Worcester Magazine October 4 - 10, 2018

OCTOBER 4 - 10, 2018 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

NEWS • ARTS • DINING • NIGHTLIFE

Life in the NICU

UMass Memorial a haven for high-risk infants

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in this issue O C T O B E R 4 - 10, 2018 • V O L U M E 44 I S S U E 6

the cover John Shea, 31 weeks, grasps his mother’s finger through an isolate porthole.

Story on page 11 Photo by Elizabeth Brooks, Design by Kimberly Vasseur

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news High heat: School Committee to tackle hot classroom temps A

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BILL SHANER

for retrofitting buildings with air conditioning.

Foley and Comparetto said they filed the item on behalf of teachers who complained about the classroom conditions.

“This was a rare case back in September,” said Foley. “It was unbelievable and probably unbearable.”

Foley mentioned early dismissal specifically as a measure that may

help mitigate the heat. But he said the issue is complicated and any early dismissal creates a coordination and transportation challenge.

Still, he feels the administration could have done more than provide fans and cooling stations.

“I think it’s a balancing act,” he said, adding the item tonight is a chance for teachers and the administration to have a conversation.

Comparetto said during those stretch of hot days, he heard from a lot of frustrated teachers and parents.

While it may be controversial and logistically challenging, he said, the district build into its hot weather plan a way to close school without having to make days up at the end of the year.

“I think we can get creative with moving school vacation days

around,” he said.

In the case of emergency, a school vacation day from later in the year could be used to close school for the day without adding days in June.

Many of the teachers at the meeting Tuesday were galvanized by what they saw as an indifferent response to the heat from Superintendent Maureen Binienda. They

classroom temperature that reached 100 degrees by the afternoon. Inadequate number of cooling stations in school buildings. Kids asleep at their desks. Teachers on the verge of fainting, others spending $330 of their own money on air conditioners that barely made a dent. Not enough water for students who C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 6 weren’t allowed to bring their own.

These were some of the complaints outlined by educators at a meeting this week to organize ahead of a School Committee meeting Thursday night for the creation of a policy for extremely hot and humid days at school.

The meeting comes after a stretch of brutally hot weather at the beginning of the school year, in late August and early September, during which teachers in buildings without air conditioning (which includes most of the 45 buildings in the district) felt they couldn’t get anything done, but the administration kept school open.

“We have a plan in place for every sort of weather condition except heat, and that seems silly to me,” said Jeremy Shulkin, one of the teachers who organized the meeting, to the dozen or so educators in the room.

Tonight, the School Committee will discuss an order put forward

by School Committee members Jack Foley and Dante Comparetto asking the administration to come up with a plan for extremely hot weather.

Some teachers plan to speak on the item. They’re asking for a few specific demands: that half days be called when the temperature rises above a certain threshold, cooling stations and cold water be made A teacher lists complaints made at a meeting at the Education Association of Worcester this week. more accessible to students, and ELIZABETH BROOKS a long-term plan be put together

news

Union Station to expand with MBTA rail platform project BILL SHANER

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n what state officials hope will lay the groundwork for more frequent commuter rail trips, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s fiscal control board approved plans to construct a second platform at Union Station.

The Fiscal and Management

The center platform, as laid out in the MBTA report submitted to the Fiscal and Management Control Board.

Control Board voted unanimously this week to support a $4-million design and construction project expected to take about 27 months.

At the meeting, Beth Larkin, the assistant general manager of capital delivery, described the project as one that will reduce the amount of time between trains and possibly allow for more express trips between Worcester and Boston.

Since commuters load and unload from trains on the same onesided platform, and trains enter and exit through the same tracks, she said the schedule is held up

oftentimes by logistical issues.

“This could provide for expansion operations in the future,” she said.

Currently, trains leave about every hour and a half, starting at 4:45 a.m. and ending just after midnight. Two express trains, one leaving Worcester at 8 a.m. and one departing Boston at 7:30 p.m., cut the normal hour-and-a-half ride down to about one hour. The station sees an estimated 1,500 riders a day, according to the MBTA, making it one of the most highly-used stations in the Commuter Rail network. In a report C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 6

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heavily cited a Telegram article that ran on Aug. 29, in which Binienda was quoted as saying classrooms she visited were “comfortable.”

At the Tuesday meeting, Education Association of Worcester President Roger Nugent said he

went to different buildings in the district during those hot days and saw teachers doing desperate things. One had built a makeshift air conditioner from a cooler full of ice and a box fan. In other buildings, where teachers brought their own window air conditioners, they were blowing fuses because of the huge draw on power.

James Kobialka, a representa-

tive of the Massachusetts Teachers Association who facilitated the meeting, said it was important the teachers make specific demands and ask for a specific timeline.

Some districts in Massachusetts have policies for excessive heat, but many do not, he said. However, he said time is of the essence, as huge fluctuations in temperature and unseasonable heat have

become more common in recent years.

“We might have 90 degree weather in March, April, May,” he said. “The climate is kind of scary right now.”

Bill Shaner can be reached at 508-767-9535 or at wshaner@ worcestermag.com. Follow him on Twitter @Bill_Shaner.

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submitted to the board, MBTA officials said the project benefits include increased reliability, reduced operating schedules, expanded capacity, upgrades that will make the station more compliant with the American Disability Act, reduce maintenance costs and energy consumption, as well as make the station a more fullyintegrated intermodal facility.

City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. called the expansion an important development that will “help open the door for increased commuter rail service in Worcester.”

“With the current, single train platform,” he said, “only one train can be in the station at a time, which limits both the number and frequency of trains on the line.

The addition of a second platform could ultimately add more express service.”

As far as the station itself goes, the struggle to retain retail remains, but new additions like a police substation and the planned move of the state Cannabis Control Commission’s 50-person office to Union Station from Boston are pegged by officials as moves that could turn things around.

Earlier this year, the Worcester Redevelopment Authority commissioned a study of ways to improve the commercial aspects of the building, which was reopened in 2000 after decades of dormancy. The study came after the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce published a paper suggesting a different mix of tenants than what the transit hub had seen before.

Bill Shaner can be reached at 508-767-9535 or at wshaner@ worcestermag.com. Follow him on Twitter @Bill_Shaner.

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MCAS scores invalidated at school BILL SHANER

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chool officials are still waiting on more detailed information from the state, after the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced last week it has invalidated the 2017 MCAS scores for Chandler Elementary School.

DESE cited anomalies and “serious violations of test administration and test security protocols,”

• Timing patterns for responding to individual questions and to the test as a whole • The number of changed responses that led to an increase in points The 2017 results were placed under review after the anomalies were identified. In addition, DESE also requested the school department monitor the 2018 administration of MCAS test at Chandler.

the agenda for the School Committee meeting tonight to discuss the DESE letter.

DESE, Riley said, compared the 2018 results to those from 2017 and noted the following: The percentage of students in the “Meeting Expectations” and “Exceeding Expectations” categories was lower in every grade and every subject, by an average of more than 20 points The average scaled scores were

ELIZABETH BROOKS

lower in every grade and every subject, by an average of more than 9 points Growth was lower in all grades and subjects for which growth is calculated; four out of six grade/ subject combinations had growth below the state median; two had extremely low median SGPs of 27 and 12 Growth was extremely low for students who tested at Chandler in 2017 and then tested at a different school in 2018. The 2018 mean SGPs of students who left

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That led to a staff member from the administration being present during each day of the spring test.

School Committee Member Jack Foley said the state laid out anomalies, but not what they thought caused them.

“I think they owe us more explanation,” he said. “The parents need some answers. And they may not have them but they should give us some more information about that they think happened and what corrections we should make.”

Mayor Joe Petty put an item on

Walter Bird Jr. contributed to this story

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in its decision. In a letter to School Superintendent Maureen Binienda, DESE Commissioner Jeff Riley reference an ongoing investigation into the 2017 MCAS results that started last year after the discovery of “anomalies across multiple grades and subjects,” including: • The percentage of students in the “Meeting Expectations” and “Exceeding Expectations” categories • Student Growth Percentiles, or SGP • Average scaled scores

in 2017 continues.

Binienda has thrown her steadfast support behind Chandler Elementary School Principal Jessica Boss, saying she is “100 percent sure” she “had nothing to do with this.”. She also has said teachers and staff would have no good reason to inflate the scores, since the 2017 test was a baseline to be compared to this year.

Appearing on the Worcester Magazine Radio Hour this week on Unity Radio, Binienda also noted Chandler Elementary had dealt with computer issues during the administering of the MCAS test in 2017. No other school, she said, had those problems. She was not sure whether the computer issues could have been responsible for the anomalies DESE discovered.

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Chandler Elementary School, 114 Chandler St, Worcester.

Chandler were 21 for ELA (vs. 72 in 2017) and 15 for Math (vs. 70 last year) Additional review by DESE, Riley wrote, also revealed “numerous serious violations of test administration and test security protocols during the 2017 administration, which further called into question the validity of the results.”

“For these reasons,” Riley continued, ”[DESE] has invalidated the 2017 MCAS results at Chandler Elementary Community School.”

While the school’s 2018 results will be reported in full, he said, “students who tested at Chandler last year will not have student growth percentiles this year, because calculating growth requires a score from the previous year.”

Riley concluded the letter by acknowledging “the consistent cooperation you and your staff have show to us in this matter.” He also said the review of anomalies found

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worcesteria

SQUIRREL BAIT: So I was getting laughed at by pretty much everyone

I called and emailed last week, and also by my coworkers, as I attempted to Nancy Drew the question of the month: Why are there so many goddamn dead squirrels on every major road in this city? I was following up on some actually good reporting in New Hampshire and in the Boston Globe about the spike in population due to a bumper crop of acorns last year. But in the Worcester area, I got nothing. From the city spokesman, I got that roadkill in general, not squirrels specifically, is up 50 corpses over last year, and up 40 over the five-year average. Tell that to the sides of I-190, which look like the Western Front of Squirrel War I. From the Mass. Department of Fisheries & Wildlife, even less help. In an email with the subject line “Lots of Squirrels,” a spokeswoman said “there’s really not an extraordinary explanation.” Guess we’ll never know.

