In the 1980s, when The New York Times called Worcester a “gritty central Massachusetts mill town,” it wasn’t the first time - or the last - that the city’s image was slammed.

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS is one of the largest commercial office tenants in the state, leasing just under 5 million square feet of space for employees throughout its various agencies and departments. Nearly 1.7 million square feet, approximately 35 percent of the state’s rental space, is in Boston, the region’s most expensive office market. Worcester, the next largest location of state offices, hosts 350,000 square feet – approximately 7 percent.

WORCESTER – City school and community leaders last week heard a presentation by the architect of the Springfield schools’ Empowerment Zone, a unique initiative aimed at improving the district’s struggling schools.

WORCESTER – When this year’s local college graduates step across the podium to receive their degrees, they won’t just be saying goodbye to their alma mater – they’re also more than likely bidding farewell to Worcester.

WORCESTER - From addressing LULUs - locally unwanted land uses - to providing pizza at meetings, a panel of city planners Thursday offered suggestions large and small as the city embarks on its first master planning process in three decades.

The Worcester Railers HC teamed up with the Worcester Regional Research Bureau and the WRTA to bring you Buck Bus — a Worcester trivia game show played on the Worcester buses —in honor of Jane Week! Here is Episode 1. Stay tuned for a new episode each day this week!

One of the benefits of adding new faces to the Worcester City Council can be an infusion of fresh perspectives for tackling existing issues, even – as in this case – a new idea that has a distinctly retro look. Retro, as we know, can be the next big thing. Take, for instance, the resurrection of vinyl records and the return of turntables. Or in this case, trolleys.

The Strategic Plan for education, two years in the making and twenty-five years since the last plan, was unveiled by the two organizations involved in its implementation… the Worcester Regional Research Bureau and the Worcester Education Collaborative. The final version of the plan must be approved by the School Committee when they receive the final report in June.

Themed walking tours, a pop-up "parklet" and Worcester's own version of "Cash Cab" are a few of the activities coming to the city during a week of urban planning-themed events.

It’s taken nearly a year to complete a new strategic plan for the Worcester Public Schools, the first such plan in a quarter century. It was unveiled last week. And if approved by the school committee after a formal presentation expected in June, the hard work truly begins.