Worcester Magazine April 2 - 8, 2020 by Worcester Magazine

APRIL 2 - 8, 2020 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CULTURE • ARTS • DINING • VOICES

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‘And I’ve been this way since day one ’ Worcester rapper Joyner Lucas drops long-awaited ‘ADHD’

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IN THIS ISSUE

A P R I L 2 - 8, 2020 • V O L U M E 45 I S S U E 32 Find us on Facebook.com/worcestermag Twitter @worcestermag Instagram: Worcestermag

100 Front St., Fifth Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 worcestermag.com Editorial (508) 767.9535 WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com Sales (508) 767.9530 WMSales@gatehousemedia.com President Paul M. Provost VP Multi-Media Sales Michelle Marquis Ad Director Kathleen Real-Benoit Sales Manager Jeremy Wardwell Executive Editor David Nordman Editor Nancy Campbell Content Editor Victor D. Infante Reporters Richard Duckett, Bill Shaner Contributing Writers Sam Bonacci, Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell Sanders, Gari De Ramos, Robert Duguay, Jason Greenough, Janice Harvey, Barbara Houle, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Craig S. Semon, Steve Siddle, Matthew Tota Creative Director Kimberly Vasseur Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Anne Blake, Kate Carr, Laura Cryan, Diane Galipeau, Ted Genkos, Sammi Iacovone, Bob Kusz, Helen Linnehan, Patrick O’Hara, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Henry Rosenthal, Regina Stillings, Randy Weissman Sales Support Jackie Buck, Yanet Ramirez Senior Operations Manager Gary Barth Operations Manager John Cofske WORCESTER MAGAZINE is a news weekly covering Central Massachusetts. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. The Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement. Legals/Public Notices Please call 888-254-3466, email classifieds@gatehousemedia.com, or mail to Central Mass Classifieds, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 Distribution Worcester Magazine is inserted into the Telegram & Gazette on Thursdays and is also available for free at more than 400 locations in the Worcester area. Unauthorized bulk removal of Worcester Magazine from any public location, or any other tampering with Worcester Magazine’s distribution including unauthorized inserts, is a criminal offense and may be prosecuted under the law.

16 Featured ......................................................................................4 City Voices...................................................................................8 Cover Story ...............................................................................11 Artist Spotlight .......................................................................15 Table Hoppin’ ..........................................................................15 Lifestyle......................................................................................16 The Next Draft..........................................................................17 Film .............................................................................................18 New on DVD .............................................................................18 Adoption Option ....................................................................20 Games .........................................................................................21 Classifieds .................................................................................22 Last Call .....................................................................................23

Joyner Lucas drops his long-awaited album, “ADHD.” Story on page 11 Submitted photo; Design by Kimberly Vasseur

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Worcester Magazine is not liable for typographical errors in advertisements.

Worcester Magazine has put its calendar section and event recommendations on hold for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other standing features may be put on hold or appear more sporadically. Also, considering the pace of news these days, some articles may be updated online as the situation changes. For the most up-to-date versions of articles, visit WorcesterMag.com or Telegram.com.

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‘Continue to make art everywhere’

Worcester Cultural Coalition develops ‘action strategy’ for pandemic RICHARD DUCKET T

he Worcester Cultural Coalition has developed an “action strategy” to help the creative community that will include “acute funding for local artists and small nonprofits,” social engagement and advocacy. The coalition is a public-private partnership between the City of Worcester and more than 80 cultural organizations. The response as the coronavirus crisis continues comes as cultural organizations and venues large

and small (including Mechanics Hall and The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts) are closed, and individual artists face weeks of canceled live gigs or are turning to outlets such as live streaming. The strength of Worcester is “that there are so many collaborations going on,” said Erin I. Williams, Worcester’s cultural development officer, in an interview. “There are so many creative ideas being put forth.” The intent is “bringing people together” as well as determining the general need “and how we can

The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts.

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FILE PHOTO/ASHLEY GREEN

respond collectively.” Following a meeting of the Worcester Cultural Coalition board, “we now have an action strategy,” Williams said. The strategy is “three-pronged.” First, the WCC is “working with local and state funders and the city, to provide a modest relief fund to support local artists/ creatives and smaller nonprofits in acute need. This fund will allow us to offer modest funding for individual to small creative nonprofit organizations.” Secondly, social engagement will

include “virtual programming on the WCC website (Worcesterculture. org) to creatively engage residents and provide modes of support for content generated material.” For example, Williams said that during National Poetry Month in April, “we’re discussing how we can have virtual poetry slams. It’s just another way to bring people together.” Additionally, an “Arts at Home” page is being developed that already has several video collections, with tours, interviews, performances and other content from Worcester-area

organizations and individuals that people can view at home and which will be updated regularly. A “Creative Community Resources” page has a database of resources for arts and cultural organizations and individuals, as well as funders and nonprofits. There are links to national relief efforts for artists such as Arts Leaders of Color Emergency Relief Fund and Corona Relief Fund from Equal Sound for musicians who have lost income due to a canceled gig. The third component of the WCC action strategy is advocacy

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and humanities and interpretive sciences need to be equitably distributed across the spectrum of organizational budget size and communities served.” Through it all Williams said it has been “really quite lovely to hear” from individuals and groups “about not only looking to protect their own cultural organization but how can we lift people’s spirits.” She quoted the playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht: “In the dark times/ Will there also be singing?/ Yes, there will also be singing./ About the dark times.” “I think that’s what Worcester is embracing right now. City leadership has been really responsive with keeping communication open, but also really responding with action,” Williams said. The ultimate goal is “continue to make art everywhere,” she said.

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“to support our cultural institutions (large and small), the independent artists and the creative sector who are in the gig economy, and seek mitigation and stimulus funding from foundations, individuals, and public support via local, state and federal agencies. In addition, we will continue to serve as communications hub for the creative community. Legislative bills are rolling out on the state and federal level and we are working closely with our partners to ensure representation of the creative sector.” The action strategy comes as the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency, has announced the results of a poll it conducted March 1622 “to begin to understand the economic impact of the COVID-19/ Coronavirus public health crisis on the individuals and nonprofits we serve.” The Mass Cultural Council said “in just under a week, we heard from 566 cultural nonprofits and 595 individual artists/independent teaching artists-humanistsscientists. The results are striking and demand attention. In just under a week, the Commonwealth’s nonprofit cultural organizations reported a loss of more than $55.7M in revenue. This is not a projection; this is actual lost income reported to date. In the same period, our individual artists and independent teaching artistshumanists-scientists reported a total of more than $2.89M in lost personal income. Again, this is not a projection, it is real data.” The Mass Cultural Council said it is “sharing this data with our legislative partners on Beacon Hill who are considering proposals to offset the disruptive impacts of the Coronavirus and the practice of social distancing will have on the state economy … Together with our advocacy partners, including MASSCreative and Mass Humanities, we call on the State Legislature to remember Massachusetts artists, humanists, scientists and cultural nonprofits as state emergency relief/ mitigation packages are developed and advanced.” Williams said, “The arts, interpretive sciences, humanities and creative businesses are an essential component of the state’s economic and social fabric. The WCC is committed to supporting our community in any way we can. And we will continue to advocate for recovery funds for all of these entities. Relief and economic recovery programs developed by the state needs to include artists, independent creative workers and small businesses. Economic recovery or stimulus finds for the arts, cultural

