Worcester Magazine - January 14 - 20, 2021

JANUARY 14 -20, 2021 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CULTURE • ARTS • DINING • VOICES

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The struggle to keep art house cinema alive in Worcester

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J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

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J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021 • V O L U M E 46 I S S U E 20 Find us on Facebook.com/worcestermag Twitter @worcestermag Instagram: Worcestermag

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FEATURED

It’s always darkest ...

Sunrise Worcester takes the climate advocacy stage VEER MUDAMBI

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J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

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n less than a year, Sunrise Worcester has swiftly grown “from an organization in limbo,” said Hub Coordinator Andrew Ahern, to a major force in Worcester County’s climate activism scene.

Sunrise Worcester is an organization that almost wasn’t. Formed in early 2019 as a local chapter of the national organization, it only held a few community outreach events before it “fizzled out,” said Hub Coordinator Gwen Weissinger. By the end of 2019, Weissinger and Ahern took the reins of the organization and began to rally a small group of Worcester youth, marking a new dawn for Sunrise Worcester. Momentum was gathering with the first in-person meeting at the beginning of 2020, plans for a major Earth Day event in April, and a revitalized group.

“It was a really wonderful turnout at the first meeting,” said Weissinger, “and the group had been feeling a lot of energy about mobilizing for Earth Day.” Then came COVID. All that energy crashed into a wall with the lockdown, leaving the organization in a brief period of stagnancy, Weissinger admitted, before it recovered its momentum.

The Earth Day prep had linked Sunrise Worcester with other environmental groups, especially at local colleges. Much of this networking had already been online, easing the transition for the group to move forward on local climate action in Worcester as they had originally planned, albeit remotely.

While the Earth Day climate strike was canceled, other aspects of the event were adapted to a virtual forum. “We did a three-day event for Earth Day — education, teach-ins, community buildings and all that type of stuff,” said Ahern. “Ended up having a really good virtual turnout for all three of those days.” Since then, the group has focused on growing membership through online organizing efforts, holding consistent meetings

Sunrise Worcester members Matthew Enriquez and Gwen Weissinger at Crompton Park.

ASHLEY GREEN

and highlighting local initiatives where people can get involved.

“We are really looking to recruit more youth born and raised in Worcester because we believe this work should be spearheaded by and centered around the people who are experiencing climate change firsthand in the city,” said Weissinger.

As the communications coordinator at Worcester State University’s Latino Education Institute and facilitator of its Youth Civics Union, Matthew Enriquez often encourages his students to check out the Sunrise Worcester meetings. “I think they get a lot out of it,” he said. A Worcester native, Enriquez started with Sunrise Boston when he moved to the city for college. In the course of his work for Sunrise Boston, he got in touch with the Worcester arm of Sunrise, along with Ahern and Weissinger, joining up with them when he moved back to Worcester.

The way young people, from teenagers to graduate students,

have taken ownership of the climate crisis is what resonated with Ahern as well. “It’s a generational thing,” he said, referring to activists like Greta Thunberg and the founders of the Sunrise Movement, Sara Blazevic and Varshini Prakash. “I very much see it as this is my generation, and the next generation’s, future on the line, which really inspires me and keeps me going.” Taking a job at Mass Audubon in Worcester, where he focuses on climate action and education, Ahern wanted to do more in the larger community and sought out Sunrise Worcester. A mutual acquaintance connected him with Weissinger, newly returned from Colombia.

At the time, Weissinger had just finished college “and was kind of smacked with the fact that climate change is a real thing and it felt futile to go into work that didn’t have to do with our changing climate.” So instead of pursuing a higher degree, she opted to travel in South America.

Upon her return, she decided to get involved in community organizing, where she met Ahern, and set about combating that feeling of futility. “Doing activism with people who are passionate about similar things and also your age in your area has been really helpful with that kind of defeatist mentality that can set in,” said Weissinger.

And the best place to start, the two decided, was to reinvigorate Sunrise Worcester.

“I said, let’s do this, we’re not doing anything else, right?” Ahern laughed. “So let’s do it.”

With the group’s renewal, Sunrise Worcester can once again address national issues as they manifest locally, both statewide and the city of Worcester. Where the Sunrise Movement on the whole favors broad goals such as more energy efficiency, more renewables and less fossil fuels, Sunrise Worcester works to see those implemented on a smaller scale.

The group advocates for more accessible public transportation

such as the ZeroFare initiative, as well as fighting against investing Worcester tax dollars in more fossil fuel infrastructure.

“We know that the city is at least trying to address climate change and sustainability,” said Ahern, referring to the recently unveiled Green Worcester Plan. At the state level, the Massachusetts House and Senate just passed key climate legislation so Sunrise Worcester has been “encouraging people via social media to contact Governor Baker to make him sign that legislation into law.”

Currently, Weissinger works for the Regional Environmental Council, a nonprofit that supports local farmers markets in food insecure neighborhoods. “[Food justice] is a huge nexus” for so many different issues, including climate change, she said. “Being able to produce your own food removes a lot of structural barriers for marginalized communities when it comes to food access.”

What motivated Enriquez as well is that these marginalized communities are often people of color and disproportionately affected by climate change. “The junction between critical race theory and the climate crisis,” as Enriquez put it, is what motivated his start in activism, echoing a larger shift in climate advocacy that produced groups such as the Sunrise Movement. The prevailing viewpoint is that the scope of the climate crisis can no longer be viewed as solely an environmental issue but one of social justice.

“It’s all interconnected,” said Ahern. “We all live under the same atmosphere.” While he admitted the city does a good job of speaking the language of environmental justice, climate advocacy and activism, the city’s approach to the climate crisis lacks a holistic understanding. He feels it doesn’t seem like a priority right now for a variety of reasons. Clearly the pandemic is one of those reasons, but Ahern worries that, “they don’t understand that this is the issue of our times.”

FEATURED

Polar Park to house urban garden for locally sourced produce VEER MUDAMBI

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Polar Park from center field.

CHRISTINE PETERSON

borhoods in urban agriculture.

Fischer views the WooSox Farms at Polar Park as not only an opportunity to benefit the

community by growing healthy food for farmers markets but also generating new jobs for inner city youth through YouthGrow.

“There won’t be any major restrictions of what can grow during peak growing season.”

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— Steve Fischer

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consultant, regarding what to grow and when, along with the garden’s actual design. “There won’t be any major restrictions of what can grow during peak growing season,” he said.

The mainstay of WooSox Farms will be greens such as spinach, lettuce, mustard greens, root vegetables and nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers). Depending on circumstances, these will either be started in greenhouses and then transplanted or seeded directly. The ones actually tending the garden will be members of REC’s YouthGrow program, which employs high school students from low-income neigh-

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ponsorship logos alongside the stadium are almost as big a part of watching professional baseball as hot dogs and singing “Sweet Caroline.” Whether you’re watching from the stands or on TV, the brightly colored logos of the companies partnering with the team will pop up in the corner of your eye.

Polar Park, future home of the Worcester Red Sox (WooSox) will be no different, but Harvard Pilgrim wanted something “more than just a field facing sign,” said Jack Verducci, WooSox VP of Sales.

Accordingly, this past September, Harvard Pilgrim partnered with WooSox to become the team’s official Health and Wellness partner. Verducci said that they were among the first companies to reach out to WooSox after the Polar Park project was announced in 2018.

As a tangible symbol of both organizations’ commitment to wellness in the greater Worcester community, an urban garden for locally sourced produce will be created on the second deck of the third base concourse at Polar Park. WooSox Farms, as it will be called, will make for a very short farm-to-table (or concession stand) pipeline. Produce will also be distributed throughout the community, such as donated to local food banks or sold at farmers markets.

