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Massachusetts Central Rail Trail offers a track through time, place and nature

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Massachusetts Central Rail Trail offers a track through time, place and nature


Editor’s note: This is part of a series on winter walking places in and near Worcester. Let us know your favorite walking places at wmeditor@gatehousemedia.com.

When walking on the Holden and West Boylston stretch of the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail, it’s easy to imagine taking the same route as a train passenger a century earlier.

In 1924, someone would have had the same view from a train on the Central Massachusetts Railroad that hikers have from the trail today, gazing out the window at the sun sparkling off the Quinapoxet River and the snow on the ground.

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The Massachusetts Central Rail Trail is an ongoing effort to turn 104 miles of abandoned railroad track into a green area for hikers and wildlife alike, stretching from Northampton to Boston, and Worcester County is home to some of its most scenic sections.

When Worcester Magazine visited, the trail was covered in a thin layer of snow from a recent storm and the river rushed alongside and underneath. Along the way, tiny streams of snowmelt water bubbled on either side, eventually flowing into the river next to a trail bridge.

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Winter Walks: Nature returns to the Mass. Central Rail Trail in Holden

This week’s Winter Walk took us on a route in Holden that was once a busy railroad and is now home to hikers, runners, dogs, and thriving wildlife.

Making tracks

From the parking area on River Street in Holden, there are two paths to take. One of these paths begins directly at the uphill end of the parking lot and meanders northwest through the forest, and this path was never part of the railroad, but it is as well-maintained as the former tracks.

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The other path is the rail trail itself, a three-mile segment of what was once the Central Massachusetts Railroad that follows the Quinapoxet River from Holden to the western corner of the Wachusett Reservoir in West Boylston.

The railroad, built during the late 1800s, experienced its heyday at the turn of the 20th century, doing booming business as a way to travel between Northampton and Boston and to any point along the way.

In 1902, construction began on a new route that would take trains around the soon-to-be-filled Wachusett Reservoir, and trains continued bringing passengers and freight between Massachusetts’ western and eastern ends.

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As the decades wore on, cars became the dominant mode of transportation, and the Central Massachusetts Railroad felt the effects. Although the MBTA used the tracks as a commuter route for a period of time, a significant amount of the railroad was abandoned by the 1980s.

New vision, new life

In 1995, the nonprofit conservation organization Wachusett Greenways formed and began buying land that contained old sections of the railroad in Central Massachusetts, starting with the West Boylston section. Wachusett Greenways now maintains 17 miles of trails on and around the old railroad.

Statewide, the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail currently offers hikers more than 60 miles, although those miles are split up by closed sections and protected conservation land.

There is another open section of rail trail in Holden, starting on Quinapoxet Street, and Oakham, Rutland, and Clinton are all home to open sections as well.

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The rail trail is wide and has no steep hills, its surface is made up of densely packed stone dust, so when we visited, there was no need for mud-friendly boots despite the melting snow. Its accessibility makes this Winter Walk more of a laid-back walk than a hike.

Parking for the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail is available on River Street in Holden and Thomas Street in West Boylston. To learn more, visit masscentralrailtrail.org.



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Massachusetts AG Campbell accused of breaking professional conduct amid audit lawsuit

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Massachusetts AG Campbell accused of breaking professional conduct amid audit lawsuit


AG Andrea Campbell called Diana DiZoglio’s personal cell phone a day after an SJC justice moved the legislative audit legal case to the full court, a call that the auditor alleges violates the state’s professional conduct rules.

DiZoglio’s fight with Campbell is steaming ahead, even as the attorney general claims that there’s a “path forward” for the voter-approved audit of the state Legislature, over 15 months after 72% of the state signed off on the ballot measure.

DiZoglio’s office argues that Campbell’s attempt to call the auditor on her personal cell phone violates Rule 4.2 of the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct, which prohibits lawyers from communicating directly about a case with an individual represented by another attorney without consent.

“The Attorney General is our state’s top law enforcement officer and should follow the Rules of Professional Conduct,” DiZoglio said in a statement on Wednesday. “I will not participate in dark, shadow conversations with the AG about this lawsuit.”

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“That she is trying to get me to speak with her alone, via private cell phone, without my legal counsel present, is unacceptable,” the auditor added.

Campbell’s office is firing back at DiZoglio’s claim, which it says is a “false and baseless accusation.”

“If the Auditor is interested in a solution,” the office said in a statement shared with the Herald, “the AG is available to speak with her or the Auditor’s staff can speak with our office – but as it stands, her office refuses to engage with us directly on a path forward.”