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Down for the count

COVID-19 upends local census push BILL SHANER

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ike most urban centers, Worcester is faced with the problem of standing to benefit the most from a good census count and having communities that are, historically, the hardest to reach for census takers. This year, that problem has been compounded in an unprecedented way by both the COVID-19 viral outbreak and the official response to all but shut down society. As of Monday, the federal government has delayed several deadlines. People can now selfrespond online to the census by Aug. 14, and in-person census taking, which is more common in rural areas, has been delayed and extended. Census taking in nursing homes, prisons and student housing has been delayed until April 16. Early April is usually the busiest time for census-related activity, and for months city officials and organizers have been planning a host of events to raise awareness and a series of direct outreach in neighborhoods and housing developments with historically low response rates. Those were all canceled. “This was supposed to be the busiest month in terms of activities,” said Edgar Luna, the city official heading a coordinated census effort between City Hall and community groups. “Unfortunately, we had to suspend it all.” Trips to mosques, churches and public housing developments were all canceled, as was a float in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Instead, efforts have shifted to phone banking, the internet and social media. It’s unclear as of now what the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown will have on the final census count – we won’t know that until the data becomes available next year – but organizers stress that with so much on the line, the strategy needs to change. “We still have different ways of being able to contact folks and encourage them,” said Isabel Gonzalez-Webster, director of Worcester Interfaith, a group working closely with City Hall on the census effort. “COVID and this self-isolation gives us a rallying call

as to why it’s important to fill out the census.” Worcester Interfaith has been leading a renewed and focused effort to phone bank neighborhoods in the city with historically low response

rates, as well as launch a meme campaign, getting people to post filling out the census and tag their friends on social media, encouraging them to do the same. The issue of low census response

rates is inherently tied to race and class. In Worcester, the wealthier and whiter neighborhoods respond to the census at higher rates than lower class and more diverse neighborhoods. Already this year, that

analysis is panning out. In what we might think of as the West Side, or the more suburban parts of the city, the census response rate is already as of the most recent data available up to 40 percent, whereas some

Data mapping compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau displayed on its website shows census response rates by census tract. A tract is a subdivision of the city not unlike a zip code but smaller and more specific. Tract 7301 is along the city’s western and northern borders between Routes 122A and 12. SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

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neighborhoods in South Worcester and the city’s core have response rates closer to 10 percent. In the 2010 census, tracts covering wealthier districts had response rates of near 80 percent while tracts representing working class neighborhoods had response rates between 40 and 50 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Federal funding allocations – for schools especially, as well as other services – are tied to the census count, and if Worcester gets a bad count, everyone loses. Though state officials have targeted mid-April to lift restrictions and reopen closed parts of the economy, it’s unclear whether that target date will hold. As positive cases grow exponentially in Worcester and around the state,

it’s possible the practice of social distancing could carry on longer, stretching further into the time organizers would typically spend going into areas with historically low response rates. Now, they can’t go in person, they have to adapt and find other ways. Still, the importance of the census remains the same. “We know we are the second largest city in new England but we need to demonstrate it one more time,” said Luna. “These are unprecedented circumstances that we are dealing with, we never expected this at all, but people need to know that the census only happens every 10 years. Any federal income or allocations we don’t get, we won’t get for the next 10 years.”

CITY LIFE

LIGH ARTI ST SPOT

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Let us feature your artwork in Worcester Magazine’s Artist spotlight! Email WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com high res samples of your work and a brief bio!

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artists

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Johnhaynes Honeycutt eyes creating POETRY TOWN HOP Music Charts for Central Mass. ‘Good Morning America’ VICTOR D. INFANTE

TONY BROWN

orcester arts impresario Johnhaynes Honeycutt wants to put local artists on the top of the charts. No, not the Billboard charts, although that’s a goal, too. Instead, Honeycutt is looking at developing his own, more local version: The HOP Music Charts, which he plans to launch in June. The concept’s pretty simple: Artists submit their songs to Honeycutt’s organization, Honeycutt One, and he posts them online for the public to vote on. The kinks are still being ironed out – there may be some sort of moderating process to keep things fair – but the result is pretty straightforward: Honeycutt One will publish a monthly “chart” of the top songs, and the No. 1 song of the month will earn the artist $100. Honeycutt says he hopes the chart – which will begin with hip-hop, pop and R&B – will “build excitement, a sense of pride being in this area. I talk to so many artists who go out of the state to build their careers ... New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta. When you do that, you’re not building the community where you’re from.” The ultimate goal would be to build a network for local artists to grow their audiences, and to work with them to get the songs and artists more exposure, including radio play. His hope is that this helps foster a sense of camaraderie, but concedes there’s also a possibility that it could result in more negative conflict. “That is the biggest problem I find in New England,” he says. “The biggest issue is that, rather than building each other up, there is a sense of competition that ‘I have to be top dog of this whole thing.’ There’s such a thing as healthy competition, where people build each other up.” He hopes to encourage “healthy competition,” the kind “where artists feel challenged and pushed by each other to up their game.” “It’s a cutthroat industry,” he says, of local artists who try to build their careers in major urban centers before they’ve developed

Here’s a lifestyle report about grocery stores that serve liquor to shoppers.

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It’s so civilized, smiles the reporter. Here’s a spokesperson for one of the stores in question who recounts the story of a customer who bought a crown roast of lamb and then had to find room in her freezer because she bought it with no idea of what to do with it and didn’t want to throw it out. Here is everyone smiling and nodding.

Johnhaynes Honeycutt, a Worcester jazz artist, spoken word artist and author, is eyeing the creation of a music chart for Central Mass. FILE PHOTO/ASHLEY GREEN

their platform. “It’s difficult to be a big fish in a big pond, when you’re a small fish, and all the food has been distributed among the big fish. The business is not meant to build you up, for the most part, they’re not gonna give up their spot. It’s a saturated market.” With the HOP Music Charts, Honeycutt hopes to build a structure that will support local artists on their rise toward success. “I think a lot of people see cars and music videos, and buy into propaganda,” he says. “Our industry is broken. By creating structures in this area, that kind of mirror the system but allow artists to get paid. We can start a system, make it powerful, make it so people can succeed. I wish there were more artists coming out of New England. Not enough people have opened the doors for up-andcoming artists in New England, and I want to be the person who does that.”

Somewhere in a very stuffed freezer sits everything you need to understand where we are now. Tony Brown is a poet living in Worcester. This poem previously appeared in his ebook, “The Time of Contagion,” available to members of his Patreon.

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Buses, boredom and the coming bacchanal BILL SHANER

USE THE BACK DOOR: Drivers for the Worcester Regional Transit

Authority demonstrated outside the Hub on Monday to get the WRTA administration to implement a “back door only” policy for bus riders during this crisis, to protect both riders and passengers. Public transportation is an essential service that may not be the first to come to mind in this crisis, but the brave men and women of the WRTA are putting their lives on the line interacting with hundreds of people a day to get people where they need to go. Before this crisis, medical appointments were often cited as a top reason people use the WRTA. Surely, the use of the service to get to medical appointments has only increased in the past few weeks. While Dennis Lipka and the rest of the WRTA administration may see a back-door only policy as a revenue loss, I think now is the time to put the health and safety of bus riders and drivers alike ahead of excel sheet concerns. I stand with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 22. The WRTA administration should implement a back-door only policy yesterday.

