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Chester board adopts policy on public records requests

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The first Select Board meeting after the town’s annual meeting is usually a light one and last Wednesday’s Chester Select Board confab was even lighter than its agenda promised. Sharon Baker  was expected to present a request to use the Chester Green for a Vermont Food Festival […]

Whisper, internet campaigns fail as Jonynas, Roper, Fierman, Bailey win their Chester races

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC With an unusually large number of contested races and two instances of controversial election shenanigans, Chester’s results for Select Board and school board campaigns have been highly anticipated. In the end, Democrats had a blowout night with all of their candidates victorious and most by substantial margins. […]

Chester votes down 1% Local Option Tax; Frank Kelley steps up as Town Moderator

By Cynthia Prairie and Shawn Cunningham ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The proposed 1 percent Local Option Tax on meals, rooms and consumed alcoholic beverages that would have brought an estimated $60,000 annually into the Chester Housing Commission’s Housing Reserve Fund went down in defeat on Monday night by a vote of 59 to 76. In […]

Q&A: Ucci challenging incumbent Jonynas for three-year Select Board seat

The Chester Select Board is made up of five members voted at large — three are three-year terms, which are elected on a staggered, and two are one-year terms, which are, of course, voted on every year. This year, incumbent Arne Jonynas, who holds a three-year term, is being challenged by Jerry Ucci. You’ll find […]

Q&A: Spaulding, Roper, Mancuso and Fierman compete for two Select Board seats

The Chester Select Board is made up of five members voted at large — three are three-year terms, which are elected on a staggered, and two are one-year terms, which are, of course, voted on every year. Those two one-year seats are currently held by Tim Roper, who is seeking reelection and Ariana Knapp, who […]

Q&A: Miles & Bailey face off for an unexpired term on the Green Mountain district board

From left, Randy Miles and Jesse Bailey The Green Mountain Unified School District Board has 11 members; six of whom represent Chester, the largest town by population within the school district. In addition to Chester, there are three representatives from Cavendish and one each from Baltimore and Andover. Two Chester residents are vying for one […]

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  • 24 Hours of Stratton charity event March 14, 15

    24 Hours of Stratton charity event March 14, 15

    The Stratton Community Foundation presents the 14th Annual fundraising 24 Hours of Stratton beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15, at Stratton Mountain Resort, 5 Village Lodge Road in Stratton Mountain. Participants of all ages and abilities are invited to ski or snowboard under lighted trails through sunrise, enjoy live […]

  • To the editor: Chester school board hopefuls claim to be nonpolitical; don't believe them

    To the editor: Chester school board hopefuls claim to be nonpolitical; don’t believe them

    When I vote in Cavendish tomorrow, I’ll have several things in mind regarding the school budget and the school board. I cannot cast a vote for Chester’s representatives to the GMUSD school board, yet Chester votes have an outsized impact on the schools and towns in our district. In turn, your decisions impact the social […]

  • Political notes: Weekend with Bernie and the Chester GOP; now go vote

    Political notes: Weekend with Bernie and the Chester GOP; now go vote

    By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC It was a busy Saturday in Chester, coming off two political scandals — one a whisper campaign and one ignited by two MAGA trolls. The whisper campaign was apparently snuffed out when the main target — Select Board member Arne Jonynas —  wrote a letter to the editor […]

  • To the editor: Understanding coercive behavior, abusive tactics and the misuse of personal images

    To the editor: Understanding coercive behavior, abusive tactics and the misuse of personal images

    Recent “politics” in our small town have revealed how easily a person’s photos can be used as tools of humiliation and control when someone chooses to weaponize them. From a psychological and ethical perspective, this is not “politics” or “drama.” It mirrors a pattern that are well-known in the study of family violence, coercive control, […]

  • Neighborhood Connections designated a Benefits Enrollment Center to aid Medicare beneficiaries

    Neighborhood Connections designated a Benefits Enrollment Center to aid Medicare beneficiaries

    On Feb. 1, Neighborhood Connections has been designated a Benefits Enrollment Center by the National Council on Aging. It is 1 of 90 across the United States and one of only two in Vermont. BECs focus on connecting Medicare beneficiaries with limited incomes to core benefits, such as Medicare Part D Extra Help and Low-Income […]

