Telegram & Gazette
Teenage shooter kills 4 at elementary school
Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting at an Oregon elementary school where police say a teenage suspect killed three children and a teacher before being fatally shot by a witness. Police officials say the 16-year-old suspect shot his way...
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COLORS NOW, WHITE LATER
The view from Wachusett Mountain shows ski lifts waiting for snow as fall colors pop on Oct. 15.
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Speed humps on the rise
WORCESTER – The implementation of a new crop of speed humps is in full swing for various streets and roads throughout the city limits. In an effort to reduce vehicle speed in residential neighborhoods, school zones and connector roads, 37 seasonal...
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Meet the family behind pirate Halloween house
WORCESTER – In recognition of Halloween, the Telegram & Gazette is highlighting some of the best decorated houses in the city. We talk to the homeowners who bring the displays to life. 36 Whitman Road For Heather and Devon Kurtz, one cannon was not...
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Petition calls for more preventive measures
CLINTON – It’s a day Melissa Medina will never forget. Driving home from work on June 8, she noticed someone standing on the narrow ledge of the Wachusett Dam, a historic structure completed in 1906 that is the largest hand-built dam in the world,...
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REBRANDING NICOTINE
An ironic development emerging alongside the “Make America Healthy Again” movement is the portrayal of nicotine as a wellness and performance-enhancing product. Across social media, podcasts, wellness communities and tech startups, prominent wellness...
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Houses of horrors
WORCESTER – Skeleton pirates hanging from windows. An organ that plays itself. Hundreds of inflatable pumpkins and ghouls. Each year, dozens of homeowners assemble extravagant Halloween displays, transforming their ordinary front yards into something...
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Back in court
WORCESTER – A long-delayed retrial began Thursday, Oct. 8, for a wouldbe police officer accused of orchestrating a brutal 2012 city murder that left a man dead, two women clinging to life and a baby in the middle of a city street. Noel Inoa, a...
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ALL GOURDS GREAT AND SMALL
Lindsay Gothing of Boylston and her son, Parker, 2, pick out some interesting small gourds after adding some pumpkins to their wagon at Davidian’s Farm Market at 500 Church St. in Northborough on Oct. 7.
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Biz goes viral with response to rudeness
BLACKSTONE – The discrepancy was under a quarter and the ice cream server was under 18. When the owners of Coldstuff Ice Cream saw a customer shouting at one of their employees over a sundae that cost about 20 cents more than expected, they felt like...
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Yale football coach and Oxford native Tony Reno mourned
Tony Reno was an aggressive and hard-hitting free safety at Worcester State, but what stood out to Lancers coach Brien Cullen more than Reno’s tenacity and talent was his leadership. “You could tell as he got on that if he wanted to be,” Cullen said,...
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Homecoming postponed after Uxbridge student death
UXBRIDGE – The community is reeling after the death of a 15-year-old Uxbridge High School student in a single-vehicle crash. The student died Saturday, Oct. 3, after the vehicle they were traveling in struck a utility pole in the area of 685 Chocolog...
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BIG, BIG BLUE
WORCESTER – With no trouble and great enthusiasm, students from Worcester Technical High School have been sprucing up the large emblem that covers a section of the police station parking lot. The painted depiction of the Police Department emblem was...
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TEETH ON EDGE
WORCESTER – Before the city renovated it, Beaver Brook Dog Park was a fenced-in dirt lot dotted with patches of grass that provided outdoor space for dogs to run and play. It was visited every day by residents all over Worcester and served as the...
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One smile to another
WORCESTER – Frowns in the city have been set aside, for a day at least, for World Smile Day. The event, with ties to Harvey Ball, considered by many to be the creator of the smiley face, is celebrated the first Friday of October.
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Recycler to city: Clean up your act
WORCESTER – Four years ago, two areas of the city had a recycling problem and it appears that it’s back. Once again, just like in 2022, the city center and southeastern section have the highest rates of improper items put in curbside...
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Wolverine Grill highlights success of CTE programs
LEICESTER – If you are looking for a quick meal in Leicester, you could do a lot worse than stopping by Leicester High School’s student-run restaurant, Wolverine Grill, which is now serving breakfast and lunch. “The restaurant gives us a chance to...
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‘I’ll miss the people’
WORCESTER – Regardless of season, George Makos often told young customers at his convenience store, Pleasant Market, “Merry Christmas.” When recently asked about his preferred greeting, George, 75, said, “Because Christmas is a happy holiday and I...