MEALS FOR THE HOMELESS: Worcester City Hall has done a lot amid all this and I don’t mean to insinuate any sort of implicit criticism with what I’m about to bring up. In Cambridge, the city partnered up with its version of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce to pay local restaurants to supply meals to the city’s homeless. This benefits both camps – restaurants get work they sorely need to cover operating costs and homeless people get to eat more steady, which greatly helps fight off infection. It’s a cool idea and it doesn’t seem like it would be all that hard to orchestrate. Just an idea, Ed! BORED AND BORING: It’s been pounded into your head and mine over

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BUT WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS: When we do get through this – be it in April, May, June, July, Who Knows? – and society opens back up, I expect Worcester to be like the final scene of “Return Of The Jedi” – a bacchanal of decadent celebration, or a wretched hive of scum and villainy, to keep the “Star Wars” thing going. Society will reopen, we will be able to return to our normal lives, and on that day when we’re given the (hopefully responsible and not too-soon) call from the powers that be to return to work and play, we owe it to ourselves to play hard. It may be the all-time best day in Worcester nightlife history. A fun thought to leave you with!

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and over for the past few weeks – and it’s absolutely true – that we are in a world historical crisis as it relates to the COVID-19 virus. In Worcester, we see the situation escalating dramatically. On Sunday, city officials reported that the number of positive cases had increased by more than 500 percent in the span of a week, from 13 to 86 positive cases. And we really aren’t expecting to see that rate slow down until mid-April in even the most generous predictions. When this is all over, it will likely rank as one of the defining events of Worcester, up there with the Cold Storage Fire and the 1953 Tornado, to be sure. So why then does it feel so boring? I’m not the only one feeling this, I’m sure. I have felt like a child being dragged through a Home Depot for the past three weeks. I am bored and petulant and I want this to end. In the face of a crisis that could claim the lives of hundreds in this city, boredom is my overriding state of being. Sort of a weird thing to think about, huh? I wonder if this is how people felt during past pandemics, wars and other calamities which require a whole lot of doing nothing from regular folks.

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COVER STORY In the album, Lucas examines the cost of his success how it changed him and those around him. PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

‘And I’ve been this way since day one ’ Worcester rapper Joyner Lucas drops long-awaited ‘ADHD’ VICTOR D. INFANTE

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“I

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’ve been doing this for a long, long time,” said Joyner Lucas, the first time I wrote about him, in 2015. “But I don’t mind that people think I’ve popped out of nowhere.” That conversation seems a lifetime ago. The Worcester-born rapper and I were talking about his nomination for three Underground Music Awards. The video for his song “Ross Capicchioni” was just out, and garnering critical acclaim. This was before he dropped the mixtape “508-507-2209” and the viral success of the music video, “I’m Not Racist,” before Lucas’ first collaborations with Chris Brown and Eminem, before his three Grammy nominations. “I was always told by my teachers and everyone to have a Plan B,” he said in our 2015 interview, “and I was always against that. When you’re chasing a dream, it’s always Plan A, Plan A, and Plan A. I always knew this was something I wanted to do. I had to go chase it and do it.” It’s very rare for any music journalist to have had a ringside seat to an ascent like Lucas’, and sitting here in 2020, listening to Lucas’ official first album, “ADHD,” it’s hard not to step back and marvel at the inevitability of it all, how even in 2015 he seemed to know where his career was aimed, and how it would get there.

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“I feel like I wasn’t supposed to be in this position,” said Lucas, in 2015, discussing his troubled background and how he’d overcome it. “I was supposed to be locked up. I was supposed to be distracted. But I changed it, which proves everyone has control over your own destiny.” Lucas’ trajectory was apparent, even then, although that was no guarantee of success. The vast majority of artists on that particular road crash and burn, and any tangible success slips from their grasp. Lucas succeeded, and in a lot of ways, that’s what makes “ADHD” such an interesting album: In it, he examines the cost of that success … how it changed him, and how it changed the people around him. That, in and of itself, is not particularly interesting – it’s a common enough theme in hip-hop. What’s interesting is that, on the album, Lucas interrogates that theme, and a pervading sense of loneliness that accompanies it, and ties it back to the forces that influenced him in his youth. The result is an album that’s at times swaggering and triumphant, and at other times revealing and vulnerable to the point of discomfort.

TRUE LIES The album begins with “Screening Evaluation,” a short skit where an 8-year-old Lucas is being given a Rorschach test by a doctor. The doctor’s voice drips with a sort of patronizing sense of authority, praising Lucas when he identifies innocuous things such as a butterfly or a basketball in the ink blots, even going so far as to saying he may be a genius, then turning on him viciously when he identifies less savory things, such as a condom or a loaded gun. The voice of authority eviscerates the young Lucas for knowing about things he shouldn’t … for not giving the expected answer. The distilled fear and anger sparked in that skit color everything that comes afterward, starting immediately with a series of verbal yawps as Lucas launches into the searing, self-indicting “I Lied,” where Lucas’ persona raps about the promises he broke on his rise, and the sense of entitlement his success fostered in the people surrounding him. “I was just tryna survive,” he says, “the money went dry/Think I

COVER STORY

at him like a “cash cow” and trolls online criticizing him to try to puff themselves up. There’s also a level where the persona’s looking at himself from the outside, and seems a little horrified, rapping, “I been paranoid, usually, I ain’t like this.” It’s significant that this song is a collaboration with Logic, with whom Lucas had a public feud, and indeed, it’s Logic who delivers the moral to the story: “What’s beef ?/Beef is brothers dyin’ over (expletive)/That never mattered in the first place, lyin’ in the street.” Logic becomes the voice of … well, Logic … outside of the persona. When the song gives way to the understated “The War,” featuring rapper Young Thug, the song’s sizzling R&B groove seems to burn off all that aggression, leave smoldering embers as the persona ruminates on loss and joylessly spending money on displays of wealth. After a cameo skit by comedian Chris Tucker, wherein Lucas is mocked for the long delays in the album’s release, the persona’s sense of isolation is cemented with “I Love,” on which the persona pushes almost everyone away for music.

the likes of 2Pac Shakur and Nipsey Hussle and taking instead some like President Trump or Fox News personalities Tomi Lahren and Laura Ingraham. It was a big kerfuffle, but all of it seemed to miss the salient question in the song: Why one person dies instead of another, especially when someone dies young and violently. There’s a real pain evident in the song as Lucas’ persona reflects on the open wound of shooting victims taken too soon. It’s one of the rawest moments on the album, and the transition from there into the song “Lotto,” wherein the persona revels in his newfound wealth and new, famous connections, is jarring.