KING V BERGMAN: There are frictions on the City Council that are

plainly obvious, even to casual observers. If a fist fight broke out between Konnie Lukes and Sarai Rivera I would not be surprised, and I think Joe Petty and Tom Zidelis would be waiting for Rivera to tag them in. But absent a real pariah like former Councilor Mike Gaffney, tension between councilors can be a very subtle thing. And I spy with my little eye something brewing between At-Large Councilors Moe Bergman and Khrystian King. Never has it been more obvious than the meeting this Tuesday, which saw Bergman file for a rule change to prevent councilors from doing something that King did last week (move an item to vote mid-discussion, effectively barring some councilors from speaking). Bergman didn’t say King’s name and King didn’t comment on the item, but the intent was pretty obvious. Where could this be coming from? No idea. Does it even exist? Can’t say. But hey, what do you read Worcesteria for, anyway?

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GOOD OLD FASHION POLITICKIN’: Never underestimate the skat-

ers. The folks organizing to get a new Worcide Skatepark built after the city tore it down (almost exactly a month before announcing the PawSox were moving to that property) have proven themselves politically savvy this week. As it’s been explained to me by people on both sides, the push to build a new skatepark may take longer and be more complicated than we initially thought. So, this week, Councilor Gary Rosen filed an order to get a public hearing in his Parks & Rec Subcommittee on the status. He did so, he said, because the skaters “did ask me if the council could be a little more involved in the discussions.”

Now, Worcide folks will continue to meet with the city, but with the added leverage of public oversight via the City Council. Well played, sirs and madams.

JUST PATHETIC: I don’t want to dedicate too much space to this

because it’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever witnessed. But Aidan Kearney over at Turtleboy Sports tried to take down Tom Merolli, insurgent Democratic challenger to Ryan Fattman’s Senate seat, by accusing him of – get this – walking in a park at night with a woman and – oh, gosh – maybe getting frisky. Though he didn’t have any proof of that second part. He just sort of said it, in the disgusting way he tends to say things. Really hard-hitting journalism. Morelli must have been quaking in his boots. Merolli’s response, which he posted to his campaign Facebook: He found someone on the campaign trail who means a lot to him, and they like to take walks at night. He and that woman are in a relationship, though he’d have preferred to announce that after the campaign. I mean good grief. If this is the best Fattman and Kearney can come up with, they’re in trouble. Hey Aidan, I got cited for drinking in a public park at night when I was 22. I was drunk in New York City and having a good time with my friends. I had to pay the ticket.

Bill Shaner, reporter Have at it. wshaner@worcestermag.com Twitter: @Bill_Shaner

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the beat

Net of Compassion, a group of local nonprofits and community organizers who seek to help the homeless, is hosting a fundrais-

ing gala Wednesday, Oct. 10 at Mechanics Hall. The event, which takes place 6-9 p.m., is ticketed starting at $100. Event organizers are still seeking sponsors.

Among other things, Net of Compassion helps to open the Grace Hotel emergency homeless shelter in the basement of St. John’s Church for the coldest of winter nights.

The Greater Worcester Community Foundation will lead an effort to create a Cultural Plan attached to the city’s overall Strategic Plan.

The plan will focus on ways to enhance the city’s arts, culture and creative sector, and make clear what it can contribute to the overall vibrancy of the city. The plan will focus on public spaces and public art, inclusion, fostering an image of the city for residents and visitors and bringing in youth and family engagement, among other facets.

Thousands turned out for the George’s Coney Island 100-year celebration on Sunday. A block party shut down a stretch of Southbridge Street in front of the restaurant and featured food, music and prizes.

Leicester Town Meeting is set to consider a five-year debt exclusion totaling $950,000 to buy equipment for the Highway Department. The measure would slightly increase property tax rates and requires a two thirds vote at the Oct. 30 special Town Meeting.

Seven firms have submitted proposals to the Worcester Redevelopment Authority to design the $90 million Worcester Red Sox ball-

UMass Memorial Health Center continues to grapple with a budget $22 million in the red. After the closing of Plumley Village Health Center earlier this year, the organization is looking to end outpatient psychiatry and physical therapy on several campuses, and looks to expand virtual healthcare offerings. UMass officials say a loss in reimbursements from the federal Medicaid program is largely to blame for the deficit.

slated to receive the Harvey Ball Smile Award Thursday, Oct. 4. The Harvey Ball is an annual award granted by the Worcester Historical Museum. The museum chose Rucker because of his investments in the community, leading to a new ice rink, a new sports bar and the return of pro hockey to Worcester, among others.

The Worcester Commission on Disability will celebrate its 40th anniversary Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 4:30 p.m. in the City Hall Levi Lincoln Chambers. The event will feature a reception, musical performances, light refreshments and an interactive panel addressing challenges past and present in the local disability movement.

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Cliff Rucker, owner of the Railers pro hockey team at the DCU Center, is

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park in the Kelley Square area. Construction is expected to begin next July. A design selection board will rank the proposals after interviews held next week. The stadium, which will be called Polar Park, is slated to open in 2021.

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opinion editorial

State owes answers to Worcester school

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t is undeniably concerning that the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has invalidated Chandler Elementary School’s 2017 MCAS scores. DESE said “serious violations of test administration and test security protocols” occurred in 2017. That raised red flags galore and appears to suggest wrongdoing on the part of the school.

It is, perhaps, more concerning given the history at Chandler Elementary. Remember, MCAS scores were invalidated there in 2003. (It also happened in 2010 at the Goddard School of Science and Technology.)

The problem is the state isn’t saying exactly what the violations were in 2017. Instead, DESE has stripped the school of those scores after determining they were significantly higher than the 2018 results. DESE noted a much lower percentage of students in the “Meeting Expectations” and “Exceeding Expectations” categories on the 2018 test; lower average scaled scores in every grade and sub-

ject, lower growth in all grades and subject for which growth is calculated, and “extremely low” growth for students who tested at Chandler in 2017 and then tested at a different school in 2018.

That all suggests something rather ominous. Did teachers deliberately alter scores? The principal? What went wrong and how?

The state is leaving all that - including the reputation of teachers and the school principal - open to speculation by not saying exactly what happened.

DESE is also saying its investigation into anomalies discovered in 2017 testing is not yet complete.

It has left school officials and the mayor shaking their heads, and School Superintendent Maureen Binienda looking for answers. She said it “wouldn’t make sense” for someone to increase scores at the school last year because it was a baseline.

She does not believe anyone at Chandler Elementary would have deliberately inflated the

scores.

“You don’t want your baseline to be high,” she told Worcester Magazine.

She said there has been “no response from DESE as to how this happened.”

Binienda said she is “100-percent sure” Chandler Elementary Principal Jessica Boss “had nothing to do with this.”

The superintendent said the school is going to move forward,

but how do you do that with questions still unanswered and a cloud of suspicion hanging in the air. In the absence of concrete answers from DESE, there are bound to be those who suspect wrongdoing on behalf of Chandler Elementary.

DESE owes answers on what happened at Chandler Elementary - good or bad. As much as Binienda may want to move on, that will be near impossible to

do so long as uncertainty and speculation linger. Saying there were “serious violations” only tells half the story. For better or worse, school officials - and everyone at Chandler Elementary - need to know the rest of the story.

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Mitch and Rebecca Butler with their newborn son Carter Paul in the NICU at UMass Memorial Medical Center on Belmont Street in Worcester ELIZABETH BROOKS

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Life in the NICU: UMass Memorial a haven for high-risk infants

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WALTER BIRD JR.

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him in UMass Memorial’s vaunted NICU. “My wife was having a little bit of an issue,” Mitch Butler said of the pregnancy. “They admitted us and something else arose. A lot of scary stuff happened. One of the doctors came in. In two minutes, they decided the baby was in such great shape, it was time to get him out.

They made the right cal. Within 20 minutes, the baby was out, happy, healthy.”

That was Sept. 8. Carter Paul had been expected Oct. 22. At less than 37 weeks, he is a preemie, but appears to be progressing nicely.

“He’s already growing in length and weight,” Mitch Butler said.

“He was off oxygen in two days.

He had [continued positive airway pressure, or CPAP] a short period.

He was on IV for a week, and that came out.”

He credited his wife with being diligent in producing milk and helping Carter Paul in his early life.

He also acknowledged a staff of nurses and doctors in the NICU he said treat them like, well, part of a family.

“They answer the questions you have,” he said. “They don’t feel unapproachable. They do rounds every day, and look at you, and talk to you. That’s kind of amazing for a team of doctors and nurses to be like that. It makes you feel comfort-

able having your baby here.”

His wife, still running her fingers through her husband’s hair and watching both the men in her life as they rested, agreed.

“You don’t picture not bringing your baby home,” she said in a quiet voice, “but knowing they’re in good hands does help, somewhat.”

“That,” she continued, turning to her left and gesturing toward a small camera on a nearby shelf, “and when you’re not here you can ask them to turn a camera on.”

The NICU at UMass Memorial makes the cameras available for parents at home to check in on their babies.

“It’s different to have a child

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itch Butler and his wife Rebecca had been back to their Winchendon home twice since their son Carter Paul was born Sept.

8. The rest of the time they were spending in boarding rooms at UMass Memorial Medical Center on Belmont Street, never far from their first-born child, who has made an early home on the fifth floor in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

On a recent Friday afternoon

in the NICU, Butler was shirtless, reclining in a chair. Carter Paul was nestled comfortably in his arms, sleeping. His father was in need of a shave and a comb to smooth out his tousled hair. His mother had stepped away to wash her breast pumps. When she returned, she stood aside her husband, running a hand through his hair.