“There will be a wide range of products that can grow onsite,” said Steve Fischer, executive director of the Regional Environmental Council. REC, a nonprofit that supports a number of local farmers markets, has been brought in to maintain WooSox farms. Harvard Pilgrim has been a longtime lead supporter of the REC’s mobile farmers market program, so the two organizations already have a longstanding connection since 2012.

Fischer will act as the project

How the farm’s produce is split between “community and concessions” is still being discussed, said Verducci. “We’re still deciding on the primary purpose.” The answer depends on multiple factors, including how COVID may affect the park’s opening and how that coincides with growing seasons.

“My understanding,” Fischer explained, “is that all the partners are in general agreement that at least a large percentage will be going out into the community through things like donations to area food banks and selling in food insecure communities through the mobile farmers market.”

At the very least, there is a strong intention on the part of all the partners that a significant portion of the food grown will be utilized by the community at large.

While certain aspects may still need to be hammered out, the WooSox, Harvard Pilgrim and REC are committed to making sure WooSox Farms will be ready to open alongside Polar Park. “All parties are committed to having this ready in year one,” said Verducci.

Verducci hastened to add that the current conceptualization for WooSox Farms was “just that, a rendering, and definitely not set in stone — so it’s kind of a microcosm for the whole project.”

While the pandemic continues, nothing is certain — but at the moment, he believes Polar Park will remain on schedule for its April 2021 opening date.

The formation of the garden has been well received by the city. City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said in a December press release, this working partnership between Harvard Pilgrim and WooSox demonstrates the many ways corporate entities can contribute to a happier, healthier community. After all, what could be more American than eating something yummy while watching baseball?

FEATURED

Pleasant Pawn Shop owner Asmar Akman sees investment in gold over pawn loans LIZ FAY

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hen it comes to business, Asmar Akman says honesty is the best policy.

“Stay honest, be straightforward, and don’t ever exaggerate what you can promise,” says Akman, the 42-year-old jeweler and the owner of Pleasant Pawn Shop. “If you say you’re going to do something, you have to do it. Credibility is everything.”

That’s important when you’re in the pawn business, especially under current economic conditions. The pandemic and the largescale job losses that have come with have been a source stress for many Worcester residents.

That stress has brought many to the pawn shop, but not for the reasons Akman thought they would. When the pandemic hit, Akman predicted there would be a jump in people seeking loans, not gold or diamonds, but surprisingly that was not the case.

After the first round of stimulus had been sent out, customers came in looking to invest in items of long-term value over pawning for immediate cash. “When the stimulus checks were distributed, we saw very few loans given out, and contrary, there was a big spike in gold and jewelry sales,” Akman said.

Consequently, demand has caused Akman to increase his gold prices. Still, while that bolstered his business, Akman says it’s important to meet his customers with hospitality and empathy.

“I quickly learned the psychology behind anyone that goes to a pawn shop is always financial, so there’s stress levels involved” said Akman. “People think pawnshops are bad, slimy places, there’s a stigma that comes with this industry. So, I’ve tried to change that stigma in terms of not being slimy, not being rude, and not being judgmental of people. People have problems, you have to understand where they’re coming from. When I opened my store in 2005 I had no

Jewelry designer Asmar Akman holds two of his creations, one of which comprises 400 carats of VS one diamonds and 1 kilo of 14kt gold.

RICK CINCLAIR

inventory, nothing but a sign and a smile.” Akman shared. “I didn’t see profit until probably the seventh year. I didn’t have a car the first five years, I shared a car with my wife. It was very interesting. You sacrifice if you have a dream. It was drive, devotion, and a lot of customer service”.

That attitude hasn’t gone unnoticed: Akman has received five “Best of Worcester” awards from Worcester Magazine over the course of his career — three for the best pawn shop and two for best gold trade. In 2017 he landed a spot in Worcester Business Jour-

nal’s “40 under 40.”

Akman learned the ins and outs of the jewelry business from his father, Sabri Akman, a Turkish immigrant who for 40 years owned his own jewelry store, New York Jewelers, previously located at 330 Main St. in Worcester. It was in 2005 while Asmar Akman was working for his father when he stumbled into his purpose.

“I was hanging outside one day and I saw this older gentleman walk up to me, and he goes ‘hey what do you do?’ and I go ‘this is my dad’s store’ and the man goes ‘what do you want to do?’ and I

said ‘I don’t know, own a bank.’

He goes ‘you don’t want to own a bank, own a pawn shop.’ So I said ‘why?’ and he goes ‘it’s like a bank but you loan out money on collateral.’ So at first, I didn’t think anything of it but then I came to find out the next day when he came to me, he’s the president of Commerce Bank, Barry Krock.”

Later that year, Akman found a vacant spot where he could open his own pawn shop at 334 Pleasant St., where he eventually attained his title as a master jewelry designer.

“After learning the psychology of the clientele, I said to myself, let me implement jewelry. I’d learned about the jewelry industry from my dad and had contacts on 47th street in Manhattan. So I had the knowledge, but I mostly threw myself into the fire. Then all of a sudden I went into design mode.

Every year I kept progressing and learning more about how to be efficient, learned the structural engineering behind how pieces are made properly, and from there I fully took on a design section.”

After working in direct competition with his father for four years, Akman made a business decision that surprised everyone, his father most of all.

“In 2009 I went to my dad and I said, ‘I’m going to buy you out, you’re going to come work for me now.’ And in one weekend I got a couple of trucks and we cleared out his whole store. My mom, Meryem, came too, they worked together for 40 years.”

In addition to high-end custom jewelry designs and pawning services, Akman offers a slew of other services, from repairs and cleanings to appraisals for insurance companies.

“I educate every customer I can. I literally explain to them every number I crunch and what it represents. Dimension, weight, karat, cost per ounce, and labor.

That way I can give my customers knowledge, and their best value.”

According to Akman, investing in commodities such as gold and

jewelry in the midst of an unfriendly economy will make people money in the long run, depending on one’s willingness to invest in a piece of high value.

“Here’s an example, let’s say five years ago someone bought a necklace that weighed 1,000 grams.

That would have cost them $25K, today that same necklace would cost $50K. So now, the value of that necklace is $50K because the price of gold was lower five years ago, and that’s the cycle. Gold, silver and platinum are all based on the world market. As the economy hits troubled times, such as giving out a lot of stimulus money, the value of the dollar goes down and the price of gold is driven up, it’s basic economics. It’s a cycle that’s always repeated itself. So when the price of gold per ounce goes up, that means my vendor’s cost goes up, which means I have to sell jewelry for more money. It’s all based on the price of gold per ounce.

I recommend investing in the heaviest piece of gold or diamond because the way to get value out of gold and diamonds is by mass.

So, the heavier the piece, you’ll always get the best return with more substance, which means you’ll definitely get more money. If the initial investment is low, return isn’t going to be crazy high. The more you put into an investment early, the more you’re going to get back. Whether it’s in gold or a bigass diamond, you’ll always get your best return on that” Akman said.

Still, while his hard-earned success has finally paid off, making his customers happy is what Asmar Akman enjoys the most.

“The most rewarding part of my work is seeing how much customers love the product.

When I design something and the customer says, “I never thought it would look this good,’ that’s the most gratifying part, you can’t beat that,” Akman said.

For business inquiries, contact Asmar Akman through instagram @ asmar_jewelz or by walk in.

J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

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CITY VOICES

FIRST PERSON

POETRY TOWN

A trip to the hospital for an Upper GI

RICHARD H. FOX

JOE FUSCO JR.

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Mom observes me. I stand by the hospital bed, its iron bars, pliable plane, plastic pad.

Her eye opens wide, sunlit iris livid.

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J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

was having some stomach issues, so my primary doctor ordered an Upper GI.

A couple of days before the procedure, I had to spit in a tube at the drive-through COVID-19 test-site.

It was negative and unsightly.

