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The Hangover Pub and Broth at 102 Green St. closed Wednesday. Executive chef and owner Michael Arrastia said many factors that he has been weighing for some time contributed to the closing. Rising costs for food and labor during and after the pandemic were among the reasons Arrastia cited, together with a decline, as for many other Canal District businesses, when Polar Park opened. He and other restaurant and bar owners in the area have noticed the dinner hours are quiet for them when the WooSox are in town. Arrastia said he will likely find a job working for someone else and spend more time enjoying his personal life.

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A fast-growing newspaper company is entering New England with its purchase of four local weekly papers.  CherryRoad Media is buying The Landmark in Holden, the Leominster Champion, the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and The Grafton News from Gannett, which also owns the Telegram & Gazette. The sale means the company’s plans to close The Landmark and print its final edition Sept. 15 have been scrapped. CherryRoad Media is based in Parsippany, New Jersey, and entered the industry in late 2020. As of August it owned 64 newspapers in 10 states.

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The Shaking Crab, a Newton-based restaurant chain, is hoping to catch on in downtown Worcester. The chain has notified the city License Commission that it is considering a restaurant at 544 Main St., across from The Hanover Theatre. The Shaking Crab bills itself as a Cajun seafood restaurant, its trademark being sauces, spices and fish mixed in a bag before serving. The chain has about 24 locations, most outside Massachusetts. The Worcester building being eyed by the company is owned by the Menkiti Group.

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Upton – ZIP Code 01568 – was incorporated in 1735 with land taken from the towns of Hopkinton, Mendon, Uxbridge and Sutton. Today, this town’s 21.7 square miles holds a population of roughly 8,000. According to realtor.com, seven single-family homes are for sale in Upton. They range from a 936-square-foot two-bedroom home on a .92-acre lot listed for $375,000 to a 4,770-square-foot three-bedroom equestrian estate on 109.22 acres listed at $4.495 million. The 2,660-acre Upton State Forest offers trails for hiking and biking, including the Puddin Trail Loop estimated to be 4.4 miles. The Peppercorn Hill Conservation Area features trails through 283 acres.

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A former health care worker at UMass Memorial Medical Center is now bringing the tastes of her native El Salvador to Worcester. Zaida Melendez has launched Belen's Bakery, which aims to bring a fusion of both El Salvadoran and American baking to reflect both her home and adopted countries. She has already signed the lease for 385 Park Ave., but it still needs some remodeling before the ovens are up and running. In the meantime, she has been selling her baked goods at local festivals and food markets, including the REC Farmers Market on Beaver Brook at Chandler Street on Mondays and Fridays.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Central Mass. by the Numbers