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Just a Bill: Legislating on the edge of transparency guarantees

Just a Bill: Legislating on the edge of transparency guarantees

By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Any long time reader of The Telegraph will know that we take Vermont’s Open Meeting Law and Public Records Act seriously. These are the statutes meant to preserve and defend the public’s right to know what government is doing in their name, in your name and with […]

Chester cites Julians for quarry violations

Chester cites Julians for quarry violations

By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC After years of complaints and a recent conditional use application that dragged on but eventually went nowhere, the Town of Chester has cited the operator of three quarries for five violations and is demanding that a number of steps be taken immediately. On Jan. 17, Julian Materials […]

Chester board hones STR regulations, focusing on unhosted rental limits and raising annual fee

Chester board hones STR regulations, focusing on unhosted rental limits and raising annual fee

By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC After several months of discussions, the Chester Select Board, on Wednesday, Jan. 17, closed in on several additions that would tighten the town’s short term rental ordinance, especially with regard to unhosted rentals. Back in early September of last year, after many months of discussions of additional […]

UPDATE: Julians pull out of zoning application; Will DRB proceedings go on?

UPDATE: Julians pull out of zoning application; Will DRB proceedings go on?

UPDATE- DRB accepts Julian withdrawal, Town to file notice of violation  On Monday night, Chester’s Development Review Board issued an order accepting Julian Materials’ withdrawal of its zoning application for three quarries in the Gassetts area. And in answer to neighbors asking “where do we go from here”  Zoning Administrator Preston Bristow said would “file […]

'Just a Bill,' give or take several hundred

‘Just a Bill,’ give or take several hundred A quick look at what's up with proposed laws in Montpelier

By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Covering each year’s legislative session is nearly impossible for a small, local newspaper. To begin with, hundreds of bills are introduced even in a small state like Vermont. In the first three days of this year’s session, 203 would-be laws began a journey that most will never […]

North, South Village wastewater plans proposed for Londonderry

North, South Village wastewater plans proposed for Londonderry

By Cynthia Prairie ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Dufresne Group of Springfield has recommended two community wastewater disposal systems for the North and South Villages of the town of Londonderry. Christina Haskins, a vice president and engineer with Dufresne, presented the engineering company’s findings and recommendations last Wednesday before a group of residents and business […]

Chester snowmobilers: Class 4 road change could 'cripple' club

Chester snowmobilers: Class 4 road change could ‘cripple’ club Smokeshire land owners say road no longer belongs to town

By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The discussion of a Class 4 road generally won’t fill the benches at Chester Town Hall, but last Wednesday more than 20 people turned out in person, with more attending via Zoom for a request to make a town road private. Paul Bidgood, who owns land in […]

GMUSD board votes 6-3 to drop Chieftain name

GMUSD board votes 6-3 to drop Chieftain name Board chair Deb Brown resigns amid medical concerns

By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Signalling that the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District would be holding another one of its unusual meetings on Thursday night, board Vice Chair Adrienne Williams announced that board Chair Deb Brown has resigned, citing medical issues from a concussion she suffered weeks ago. The […]

Flooding hits S. Vt.: Derry shops whacked again

Flooding hits S. Vt.: Derry shops whacked again Dirt roads take the brunt of other damage

 Video by David Lewis of Windham. The Chester Telegraph thanks all of our reporting partners who provided photos, video and insights into today’s events. See photo gallery below. To launch the gallery, click any image. By Cynthia Prairie and Shawn Cunningham ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Our southern Vermont region was hit with another rainstorm […]

Jason Julian pleads guilty to 'environmental crime' in Connecticut

Jason Julian pleads guilty to ‘environmental crime’ in Connecticut Co-owner of quarrying firm under dispute in Chester

By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Jason Julian, whose firm Julian Materials operates three quarries in Chester that have been the subject of many complaints, pleaded guilty on Friday to six misdemeanor charges in a Connecticut court. The charges, brought by the State of Connecticut, say that Julian illegally disposed of fill containing […]

DRB hearing turns rancorous as Julian Materials changes quarry application

DRB hearing turns rancorous as Julian Materials changes quarry application New plans include moving stone cutting outside Chester

By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Years of quarry noise and months of zoning hearings boiled over at Monday night’s meeting of the Chester Development Review Board as Julian Materials proposed a heavily amended version of its conditional use application, while neighbors demanded to know when there would be enforcement of the current […]

Photo Gallery: Santa's arrival sparks good cheer

Photo Gallery: Santa’s arrival sparks good cheer

©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC As dusk settled over Chester on Saturday, Chester Fire and Police escorted Santa down Main Street to the Green, with its white-lit trees and colorful Christmas tree. Their final destination was the brightly decorated Fullerton Inn to greet families and children who had come just to see him. Santa sat by […]

GM board members spar over misconduct allegations

GM board members spar over misconduct allegations

By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC What was ostensibly a review of the board’s ethics code and behavioral norms following complaints about the actions of at least two members of the Green Mountain Unified School District board turned into a tense discussion of a single member’s creation of images that he emailed to […]

Chieftain hearing seems to inch forward but questions remain

Chieftain hearing seems to inch forward but questions remain

By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC When the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District board voted on May 18 that its Chieftain name did not violate the district’s policy on non-discriminatory branding, several individuals and organizations appealed that decision to the Agency of Education. Emily Simmons, the general counsel with the […]

Chester planners shuffle the deck

Chester planners shuffle the deck

By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Planning Commission presented a fairly comprehensive amendment to the town’s zoning regulations to the Select Board on Nov. 15. The amendments are the commission’s response to Act 47 – the HOME (Housing Opportunities Made for Everyone) Act from the 2023 legislative session. The intent of […]

Holiday events throughout the region

Holiday events throughout the region Tree sales & lightings, visit with Santa, concerts, crafts & more

By Stacia Spaulding ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The holiday season has arrived. Are you in need of a Christmas tree or some hand-crafted gifts? Do the kids want to meet Santa? How about a relaxing evening filled with holiday music? The Telegraph has compiled a list of holiday events in the region. Our Calendar of […]

Chester DRB hears application for Goldthwaite Road wedding venue

Chester DRB hears application for Goldthwaite Road wedding venue Question arises about whether use is permitted for property

By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Several neighbors of 76 Goldthwaite Road in Chester attended Monday night’s Development Review Board meeting to register their concerns about an application to put a “wedding venue.” But how the application got to the board in the first place would be a good question. The application for […]

Chester board considers waiting period between home sale and allowing short-term rental

Chester board considers waiting period between home sale and allowing short-term rental

Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Forty-six days into a six-month moratorium on new un-hosted short-term rentals, the Chester Select Board appears to be leaning toward instituting a waiting period between the purchase of a property and the opening of such a short-term rental. The goal is to make it less attractive for investors […]

Flood resiliency takes center stage at legislative forum in Weston

Flood resiliency takes center stage at legislative forum in Weston Area residents anxious for solutions to persistent flooding

By Cynthia Prairie ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC WESTON Flood resiliency and mitigation was the major topic addressed during a gathering on Saturday of about 30 residents of Weston and surrounding towns for a discussion with state Rep. Kelly Pajala, and state Sens. Alison Clarkson, Dick McCormack and Becca White. McCormack, Clarkson and White represent Windsor […]

GM restructuring reboot gets under way

GM restructuring reboot gets under way

By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Compared with recent Green Mountain Unified School District board meetings, last Thursday’s Restructuring Committee session was refreshingly low-key and constructive. It was all the more interesting because the committee is comprised of the entire board and 10 of the 11 members were present. The original four-person committee […]