Featured Articles

No one injured, two condos destroyed in fire on Okemo Mountain

By Cara Philbin ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC A fire that broke out Saturday night in Okemo Mountain’s Trailside Village community destroyed two condominiums and left a third heavily damaged, Ludlow’s Deputy Fire Chief Fran Kissell told The Chester Telegraph on Sunday. No injuries were reported, but Ludlow Town Manager Brendan McNamara,  a volunteer firefighter who […]

Ed finance panel delays internal deadline for cost-containment suggestions

By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Anyone who watched the Sept. 30 meeting of the Education Finance subcommittee of Vermont’s Commission on the Future of Public Education might well have expected that this Monday’s session would see members hammering out a list of short-term cost containment ideas to present to the full commission […]

A Q&A with Charlton and Chase, candidates for Vermont House for Windsor-Windham District

©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Heather Chase, the Democratic incumbent, and Thomas Charlton, a Republican newcomer to politics, are running against each other for a two-year term in the Vermont House of Representatives representing the cross-county Windsor-Windham District consisting of the towns of Athens, Chester, Grafton and Windham. Voting will take place on 9 a.m. to […]

Weston’s Wilder Library gets $650,000 grant for addition, upgrades to entire site

By Cynthia Prairie ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Wilder Memorial Library in Weston has received a federal grant of $650,000 to support renovations to the 200-year-old brick structure and add 1,300 square feet of space in a new addition. The monies were awarded by the Vermont Department of Libraries, which was responsible for awarding $16.4 […]

First a lockdown drill, then a real lockdown at GMUHS as Chester Police investigate threat

By Cynthia Prairie and Shawn Cunningham ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC A report of a person with a gun threatening to hurt people at Green Mountain Union High School may have been a hoax perpetrated by a group that has conducted similar swatting calls around the country, but the Chester Police weren’t taking any chances. “We […]

Education finance panel brainstorms cost containment

By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Education Finance subcommittee of Vermont’s Commission on the Future of Public Education met for the second time on Monday. In the first two hours of a three and a half hour meeting, the committee received presentations by the Agency of Education and the Vermont Tax Department.  […]

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  • To the editor: Chase has been terrific for Grafton

    To the editor: Chase has been terrific for Grafton

    Heather Chase has been a terrific representative for Grafton. Heather is very responsive to our needs as individuals and as a town. She is committed to helping small schools survive, and will be front and center in the fight to keep Grace Cottage Hospital open. This whole small village relies on these two institutions to […]

  • To the editor: Endorsements of incumbents ignore results of their actions

    To the editor: Endorsements of incumbents ignore results of their actions

    I see the endorsements of the incumbents and can’t help wondering how the people can completely ignore the results of their actions. Highest in cost of living in relation to wages, second in homelessness, third in overall taxes per person; two out of five Vermonters living with food insecurity. We have high energy costs that […]

  • To the editor: Only Heather Chase will stand up for IVF and abortion care in race for State House

    To the editor: Only Heather Chase will stand up for IVF and abortion care in race for State House

    My name is Krista, I’m a life-long Vermonter who lives in Athens on the same land that my family has for at least six generations, and I write to endorse Heather Chase for our state representative. This election is deeply personal to me as my ability to have children — and the ability to receive […]

  • Chester Select Board agenda for Oct. 16

    Chester Select Board agenda for Oct. 16

    The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 16 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and via Zoom. To join the meeting go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81988842129 1. Reconvened Hearing on Unified Development Bylaw Amendment 2. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda 3. Approval of Minutes from the Select Board […]

  • Green Mountain School District board agenda for Oct. 17

    Green Mountain School District board agenda for Oct. 17

    The Green Mountain Unified School District board will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17 at the Green Mountain High School Media Center, 716 Route 103 South and via Zoom. To join the meeting via Zoom, click here. Below is its agenda I. CALL TO ORDER: A. Roll call II. APPROVAL OF […]

  • To the editor: County Democratic chair urges residents to vote for Dem state Senate candidates

    To the editor: County Democratic chair urges residents to vote for Dem state Senate candidates

