By Scott Zoback 

• HEY THERE, WE'RE THE ALL-STARS: The big news yesterday was the official word that the AHL All-Star Classic is coming to Worcester in 2009. It's the first time in 50 years the game and skills competition will be hosted in Massachusetts; a fact league and team officials were excitedly touting. (In 1959 it was played in West Springfield.) Of course, the game wasn't held at all from 1959 until 1995. Since then, it's hit New Hampshire, Maine, New York and Rhode Island. It's a huge honor, and the behind-the-scene buzz is that the DCU, Sharks, Destination Worcester and city staffs worked their asses off to push through a successful effort on the competitive bid process for the high-profile event.

• TOP-FLOOR TENANTS: Union Station's newest tenant is all moved in. Over the weekend, the verbosely named Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission took over their top-floor digs, which stretch from the old FDR Museum, across the upper commons area, and into the old Union Blues. On Tuesday, the City Council approved more than $200,000 in build-out and signage costs for the space, part of the lease agreement signed earlier this year; that money is recouped through the CMRPC's end of the lease.

• A GRAND REQUEST: The old Crompton properties at 93 & 95 Grand Street have been more than an eyesore. Now, says a city official, a key RFP for redevelopment of one of the properties is finally going out. For years, the old factories were well known as a drug den and a prime spot for squatters; in 2006, a Main South CDC coordinator told us about the drug paraphernalia and defecation littering the inside of one of the buildings when his staff went to check it out. The properties have stood out even more now that they sit within view of two condo-converted factories: The Royal Worcester on one side, and the University Park Lofts within shouting distance. While the Main South CDC owns 93 Grand St., the city had acquired 95 Grand St. through foreclosure a few years ago, with plans to issue an RFP. Apparently, they began to advertise the coming RFP for 95 Grand earlier this week; it is expected that any potential developer would have to do extensive clean-up and structural work, as the property is in awful shape.

• WAILING WAL-MART: The rumor mill was working in overdrive last week about possible plans for a Wal-Mart going in the former Shaw's market on Grafton Street. The chit-chat gossip was overheard at a recent Canal Task force meeting, but according to Wal-Mart spokesperson Chris Buchanan, the company has "no publically announced plans for a second store" in Worcester. And, according to Christina Andreoli, director of communications for the city, "Wal-Mart is just that, a rumor. Wal-Mart hasn't communicated anything to the city. It sounds odd because there is a signed agreement for the one on 146 [a Wal-Mart Supercenter]. And there is one in West Boylston. They are not the type to over-saturate the market." Also, it's too small. "The building is only about 63,000 square feet," says Rob Michaud of MDM Transportation Consultants, the company who produced the requisite impact studies and transportation permits for the site. "A typical Wal-Mart footprint is much larger, well in excess of 100,000 square feet with an add-on option of something like 50,000 square feet for the internal supermarket." The property at 201 Grafton St., which was formerly owned by the Kraft family (yes, of the Patriots), is currently owned by Grafton Partners LLC of Charter Realty and Development Corp. in Rye Brook, N.Y. Shaw's opened in 2004 and closed in fall of 2006.

• SUB COMMITTEE CHANGES: The City Council subcommittee assignments have always been a bit of a bludgeoning tool for sitting mayors. Mayors rewarded allies with plum committee chairmanships, banishing rivals to things like "Veterans Affairs." Further, some committees meet constantly; others are lucky to get together once a year. Almost everyone wanted to change the system, but nothing concrete was ever done. So just about every councilor was pleased with a plan presented on Monday that would reduce the number of committees from 20 to 10 — giving each councilor one chairmanship and a seat on two other committees. It's a much-needed balance that will also realign the committees with the city manager's internal department structure. But having everyone agree the change is needed wasn't quite enough. Councilor Rick Rushton said he was glad that Konnie Lukes had "come around in the last two hours or two days," and repeated the remark at the end of his comments. Lukes laughed, and retorted that it was nonsense. She had, she said, proposed the order in the first place, several months ago. o