  • West River Coffee hosts 'Art at the Barn' Opening Reception for photographer Musgrave

    West River Coffee hosts ‘Art at the Barn’ Opening Reception for photographer Musgrave

    West River Coffee Barn, 2309 N. Main St. in Londonderry, announces the next installment of its “Art at the Barn” series, featuring photographer Evan Musgrave. An Opening Reception will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 5. The community is invited to come meet the artist, connect with neighbors and enjoy light […]

  • To the editor: Chester Dems do not comment on private conduct of candidates

    To the editor: Chester Dems do not comment on private conduct of candidates

    Information regarding personal conduct of Jesse Bailey, candidate for the Green Mountain Unified School District Board has come to the attention of the Chester Town Democratic Committee. The position of the CTDC is not to engage in public comment regarding the  personal, private behavior of candidates. This is now in the hands of the Chester voters. […]

  • To the editor: Poitras and Keller weren't attacking a candidate, they were attacking his wife

    To the editor: Poitras and Keller weren’t attacking a candidate, they were attacking his wife

    On Thursday, Hank Poitras and John Keller publicly circulated a video of themselves viewing subscription-based sexual content involving Jesse Bailey and his wife. The content in question involves legal, consensual activity between adults. The content Poitras and Keller shared without consent exists behind a paid platform called OnlyFans, which requires contractual agreement and payment to access […]

  • GMUSD candidate Jesse Bailey in hot water over OnlyFans video with wife

    GMUSD candidate Jesse Bailey in hot water over OnlyFans video with wife

    By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Jesse Bailey, a first-time candidate for the Green Mountain Unified School District Board, is taking a lot of heat over a sex video of himself and his wife and photos of her from her private OnlyFans site that were made public this morning. But while he’s in the […]

  • To the editor: I'm running to help Chester return to prosperity

    To the editor: I’m running to help Chester return to prosperity

    My name is Steve Mancuso. I’m a semi-retired local tradesman living on a farm I built on the Springfield side of Chester. I have a long history serving my community in emergency services and now would like to serve you in another capacity. I am running for a one-year seat on the Chester Select Board. […]

  • What's on Chester's March 2 and March 3 ballots

    What’s on Chester’s March 2 and March 3 ballots

    By Shawn Cunningham and Cynthia Prairie © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Tuesday, March 3 Australian ballot will contain more than just the contested races for Chester’s Select Board and for Chester seats on the Green Mountain School District Board. And on Monday, March 2, the Town Meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. will offer […]

  • To the editor: Roper seeks your vote on March 3

    To the editor: Roper seeks your vote on March 3

    I am seeking my third one-year term on the Chester Select Board because I care deeply about this town. That motivates me to think carefully about how the actions of today’s town government will impact the quality of life in the days and the decades to come. I’m not always vocal when sitting behind the […]

  • To the editor: Benelli for school board

    To the editor: Benelli for school board

    Alan and I grew up in Chester and our families have been Vermont residents for generations. We have observed all the changes in Chester and been involved with many of them. I have been a teacher in this town for over 30 years. Our children and grandchildren attended our schools. We have what you would […]

  • To the editor: Supporting teachers among reasons why I'm running for GMUSD board

    To the editor: Supporting teachers among reasons why I’m running for GMUSD board

    Let me get straight to the point. I’m running for a spot on the Green Mountain Unified School District school board for a number of reasons, chief among them these: 1. Education shouldn’t be politicized. Yet, all around the country, school boards have become puppets to political ideologies. We need directors devoid of any interest in […]

  • League of Women Voters lecture series on voting rights continues March 11

    League of Women Voters lecture series on voting rights continues March 11

    The League of Women Voters of Vermont, in partnership with Kellogg-Hubbard Library, presents the next installment of its 2025-2026 lecture series on Voting Rights and Access to the Ballot at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11. Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland-Hanzas will discuss two bills now before Congress: the SAVE Act and the John […]

  • To the editor: Vote for Bailey for GMUSD board

    To the editor: Vote for Bailey for GMUSD board

    Dear Chester Voters, I’m writing to support Jesse Bailey for the one-year unexpired term on the Green Mountain Union School District board. I’ve known Jesse for several years, and have always admired his clear thinking and his willingness to express his beliefs clearly and openly. He understands both the importance of keeping politics out of […]

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