For Mitch and Rebecca Butler, Carter Paul is nothing short of a miracle. This was Rebecca’s fourth pregnancy. Two had ended in miscarriages. The third, last November, resulted in a stillborn at 39 weeks.

Carter Paul arrived at 34 ½ weeks, seven weeks early. That put him in the high-risk category, and landed

Dr. Rhein, Division Chief of Neonatology at UMASS, lifts a blanket off an isolate, used to closely monitor a premature baby’s body temperature.

ELIZABTH BROOKS

feature that’s breathing,” Rebecca Butler said. “It makes it that much harder to be here, just with our background, to not be able to bring him home with us like our other ones.

But this one is coming home.”

She paused for a moment and looked at her infant son, this time speaking directly to him.

“You’re coming home with us no matter what, buddy,” she said, adding, “It’s just a miracle.”

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aking that happen involves a finely-honed routine and the involvement of a dedicated team of professionals that includes doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses

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miracle, yes, but miracles are the business of a NICU, and the unit at UMass Memorial gets a lot of practice.

In an average month, about 305 babies are born at the hospital. In August, that number was up by 100, with 405 births. Not all of them end up in the NICU, which serves highrisk babies, including preemies, but the unit handles between 50-70 admissions per month, according to Dr. Larry Rhein, the hospital’s division chief of neonatology.

Typically, newborns will be kept close to their mother. But preemies and other babies deemed in need of critical care require a different level of care. All babies born less than 36 weeks gestation, Rhein said, will be sent up to NICU for at least a period of observation. Those born less than 35 weeks might stay longer.

In order to be send down to the nursery, NICU babies must meet certain milestones. They must breathe effectively, be able to take enough feeds by mouth and be big enough to maintain their temperature in an open room.

“If you meet all those criteria, you can go back downstairs,” said Rhein, himself a preemie who was one of triplets.

With babies born less than 35 weeks gestation, he added, “It’s almost certain one of those criteria might not be met.”

While preemies are the usual candidates for a stay in the NICU, any baby determined to be in distress, no matter the stage of birth, will also be sent to the unit.

“If they’re full-term, but having trouble breathing, their blood sugar is low, or they have some other complication, the need to go upstairs,” Rhein said.

That includes babies born with

neonatal abstinence syndrome [see sidebar]. Commonly referred to as NAS babies, they were born to mothers who used drugs during their pregnancy. These babies can be born addicted and suffer withdrawal symptoms.

The UMass Memorial NICU handles them all. It is the only Level 3, or critical care, NICU in Central Mass, meaning it handles not just the pregnancies of those in the immediate area, but also takes in patients from community hospitals around the region. The next closest Level 3 NICUs in Massachusetts are in Boston and Springfield.

As a Level 3 unit, the NICU can care for babies requiring breathing tubes, blood pressure medications, suffering from seizures, drug addiction and more. The unit has a range of staff on site, including neonatologists, neonatal nurses, respiratory therapists and others who can care for small and very sick newborns.

The only higher level of care, for babies requiring the most acute care such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, is administered at Level 4 NICUs. The NICU at UMass Memorial is nationally-renowned, with a reputation for involving families in their child’s care. That is precisely the goal. As Rebecca Butler said, no one has a baby thinking they won’t be taking them home. If the baby has to stay in a NICU, Rhein wants parents to know theirs is in the right place. Not every baby survives, but the NICU aims to provide the best care it can when it is needed most.

“Neonatology is a field where minutes matter,” he said. “We need places that can take care of these babies at a moment’s notice. We have a huge service area that needs us to provide this certain level of care. Our goal is to make sure this huge population we take care of, that they say, ‘If I had to have my baby in the NICU, I’m so happy they were born in Worcester.”

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The role cuddlers play WALTER BIRD JR.

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ue Phyfe is a retired lab tech for UMass Memorial who once did a rotation in the NICU “back in the dark ages.”

She volunteers there now as a cuddler, someone who comes in as needed simply to hold a baby.

Cuddlers are assigned a baby and work shifts. They can come in during the afternoon, night, or as early as 2 or 4 in the morning.

Many, like Phyfe, are retirees who enjoy being around babies.

“I’ve been doing this a couple years,” Phyfe said, adding sometimes she cuddles five babies at once. “It’s a great way to get my grandma fix, since my grandson’s in Long Island and I love cuddling him.”

Phyfe said she has seen the impact a cuddler can have on newborns, watching their heart rates slow down considerably just

by being held.

“I’ve seen babies with heart rates go up to 180, 190,” she said. “Just by cuddling, it goes down to 158 or something. Newborns do have a higher heart rate, but it’s amazing how they’ll just calm down.”

As of August, there were about 85 total cuddlers at the ready for the NICU, with a wait list of 300 more.

Joe Burgwinkle of Bolton was on the waitlist about three years. He

Sue Phyfe, a volunteer cuddler in the NICU at UMass Memorial Medical Center on Belmont Street in Worcester, with one of the many babies who are cradled by cuddlers to allow nurses to tend to other infants in the unit.

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ELIZABETH BROOKS

fills a two-hour shift each week.

“I never did it before,” the retired machinist and welder said. “I put in for it quite a few years ago and it popped up and I said, ‘Sure, I’ll do it.’ I like helping out, especially now.

They’re so busy.”

On this particular afternoon, he was in the NAS unit, cradling a newborn who appeared quite comfortable in Burgwinkle’s arms, occasionally letting out a quiet coo.

Burgwinkle had been assigned to the same baby a week earlier.

“He’s cute as a button,” he said, acknowledging it is tough caring for a NAS baby. “You’re wondering how they’re going to turn out. You wish you could go back later on and see how they did.”

Cuddler programs, Rhein said, are not unique. In Worcester, however, “Our babies don’t sleep through the night.” Most cuddler programs he said, simply based on convenience, run by the light of day.

When the hospital received a statewide grant for quality improvement, he wanted to direct some funds toward nighttime cuddlers. The catch was cuddlers cannot be paid. Rhein said his cuddler coordinator told him not to be discouraged; the wait list was so

long, some might be convinced to take on a night shift.

“I’m proud to tell you we have one of the only 24/7 cuddler operations in the country,” he said, adding, “We’ve done research that shows it’s not just something that makes the cuddler happy, and the baby happy and content, it actually helps their health. It really makes an impact on their need for medication.”

Gesturing to one cuddler, with a baby fast asleep in her arms, he looked around the rest of the unit, where nurses were tending to other babies in isolettes, or talking with a parent about their child.

“This is a baby who otherwise might be crying his eyes out,” Rhein said. “Instead, the nurses are able to tend to other babies’ needs because we have this kind of support. They fill a very critical need. If she was not here holding this baby, this is a baby who might otherwise be needing attention. Our nurses, now they’re able to give guidance to a family, or put a feed on a baby who needs attention. “[Cuddlers] perform a really important role in our NICU, and we’re proud of them, and I’m really grateful that they’re here.”

feature and respiratory therapists. The NICU staffs 7 physicians - and that is growing, Rhein said. There are more than 140 nurses, 11 nurse practitioners and physician assistants, nutritionists, two social workers, a team of respiratory therapists, pharmacists and cuddlers (see sidebar).

“I’m proud of all our teams,” Rhein said. “We have physicians that are highly qualified. I’m proud of their intelligence, but also their personal qualities. We have terrific nurse practitioners, some of the best in the state, and an amazing bedside nursing staff.”

Twice a day - once in the morning and again at night - that team gathers in the unit around the huddle board where, Rhein said,

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Nurse Rikki Bezzant checks the vitals on Carter Paul Butler, who rests on the chest of his father Mitch with his mother Rebecca by his side.

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feature “we get the lay of the land for what’s happening in our unit.”

Currently, the unit, which has 49 beds, is almost completely full.

On the September afternoon a Worcester Magazine reporter and photographer toured the NICU, there were an estimated 40-45 babies being cared for. The unit has become busy enough that it was expanded to a lower floor.

Bethany Shea reaches in to her son, 31-week-old John, through the isolette hole.

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“They say it’s unusual,” said nurse Rikki Bezzant of Northborough.

“It hasn’t let up.”

Each morning, according to Rhein, a team of providers comes to-

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feature

Caring for NAS babies WALTER BIRD JR.

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Volunteer Joe Burgwinkle, 73, of Bolton, cuddles a newborn in the neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, unit.

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placed in DCF custody, the parents may be allowed to visit, but DCF makes all decisions regarding the child.

“Sometimes, we have more babies in DCF custody. Sometimes, none of them are,” Mann said. “The mothers who have gotten plugged in early in the prenatal care to a good methadone or other program, following along with it, they tend to be the most successful. They

tend to be the ones who can be here more often.”

For those whose baby is in DCF custody, she said, “It doesn’t mean they won’t get reunited eventually, but they’re having a harder time working through their own withdrawal and addiction.”

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“Most of the time,” she said of the weaning process, “they just need the morphine to regulate the withdrawal and regulate it slowly, so they can come off it without any symptoms.”

The nurses, she said, are the ones who advocate for how to administer the medication, whether it should be increased or decreased, and that is done by way of a scoring tool to assess the severity of withdrawals. The score takes into account the baby’s feeding habits, vomiting, diarrhea and other factors. A higher score indicates a more critical problem.

“Nurses and doctors follow that very closely,” Mann said. “We also try hard, if the family’s been in a lot and very involved, we ask the family how do they think [the baby is] doing today. We want them involved in the weaning process.”

In some cases with NAS babies, the state Department of Children and Families is involved. For babies

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abies exposed to drugs in the womb can be born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS. It can lead to withdrawal symptoms, much like an adult might experience.

And it can be difficult to watch for those who care for them.

“It’s hard to see them suffering, but we take care of them best we can,” NICU nurse Rikki Bezzant said. “We see quite a few for this population and this area.”

Because of the high numbers of infants in the NICU recently, NAS babies were moved to a room on another floor. There, the lights are dim, the stimulation minimal. It is quiet, save for the shuffling of nurses’ feets and the occasional whine or coo of a baby. Sometimes, however, the cries can pierce the air like a knife.

