Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | June 30, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 7 WBJ honored for investigative reporting, named a top publication at journalism competition Worcester Business Journal was honored for its investigative reporting into Massachusetts' cannabis agency and named one of the top overall publica- tions at the annual 2025 Alliance of Area Business Publishers journalism competi- tion on June 20. "e AABP judges have once again affirmed what I get to see everyday: e hardworking journalists of WBJ produce some of the best stories and designs in the country, all to the benefit of the Cen- tral Mass. business community," WBJ Editor Brad Kane said. WBJ walked away with four awards in the medium tabloids category. e AABP conference was held in Ottawa, Canada, and featured business journals from the U.S., Canada, and Australia, with the awards covering content from 2024. WBJ reporter Eric Casey won the Gold Award for Best Investigative Reporting for coverage of dysfunction at the state's Cannabis Control Com- mission. Casey shared the award with WBJ correspondent Dan Adams, who partnered with him on the investigation. eir reporting was praised for its capti- vating narrative and strong data. "An array of voices paints a vivid pic- ture of dysfunctional government. e writing is clear and confident. e story gains weight from the internal emails and other documents obtained by the re- porters," the judges from the University of Missouri School of Journalism wrote. In the best overall category, WBJ won the Bronze Award for the Best News- paper, with the judges highlighting the newspaper's accessible navigation, strong data, and diverse photography use. "A vibrant, information-rich design helps readers easily navigate the publica- tion," the judges wrote. "e real estate and economic forecast edition provided a treasure trove of data, and multiple sto- ries, accompanied by countless photos, capture the area's diversity," Art Director Mitchell Hayes won the Silver Award for Best Overall Design, a category in which he is consistently honored year aer year. "From cover to cover, the design maintains a polished, consistent rhythm that balances creativity with clarity," the judges said. Kane and WBJ Publisher Peter Stanton won the Silver Award for Best Editorial, for their editorial discussing the backlash against Worcester Poly- technic Institute for its purchase of two area hotels, which judges praised for its strong solutions and analytic data. The Queen's Cups to close after 13 years in business e Queen's Cups, a prominent bak- ery located at 56 Water St. in Worcester, has closed aer 13 years in business. e closure was announced by Queen's Cup Owner Renee Diaz on Facebook on June 23. e gourmet cup- cake shop closed for good on June 29. "For the past 13 years, I've poured everything into this dream. Over the last three, I've done everything—and then some—to keep it alive," Diaz wrote. "I've taken on crushing debt, made painful decisions, and carried a weight I wouldn't wish on anyone. I kept going because of my team, who became family. Because of my dad, who stood beside me through it all. Because of our customers, who became friends. And because of my mom, who believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I've sacrificed my health, my peace, and time with my family to chase this dream. And as much as I wanted to end it on my own terms, sometimes life just doesn't work that way." Diaz is a regular contributor to the Worcester Business Journal as a colum- nist and wrote a piece in February where she pondered the future of her business. "Aer almost 13 years, how am I in this position?," Diaz wrote in February. "With every small business closing, I feel a pang in my heart and a question in my mind: Are we next? I don't know if we are next. I hope not, because I love my job, my employees, and our customers. But as each week passes, the anxiety lives on. Any time we get ahead, we take three steps back." Diaz is a Millbury native who learned how to bake from scratch in her parents' kitchen, following her graduation from Worcester State University in 2012 with a degree in psychology. She began to use social media to share her work, and people began showing interest in buying her treats. Renee decided to open a bakery in Millbury in 2012, following word of mouth about her cupcakes began to spread quickly. e Queen's Cups continued to be successful, and as a result, Diaz decid- ed to hire a team and move to a bigger restaurant in the Canal District, with an eat-in area to meet the demands of her customers. 288 Boston Turnpike Location of the new Shrewsbury-based Korean fried chicken restaurant bb.q Chicken, situated at the former site of Bean Counter Bakery Cafe Source: bb.q Chicken 4.8% Unemployment rate in Massachusetts in May, reflecting a 0.2 percentage point increase from April. Source: Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development 44.6 Hospital readmissions for those 65 and older in Massachusetts for every 1,000 Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. Source: The Commonwealth Fund Fine that Stow Holdings, an owner of Stow Acres Country Club, was fined for violating state drinking water and groundwater discharge permit regulations, as observed during a routine inspection by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Source: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection $8,429 W Protect reproductive and gender-affirming care providers The Massachusetts Senate is working a bill to shield Massachusetts providers delivering reproductive and gender-affirming care from out-of-state legal action through expanded projections. "An Act strengthening health care protections in the Commonwealth" would implement a number of safeguards, including keeping agencies from assisting federal and/or out-of-state investigations, limit insurance company access to patient electronic medical records, and mandate the state's hospitals offer emergency abortions if medically necessary. When polled online, the majority of WBJ readers said the legislature should pass this law. Should Mass. modify its shield law protecting providers of reproductive and gender- affirming care? No, if someone in Mass. breaks another state's law, they should face consequences. 14% Yes, healthcare providers need protection from prosecution for actions not illegal in Mass. 50% No, abortion and gender-affirming care should be made illegal in most instances in Mass., too. 20% Yes, other states' anti- abortion and anti- transgender laws are wrong. 16%

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