In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.

In a pandemic that has forced many aspects of daily life online — from work to school to doctor’s appointments — efforts to build out broadband infrastructure still face challenges, with private providers hesitant to invest in some unserved areas and lawmakers calling for the internet to be treated more like a public service going forward.

WORCESTER — The Worcester Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board voted overwhelmingly Thursday to continue fare-free service until June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

The Worcester Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board voted Thursday morning to extend the suspension of fare collection through June.

Several residents and advocacy organizations in Worcester are suing the city over allegations its system for electing members to its School Committee discriminates against communities of color.

More support continues to roll in for an extension of the Worcester Regional Transit Authority’s suspension of fares.

“Let’s help them out,” were the pleading words of Worcester City Councilor Gary Rosen to the Worcester Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board during a meeting Thursday.

WORCESTER, MA — A pandemic-era policy of not collecting bus fares in the Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) system will remain in place, but agency leaders are looking forward to collecting fares soon due to budget concerns.

WORCESTER — The Worcester Regional Transit Authority will continue its zero fare policy until mid-March, but advisory board members sought more information on federal funding before making a decision on the future of fare-free service.

Members of the Worcester School Committee on Thursday night voted to request that the city demand more transparency and timely information about internet outages from Spectrum, weeks after an hours-long outage left students without a way to access remote classes.