Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
Chester prohibits dual board memberships, sometimes; reviews dept. budgets
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing, LLC After nearly a year and a half of discussing a conflict of interest policy, the Chester Select Board resolved a final sticking point last Wednesday, voting to close the door on dual memberships on the Planning Commission and Development Review Boards. But they left the key under […]
Other issues waylay special Chester board meeting
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC What was intended to be a training session on the powers and responsibilities of the Chester Select Board and town manager, conducted by town attorney Jim Carroll, turned into a tutorial on legal aspects of several recent developments in Chester including why the Select Board believes it […]
Which option? Act 46 merger forum at CAES next Tuesday
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC On March 7, 2017, the residents of Chester, Andover, Cavendish, Baltimore, Ludlow and Mt. Holly will likely vote to decide which form a state mandated school consolidation will take for them. Those decisions could have profound effects on the quality of educational opportunities for their students, the […]
Magic deal finally closes; new owners take over
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC “The journey begins,” said Geoff Hatheway, “as an operating company, not just an investment.” Sitting in an office that looks out on the slopes of the Magic Mountain ski area on Thursday Nov. 3 Hatheway looked forward to the ski season ahead but cautioned that the closing […]
Grafton man charged with domestic assault, cruelty in puppy’s death
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC A Grafton man was arrested this morning and charged with 2nd degree aggravated domestic assault and aggravated cruelty to animals in the death of a 16-week-old black Labrador mix puppy. According to a Vermont State Police press release, troopers responded to a 911 call from a house […]
Trooper tails pup that escaped after car accident
© 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Yesterday just after noon, Jacqueline Stone of Newington, Conn., was driving south on I-91 between the Springfield and Rockingham exits when she had a medical emergency. Stone drove her 2011 Toyota Sienna off the road and hit a grass embankment. Stone was taken to Springfield Hospital but her 10-month-old puppy, […]
Chester limits service of Select Board members, others
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC There was more than a little interest in the conflict over wording of an ethics policy for town officials and employees at Wednesday’s Chester Select Board meeting. The idea of a conflict of interest policy has been kicking around since mid-2015, when board member Heather Chase asked […]
Chester zoning administrator’s action questioned
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Calling the situation “very disconcerting,” a Chester resident told the Select Board last Wednesday, that the town’s zoning administrator had issued a building permit for a property without a clear ‘use’ as outlined in the town’s Unified Development Bylaws. Marilyn Mahusky, who has been a vocal critic […]
Suspicious emails to Vt. town clerks traced to Yale Law School
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC A survey by a Yale University Law School professor set town clerks throughout Vermont and election officials in at least 11 other states on edge just before Election Day, and has been pulled after the intervention of a nationwide association that represents Secretaries of State. Just one […]
Temporary bridge placed over failing Popple Dungeon culvert
By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC If you’re traveling on Popple Dungeon Road in Chester in the next couple of years, you might want to slow down just past the three-mile mark where you will find yourself driving up onto a one lane bridge sitting up on stone blocks. The town of Chester placed […]
Londonderry, Chester get tricked out for Halloween
© 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Has anyone else noticed that there have been a lot of ghosts and goblins — not to mention superheroes and pirates — roaming the streets lately? And that they all seem to have just one thing on their minds – candy? Chester and Londonderry celebrated Halloween this week each with […]
TRSU Act 46 study panel reboots, takes comments on merger proposal
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC After nearly a year of meetings focusing on planning, finance, property and governance, the Act 46 study committee for Two Rivers Supervisory Union has – in effect – gone back to the drawing board and started over. Last night in Ludlow, the committee outlined what it was […]
Chester considers sex offender ordinance, stalls on board appointments
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC While Chester’s town attorney asserted that it could “enmesh” the town in a lawsuit “that you will lose,” resident Randy Miles stressed the need for an ordinance that would limit where sex offenders could live, saying he was willing to spend taxpayer dollars fighting to keep the […]
Sparse but enthusiastic group turns out for Chester planning forum
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing, LLC If Harry Truman was right and “decisions are made by those who show up,” then on Saturday, around 50 people began charting the course for Chester’s downtown for years to come. Despite efforts by town government to bring people out to express their opinions on issues facing […]
UPDATE: One man dead, one in custody in Wardsboro shooting
UPDATE: Wednesday Oct. 19, 6:39 a.m. Vermont State Police have released the names of those involved in yesterday’s homicide in Wardsboro. Kirby Staib, 42, of Wardsboro was killed in the incident and Kevin Parker, 57, also of Wardsboro was identified as the alleged shooter. Police said in a statement this morning that the circumstances surrounding […]
Black River Produce sold to midwest food giant
By Shawn Cunningham and Cynthia Prairie © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Reinhart Foodservice, the nation’s fifth largest distributor of food to restaurants and institutions with 29 warehouses in the east, midwest and south, announced Friday that it has agreed to buy the brand names and distribution business of Springfield based Black River Produce. Some aspects […]
Jiffy Mart closes, Jiffy Mart opens
© 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC With the clock ticking up toward a 2 p.m. closing time yesterday, employees at the Jiffy Mart at Main and Depot streets in Chester were telling each customer that the store would be locking its doors for good shortly, but the new store at Main and Pleasant streets would be […]
Chester Master Plan steering committee expands to 10; other appointments on hold
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The long awaited master planning process for downtown Chester is about to begin its year-long run and at its Oct. 5 meeting, the town’s Select Board was slated to appoint its steering committee, but there was a twist. As late as Wednesday morning at the Chester Economic […]
Fighter jets train over southern Vermont
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Been wondering what’s up with the sounds of high-performance jet aircraft in the sky the past few days? We called around and found that it’s the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. According their media advisory, the Guard is conducting routine training over Southern […]
Chester board hears about affordable housing, public trees and historic buildings
By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board did a lot of listening at its Sept. 21 meeting, with presentations on affordable housing and public trees as well as monthly financial updates and more than half an hour of public comments. Wendy Harrison, director of Development and Community Relations for the […]