DiZoglio and Campbell have been locked in a legal tug-of-war since voters approved the audit in November 2024.

Siding with legislative leadership, Campbell has claimed that DiZoglio has not answered basic questions on the scope of the legislative audit. The AG argues that the auditor’s review may also violate the state Constitution.

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In February, DiZoglio sued House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka for refusing to comply with the audit. The auditor is asking the SJC to allow her to appoint an outside attorney, as Campbell is representing the top Beacon Hill Democrats.

DiZoglio spotlighted Campbell’s attempt to talk with her on her personal cell phone after the AG appeared on GBH’s Boston Public Radio on Wednesday. The auditor also released emails between the two offices regarding the call.

In her radio segment, Campbell admitted to calling the auditor after seeing her at a recent event in Worcester and that she had yet to hear back from DiZoglio. The AG said the message that she is trying to convey to the auditor is that “there’s a pathway forward.”

Speaking at an event on March 16, DiZoglio said, “I have only asked for financial receipts and state contracts. There is nothing unconstitutional about …  getting access to that information.”

Campbell argues DiZoglio has “changed” her stance on the audit’s scope.

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Deputy Auditor Michael Leung-Tat expressed his concerns about Campbell’s call to DiZoglio in an email on Monday to Assistant Attorney General Anne Sterman and First Assistant Attorney General Pat Moore.

Leung-Tat emphasized that the last time DiZoglio and Campbell spoke via phone was allegedly in November 2023, when the AG informed the auditor of her support of the legislative audit.

“They don’t have a relationship beyond our office’s official communications,” Leung-Tat wrote, “and, as you know, official business between our offices is conducted at the staff level. … it appears that the Attorney General was calling the Auditor about the pending litigation before the SJC.”

“As you are aware,” the deputy auditor added, “we have been engaged with your office seeking assistance in our efforts to audit the Legislature since 2023, so it is curious that the Attorney General only just now decided to call.

In an email reply, Moore said there was “nothing unethical” about Campbell’s call and that the AGO was “surprised to see” the auditor’s “unfounded assertion.”

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“The Auditor has also used her time in those forums make false allegations against the Attorney General and officers of every other branch of state government, recently including judges,” Moore wrote. “Having now heard multiple variations of these comments, the Attorney General felt it appropriate to reach to talk with the Auditor.”

After multiple exchanges back and forth, Moore refuted Leung-Tat’s claims that DiZoglio has answered Campbell’s questions to help the legislative audit proceed. The first assistant AG added that the office “takes pride in our professionalism.”

“We do not, just to pick one example,” Moore wrote, “claim that every state agency funded by legislative appropriation is corrupt; nor that the courts adjudicating our cases are.”

“Nor do we take exception to conferring with those against whom we are litigating,” he added. “We do that every day.”

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Massachusetts faces World Cup-test with friendly match in Foxboro

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Massachusetts faces World Cup-test with friendly match in Foxboro


Massachusetts will get a taste of World Cup action in Foxboro on Thursday.

There is a friendly match between Brazil and France at Gillette Stadium.

It’s being considered a test ahead of World Cup matches in June.

Massachusetts governor Maura Healey says dozens of agencies are involved in making sure the 7 World Cup matches are safe and secure.

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Thursday is a test for transportation for the World Cup.

The MBTA will have 4 trains going from South Station to Foxboro.

MassDOT expects heavy traffic to begin later this morning with new traffic patterns near Gillette for the match.

As for the teams, NBC 10 caught up with Team France at their practice.

Team France says it is excited to face off against one of the best teams in the world.

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France is ranked 3rd worldwide while Brazil is ranked 5th.

Parking opens at noon while the game’s kickoff is at 4:00 p.m.



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Gov. Maura Healey says Massachusetts is ‘match ready’ for World Cup

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Gov. Maura Healey says Massachusetts is ‘match ready’ for World Cup


Gov. Maura Healey spoke Wednesday about the public health and safety preparations it is making ahead of this summer’s World Cup matches in Massachusetts.

Gillette Stadium — to be called Boston Stadium — will be the site of seven matches between June 13 and July 9.

The state is carrying out planning and training with local, state and federal agencies on everything from transportation and crowd management to cybersecurity, public health, and emergency response.

“Residents and visitors alike can be confident that we are prepared to host a safe, secure and successful World Cup,” Healey said.

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Healey said the state secured about $76 million in federal funding to pay for security and preparedness.

The state has more information about the World Cup at Match-Ready Massachusetts.

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Gillette will host a friendly Thursday between France and Brazil as a warm up to the World Cup.

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