Central Mass. by the Numbers

Telegram & Gazette
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Joined by teachers and supporters, Leominster paraeducators expressed their wish for a new contract with a living wage during an informational picket Oct. 17 in front of Leominster City Hall and around Monument Square.
Joined by teachers and supporters, Leominster paraeducators expressed their wish for a new contract with a living wage during an informational picket Oct. 17 in front of Leominster City Hall and around Monument Square.

6/30

Paraeducators head back to the negotiating table with the Leominster School Department. Linda Williams, treasurer of the Paraeducators Association of Leominster Schools, said the union is asking in its new contract for a wage that keeps its members above the poverty line. Their previous contract expired June 30.  According to Williams, the starting wage is $16.09 per hour. The highest-paid paraeducators earn $18.19 per hour. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services set the 2022 poverty level at $13,590 for a single person, $18,310 for a couple, $23,030 for a household with three people and $27,750 for four people.

Roughly 2,770 nurses and health care workers at several hospitals in the UMass Memorial Health system have ratified new contracts.
Roughly 2,770 nurses and health care workers at several hospitals in the UMass Memorial Health system have ratified new contracts.

2,770

Roughly 2,770 nurses and health care workers at several hospitals in the UMass Memorial Health system have ratified new contracts, providing wage increases between 8% and 19.5%, depending on the facility and length of contract. The contracts involving nurses and health care professionals were ratified June 29 at UMass Memorial Medical Center's Memorial and Hahnemann campuses; Sept. 29 at UMass Memorial Medical Center – University Campus; July 28 at Marlborough Hospital; and Sept. 7 at the Clinton campus of UMass Memorial HealthAlliance – Clinton Hospital.

L.S. Starrett Co., Athol.
L.S. Starrett Co., Athol.

01331

Nicknamed “Tool Town” for its history of attracting tool manufacturing businesses, Athol — ZIP code 01331 — on Worcester County’s western border has a large inventory of homes for sale and a “full array of municipal services.”  Its “Tool Town” nickname was forged after several manufacturing companies were established in town during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The town of 33.4 square miles is home to a population of roughly 12,000. According to realtor.com, 21 single-family homes are for sale in Athol. They range from a 1,012-square-foot one-bedroom home listed for $95,000, to a 3,361-square-foot five-bedroom home listed at $595,000.

The Item has been acquired by CherryRoad Media.
The Item has been acquired by CherryRoad Media.

11/1

The Item will soon be under new ownership. CherryRoad Media, a fast-growing company that has been buying newspapers across the country, is acquiring The Item from Gannett in a deal that will close Nov. 1, according to CherryRoad Media CEO and founder Jeremy Gulban. Gulban is also CEO of CherryRoad Technologies — based, like CherryRoad Media, in Parsippany, New Jersey — which offers technology solutions such as cloud hosting and network systems. Gulban’s father started the business in 1983, with Gulban taking over operations in 2008. Founded in late 2020, CherryRoad Media currently owns 70 newspapers in 12 states. The Item will be its 71st title.

The Item will soon be under new ownership. CherryRoad Media, a fast-growing company that has been buying newspapers across the country, is acquiring The Item from Gannett in a deal that will close Nov. 1, according to CherryRoad Media CEO and founder Jeremy Gulban. Gulban is also CEO of CherryRoad Technologies — based, like CherryRoad Media, in Parsippany, New Jersey — which offers technology solutions such as cloud hosting and network systems. Gulban’s father started the business in 1983, with Gulban taking over operations in 2008. Founded in late 2020, CherryRoad Media currently owns 70 newspapers in 12 states. The Item will be its 71st title.

A parcel of open land bordered by Prescott, Lincoln and Salisbury streets is set for development.
A parcel of open land bordered by Prescott, Lincoln and Salisbury streets is set for development.

125,000

Two vacant lots at opposite ends of downtown are primed for major redevelopment projects. O’Connell Development Group of Holyoke has proposed a five-story, 125,000-square-foot lab/office building at 32 Prescott St. to further build out Gateway Park, Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s life sciences and bioengineering campus near Lincoln Square. Meanwhile, Winterspring Capital LLC of Tewksbury has proposed a six-story, 112,000-square-foot building with 110 residential units atop commercial space on a vacant lot at 5 Madison St., near Beacon and Madison streets. The units are proposed to be one- and two-bedroom apartments, and there will be 41 parking spaces at the site.

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

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