Author Archive for The Chester Telegraph
Isabel MacCauley, 97, of Chester
Isabel (Fielder-Miller) MacCauley, 97, passed away Oct. 14, 2025, at the Gill Odd Fellows Home after a short illness. Born on Aug. 25, 1928, in Danby, VT. She was the sixth of 10 children born to Robert and Ruby (Russett) Fielder. Her marriage to Douglas MacCauley moved her to various towns in New York. Upon his […]
Invasives Part 3: How to tackle those colorful invasive shrubs that still need to go
By Will Danforth ©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Ffor the last in our three-part series on invasives, let’s focus on specific shrubs that turn color after our native trees and shrubs, making them easy to find. For more photos of invasives, click the Vermont invasives website. So let’s take care of our home turf! Plants pull […]
To the editor: A provocateur comes to Chester
On Saturday, Oct. 18, at the GOP counter-rally to Chester’s No Kings protest in Chester, Hank Poitras stood in front of about 60 people and did what he always does: sold himself. If you don’t know him, Poitras runs a brand called Planet Hank out of Brattleboro — part podcast, part “news” channel, part traveling […]
Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Wilder, 89, formerly of Chester
Elizabeth “Betsy” Wilder, of Peterborough, N.H., passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 after an extended illness. She was born on Dec. 9, 1936 and died at age 89. She is predeceased by her parents Elbert Stiles and Gertrude Harrison Stiles and her brother Lawrence W. Stiles (Gina Stiles of Phoenix, Ariz.). She and […]
Karen Parker, 61, of Chester
Karen Parker of Chester passed away on Sept. 3, 2025. She was born on June 9, 1964 in Springfield to Everett and Jeannie Jewell. Karen graduated from Green Mountain Union High School in 1983. She is survived by her husband Leon Parker, her daughter Krystle Parker and her son Leon (Lee) Parker and his partner […]
To the editor: Stand up for the Land of the Free
Our national anthem ends with a question: “Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” Are we still the land of the free when the president can deploy federal troops to states that do not want them under the phony pretext that […]
John Zink of Chester
John Zink passed away peacefully on Oct. 7, 2025 after a short fight with pancreatic cancer. John was a quiet and generous soul, always willing to help. John grew up in Flemington, N.J., the oldest son of Charles and Marie Zink, and brother to Tish, Peter, Michael and Jeremy. He met the love of his […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Oct. 13
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday Oct. 13 at the Town Office, 953 Weston-Andover Road. The board’s agenda is below. 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of September 22 nd & 29th meetings. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes […]
Springfield Microtransit pilot program delayed
Southeast Vermont Transit, also known as SEVT and the MOOver, is delaying the start date of its Springfield Microtransit pilot. Originally scheduled for early September, the project’s main funding grant agreement and a Notice to Proceed to spend grant funds has not been executed. The three-year $282,000 grant was awarded in July, but the grant […]
N.H. man sentenced to more than 6 years in prison for southern Vermont robbery spree
Christopher Boisvert of Swanzey, N.H., was sentenced on Tuesday, Sept. 30 by Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss to 74 months in prison to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release after pleading guilty in June to one count of robbing the TD Bank in Bellows Falls. He also stipulated to a second […]
To the editor: Pennells announce closing of Smokeshire Design, but sales and party first!
Dear friends, family and customers of Smokeshire Design, Eight years ago, on Thanksgiving weekend, Smokeshire Design opened its doors. Simon Pearce glass, Hugh Pennell furniture, Andrew Pearce bowls and many beautiful home goods, jewelry and gift items became the background for our adventure into the world of retail. Hugh and I have met so many […]
To the editor: Better investment choices would have boosted Cyprus Mineral Fund
On Sept. 10, 2025, you reported on the Select Board discussions regarding the potential uses for the Cyprus Mineral Fund. It is clear that it will be up to the Select Board to decide what the best use of the funds will be. I would like to point out however, that the historical stewardship of […]
Invasives Part 2: Non-chemical and chemical ways to eliminate non-native invasive plants
By Will Danforth ©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC There are ways to eliminate non-native invasive plants from your landscape. The method you choose should be right for the plant, for your particular environment and for you. Non-chemical approaches With over 100,000 man-made chemicals in the environment, most with untested and unintended consequences, it’s best to avoid […]
To the editor: The truth that Truth Social denies
On July 7, Jibia Tusifu, age 10, died in the Congo because the richest country in world history withheld a $2 mosquito net. Trump’s cancellation of USAID funds prevented her destitute family from replacing their torn net and Jibia contracted malaria. Due to U.S. aid cuts, the local health clinic had no medicine to control […]
Op-ed: Laughing at the Scopes Monkey Trial
By Madeline Bodin ©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC In 1925, 100 years ago this year, John Thomas Scopes lost his trial in Dayton, Tenn., a case that tested a new state law that made it illegal to teach evolution in public schools. Scopes lost the legal case, but the hearts and minds of most of the […]
Drought-stricken Vermont now under a burn ban
Starting at noon today, Monday, Sept. 22, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation has issued an order for all Town Forest Fire Wardens to cease issuing burning permits. The order will remain in effect until it is revoked. The order may be revoked on a statewide basis or on a county-by-county basis, depending […]
Invasives Part 1: Eliminating invasive plants is a good start to reclaiming biodiversity in Vermont
By Will Danforth ©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Do you care about the natural world in Vermont? Then let’s tackle foreign invasive plants. Invasive, non-native plants are one of the biggest threats to biodiversity — the vtinvasives.org site says, “Monitoring for and treating invasive terrestrial plants is one of the most important things you can do […]
College News
The following students have been named to the Champlain College Online Dean’s List for achieving a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in the summer 2025 semester. Taylor Bowers of Springfield and Willem Bargfrede of Chester. The following students have been named to the summer 2025 President’s List at Southern New Hampshire University in […]
To the editor: Let Vermont politics remain civil
The recent murder of Charlie Kirk is a stark and tragic reminder of just how fragile our democracy and our civil society can be when disagreements cross the line into violence. Let me be clear: I fundamentally reject much of the rhetoric Kirk stood for. His words often carried racism, homophobia, and misogyny views that […]
Chester Select Board agenda for Sept. 17
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and via Zoom. To join the meeting go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81988842129 Below is its agenda 1. Approval of minutes from the Select Board meeting dated Sept. 3, 2025 and Special Select Board meeting dated […]