“Some babies can have a very high-pitched cry when they’re withdrawing,” said Donna Mann, nurse manager for the NICU. “The nurses just feel badly for them.

They try to provide as much comfort as they can.”

Where these babies are treated has been subject of much debate, according to Rhein.

“It is a local, regional and national epidemic,” he said. “Where those babies get treated is a hot topic. Certainly, we do take care of those babies in our NICU. We’re looking at where the best spot is to take care of those babies. Is in the nursery in maternity?”

Most NAS babies do not suffer from respiratory issues or other major challenges, Mann said, noting the ratio for care is typically two or three babies per nurse. The treatment largely involves minimizing the symptoms of withdrawal.

“So as much holding [as possible] and trying to help them regulate their state,” she said. “As much of that as we can provide, we do.”

About 50 percent of babies exposed to drugs in utero require morphine for their withdrawal symptoms, Mann said. Sometimes, more medicine may be needed.

feature gether and learns the status of the unit such as how many babies are being cared for and which cases are more acute.

“Usually,” Rhein said of the informational sessions, “we hope it’s under controlled circumstances.

Sometimes you hear ‘code white.’”

That, he said, indicates a critical situation.

“We run down to the delivery room as a team, but in a calm way, and we have our equipment ready.

We have on the board, it says the room number. So, we’ll hear ‘Code white to room 81,’ and I’ll know I had been told in the morning that baby is this many weeks early. I can kind of get a sense. We have to quickly get the information and be ready to respond.”

When the team arrives in the

Bethany Shea looks in on her son, 31-week-old John, through the isolette hole as he stretches his fingers around mom’s. “After being sick in the ICU and partially losing my vision, the first moment I felt him, was amazing, he grabbed my finger, and that was what I needed to keep me going.”

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delivery room, they will work to stabilize the infant.

“If they’re big enough that they can stay with the mother, terrific,” Rhein said. “If it’s a preterm, we stabilize the infant and bring them and bring them upstairs for admission, and that’s where a whole second set of processes go into play. “ All the while, the team works to keep the mother updated about what’s going on.

“We have many initiatives here to make sure mom is updated all along the process, so that she’s not left saying, ‘Where did my baby go?’” Rhein said. “Now, instead of the normal process of the baby going right to the mother’s chest, we

now had to whisk their baby upstairs to make sure they’re healthy.

We want to make sure the mother’s informed.”

If there is a partner involved, such as a father, that person is allowed to come up and with the baby, see where they will be located and receive a brief update on the short- and long-term plans for caring for the infant.

“We make sure we update the mother [about her baby] within four hours of admission,” Rhein said. “There’s always a process in place to make sure we’re putting the parents’ minds at ease.”

THE NICU AT A GLANCE

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he NICU consists of different sections. One contains a combination of individual, private rooms and open bays. While the single rooms allow for more privacy, the open bays allow families to interact more and for greater accessibility to their patients for the nurses.

“A lot of the babies on this side of the bay were born 15 weeks early, 12 weeks early,” Rhein said

of that particular section. “Yet, all of them … they’re on non-invasive ventilation. Instead of having a tube in their mouth, they’re advancing on their feeds nicely. Their outcomes are amazing. It’s nice to see families at the bedsides with their children, being able to hold them and do those things.”

Some of the babies are in their first week of life, some in the first month. As they get bigger and stronger, they will move to different parts of the unit.

One area hosts mostly open bays. As in the mixed section, many of the babies have no breathing tube in place, which Rhein said means less risk of long-term lung disease. State-of-the-art equipment, some of which were bought through donations, is working to help support the babies, including carbon dioxide monitors.

Rhein pointed out several infants as he moved through the unit. One, he said, was born a week earlier. That baby was 15 weeks early and arrived at a little over 1 pound. On the same night, a set of twins was born.

He gestured to another baby

in an isolette with no breathing tube. Instead, prongs in his nose were providing oxygen. Another 15-week-old baby, he said was doing very well using specialized equipment.

“It looks effortless,” Rhein said.

“It actually takes an incredible amount of care. Our unit is filled with really tiny babies who are all doing really well.”

The most acute patients, he said, are kept together in two pods to allow for more efficient monitoring.

In another section of the NICU, there are babies getting ready to move to an open crib. They still have to learn how to feed, Rhein said, and may sometimes forget to breathe, “but much less frequently.” The space, he said, is more developmentally-friendly.

The step-down unit, or special care nursery, features babies in different stages. Some were born 12-15 weeks early, but are now further along in the process and getting ready to go home.

“They’re in that last stage of learning how to completely feed and all the healthy things they need to do now,” Rhein said. “Or,

feature they’re still having episodes where they forget to breathe, but it’s happening less and less frequently.”

While he is not into rankings, Rhein said the NICU does track its performance in relation to about 400 NICUS of similar size across the country. He pointed to a wall chart in the unit that tracked rates for critical issues such as death or morbidity, chronic lung disease, infections, brain issues and catastrophic gastrointestinal disease. The chart showed the NICU to be near the bottom line for almost every one of the metrics.

The rate for death or morbidity had the NICU a little higher on the graph, but at the bottom of the line “I’m really proud of what we’re doing here compared to the rest of the country, never mind the rest of the state,” Rhein said.

Keeping parents involved along the way is also a huge focus, and it is why the NICU tries to involve them from the moment a baby is taken upstairs from the delivery room. The boarder rooms are a way to acknowledge the difficulty parents might have leaving their newborn child, and to include the in their care.

“Our goals here are to, number one, two, three, four and five, make our

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babies have the best health outcomes they can,” said Rhein. “After that, the patient experience goes hand in hand. But this isn’t a hotel, this is a hospital where we’re trying to make sure we provide the best outcome.

On top of that is making sure the family has a good experience. Whether the family has the ability to visit regularly, there are programs we can put in place so families can feel comfortable. There’s a lot of effort in all these different areas.”

In-house care is one thing, but the monitoring of babies does not stop when they go home with their parents, Rhein said.

“One of the things that’s relatively new here,” he said, “when a baby’s born here, their journey doesn’t end. We have one of the only dedicated programs for respiratory and nutritional follow-up to preemies.”

That continued care, he said, results in better long-term outcomes, and it is something not traditionally tied to neonatology.

“Historically,” he said, “neonatology has not been that proactive in long-term follow-up. Here in Worcester, we’re one of the leaders. It’s one of largest programs in the country.”

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Donna Mann, nurse manager of the NICU at UMass Memorial.

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feature ‘HE WAS SO TINY’

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ethany Shea of Holden was about 27 weeks along in her pregnancy when she went to an urgent care facility in August because of some swelling. A teacher in the Wachusett school district, she was “a little uncomfortable with the way I looked.” It turned out her blood pressure was high and there was protein in her urine. Shea was diagnosed with preeclampsia and put on bed rest. A couple days later, she became sicker and was sent to the emergency room for an emergency cesarean section, more commonly known as a C-section.

Her son John was taken upstairs to the NICU, and Shea, who was

Bethany Shea holds a diaper for her son, 31-week-old John.

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dealing with complications from the pregnancy, was unable to see him for a couple days, an experience she described as “pretty awful.”

Fortunately, her husband Matt was with her and able to accompany their son upstairs.

“Our normal process is to try to update the family as quickly as possible,” Rhein said. “That means moms and dads. We were updated dad, instead of both mom and dad. We wanted to make sure John was as healthy as he could be. Until she could see him, she was reassured he was in good hands.”

That, of course, didn’t make it any easier for Shea.

“I kept begging them to get me up there,” she said. “I wasn’t able to walk myself, and I had lost partial vision during birth as well, so they were trying to figure that out. They did get me up here. They wheeled me up with all my wires, more than the baby. I started to stabilize a little bit after that.

“It was more the first time I felt him, because I couldn’t really see him, but it was amazing. It was pretty awesome. He was so tiny. I remember he grabbed my finger. I think that was what I needed to keep me going.”

It’s a good bet it helped keep young John going as well.

“Babies know when their parents are around,” Rhein said. “John had been doing a great job. He was super tiny, but instead of needing a breathing tube, he was able to get by with just prongs in his nose and stay that way, which not all babies do when they’re born that early.

I think he had been told by his father, ‘You better be strong for your mother.’”

There is a physical reaction among babies when their parents are around, Rhein said, noting the heart rates often drop significantly.

Technological advances help as well. Anne Castonguay has been a UMass Memorial nurse for 31 years, and was the nurse tending to John Shea. She has seen a number of changes she said have had a positive effect on caring for babies in the NICU. “From when I first started, to what we do now, is just amazing,” Castonguay said, citing developmental care as one example. “When I first started here, we’d have the lights blaring, music would be going. Every-

feature thing was bright and loud. We try to do more of what it would be like at home. Our outcomes are better when we see these kids two, three, four years down the road.”

Respiratory care has also improved. In the late ‘60s and ‘70s, when specialists started caring just for babies, breathing devices were clunky ventilators, Rhein said. If the babies survived, he said, oftentimes they suffered tremendous lung injuries.

“Over time,” Rhein said, “the care has been revolutionized, it seems, almost every three to five years. Now we have babies being born 16 weeks early, and we don’t have to put a breathing tube in because we have the technology to be able to care for them in other ways.”

As for day-to-day life in the NICU, Castonguay said, “It can be happy. It can be scary. It can be sad. It’s funny, I tell parents their journey here is like a rollercoaster.

Some days are great, some days are not.”

“We’re in the middle sometimes,” she continued. “It can be challenging. I often say the babies

are easy to take care of. Sometimes, it’s the families that are challenging. Every family with different ways of dealing with stress, different walks of life, so it’s the challenge of how to deal with the families and the baby.”

‘PRIVILEGED TO PRACTICE WITH THEM’

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he NICU, said Beth Donovan, does “an excellent job” with “a very complex baby population” in Worcester.

