Worcester 2022 In Review: The Biggest News Stories Of The Year

WORCESTER, MA — A shocking police probe. An appearance by an unpredictable former NFL player. A housing crisis. Everyone learning the word "tercentennial." A battle over flags at a middle school.

It was just another 12 months in New England's second-largest city.

With 2023 on the horizon, Worcester Patch dug into the archives for a look back at some larger news stories of the past 12 months touching on politics, tragedy and sports (kind of).

(The most read story of the year, based solely on the number of people who read it? It was an item about MassDOT closing an I-190 exit for 45 days.)

Here are just a few of the bigger events that happened in 2022 in Worcester:

Harriette Chandler race

2022 began in January with longtime lawmaker Harriette Chandler announcing her retirement. The race to replace her consumed almost the entire year leading up to the primary showdown between Robyn Kennedy and Mayor Joseph Petty Jr. Kennedy will take the oath of office in January.

Candice Asare-Yeboah

The 5-year-old's death in May shocked the city, and sparked a movement to improve road safety in Worcester. An SUV driver hit Asare-Yeboah and her mother while they were in a Stafford Street crosswalk. According to MassDOT, seven Worcester pedestrians died in road collisions in 2022, but Asare-Yeboah wasn't counted toward that total because she died weeks after the collision. Her mother was gravely injured, but did survive.

After the girl's death, Elected officials hosted a walk along Stafford Street to observe how dangerous it is, and WalkBike Worcester has called for a wider end to traffic deaths. Meanwhile, Worcester has formed its first transportation department, whose leader says he's committed to improving safety for all road users.

New political class

In early January, Worcester held a small (due to coronavirus) inauguration ceremony to usher in the most diverse class of elected officials perhaps ever: At-Large Councilor Thu Nguyen, the first nonbinary city councilor in the state; District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, the first Muslim, Albanian-American woman on council; Jermaine Johnson, the first Black man elected to the school committee; Jermoh Kamara, the first foreign-born African woman on the school committee; and Coghlin Electrical Contractors and union booster Sue Mailman.

Homelessness

Worcester notched a shocking 43 percent rise in homeless residents over the 12 months ending in June. The city's response to that — both politically and socially — has been mixed. The city continues to sweep homeless camps, a tactic that experts say doesn't help. A bid to open a new homeless shelter (a replacement for the now-closed Hotel Grace) met with serious opposition, although it was backed by City Hall. Some residents along Lincoln Street are aligning against a proposal to turn a Quality Inn into permanent supportive housing. The city did break ground on a Lewis Street permanent supportive housing project, but other similar projects are reportedly delayed.

Worcester also received a $2.6 million federal grant to work on ending youth homelessness, although the larger plan is likely far off.

Mill Street, Gage Street

Twin tragedies that exposed the vulnerability of renters in Worcester.

Four people died in a May fire at a Gage Street building, whose owners racked up serious code violations over the years — including previous fire hazards. Residents told Worcester Patch the building was one of the few affordable options around, leaving renters a choice between substandard housing and no housing at all.

Just two months after Gage Street, a construction accident at a Mill Street apartment building exposed how renters who experience a disaster have no safety net. In the days after the accident, which left about 100 people suddenly homeless, the landlord took the tenants to court to quickly get their belongings out of the building. District 5 Councilor Haxhiaj shone a spotlight on the incident, leading to media coverage that exposed a building owner with questionable practices beyond Worcester. A collaboration between the state and city allowed the Mill Street tenants to stay in a hotel, but such assistance for renters is never guaranteed under state law.

Police drone

Worcester police sought air power in 2022, informing city officials in April the department would acquire a drone. Police said they would pay for the drone using a grant the council had previously accepted — without any mention of the drone. Councilors put the brakes on the project to hold public hearings, which led to revisions to the department's drone policy.

Gas stations

In January, a group of Worcester residents asked the City Council to consider amending zoning regulations to ban new gas stations from being built. The petition came after a would-be gas station project along Park Avenue was scuttled in 2021. The city council said no to the proposal, even with a larger environmental roadmap pointing to a gas station ban by 2045.

Antonio Brown show

Remember when former Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Antonio Brown was going to perform live at a Canal District bar?

Christopher Columbus, and more

The city council in October again voted down a proposal to maybe (potentially) talk about moving the Columbus statue outside Union Station. The Columbus discussion was one of several local culture war issues that played out in city council chambers in 2022 with vitriol: a proposed vaccine passport; a request to change the name of Plantation Street; and a request to oppose the use of nuclear weapons.

Nativity School flags

The Lincoln Square middle school for low-income students lost its Catholic Church affiliation in June. Why? Diocese of Worcester Bishop Robert McManus won't stand for the school flying Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ flags. McManus stripped the school's Catholic status after leaders refused to take down the flags at his request — the students wanted to keep them up.

Tale of two searches

In March, longtime city manager Ed Augustus Jr. announced he would step down (he now works at Dean College), leaving the Worcester City Council with a choice: either conduct a nationwide search for a new manager or hire from within. Augustus, a former state senator, had served as a placeholder manager before he was hired in 2014. Eric Batista, an assistant city manager, was tapped as Augustus' interim replacement in the spring.

At almost the same time, the Worcester School Committee was wrapping up a nationwide search for Maureen Binienda's replacement. The search took months, involved multiple public meetings and resulted in the hiring of Rachel Monárrez, a former deputy superintendent in San Bernadino, Calif.

The city council, led by Mayor Joseph Petty, eventually voted to kill the nationwide search and hire Batista. Although Batista was hailed as an excellent candidate — and who made history as the first Latino city manager — some councilors said a nationwide search should've gone forward for transparency's sake.

Worcester police federal probe

Closing out the year, the U.S. Department of Justice in November announced it would investigate Worcester police over a pattern of alleged race and gender-bias. The department has been sued numerous times in recent years — resulting in millions paid in settlements. Federal investigations into police departments are relatively rare, and typically happen after high-profile incidents. For example, the DOJ launched an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department one year after the George Floyd murder. The Worcester probe will take some time, but will likely end in a "consent decree" — a settlement to correct misbehavior overseen by a federally-appointed monitor.

Nikki Bell

Bell, the founder of the nonprofit Living in Freedom Together (LIFT), was a major figure in Worcester in 2022. She led a group of women who came forward to make allegations of sexual abuse against St. John's Catholic Church food pantry director Billy Riley. He resigned in the fall.

Bell also figures into the DOJ probe of Worcester police. Bell has said Worcester officers sexually abused prostituted women during stings — and that she reported the allegations to city officials, but turned to the DOJ when the complaints weren't acted on.

Worcester's 300th birthday

Worcester turned 300 years old in 2022. We put together a very subjective list of the 300 best things about the city, from restaurants to parks and stores.

See you in 2023.