Greater Worcester

How can one drive growth and productivity by working with students? For many businesses, it's traditional internships. For others, the most effective way to utilize students' talents is through short-term projects.

Inside a former mill building in Worcester, a potentially new wave of businesses toils away. One has launched a new way to read the news while another is honing a robotic wok. These entrepreneurs are part of a growing number of college students seeking to evolve their ideas into businesses.

Longtime Central Massachusetts residents looking for a dash of nostalgia with their omelet or pizza have a lot to smile about this year. Last fall, Shrewsbury's Edgemere Diner, a classic New England rail car diner that first opened in 1948, reopened under new ownership. And soon, Wonder Bar, the iconic Worcester pizza joint, will do the same.

Strong growth across the portfolio at AbbVie, a life sciences firm with operations in Worcester, drove profits up 4.3 percent in the first quarter, the company reported Thursday.

Research at Worcester Polytechnic Institute aimed at creating more natural and durable replacement heart valves is getting a boost from the National Institutes of Health, the school announced Wednesday.

Two Worcester colleges are collaborating on a program that would allow students who achieve registered-nurse certification to go on to earn a bachelor of science in nursing.

UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester is receiving more than $600,000 in state funds, part of a $12 million push to enhance MassHealth payment rates and improve the quality of service in behavioral health.

The College of the Holy Cross will build a new $22 million facility on a 52-acre site in West Boylston that will boost its retreat programs, the Worcester school announced.

Imperial Distributors, of Worcester and Auburn, is this year's Richard B. Kennedy Business of the Year. It is one of several awards announced Wednesday by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, along with presenting sponsor Fidelity Bank.

A medical device manufacturer in Worcester that had been developing a non-invasive glucometer for diabetes patients has filed for bankruptcy.