reposting this …

By Rosalie Tirella

We drove by the Worcester Public Library at Salem Square today … . Someone’s been reading our blog cuz the library was OPEN and a friend says the city is keeping this urban jewel open on Sundays this summer. Again, this all happened after we posted that we saw an official “library will be closed Sundays ” sign on the WPL’s glass door … .

Time for a celebratory, very urban, tune!  - R. Tirella

By Maureen Schwab

The landscape and views of Green Island have changed greatly since the 1970’s when The Little Sisters of the Assumption first arrived in Green Island to establish Pernet Family Health Services, and embark upon their mission to improve the lives of people who were poor and hurting.   One thing that has not and probably never will change; the ongoing need for health, social and educational services in a neighborhood still considered one of the poorest in Worcester.

The Little Sisters were invited to come to Worcester by Bishop Wright with Monsignor Edmund Tinsley’s help, who was then a Director of Catholic Charities. According to the Pernet Family Health Service website, the essential mission of the Sisters then, as it is now, is to” provide health care and support to the disadvantaged families and to revitalize the spirit of those degraded by poverty.”.

When they first arrived in Worcester, in 1955,  the Sisters were assigned to live and work in Princeton, but they soon found that the population did not include many poor families. They  then relocated to Worcester, took up residence on Claremont Street, a few blocks from Clark University, and started working with families in the Main South neighborhood. Home visits were made by the Sisters to families where a mother might be ill, and there was a need for someone to care for her children and cook meals until she was recovered. They worked in collaboration with Catholic Charities, who at the time were also providing services to the poor of Green Island.

In 1968, the Sisters incorporated and became a certified home health agency under the title Pernet Family Health Service, the property on Millbury Street was purchased, and the agency headquarters was established. The Sisters also moved their residence from Claremont Street to the Millbury Street location, where they lived until they moved once more in 1992 to their current residence on Endicott Street.

The dwindling numbers of vocations has taken its toll on all religious orders, and sadly, the last Little Sister of the Assumption retired from active service to Pernet last December.  Sr. Gemma, who was 95 at the time of her retirement, spent her last 10 years of service working as the receptionist at the Millbury Street office.  The day to day running is no longer in the hands of the Sisters, but they remain sponsors of the agency, and have a permanent member on The Board of Directors. Click to continue »

 … meeting begins at 7 p.m. City Hall, Main Street. You can always talk to the slots parlor issue, during the public comment section of the meeting … . Don’t need to be on the agenda, but be there for the beginning of the meeting. … AND: Rush Street Gaming makes me think of  this Dionne Warwick song!

Click here for agenda!

BOSTON – A 2012 campaign led by Massachusetts’ Department of Labor Standards (DLS) aimed at fighting the leading cause of death for Massachusetts construction workers was recognized with an award from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Office of Small Business Assistance last month.

According to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) report, falls from construction sites to a lower level claimed the lives of more Massachusetts construction workers than any other type of incident from 2007-2011. More than half of those who lost their lives after a fall were employed on residential construction sites. The campaign aims to both provide small contractors with the training and resources needed to perform jobs safely and raise general public awareness of the dangers of construction site falls.

“I’m proud of the Department of Labor Standards’ hard work on this important initiative,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Joanne F. Goldstein. “Falls on construction sites are deadly but preventable. We can save lives by educating Massachusetts’ contractors about how to protect their employees by reducing the number of falls.” Click to continue »

From The Boston Globe. We were hoping the City of Worcester would win this one … – R. T.

By Martin Finucane Globe Staff

The state’s highest court has rejected an attempt by the city of Worcester to declare that apartments rented out to four college students were “lodgings” and fell under the state lodging house law.

“While we recognize that the city seeks to protect student safety, and apparently regards the apartments at issue here as being the equivalent of dormitories, such concerns are better addressed through enforcement of applicable zoning ordinances and provisions of the sanitary and fire safety codes,” the Supreme Judicial Court wrote in an opinion today.

The court drew a distinction between tenants and lodgers in lodging houses. …

Click here to read entire story!

From The Guardian: Cannes 2013: The Great Gatsby red carpet – in pictures … – R. T.

From Leonardo DiCaprio to Carey Mulligan, the stars turn out for the opening night of the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival

Click here to see more fashion photos