Because I had the foresight to wear pajama-shorts, I could keep my pants on under the backward-johnny as they prepped me for the procedure. My nurse was wonderful and gave me an extra pair of those sticky socks they force you to put on.

From my bed, I noticed a pantry area where a medical worker was gulping what seemed to be a 2-Liter bottle of Red Bull. It was a tad disconcerting.

My doctor had a British accent and wore a New England Patriots surgery cap. I mentioned that I was a die-hard New York Giants fan and felt a little uneasy but my wonderful nurse, apparently another staunch Patriots fan, suggested I keep my loyalties to myself while she finished sticking the intravenous needle in my vein.

Next thing I remember, there are 11 people in surgery-caps lifting me onto an operating table and Dr. Belichick is telling me the endoscope will peek inside my stomach and small intestine.

‘Leaf Shudder’

I rub her shoulder. She leans into my fingers, relaxes. I trumpet Love you, Mom! Her lips unlock, creak Love you. First phrase in a week.

Next thing I remember, there are 11 people in surgery-caps lifting me onto an operating table and Dr. Belichick is telling me the endoscope will peek inside my stomach and small intestine.

Next thing I remember, I’m awake in recovery and the same doctor is telling me they removed three polyps that looked benign and a bunch of other stuff I quickly forgot because I’m old, he has a strong accent, and I’m still kind of sedated.

My son-in-law drove me home where I slept almost three hours.

I dreamt that a good friend and a beautiful blonde woman scammed Donald Trump in a speed-boat race. I was a minor character fishing nearby on the dock.

My wife called to ask me how it went and I told her I didn’t really know but three polyps were no

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Please note that letters will run as space allows. Send them to Worcester Magazine, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 or by email to WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com.

She folds into a pillow. Face, a caricature.

I stop rubbing, squeeze, resume. She locks her eye on mine. The grey, flecked with blue, shines.

longer on the premises and we were having trout for dinner.

I turned on the T.V. and hummed the theme song to “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Mom, it’s ok if you go. We take care of each other.

Dad’s waited long enough for you.

A millimeter nod? A mirage? Her eyelid sunsets.

Joe Fusco Jr. is a poet and humorist living in Worcester.

Richard H. Fox is a Worcester-based poet whose work includes the fulllength collection, “You’re my favorite horse” and the chapbook, “The Complete Uncle Louie Poems.”

CITY VOICES

WORCESTERIA

Worcester police union president not seeing resistance to vaccine VEER MUDAMBI

With reports from around the country and in Massachusetts of some police and firefighters opting out of the COVID vaccinations, I spoke to Rick Cipro, president of Worcester Police Officials Union to get a sense of what our local first responders were feeling.  Cipro said that he was aware of other departments wrestling with those issues but categorically stated that he hadn’t heard that in Worcester.

Needless to say, that’s a relief. Protecting first responders is crucial, and lack of vaccinations would be a serious gap in the wall of protections for the community at large. There is a worry that because of the nature of their work, first responders who have not been immunized could potentially spread the disease, which has killed more than 365,000 Americans.

However, he went on to add that “it’s not a mandate and it’s going to be an individual choice.â€? That is consistent with how other police departments are handling it as well. While it is being strongly encouraged, it cannot be a requirement, in the same way that it cannot be required for the general population. “The speed at which these vaccines were put out and the studies behind them have people worried,â€? said Cipro, and since police officers are not different than anyone else in the community, they too have been inundated with media reports for and against. Just like in the general population, there will be officers who are skeptical. Generally speaking, the reluctance to be inoculated is usually fueled by a lack of information due to the newness of the vaccine.Â

To counter that, Cipro underlined the fact that the department and the union is putting forth an information campaign, like the CDC has, about the safety of the vaccines. “We do know that there are other news stories saying to wait — so there’s a lot of conflicting information out there and that contributes to some people wondering if they should get it.�

Cipro shared that while he cannot speak for everyone, he will be taking the shot just like the flu shot that he takes every year.Â

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, an alum of Holy Cross, said that “when you have 75% to 80% of the people vaccinated, you have an umbrella of protection over the community, and the level of community spread will be really, really very low.

The virus will not have any place to go but if only 50% of the people get vaccinated, then we don’t have that umbrella of immunity over us.� So the efficacy of the vaccine is only as good as the number of people who take it.

Reservations required

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Naturally, there is some reticence to be expected and individuals may be waiting to see how others react before committing to take the shot. The country’s largest fire department shows that more than 50% would not take it, mirroring what appears to be a nationwide hesitancy to get the shot. The Uniformed Firefighters Association survey of 2,000 members of the New York City Fire Department showed that 55% of participants said they would not get inoculated.Â

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Fortunately, the willingness of Americans to be vaccinated against COVID-19 has increased considerably after both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna shots were authorized for emergency use by the FDA. Presently, 46% of respondents to a survey said they would take the vaccine as soon as they can — almost double the number who answered yes to that question in a survey in late October, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll.Â

COVER STORY

Worcester’s art house movie groups try to stay in the picture

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J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

RICHARD DUCKETT

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t was sort of a dream coming true for Worcester’s lovers of independent films in June 2018.

The Central Mass Film Festival, or CMF2 as it is also known, was back after an absence with a “Mid-Summer’s Night of Shorts,” a program of short films by area filmmakers screened at The Sprinkler Factory, 38 Harlow St. Also popping up, so to speak, was the new cinema-worcester. On the same night that a “Mid-Summer’s Night of Shorts” was taking place, cinema-worcester presented the Worcester premiere of the full-length documentary “The Heart of Nuba” at Preservation Worcester’s Park View Room, 230 Park Ave. Meanwhile, Cinema 320 at Clark University was taking a summer break, but you assumed it would be back based on the fact that it has been showing art house movies since 1982.

It is not the case that these small, friendly outlets run for the love of film have been swallowed alive by the horror movie of 2020 and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Cinema 320 and cinema-worcester have been streaming online, while CMF2 assesses the situation.

Elsewhere, West Boylston Cinemas and the Elm Draught House in Millbury, which in addition to being second-run movie houses have also shown independent and locally made movies, are currently closed to the general public but maintaining an identity.

Streaming online is a way of maintaining a presence and audience involvement, but groups that do it whether in music, theater or movies are finding that it doesn’t bring in a great deal of money.

And yet it might well be a while before we can see a situation like mid-summer 2018 in Worcester again, especially in terms of having a place to go to and saying hello to other “regular” movie-going attendees who in some instances become good friends.

Andy Grigorov, founder of cinema-worcester, noted that a popular pre-pandemic attraction at his movie screenings was “a self-service popcorn machine. I can’t imagine people being comfortable with that now.”

As it turned out, and unrelated to the

COVER STORY

CHRISTINE PETERSON

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Andrew Grigorov is founder of cinema-worcester which was showing films at the Park View Room, 230 Park Ave. He’s since been trying to show films online.

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2017, however, cinema-worcester has operated as a “pop-up cinema,” often screening art house-style films at venues in and around Worcester.

CMF2 had been active in 2012 and 2013 with monthly events that culminated with a two-day festival of shorts, documentaries and two feature films.

Co-founder Dee Wells, a filmmaker, photographer and co-founder of Future Focus Media Co-Op and Youth Training Institute, helped bring back CMF2 in 2018 to showcase local filmmaking talent. He said at the time he envisioned CMF2 putting on workshops as well as more shows.

People were “brainstorming to create a nonprofit and create a permanent location,” he said.

Wells was also looking at what is now the BrickBox Theater at the JMAC, 20 Franklin St., then referred to as a black box theater, as a possible community venue for showing films.

“I don’t have any updates regarding CMF2 at this time,” Wells said a couple of weeks ago in response to an inquiry.

