Carla Occaso

Writer/Communications Specialist

United States of America

Carla Occaso has been a professional journalist since starting as a stringer for The Caledonian Record daily newspaper in 1993. She has worked in journalism most of her career in addition to work in education.
She continues to enjoy creating content and to innovate on the internet, websites, digital media, photography, radio, audio, video and in print. A recent career highlight has been working as managing editor for The Bridge newspaper in Montpelier, Vermont.
Given a wide berth of opportunity by the publisher, Carla has started a YouTube series, and created content for the company website. This is in addition to building story lists, assigning stories, writing stories, photographing and publishing a paper twice monthly.
Carla's article about an 11-year-old girl with Autism won second place in the Writer's Digest annual writing contest in the category of "feature article." Her first work of fiction, "Practically Nothing," won an honorable mention in the Ralph Nading Hill Literary Contest.
Magazines that have published her work include American Police Beat, Science Magazine, Rural Heritage, Country Woman, Vermont Life, Vermont Magazine, Maine Organic Farmer, The Northland Journal and Northern Woodlands. Newspapers she worked for as a staff writer/photographer include the Lyndon Independent, Caledonian Record, Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus and as a stringer for The Burlington Free Press.

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Portfolio
Portfolio
09/23/2018
Resume 2018

Skills, experience and education

Articles

The Bridge
Early Barre: Welcome to Wildersburgh, Vermont

WILDERSBURGH (BARRE)- The story of early settlers evokes images of a grand frontier adventure and hardscrabble gumption. First named 'Wildersburgh,' land that is now Barre was granted in 1780 to William Williams - a signer of the Declaration of Independence - and 60 other men.

The Bridge
On My Back At 'Yoga On State'

Here I am. Lying on my back in the middle of State Street in Montpelier holding my feet with my hands in a pose called "Happy Baby." I am told to roll from side to side. "Okay," I think.

The Bridge
Zimbabwean Woman Visits The Bridge

MONTPELIER - Loyce Maturu of Zimbabwe, Africa, visited The Bridge recently as part of her U.S. media tour to promote awareness of an ongoing global fight against HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. She personally suffered from two of the three illnesses that took family members' lives when she was young, which caused her to think she would die as well.

The Bridge
Cats Reported Missing On Barre Street

MONTPELIER - At least two cat owners called the Montpelier Police Department July 28 to report missing cats. And speculation about an organized kitty larceny effort has been circulating on Montpelier's very active Front Porch Forum - a Vermont-based social networking website.

The Bridge
City To Flush Out Sewage Overflow Issues

MONTPELIER - The way things are designed in Montpelier, when it rains too much too quickly, underground pipes divert excess raw sewage along with storm water into certain points of the North Branch and Winooski rivers. The Agency of Natural Resources is seeking to stop this, but to immediately stop it completely would be nearly impossible and unaffordable.

The Bridge
New $3M, 3-Story Montpelier Beverage Building Proposed

MONTPELIER - Gossens Bachman Architects of Montpelier submitted a zoning permit application February 11 for a three-story building to be constructed on the lot adjacent to Montpelier Discount Beverage. The land is owned by the City of Montpelier and the building would be owned by Mowatt Revocable Trust - owners of the Montpelier Discount Beverage building at 12 Main Street.

Timesargus
"Ace" Trooper Recalls Early Days

Times Argus Online - Vermont news, Vermont election results, Barre News, Montpelier News, Central Vermont News, local news, Vermont government, Vermont sports, Vermont classifieds, Jobs in Vermont

The Brattleboro Reformer
02/03/2007
11-year-old shares her world of autism

Maleia Darling shocked her family just over a year ago by communicating volumes of bright, articulate thoughts although she has never spoken a sentence. Until then they didn't know what her favorite color was, let alone what her complex thoughts and feelings about her experiences might be.

Mofga
Kingdom Farmer

Vermont farmer William Butler enthusiastically traded in his tractor for a team of horses for plowing, making hay and logging. With the increasing price of fuel and decreasing returns on milk, this move was economical (as was switching to organic milk production). "Now I'm keeping my money," he says.

Videos and Mixed Media Projects

Reference

The Bridge
EDITORIAL: Thanking Carla Occaso

Carla Occaso - our very effective Managing Editor for almost three years - has left The Bridge to take a position at Union 32 High School. We miss her and wish her well. When Carla became Managing Editor of The Bridge in the fall of 2014 - her news writing, editorial experience and capacity for hard work were sorely needed.