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The Gateway Cities Journal
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A Celebration of Community and Progress
 We don't normally use this space to promote our own work but we are making an exception this week with the announcement of the Gateway Cities Innovation Awards luncheon on November 12. Individual tickets and sponsorship opportunities are now available for this fundraising event supporting the ongoing work of MassINC's Gateway Cities Innovation Institute. The Institute, launched in October of 2012, builds connections across communities, delivers high-quality independent research, and supports collaborative efforts to advance a common agenda for Gateway City growth and renewal.
This first-ever Gateway Cities luncheon promises to be an upbeat celebration of the people, the networks, and the spirit of Massachusetts' Gateway City communities. Transformative redevelopment - the market-changing economic development strategy that transforms local economies and creates jobs - is the theme of this year's event. The lunch will include a keynote address by Suffolk Construction's Founder, President and CEO John Fish on why transformative redevelopment in Gateway Cities is so important to the state's economy.
Please join in on the celebration!
--Greg Torres
President, MassINC
Publisher, CommonWealth
The Worcester Regional Transit Authority is looking to purchase an 11-acre plot for a new $60 million vehicle maintenance and operations center, the Telegram & Gazette reports. The agency is under a federal mandate to replace its current antiquated facility. Funding for the new facility comes from a Federal Transit Authority grant, state funds from MassDOT and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, an annual capital allocation from the FTA, and money expected from the sale of the current WRTA property.
EDUCATION
Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science, a Worcester public school enrolling 100 academically accelerated 11th and 12th graders, has the best 2013 SAT scores in the state, scoring an average of 2042 out of 2400, according to a Boston.com report.
Bristol Community College in Fall River announced its new CATCH institute - Culinary Arts, Tourism, Casino Management and Hospitality - which will help prepare students for jobs in the growing casino market in southeastern Massachusetts and the existing markets in Connecticut and Rhode Island.
New Directions SouthCoast Youth Services in New Bedford will begin a new state-funded YouthWorks initiative in the fall that will provide training and subsidized employment to out-of-school, unemployed youths aged 17-21.
The LUK Mentoring Program in Fitchburg received a $10,000 grant from the Mass Mentoring Partnership. The grant will help increase the number of youth receiving a mentor.
Environment Massachusetts held an anti-fracking news conference in Springfield to call attention to the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing and to support a proposed state law that would ban the process in Massachusetts and the importation of hydraulic fracturing waste water to the state.
HEALTH CARE
Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill plans to open a psychiatric treatment unit and a short-term detox unit for individuals affected by substance abuse. A hospital spokesperson says there is a shortage of these beds in the region and that the new center will relieve pressure on the hospital's emergency room.
COMMUNITIES/PEOPLE
A local Lowell business owner is spearheading a campaign to raise private funds towards a City Council Chambers renovation. The city already has a budget set aside for renovations, so the private donations would be to either replace the need for those funds or supplement them for a more enhanced renovation job.
The 10th annual 100 Innings of Baseball Spectacular in Quincy will take place on Saturday. All proceeds will go to the Angel Fund, benefitting ALS research at the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester.
POLITICS
Lawrence firefighters endorse incumbent William Lantigua for mayor, while the Teachers Union endorses challenger Daniel Rivera.
CASINOS
Slots license applicants made final pitches to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday. One of the applicants, the Baltimore-based Cordish Cos., made a proposal for a slot machine parlor in Leominster.
 For a full list of Massachusetts Gateway Cities, click here.
The Gateway Cities Journal is a weekly news publication of MassINC. If you would like to unsubscribe to The Journal but would still like to hear from MassINC, please let us know. If you are not yet on our list and would like to sign up click here. To contribute news or comments, please email Marj Malpiede.
    
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MassINC's Gateway Cities Innovation Institute
Tel: (617) 742-6800
Fax: (617) 589-0929
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