Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
Chester begins Town Plan update; ‘all boards’ public meeting on June 9 to coordinate effort
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a couple of weeks, Chester will hold an “all boards” meeting, bringing together many of the boards, committees and commissions that work on issues facing the town. That Tuesday, June 9 public meeting will be held from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Town Hall and remotely […]
Chester board hears that audits will show no deficits, reservoir dam recommendations
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC At last Wednesday’s meeting, the Chester Select Board got a bit of good news when Town Manager Julie Hance announced that there was no negative fund balance or deficit for 2024 or 2025. Back in January, Hance said that although the town received a clean audit for […]
GM budget passes by wide margin; Cavendish Elementary principal resigns
****Article updated at 5 p.m. Wednesday with quote from Superintendent Layne Millington.**** By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC On March 3 – Town Meeting Day – 1,013 residents of Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester went to the polls and by a margin of 37 votes defeated the budget proposal put forward by […]
What to know about the GMUSD budget re-vote
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a little less than a week, residents of Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester will get a second chance to vote on the proposed budget of the Green Mountain Unified School District. The district runs two elementary schools and a single high/middle school. On March 3, voters […]
Repeals of Act 181 portions zip through Legislature '...a lot of things went sideways ... but this solves the problem, for now'
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Legislature sometimes gets the reputation for being ponderously slow but last week it showed it could move lightning fast when large numbers of people are up in arms about the effects of a law — and it’s an election year. As regular readers will know, […]
Andover Select Board agenda for May 11
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday May 11 at the Andover Town Office, 953 Weston-Andover Road 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of April 27th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, 10 minutes per topic): Members […]
House Environment committee votes to move Act 181 repeal bill forward
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC By a roll call vote this morning (Thursday, April 30), the Vermont House Committee on the Environment unanimously approved a heavily revised version of Senate bill 325 and sent it on to the full House. The newly minted legislation, among other things, repeals Act 181’s Road Rule […]
Rural Caucus hears update on Act 181 changes
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Legislature’s Rural Caucus — which recently sent a letter to House Speaker Jill Krowinski urging the repeal of portions of Act 181 — heard an update this morning from Rep. Rob North on the status of that move. North, of Ferrisburg, sits on the House […]
Judge clears way for Piri murder trial early next year Five week trial expected, complicating scheduling
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC A Windham County Superior Court judge has denied a defense motion to dismiss second-degree murder charges against Jozsef Piri, paving the way for a five week long trial sometime early in 2027. Piri is accused of shooting and killing Roberto Fonseca-Rivera – a Boston truck driver – […]
Chester Fire & EMS receive VFW commendations Manchester Post recognizes first responders to mark its 80th anniversary
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC On April 9, Steve Leach — a representative of the Harned-Fowler VFW Post 6471 of Manchester — visited Chester’s Public Safety Building to present the fire and ambulance departments with VFW Community Service certificates. Leach said that April 2026 marks the 80th anniversary of Post 6471’s National […]
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 […]
Act 250 board suspends work on ‘road rule,’ Tier 3 regs ahead of likely repeal
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Earlier today, Alex Weinhagen of the Vermont’s Land Use Review Board told The Telegraph, “We are suspending work on the Tier 3 and the Road Construction Jurisdiction provisions of Act 181 given the Legislature’s likely repeal of these two elements of the law.” Then this afternoon, the […]
Pause to revise Act 181 likely Chester residents weigh in at Planning Commission meeting
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
GM board to consider ‘reduction in force’ ahead of next budget vote
UPDATE April 1: Last night the GMUSD board voted to issue a reduction in force for its employees ahead of the re-vote of the district budget later this spring. We will have more on this story in the coming days. By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Thursday evening, the Green Mountain Unified […]
Chester Select Board agenda for April 1
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday April 1 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Approval of Minutes of March 18, 2026 Select Board Meeting 2. Citizen’s Comments 3. Old Business 4. Sharon Baker; Permission to Use Green […]
Chester board names paper of record despite chair’s complaints about Telegraph
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board agenda for March 18 promised a low-key meeting with mostly routine appointments, liquor license and entertainment permit approvals and review and adoption of some policies. The most contentious item – given recent dustups over school board appointments – seemed to be whether to […]