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Better days ahead after steady rainfall drenches Worcester
The run of rain that ruined weekend plans in Central Massachusetts will yield to clear days for the balance of the week. The forecast calls for dry weather and temperatures nearing the high 70s Thursday, Oct. 1 and Friday, Oct. 2. Highway and utility...
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BROWSE ’N’ BORROW
Jim Thompson, 79, of Worcester picks out books, and will return, at the Little Free Library located at the Shore Drive parking lot of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester. He picked out books for himself and another to read to his grandchild...
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AI hallucinations fuel courtrooms concerns
People are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence in their personal and professional lives, and lawyers and litigants are no exception. h Yet, one major limitation of the technology has fueled a growing concern in courts around the world,...
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Trump, Xi exchange toasts, gifts at dinner
Wild mushrooms are in their peak season across the United States in late September – and for a second time, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan were treated to the fungi at the White House. On the menu for the state dinner hosted by...
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Residents slam Amazon’s plan for drone deliveries
WESTBOROUGH – Hundreds of people packed a conference room and spilled into an adjoining hallway at a Westborough hotel Wednesday, Sept. 23, to hear Amazon defend its plans to implement a drone delivery program that many in Central Massachusetts...
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Toomey apologizes for ‘poor judgment’ after crash
WORCESTER – Councilor-at-Large Kathleen Toomey apologized to the community Tuesday, Sept. 22, for exercising poor judgment during an on-site car crash investigation where she asked responding officers to call the chief of the Worcester Police...
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FALL PLANTINGS
Ryan Oliver of Boston, a groundskeeper at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Grafton, uses an auger to make holes as he and Nick Brigham plant mums and other fall plants around campus on Sept. 21, the day before the fall...
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TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Sept. 21. On this day in: 1780: American Gen. Benedict Arnold met with British Maj. John André to plot the surrender of West Point to the British in exchange for money and a high position in the British army. However, their scheme was...
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Off the same page
WORCESTER – While Massachusetts continues to stand near the top in most education ratings, even the strong public schools of the Bay State are struggling with teaching literacy. Recent MCAS data shows that just 42% of third grade students are reading...
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Donald Trump to face skeptical world leaders
WASHINGTON – When President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations a year ago, he touted the U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites just months earlier as “totally obliterating everything” and said he had brought peace between Israel and...
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Dante Reno dedicates Yale season to his ailing father
Tony Reno won’t be on the Fitton Field sideline coaching his son, Yale University starting quarterback Dante Reno, when the Bulldogs open the 2026 season Sept. 19 at the College of the Holy Cross, but just as Tony has done since Dante was a youngster,...
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Toomey steps down as chair of Public Safety Committee
WORCESTER – Councilor-at-Large Kathleen Toomey has stepped down as chair of the Public Safety Committee, which oversees matters involving the Police Department, while the department conducts an internal investigation into her Sept. 2 car...
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‘Who isn’t happy when they’re petting a dog?’
WORCESTER – Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., literally and figuratively, let the dogs out, Tuesday, Sept. 15, when he announced the start of a Worcester County Comfort Dog Program for the 60-plus communities in his district. An...
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SIX CHILDREN DEAD
The trial of Barre resident Elizabeth “Lizzie” Naramore on May 23, 1901, lasted just 30 minutes before a jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity. Her crime: Killing all six of her children, which she did before attempting, and failing, to take...
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Going with the flow
MILLBURY – Stefanie Covino’s arms got a 48-mile workout. Covino embarked Thursday, Sept. 10, on a 48-mile kayak paddle that departed from a spot on the Blackstone Bikeway in Millbury. The four-day journey on the Blackstone River with nightly rest...
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Off to the side
WORCESTER – David Lewyn and Karen Beaulieu have taken up a residence at the old Shack’s Clothes building at 403 Main St. h They often sleep in a recessed doorway on the Mechanic Street side. h The couple are homeless. h “I grew up wonderful. I had a...
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25th anniversary of 9/11 commemorated
NEW YORK – As the United States marked 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Americans across the country gathered to honor the nearly 3,000 people who perished and reflect on the day that forever changed the nation. A quarter-century...
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A GENERATION OF AFTERSHOCK
Aquarter-century later, 9/11 still echoes. The worst terrorist attack in U.S. history has been followed by other seismic events, from a once-in-a-century global pandemic to the rise of artificial intelligence that is transforming commerce, education...
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KNOWING THE ROPES
John Hernandez of Worcester jumps rope at the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Fitness Court at University Park in Worcester on Sept. 8.
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Racist, sexist slurs shouted at Worcester mural artists
WORCESTER – Two local artists were subject to racist harassment while painting the Worcester Wall of Women, a mural spearheaded by the YWCA of Central Massachusetts that features prominent city women. The incident has drawn condemnation from a...