“I have thought about online events, but due to the large number of online events and talks that I’ve done, I have to believe that people are burned out with online events,” he said.

“At this point the ultimate return of in-person screenings is in limbo,” said Sandberg of Cinema 320.

“It depends on the widespread circulation of a vaccine to establish a high degree of herd immunity and the confidence and willingness of my audience, which as you know is largely composed of senior citizens, to come out to the small space that is available at the station. Pre-pandemic, Troy and I had envisioned an available seating capacity of around 60 patrons; but if you have ever seen the Front Room space, you know that that would only be achieved with very tight seating and complete disregard for social distancing. So frankly at this point I’m concentrating my efforts on the virtual screening operation

J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

pandemic, in June 2018, Cinema 320 wasn’t long for Room 320 of the Jefferson Academic Center at Clark University where it had set up shop in 1982.

In March 2019, Steve Sandberg, owner and operator of Cinema 320, announced he had decided to cease operations there. Room 320 is on the third floor of the center, and accessibility had been a problem with declining attendance, Sandberg said.

The subsequent plan was for Cinema 320, still keeping its name, to operate at nearby radio station WCUW 91.3 FM, at 910 Main St., beginning near the end of March 2020.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have anything new to report on the physical resurrection of the theater,” Sandberg said recently.

“Troy Tyree (of WCUW) and I were making progress on our plan to start films in the Front Room performance space at WCUW when the first lockdown hit. We had installed a screen but had not yet used any grant money to buy an appropriate projector. Since then I have had to concentrate on virtual engagements platformed on my Facebook page — Cinema 320 in Worcester” That continues currently with screenings of “Mayor,” “Driveways” and “Coup 53.”

Cinema 320 was founded by a small group of movie enthusiasts who had previously shown films at the former Paris Cinema on Franklin Street, but the movie house changed owners and began showing adult films. It was ultimately shut down by police.

The first film screened at Cinema 320 in September 1982 was Federico Fellini’s “City of Women.”

Cinema 320 is now in its 39th year. Sandberg went from being a Cinema 320 volunteer, to Cinema 320 No. 2, to the person in charge for many years choosing and booking independent and foreign feature films and documentaries.

Most if not all of the movies shown were getting Worcester area premieres and would likely never have been seen here on a screen otherwise. Beginning in

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COV E R S TO RY

C O N T N U E D F R O M PA G E 11

and biding my time.”

As for how that has been going, Sandberg said, “The virtual streaming performances don’t gross particularly highly, but the distributors don’t charge any guarantees for them, either. So as a silver lining in the COVID-colored cloud, I am liberated to show various good films that probably won’t be smashes at the box-office, but are well worth making available to discerning audiences in Worcester in open-ended runs that sometimes last for a few months. Thus the Cinema 320 show does go on in its 39th year, albeit as intangible binary impulses in the digital ghost world.”

When movie enthusiast Grigorov founded cinema-worcester, the name, lower case, was intended to be temporary until it could be named perhaps in relation to a permanent location.

“The name was always a place-holder,” Grigorov said.

The cinema-worcester mission as expressed in an earlier interview was a little bit different than

Steve Sandberg, director of Cinema 320.

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J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

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Cinema 320 or CMF2, namely “To establish an independent cinema in downtown Worcester, and to inspire and entertain the Worcester community through innovative film programming. Typical arthouse fare, yes, but also an eclectic mix of many other types.”

Grigorov said Sandberg and others with similar experience

offered advice and support.

The charming Park View Room was being increasingly used by cinema-worcester for its screenings, up to the pandemic.

“The last indoor one was in March at the Park View Room,” Grigorov said. The room can seat 80 to 90 people.

After March, cinema-worces-

“I think it’s nice to keep active and it gives people a chance to feel connected but if you’re screening, people don’t flock to it,” — Andrew Grigorov

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“In a way it was good I didn’t have any physical space set up. I was operating as a pop-up theater,” Grigorov said.

Grigorov’s regular job is working at the state Office of Elder Affairs.

“The long-term goal, I would still love to have a full-time cinema set up in Worcester. I think it would be successful. People would have to feel comfortable sitting next to each other again. We’d have to see how it plays out,” Grigorov said.

For now, “We’re staying in touch via social media and having conversations. We’re just trying to stay in touch with folks and let them know we’re still here.”

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J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

ter went online with its movie offerings, but also had an outdoor series at Timberyard Brewery in East Brookfield in September/ October.

Those screenings drew about “30 to 40 at most. It wasn’t hugely popular but it was nice to keep doing it until it got too cold,” Grigorov said.

Online, “I think it’s nice to keep active and it gives people a chance to feel connected but if you’re screening, people don’t flock to it,” he said.

“In the streaming world there is so much volume out there that they can find for free or cheaper.”

In November, cinema-worcester screened the documentary “The Donut King” for a $9.99 viewing pass.

However, at that point online, cinema-worcester was getting “a handful of views per movie. People have found other ways to entertain themselves that don’t cost so much,” Grigorov said.

At present, cinema-worcester isn’t planning to show any other movies online.

“I’m looking at what’s around,” Grigorov said. If he finds something he thinks people might be interested in, “I’ll definitely pick it up.”

Meanwhile, “We’re looking to when we can get outside again, get back at Park View again,” Grigorov said. “We’ve been talking with Cinema 320, if not collaborating at least cooperating with them.”

Sandberg said, “Sure, I’m still game under the right circumstances, whatever and whenever those might be. It’s an abstraction currently, but I’m not ready to fight to the last ditch against the chance that Worcester’s audiences could make me a millionaire yet.”

In terms of showing movies indoors again, Grigorov said, “I can’t imagine anything happening until late summer at the earliest.”

With all that has happened,

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CITY LIFE

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

hold on tight, they’re gentrifying

J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

Benito

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29-year-old Worcester native Coca Shahed is the owner and artist running The Codega. She is self-taught in acrylic, watercolor, oil, gouache, resin, custom leather work and digital art. Her inspiration comes from her city, friends, family and spiritual journey. Her art is based on her neighborhood’s bodega that had everything in it from toys, handmade sandwiches wrapped in Saran Wrap, candy, chips, big gushers, lotions, soaps, knock-off perfumes and everything in between.

As she got older, she began to notice the art in her bodega — the neon signs in the windows, cigarillos in colorful wrappers and the aesthetic of the seven day candles. In her teens, the bodega doubled as a hangout for all the neighborhood kids, her school’s bus stop and the only thing to look at from her living room window. With no idea of how fast life would hit, Coca watched the bodega slowly transition to a part-time vigil. The sidewalk surrounding it was now covered in lit candles and pictures of childhood friends. Its brick exterior spray-painted with the names of people she had just hugged days prior, most murdered due to senseless gang violence, a few being in the wrong place at the wrong time and some succumbing to their environment and untreated mental illnesses. She learned to cope with the heartache by creating and transferring her pain and love into art. All of her pieces are one of one and never duplicate just like the friends and family she names each piece after, making everything a collectors item and a way to honor her loved ones while they are still here with us and not just when they are gone.

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maccadü

CITY LIFE

CONNELL SANDERS

Worcester women we’re watching in 2021 SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

O

ur society’s elevation of hegemonic masculinity became glaringly evident last week at the Capitol Hill riot. The heartbreaking news and frightening footage led me to look back at many of the remarkable local women I’ve interviewed over the last year, in search of hope. Here are some wise words and professional leads that bear repeating as we seek peace and justice in the new year.

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J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

The 13-year-old dedicated to keeping Black dads safe Name: Madison Whalen Memorable Quote: “After the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, I was scared for my dad. All the stories I had been hearing made me nervous for him to even be out walking around. Me and my mom created this idea to hand out dash cams over the summer to help the community in the best way that A painting by Worcester artist Lord Smokey Bruja from her 2020 show on strength and survival, we could.”