He name-drops famous friends and swaggers to a dirty trap beat, but even here, that sense of the persona watching himself from the outside re-emerges, as Lucas raps: “I think I need to be straight/Fix your vibes, you need to be laced/You just need God or you need to meet Mase,” the latter being an immensely successful rapper who quit music for a few years to become an ordained minister. The shallowness of wealth and fame eats at the persona as much as the randomness of violence did in the previous song. The listener’s forced at this point – after another skit, this time by Kevin Hart, taking his own shots at Lucas – to wonder how much of the persona’s

perspective is real, and how much is a front. In “Gold Mine,” he raps, “I quit my job at McDonald’s and built an empire and now I’m a gold mine/ Nothing was handed, I dreamed it, I did it, been wantin’ this (expletive) for my whole life.” It’s a valid retort to his critics, but he also raps “If (racial epithet) hate me, then they hate Tom Brady,” which probably means something different in the face of the Patriots quarterback leaving for the Buccaneers. Such is the danger of contemporary pop references. Still, there’s a sense of freedom in the song that rolls into “Finally,” featuring Chris Brown, and the poppy Timbaland collaboration, “Ten Bands.” Interestingly, both songs

BETTER DEVILS In the long lead up to “ADHD”’s release, Lucas was consistently in the local news, mostly in a positive way, such as buying coats for children in need and paying for the funeral of a shooting victim. But probably nothing he did caused more of a controversy locally than when he shot the video for the song “Devil’s Work” in St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Main South. The song, wherein Lucas muses aloud why God takes some people and not others, proposes trades: His giving back

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was losin’ myself/I prayed to God, and promised if he made me rich/ Then I’ma stay true to myself/But (expletive) it, I lied, and now I just stare in the mirror/Like what did I do to myself ?/I think the old me died.” There’s always a level where, even in the most confessional work, one should separate the artist from the artist’s persona in the voice. Even if everything rings true, as it does here. It’s particularly important here because, throughout the album, Lucas returns to themes, examining them from different perspectives, and there’s no telling from the outside which is the most “true.” Here, Lucas raps “All the damn promises, I forgot/I let the money change me, I lied,” and it’s a brutally honest moment for the persona. But a lot of “ADHD” involves the persona constructing an armor to shield that vulnerability, and that process begins almost immediately, with the song “ISIS,” which features rapper Logic. “ISIS” begins with a soothing, clinical voice explaining, “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or better known as ADHD/Is a mental disorder that affects an individual’s ability to focus/Causing them to move around more frequently/They may also have trouble controlling their impulses.” As with so much of the album, the song’s preface is a framing device that puts the song’s sense of aggression in context: “One time for them prayin’ on my downfall,” raps Lucas, assertively, “Two times for the homies in the chow hall/ Three times for them (derogatory word) on the internet/(expletive) on (racial epithet) when they really should get out more.” On one level, this song is a sheer expression of anger and defiance, especially as the persona laments family looking

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PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

center on failed relationships, and trying to fill that space with fame and success: “Someone said, ‘Love is a drug,’” raps Lucas in the latter, “I don’t wanna ever take drugs again.” None of it works, and what’s left is an unabated anger which rises in “Revenge.”

SOME OF THE TRUTH

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“Revenge” is, in a lot of ways, an uncomfortable song. Not that this is new territory in the rap genre, but here it’s framed by the song’s lead-in, where Lucas raps: “The more that I want, the more that I grind/ The more that I shine, the more that I stride/The more that I stunt, the more that I cheat/The more that she leaves, the more that she cry/The harder to trust, the more that I lie/ The more that she died, the more I realize/The more that I, the more that I …/(Yeah, yeah).” The anger the song portrays – lashing out as it does at real and perceived wrongdoings – is a front for a sense of guilt, of being complicit in the demise of a relationship. The persona tells us this upfront, but it’s easy to lose track of that sense of

complicity amid the song’s gangster turn. It’s here where the voice of authority returns from the album’s opening skit, only this time, after castigating the 8-year-old Lucas, he pushes him from psychiatric medication to illegal drugs, a sort of betrayal that further informs the blistering rage of “Revenge.” The compelling front of that song’s swagger falls to pieces as the Novocaine-chill of the title song appears: “It kinda feels like, I’m dyin’ on the inside/It kinda feels like, I been tryna get by.” It feels like a truth, a moment of raw vulnerability. The song is a cry for help. That’s something a listener can relate to, but in the context of the album, it goes unanswered: The subsequent song – “Still Can’t Love,” featuring the Fabolous & KING OSF – ruminates on empty relationships. It’s here that the album takes an odd turn, with the penultimate song. “Will,” a celebration of actor-rapper Will Smith, of whom Lucas raps, “Dammit, I made it, I look at my son/I feel like I’m dreamin’, he truly a blessin’/I’m really elated, I pray that he grow up like Willow or Jaden/I know that he will/I hope he look up to me like we used to look up to Phil/I know that’s it’s real/I lay a brick at a time for somethin’ I know I can build//I learn it from Will.” It’s hard to imagine a more clean-cut, even wholesome a hero for the agonized persona the album presents, but it also gives a glimpse at an image of fame that, at least from the outside, seems more healthy than most others. It also crystallizes the one relationship in the persona’s life that isn’t disposable: His son. There’s some rapper braggadocio in the song, but still, this feels like one of the most sincere moments on the album.

Things come to a close with “Broke and Stupid.” The video for the song – shot in various locations around Worcester – was viewed as sort of a love letter to the city. Here Lucas reflects on an impoverished past: “Sugar, water, mac and cheese, we were broke and poor/Court evictions, landlords never show remorse.” The song is, ultimately, a renouncing of haters and critics, a sort of declaration of independence, if you will. Lucas raps, “Thought money would change me, but it changed all my (racial epithets).” This seems contrary to “I Lied,” in a lot of ways. It’s probably a waste of time choosing which perspective is more true: In a lot of ways, they probably both are. Here, Lucas’ persona has developed a sort of armor that protects him, but at a cost: “And now I’m insecure, closed off, but that’s hard to admit.” The question, ultimately, isn’t “who changed?” In all likelihood, it was everybody. Ultimately, the real question is was that change worthwhile, and Lucas doesn’t really answer. Instead, he holds up a picture of what the persona fears – “being broke and stupid” – and holds it to a shattered mirror across the course of the album, resulting in a picture that’s fragmented, distorted and at least some of the truth. All that matters is that, whatever’s changed and whatever cost is paid, the song makes it clear that this is exactly where the rapper wanted to be. And maybe that’s answer enough.

CITY LIFE If you are an artist, or know of a local artist, email WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com. Fair warning, in order to publish your work, you’ll need to provide a small bio and high resolution digital copies of some of your art. We reserve the right to choose what will run, based on resolution and what will reproduce best on newsprint.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Lilly M. is a middle school student who has loved art for years and finds inspiration through many morbid objects and is working to cultivate art as less of a hobby and more of a skill.

BARBARA M. HOULE

Hubbardston; salads, spring mix, Little Leaf Farms in Devens; granola, Nutty Bird Granola in Worcester; apple cider and apples (5 pounds), Carlson Orchards in Harvard; marinara sauce, Ward’s Berry Farm in Harvard; potatoes, Pioneer Valley Growers Association in Whately; red beets, Pitchfork Farms in Burlington, Vermont. Maple syrup from Pure BS Maple Shack in Auburn and Lilac Hedge Farm’s bacon were among add-ons. So were milk, tea, spice blends, butternut squash, carrots, etc.

