Here's what's happening in and around Worcester today
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
+7:00: 50 new cases in Worcester, 165 total, 28 in Shrewsbury, 16 in Grafton, 7 in Holden, 4 in Leicester. Press conference video (36:15)
+7:00: 'Worcester is made for this moment' (5:06)
+7:00: Construction on Polar Park halted until May 4
+7:00: Worcester State students may now designate any undergraduate course pass/fail
+7:00: Gun Parlor in Worcester shouldn’t have been open, Baker says
+7:00: Radio Worcester's Worcester Wednesday with Mayor Joe Petty (17:36): Worcester Readies for the COVID-19 Wave
+7:00: Worcester Cultural Coalition announces artist relief grants
+7:00: State totals: 33 new deaths, 122 total deaths, 1,118 new cases, 7,738 total, 51,738 tested. Story
+7:00: Fitchburg arena outfitted as morgue
+7:00: 6-week-old newborn from Connecticut dies
+7:00: Market Basket introducing social distancing measures, limiting number of shoppers
+7:00: 'Somebody's got to do it': forklift driver who moves coronavirus victims
+7:00: Celebrities do their thing: Carole King sings 'So far away', Samuel L. Jackson reads 'Stay the (bad word) at home'
+11:00: Researchers at WPI working to make automated ventilators
+11:00: Now is the time for community, by Tim Garvin, United Way of Central Mass.
+11:00: Not surprising, Part I: Alcohol sales way up (:26)
+11:00: Not surprising, Part II: Men wash their hands much less often than women, research finds
+7:15: Worcester nursing home move on hold after resident tests positive (1:02)
+7:15: Worcester Together: Central Mass COVID-19 Fund accepting applications
-Here’s when the coronavirus ‘wave’ in Mass. hits peak: study
-14 new cases in Worcester, 115 total, 21 in Shrewsbury, 16 in Grafton, 7 in Holden, 2 in Leicester. Press conference video (27:01)
-At War With Coronavirus: Saint Vincent nurse details struggle
-Worcester man with coronavirus says seasonal ailments make recognizing symptoms hard
-CVS Health to expand testing at Shrewsbury location
-DCU Center to be 250-bed field medical station (1:48). Story
-WRTA approves boarding change, free rides
-Claremont Academy teachers share school spirit with students
-WCCA-TV (30:42) -- Daily Breaking March 31
-New online activity portal 'Rec Woo' launches
-The 016 receives Facebook Community Network grant to increase coronavirus coverage
-Worcester Business Journal to host free webinars on $2T stimulus package
-With schools closed, Clark volunteers take tutoring online
-Chancellor Collins' message to UMass Medical community (5:45)
-UMass Medical School graduates new doctors in virtual ceremony
-State totals: 33 new deaths, 868 new cases, 6,620 total cases, 89 deaths, 46,935 tested
-Gov. Baker extends stay-at-home advisory until May 4
-A Wicked Vacant Boston: Eerie daytime scenes from the Hub (3:03)
-Hotels & Airbnbs in Mass. not allowed for leisure during crisis (1:20)
-What you need to do to get your government stimulus check
-RVs get new role as 'quarantine and isolation housing' and for homeless
-Captain of aircraft carrier with growing coronavirus outbreak pleads for help from Navy
-Lenders blocked plan to protect Americans' credit scores amid coronavirus
-Whole Food workers prepare to strike because of virus exposure concerns
-Walmart announces new steps, including temperature checks
-Critical supplies to donate? Here's who to call
-Good news (brought to you by Bertera Nissan): Former Assumption star Deonte Harris, an NFL Pro Bowler, donates meals to hometown
In Other News
+11:30: UPDATED: Here are the restaurants open for take out or delivery
+11:00: Soaking rain system on the way
+11:00: Fines for violating state's hands-free driving law start today
-High-speed chase leads to heroin charges for Dudley woman
-Tractor-trailer rollover on Pike ramp in Auburn
-Looking for some inspiration? Watch: Maple the woodchuck does some stair climbing at EcoTarium in Worcester
-Worcesteria: Buses, boredom and the coming bacchanal
-Wicked Bites TV visits The Dogfather (2:38)
-A piece of history in Shrewsbury is no more
-Area coaches, administrators applaud MIAA's decision to keep fighting for spring season
-Name the 5 songs from the '80s with the word "heart" in their titles and sign up to win a $25 Bravehearts gift card!
-Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes in Idaho
-At the office: Boss accidentally morphs into potato during videoconference
-Local businesses: Have an offer or deal you want people to know about? Let us know
-Latest obituaries | | -Yesterday's highlights | | -Latest weather
In The News
>WEATHER: Mark Rosenthal's 7-day forecast (:33). High of 84 today in Worcester
>TOP OF THE NEWS
+Noon: It's Friday! Check Dining Out and Bars & Bands before making plans
+Noon: Sunday's "Salute to Disney" concert postponed due to rainy forecast
+Noon: New movies on streaming: "M3GAN 2.0," "How To Train Your Dragon," and more
+Noon: Astronomer C.E.O. and Coldplay fan Andy Byron has Central Mass. tie
-Worcester named one of the best places to live in 2025
-"Still so shocked!": Worcester woman thought she won $100,000, but actually won $1 million on scratch ticket
-Legal battle over $21 million donation to Holy Cross comes to a close
-TCB preserves 85 units of affordable housing in Downtown Worcester
-Worcester man gets 6 years for loaded guns, silencer
-Paxton couple gets a surprise from a "bear-y" handsome visitor
-Area man's family disputes teen dogwalker's allegations of kidnapping (3:02)
-Earlier: Dog sitter lured into Southbridge home, kidnapped, police say
-Doherty Valedictorian Dea Kamberi eyes government career
-Marching for childhood cancer; 100-mile Ruck returns
-This Week in Worcester: Not believing lies is anti-police sentiment in Worcester
-Radio Worcester (22:45): Mayor Petty talks housing, petitions and Latin American Festival
-Radio Worcester Roundtable (50:09): Supermarkets, festivals and power of petitions
>DINING OUT (brought to you by Patsie Dugan's): At Dinky’s Blue Belle Diner, breakfast served with a side of community
-ICYMI: Police raising funds to support officers seriously injured in alleged O.U.I. crash (1:20). Article
-Man stabbed multiple times at Shell Station in Worcester
-After stalled makeover, Commerce Building owner seeks to unload downtown property
-City council presses for answers on Mill Street safety, costs, steps
-See the rest of the day's Worcester news
>HOLDEN (brought to you by Lamoureux Ford): Corner Shop awards scholarships
-Long term employees make Lamoureux Ford special (3:50)
-Abigail Lei awarded Grange scholarship
>THE BURBS (brought to you by North End Motor Sales): Millbury adopts housing production plan
-Leominster shoots down horse racing and Fairgrounds overlay district proposal
-Millville transit firm to pay $1 million over alleged MassHealth fraud
-Sutton Cultural Council launches summer concert series
-Clinton School Superintendent Steven Meyer garners praise at review
-Need a gift basket? Check out Rosie's
-Board chooses new Lancaster fire chief
-Luther Burbank Middle School honor roll announced
>BARS & BANDS: The Mayor's Live Music List for Friday
>SHOWTIME: Things to Do: ArtsWorcester's "One" exhibit, Poet's Cauldron and more
-100 FM The Pike (13:56): Jeremy Piven
-Coldplay's Chris Martin has cheeky reaction after exposing apparent "affair" at Boston concert
-WooBox public art project celebrates community and brings pop of color
>OPINION: John Keough: The Worcester gaslight council continues to shine
-Giselle Rivera-Flores: The Puerto Rican flag on the Statue of Liberty
-WCCA-TV's Chandler Chat No. 469 (28:09): State Senator Michael Rodrigues
>OBITUARIES: Tribute to man who served in the Navy for 20 years
>SPORTS: NFL assistant sees Patriots’ Christian Gonzalez as "next great one"
-Fans get money's worth with upcoming Futures Collegiate League All-Star festivities
-Bravehearts well represented as Futures League All-Star Game rosters announced
-First-place Bravehearts win again, 10-2. Wyatt Hoffman named Open Sky Community Services Player of the Game
-Bravehearts' next home game: 6:30 Saturday. Buy tickets here
-Holy Cross promotes Joelle Prata to associate head coach for women's lacrosse
>NATIONAL: Suicide in Jeffrey Epstein's jail cell is "impossible," says mobster
-4 people die in Florida from flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters
>TRAGIC: Physical therapist burned alive inside hyperbaric oxygen chamber at his practice
>NEW ENGLAND: 17-year-old boy arrested in killing of paddleboarder in small Maine town
-Mass. S.J.C. confirms conviction of 5-time drunk driver after Channel 4 report (2:08)
>COLLEGES: Tour New York City’s Garment District with developer Tom Creighton of Holy Cross
>TRAVEL (brought to you by Fuller RV & Rental): 8 of the most beautiful places to visit in Spain
>BUSINESS: AT&T $177 million settlement: When could customers get paid?
-LPL Financial Research: Midyear stock market outlook — Path to upside clouded with uncertainty
-With Rhode Island acquisition, Aubuchon hardware now in every New England state
>HOMES: Can I light a fire in my backyard? What to know about fire pits, bonfire rules
>SHOPPING: More than 67,000 cases of deodorant sold at Walmart, Dollar Tree and on Amazon recalled
>HEALTH: People with dementia living longer in 5 regions of the world (:22)
-Dermatologists warn complex shower routines may harm skin (1:05)
-Study: Longer daytime naps associated with higher risk of death (1:30)
>FOOD: KFC's "comeback" plan includes free buckets of chicken: How to get one
>TV/STREAMING: CBS is ending "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" next year
>MOVIES: Lilo & Stitch becomes first 2025 title to cross $1 billion globally
>CELEBRITY: Tom Cruise, Ana de Armas make a splash with private Spanish getaway
-See the style looks from the ESPYs red carpet: Simone Biles, Brooks Nader, Ilona Maher and more
>ANIMALS: Huge fluffy dog with longtime cat obsession finally gets his own (1:58)
>HISTORY: 2 famous dancing cops brightened up Mass. streets while directing traffic
>GOOD NEWS: Restaurant raises money to buy employee new e-bike after theft
-Meanwhile, in Portsmouth, deer crashes into restaurant (:13)
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