Contact: Maddie’s efforts are “Bee Like Honey.”

SUBMIT TED PHOTO in collaboration with 508 Forever and the education system. It’s Young. You can inquire about for words. I’ll ask, ‘Do you feel Memorable Quote: “Pubdash cams by emailing info@ red today? Is what you’re feeling lishers go after whatever is going in different aspects of our daily lives. And, it’s time that we 508foreveryoung.com. making you feel purple?’” to make the headlines more realize and acknowledge the Contact: Dr. Forkey is the clickable and the stories easier The artist who reminded clinical director of the Foster to write. Women tend to kind of oppression and injustices that Black people face.” us that size is not indicative of shy away and run away because Children Evaluation Service and Contact Info: Follow Magpower chief of the Division of Child Prowe’ve been taught not to brag. gie’s progress on Instagram at @ tection for the UMass Memorial With this project, I’m asking magdelenebarj.

Name: Lord Smokey Bruja Children’s Medical Center in women to brag about their Memorable Quote: “I want Worcester. Learn more about her friends.”

The doctor who tackled everyone to know they are not work at https://www.umassmed.

Contact Info: You can conchildhood trauma in a panalone ... It’s about being as small tact Claudia through her site, edu/faces/. demic as a bee, but making something Women Worc.

Name: Heather C. Forkey, as beautiful as golden honey.”

The running coach who MD Contact: LSB’s most recent helped girls find their inner The 21-year-old model Memorable Quote: “Use gallery show took place at The strength and activist who organized the three R’s: reassure safety, Bridge at 300 Southbridge Street. Worcester’ Amplify Black return to routine, and regulate.

For more information about Name: Karen Spencer Voices rally Regulation asks us to identify future events, email savebridgeMemorable Quote: “Girls Name: Magdelene Barjolo emotions and address them. For on the Run teaches girls how pride@gmail.com.

Memorable Quote: “Just kids, it can often mean giving to stand up for themselves and because Black men and women, The web developer who deal with their emotions in a and even children, are not killed them the words for what they’re feeling or teaching them how to built a database of tenacious healthy way … We organize on a daily basis in the streets of understand what the feeling is if small groups of 15 to 20 girls to women Worcester does not mean that they’re too young to learn words. meet after school, twice a week racism doesn’t exist here. It’s We sometimes substitute colors for 10 weeks. We have trained Name: Claudia Snell within the healthcare system

coaches who implement a social-emotional development curriculum that is basically focused on girls empowerment.”

Contact: Learn more about out how the local chapter of GoTR has persevered through a global pandemic at https://www. gotr-worc.org/.

The woman who made sure no student went hungry when Worcester Public Schools went virtual Name: Donna Lombardi Memorable Quote: “Through the national school breakfast and school lunch programs, we feed approximately 18,000 students every day. That number will expand as breakfast evolves into the classroom in additional schools.”

Contact: Donna is the Child Nutrition Program Director for the Worcester Public Schools, tasked with overseeing all USDA and Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) funded child nutrition programs. Check out the most up to date grab-and-go and mobile meal delivery schedules on the Menus & Nutrition website.

The woman who worked to create a critical mass of economic activity in Main South Name: Ivette Olmeda Memorable Quote: “I feel very proud to say, as a resident of Worcester for 30 years who has shopped in this neighborhood, the businesses are finally organized as the Main South Business Association. They meet on a monthly basis. The last milestone was to appoint an executive committee. One of the things they immediately began to do was engage with the neighborhood residents.”

Contact: Ivette is a MassDevelopment Transformative Development Initiative Fellow.

For more information about Worcester’s TDI districts, you can email her at iolmeda@massdevelopment.com.

CITY LIFE

TABLE HOPPIN’

Che! Empanada offers taste of Argentina BARBARA M. HOULE

discounts. Individual Deep Dish, Thin Crust Pizza and Uno’s gluten-free pizza are included in the offer. Visit www.unos.com/pizza5 for more info.

C

Roy Caceser and Albie Alvarez-Cote, co-owners of the newly opened Che! Empanada in Kelley Square.

ASHLEY GREEN

dated. Call or text (781) 268-7782 to learn more about online ordering and catering. Follow the business on Facebook and Instagram. Note: A new business website is being built.

Alvarez-Cote and Caceser said in the future they would like to expand the business by investing in a food trailer. Another idea for when warmer weather rolls around is to offer an empanada board, similar to the epic charcuterie board with veggies, olives, fruits, etc.

We say, bring it on!

The food paired with Argentinian wines enjoyed with a few friends outdoors can’t come soon enough.

Uno offering pizza deal for restaurant workers Uno Pizzeria & Grill in Millbury, Westboro, Leominster and Sturbridge are among locations offering restaurant workers $5 pizzas on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays through Jan. 27.

Restaurant workers, including furloughed and laid-off, should ask their Uno servers for the $5 Restaurant Worker Pizza to redeem the offer, good for dine-in only. Not valid with other offers coupons or

Wine tastings at Castle Restaurant The Castle Restaurant in Leicester announced its January Tastings & Events schedule, beginning with Wines of Argentina on Jan. 17.

Here’s what’s happening: Tasting of 12 “incredible” Wines of Argentina begins at 3 p.m. One sparkling, three whites and eight reds are included in the cost of $48 per person, all inclusive. Limited seating.

The Castle’s Chateau Musar Wine Dinner will be held at 2 p.m.

Jan. 31. Space is very limited. Cost: $111 per person, all inclusive. There will be rare vintages of musar available for sale. Note: Chateau Musar reportedly was the first producer in Lebanon to achieve organic certification for its vineyards in 2006.

Event reservations: Call (508) 892-9090 and ask for the Castle’s owners James Nicas or Evangeline Nicas.

If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

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tion to salads and sandwiches.

FYI: Caceser makes sausage for the restaurant.

Look for weekly specials on the restaurant chalkboard. Last week, three empanadas, a soft drink and a bag of chips cost $10.99.

During this interview, Alvarez-Cote and her husband’s son, Max, commented about being his mom’s empanada taste-tester when she and Caceser introduce new flavors. The young elementary student was quick to answer, “Ham and cheese, corn and cheese and spicy chicken,” when asked what his favorite flavors were.

Alvarez-Cote said Max sometimes takes orders for empanadas at the private Catholic school he attends.

“Our business really is a family affair,” she said. “Roy’s family is very involved, too.”

Current hours at Che! Empananda: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday for take-out and delivery. Curbside pickup and catering are available. Seating inside is very limited, keeping with COVID-19 regulations. The restaurant normally would seat 12, according to the owners, who said four people can now be accommo-

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singer who has performed for 20 years.

Che! Empanada’s owners make artisanal, Argentinian-style (flour-based) empanadas daily. The delicious bite-sized empanadas are a way of life in Argentina, said Alvarez-Cote, adding she learned how to make the signature street food from her parents.

“Our empanadas are good sized and three of them can make a meal,” she said, adding that “kids love them.” The empanadas last well for up to five days, according to Alvarez-Cote.

The current menu at Che! Empanada features more than 10 different varieties of empanadas: Classica Argentina (ground beef, onions, red peppers, potatoes, boiled eggs, spices), Ham and Cheese, Chorizo, Spinach/Chard Cheese, Caprese, Vegan, Classic Chicken, Fatay Beef, Corn/Cheese.

The deliciously baked and perfectly shaped hand-held pies cost $3.50 each; $20 for a half dozen. Larger quantities may be ordered. By late February, the owners’ goal is to offer more than 20 varieties of empanadas (gluten-free is in the works) on their menu, in addi-

Smokestack temporarily closed Smokestack Urban Barbecue, 139 Green St., Worcester is closed until the beginning of February, according to a recent Facebook post.

