Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
GMUSD Board gets update on re-opening
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Most of the Green Mountain Unified School District board meeting on Thursday, July 17 was taken up with discussing how district schools will reopen for face-to-face learning late next month. So it was ironic that the final agenda point was a conversation on whether the board should […]
A hot Sunday for Chester firefighters
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester Fire Chief Matt Wilson had planned a quiet Sunday by the pool. But it was not to be. At 12:55 p.m., the Fire Department was called out for a tree that fell on Grafton Road, just south of High Street, taking down wires and knocking out […]
Covid retests return two positives out of 17, muddying picture of ‘outbreak’ in S. Vermont
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC More than 1,000 people sought testing in Manchester and Londonderry on Wednesday and Thursday as the extent of the Covid-19 outbreak in these southern Vermont communities grew more unclear with only two of six 17 retests coming back positive. (Updated at 11:40 a.m. Friday, July 17) A […]
After School summer camp closes temporarily out of caution
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC An outdoor summer camp run by the After School program of the Green Mountain and Ludlow Mount Holly school districts has closed for the rest of this week after a parent reported that a child was running a temperature. According to Go WILD camp director Venissa White, […]
A Complex Equation: Schools, Tech Center prepare for return of students Administrators work to minimize in-person risk but prep for remote learning if needed
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing, LLC This is the third in a series of articles on what schools will have to plan for when they open in the fall. To read Part 1 click here. To read Part 2 click here. No matter what anyone says about what will happen when schools reopen […]
Chester board continues discussion of policing policies with chief
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Three members of the Chester Select Board gathered at Town Hall last Wednesday for the first in-person meeting it has held since early April. The meeting was also held via Zoom for those who did not wisht0 or were unable to attend. The board continued its discussion […]
VSP on theft of Peru speed sign: Never mind
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC A speed sign on Route 11 near the Bromley Market that was reported stolen has turned up with “no foul play.” According to a Vermont State Police press release issued on Friday, July 3, the sign, which is owned by the Department of Public Safety and reported stolen on July, […]
Water quality testing underway in area rivers
Summer is in full swing with hot days, thunderstorms and lots of swimming. And with summer comes water quality testing for harmful bacteria. Sample bottles, thermometers, coolers, and paperwork in hand, Susan Brace and Frank Kelley headed out early Wednesday morning to collect samples. The goal of the water quality program is to monitor the […]
Stone table and benches complete Chester park
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC In March 2018, Chester voters approved a bond for $25,000 to construct a “pocket park” at the end of School Street by the suspension bridge over the Middle Branch of the Williams River. The park was one of the first ideas that came out of the Village […]
Chester Planning Commission agenda for July 6
The Chester Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday July 6, 2020. Below is its agenda. It will be held via Zoom. To attend by phone, call (646) 558 8656 and enter the Meeting ID: 810 2925 6359 # To attend online go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81029256359 Review minutes from the June […]
S. Vermont in a ‘crazy’ real estate sales boom Some buyers scooping up homes sight-unseen
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Talk with any area Realtor about the current property market and one word that comes up nearly every time is “crazy.” Real estate sales in this part of Southern Vermont have heating up as the number of houses available – what Realtors call “inventory” – is in […]
Late night driver takes out Route 103 pole, power
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Just before 3 a.m. on Monday morning, Chester Police, Fire and Ambulance were called for a crash that sheered off a utility pole along Rt. 103 south bringing down wires and stopping traffic. But when they arrived, they found an empty car. According to a CPD press […]
A Complex Equation: State issues rules that are not negotiable Part 2 on reopening schools in the Time of Covid-19
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC This is the second in a series of articles on what schools will have to plan for when they open in the fall. To read Part 1 click here. The most volatile variable in any plan to reopen schools this fall will be the public health situation. […]
A one-of-a-kind commencement Following a parade, Green Mountain High graduates 47 in hours-long event: Video and Photo gallery
Parade video by Cynthia Prairie, Cap toss video by Tuckerman Wunderle, edited by Leah M. Cunningham Photos and story by Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Starting at 1 p.m. under a cloudless sky and ending just before 6 p.m. with darkening clouds on Friday, Green Mountain High’s commencement for the Class of 2020 […]
Truck hauling new, empty nuclear storage cask crashes in Andover Recovery closes Route 11 on Friday and Saturday
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC A truck carrying a new, empty storage cask for nuclear fuel rods bound for Vermont Yankee in Vernon crashed just before 10 a.m. on Friday in Andover, leading to a two-day recovery effort. According to Vermont State Police, the east-bound truck rolled over on Route 11 near […]
GM recognizes seven graduates for Outstanding Achievement
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The Green Mountain High School has recognized seven graduating seniors for outstanding achievement during their school careers. At the annual awards ceremony on June 12, the school announced that Zoe Svec, Angelae Wunderle, Laurel King, Madison Wilson, Olivia Bernier, Kameron Cummings and Rileigh Thomas would receive the Outstanding Academic Achievement […]
A Complex Equation: Solving the puzzle of reopening schools Part 1 of a series on reopening schools in the Time of Covid-19
This is Part 1 in a series on the issues around reopening schools closed by the pandemic in the fall. By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The countdown clock is ticking. In less than three months the 2020/21 school year begins. And while Agency of Education Secretary Dan French is working with Vermont’s […]
Claremont man arrested in Hapgood burglary Truck in photos was stolen according to VSP
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC A 21-year-old Claremont, N.H., man is being held at the Southern State Correctional Facility awaiting arraignment tomorrow, Wednesday, June 17, to answer to a charge that he broke in to the JJ Hapgood General Store in Peru on Monday. According to a Vermont State Police press release, Matthew J. Tyler […]
VSP seeks help identifying Peru burglar
© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Security cameras at JJ Hapgood in Peru captured images of a burglary suspect this morning and Vermont State Police are asking for help identifying him. According to a VSP press release, a man arrived in a dark Toyota Tacoma pickup truce around 5 a.m. Monday and forced his way in […]
Lisai’s becomes Smitty’s with new owner
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Garrison Smith is no stranger to working 12 hours a day, but it’s a long way from working as an attorney and corporate counsel to babysitting an ailing cooler until service can arrive. Smith is the new owner of Lisai’s Chester Market, whose name will be […]
