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Explainer: Why is the homestead tax rate higher than the non-homestead rate this year?

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Readers have asked why the education property tax rate for residents in the Green Mountain Unified School District is higher than the rate for non-residents and businesses. It’s usually the other way around. The answer lies in the Byzantine calculations the state uses to fund education spending. […]

A place, a memory, an affection: Vermont folk artist Martha Stevenson paints Vermont towns

By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing The works of folk artist Martha Stevenson are iconic in Vermont. While best known for her acrylic paintings of Okemo and other ski mountains in the snow, Stevenson is also noted for her lush, romanticized landscapes depicting small town Vermont with all of their appealing quirks. Now Stevenson, formerly […]

Chester board sets tax rates, begins look at town services

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Wednesday, the Chester Select Board finalized the town’s property tax rates by adding the state mandated education tax to the municipal rates it approved on June 17. And it also began the process of looking at town services with an eye to finding savings that might […]

Van Alstyne wins Vermont Prize for Tenney film

By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester native Travis Van Alstyne is the 2026 winner of the Vermont Prize, an annual $5,000 award given to one Vermont-based artist working in the visual arts. The award recognizes his short animated film Love of the Land, an award-winning animated short film that was released in 2024. […]

Auditor tells Chester board the town tax is ‘artificially low’

By Shawn Cunningham ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC You’re lean and mean but you’ve got no money,” said auditor Ron Smith at the June 17 Chester Select Board meeting. “But we’re not in the hole,” replied Town Manager Julie Hance. Smith agreed, but reiterated that the town does not have enough money sufficient for cash flow […]

Proctorsville’s Bob Glidden retires after 33 years as fire chief

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The year was 1970. Richard Nixon was in the second year of his first term, gasoline averaged 36¢ per gallon, the minimum wage was $1.60 and Bob Glidden was starting his career as a volunteer firefighter in Proctorsville. He was 12. Next week, he will retire from […]

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  • 'Whale of a Sale' returns to Derry July 24 & 25

    ‘Whale of a Sale’ returns to Derry July 24 & 25

    The Second Congregational Church’s annual Whale of a Sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25 at the church, 2051 Vermont Route 11 in Londonderry. Highlights this year include furniture, lamps, a fine collection of prints/frames and all kinds of sporting equipment and tools. As […]

  • Taconic Music Young Artists to perform during Sunday service at Weston church

    Taconic Music Young Artists to perform during Sunday service at Weston church

    The newly renamed Old Parish Community Church, 644 Main St. in Weston, will welcome four young artists who are participating in Taconic Music’s Chamber Music Intensive this summer. The string quartet will perform special music during Sunday service starting at 10:30 a.m. on July 12. These four talented musicians are part of a rigorous four-week […]

  • Reading of 'Declaration of Independence' on Vermont State House steps July 8

    Reading of ‘Declaration of Independence’ on Vermont State House steps July 8

    All are invited to witness a demonstration of shared heritage and community unity at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8 as the front steps of the Vermont State House, 115 State St. in Montpelier, transform into a living stage when citizens and leaders gather to bring America’s foundational promise to life. Lt. Gov. John Rodgers […]

  • Neighborhood Connections offers support sessions for caregivers, those with dementia

    Neighborhood Connections offers support sessions for caregivers, those with dementia

    Neighborhood Connections, 5700 VT-100 in Londonderry, is offering support to caregivers in the community who are working with loved ones experiencing memory challenges or a diagnosis of dementia or related disorders. “Remembering Together” uses a group format for caregiver support and participant engagement that is modeled after existing successful programs. Meetings will take place from […]

  • East Bay Jazz Ensemble returns to Proctorsville

    East Bay Jazz Ensemble returns to Proctorsville

    The Town of Cavendish and the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association invite everyone to the Svec Memorial Green, located at the intersection of Depot and Main streets in Proctorsville, to hear the large sound of Gerry Grimo and the East Bay Jazz Ensemble at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15. The ensemble has a performing […]