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Tree of faith and culture
WORCESTER – With each passing year since an Armenian priest first offered consecrated bread to a parishioner in the city’s newly established Armenian Church of Our Savior in 1891, the community’s roots have spread throughout Worcester, prompting the...
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Iran aims to tackle economic issues
DUBAI – Iran said it will step up efforts to tackle problems created by the U.S. sanctions that are crippling its economy, while a senior Iranian official warned of a “painful response” if it comes under further attack. Six months after U.S.-Israeli...
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‘Every day is 9/11’
Anne Sweeney is extremely proud of her brother, Brian Sweeney, and it showed when she pointed out items in the family home that marked his accomplishments, which are many. There were several impressive-looking medals from his years of serving with...
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City police turn over slaying suspect to Boston PD
A Worcester man is charged with killing another Worcester man in Boston two weeks ago. Boston homicide detectives took the suspect into custody at the Worcester police station on Wednesday, Sept. 2. He had been picked up by Worcester police on...
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‘You get one shot’
WORCESTER — A badge and a crown? h Meet Ashlyn Mercier. h Following a guest appearance at Polar Park last week, when Mercier threw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of a WooSox game, the Westborough police officer and Miss Massachusetts winner is in...
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Petition seeks to limit what flags can be flown
WORCESTER – A citizen’s petition put in front of the Worcester School Committee is looking to restrict the types of flags that can be flown outside Worcester Public School buildings. The petition, filed by a Worcester resident named Michael Douglas,...
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Voters make civic duty a family tradition
WORCESTER – For the early morning voters trickling into the gym Tuesday morning, Sept. 1, at Burncoat High School – where two voting precincts had been set up side-by-side, separated only by yellow caution tape – filling out the ballot was a matter of...
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Students, teachers and crossing guards kick off new school year
WORCESTER – The first person students at Flagg Street Elementary School see as they head to school on the first day of the school year is Brenda Davin, the cheerful crossing guard outside the school who was stopping commuter traffic near the...
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‘Give it hell, T’
Dedication is what Taylor Nunez-Murray is all about. As a teacher, Nunez-Murray works with students at Worcester’s Gerald Creamer Center, an alternative high school for students who have faced life challenges that have made attending high school...
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Fallen by the wayside
WORCESTER – The faded clapboard structure sits at Salisbury and Forest streets, a decaying beacon to the city’s West Side. Absent to passing motorists is any indication of the history of the vacant house at 274 Salisbury St. Two centuries ago, it was...
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Nepal, China resume flood rescue
NUWAKOT, Nepal – Nepal and China resumed rescue operations that had been suspended briefly in the flood-hit Himalayas on Aug. 28 after risks from an overflowing lake were found to be manageable, easing fears of fresh devastation. The catastrophic...
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New citizens in bloom
BOYLSTON – They have likely heard the Pledge of Allegiance recited throughout their years living in the United States while attending ceremonies and events at their children's schools. But on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 44 people participating in the...
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Summer vacation over, football season begins
With summer family getaways in the books and homework days away, football is the focus for hundreds of high school athletes in Central Massachusetts. Preseason practice sessions are in full swing. It’s a mix of getting in shape, learning the plays and...
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Search reaches a week for Karen Solomon
WORCESTER – With Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. looking on, searchers scoured Coes Pond Monday, Aug. 24, as authorities looked for clues in the Karen Solomon case. As of midafternoon, officials had not reported any developments...
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TIME FOR SLIME
Maura Looney, 6, and Liliana Fontes, 8, learn to make slime in the Oopsie Doopsie Crafts tent during the weekly Auburn Summer Farmers & Cultural Market. The market runs every Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. through Sept. 3 at Pappas Recreation Complex.
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In the principal’s office
WORCESTER – Olga Papadopoulos once walked the halls as a student at South High Community School. Now, she runs the school. “The building has changed but what is happening inside has not, and that was one of the biggest draws for why I wanted to come...
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Search continues for Karen Solomon
WORCESTER – Investigators returned to Coes Pond on Friday morning as the search continued for Karen Solomon, the Worcester woman who is being sought in connection with the death of her husband, Worcester Police Officer Kurt Solomon, on Tuesday. Earlier...
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TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Aug. 21. On this date in: 1831: Believing that God had chosen him to lead his people to freedom, enslaved minister Nat Turner began the deadliest slave revolt in the United States. The rebellion killed 60 people and required a 3,000man...
