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GM board sends same budget back for May 12 re-vote

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC After a rough start to its Thursday, April 16 meeting, the Green Mountain Unified School District board gelled and decided unanimously to again put forward the budget that went down to defeat at Town Meeting Day, to set the re-vote date for May 12, then brainstormed ways […]

Chester board OKs federal grant application, solar field purchase

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC In one of the most unusual agendas in recent memory, the Chester Select Board held two meetings last Wednesday with three executive sessions and a legal tutorial on the roles of the board and town manager in Vermont statutes from town attorney Jim Carroll. While the remainder […]

Pause to revise Act 181 likely

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC At last week’s Chester Planning Commission meeting focused on Act 181, Land Use Review Board member Alex Weinhagen said his group would like more time to work on getting new rules — which make major changes to Act 250 — right. Then, in an interview with The […]

Chester Select Board OKs funds to assess three properties for housing; July 4th event on Green

By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Wednesday’s Chester Select Board meeting again had an agenda filled with non-controversial, routine tasks for the board with documents to sign, appointments to make and approvals to grant. The board looked at a request from the town’s Housing Commission for $11,300 from the housing reserve fund […]

Judge in 4 year-old murder case aims to pick up pace

Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC More than six years after truck driver Roberto Fonseca-Rivera was shot and killed on Rt. 103 in Rockingham and more than four years after Jozsef Piri was charged with 2nd degree murder in the crime, the justice system continues to grind slowly toward a trial, which lawyers on […]

Signs of the times: Chester Green hosts third No Kings rally

Elvis did not leave the Green during the two-hour protest. All photos by Shawn Cunningham unless otherwise noted. By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC While some of the signs carried angry messages, most of those carrying them did not. Instead, they offered up smiles and humor as they spoke of serious subjects that drew […]

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  • OMS snowboarders earn 12 podiums at USASA National Snowboard Championships

    OMS snowboarders earn 12 podiums at USASA National Snowboard Championships

    Okemo Mountain School qualified nine athletes and secured 12 podiums against hundreds of the nation’s top junior snowboarders at the 2026 United States of America Snowboard and Freeski Association National Championships, which took place at Copper Mountain, Colo. between March 27 and April 2. Numerous past USASA National Champions have gone on to become top […]

  • Sotomayor quilt raffle to benefit Chester Dems

    Sotomayor quilt raffle to benefit Chester Dems

    The Chester Town Democratic Committee is offering a chance to win a beautiful one-of-a-kind art quilt of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, created by award winning Chester quilt artist Linda Diak. Diak created this portrait of Justice Sotomayor using only cotton fabric and thread. The quilt measures 35 inches wide by 28 inches high and is signed […]

  • Part 2: Disability Rights: Housing, healthcare and mobility challenge Vermonters

    Part 2: Disability Rights: Housing, healthcare and mobility challenge Vermonters

    By Anne Henshaw ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Thanks to the efforts of the Vermont Coalition of Disability Rights, the Vermont Legislature voted on a House resolution declaring Feb. 11, 2026, Disability Advocacy Day. Families, self-advocates, service providers and legislators gathered at the Vermont Statehouse under a shared call to action: disability policy is every policy. […]

  • Play Every Town concert in Peru to also benefit Neighborhood Connections

    Play Every Town concert in Peru to also benefit Neighborhood Connections

    Renowned pianist David Feurzeig will perform his 96th Vermont concert at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 17 at the Peru Church, 292 Main St. in Peru. He will be joined by local performers Amy Chamberlain, Anne D’Olivo and Wendy Galbraith as part of his Play Every Town project: a free concert in each of Vermont’s […]

  • Get ready for Green Up Day with a free 'Culvert Crawlers' workshop April 22 in Proctorsville

    Get ready for Green Up Day with a free ‘Culvert Crawlers’ workshop April 22 in Proctorsville

    Culverts are designed to convey stormwater runoff but can easily become clogged with fallen leaves, vegetation and debris, which can lead to flooding. On Green Up Day. Saturday, May 2, residents are encouraged to take the time to check culverts, ditches and drains — while out picking up trash — to make sure that they […]

  • To the editor: Rural Caucus members urge repeal of Tier 3, Road Rule in Act 181