Information and an order form are on the Worcester Regional Food Hub website: https://www. worcesterfoodhub.org/foodtogo. Quantities are limited. There are no substitutions and the service is subject to change, given pending government regulations. The Worcester Food Hub, located at Greendale People’s Church, 25 Francis St., Worcester, has an outside tent set up for the Wednesday food pickup times. You can submit an order form up until the day before pickup, according to Rainford. He said the food hub also is

collaborating with the Regional Environmental Council offering fruit and vegetable boxes to SNAP/ HIP recipients beginning April 1. Visit https://www.recworcester. org/hipshares for details. Another collaboration is with Growing Places for mobile markets in Northern Worcester County: http://growingplaces.org/about/ covid-19/. The Worcester Regional Food Hub is a partner of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and supported C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 16

wo weeks ago, The Worcester Regional Food Hub began offering a local food pick-up service for local residents. The food hub’s director Shon Rainford said the “food to go” from local farms and food entrepreneurs started as a response to the run on grocery stores and need for social distancing. “We had the capacity to handle this, as many of our regular customers, which include school and universities, were closed,” said

Rainford, adding the food hub plans to continue with the program “each week for the foreseeable future.” Here’s how it works: The food hub puts together food items each week that include vegetables, greens, fruit, meat, eggs, cheese, maple syrup, etc. Cost of the boxed food varies from week to week, depending on the items. An “add on” list allows you to customize your order for an extra cost. This week’s takeout box ($51) included eggs and breakfast sausage from Lilac Hedge Farm in Holden; goat cheese, Westfield Farm in

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Food Hub offering pick-up service of locally sourced products

A P R I L 2 - 8, 2020

TABLE HOPPIN’

CITY LIFE

LIFESTYLE

Photography lessons to keep kids occupied for hours SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

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A P R I L 2 - 8, 2020

s a teacher, I find the momentous shift toward virtual learning both captivating and intimidating. There are bound to be hiccups, but I think we will begin to see art and creativity flourish online at an unprecedented rate. One discipline I am encouraging my classes to explore at home is photography. I am not a professional photographer by any means. Nevertheless, in the age of social media, we all have large audiences absorbing the shots that we take every day. Photography can provide a window into each other’s worlds while subsequently preparing young people for the digital demands of America’s emerging workplaces, regardless of social distancing restrictions. Students can begin by identifying how to find copyright free images on fair use sites such as Pixabay and Photos for Class. They should take time to collect photos as artifacts and examine their individual styles of composition. Analysis of these images should help to determine why certain shots are eye-catching

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by The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts. The food hub’s mission is to strengthen sustainable agriculture, promote healthy eating and fuel economic development. It provides a variety of services for start-up and existing food entrepreneurs, including kitchen rentals, technical assistance, workshops and support. Some food entrepreneurs and chefs who are members of the food hub have participated in the Worcester Sunday Telegram’s Meet

The Worcester Food Hub, at Greendale People’s Church, 25 Francis St., Worcester, has an outside tent set up for the Wednesday food pickup times. SUBMIT TED PHOTO

and the respective emotions they evoke. Young people are keenly perceptive when it comes to evaluating how creators use curves, perspectives, textures, focal points and contrast to capture an audience’s attention. I use each term as an item in a digital scavenger hunt that results in the curation of beautiful personal galleries. Eventually, students can use a phone or tablet to capture photos of their own to showcase each of these components. The Art of Education offers excellent resources to help students compile a “photo-bet” in which they find objects around the home that resemble letters of the alphabet. I love Sarah Urist Green’s educational video series, “The Art Assignment.” My favorite episode features photographer Tanja Hollander who traveled the world to capture portraits of every one of her Facebook friends in real life. The video walks students through the difference between digital and analog photography while introducing them to the work of Robert Frank. Frank’s photographic book, “The Americans” was revolutionary in its imperfect portrayals of tension, class and culture in the post-war era.

My students have been especially drawn to the distinction between Frank’s subjects and the objects that surround them. Hollander encourages viewers to take a formal portrait of their own and capture this moment in time. The results are stunning. Most intriguing to me are the advanced literary concepts that students can come to master through photography. Mood, tone, claims and point of view are the elements that give snapshots their power. I often turn to Laying the Foundation’s lesson, “Claims in a Visual Text,” which starts by asking students to assign their favorite photo a title by considering finite details in the foreground and background. Students examine each of the five senses as it relates to the photo and use a word bank of mood and tone terms to establish the emotions imparted by the photographer on his or her audience. Next, students identify a corresponding quotation to mirror the photo and then paraphrase the claim in their own words. They can pick a quote from their favorite author, celebrity, or historical figure, depending on their preference. Finally, students defend their choice

of quote, a pivotal skill that drives the Advanced Placement Language and Composition exam which students can begin to practice in this lesson as early as sixth grade. If students do not have access to a phone on a camera or tablet, they can use simple sketches to complete these assignments through their own

creative means. I encourage adults who are interested in the value of photography as a contemporary tenet of job-readiness to take advantage of Brit + Co’s photography classes, a platform that continues to offer free and discounted adult learning during these strange and uncertain times.

the Chef column. One member, Noms Eatery in Worcester, a food pop-up and catering business, won judges’ first place award in Sweet Dishes and second place, Savory Dish, at the recent Fork It Over annual fundraiser for Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. The food hub’s weekly food box is a great way to enjoy seasonal ingredients and products straight from the growers and producers.

Linzertorte and Strawberry Rhubarb pie. Irresistible! Visit www.jenkinsinn.com for the April 4 and April 5 dessert menu; call (978) 355-6444 for more information about pick up and to preorder. Deal on boneless wings at Applebee’s A special promotion from Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar New England is all about the restaurant’s crispy breaded, tender boneless wings. The deal: Boneless wings are 25 cents each with any takeout order of $20 or more. Limit 20 wings. Choose from Classic Hot Buffalo, Honey BBQ or Sweet Asian Chili sauces. Wings were brought back by popular demand, said Lori Prunier, marketing coordinator at Apple American Group, which owns and operates Applebee’s restaurants. “Call a restaurant to place your order because you won’t find this deal

Jenkins Inn offering take-out desserts

Sweeten the day with “Desserts to Go” from the The Jenkins Inn, 7 West St., Barre. Owners David Ward and Joe Perrin said they plan to offer takeout desserts until restaurants reopen. The dessert menu introduced a couple of weeks ago has featured the inn’s popular Lemon Cheesecake, Death by Chocolate Cake, Key Lime Pie, Peanut Butter Pie, Raspberry

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 19

CITY LIFE

THE NEXT DRAFT

Amid shutdown, distributors’ trucks keep rolling for breweries MATTHEW TOTA

nside Atlas Distributing Inc. massive warehouse in Worcester, you’ll find one of the most striking examples of the fallout from the state’s restriction on bars and restaurants. Thousands of beer kegs have sat for weeks with nowhere to go, forming a cold, silent sea of steel. The kegs were initially bound for the distributor’s more than 1,800 restaurant and bar accounts, which make up about 25% of its business. But on March 15 – two days before St. Patrick’s Day – the state ordered

help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus – the distributor still has an essential part to play for its brewery partners. As they grind to survive life without draft sales, the breweries that work with distributors have relied on those channels more than ever. Deemed essential businesses, the package and grocery stores remain open as crucial outlets for breweries to sell beer. “We’re expecting to lose money for the foreseeable future, but it will be offset by the trucks from Atlas and others, who pick up our beer and get it out to Worcester and the

GETTY IMAGES

surrounding towns. They are our beating heart,” said Paul Wengender, founder of Worcester’s Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. Greater Good is down about 80% in sales, Wengender said, having overnight lost two important revenue streams: selling draft beer out of its taproom and kegs to restaurants and bars. “We’re flying on one cylinder: that’s getting our beer to package stores through distribution channels,” he said. Atlas, for its part, does not take its role in the supply chain lightly. Its trucks have not stopped moving, as they continue to provide retailers with fresh beer, albeit through quicker deliveries and with fewer touch points.

C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 19

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restaurants and bars closed for onsite consumption. The kegs are literally untapped wealth. Each one holds roughly 1,984 ounces of beer, or about 124 pints. Bars and restaurants can make $620 or more from selling the beer in one keg. That’s tens of thousands of dollars in potential revenue sitting in a warehouse instead of in the hands of Atlas’ now-struggling bar and restaurant accounts. “Right now, the big question is what do we do with all of those kegs,” said Jon Salois, vice president of sales at Atlas. “Ideally, on-premise consumption starts fairly soon, and we can still sell them, but beer goes out of code.” While there’s little Atlas can do for restaurants and bars under the restriction – put in place to

A P R I L 2 - 8, 2020

Thousands of beer kegs have sat for weeks with nowhere to go, forming a cold, silent sea of steel.

