
Bridgeside Books announces One Town, One Book reading project title
In time for an author visit on Independent Bookstore Day this Saturday, Bridgeside Books has named the debut novel “The Wisdom of Winter” by Annie Selyer its 2024 One Town, One Book selection.

Revitalizing Waterbury salutes Stowe Street Café owner with O’Dell Award
Stowe Street Cafe owner Nicole Grenier was presented with Revitalizing Waterbury’s Kathy O’Dell Community Service Award at the group’s annual meeting this week. The meeting recapped RW’s ongoing intiatives.

Announcement: State of Vermont service opportunities
Below are two recent announcements about service opportunities with the state’s Labor Relations Board and the ECO AmeriCorps program.

Department of Energy award will help “green” Ben & Jerry’s Vt. operations
U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., last week shared an announcement from the U.S. Department of Energy that included Unilever’s Ice Cream Manufacturing Decarbonization project has won funding from the Biden Administration’s push to decarbonize energy-intensive industries.

Mad River Valley dairy farm acquires land using new farmland protection program
DeFreest Farms in Waitsfield recently closed on a land deal that uses a new federal program to promote conservation, climate resilience and recreation.

Unilever to spin off ice cream holdings including Ben & Jerry’s
An anouncement from London last week sent ripples through the global ice cream industry all the way to Vermont and the headquarters of Ben & Jerry’s.

General Manager Cormier parts ways with Radio Vermont Group
As the ownership transition moves forward at Radio Vermont Group in Waterbury, the stations’ General Manager Steve Cormier has stepped down.

Restaurant family grows with new eatery at the grist mill
The Waterbury-based restaurant group that launched Hen of the Wood and branched out with Prohibition Pig and Doc Ponds will add a new member to its family later this spring when it opens Gallus Handcrafted Pasta at the historic grist mill at 92 Stowe Street.

Antarctica bound: Vermonters embark on bucket-list adventure
Many New Englanders choose to go south for weeks or months to escape the dark, cold days of winter. But this week, a group of 14 adventurous Vermonters are heading just about as far south as you can get – to Antarctica.

Jane Brown named Revitalizing Waterbury’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year
Revitalizing Waterbury’s Board of Directors recently named Jane Brown as the group’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year. Shared at the organization’s annual Volunteer Appreciation Party, the award recognizes a volunteer who has gone above and beyond their usual role over the past year.

SIDEBAR: Transcript of WDEV on-air sale announcement Jan. 11
We have compiled a transcript of the 20-min. on-air announcement of the WDEV sale, broadcast live on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, at 12:35 p.m. Also here is a link to the audio recording.

Deal will make businessmen, former GOP candidates, new owners of WDEV radio group
From a fitting on-air radio announcement last week, listeners to WDEV learned that two Vermont businessmen, handpicked by Ken Squier months before his death in November, are now poised to take ownership of the nearly century-old independent broadcasting company based in Waterbury.
Ambulance ‘Station Creation’ on regional top 10 list for 2024
The Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation recently announced its top-priority projects for 2024 and Waterbury Ambulance Service’s new station project is near the top of the list.

Bourne’s Energy named Outstanding Business of the Year for 2023
VermontBiz and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce have announced that Bourne’s Energy is the winner of the annual prestigious and highly anticipated Outstanding Business of the Year Award for 2023.

Nominate a Vermonter for the Citizen of the Year
Nominations are now open for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce’s annual Citizen of the Year award to an outstanding Vermont figure.

Business forum meets in Waterbury as town braces for flood
On Monday morning, Dec. 18, as heavy rains that later triggered flooding soaked Central Vermont, a Vermont Chamber of Commerce event took place in Waterbury’s Pilgrim Park that included U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt.

Ice cream producers unionize at Ben & Jerry’s Waterbury plant
Nearly 100 employees will be represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, according to its Connecticut-based Local 371.

Zenbarn Farms expands by buying cannabis dispenaries, cultivation & manufacturing facilities
Zenbarn Farms owners Noah Fishman and Marlena Tucker-Fishman hope that Waterbury may soon be as well known for its cannabis as it is for its craft beer. They have taken a step towards that vision in signing an agreement to purchase the Vermont assets of Curaleaf Holdings Inc., an international cannabis company based in New York City.
Revitalizing Waterbury hires new economic development director
Revitalizing Waterbury has announced the hiring of a new economic development director for Waterbury.

State grant could help Waterbury brewery curb its wastewater
Freak Folk Bier, which opened in Waterbury in early 2022, crafts oak-fermented, mixed-culture beers. Last month, the brewery received a grant from the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation’s wastewater management program that would pay for upgrades to keep its sludge out of the waste stream.