Donovan is director of maternal newborn services at UMass Memorial. While she does not work in the NICU, her unit works closely with them in forming a team that follows babies from birth to beyond the hospital walls.

“They want to do anything possible they can,” Donovan said. “[Making sure] we have all the proper resources in place, from

the neonatology team, to respiratory therapy. I mean, it’s a team.

It’s care coordination. It’s social work. We have someone from early intervention. We transition these babies out into the community, but we still continue to follow them. And we hook them up with our children’s medical center. It’s this great process that we make sure these babies get what they need, that they’re well-supported in the community, and have the best possible chances of no longterm complications from being preemies or whatever complications they may have at that time.

“They’ll do whatever they can for these moms. We call them, they come right down. We work together to figure these things out.

If the baby needs to go upstairs with the NICU team, they’re quick, get them set up and bring parents right up. We actually do a great job for these families. We really do.”

Dr. Ellen Delpapa, chief of internal fetal medicine, offered perhaps the highest - and simplest of praise, saying, “We feel privileged to practice with them.”

Holiday Handbook

2018

This Holiday Season showcase your business in Worcester Magazine’s Annual Holiday Handbook.

Coming November 15, 2018

Reservation deadline: Oct. 18, 2018

Contact your sales representative today at 508-767-9530 or by email at sales@worcestermagazine.com to reserve your space in the Holiday Handbook.

O C T O B E R 4 - 10, 2018 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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culture Celebrating 100 years of business, Worcester’s iconic George’s Coney Island Hot Dogs served up their famous franks to scores of folks who showed up at a celebration Sunday, Sept. 29.

Above, Kathryn Tsandikos, who runs George’s Coney Island Hot Dogs, walks through the block party Sunday, Sept. 29 on Southbridge Street, as the iconic establishment celebrates 100 years.

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culture

Above, THE line for $1 George’s Coney Island Hot Dogs wrapped through the old-school eatery and, below, the line stretched around the block.

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Right, George’s Coney Island employees fill hot dog orders for customers during the block party.

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Above, Justin Jeffrey, who grew up in Webster Square, takes home a box of 15 Coney Island hot dogs.

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culture

Above, a customer leaves Coney Island with their overflowing tray of their favorite dogs during George’s Coney Island Hot Dogs block party on Southbridge street, as the iconic Worcester establishment celebrates 100 years.

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culture The dead will rise … for their standing ovation JOSHUA LYFORD

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he horror genre got a serious shot of adrenaline in the fall of 1968 when “Night of the Living Dead” was released in theatres. It took fans by surprise and now, in 2018, a local director, cast and crew are set to surprise horror fans once again by taking the fan favorite off the big screen and onto the stage.

Friday through Sunday, Oct. 12-28, Braid Productions will welcome

guests to the GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center in Whitinsville to experience “Night of the Living DeadDead on Stage.”

Jeremy Woloski, director of the “Night of the Living Dead” adaptation, had been toying with the idea for some time and the origins of the play has an interesting guest.

“I reached out years ago to Tom Savini, the makeup artist on a lot of the ‘Living Dead’ movies,” recalled Woloski. “He had a website, this was the early days, when people would respond to emails quickly. We talked back and forth. I told him I had thoughts about doing it onstage. He said it wouldn’t be possible and I never really heard from him again.

The movie is in the public domain, so the rights aren’t an issue. I watched the movie, looked at what worked well and how you could make it more modern without losing any of the horror.”

Woloski explained that modernizing and expanding on the individual characterizations of the original film presented its own issues.

“The movie is a classic, I love the movie, but it’s a little melodramatic for today’s audiences,” he explained.

“There are some scenes that come across a little phony. Some of the characters are very one dimensional.

I wanted to expand the characters as much as I could without changing the story. Modernizing comes with its own problems. Why don’t they use cell phones, the internet? I had to look at that. I had to seperate them a

Set in an abandoned farm house, ‘Night of the Living Dead’ zombies break through the doors as a group of strangers band together to survive the onslaught of flesheating zombies.

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little bit more. The original movie is not very gory. There are gory scenes, but it’s shot in black and white in the shadows. One, for suspense, but also, they didn’t have a huge budget.

Some of the lead actors were writers or producers or did the filming. They

really double- and triple-dipped. I wanted to expand on that, making it a larger cast, the zombies having more gore and violence, but keeping it realistic.”

The movie itself has a lot of personal value for the director. He recalled watching the movie on his 13-inch television as a kid.

“It was on channel 64, if I remember correctly,” Woloski said. “It was a great horror movie. I lived across the street from St. Mary’s Cemetery. I was always creeped out by cemeteries and ghosts and graves and monsters. I think I have fond memories because it’s my first real horror movie.”

Woloski understands the franchise is a beloved one and that there is a responsibility in bringing onto the stage. It is apparent when listening to Woloski describe the gore-oriented scenes, he and his team intend to do the best job possible.

“With any theatrical show, there’s a lot of sleight of hand,” he said. “Get the audience to look here while this happens. We have a lot of practical effects. A zombie gets shot in the chest right before it gets shot in the head right in front of the audience.

It’s all air compressors and tubes and theatrical trickery. It’s a matter of what the audience can see and what you can hide from them to make it look realistic. There are places where the actors kill zombies with bats

and crowbars. It looks like they got hit full face with a crowbar. From a different angle, it’s a different story.

It’s my job to make sure the audience can’t see the trickery behind what we do.”

“Night of the Living Dead-Dead on Stage” has a large cast. Of course, there are the characters you would expect, such as Barbra and Ben, but the zombies, naturally, take center stage. Woloski and company did not skimp on the numbers.

“We’re up to 36 now, we keep adding more,” he said. “The way we set up rehearsals, we had auditions for the show. You could audition for a living part or as a zombie. Zombie rehearsals didn’t start until the middle of October. We had zombie camp. How to act as a zombie, the moves, the sounds, going over basic stage combat. After that, we had the zombies once per week. This next Thursday will be our next zombie rehearsal. Our actors react to them.

It’s a totally different experience having the whole cast. It’s loud. They’re instructed that if an actor walks by one of them, they can grab them.

It keeps them on their toes. One of the actor’s jobs is to board up the windows while he is delivering a monologue.”

For more information, including full schedule and ticket purchases, head to Braidproductions.com

culture

Adoption option Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League, highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at 508-853-0030.

EAST DOUGLAS PHOTOGRAPHY

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

her home. Rosie dreams of a warm sunny windowsill to nap on and a few places in a home to call her own. She dreams of an owner who will take pictures of her on their cell phone posed with pumpkins where she looks beautiful and mysterious. Or pictures of her terrorizing the tiny pilgrim candles on the Thanksgiving table, or posed regally between holiday candles. Rosie is a wonderful 6-year-old cat, however, she does not want to have to compete with any other animals. None, zero, nada. If you are looking for a reserved, refined and regal girl to complete your home, and who wants to provide you with countless photo-ops with which to impress all your friends, come and meet Rosie. (P.S., if she had thumbs she would take selfies, and she dreads the upcoming Halloween “dress up the pets� event that staff up the pets through every October.)

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Rosie has been at WARL for a long time, and does not understand why no one wants to take

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culture Lyford Files JOSHUA LYFORD

IT’S A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE: I have written

about how much I love event titles that I don’t have to change for my column subheads often enough, but here is a great example. A Matter of Perspective is ArtsWorcester’s seventh annual exhibition in collaboration with the Fitchburg Art Museum. The really cool component of this exhibition is that 10 works are selected by the museum curatorial staff to be exhibited in the Fitchburg Art Museum in the summer of 2019. The opening takes place Friday, Oct. 12 in ArtsWorcester’s space at the Aurora, 660 Main St., Worcester, and will obviously feature art, but also, my favorite: REFRESHMENTS. You know what that means: drinks and snacks. My mouth is watering now thinking of the cheesy possibilities. The food will be provided by Crust Bakeshop and North Main Provisions. The event is free, so if you enjoy art, you have no excise.

FERMENTATIONAL IS A WEIRD WORD: And

every time I type it, my word processor (either Google Docs or LibreOffice, depending on my mood) gives me the dreaded red squiggle. I am a lunatic about having unread email badges appear on my phone, so you can imagine how insane a red squiggle in a story makes me. My colleague, Bill Shaner, does not have this same issue. Anyway, this column got its start about three and a half years ago, and in that time I’ve written about my love for beer to a level where I’m surprised I don’t get emails asking about my wellbeing. WELL! On Saturday, Oct. 6, the Mass Fermentational returns to the Worcester Common. It’s a big ‘ol beer festival with over 60 breweries participating. If you like fancy beverages, head to the Common and share a beer with our departed friends beneath the Common and beyond the veil. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out last week’s cover story.

BUT THE CLOUDLESS: Yes, it does sound like an early 2000s emo throwback band name, but, it is not! It is, in fact, a series of short Samuel Beckett plays directed by Assumption College English professor Paul Shields. The Beckett show will be followed by the film “...but the clouds…” If you need convincing, the film is described as “a laboratory performance of Beckett’s television play made in Sopot, Poland in 2017.” Oh, I almost forgot, it’s taking place at the Sprinkler Factory Friday, Oct. 5. I am slow on the uptick, so there was also a performance on Oct. 3, but unless you are my editor, it is unlikely you’ll read this in time to make it.

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LET THE TRAIN FALL DOWN: I can’t stop laughing. It’s

a take on a Hillary Duff song, get it? I don’t know why I haven’t been fired based on ratty subhead ideas alone. Whatever, guess what? Hockey season is upon us! It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The Bruins drop the puck for their first regular season game on Wednesday (alas, I will be in a car during the game), but locally things are already going down. Last weekend was the exhibition matchups between the brand new women’s pro team, the Worcester Blades, and the KRS Vanke Rays from Shenzhen, China. Alas, I could not make it as I was falling off of cliffs in the presidential range. Don’t descend the Six Husbands Trail in the middle of the night after rain fall with dogs. Lesson learned. While the Worcester Railers play their first home game against the Maine Mariners Saturday, Oct. 20, there will be some chances to catch them this week during training camp. We go to print on Thursday, so you’ve already missed a bit, but on Thursday they will be hitting the ice from 10 a.m. to noon. Friday, they will be practicing 10-11 a.m. and then host an inter-squad blue vs. white game, 6-8 p.m. All of this will take place at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center. Get pumped, hockey is back.