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Slain officer mourned
WORCESTER – A police officer who spent three decades with the Worcester Police Department is being mourned, as the investigation into his death continues. The search for Karen Solomon continued the afternoon of Wednesday, Aug. 19. A manhunt for the...
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Poll: Trump approval rating hits new low
President Donald Trump’s polling woes continue as he fell to a new record low since his return to the White House, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos survey, with only one in three Americans approving of his job performance. The poll, released Aug. 17,...
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Finding the spotlight
WORCESTER – For the first time in 40 years, a standalone festival to recognize the history and culture of Puerto Rico was held in the city. The U.S. territory was celebrated on the Worcester Common on Sunday, Aug. 16, with a lively mix of food, music,...
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IN THE LION’S DEN
x Operating the yellow lion, Andrew Tran and fellow Eternals Lion Dance team members entertain people at the new RICEMA at 75 Webster St. RICEMA is an arts and education center that preserves, shares and celebrates refugee and immigrant cultures,...
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SQUELCHED
FITCHBURG – When it rains in Fitchburg, water races down Spring Street, the steep hill next to Longsjo Middle School. As it flows, it picks up oils, animal feces and other pollutants that lay atop the asphalt and funnels them straight into a storm...
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U.S. tells Iran it will step up pressure
LONDON – Transit through the Strait of Hormuz appeared to grind to a near standstill on Aug. 14 after two more ships were attacked there and the United States said it could maintain a naval blockade of Iran indefinitely. A senior Iranian source said...
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HOT OFF THE GRID
WORCESTER – It’s a season that can run from hot to cold, at least when the measuring stick is the temperature. The Holy Cross football team is in the midst of training camp, with the summer sun a worthy foe. The Crusaders will spend August getting...
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Trump discusses covert Air Force One switch
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Aug. 11 he was acting on the advice of Secret Service when he was covertly carried off Air Force One in a catering container in July and flown out of Turkey on another military jet. It was a ploy to protect the...
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Mom against the odds
LEOMINSTER – The secret is out. Elizabeth Wood wants the world to know that at 44 she gave birth to a daughter, defying the pregnancy odds for many women her age. Today, Wood’s 17-month-old daughter, Hannah, is as healthy as can be and loves...
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Fire chief: Body of missing man found in Lake Quinsigamond
SHREWSBURY – The body of a man who had been missing for nearly 20 hours was found in Lake Quinsigamond before noon Monday, Aug. 10. Fire Chief Seth H. Colby confirmed to the Telegram & Gazette that the man was located. The man, whose identity was not...
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Back in the saddle again
HUBBARDSTON – Seven miles from where the Liberty-Belle Farm on Main Street is offering horseback riding lessons, there are still signs of everything lost when a fire ripped through its former location two years ago, consuming everything but 22 horses...
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RAISING A STINK
WORCESTER – John Cogswell stood outside the business his family has owned for over 40 years and shared his problem. It’s not that sales at Cogswell Sprinkler Co. Inc. are down, or that Cogswell is having a hard time finding qualified workers to design...
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TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Aug. 8. On this date in: 1829: America’s first steam locomotive, the Stourbridge Lion, made its trial run. The 7-ton, Englishbuilt machine traveled at 10 mph on wooden tracks in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. 1844: Elders of the Church of Jesus...
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TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Aug. 7. On this date in: 1782: Gen. George Washington created the first U.S. military decoration, the Badge of Military Merit, now called the Purple Heart. Noncommissioned officers and privates were eligible, not just high-ranking officers....
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Neighborhood divided over Chandler Street roundabouts
WORCESTER – Tensions are flaring over a Chandler Street project that aims to replace two of the artery’s intersections with roundabouts. A scattering of yellow placards, standing out against the lawns of Worcester’s West Side, have proliferated in...
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GIVING ‘EM THE SLIP
An early birthday party for Lenox Ellis of Auburn, who turns 15 on Aug. 31, had about 17 of his friends using a soapy homemade waterslide at Lemansky Park in Auburn on Aug. 3.
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Sunny sides up
WORCESTER – Mike Legere’s invitation sounded harmless, until you realize that he might completely change the way you look at your lawn. “I would like to show off my garden,” Legere said. “I use all natural things, no fencing, old techniques like...
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Course set for safety
On the many ponds, lakes and rivers that make up the Bay State’s “inland ocean,” members of dozens of flotillas that make up the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary in Massachusetts keep busy educating the public about safe boating as well as state and federal...
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NOT DRY BUT WAY TOO HIGH
It seems higher prices are everywhere these days, including at the gas pump, in grocery store aisles and for just about any product or service we need. h Loud complaints are ringing out, but none may be louder than what’s emanating from the small town...
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