CITY LIFE

FILM

How soon is too soon for COVID-19 movie? JIM KEOGH

o who’s getting cast in the COVID-19 movie? Because it’s happening. Somewhere a producer is flipping through a hastily drafted screenplay and negotiating a distribution deal with a streaming service. At this high rate of speed, the product won’t be any good, and it will likely star a band of actors who are killing it on the Hallmark Channel, but it will be first. (Expletive) artistic distance. More substantive scripts, books and miniseries are being researched, and they will take time to piece together, especially since the ending hasn’t, you know, happened. The inevitable podcast also must be knocking around in some opportunist’s brain. Hopefully, that person not only can gather the appropriate content for the requisite 23 episodes but also possesses the NPR-wannabe voice that marshals just enough solemnity and breathiness to pull it off. Typically, artists will allow some space before they try to ascribe

meaning to history. The strongest wave of Vietnam movies hit in the late 1970s, years after the war had ended. Last year’s HBO’s miniseries “Chernobyl” provided a comprehensive dramatic retelling of the Soviet nuclear disaster 33 years after the meltdown. The events of 9/11 were so traumatic, filmmakers digitally removed images of the World Trade Center towers from scenes they’d already shot, most notably Ben Stiller from “Zoolander.” The words “Too soon” became the heckle du jour toward comedians who ventured into 9/11 territory while the rubble was still smoking. I’m not certain what kind of storytelling will emerge from COVID-19 or whether it will suffuse the culture the way the AIDS pandemic did with the likes of “Angels in America,” “The Normal Heart” or “The Dallas Buyers Club.” Much will be determined by the virus’ ultimate path. I suspect once the definitive book on this one is written — with all the behindthe-scenes debates and missteps reported out — the account will be

adapted into a memorable work. And it will surely get done in less than 33 years.

*** My critic’s badge would be revoked if I didn’t offer commentary on America’s current viewing obsession, the Netflix documentary “Tiger King.” So here it is in two words: Bat(expletive) crazy. I’ve only watched four of the seven episodes, and already, as I look back on my 34-year career of reviewing movies, I’m convinced I’ve never witnessed anything infused with this much real-life lunacy. “Tiger King” does nothing to affirm one’s faith in humanity, yet given the menagerie of raging eccentrics, predatory cult leaders, and suspected spouse-killers it depicts existing among us, it certainly proves Mother Nature is a mad scientist. The doc is dominated by Joe Exotic, the rat-a-tat talking, mulleted proprietor of an Oklahoma roadside zoo teeming with lions and tigers and bears ( feel free to provide your own “Oh my”). In a gentler time,

A scene from “Chernobyl.” HBO

Joe would have been described as a “character.” Joe is at war with Carol Baskin, an animal activist and big-cat rescuer who may or may not have murdered her millionaire husband. Also occupying their extended orbit is a former drug kingpin who inspired the Tony Montana character in “Scarface” and a zoo operator who

recruits teenagers to help care for his cats and adds the young women to his personal harem. At one point during “Tiger King” I turned to my son and said, “These are all terrible people.” Without a rooting interest it should be easy to turn away, but I can’t. I’m waiting to see if Joe gets eaten.

NEW ON DVD

‘The Rise of Skywalker’ joins rest of ‘Star Wars’ franchise for home-watching

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A P R I L 2 - 8, 2020

KATIE FORAN - MCHALE TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

mid the chaos and anxiety of a global pandemic, sometimes a galaxy far, far away is just the thing to keep you from checking the news for a bit. Here’s what’s new on DVD for the week of March 31. “Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”: Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) has made his way to Exegol, once the world of the Sith, and encounters the evil Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Issac) follow, in hopes of obtaining the pathfinder that will lead them to the desert planet and stop the First Order once and for all. In the meantime, Rey grapples with her connection with Kylo Ren, wondering if the dark side is where she truly belongs. There’s so much to wrap up in this ninth installment of the beloved

her review. “’Rise of Skywalker’ is the ultimate nostalgic throwback of them all, as a film that seems more appropriate for rewatching on VHS than anything else.” And here we are. If a distraction you seek, may the force be with you. ALSO NEW ON DVD MARCH 31 “The Current War”: Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael From left, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, Oscar Isaac as Shannon) fight to make their respective electrical systems the one Poe Dameron, Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as that will power the United States. Finn “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” “Coda”: After grieving his wife’s DISNEY/LUCASFILM death and returning to performing, give the film an odd pulse through its a concert pianist (Patrick Stewart) franchise, and boy does J.J. Abrams’ faces crippling stage fright and final acts. The tone is inconsistent, and Chris Terrio’s script try to pack mental decline. and the story tends to negate the it all in. (Abrams also directed the “Mr. Robot: Season 4”: The hit USA complexities of Rian Johnson’s “The film.) Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) Network series starring Rami Malek Last Jedi.” only gets in a few lines, but we meet as cybersecurity engineer-turned“It’s adequate at best, a spacea new droid, D-O, among a cast hacker Elliot comes to a close. themed kiddie adventure with a few of new characters, including Keri “The Purge: Season Two”: All lessons about justice and hope and Russell as Zorii and Naomi Ackie perseverance, which is how the ‘Star crimes including homicide are as Jannah. Cameos from the entire Wars’ movies started,” wrote Tribune declared legal for a 12-hour period in series abound, as does an almost this USA Network horror series. frustrating number of plot twists that News Service critic Katie Walsh in

“VFW”: A group of veterans fight a violent gang after a teenage girl hides out in the VFW bar with stolen drugs. Stars Stephen Lang, William Sadler, Martin Kove and Fred Williamson. “Tommy Boy”: The 1995 comedy starring Chris Farley and David Spade is being rereleased for its 25th anniversary. “What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali”: This HBO documentary follows the life and achievements of the iconic boxer. OUT ON DIGITAL HD MARCH 31 “Rogue Warfare 2: The Hunt”: After the leader of an elite team is kidnapped, the group of soldiers must save him. Stars Will Yun Lee, Jermaine Love and Rory Markham. “Sonic the Hedgehog”: Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) and his new human friend Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) team up to stop Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) from taking over the world. Look for it on DVD and Blu-ray May 19.

