Author Archive for The Chester Telegraph
Services for Bonnie Watters set for July 26 at Chester Episcopal
A Celebration of Life for Nora E. “Bonnie” Watters will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, 2025 at the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 313 Main St. in Chester. Bonnie, a long time Chester resident, passed away on Monday, April 7, 2025. She was 85. Bonnie was a noted dollmaker who licensed her […]
College News
Jonathan Griffin of West Townshend was among over 600 students who graduated from Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., on Friday, May 9. Griffin graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Business Administration. Griffin also won the Scholastic Bowl Team Award. BJU societies compete against one another in the Scholastic Bowl, a contest designed to test […]
Op-ed: TRSU-teacher contract talks, mediation fail Union, school board heading to fact-finding.
By Brett Mastrangelo Lead Contract Negotiator Two Rivers Southeast Education Association Take a moment and think of a teacher who has had a positive impact on you or your child at Green Mountain Middle/High School and Chester Andover, Cavendish, Ludlow or Mount Holly elementary schools. Consider the role this teacher played in your child’s development […]
Op-ed: Speaking of domestic violence
By Madeline Bodin ©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC I’ve been talking to neighbors and friends about domestic violence more the usual over the last few weeks. Maybe you have also. Of all the comments I’ve heard and seen, the ones that have caught my eye are the ones saying that we shouldn’t be talking about this, […]
Op-ed: Domestic violence should not be condoned
By Marilyn Mahusky ©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Driving home from the Green Mountain Unified School District Board meeting Thursday night felt a bit like it did after the verdict was announced in the O.J. Simpson trial in which O.J. was accused of murdering his wife. Prior to her murder, Simpson had pled no contest to […]
Andover Select Board agenda for May 27 (Note Tuesday meeting)
The Andover Select Board will hold a special meeting due to the Memorial Day Holiday at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday May 27, 2025 at the Town Office, 953 Weston Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of May 12th meeting. 4. Public […]
Stuart G. MacDonald, 90, formerly of Weston
Stuart Graeme MacDonald (“Stu”), was born in Manhattan on Dec. 15, 1934, to Frances (Townsend) and Howard MacDonald. He spent his early years in Rye, N.Y., before the family moved to Weston when Stu was 11. There, he and his sisters attended the Weston Grammar School. Stu went on to attend Phillips Academy and later […]
To the editor: Silence is not the choice Chester’s Select Board and school board should have made
In a town meeting, you don’t expect silence to be the loudest thing in the room. Yet at our most recent Chester Select Board meeting, you could have heard the proverbial pin drop. At this meeting, our Select Board’s duty was to review candidates and provide their endorsement of a candidate, to then be considered […]
To the editor: AG Clark, Vermont lawyers ignoring the U.S. Constitution
This is a letter of response on the subject of Vermont Attorney General Clark and more than 300 Vermont lawyers who gathered in Burlington earlier this month to rally and protest against the Trump administration. Why are Clark and more than 300 Vermont lawyers blaming the Trump administration for the ongoing lawless choices and irresponsible […]
To the editor: A letter to the Chester Select Board on how two rallies were organized for the Green
An open letter to the Chester Select Board: What follows are responses to the incomplete and misinformed comments presented at the May 7, 2025, Select Board meeting. Comments made at the meeting implied that the organizers and attendees at the April 5 and May 1 rallies on the Chester Green were not concerned about the […]
REVISED Chester Select Board agenda for May 21 Addition listed in boldface
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday May 21 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and via Zoom. To join the meeting go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81988842129 1. Approval of Minutes from the Selectboard Meeting dated May 7, 2025 2. Citizen’s Comments 3. Old Business 4. Coin Drop; Ruck Up […]
Op-ed: Protect voting by rejecting the SAVE Act
By Sue Racanelli President League of Women Voters of Vermont On April 10, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, H.R.22, passed the U.S. House and is on its way to the Senate. The League of Women Voters of Vermont opposes the SAVE Act because it would require all Vermont citizens registering to vote or updating […]
College News
Jonathan Griffin of West Townshend, a senior pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., was hired before graduation as a administrative innkeeper at Windham Hill Inn in West Townshend. Griffin also was among over 590 Bob Jones University students named to the spring 2025 President’s List, which recognizes […]
Land use board to hold public session May 22 on Act 250 and critical natural resource areas
The Vermont Land Use Review Board is hosting a public engagement session to gather input on planned expansions of the Act 250 permit program aimed at ensuring better protection of critical natural resource areas. The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 22 and welcomes both in-person and remote participation. […]
Shawn Augustine Merrick, 74, formerly of Chester
Shawn Augustine Merrick died on March 3, 2025, following a long illness. He was born to Augustine and Genevieve (Bartley) Merrick on May 13, 1950, in Bellows Falls and attended school in Chester. Shawn served in the 101st Airborne (Airmobile) U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was wounded the day after his 19th birthday […]
SoVera to host talk by noted Dartmouth scientist May 15
Southern Vermont Astronomy Group is sponsoring a talk by Dartmouth physics and astronomy professor Dr. Robyn Millan at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 15 at Horowitz Performing Arts Hall on the campus of the Vermont Academy, 10 Long Walk, in Saxtons River. Millan will be discussing, “Remotely Sensing Earth’s Magnetosphere Using Energetic Particles.” According to […]
To the editor: Did Bill Schubart have a change of heart?
Bill Schubart is a lifelong progressive Democrat. (Chester Telegraph, April 21, 2025, Op-ed: Where are our once vibrant towns?) In 2011m he was a keynote speaker at an education conference I attended, sponsored by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the Vermont Superintendents Association. This was held at the South Burlington High School. […]
Andover Select Board agenda for May 12
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday May 12 at the Andover Town Office, 953 Weston Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda. 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of March 24th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per […]
To the editor: Former Vermont lawmakers say education reform bill weakens system
More than 50 years ago, Vermont recognized the hardship faced by homeowners whose property taxes were rising faster than their ability to pay them. Since then, state fiscal policy has moved, in fits and starts, toward a system where school taxes are based on Vermonters’ income, the best measure of their ability to pay. We, […]
May Day protest attracts 250+, some counter protesters
On Thursday afternoon, May 1, the Chester Green was — as it had been a month ago — lined with anti-Trump demonstrators carrying signs, waving at drivers and listening to speakers who, for this May Day celebration, emphasized the importance of workers and unions in building the American middle class. May Day is an international […]
