• Let’s make free fares in Worcester permanent

    THE WORCESTER Regional Transit Authority (WRTA) has solidified its place as a leader in the fare-free public transportation movement, with the WRTA Advisory Board voting unanimously on April 20 to continue operating fare-free through June 2024, thereby becoming the longest-running fare-free transit system in the state and among the longest-running fare-free transit systems in the country.

  • Worcester is leaving low-income students behind

    THE COVID-19 CRISIS has thrown into relief the need for us to reassess the use of technology in education, public access to digital devices, and robust, reliable broadband as we make the shift from face-to-face to remote solutions for teaching and learning.

  • Chamber backs free bus service in Worcester

    TUCKED INSIDE this week’s transportation funding proposal from the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce was an unusual request.

  • Lawrence eliminates fares on 3 bus routes

    IN A BID TO BOOST public transit ridership, Lawrence on Monday started allowing residents to ride three downtown bus routes for free.

  • Worcester comeback seems for real

    MARS IS THE LIMIT for robotics engineer Kevin Harrington. Harrington, 32, wants to build a machine that would harvest the sun, soil, and atmosphere of the Red Planet to produce food, building supplies, and robots for human colonies in the future. “Let’s say we want to go to Mars and we want to survive on Mars with no supply chain. What do we need?” he asked. “We need a machine that can take in the raw materials in the environment.”

  • Election apathy hinges on pride

    DOES ANYBODY CARE that elections for mayor, school committee, and city council in Worcester are next week? Alas, most people probably don’t, and it’s very unclear what can be done about this.

  • Time for real pension reform

    IN JANUARY, GOV. Deval Patrick filed a pension reform proposal that could save $5 billion over 30 years, through measures such as raising the retirement age and basing pension payments on an employee’s five highest years of salary, instead of the current three. The governor’s plan represents solid reform, but it doesn’t go far enough. Beacon Hill should take advantage of the unique opportunity created by the current budget crisis to transition state and local employees from a defined benefit to a defined contribution system.