CITY LIFE

THE NEXT DRAFT

C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 17

“We’re concerned about all our partner businesses,” Salois said. “We certainly have not limited the products we sell. We’re representing the entire portfolio. We want to do the best thing for everyone involved: that the smallest brewery we have is available and continues to be in distribution throughout our entire market.” There was a surge in sales at grocery and package stores following the curtailing of on-premise consumption, Salois said. While large packs of beer – the 30-packs and 24-packs – sold exceptionally well, people were not limiting their choices to only big domestic breweries. For example, on one day that week Atlas recorded 2,000 different items, or SKUs, sold. “That goes from a 30-pack of Coors Light to a case of 16-ounce cans of 3Cross Fermentation Coop,” Salois said. “Everything is still pulling. Everybody is still drinking what they want do drink.” He believes the strength of sales in the days after the bar and restaurant restriction was due in large part to “pantry loading”; customers, fearful of a complete shutdown, flocked to the stores to stock up. And as Atlas expected, sales normalized last week. Atlas is planning for how it can help their restaurant and bar accounts pick themselves up again when the restriction ends, whether that’s next week – per Gov. Charlie

TA B L E H O P P I N’

On hold

Last week, we had planned to introduce readers to the new restaurant, Taco Caliente on Chandler Street in Worcester, before owners decided not to offer takeout and remain closed until given the OK to reopen. We look forward to sharing the owners’ story in a future Table Hoppin column. If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

Customers of Ed Hyder’s Mediterranean Marketplace, 408 Pleasant St., Worcester, can use curbside service for ordering wine. Orders must be emailed to hydersmarket@gmail. Minimum order is six bottles. Discounts apply: six bottles or more, 10 percent off all wines; 12 bottles or more, 20 percent off all wines. Pick-up is from 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Orders to be picked up the following day must be submitted by 6 p.m. Customers arrange time for pickup

in the store’s parking lot. No-contact pickup. Payment must be made in advance by credit card. Ordering options: You can email the store about the wines you want, or let knowledgeable staff select wines based on what you like to drink (chardonnay, pinot noir, Bourdeaux) and the price range you want to stay in. The store also has a list of featured wines on its email newsletter. The new service is the result of “customer request.”

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Curbside wine pickup at Ed Hyder’s

Tap Notes Breweries have not wavered in their commitment to their communities, even as they cope with their empty taprooms and find new ways to sell beer. Tree House Brewing Co. has offered free meals to residents in need, given its supply of N-95 masks to nurses and donated $10,000 to the Baystate Health Fund, the nonprofit arm of Baystate Health, the largest medical system in Western Massachusetts, to help treat COVID-19 patients. Wachusett Brewing Co. donated its entire inventory of protective eyewear to the doctors and nurses in the UMass Memorial Health Care system. Redemption Rock Brewing Co. is still promoting and supporting Worcester and Central Massachusetts nonprofits through its tipping for charity program, but has taken it online. The brewery will continue collecting donations for a new nonprofit every month. In April, the brewery will support the Worcester County Beekeepers. To learn more, visit redemptionrock.beer.

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C O N T I N U E D F R O M P A G E 16

online!” she said. Applebee’s restaurants are located in Worcester, Hudson, Sturbridge, Millbury and Leominster. Visit https:///www.applebees.com. No firing up the grill if you take advantage of this deal!

Baker’ initial order – or two months from now. “The focus is, how do we recover from this?” Salois said. “We need to hit every single retail account and make sure the beer is fresh and pouring properly. This is the first time we haven’t been inside our accounts like this. It’s going to be a long recovery process.”

CITY LIFE

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.

WARL COVID-19 Update As of March 25, 2020 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to quickly 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) 8530030. • 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. • DONATIONS: We will not be accepting linens of any kind or used, stuffed dog toys. While we are grateful for your thoughtfulness, we will not accept these donations if brought to the shelter. • 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.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3AX342JIL73M0 • Weekly training classes are suspended until further notice.

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A P R I L 2 - 8, 2020

• 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. • The WARL Annual Kitten Shower, scheduled for Saturday, April 4, 2020, will be held “virtually”. More information will be available soon.

Meet Toro! This goofball is Toro. This young man has quite the personality! He is a happy-go-lucky guy, that is full of energy. Toro would love an active family that would be able to keep up with his energy level. Long walks or runs a few times per day would be beneficial for Toro. He may be too much for a family with toddlers, but older children would probably suit him just fine. Toro met a few dogs while at our shelter. He prefers to be around larger dogs, either his size or bigger. Please bring your large-breed dog with you for a dog meet if you’re interested in possibly adopting Toro. Please call to make an appointment to meet him.

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-toface 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’

Fun By The Numbers Like 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!

10 11 12 14 18 22 24 26 27 28 29 31 33 34 36 39 40

Cenk Uygur, for short 43 Dir. from Denver to Chicago 44 Pirate’s sword 45 “Look at the facts!” 46 “Julie & Julia” director Nora 47 Singer-songwriter Conor 49 Word after “I before E” 52 Tractor manufacturer John 53 Finless fish 54 “Sticks and Bones” playwright David 56 Sketch show with Bob and Doug McKenzie 58 Shows approval 59 Door sign 60 Art ___ (style from 100 years ago) 63 Went on the ballot 64 Engine additive brand

Last week's solution

system models “Clue” Professor Against Groucho of comedy Winter Olympics squad “Goodness gracious!” Ending for ball or buff Laundry mark “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” captain Raymond Target of a G rating “A Fish Called Wanda” star Mobile artist Alexander Dancer and YouTube star JoJo Box office buys, briefly Gains again, as trust Six-legged colony member Furry TV alien “Formal Friday” wear “All Songs Considered” broadcaster “Heads” side of a coin List of options Frigid ending? “Bad” cholesterol letters (I have trouble remembering which is which) “Tell ___ About It” (Billy Joel hit) Deck member Code for Arizona’s Sky Harbor Airport News program created by

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Down 1 Grapefruit, in school solar

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A P R I L 2 - 8, 2020

Call 888-254-3466 or email classifieds@gatehousemedia.com today to place your ad here!

Across 1 Meat in a can 5 Satirical internet comedy group since 2002 10 Media monitor, briefly 13 Bones beside radiuses 15 Former capital of Japan (and anagram of the current capital) 16 Pie ___ mode 17 Type of information listed on 62-Across 19 Former “Great British Bake Off” cohost Giedroyc 20 Mingle amongst 21 “That was my best effort” 23 Lumberjack, colloquially 25 “Who ___ is going?” 26 “___ additional cost!” 30 “Atlas Shrugged” author Rand 31 Hybrid lemon variety 32 Moisturizer stick that Kellogg’s once actually sold, based on retro 62-Across 35 “Take ___ Train” (Duke Ellington song) 37 Passionate 38 Completely absorbed 42 Perry Mason creator ___ Stanley Gardner 44 “It stays ___, even in milk!” (claim for some contents of 62-Across) 45 Actor Colm of “Chicago” and “Thor” 48 New, to Beethoven 50 Risque message 51 NYPD alerts 52 Showtime series about a killer of killers 55 Burger topping 57 Did some indoor housework 61 Make mistakes 62 Containers at the breakfast table (represented by the circled letters) 65 Apple’s mobile devices run on it 66 Golf course hazards 67 Authoritative decree 68 Explosive letters 69 Air ducts 70 “Quit it!”

