UPDATE Union leaders representing all 36,000 Stop & Shop workers in New England have given notice that the entire workforce could strike at noon Friday.

One of the unions, Westport-based Local 371 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents 5,000 workers in Connecticut, gave a 24-hour notice Wednesday that it could strike at 3 p.m. today. The rest of the unions gave notice at noon today, said Brian Petronella, president of Local 371.

Petronella said his group will not strike on its own before Friday. Talks between the supermarket chain and UFCW began at 9 a.m. in Providence, R.I. and are continuing.

“I’m hoping that because we’ve upped the stakes, that the negotiations will go our way,” Petronella said.

Gault Energy, whose Westport heating and cooling roots date back more than a century, today announced it has added lower-cost electricity to its energy offerings.

The company said it is partnering with Norwalk-based Verde Energy USA, a Connecticut-licensed Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) electricity supplier.

Gault Energy’s decision to partner with Verde Energy USA and offer customers electricity signals a growing demand among Connecticut consumers for lower cost alternatives in a state whose electric rates are the highest in the lower 48 states, the company said.

Offering electricity at a discounted rate of 10 to 15 percent below the going UI and CL&P rates, Verde Energy USA said it estimates that a residential customer who uses 2,000 KWH/month will save upwards of $400 per year.

Chef and restaurateur Pietro Scotti of DiPietro’s on Riverside Avenue was among the 19 restaurant owners who attended and co-hosted a reception tonight at the Westport Country Playhouse marking Westport’s first Restaurant Week Feb. 28 – March 1. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

In addition to honoring the nation’s first president, the Presidents’ Day holiday for many has also become a retail bonanza of one-day sales such as illustrated today on the sign in the window of the Ann Taylor store on Westport’s main street. Presidents’ Day, officially known as Washington’s Birthday, is observed on the third Monday of February.  A common misconception is that Presidents’ Day is the unification of Washington’s Birthday and Lincoln’s Birthday, or that it is a celebration of all U.S. Presidents. Both of these assumptions are false. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport-based Newman’s Own, Inc., in support of social enterprise education and the next generation of business leaders, announced today its sponsorship of two influential business school conferences.

The 11th annual Social Enterprise Conference at Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School takes place Saturday, Feb.27 to Sunday, Feb. 28. This year’s theme is “New Frontiers: Redefining Service for the 21st Century.”

Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business “Conference on Sustainable Business and Social Impact” is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 17. The conferences take place on the business schools’ campuses.

This year marks Newman’s Own second year of participation at both conferences and reinforces the company’s commitment to make a positive impact on the next generation of business leaders, an announcement said.