From Smokestack: “Due to new government restrictions on occupancy and the levels of confidence in dining out we have decided to temporarily shut down. This mini-hibernation will be in effect until February and will be re-evaluated at that time to reopen. This was by no means an easy decision to make, but at this time feel as though it is best.” A thank you for support and love was in the message.

Richard Romaine owns Smokestack with business partner Peter Rano, who runs the barbecue business.

J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

he! Empanada at 19 Kelley Square, Worcester, is a new place where you can find a little piece of Argentina.

Albie Alvarez-Cote of West Newton and Chef Roy Caceser of Concord, New Hampshire, opened the restaurant Jan. 6 with plans for a grand opening celebration sometime in late February. The business is located in the spot once occupied

by Anthem Bagel Co. Che! Empanada is a “dream come true” for Alvarez-Cote, who first started selling her handmade empanadas in Newton, hoping to open a storefront there. “I had a location but at the last minute the owner changed her mind about selling,” said Alvarez-Cote. “A friend knew that Roy wanted to open a restaurant and asked me if I wanted to meet him. We met and learned about the Worcester location.

“We decided it would be perfect, especially with all the future development in the city,” said Alvarez-Cote. “We love our little space and being located near other businesses. And, the kitchen is just the right size.”

Alvarez-Cote is familiar with the Worcester landscape. She is married to Jim Cote, a former Worcester resident. The couple, who share a “large blended family” (children and grandchildren), have lots of friends in the Worcester area, said Alvarez-Cote, a financial advisor and director of FEI Financial Education Institute, Greater Boston Area. She also is a member of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs and a founding member of the Latino Council, Milagros para Ninos at Boston Children’s Hospital, with a mission “to improve the health and well-being of children in New England.”

Caceser was a chef in Argentina before coming to the United States, and several of his siblings are restaurateurs in Argentina. The chef owned and operated an Argentinian restaurant in Hillsboro, New Hampshire, for four years. He is a tango and Argentinian folk-lore

CITY LIFE

SCREEN TIME

‘Cobra Kai’ is outrageous fun JIM KEOGH

“Cobra Kai” universe, especially when it comes to recovering from dire injuries. During one fight senever set out to become a fan quence, a teen has his arm snapped of “Cobra Kai.” A coworker and winds up in a cast from his had suggested the Netflix palm to his shoulder. After about an series to me during its first episode and a half, the cast is gone, season, but the continuation of “The Karate Kid” saga 30-plus years and the strength and speed of the arm is practically bionic. later sounded so ridiculous that The one true miracle, however, I couldn’t convince myself it was worth the time. Also, there was just is the young man who plummets something about the frozen-in-time from a second-floor balcony onto a railing and awakens from a coma appearance of Ralph Macchio I found unsettling, especially his hair, paralyzed from the waist down. which is a little too dark and weird- Thankfully, there’s “an operation” that might help, and the high school ly arranged for a guy nearing 60.

Then one evening, in a moment gang stages a charity car wash to of weakness and boredom, I surren- pay for what surely is reasonably dered, and let “Cobra Kai’s” cascade priced delicate spinal surgery. Good news — the surgery works! I’ll say of absurdities wash over me until I it does. Within a few weeks the kid was both hooked and at peace. I’ve goes from wheelchair confinement just finished Season 3 and anticipate Season 4 the way a child waits to roundhouse kicks and returns to school like he’s just recovered from for Santa Claus, except I only care nothing more stressful than the about the fat man’s black belt.

If you are considering watching stomach flu.

“Cobra Kai,” you’ll need to go into it Instant Expertise with your eyes open to its most outThe central fantasy of “Cobra rageous elements. I happily supply Kai” is that the only thing standing you with this primer. between a life of shameful nerdism and karate immortality is about a Miraculous healing week’s worth of martial arts trainTime has no meaning in the

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J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

I

William Zabka, left, and Ralph Macchio reprise their classic roles from “The Karate Kid” in “Cobra Kai.” SONY PICTURES TELEVISION

out of children’s nightmares. He can’t do anything about that, no more than the late Max Von Sydow could avoid appearing 72-84 years old beginning in adolescence. I suspect when Kove emerged from the birth canal the doctor peered into Sensei Satan Martin Kove, who plays the ven- those reptilian eyes and whispered, omous sensei of the Cobra Kai dojo, “God help us all.” has a few more wrinkles and sags Politics of the Unspoken than he did in “The Karate Kid,” but When the City Council cancels his face still looks like it was carved

ing. So a kid named Eli Moskowitz, who weighs less than his laptop, learns how to air-punch, rebrands himself as Hawk, and is soon throwing people through windows.

the upcoming karate tournament, two teens take the podium like Kevin Bacon in “Footloose” and make an impassioned plea to let the competition proceed. The councilors listen, silently nod in unanimous agreement that they’d been wrong, and, without a word of debate, reverse their decision.

The writer of this scene has clearly never attended a City Council meeting, where duly elected representatives vie for precious microphone time like they’re in the MMA octagon. And a public admission of error? Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Oh, and, Ha! Old Flames are Never Doused Johnny (William Zabka, the unqualified star of the show) still pines for his high school girlfriend, Ali, well beyond the statute of limitations, at least for non-stalkers. You’d think he would have moved on, but that former girlfriend is played by Elisabeth Shue, and even middle-aged men who didn’t date Elisabeth Shue pine for Elisabeth Shue.

LISTEN UP

‘Busted Lip’ is only rock ‘n’ roll, but ...

VICTOR D. INFANTE

T

he recent eponymous EP by the Worcester-area punk band Busted Lip is, for me at least, an exercise in time travel. I listen to it, and I’m a younger man in a dingy club on the other side of the country, only able to afford the cheapest beer and captivated by whatever ramshackle band was on the stage, somehow crafting magic out of three chords – give or take – and truth enough for the moment. It didn’t matter the club or the band, it was pretty much always the same story: There were maybe six people watching, including the bartender, and it was always falling to

Luis Pizarro is the vocalist for Busted Lip. DYLAN AZARI

pieces, and I loved every minute of it.

“Busted Lip” — available on Spotify — is not a pretty album, but honestly, being pretty has really only ever been an optional feature for rock ‘n’ roll. Ugly rock ‘n’ roll can save your soul as much as any other type of music.

Sometimes the ramshackle mess on stage speaks to the ramshackle mess inside the listener. To be fair, this EP is better played than THAT, but we’re not talking the ornate and intricate instrumentation of a lot of heavy metal.

We’re talking drudging bass, vocals that rise to an agonized wail and guitar lines which skid in every direction with reckless abandon.

Band members – Marc Vrey on bass, Micah Saenz on gui-

tar, Luis Pizarro on vocals and Thalles Marriane on drums – are practically bruised and bleeding from song to song. The first song, “Gassed Up,” is an exercise in pure adrenaline, barreling forward with the propulsion of a Buick without breaks, driven by a truly madcap rain of drums that dips and sags into a punch-drunk bridge where Pizarro’s pugilistic vocals sway like a boxer refusing to fall down. Much the same is true of “Middle Man,” which takes a rap-rock refrain – “I rack it up, pack it up, stack it up, woah.

Yes I’m the middle man yes I’m the middle man” – and escalates into a hard-core maelstrom.

These songs are at their best when they reach a fever pitch,

when the guitar is squealing along at a breakneck speed.

The next song, “Hand Towel Fleshlight,” feels murky when the drums and bass are pulling into tightly controlled staccato bursts, but there’s a definite sense of escape and catharsis when the chorus explodes. The album ends with “.38 Special,” a screech of a song that takes the desperation and paranoia of the song’s persona and amplifies it to a pyre. It’s an uncomfortable song, and it’s not a melodic one by any stretch, but there’s definitely something cathartic to it, something that resonates past all the noise and static.

