NEWBURY—An overnight fire destroyed the Sillycow Farms building in the Newbury Industrial Park.
“We’re in crisis mode right now,” said Sillycow Farms CEO Keith Lemnios on Tuesday afternoon.
There were no injuries. Nobody was working inside the building at the time of the fire, but Lemnios said the fire came at the worst time of year for the hot chocolate company.

EAST TOPSHAM—Abby Driscoll, daughter of Steve and Deb Smith, grew up around cows and spent hours in the barn alongside her father.
As she grew, so did her herd of 20 cows that she would one day relocate from Vermont to Florida.
It all began a little over 20 years ago when, at milking time, Steve placed the infant Abby in a swing so she could watch the milking process.

WOODSVILLE—Haverhill Cooperative School Board members repealed its targeted masking policy on Monday night, opting instead to recommend that students wear masks on the three district campuses.
Board members voted 3-2 after wrestling with the wording on several motions. The new policy went into immediate effect on Dec. 14.

BRADFORD—A survey conducted earlier this year found that Bradford and Newbury residents like the small class sizes and dedicated teachers in its public schools while lamenting their high cost and lack of communication.
The survey results were shared on Dec. 8 in a Zoom presentation by the Oxbow Unified Union School District’s strategic planning committee.

THETFORD—The Thetford Selectboard unanimously passed a mask mandate to combat increasing COVID-19 cases on Dec. 6.
Any person entering an establishment open to the public in Thetford will be required to wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth. Signs will be delivered to local businesses stating that all customers are required to mask indoors, along with disposable masks for workers and customers.