Author Archive for Cynthia Prairie
Cynthia Prairie has been a newspaper editor more than 40 years. Cynthia has worked at such publications as the Raleigh Times, the Baltimore News American, the Buffalo Courier Express, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Patuxent Publishing chain of community newspapers in Maryland, and has won numerous state awards for her reporting. As an editor, she has overseen her staffs to win many awards for indepth coverage. She and her family moved to Chester, Vermont in 2004.
Chester gets $47,000 grant to remove, replace ash trees
By Cynthia Prairie ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Town of Chester has received a $47,000 federal grant that will allow it to remove more than 25 ash trees in the village in poor condition or subject to emerald ash borer. The grant also will allow the town to plant replacement trees and purchase a watering […]
Partisan candidates forum sparks concern in Chester New local GOP committee is hoping to grow dormant party
By Cynthia Prairie ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC A Chester candidates forum that has excluded half the candidates running for contested seats on the Chester Select Board and the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District is drawing concern that it could be injecting partisan politics into local elections that have not seen them in […]
Chester, Springfield, Mt. Holly among S. Vt. towns to get community planning grants Chester to study possible new neighborhood on town land
By Cynthia Prairie ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester, Springfield, Mount Holly, Putney and Winhall are among 31 recipients totaling $673,391 in Municipal Planning Grants offer by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development. Municipal Planning Grant program funds are awarded annually and support local community revitalization and planning initiatives. Since 1998, the program has […]
North, South Village wastewater plans proposed for Londonderry
By Cynthia Prairie ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Dufresne Group of Springfield has recommended two community wastewater disposal systems for the North and South Villages of the town of Londonderry. Christina Haskins, a vice president and engineer with Dufresne, presented the engineering company’s findings and recommendations last Wednesday before a group of residents and business […]
Nine towns in S. Vermont to benefit from revitalization funds
©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Gov. Phil Scott and the Department of Economic Development announced the fourth and final round of Community Recovery and Revitalization Program grant winners. The 40 approved projects are expected to support 1,810 existing jobs, enable the creation of 117 new jobs, build or rehabilitate 75 housing units, and add 60 new […]
Vermont ranks 4th in country in percentage of adults identifying as LGBT
By Cynthia Prairie © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The state of Vermont ranks 4th in the percentage of LGBT adults per capita, behind Washington, D.C., Oregon and Delaware, according to a new study by the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute. Vermont has been considered a pioneer in gay rights, being the first in the […]
Editorial: Moving on from the Chieftain name
By Cynthia Prairie ©2023 Telegraph Publishing It’s time to move on from the chaos and drama that has plagued the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District since last March, when a reconstituted board took over and a volcano of anger and distrust over the future of the “Chieftain” name upended the normal flow […]
Flooding hits S. Vt.: Derry shops whacked again Dirt roads take the brunt of other damage
Video by David Lewis of Windham. The Chester Telegraph thanks all of our reporting partners who provided photos, video and insights into today’s events. See photo gallery below. To launch the gallery, click any image. By Cynthia Prairie and Shawn Cunningham ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Our southern Vermont region was hit with another rainstorm […]
Photo Gallery: Santa’s arrival sparks good cheer
©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC As dusk settled over Chester on Saturday, Chester Fire and Police escorted Santa down Main Street to the Green, with its white-lit trees and colorful Christmas tree. Their final destination was the brightly decorated Fullerton Inn to greet families and children who had come just to see him. Santa sat by […]
Tractor-trailer explosion forces home evacuation in N. Vermont town of Irasburg
Updated 9:40 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5. Updated 1:20 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4. ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC A major crash and explosion of a tractor trailer carrying 10,000 gallons of liquid propane in the Northern Vermont town of Irasburg forced nearby residents in both Irasburg and Coventry out of their homes on Monday morning, according to […]
Springfield murderer in girls’ kidnapping, deaths from 1979-1983 dies in Kentucky prison
©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Gary Schaefer, 72, of Springfield, a confessed murderer and suspected serial killer who committed his crimes in the area between 1979 and 1983, died on Nov. 26 while serving a 30 years-to-life sentence in a Kentucky state prison since May 1985. According to a press release, just after midnight on Nov. […]
Flood resiliency takes center stage at legislative forum in Weston Area residents anxious for solutions to persistent flooding
By Cynthia Prairie ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC WESTON Flood resiliency and mitigation was the major topic addressed during a gathering on Saturday of about 30 residents of Weston and surrounding towns for a discussion with state Rep. Kelly Pajala, and state Sens. Alison Clarkson, Dick McCormack and Becca White. McCormack, Clarkson and White represent Windsor […]
Chester’s Whiting Library welcomes new director
By Cynthia Prairie ©2023 Telegraph Publishing Chester’s Whiting Library has a new library director, Gail Zachariah, a Westminster resident and head of engagement and youth services at the Keene, N.H., Public Library for 23 years before her departure in August. She will be the second library director since Deirdre Doran resigned last spring. High school […]
Chester Police probe ‘Zoom-bombing’ at GM school board special meeting
By Cynthia Prairie ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester Police are investigating last Tuesday night’s Zoom-bombing of a school board special meeting that shut down the meeting for about eight minutes. The incident included pornographic video and vile racial epithets and lasted 48 seconds before it could be shut down. Some Zoom attendees were watching the […]
Editorial: Misinformation 1; Transparency 0
By Cynthia Prairie ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC No one likes to be called out in a public meeting. And for that to happen to a newspaper, it can be more than a little disconcerting. Journalists tend to not to like to be the center of attention. We write about the news, we don’t make it. […]
West River Farmers Market thanks Flood Brook School for hospitality
©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Members of the board of the West River Farmers Market on Tuesday presented Flood Brook School Principal Johanna Liskowsky-Doak with a bouquet of flowers and a tote celebrating the market’s 30th anniversary. Also presented was a thank you card signed by more than 45 vendors from the market. The gesture was […]
New program offers meal vouchers for area restaurants Vermont Emergency Eats targets flood-impacted residents in Ludlow, Plymouth, Cavendish, Weston, Londonderry
©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC In an effort to feed disrupted populations in flood ravaged communities in Vermont, beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 8 and running through Thursday, Aug. 31, the Vermont Emergency Eats program will begin signing up residents of Ludlow, Cavendish, Plymouth, Weston and Londonderry for meal vouchers for participating restaurants. To qualify in our […]
FEMA sets up long-term Disaster Recovery Center at Flood Brook School Individuals, businesses urged to sign up for assistance
By Cynthia Prairie ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Federal Emergency Management Agency has opened a Disaster Recovery Center at the gymnasium of Flood Brook School, at 91 VT-11 in Londonderry, to help those impacted by the floods of Monday, July 10. FEMA and the Small Business Administration will be on hand to help those affected […]
Weston Theater cancels last two shows;
‘Singin’ in the Rain’ moving to Walker Farm Financial losses multiply as damage to Playhouse, other buildings mount
By Cynthia Prairie ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The damage to the Weston Playhouse from the July 10 flooding was so severe that the Weston Theater Company is canceling its last two shows and moving Singin’ in the Rain from the Playhouse to Walker Farm as the final show of the season. This will allow the […]
Where to donate funds, goods to help families, businesses and organizations
By Cynthia Prairie and Cara Philbin @2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Small businesses, organizations and individuals have all suffered from the floods of July 10, 2023. Below is a list of fundraising efforts in our communities. We are concentrating on highly local efforts. If you know of other such efforts, please e-mail them in the format […]