“Bowl Games” – I’m busy reading the back. by Matt Jones

CLASSIFIEDS SERVICE DIRECTORY

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

A P R I L 2 - 8, 2020

LEGALS Section 00.11.13 ADVERTISEMENT TO BID The Building Futures, Inc./Worcester Housing Authority, the Awarding Authority, invites sealed bids from General Contractors for the Office Building Renovations in Worcester Massachusetts, in accordance with the documents prepared by HELENE KARL Architects, Inc.. The Project consists of: renovation of an existing 41,500 SF office building. The scope includes demolition; limited site work; reconfiguration & new layout of the building; construction of a new 7000 SF addition; and new finishes, fire protection, plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems. Note: The construction will be administered using BidDocs ONLINE’s construction module. The work is estimated to cost $5,450,000. Bids are subject to M.G.L. c.149 §44A-J & to minimum wage rates as required by M.G.L. c.l49 §§26 to 27H inclusive. THIS PROJECT IS BEING ELECTRONICALLY BID AND HARD COPY BIDS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Please review the instructions in the bid documents on how to register as an electronic bidder. The bids are to be prepared and submitted at www.biddocsonline.com . Tutorials and instructions on how to complete the electronic bid documents are available online (click on the "Tutorial" tab at the bottom footer). General bidders must be certified by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) in the following category of work, General Building Construction, and must submit a current DCAMM Certificate of Eligibility and signed DCAMM Prime/General Contractor Update Statement. General Bids will be received until 2:00 PM on Thursday, 23 April 2020 and publicly opened online, forthwith. Filed Sub-bids for the trades listed below will be received until 2:00 PM on Thursday, 16 April 2020 and publicly opened online, forthwith. Filed sub-bidders must be DCAMM certified for the trades listed below and bidders must include a current DCAMM Sub-Bidder Certificate of Eligibility and a signed DCAMM Sub-Bidder’s Update Statement. SUBTRADES Section 07 10 00 - Waterproofing, Dampproofing and Caulking Section 07 50 00 - Roofing and Flashing Section 08 80 00 - Glass and Glazing Section 09 30 00 - Tile Section 09 50 00 - Acoustical Tile Section 09 90 00 - Painting Section 21 00 00 - Fire Protection Sprinkler Systems Section 22 00 00 - Plumbing Section 23 00 00 - HVAC Section 26 00 00 - Electrical Work All Bids should be submitted online at www.biddocsonline.com and received no later than the date and time specified above. General bids and sub-bids shall be accompanied by a bid deposit that is not less than five (5%) of the greatest possible bid amount (considering all alternates), and made payable to the Worcester Housing Authority. Bid Forms and Contract Documents will be available for pick-up at www.biddocsonline.com (may be viewed electronically and hardcopy requested) or at Nashoba Blue, Inc. at 433 Main Street, Hudson, MA 01749 (978-568-1167). There is a plan deposit of $150.00 per set (maximum of 2 sets) payable to BidDocs ONLINE Inc. Plan deposits may be electronically paid or by check. This deposit will be refunded for up to two sets for general bidders and for one set for subbidders upon return of the sets in good condition within thirty (30) days of receipt of general bids. Otherwise the deposit shall be the property of the Awarding Authority. Additional sets may be purchased for $150.00. Bidders requesting Contract Documents to be mailed to them shall include a separate check for $ 40.00 per set for UPS Ground (or $65.00 per set for UPS overnight), nonrefundable, payable to the BidDocs ONLINE Inc., to cover mail handling costs. PRE-BID CONFERENCE / SITE VISIT: Date and Time: Wednesday, 8 April 2020 at 9:00 AM Address: 630 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA Instructions: Meet outside in the parking lot at the main entrance of the building. The Contract Documents may be seen, but not removed at: Worcester Housing Authority Nashoba Blue Inc. 40 Belmont Street 433 Main Street Worcester, MA 01605 Hudson, MA 01749 978-568-1167

PUBLIC AUCTION NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF M.L.C. 225 SEC. 39A THE FOLLOWING VEHICLES WILL BE SOLD APRIL 18, 2020 TO SATISFY OUR GARAGE LIEN THEREON FOR TOWING AND STORAGE CHARGES AND EXPENSES OF SALE AND NOTICE: 1986 FORD RANGER VIN 1FTCR14TXGPB52138 2007 MERCEDES BENZ C-280 VIN WDBRF92H97F895877 2012 HONDA ACCORD VIN 1HGCP2F63CA084010 2007 AUDI Q7 VIN WA1BV741X7D061425 2007 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VIN 5NMSG73D27H050288 2014 JEEP WRANGLER VIN 1C4BJWDG7EL133263 THE SALE WILL BE HELD AT EARLY’S ON PARK AVENUE, INC AT 536 PARK AVENUE WORCESTER, MA 01603

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LAST CALL

Donna Lombardi Worcester’s Child Nutrition Program director D

onna Lombardi and her team are working tirelessly to ensure that young people in Worcester are getting enough to eat amidst the uncertainty of the coronavirus. The Worcester Public Schools provides free breakfast and lunch or supper meals for all children, Monday through Friday. Students 18 years and younger along with students in Transitional Special Education and English Learner programs are eligible for free meals. Pick-up sites span the entire city, including a wide variety of schoolyards and parks. This interview was conducted on March 26. To access the most up-to-date mobile meal schedule, please consult: https:// worcesterschools.org/2020spring-summer-mobile-mealschedule.

When you combine the skills of the culinary team together along with the experience of our staff, we are able to execute a robust meal system into the neighborhoods. Do you have a sense for what your most popular site is right now? The YMCA on Main Street, which is a drive-up site. Woodland Academy and the Worcester Housing Authority sites have also been extremely popular. – Sarah Connell Sanders

That’s amazing. The last few weeks have obviously been unique. How has your role shifted? The National School Lunch Program originated as a nutritional safety net for this

days worth of meals, breakfast and bundling into reimbursable meal lunch, on Fridays to help students components. Complete meals are then put onto the trucks get through the entire weekend. to be distributed throughout Are you working out of a central the different neighborhoods in the city of Worcester. Chef Jim commissary kitchen or are you operating the individual school Palmariello comes to us from retail manufacturing and has cafeterias? been with us for over five years. For efficiency purposes, we have He’s developed a bulk preparation one kitchen with chefs who are system that allows us to get ready trained in food manufacturing to convert from a frozen pre-plate processes, which require a strict system to a fresh meal system in degree of safety and sanitation. schools that don’t have kitchens. The kitchen is operating at The culinary team also includes Worcester Technical School Chef Neil Rogers and Annina under strict sanitary conditions. Verdini who have their own After preparation, we ship unique culinary backgrounds. food over to North High for

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Do you have a good sense of how many students are fed on a typical school day through those programs? Through the national school breakfast and school lunch programs we feed approximately 18,000 students every day. And that will expand as breakfast evolves into the classroom in additional schools.

How many students are you feeding at this point? It’s growing every day, as the word gets out. The serving requirements have changed thanks to the USDA waivers. In a traditional summer program, students have to congregate in an area and stay there. But now, USDA is allowing students to grab-and-go because they’re now operating or adapting to the social distancing recommendations. Parents can also come out without children and just let us know how many children they have. We are trying to work out a system with the help of volunteers for a drive-and-go option. Right now, we’re close to 1,000 breakfast/lunch combo meals per day. As the weather improves and people are more comfortable and they’re assured that social distancing is in place, we anticipate those numbers to increase. We’re now allowed to provide meals for multiple days. We are permitted to provide three

DYLAN AZARI

A P R I L 2 - 8, 2020

How long have you been with the Worcester Public Schools and what is your role? I’ve been with the Worcester Public Schools for 20 years. I am the Child Nutrition Program Director. I oversee the USDAand Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education-funded child nutrition programs. We administer school breakfast, school lunch, afterschool snack, the summer meal program and now the supper program.

country back in World War II when troops were found to be malnourished. It developed as a means to balance the agricultural systems while addressing the nutritional needs of the population. Not only the Worcester community, but other communities throughout the country have started thinking in these terms again. The USDA began giving directives out of Washington to the states to convert from the traditional school meal programs that require meals to be served when school is in session and transition to the summer food service program, which gives you a little flexibility. Under normal operating conditions, the program provides meals throughout the community at sites where students congregate during the summer. They saw this parallel and provided districts with waivers in order to get food out into the community in a short amount of time. We were ready to respond because we were already familiar with the guidance of the summer meals program.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

A P R I L 2 - 8, 2020