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE: It

already happened, so I won’t take up too much space here, but just in case you were wondering, the Worcide crew has been hard at work following the demolition of the public DIY skatepark.

A benefit was held at Ralph’s Diner last Sunday to raise money for ramps at the eventual new space. Tons of people came out, Joshua Lyford the bands were great and the Genesees were flowing. Props Culture editor to all involved with the setup. @Joshachusetts

culture Lifestyle SARAH CONNELL

To Woo or Not to Woo

Dr. Charles Steinberg captivated the crowd at the Worcester Public Library Foundation’s annual meeting last week. The longtime Boston Red Sox executive surprised attendees by taking an informal poll to find

out exactly how taken with “Woo” we really are. I sought him out later to inquire about the question and he assured me that while a nickname for the impending Worcester Red Sox is surely in order, “Woo Sox” is far from a foregone conclusion. Dr. Steinberg is eager for input from a community as rich in history as it is in creativity. The Monkey Wrenches? The Ruby Legs?

The Valentines? The Candlepins? The Freudian Slips? The Pills? Pepper us in propositions. We’re all ears.

Armsby Abbey Joins the Fight Against Cancer

On Sunday, the UMass Cancer Walk & Run drew thousands in solidarity for its 20th Anniversary celebration.

Team Armsby Abbey raised over $14,000, led by owner Sherri Sadowski. “This was Armsby Abbey’s third year This marks Team Armsby Abfundraising for the UMass bey’s third year of fundraising Cancer Walk and to date we have raised $39,085. We had for the UMass Cancer Walk; to 31 team members committed date they have raised $39,085. to walking,” Sadowski said, PHOTO SUBMITTED adding, “Cancer is a disease that has permeated the lives of so many people I love; some have survived, some are still fighting and some have since passed. I personally take great satisfaction in knowing that the money Team Armsby Abbey raises for the UMass Cancer Walk stays within the Worcester community.”

Just Ferment

The World is Your Oyster (Cracker)

Wachusett Brewing Company is hyping a Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farms and Westminster Bakers Co. collab responsible for the reboot of their Oys-

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Sarah Connell contributing writer

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

ter Stout. Introducing the Oyster Cracker Stout, created by adding several dozen Cuttyhunk Oysters in the shell and boiling them for 30 minutes before removing to add 30 pounds of Westminster Oyster Crackers to the mash.

“Oysters and stouts are one of the most famous food and beer pairings around the world,” said Christian McMahan, president of Wachusett Brewing Company. “When we started discussing what we could do for this year’s festival, the idea of taking that concept and bringing another level of creativity and brewing ingenuity to it really got the team excited. We picked up the phone, reached out to Seth Garfield and the team at Cuttyhunk, and were thrilled that they joined us on the project,” McMahan concluded. The Oyster Cracker Stout will be released on Sept. 28 and will be made available throughout New England leading up to the Westminster Cracker Festival on Saturday, Oct. 20.

O C T O B E R 4 - 10, 2018

The Mass Fermentational will return to the Worcester Common, Saturday, Oct. 6, 1-5 p.m., courtesy of the Mass Brewers Guild, a trade association dedicated to promoting the interests of craft breweries including the development of a mobile beer trail map. Organizers expect to draw 1,500 attendees. Tickets are $45, warranting unlimited 2-ounce beer samples. A few of my favorites from the lineup include: Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company, Honest Weight Artisan Beer, Jack’s Abby Brewing, Medusa Brewing Co, Springdale Beer, Stone Cow Brewery and Tree House Brewing Co. I am likewise eager to taste offerings from Timberyard Brewing Company, set to open their taproom in East Brookfield later this month.

culture Joey’s Knows Meat and Potatoes Joey’s Bar & Grill 344 Chandler St., Worcester • 508-797-3800 • joeysbarandgrill.com SANDRA RAIN

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W O R C E S T E R M A G A Z I N E . C O M O C T O B E R 4 - 10, 2018

W

hen I began dining at Joey’s Bar and Grill a dozen years ago in its Mill Street era, I could bet on a ponytailed man to materialize at my table by the end of every meal.

This was Joey himself, the gregarious Rovezzi brother who would remind you repeatedly to tell all your friends about his fine establishment. By the time he made the move to Chandler Street in 2011, every customer had done just that and the seats had filled up accordingly.

It has been years now since I’ve seen the flick of Joey’s ponytail (does Joey’s braised short rib it still exist?), but the staff projects (front) and the chicken an extension of his hospitable spirit.

In fact, one would be hard pressed to frangelico (back.) find a warmer collection of servers, bartenders, and hosts anywhere in the city. No one balks at the prospect of offering a taste before a guest commits to a glass and they certainly don’t mind if you linger long after the check has dropped to socialize.

Each room evokes a distinct time of day. A glittering view from midnight, a glimpse of dusk, perspectives on dawn. The coppertop bar exposes millions of indentations as if pressed with a truckload of petite pebbles. Shadows thrown from little baby lampshades contour their depths. An angular box suspended above the collection of wine and spirits could contain Harry Houdini for all we know, so mysterious is its composure. A ’90s Pandora station plays at comfortable volume. Des’ree feels so high.

The seasonal specials have begun to evoke flavors of fall, complete with the requisite balsamic drizzle. A roasted red beet salad ($9) include real curls of shaved carrot, not the sort of pre-grated hogwash that comes from a plastic bag. A goat cheese crumble dusts tomatoes, onions, and field greens.

The beets are awash in (what else?) balsamic vin.

This is a braised short rib ($22) crowd, eager for lean cuts of slow-cooked meat swimming in natural jus. Make use of your basket of dense white flour bread to soak it all up. The suggestion of horseradish and brown sugar reveals itself with decided subtlety. Sour cream, mashed potatoes and asparagus round out Joey’s most classic plate.

Not all of Joey’s entrees are created equally. The frutti di mare ($22) for example, arrives without a side plate or a bowl for shells. The dish includes haddock, gulf shrimp, mussels and calamari bathed in a watery white wine garlic broth and served over linguini. It might fair better served fra diavolo to give it a little character; instead, it’s all wet noodles and tentacles. A lot of guests treat themselves to dessert at Joey’s, though some just opt for the chicken frangelico ($19) in which chicken medallions are served over butternut ravioli with spiced pecans and a hazelnut cream sauce more cloying than a flavored fall latte.

Joey’s teeters to find its balance at times, but the sirloin ($28) is as consistent as the rising and setting of the sun.

On our last visit, dinner for three came to $106.74.

Explanation of Stars: Ratings are from zero to five. Zero is not recommended.

One is poor. Two is fair. Three is satisfactory. Four is good. Five is excellent.

Food: HHH 1/2 Ambience: HHH 1/2 Service: HHHH Value: HHH 1/2

culture Family interrupted JIM KEOGH

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ovies like “We the Animals” are the perfect reason why Cinema 320 must go on forever. This wonderful and humble film may as well carry the subtitle “Under the Radar” for its relative anonymity, and yet it has cropped up in Worcester as part of the venerated series, as have countless independent movies that otherwise would never find a screen here.

The story involves a working-poor family in upstate New York in the 1980s. A husband and wife, and their three sons, are barely making it in a ramshackle home and low-wage jobs. The brothers are good kids; rambunctious but loving, and in awe of their parents the way kids are before they launch the rebellions of puberty. The middle boy, Jonah (Evan Rosado), is the most sensitive — an artist and writer who keeps vividly-illustrated journals tucked beneath the bed he shares with his brothers.

Yet all is not right. Paps (Raúl Castillo) is Puerto Rican-born, charming and volatile depending on his mood. He insists on teaching Jonah to swim by putting the petrified boy on his back, swimming to the middle of a lake, and letting him go. The ensuing argument with Ma (Sheila Vand) over his rough treatment of their son ends with Paps beating her, then leaving the home. In his absence (sadly, it’s not permanent), Ma falls into a deep depression, refusing to get out of bed for days at a time. Her starving boys are left scrounging for food — shirtless wild children raiding a local farm for vegetables and stealing candy bars from a convenience store.

The family’s journey is brought to vibrant life through Jonah’s drawings, which director Jeremiah Zagar animates with great gouts of color that leap from the page. The sketches — feverishly composed beneath a flashlight’s glow in the middle of the night — are more than a chronicle of daily events. They are a barometer of emotion and mood, recapturing where the family has been and portending where it may be destined.

“We the Animals” is reminiscent of the Oscar winner “Moonlight,” tracing the path of a boy slouching toward adolescence in a world unable to make sense of him, and vice versa. Like “Moonlight’s” Chiron, Jonah has questions he can’t ask, feelings he can’t articulate (other than in his art, and twice through stolen kisses). Unlike Chiron, who is taught to swim under the gentle tutelage of a surrogate father, Jonah’s dad is a sink-or-swim kind of guy, a man who insists on strong boys, but who can’t reconcile his own overweening machismo with the role of supportive dad and husband.

The film is unstinting in showing how the disintegration of a family is abetted by an unbreakable cycle of poverty. Paps and Ma work as a security guard and bottling-plant worker respectively, earning barely enough for rent. Sometimes, the boys sleep on the floor of Paps’ guard shack because they have no day care. A car repair devastates the family finances and leaves them isolated.

Always at the center of the storm, there is Jonah — observing, recording, imagining. As his brothers veer toward their most primal natures, he steps back. He doesn’t have a plan yet, but he’s going to be all right.