    To the editor: Rural Caucus members urge repeal of Tier 3, Road Rule in Act 181

    Due to the widespread concern about the potential impacts of Act 181 (the reform of Act 250) I will be holding a discussion/Q&A at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 19 at the New American Grill, 5700 Vermont Rte 100, in Londonderry. Please join us. What is Act 181? And what are people concerned about? Act […]

  • To the editor: Act 181 road rule disincentivizes sound planning

    To the editor: Act 181 road rule disincentivizes sound planning

    As someone who has taught Environmental Economics over the course of 27 years at three colleges, and as a past administrator of a regional planning commission, I must strenuously oppose Act 181 in its current form.  While I embrace the need for environmental stewardship and proper planning, I also have serious concerns about the “road […]

  • Chester Select Board special meeting, regular meeting agendas for April 15

    Chester Select Board special meeting, regular meeting agendas for April 15

    The Chester Select Board will hold two meetings on Wednesday April 15. The first, a special meeting with two executive sessions with legal counsel, will be held at 5 p.m.  The second, regular meeting, will be held at 6:30 p.m. Both meetings will be at Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and remotely via Zoom. Below […]

  • Water flows into Rt. 103 from First Avenue after a water main break on Thursday morning. Photos by Shawn Cunningham

    Construction crew breaks water main in Chester

    By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC A construction crew working on Chester’s sewer project on First Avenue at Route 103 broke a water main Thursday, causing water to pour out of the trench, over the roadway and into a field, where it drained off. Moments after the break, Jeff Holden, Chester’s Water and […]

  • Drumstick primula is an early spring bloomer.

    Henry Homeyer: Spring brings two columns each month and new ideas for your garden

    By Henry Homeyer ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC This was supposed to be my very last gardening column, but (spoiler alert) it is not. I started writing a gardening column in 1998 and wrote weekly for 25 years. Then, in late 2023, I dropped down to once a month. I liked the extra time and freedom […]

  • Green Up Day returns Saturday, May 2

    Green Up Day returns Saturday, May 2

    Green Up Day has been held each spring since 1970. The event is still going strong 56 years later, with tens of thousands of volunteers collecting hundreds of tons of trash annually from roadsides and waterways. This year, Green Up Day is Saturday, May 2. Cavendish volunteers can sign up now and claim roads in […]

  • More than 20 Vermont organizations host Changemakers Summit on April 11

    More than 20 Vermont organizations host Changemakers Summit on April 11

    A broad coalition of Vermont nonprofit organizations representing public health, food security, social justice, environmental and other interests is hosting the 2026 Vermont Changemakers Summit from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 11. The free, all-day event will take place at Harwood Union Middle & High School, 458 Vermont Rte 100 in Moretown. […]

  • Part 1: Disability Rights: From institution toward independence

    Part 1: Disability Rights: From institution toward independence

    By Anne Henshaw ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC For much of American history, people with disabilities were seen as “others;” as problems to be managed. Disabled people were denied access to public schools, barred from employment, denied voting rights, subjected to eugenics laws, sterilized without consent and segregated banished from public life. They were not only […]

  • Free 'Stop the Bleed' training in Springfield

    Free ‘Stop the Bleed’ training in Springfield

    Accidents can happen anywhere – at home, in the yard, on the road or just out running errands. Bleeding is the leading cause of preventable death after injury. Come learn the simple skills needed to potentially save a life. Stop the Bleed, a free training event, will take place at the Black River Innovation Campus, […]

  • Chester Townscape offers hanging baskets

    Chester Townscape offers hanging baskets

    Chester Townscape is once again taking orders for beautiful hanging flower baskets. They are available in a choice of hot or cool colors that are especially selected for reliability and beauty and the ability to thrive in sunny or shady locations. Click here to download the order form. The baskets make a perfect Mother’s Day […]

  • To the editor: Chase promises grit, clear-eyed vision as she seeks Windsor Senate seat

    To the editor: Chase promises grit, clear-eyed vision as she seeks Windsor Senate seat

    In case you haven’t already heard, I am officially running for the Vermont Senate to represent Windsor County. I launched my campaign on the Chester Green in mid-March, surrounded by supporters and loved ones. I’ve spent my life serving others: as a nurse, a successful business owner, a member of the Chester Select Board and […]

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