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What to do during April’s school vacation week in Central Massachusetts

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What to do during April’s school vacation week in Central Massachusetts


School vacation this week means ample free time for kids across Worcester. Luckily for them and their parents, many kid-friendly events are happening throughout the week for school vacation.

Whether you’re looking to soak up the sun this week or stay inside and learn something new, here are some programs happening throughout the week.

Davis Farmland is open in Sterling this week. Davis Farmland has over 20 acres of children’s play, hayrides, pony rides, slides and more. Tickets are on sale now. Davis Farmland is home to North America’s largest collection of endangered livestock breeds. Along with the pony rides, kids can help farmers milk a goat, collect chicken eggs and bottle-feed baby animals.

The EcoTarium is offering free admission Monday. All week, the EcoTarium is offering events and programs each day relating to astronomy. Special to school vacation week, the EcoTarium has educational programs that focus on light pollution, animals and fungi.

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The American Heritage Museum is open for families to explore all week. Tuesday, the museum is offering free admission. Special events for kids and families include scavenger hunts, board games, hands-on show and tell and more. Save $2 per ticket online.

The Worcester Art Museum has school vacation week workshops all week. All workshops include a visit to the museum galleries and learning from artists and museum educators. According to the Worcester Art Museum, the program’s goal is to develop skills that lead to more creativity.

This weekend, Old Sturbridge Village invites families to learn about the outdoors, the history of New England’s environment and sustainability in honor of Earth Day, April 22. Special talks and tours include learning about native plants, guided nature walks, beekeeping and more. More information can be found on Old Sturbridge Village’s website.

The New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill has a drop-off program for kids coined Spring Discovery Week. The program goes on all week. Each day, kids will learn about a different theme related to nature. Children will participate in field studies, art projects, games and more. For more information, visit the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill’s website. The deadline for ticket purchasing is Tuesday morning.

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The Salisbury Mansion has events planned all week for April school vacation. All the programs are 1800s-themed including a “Little Women” dress-up and picture book reading, tours about how children lived in the 1800s and a Revolutionary War tour. There is limited availability, so families are encouraged to reserve in advance.



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Massachusetts

Is it really going to snow in New England tomorrow? Here’s what to expect from storm

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Is it really going to snow in New England tomorrow? Here’s what to expect from storm


We’re still on the good side of the forecast today. We’ll see a good supply of sun to start, then the clouds will increase and a few showers will sink down from the north in the afternoon. We still manage to make it near 70. (Yay.)

Tomorrow’s high temperatures, however, comes after midnight tonight — before falling toward Saturday morning. If you think that’s confusing, try explaining the snow that’ll be flying in the higher elevations across New England (with solid accumulation above 4k feet).

Yes, the weather is upside down for late May.

We can blame an intense, compact upper-level pool of cold air that broke loose from a larger pool near the Arctic Circle days ago.

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The pattern across North America has dropped it in our laps for a day, with cold, rainy, windy consequences.

Rain, wind and… snow?

This will be a sneaky storm. Early on, there might even be a calm, bright sky (very) early Saturday morning. Then the clouds move in and the wind intensifies from the northeast. Gust will briefly peak at 50+ along the coast (40+ inland).

Rain will mix with snow in northern New England, and perhaps in the highest elevations of southern New Hampshire and central Massachusetts.

This also depends on the intensity of the precipitation. Heavier bursts of rain can drag down colder air aloft, helping the snowflakes make it from cloud base to your home place (if you live above 1k feet).

Ironically, we’re not expecting a deluge from this storm. Most spots keep near a half inch, with higher amounts near an inch in northeast Mass./southern NH.

And then just like that, it’s over. The storm pulls away Saturday evening, the skies clear and we’re back to sun Sunday. Highs recover to near 70 with the slightest chance for a shower late day.

Better chances – and cooler temps – come both Monday and Tuesday.

Will summer ever take hold? We know from past years that June can really struggle. It appears that the start of the month may not live up to expectations. Although we are at least climbing back to the 80s late next week.

Have a good weekend.

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Massachusetts Top Cop Off the Hook for Secret Recording Program

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Massachusetts Top Cop Off the Hook for Secret Recording Program


The head of the Massachusetts State Police can’t be sued for an alleged program that secretly recorded officers’ phone conversations with civilians and used them to bring criminal charges, the First Circuit said Thursday.

A group of Massachusetts residents filed a putative class against against Superintendent Geoffrey Noble, as well as Motorola and other companies, over the secret recordings, which were used to propose criminal charges in at least 181 cases without prosecutors’ knowledge, the three judge panel said.

The opinion by Circuit Judge Seth Aframe said the residents, led by Jason Courtemanche, failed to show how they’d be directly …



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How Hard Health Care Hits MA Family Budgets

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How Hard Health Care Hits MA Family Budgets


Massachusetts families are spending 8% of their monthly income on health care, according to a new study. That puts the Bay State toward the higher end of the scale, coming in at No. 12 in the country.

The analysis from personal finance website WalletHub examined where people are spending the most and the least on health care.

Alaska was No. 1 in the U.S., spending over 10% of their income on health care. On the other end of the scale, Utah residents spend 5% of their income on health care.

“Sharp increases in health care costs in recent years have made it difficult for some people to seek essential care,” WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. “Even in states with lower-than-average health care prices, residents’ incomes may not be enough to keep up with the cost, especially since virtually every part of Americans’ budgets have been impacted by inflation over the past few years.”

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To determine how much families are spending, WalletHub analyzed the prices of five key health care components across all 50 states, then combined those costs and compared them with each state’s median household income.

Read more: 1 MA Town Among 250 Best Places To Live In US News Ranking

Massachusetts spends the most on health care compared to other states in the region, according to the study. Vermont is the next-highest state in the Northeast, ranking at No. 14 with residents spending 7.98% of their income on health care.

Here are the top 10 states where people are spending the most on health care:

  1. Alaska
  2. Oregon
  3. Maine
  4. Mississippi
  5. West Virginia
  6. New Mexico
  7. North Carolina
  8. Montana
  9. South Dakota
  10. Louisiana

Check out the full study at WalletHub.





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