• USA TODAY, YESTERDAY'S NEWS: On Monday,USA Today ran a profile piece on Worcester, detailing how the Iraq War has barely touched us; we are, according to their stats, the fifth-largest city in the United States not to lose a service member, and one of a few dozen with populations more than 100,000 with that distinction. "Unless a loss has been personally felt, I don't think we can really understand the dynamics of the war and the miseries," Mayor Konnie Lukes told USA Today. "It's a catalytic event when you actually lose someone, and it hasn't happened here." The kicker, though, came at the end of the article, when the paper highlighted three people for whom "the war is very real." It looks like USA went far for their stories. One of the three was Dr. Stanley Levenson, the city dentist who raised 450 pounds of candy from his patients to send to the troops. He had been highlighted for his effort in the Telegram last year. One of the others? Dominick King, the former Marine who has become something of a "go-to" for Worcester-based, Iraq-serving Marines. We profiled King in December 2006, and The Pulse told his story again at the end of 2007.

• TOOMEY THE DIGITAL POL: Councilor Kate Toomey has already transformed herself into one of the most tech-savvy city councilors; she's one of the few who consistently brings up city Web site issues or other tech concerns. Now she's expanding into social networking, not quite á là Joff Smith. Toomey has launched a profile on Facebook, and it looks like she is using it for a mix of personal and political. Last week, she posted an update that she was "frustrated trying to update her Web page www.katetoomey.com and HATES Microsoft Frontpage 2003 and I don't know how to redo it ... aaaaagh." (Portions of her Web site are nearly three years old.) Visitors to her profile also learn that on Feb. 7, Toomey was "almost finished knitting my first sock ... which I taught myself to do!" But what about her fellow social-network colleague, Smith? Smith also has a Facebook profile, where he is linked to 222 friends, to Toomey's 41.

• BELANGER JUMPS IN: Saying he wanted to end the speculation, Leicester Board of Selectmen Chairman Doug Belanger officially jumped into the race to replace Ed Augustus in the State Senate. He pulled papers, and is reorganizing his financial committee for the statewide run, he says. That makes Belanger the first official, official Democrat to jump in the race.

• DEFINITELY, MAYBE: State Rep. John Fresolo, who has been the most-talked-about Democratic state Senate candidate, says that rumors he was dropping out of the race before it even begins are bogus. Kind of. Last week, he told us, "[That's] absolutely false. I'm definitely still considering all my options," adding that anyone who is spreading those rumors "obviously" doesn't want him in the race.

• KNUUTTILA'S KMONEY: Brian Knuuttila, one of the two declared candidates for the Senate seat being vacated by Bob Antonioni, has been out of office for a couple years, but that hasn't slowed his giving ways to other campaigns. In 2007, Knuuttila spent $1,500 from his campaign coffers, $1,250 of it going to other candidates. Among the donations, $100 went to Antonioni, $100 to Knuuttila's boss Guy Glodis, $200 to Stephen DiNatale, $100 to Tim Murray, and $100 to Jennifer Flanagan, the only other declared candidate in the race.

• FLANAGAN'S DOUGH: For her part, Jennifer Flanagan proved herself a fundraiser and spender in 2007, raising $21,281 and spending $15,551.53. None of that went to other politicians. As of her last report, Flanagan had $5,948.14 in the war chest; Brian Knuuttila had $1636.58.

• CRAFTY LEADERSHIP: The Worcester Center for Crafts is looking for a new (non-interim) executive director. In May 2007, Executive Director David Leach was fired after two years on the job and replaced with Interim Executive Director Kathy Jellison. (We highlighted the atmosphere around Leach's dismissal in a June 14, 2007 story titled Turmoil at the Craft Center.) In a post on their Web site, the Center says it is "seeking a dynamic new executive director to lead this 150-year-old cultural organization in pursuing 21st century offerings of quality education in a range of craft media for youth to adult learners, supporting the craft artist through opportunities for professional development and community interaction, and developing and supporting the market for craft through advocacy and encouraging public appreciation for craft." o

Scott Zoback may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it