    As we enter the last weeks of this election cycle, it is important to recognize the characteristics that are most critical in a candidate – integrity, honesty, transparency, and a genuine desire to be sensitive to and to understand the needs of the people of Vermont. There can be no ulterior or self-serving motives that […]

  • To the editor: Chase has integrity, compassion and should be re-elected to State House

    To the editor: Chase has integrity, compassion and should be re-elected to State House

    I am delighted to support Heather Chase, a person of integrity and compassion, in her re-election for state representative for the people in the towns of Athens, Chester, Grafton and Windham. Heather has served us well in Montpelier. As a nurse and a mother, she is a champion of the rights of a woman to […]

  • To the editor: Meet State House candidate Tom Charlton on Oct. 17

    To the editor: Meet State House candidate Tom Charlton on Oct. 17

    Hello my fellow Windham residents! We all faced huge property tax hikes recently and I don’t think we can afford to pay a $4 per gallon tax on our home heating fuel, among other tax hikes coming our way. Our education system is broken, the opioid epidemic is damaging Vermont families, our housing crisis is […]

  • Andover Select Board agenda for Oct. 14

    Andover Select Board agenda for Oct. 14

    The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday Oct. 14 at the Andover Town Office 953 Weston-Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of September 23rd meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, […]

  • To the editor: Springfield Hospital financial health improves as it seeks path to future service

    To the editor: Springfield Hospital financial health improves as it seeks path to future service

    Despite a forecast to the contrary outlined in a recent healthcare consultant’s report, Springfield Hospital is proud to report that, year to date, we have a $2.4 million improvement over fiscal year 2023. We are extremely proud of the work being done every day by our staff caring for patients and making these performance improvements […]

  • West River Farmers Market closes out 2024 season on Saturday

    West River Farmers Market closes out 2024 season on Saturday

    ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC This Saturday, Oct. 12, is the final day of the West River Farmers Market in Londonderry for the 2024 season. Don’t miss a beautiful fall foliage weekend and the last chance to purchase holiday gifts from some of your favorite craftspeople while picking up farm grown veggies, meats and flowers, grabbing […]

  • Shrouded in mystery, Weston's 'Woman in Black' twists time and reality

    Shrouded in mystery, Weston’s ‘Woman in Black’ twists time and reality

    By Cara Philbin ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Weston Theater Company’s final theatrical offering of the season, The Woman in Black, has all the trappings of an old fashioned ghost story to get you in the mood for a spine-tingling Halloween. Set on the melancholy shores of Victorian England, a settling of matters compels a […]

  • To the editor: Chase demonstrates leadership and knowledge of issues

    To the editor: Chase demonstrates leadership and knowledge of issues

    Greetings to the Voters of Chester, Grafton, Windham and Athens, It is with great pleasure that I endorse Heather Chase for re-election for another two-year term as our State Representative serving Chester, Grafton, Windham and Athens. I had the opportunity to serve with Heather for several years on the Chester Select Board before serving myself […]

  • Blessing of the Animals at St. Luke's on Oct. 13

    Blessing of the Animals at St. Luke’s on Oct. 13

    St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 313 Main St. in Chester, will hold a Blessing of the Animals on its back lawn from 9:30 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13. Members of the public are invited to bring an animal with whom they live or work or the photo of an animal about whom they care […]

  • Ludlow Rotary's annual Chili Cook-off Oct. 12

    Ludlow Rotary’s annual Chili Cook-off Oct. 12

    The Ludlow Rotary Club is sponsoring its 33rd Annual Chili Cook-off from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12 on Depot Street by the traffic light in Ludlow. Admission is $15 per person, $5 for kids 12 and under or $35 for a family (two adults and two kids). This includes a sample of each chili […]

  • To the editor: Jonynas endorses Chase for re-election

    To the editor: Jonynas endorses Chase for re-election

    It is my privilege to endorse Heather Chase for reelection to the Vermont State House for the Windham/Windsor district. Heather has been a strong proponent of fair and considerate legislation in the interest of all Vermonters. She is open and receptive to the needs and concerns of her fellow neighbor constituents. She is always willing […]

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