  • Thom Simmons at the helm of the HMS Sugar Bob

    Pride and Pirates in Chester

    © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two events drew good crowds last week in Chester. A Pride Month Celebration with music, ice cream and the Naan Stop food truck fare sponsored by the Country Girl Diner on Thursday, June 25 brought folks out to hear Olivia Nied play and sing. And while rain was predicted, it […]

  • Springfield Garden Club announces three scholarship winners for 2026

    Springfield Garden Club announces three scholarship winners for 2026

    The Springfield Garden Club announces the 2026 winners of the Springfield Garden Club Scholarship and the Sandy MacGillivray Scholarship. Ian Bernier and Cooper Palmer are the recipients of the Springfield Garden Club Scholarships. Bernier, of Andover, is a graduate of Green Mountain Union High School and will be attending the University of Vermont in the […]

  • College News

    College News

    Corinne Lindberg of Cavendish earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management and Marketing from Grove City College in Grove City, Penn., in May. Lindberg was also named to the college’s Dean’s List with High Distinction for the spring 2026 semester. Students eligible for the Dean’s List with High Distinction must earn a GPA of 3.85 […]

  • Gypsy Reel kicks off Cavendish concert season July 8

    Gypsy Reel kicks off Cavendish concert season July 8

    The Town of Cavendish and the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association invite the public to join in an evening of fun on the Svec Memorial Green, at the intersection of Depot and Main streets, in Proctorsville, at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8 to kick off the its summer music series. It begins with Gypsy […]

  • 250 Rocks! Declaration of Independence reading on July 4 at Cavendish coffee house

    250 Rocks! Declaration of Independence reading on July 4 at Cavendish coffee house

    Two hundred and fifty years ago, many colonists learned about the Declaration of Independence by hearing it read at a local coffee house.  People of all socio-economic statuses went to these houses for their favorite beverage, food and most importantly, the news of the day. The seeds of Revolution were planted in the coffee houses […]

  • Play highlights Weathersfield in the Revolution

    Play highlights Weathersfield in the Revolution

    Supported by a grant from Vermont 250, residents and former residents of Weathersfield are bringing a piece of that town’s Revolutionary War history to the stage, with two performances of a play performing a play based on a 250-year-old document discovered in a vault on July 11 and 12. Both performances are free  and open […]

  • Chester Select Board agenda for July 1

    Chester Select Board agenda for July 1

    The Chester Select Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, at Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and on Zoom, which you can access by clicking here. Below is its agenda 1. Approval of Minutes of June 17, 2026 Selectboard Meeting 2. Citizen’s Comments 3. Old Business 4. Request for Discontinuance; Ingraham […]

  • 'Schoolhouse Rock Live!' delivers the magic of learning for all ages

    ‘Schoolhouse Rock Live!’ delivers the magic of learning for all ages

    By Lorien Strange ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Maybe my passion for journalism was prefigured by my second-grade fascination with the song I’m Just a Bill. As someone who moved between schools frequently as a kid, I was delighted whenever my new teacher would announced that we’d be watching Schoolhouse Rock in all its glorious ’70s, […]

  • Ludlow Rotary gets grant for Okemo Valley Technical Rescue

    Ludlow Rotary gets grant for Okemo Valley Technical Rescue

    Ludlow Rotary Club recently received a Global Grant of $62,922 to fund Okemo Valley Technical Rescue. The grant will be used for training and equipment to outfit 15 emergency personnel for making rushing water and other technical rescues while keeping themselves safe. The safety of the local emergency personnel was a key factor in receiving […]

  • Townscape blooms a beautiful welcome to Chester

    Townscape blooms a beautiful welcome to Chester

    When flowers suddenly appear all over Chester, it means that Chester Townscape volunteers have been hard at work. Summer feature flowers that will bloom in a host of public places until frost. This year’s cold, late spring meant that Townscape volunteers had to hustle the minute the weather began to warm up to try to […]

  • LAHS kicks off summer events with program, exhibit on maple sugaring

    LAHS kicks off summer events with program, exhibit on maple sugaring

    The Londonderry Arts and Historical Society will hold its Annual Meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 25 at the Custer Sharp House, 2461 Middletown Road in Londonderry. The meeting will feature local residents sharing stories, skills and traditions that help to define our community. This year’s program, open to the public, will explore the […]

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