Featured Articles

Chester’s Chase announces run for Democratic nomination for state Senate’s Windsor District

 Heather Chase, a business owner who has served on the Chester Select Board and in the Vermont House of Representatives, announces her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the Vermont Senate from the Windsor District on Saturday, March 14, 2026. Despite the cold temperatures and blowing slow, more than 40 people turned out on […]

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 […]

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  • Henry Homeyer: How to propagate your garden with seeds, cuttings and dividing

    Henry Homeyer: How to propagate your garden with seeds, cuttings and dividing

    By Henry Homeyer ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC It seems to me that the prices of many things have gone up significantly in recent times. One way to combat that, as a gardener, is to start plants by seed instead of buying plants that someone else as started, watered and mothered for months. Many gardeners enjoy […]

  • Children's art program at Derry Library March 14

    Children’s art program at Derry Library March 14

    South Londonderry Free Library, 15 Old School Road, invites children of all ages (and grownups too!) to an art workshop with Casey Junker Bailey at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 14. The workshop is free of charge and appropriate for all ages. Come learn about the life and art of African American painter Horace Pippin […]

  • Two short films about supporting birds March 13 in Proctorsville

    Two short films about supporting birds March 13 in Proctorsville

    Cavendish Fletcher Community Library and the Cavendish Community Conservation Association will host Building for Birds and Puffling Patrol, two short films about supporting birds, at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 13 at the library, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Birds play vital ecological roles in […]

  • 'Jamaica Sings: Songs for Protest and Resistance' March 15

    ‘Jamaica Sings: Songs for Protest and Resistance’ March 15

    Voices will rise in harmony at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 15 as community members gather at the historic Jamaica Town Hall, 3735 VT-30, for “Jamaica Sings: Songs for Protest and Resistance.” This spirited community sing-a-long is sponsored by Jamaica for Democracy, a non-partisan community group committed to upholding constitutional principles, civil liberties and respectful […]

  • History talk highlights Cavendish's Hannah Lovell and women in the Revolution

    History talk highlights Cavendish’s Hannah Lovell and women in the Revolution

    T Revolutionary War would not have been won without contributions from women. Often overlooked in history books, which tend to focus on battles and men, they were responsible for organizing boycotts, acting as quartermasters in camps, nursing, manning cannons, spying and much more. Cavendish Historical Society will present a talk at 1 p.m. on Saturday, […]

  • 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: Seeking school board seat to support strong, equitable, accessible education

    To the editor: Seeking school board seat to support strong, equitable, accessible education

    On March 5, I officially applied by email to serve on the Green Mountain Union School District Board seat left vacant by Casey Leahy’s resignation. I am seeking this opportunity because I believe that supporting a strong, equitable, and accessible public education system is one of the most important responsibilities a community holds. School boards […]

  • 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. […]

  • Bailey drops out of school board race amid 'worry for my wife's safety'

    Bailey drops out of school board race amid ‘worry for my wife’s safety’

    By Cynthia Prairie © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Jesse Bailey has decided to drop out of the race for the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District. His decision comes after two days of facing outrage, criticism, but also support, when a right-wing troll from Brattleboro found, repackaged and distributed a video of he […]

  • 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 […]

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