CITY LIFE

NEXT DRAFT

Brewers, wholesalers start new year celebrating passage of distribution bill MATTHEW TOTA

F

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“With the unbelievable financial pressures that have come down on our industry due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, there will be breweries whose existence is saved by gaining this flexibility to control their destiny.”

J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

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or 50 years in Massachusetts, craft breweries have lacked the power to easily jump from one wholesaler to the next because of a law, written when their industry did not exist, binding them to lifetime contracts.

Distributors have held sway, empowered to a level where they can buy and sell craft beer brands without say from the brewers.

No longer.

At 3:26 a.m. Jan. 6, hours before the end of the 2020 legislative session, the House passed a bill that allows brewers producing fewer than 250,000 barrels a year — 99% of the breweries in the state — to end their relationship with a distributor as long as they give 30 days’ notice and pay “fair market value” for their brand rights. The bill goes to Gov. Charlie Baker to sign into law.

For craft breweries, 2021 could not have started off on a better note. With the pandemic hurting their taproom business, more breweries have looked to distribution. And those that were hesitant should now feel better about partnering with one of the roughly 30 craft beer wholesalers in the state.

“With the unbelievable financial pressures that have come down on our industry due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, there will be breweries whose existence is saved by gaining this flexibility to control their destiny,” Massachusetts Brewers Guild president Sam Hendler said in a statement. “Combined with the increasing importance of wholesale distribution with the obvious challenges running tap rooms, we need strong relationships with our most valuable partner. This will help us get

inaction as a means to apply political pressure, playing with the futures of small businesses trying to recover from the pandemic.

Finally, the Legislature has recognized the accord that brewers and wholesalers worked so hard to achieve.

I see larger distributors having to think a little bit more about how they’re treating craft breweries. Small wholesalers are starting to emerge, including those run by breweries such as Night Shift Brewing Co. in Everett, and are becoming more attractive options for brewers than larger operations that sell hundreds of different brands.

The current laws were enacted in 1971. Craft breweries were unheard of, and distributors were seeking protection from large out-of-state and foreign brewers. So much has changed since then, though: hundreds of new breweries have opened, even as distributors have continued to grow and consolidate.

As consumers, we should expect to see more breweries represented in the coolers at our local liquor stores. There Craft breweries are toasting a bill that allows brewers producing fewer than 250,000 barrels a have been many brewers waityear – 99% of the breweries in the state — to end their relationship with a distributor as long as ing for the law to change before they give 30 days’ notice and pay “fair market value” for their brand rights. they sign on with a distributor AIAC INTERACTIVE AGENCY and expand their footprint.

Whatever happens, everyone — craft breweries, distribuif the House needed time to like climate change or tax there. There’s a lot that we can deal with more pressing matters revenue, but this was calculated tors and beer drinkers — can all accomplish together.” celebrate a major victory for the In the fall, I urged legislaindustry. tors in the House, especially “I could not be more exthen-Speaker Robert DeLeo, to cited,” said Atlas Distributing pass this pivotal bill, the result Inc. president Joe Salois. “It has of a compromise between brewbeen a long journey, a long path ers and distributors more than forward, but finally getting this a decade in the making. passed by both the House and After the craft beer accord Senate was a big relief for the over the summer, the bill entire industry. I think also it sped through the Senate, then represents a couple of organilanguished in the House for zations coming together and months, apparently becoming a bargaining chip for negotiations — Sam Hendler working out their differences.” between the two sides on unreMassachusetts Brewers Guild president lated issues. I could understand

CITY LIFE

ADOPTION OPTION

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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.

Meet Amaya. Amaya is looking for a dog savvy experienced home with no other animals. Amaya is only about a year old and is looking for an active home who will be able to provide her with plenty of exercise and training. Amaya came to the shelter as a stray so unfortunately we do not have any background about where she came from. Amaya loves to go for walks, play with her toys and can sit for treats. She is very motivated by food and cannot wait to learn more. She is strong and will need a strong owner to walk her. She is reactive when she sees other dogs, so it will be important that her new family be responsible and keep her away from other animals. She can be nervous when she meets new people and may bark at first.

Being so young, Amaya has great potential and working with a trainer to help her will be very beneficial. If you would like more information about this sweet girl or you would like to set up an appointment to meet her, please contact the shelter today!

WARL COVID-19 Procedures As of Novemeber 9, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we want to share with you some changes we have implemented so that we can continue to serve the pets and people of our community while keeping our team protected.

• ADOPTIONS: At this time, adoptions are being held BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. If you are interested in adoption, please visit our website worcesterarl.org/adopt/ to learn more about our available animals

then call us at (508) 853-0030 ext.0 or email us at info@worcesterarl. org to schedule an appointment.

• Casual visits to the shelter are prohibited. We will strictly enforce this in order to keep our animal care team protected while still maintaining the most essential function of our operation...finding homes for animals in need.

• ANIMAL SURRENDERS: Our business practice for surrendering a pet remains the same. All pet owners must contact WARL in advance of surrendering a pet. Please call (508) 853-0030.

• SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS: All scheduled appointments will be honored. If you have a scheduled appointment, we will be contacting you to discuss changes to our drop off/pick up procedures.

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• DONATIONS ACCEPTED except for open bags of food.

• The WARL Volunteer Program is temporarily suspended. All regular volunteer shifts are on hold.

We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we can.

• Pet food, cat litter, and other shelter supplies will be essential in continuing to provide for our animals and to assist community members in need. To avoid unnecessary travel and exposure, items can be purchased online from our Amazon Wishlist - https://www.

• Weekly training classes are going on for adopters.

We have many animals in our care who depend on us to stay healthy and well. The above measures help to protect our staff and community from the spread of COVID - 19 by

minimizing face-to-face interactions while continuing to operate only core essential services. Please continue to follow our Facebook page for additional updates. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the shelter at (508) 853-0030 or info@worcesterarl.org.

Thank you for your continued FURiendship and support.

GAMES

J O N E S I N’

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Major vein Blood-red ___ hand (give help) Shoe padding “Feed a cold, ___ a fever” Forward, as mail Sock pattern Burqini headpiece Segment of a play Trade Like some tales Due Seemingly forever Butter square

Last week's solution

©2021 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #1023

21

Down 1 New version of an old film 2 Reversals on the road 3 Vessel for thematic gifts 4 Permit to drive (abbr.)

5 How most TV is broadcast these days 6 2020 CGI movie that featured the origin story of a cartoon canine 7 ___ New Guinea 8 German car name 9 Something a vest lacks 10 Casual footwear 11 Not paid by the hour 12 Not rainy 13 Duty-___ shop 18 “Survivor” locales 22 Water filter brand 24 Golfing hazard 28 Smarten (up) 30 String quartet instrument 31 “Cherry Wine” rapper 32 High-speed internet initials 34 “Sing the Sorrow” band 36 ___ and cheese 37 Start for carte or king 38 Wagnerian opera setting 40 Test the fit of

41 44 47 49 51 52 53 56 57 59 60 61 62 66

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R U O Y E C A PL AD HERE!

72 Ethyl or methyl ending

J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

Enjoy Fun By The Numbers puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Across 1 Make like a cricket’s legs 4 Talk like Cindy Brady 8 Georgia senator-elect Jon 14 H in Greek 15 Peruvian ancestor 16 Flat, geometrically 17 Canadian equivalent of “American Bandstand” hosted by Alex Trebek in 1963-64 19 ___-weensie 20 Biblical boats 21 1976 trivia show (not the Nickelodeon kids’ show) hosted by Trebek 23 Bent down 25 Place to order a round 26 Kilmer of “MacGruber” 27 Aromatic compounds 29 Reykjavik’s country 33 Aloe vera yield 34 Had some haggis 35 Some Spanish titles, for short 36 Dallas cager, informally 39 1981 game show (not the classic Atari game) hosted

by Trebek 42 Armani competitor, briefly 43 “’Tis a shame” 45 Part of TGIF 46 Meme response 48 Harden, in a way 50 “Battleship Potemkin” locale 54 “Star Wars” character Solo 55 Honey Graham ___ (cereal brand) 58 Go in 59 Canadian series hosted

by Trebek from 1976-1980, featuring professional skaters alongside B-list celebs 63 “Aw, heck!”