“We the Animals” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and at 1 and 2:55 p.m. Sunday in the Jefferson Academic Center at Clark Jim Keogh University. contributing writer

sports p

BLADE RUNNERS

The Worcester Blades, the city’s new womens’ hockey team, took on the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays of China Saturday night, Sept. 29 at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center.

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O C T O B E R 4 - 10, 2018

PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH BROOKS

sports

Round-Up

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The Worcester Railers have started training camp, which continues Thursday, Oct. 4, at the Fidelity Bank Worcester Ice Center, 1- a.m. to noon. On Friday, camp runs 10-11 a.m., followed at night by a Blue vs. White inter-squad game, 6-8 p.m., at the Ice Center. On Saturday, the team scrimmages against the Maine Mariners at the Rinks at Exeter in Exeter, NH. The game is free to the public. Twenty-four players are on the Railers’ training camp roster: fowards Tyler Barnes, Nick Sorkin, Dylan Willick, Hosh Holmstrom, Josh Anderson, Bryan Arneson, Barry Almeida, Nick Bligh, Woody Hudson, Tommy Kelley, Tommy Tsicos and Trent Durocher; defensemen Tommy Panico, Alex Vanier, Ryan MacKinnon, Kyle McKenzie, Tyler Mueller, Tyler Palmer, Connor Doherty and Pat Condon; and goaltenders Charlie Millen, Evan Buitenhuis, Mitch Gillam and Ryan Hubbard. Opening night at home is Saturday, Oct. 20 vs. the Mariners. For tickets and more information, visit RailersHC.com.

O C T O B E R 4 - 10, 2018

Clark University has named Billy Cather their new head baseball coach. He replaced J.P. Pyne, who left earlier this year to take over the baseball program at Amherst College. Cather is a former University of Maine standout who recently coached the Lesley University Lynx baseball team.

calendar DIANAKRALL.COM

Saturday Oct. 6 Diana Krall: Turn Up The Quiet World Tour 2018

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O C T O B E R 4 - 10, 2018

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St. The multi-Grammy Award winning jazz singer heads to the Hanover Theatre for her world tour, with songs from throughout her career including her latest album, Turn Up The Quiet.

Thursday, Oct. 4 The Harvey Ball

The Palladium, 261 Main St. The Worcester Historical Museum presents its annual Harvey Ball Smiley Award at the Worcester Palladium. This year, the recipient is Cliff Rucker, owner of the Worcester Railers.

Friday, Oct. 5 Modest Mouse

The Palladium, 261 Main St. The indie rock favorites from Washington come to the Palladium. Presented by MassConcerts and DSP.

Saturday, Oct. 6 Mass Fermentational

Worcester Common Oval, 455 Main St. The beer aficionado favorite returns to the Worcester Common on Oct. 6. Funds raised go to the Mass Brewers Guild and more than 60 breweries participate in the festival.

calendar Saturday, Oct. 6 After the Burial and The Acacia Strain

FACEBOOK.COM/AFTERTHEBURIAL

The Palladium, 261 Main St. After the Burial will perform fan-favorite “Rareform” in its entirety and The Acacia Strain will play “Continent” in its entirety.

Saturday, Oct. 6 Pickles and Pints

Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive Learn how to make your own pickled snacks and enjoy some adult beverages. There will be a “Let’s Get Growing” competition, judged by Roger Swain.

Wednesday, Oct. 10 Likeness, gallery opening

Schiltkamp Gallery, 92 Downing St. Presented by Clark University Arts Department, the exhibit focuses on portraiture across media and personal perspectives.

Thursday, Oct. 11 Classical Cafe

Nuovo Restaurant, 92 Shrewsbury St. The Worcester Chamber Music Society heads to Nuovo Restaurant to perform an intimate set while guests enjoy food, wine and beer.

O C T O B E R 4 - 10, 2018

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games

JONESIN’ 1 5 10 13 14 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 28 31 32 33 35 36 39

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O C T O B E R 4 - 10, 2018

43 44 45 46 48 50 51 55 56 57 61 62 66 67 68 69 70 71

Beetle variety Did some community theater, say “Ben-Hur” novelist Wallace Its state song is the creatively titled “The Song of [that state]” Potato often used for fries Spot in la mer Starting at the beginning Element #50 “For rent,” in other, shorter words Want ad palindrome Tater ___ 1920s mobster who mainly worked in bootlegging and numbers rackets Aries symbol Tie type Voicemail sound All excited What the “J” in TMJ doesn’t stand for German submarine Find a way to make things happen Doctor’s directive Traveling through Like, making your mind blown Obnoxious kid Full pairing?

Some NCAA players With “The,” fantasy video game series including “Oblivion” and “Skyrim” Actress Whitman of “Parenthood” Shepherd’s pie tidbit Topple The O. Henry ___-Off “Yeah, pretty unlikely” Jay Presson Allen play about Capote Will’s concern Ireland, in Ireland Thanksgiving dinner item Industrial city of the Ruhr Valley Kit piece

“Gimme One Vowel”--and the rest, consonants.

by Matt Jones

Down 1 Prepare flour for baking 2 Bull, in Bilbao 3 Gone wrong?

4 Played in Las Vegas 5 Trajectory influenced by gravity 6 Dog, unkindly 7 Gatekeeping org.?

8 “Melrose Place” actor Rob 9 Boil down 10 Kiddos 11 Playwright T.S. 12 Fall Out Boy bassist Pete 15 Words after “on” or “by” 18 Ticket remainder 24 Japanese general of WWII 25 Casino delicacy?

26 In any way 27 Without being asked 28 Does 2 Chainz’s job 29 Freebie at a Mexican restaurant 30 Element #42 (which for some reason isn’t in as many puzzles as, say, 19-Across) 34 Fierce look 37 Antiquing material 38 Cocoa amts.

40 Permanent marker brand 41 Grain-storage building

42 47 49 51 52 53 54 58 59 60 63 64 65

Like Boban Marjanovic Blood-sucking African fly Musical ligature Like new vacuum bags Michelle’s predecessor Throws, as dice 1994 movie mainly set on a bus Start to awaken Hosiery shade The other side Small batteries Sault ___ Marie, Mich.

Bill of Rights count

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Last week's solution

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classifieds

Sudoku Answers

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin (Never known to fail) O most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity, O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are my mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech thee from the bottom of my heart to succor me in my necessity, (make request). There are none that can withstand your power, O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (three times). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (three times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and you must publish it and your request will be granted to you.

DMH

ADVERTISEMENT The Worcester Housing Authority, the Awarding Authority, invites sealed bids from Contractors for the Egress Deck Repairs at 667-2 Greenwood Gardens #348140 (WHA Job No. 2017-14) for the Worcester Housing Authority in Worcester, Massachusetts, in accordance with the documents prepared by Allen and Major.

The Project consists of: Pressure washing existing exterior wood deck framing at Clusters One through Four. Removal and replacement of all decking and stair treads, and deteriorated exterior deck framing, and rail caps. Repainting of entire exterior wood deck allowing residents to exist their dwellings. Project completion time shall be 130 consecutive calendar days.

The work is estimated to cost $ 86,107 (including Alternates) Bids are subject to M.G.L. c.149 §44A-J & to minimum wage rates as required by M.G.L. c.149 §§26 to 27H inclusive.

General Bids will be received until 2:00 p.m., Thursday October 4, 2018 and publicly opened, forthwith.

All bids should be delivered to: Worcester Housing Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605 ADVERTISEMENT and received no later than the date & time specified above.

The Worcester Housing Authority, General bids shall be accompanied by a bid deposit that is not less than the Awarding Authority, invites sealed bids from Contractors the Egress Deck Repairs at 667-2 Greenfive (5%) of the greatest possible bid amount (considering all for alternates), wood Gardens #348140 (WHA Job No. 2017-14) for the Worcester and made payable to the Worcester Housing Authority.

Housing Authority in on Worcester, Massachusetts, in accordance with the Bid forms and Contract Documents will be made available the Worcesdocuments prepared by Allen and Major. ter Housing Authority website The Project Pressure (http://www.worcesterha.org/currentbids.html ) atconsists no cost.of:Hard copieswashing existing exterior wood deck at Clusters One through Four. Removal and replacement of all will be made available on Septemberframing 19, 2018 at the Worcester Housing decking and stair treads, and deteriorated exterior deck framing, and rail Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA caps.8:00 Repainting of entire 01605 and thereafter, Monday thru Friday A.M. through 4:30exterior P. M. wood deck allowing residents to exist dwellings. completion Copies of the contract documents maytheir be obtained byProject depositing $50.00 time shall be 130 consecutive calendar in the form of aBlessed companyVirgin check, madedays. payable to the Worcester Housing Prayer to the The work is estimated to cost 86,107 (including Alternates) Authority, for each setOofmost documents so obtained.

The amount of the$ de(Never known to fail) Bids are subject to M.G.L. c.149 §44A-J & to minimum wage rates as reposit will be refunded to each person who returns the plans, specifications beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, quired byten M.G.L. §§26bid to 27H inclusive. and other documents condition within (10) c.149 days after openfruitful vine, splendor in ofgood Heaven, General Bids will be received until 2:00 p.m., Thursday October 4, 2018 ing.

Bidders requesting contract documents to be mailed to them should Blessed Mother of the Son of and opened, forthwith. includeImmaculate a separate check in the amount of publicly $40.00 for each set payable to God, Virgin, assist All bids should delivered to: Worcester Housing Authority, Departthe in Worcester Housing Authority mailing andbe handling costs. me this my necessity, O Star to of cover Modernization, Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605 General must agree to contract with of minority and women 81 business the Sea,bidders help me and show me ment received no later the date & time specified above. enterprises certified the Supplier Diversity Office (SDO),than formerly where you asare my by mother.

O and General bids shall be accompanied by a bid deposit that is not less than known as SOMWBA. The combined goal reserved for such enHoly Mary, Mother of God, Queen participation five (5%) of contract the greatest bid amount (considering all alternates), terprises shall notEarth, be less Ithan 10.4% of the final pricepossible including of Heaven and humbly and made payable to the Housing Authority. acceptedthee alternates.

