
-Renters find relief at Worcester legal clinic to clear their eviction records
-Providence & Worcester train derails in Rhode Island neighborhood
-W.R.T.A. adds new accessible vans to paratransit fleet
-Bullet found in parking lot of Auburn Middle School; school had been dismissed
-Traditional food and music on tap at Middle Eastern Festival
-100 FM The Pike (9:38): Middle Eastern Festival
-Mass. Attorney General issues guidance on rights during I.C.E. enforcement
-Radio Worcester's The Rundown (26:00): Banned from City Hall — The boundaries of protest
-Radio Worcester Roundtable (48:22): Fallout from the State of the City protest
>DINING OUT (brought to you by Patsie Dugan's): Red Lobster menu changes — Under $20, hush puppies, Happy Hour deals
-ICYMI: Police investigating death of college student in Worcester
-Work begins on $120 million downtown Worcester housing development
-Vandal leaves offensive messages on sign outside Worcester middle school
-See the rest of the day's Worcester news
>HOLDEN (brought to you by Lamoureux Ford): June Among Friends senior newsletter
-Jazzed Up Duo 5:30 to 8:30 Saturday at Val's
-Lamoureux Ford offers huge discounts! (2:53)
-May & June Senior Center events
>THE BURBS (brought to you by North End Motor Sales): Joann Fabrics officially closes in Shrewsbury
-Join the inaugural Shrewsbury Pride 5K Run/Walk
-Struggling Quabbin Reservoir towns make public appeal for more state funding
-James Ettamarna, Christine Watkins will join Sutton Select Board
-West Boylston ballot features races, override
-New senior center director introduced in West Boylston
-Clinton Select Board restricts recycling center to residents only amid surge of use by outsiders
-The Item's calendar of events
>BARS & BANDS: The Mayor's Live Music List for Friday
>SHOWTIME: Things to Do: James Oliver Band, M'bolo, Jay Sully and more ...
-Shakira, Jason Aldean, Brooks & Dunn concerts at Fenway Park canceled after sources say staging fell apart (3:44). Article
-"American Idol" winner David Cook to headline annual Pet Rock Fest
-Summer@Music Worcester returns with 3 different concerts
-Worcester students eye "Origin" as part of ArtsWorcester Future Arts Workers
-WCCA-TV's Mayor's Forum No. 53 (28:26): Dr. Tasia Cerezo, Meryl's Safe Haven
-Unity Radio's Cannabis 101 (31:48)
>OBITUARIES: Tribute to Worcester man who expanded his family's trucking business
>SPORTS: TODAY! What to know before Bravehearts Home Opener
-Bravehearts Opening Night giveaway. Next home game: 6:30 Today. Get tickets here
-Bravehearts fall to Starfires, 10-6
-Vrabel's vibes, Drake Maye's relationship with Josh McDaniels (6:47)
-Jordon Hudson's raunchy sexual innuendo from viral Bill Belichick getaway revealed
-Holy Cross baseball to face No. 1 North Carolina in Chapel Hill Regional
-Related: Crusaders celebrate resilient journey to NCAA Tournament
-WooSox beat RailRiders, 3-2
>CARS: Ford recalls more than 1 million vehicles due to rearview camera issue
>NATIONAL: Blatten, Switzerland buried following glacier collapse (2:13). Photos
-4-year-old Mexican girl faces deportation amid medical crisis
>TRAGIC: Teen dies from playing social media "tackle game"
>NEW ENGLAND: Major traffic trouble on the Mass. Pike begins today (2:07). Article
-Around 40 people arrested during I.C.E. operations on Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard
-Karen Read trial (21:07): The prosecution rested its case — our experts grade it
>COLLEGES: Celebrate the Holy Cross Class of 2025
-WPI graduate commencement (:27)
>TRAVEL (brought to you by Fuller RV & Rental): What American tourists should know about "terrorism" threat in Italy
>BUSINESS: Central Mass. nonprofits snag portion of $6.7 million for small business training
-LPL Financial Research: Can earnings catch up to this stock market rally?
-Most employees would invite family or a friend on a work trip
>SHOPPING: Shoppers are exploiting retail return policies
>HEALTH: Mental health organizations in Mass. struggle with federal funding cuts (:57)
-Doctor on Hepatitis A after exposure warning issued at Mass. eatery (3:10)
>FOOD: Coke or Pepsi? Best-selling sodas in America in 2024 revealed
>TV/STREAMING: Worcester plays strong supporting role in episode of "The Walking Dead"
>MOVIES: Trailer for new Pete Davidson horror movie, "The Home" (1:58)
>CELEBRITY: Sarah Silverman reveals A-lister who saved her after "SNL" firing
>ANIMALS: Lonely puppy who wasn't moving slowly comes back to life (1:44)
>HISTORY: Then & Now: Burke Square, Main and Ripley streets, Worcester
>GOOD NEWS: Woman's gas stop turns into 6-figure lottery win
-Meanwhile, in Utah, 7-year-old boy drove his little sister to get McDonald's
Latest obituaries | | Thursday's highlights | | Today's horoscope | | Local Sports
Classifieds
>HELP WANTED
+Multiple positions, Nancy Chang Restaurant
+Police officers, town of Leicester
-Worcester Area Director (part-time), Matthew 25
-Part-time bartender, Patsie Dugan's
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