By Scott Zoback

• PARK GETS A NEW DEAL: CitySquare developer Young Park has managed to cultivate a celebrity-in-hiding persona with the City Council. Whenever he shows, even those who have criticized his lack of progress seem energized by his progress; anyone who has talked to him privately makes a point of telling everyone about the conversation on the floor. On Tuesday, it was no different. And Mayor Konnie Lukes made an effort to point out how rare his appearances have been. After City Manager Michael O'Brien gave his presentation on the new agreement, Lukes introduced Park by saying, "We're always delighted to see you here, which isn't enough." Park gave his take on the new agreement, saying the original versions were "monolithic" and a "tall order," especially in Worcester's market. The new agreement, calling for a more "bite-sized" approach, is more manageable, Park and O'Brien said.

• DEMO WHEN?: So when will that damn mall come tumbling down? Mike O'Brien said demolition could occur as early as August 2008; he later amended that to say he expected to see demolition start by the end of the calendar year.

• HURTING HAJEC: Former Worcester real estate mogul Chris Hajec has been disbarred from practicing law. According to a decision by the Board of Bar Overseers that took effect last week, Hajec violated several sections of the Rules of Professional Conduct. The charges are numerous: At one point, Hajec is alleged to have taken money a client gave one of his agents, deposited it into his personal account and converted at least $12,579.49 of the funds for his own use. The ruling states that when the client demanded her $20,000 back, he delayed, and eventually wrote her a check from a personal account he knew wouldn't cover the amount. He did eventually wire her $20,000 from a business account, but the board charged that in doing so, he misused funds belonging to a business partner. The board's ruling says that the money he used came from a "partnership" he formed with another associate, taking $50,000 he claimed would be used for real estate purchases. Instead, he paid the client her $20,000, and used the $30,000 for unrelated personal and business expenses. "The respondent intentionally misused the associate's funds with the intent to deprive him of the funds," the report reads. Making things worse for Hajec? He apparently did not initially cooperate with authorities, and didn't participate in the disciplinary hearings against him.

• NEW HQ: It's a perennial issue renewed again — the issue of a new police headquarters, or the move to a precinct-based system. At Tuesday's budget hearing for the Police Department, Chief Gary Gemme said, "The building has some deficiencies in both design and operation. If the opportunity presented itself for [a new HQ] ... I'd embrace it."

• NO NEWS IS BAD NEWS: The bad news at The New York Times' New England Media Group keeps on coming. The Telegram's parent group, which also includes The Boston Globe, reported a 12% drop in ad revenue from April 2007 to April 2008, from $39.7 million to $34.9 million.

• RIGHT PLACE, WRONG TIME: Worcestermass.org needs an extreme makeover, stat. The site, dedicated to marketing the city's events and development, hasn't been updated since 2006 or so. The site touts the "new for 2006? Worcester Sharks, the 2007 Summer Nationals, and the then-not-yet-open Voke School. The site hasn't posted a new press release since Oct. 26, 2006. That entry? One trumpeting the CitySquare development agreement. At least that hasn't changed.

• Wii-Wii: The Senior Center is getting a donated Nintendo Wii, leading to one of the most bizarre moments in this version of the City Council: Rick Rushton talking about how excited he is about the New Kids on the Block reunion, and how much he wants to play a Wii. Weird.

• RAISE PULLBACK: City Manager Mike O'Brien pulled back from his recommendations for huge raises for his staff on Tuesday night, saying that he would prepare evidence to convince the public and the Council that the raises were needed. The argument will likely be multi-faceted, and in some ways similar to the arguments used by the unions during collective bargaining: It's not just that female employees are underpaid, it's that employees are underpaid compared to their counterparts in other municipalities, and that some employees are underpaid compared to their in-house counterparts. The rationale will be that without equalizing pay, some of the employees will flee to the private sector or better paying public jobs.

• MAJOR MAJOR: The Wednesday dedication of the Major Taylor statue, attended by Greg LeMond and Edwin Moses, is a huge milestone for the city. It's the city's first monument to an African-American, and, most would agree, a long-overdue tribute.

• NO FOOLS DAY: On Tuesday, Councilor Rick Rushton accused the city manager of not trusting the city councilors not to make a "knee-jerk" reaction, and later hinted at an attempt to "fool" the public. "Never ... have I attempted to fool the public," says Mike O'Brien, responding to Rushton's charges. o