64 Roll in mud 65 Emmy-winning game show hosted by Trebek starting in 1984 67 Genetic variant 68 Tennis player Kournikova 69 Abbr. on remotes 70 Prepped for serving 71 “It’s for the ___”

“Goodbye, Mr. Trebek”--a retrospective.

By Matt Jones

CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS Physician (Worcester, MA) sought by UMass Memorial Medical Group, Inc. to provide direct Physician (Worcester, MA) sought by UMass patient care to patients primarily on the Blood Memorial Medical Group, Inc. to provide direct Glucose Management Service on the inpatient patient care to patients primarily on the Blood side; follow- up with patients in the outpatient Glucose Management Service on the inpatient clinic when not in inpatient rotation. Req.’s 3 yr. side; follow- up with patients in the outpatient clinic when not in inpatient rotation. Req.’s Resi 3 yr.dency in General Medicine & MA Med. Resi dency in General Medicine & MA Med. License. Apply to Leigh M. Corl, HR Business Partner, UMass Memorial HR, HB-791, 55 Lake License. Apply to Leigh M. Corl, HR Business Ave. North, Worcester, MA 01655. No phone calls.

Partner, UMass Memorial HR, HB-791, 55 Lake Ave. North, Worcester, MA 01655. No phone calls.

Physician (Worcester, MA) sought by UMass Memorial Medical Group, Inc. to focus on clinical Physician (Worcester, MA) sought by UMass nephrology with a major focus on the diagnosis Memorial Medical Group, Inc. to focus on clinical and management of patients with acute and nephrology with a major focus on the diagnosis chronic kidney disease; develop interest in and management of patients with acute and chronic kidney disease; develop interest in onconephrology; serve as attending nephrologist at several system clinics in Worcester area. Must onconephrology; serve as attending nephrologist at several system clinics in Worcester area.have MustMA Medical License and 3 yr. residency in Internal Med. Apply to Leigh M. Corl, HR Business have MA Medical License and 3 yr. residency in Partner, UMass Memorial HR, HB-791, 55 Lake Internal Med. Apply to Leigh M. Corl, HR Business Ave. North, Worcester, MA 01655. No phone calls.

Partner, UMass Memorial HR, HB-791, 55 Lake Ave. North, Worcester, MA 01655. No phone calls.

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LAST CALL

Jenna Balestrini

WPI grad treating cancer with cell therapy

J

enna Balestrini is the Head of Strategy and Business Development for Precision Medicine and Cell Bioprocessing at Draper.

What is your connection to the city of Worcester?

Well, I love Worcester. I moved there to do my Ph.D. in 2003.

I graduated with a Ph.D. from WPI in 2009. I have to say, those were six of the best years of my life. Worcester is such an amazing place and WPI is such a great school. I’ve always had a fondness for that city more than pretty much anywhere else I’ve lived. It’s just a very special place filled with really great people.

genetic diseases like sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis. It’s just a faulty gene that you can replace, right? Those are the next steps.

towards the end, I realized what I really wanted was to be more translational and be a little bit closer to where the patients and the action are. I had a friend that I met at WPI who recommended I speak to her uncle, Jeff Borenstein, at Draper.

I’d never heard of Draper before and I didn’t know much about the nonprofit world. He looked at my CV and said, “You know what, you’d actually make a really good fit here.”

SUBMIT TED PHOTO

That’s amazing.

We’re living in an era where cancer is curable. But now, the thing is, can we take it further?

You can identify a unique combination that separates out the thing you’re trying to hunt down — HIV, hepatitis. You can also use the same tools to rectify

— Sarah Connell Sanders

23

Sounds very futuristic.

So here’s the thing, I don’t know

why this is, but most people don’t realize that it’s not 10 years from now. It’s happening right now. Cell therapy is FDA approved. If you have certain types of leukemia or lymphoma, you can get cell therapy made from your cells to target and kill your cancer. And this is a curative solution. You can get a dose of these cells that have been modified to hunt the leukemia down, or lymphoma down, and then you are cured from that disease.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

is take cells from a patient and modify them to make those cells into therapies themselves. It’s a really interesting way to enable a patient to heal themselves. We take your immune system cells and then we genetically modify them with equipment that we’ve made. The equipment separates the cells from your blood, and then we introduce genes that serve as a set of instructions for your immune system to attack something like cancer. Think of it like taking those cells from the patient, giving them some extra tools to make them “superpowered,” to make them better at hunting down and identifying things like cancer, and then putting them back into the patient.

J A N U A RY 14 - 20, 2021

What can you tell me about Draper?

I came to Draper in 2016. As a nonprofit, Draper reinvests its profits into research. One of the manifestations of that are large internal awards called IRaD, which stands for Internal Research and Development.

I was hoping you could talk a bit about your career Within six months, I got an IRaD to build technologies to trajectory, particularly make the next generation of cell after you finished your therapy. That project went from Ph.D. concept to commercial pretty I went to WPI and worked for quickly. I transitioned into being Kristen Billiar, who is the best a business development lead advisor anyone could ever ask and then the portfolio grew for. One of our focuses was to even more, mainly because I understand the environment in work with some really talented cells and around cells. Factors engineers, some of whom went like breathing or stiffness can to WPI. Ultimately, we partnered either stimulate cells or impact with Kite Therapeutics. So what cells pathologically and create that means is my career in cell disease. Or, if you understand therapy literally went from an a cell’s environment, you can idea scribbled on a napkin with harness those signals and a colleague, to overseeing a start to build therapies. You partnership with, in my opinion, can get cells to make specific one of the best cell therapy proteins and we looked at the companies in the world in just a fundamentals of that. From there, I did a postdoc in Toronto few years. I am in a completely different space than I ever would studying fibrosis with Boris have imagined. I had no idea Hinz. Then, I went to Yale and worked for Laura Niklason doing I’d ever go into business or cell therapy and I’m really pleased. translational medicine work.

All of this ties to understanding I suspect a lot of great how we can direct regenerative ideas have started on medicine applications with napkins. I’m curious cells by understanding the about just the term “cell cues around them to make bioprocessing.” Can you different therapies. In 2016, I explain it for someone was at the end of my postdoc lacking a science and I was trying to think about background? what to do. I had wanted to be Basically, what we’re trying to do a professor for many years, but

What are your hopes for the future?

You know what? I would like people to get excited. Everything I just described is what’s called autologous cell therapy — we take cells from a patient and do all of this work and it’s really expensive to do — but the future is something called allogeneic cell therapy, where we can take the same tool to do genetic engineering or modification of cells and knock out all those individual components that make yourself uniquely identifiable to you. From that, you create a universal donor. And you can use that as a starting material to make therapies for everyone. So what that means for you as a patient is that you could come into your doctor’s office and find out you have something, let’s just say a cancer, and you’ll have an offthe-shelf ready-to-go therapy that day, frozen and ready to go for you. I don’t think that chemotherapy and radiation are going to last much longer in terms of what the first line of defense is going to be. And they’re terrible. The truth is, we are still behind the times with cancer therapy. If you look at the cause of death over the last hundred years, pretty much everything but cancer has gone down. Heart disease, influenza, strokes, but not cancer. This is for a variety of reasons, one of which is that we’re living longer.

But the thing is, our tools are terrible. We kill people with our drugs. We’ve arrived at a moment when we can finally imagine a world where cancer is no big deal.

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