Seebottom Contract - Article 3 ofWorcester the Inbeseech from the of Documents structions Bidders. my heart to to succor me in my ne- Bid forms and Contract Documents will be made available on the Worcester Housing website A pre-bid (make conference will be held at 10:00 a.m. onAuthority Tuesday September cessity, request).

There (http://www.worcesterha.org/currentbids.html ) at no cost. Hard copies are none that can withstand your 25, 2018 at Greenwood Gardens - Community Room @ 337 Greenbe made available onbe September power, O Mary, conceived with- atwill wood St., Worcester, MA 01607 which time bidders will invited to 19, 2018 at the Worcester Housing Authority, Department Modernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA out forsite(s) us who visitsin, the pray project withhave the areWorcester Housing Authorityofrepresenta01605 andbe thereafter, Monday thrutoFriday 8:00 A.M. through 4:30 P. M. course to thee (threeor times).

Holy tive. Failure to attend visit the premises shall no defense in failure Mary, I place this cause in your Copies of the contract documents may be obtained by depositing $50.00 perform contract terms. thenot form of a company check, made payable to the Worcester Housing hands (threedocuments times). may Say bethis The contract seen,inbut removed at: Authority,offorModernization, each set of documents so obtained. The amount of the deprayer for threeHousing consecutive daysDepartment 1. Worcester Authority, 81 will be refunded to each person who returns the plans, specifications and you must publish it and your posit Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605 and other documents in good condition within ten (10) days after bid openrequest be 24 granted to Ave., you.Lexington, 2. F.W.will Dodge, Hartwell MA 02173 ing. Bidders requesting contract documents to be mailed to them should DMH 3. Reed Construction Data, 30 Technology Parkway South, Norcross, GA include a separate check in the amount of $40.00 for each set payable to 30092 Worcester Housing Authority 4. Project Dog, 18 Graf Road Unit #8the Plan Room, Newburyport, MA to cover mailing and handling costs.

General bidders must agree to contract with minority and women business 01950 enterprises by hours the Supplier PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE Questions regarding this project shall be submittedasincertified writing 72 pri- Diversity Office (SDO), formerly known as SOMWBA. The combined participation goal reserved for such enNOTICE IS HEREBY PURor to opening and GIVEN emailed to terprises shallJob not Number be less than 10.4% SUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF Reference the WHA only in of the final contract price including Mod-Bids@worcesterha.org. accepted alternates. See Contract Documents - Article 3 of the InM.L.C. 225 SEC. 39A THE FOLLOWthe subject line. structions to Bidders.

ING VEHICLES WILL BE SOLD SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 AT A SALE TO A pre-bid conference will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday September 25, 2018 at Greenwood Gardens - Community Room @ 337 GreenSATISFY OUR GARAGE LIEN wood St., Worcester, MA 01607 at which time bidders will be invited to THEREON FOR TOWING AND STORvisit the project site(s) with the a Worcester Housing Authority representaAGE CHARGES AND EXPENSES tive. Failure to attend or visit the premises shall be no defense in failure to OF SALE AND NOTICE. perform contract terms.

2006 HONDA CR-V VIN# The contract documents may be seen, but not removed at: JHLRD78896C010597 1. Worcester Housing Authority, Department of Modernization, 81 2003 HONDA CR-V VIN# Tacoma Street, Worcester, MA 01605 SHSRD78893U144935 2. F.W. Dodge, 24 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, MA 02173 2009 LINCOLN MKZ VIN# 3. Reed Construction Data, 30 Technology Parkway South, Norcross, GA 3LNHM28T89R615292 30092 2007 ACURA TL VIN# 4. Project Dog, 18 Graf Road Unit #8 Plan Room, Newburyport, MA 19UUA66287A029200 01950 2005 HONDA ACCORD VIN# Questions regarding this project shall be submitted in writing 72 hours pri1HGCM56475A049322 SALE LOCATION : EARLY’S ON PARK or to opening and emailed to Mod-Bids@worcesterha.org. Reference the WHA Job Number only in AVE. INC 536 PARK AVENUE WORCESTER, MA 01603 the subject line.

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O C T O B E R 4 - 10, 2018 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CAMPERS & TRAILERS

PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF M.L.C. 225 SEC. 39A THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES WILL BE SOLD SEPTEMBER 29, 2018 AT A SALE TO SATISFY OUR GARAGE LIEN THEREON FOR TOWING AND STORAGE CHARGES AND EXPENSES OF SALE AND NOTICE. 2006 HONDA CR-V VIN# JHLRD78896C010597 2003 HONDA CR-V VIN# SHSRD78893U144935 2009 LINCOLN MKZ VIN# 3LNHM28T89R615292 2007 ACURA TL VIN# 19UUA66287A029200 2005 HONDA ACCORD VIN# 1HGCM56475A049322 SALE LOCATION : EARLY’S ON PARK AVE. INC 536 PARK AVENUE WORCESTER, MA 01603

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last call Walter Jovel youth worker W

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O CT O B E R 4 - 10, 2018

alter Jovel is the wraparound service coordinator for Burncoat Prep Elementary and the co-founder of Worcester’s HOPE (Healthy Options for Prevention and Education) Coalition. In addition, he is passionate about playing and teaching soccer with the Main South Community Development Corporation, where he provides free soccer drills and games on Saturdays for the city’s youth. He was the recipient of Worcester’s 2018 Youth Worker of the Year Award.

What is your history with the city of Worcester? I got to Worcester in 1989. I used to live in Los Angeles prior to that. I started kindergarten at Worcester Central Catholic, which is now St. Peter’s on Main Street. I went to Holy Name for two years and then I graduated from Doherty in the class of 2000. I got into Worcester State’s psychology program and I graduated with an additional minor in communications. Ever since then, I’ve just hit the ground running and I started applying what I was learning in the classroom as psychology classes in the real world.

Can you describe your career trajectory? My first “real job” was at the Worcester Youth Center when they were on Chandler Street and I was the program director. It allowed me to actually apply what I was learning in my psychology classes. That’s when I met Laurie Ross and we began our first peer leadership program, the HOPE Coalition, in January 2001.

once we leave, what’s going to happen? We figured out early on as a coalition that when we worked on something we wanted to make lasting change. We’ve been working with our city government, Council members and the mayor to change different policies to make life better for young people.

Can you share one of your proudest accomplishments?

One of the biggest projects that we worked on for four years was tackling tobacco. We wanted to limit the access that young people What does the HOPE Coalition had to tobacco, because statistics do? The HOPE Coalition aims to show that when young people be the voice of the young people in start smoking tobacco at 12 or Worcester. We meet once a week 13, they get addicted and they at the YWCA, even in the sumsmoke throughout their lifetime, mertime. It’s a peer leadership pro- as opposed to somebody who tries gram that tries to change policy tobacco later on in life and is less in order to create lasting change. likely to become addicted. We reIt’s easy to go out and make direct ally wanted to limit the everyday contact for various campaigns access that young people had to that help people right now. But tobacco. Corner stores, bodegas,

gas stations, convenience stores, pharmacies.

What approach did you take?

We went out and we mapped the whole city and we plotted where you could get tobacco in the whole city. And we found that out of about 280 permits granted to business owners or vendors, a majority of the tobacco sales were happening around Main South and around lower socioeconomic neighborhoods with high diversity, high youth density or a high number of immigrant or refugee communities. We took that data and we went to City Hall, we went to CVS, we went to Walgreens and we said, ‘How can you help us? We want to limit the access.’ One of the things that we wanted to do was limit the signage. We found out that the policy in Worcester said you could only have tobacco signage up in the storefront for 30 days straight.

ELIZABETH BROOKS

That’s news to me.

We said, “Well, who’s enforcing that?” Because we see corner stores covered with these advertisement. So, obviously, either it is not being enforced or the business owners don’t know. They said, “That’s great. Would you start an awareness campaign and work with our clerks at City Hall? And, we’ll notify all the businesses that you have mapped.” We were able to tell businesses, “If you need help, we’ll educate you, but we need you to start really following the policy. because if youth don’t see that ad walking to school, going to the bus stop, going to their park to play every day, then they won’t get conditioned to think smoking cigarettes is OK.” We also decided we wanted to do something very visible, invite the media and the community and stage a demonstration about tobacco related causes.

How did it go? We had 15-20 young people show up. It was a cold day. We walked around CVS and asked them to change their policy for selling tobacco. We thought that we should confront them about the fact that they sell cancer-causing products in the front of the store, but in the back of the store they sell medications for people to get better, to deal with issues caused by tobacco use.

They said, “Wow, no one has ever confronted us about this.” More important was the fact that young people brought it to their attention. To finish our demonstration, we had a youth giving a testimony about how her parents’ tobacco use had impacted her lifestyle and personal health, and then at a certain point in her speech we all pretended to drop dead. We made tombstones that said things like, “I died of Emphysema” or “I died of lung cancer.” We dropped for about two minutes, and then we got up and we talked about why we did it and why a group of youth felt so determined to fight tobacco. And upon hearing this, everyone - from the counselors, to the business owners, to the head of CVS - responded by saying, “You guys are absolutely right. We are going to eliminate tobacco at CVS here in Worcester.” We started a chain of events. It went nationwide and then Walgreens was like, “We don’t want to be left behind.”

So then they banned tobacco sales nationwide as well.

When you aren’t championing our youth, where do you like to hang out in Worcester? My favorite restaurant is a Salvadorian restaurant called Fuente de Vida.

They have the best pupusas in this city. Every time I go in there, it’s like I step into El Salvador. Since that’s my background, it just feels like a part of home, like I’m sitting with my grandma in El Salvador and she’s making fresh pupusas.

— Sarah Connell

O CT O B E R 4 - 10, 2018

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O CT O B E R 4 - 10, 2018