Author Archive for The Chester Telegraph
To the editor: Benelli would serve Chester students, families on GM school board
Patricia Benelli, my former law partner, would be a thoughtful member of the Green Mountain Union School District board of directors. She is experienced in education as a former teacher and involved in many activities throughout the Chester community, including Justice of the Peace, Trustee of the Whiting Library and member of the Chester Board […]
Op-ed: How I became a conservative
By Madeline Bodin ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC I was standing in the cold and the rain on the lawn of the Vermont State House. I was clutching a sign that said, “Protect the US Constitution” in red, white and blue letters. I had colored in some of the letters to look like a flag. As […]
To the editor: Are requests for donations at Town Meeting too much?
Town Meeting is Monday evening, March 2 at Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St. It begins at 6 p.m. We have lived in Chester in the same house for 57 years. Living in Chester has been wonderful. We had good jobs, a few in Chester and our children received an excellent education. The services in the […]
Chester Select Board agendas for Feb. 18
The Chester Select Board will hold two meetings on Wednesday Feb. 18. The first, at 5:30 p.m., will be a special meeting consisting of citizens comments and an executive session to discuss the solar field purchase with the town attorney. The second will be the board’s regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Both meetings will be […]
Candidates’ Night forum in Chester on Tuesday Feb. 17
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Tuesday evening, Feb. 17, the Town of Chester will host an opportunity for voters to meet and hear from candidates running for seats on the boards of the Whiting Library and Green Mountain Unified School District as well as the Chester Select Board. The candidate forum will take place […]
To the editor: De-escalation begins with those who hold the power
How we frame responsibility and fault in a crisis is critical to democracy. It shapes who we hold accountable and what changes we demand. When we talk about de-escalation, the first responsibility lies with those who are using state force with lethal consequences — not with civilians exercising multiple constitutional freedoms, including the First Amendment […]
Landgrove’s Ben Ogden wins silver in XC sprint
By Kevin O’Connor ©2026 VT Digger The Green Mountain State has its first winners at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy. Fifty years after Bill Koch scored the nation’s first cross-country medal, fellow Vermonter Ben Ogden became the second U.S. man to do so by nabbing silver Tuesday in the men’s sprint. Ogden, […]
Zachariah leaves Whiting Library after 26 months as director
©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Five days after Gail Zachariah’s last day as director of the Whiting Library, the Board of Trustees sent out a press release announcing her departure. The Westminster resident had been director of the Chester library for two years and two months, after serving as head of engagement and youth services at […]
Poor Cousins kicks off music season for Upstairs at Town Hall
Upstairs at Town Hall kicks off its 2026 season with the Poor Cousins, the Southern Vermont-based husband and wife duo Naomi Morse (fiddle and voice) and Emmet McGowen (guitar, bodhran, voice), who specialize in Irish music. They will perform at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 at Chester Town Hall auditorium, 556 Elm St. The […]
College News
Everett Mosher of Chester, a member of the class of 2026 majoring in Civil Engineering, was named to the Dean’s List for academic excellence for the fall 2025 semester at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass. WPI students are named to the Dean’s List based on the amount of work completed at the A level […]
To the editor: Vermont Senate, government take actions to protect its residents
Saturday, Feb. 7 marked a full year of Woodstock area residents, non-residents and visitors, meeting daily, noon to 1 p.m., at Tribou Park in Woodstock to peacefully protest the assaults on our country’s democracy by our current federal administration. Undaunted by foul weather, this tenacious group, with their creative signs and determined spirits, stand up […]
To the editor: Rep. Charlton should stand with constituents
Rep. Tom Charlton on Friday evening held a meeting with his constituents at Chester Town Hall. His first order of business was to explain his vote against a resolution critical of ICE actions in U.S. cities. Despite his soft-spoken demeanor, Rep. Charlton’s words quickly became unsettling. He repeatedly attempted to conjure a false equivalence between […]
To the editor: Are Charlton’s loyalties with Constitution or Trump administration?
I attended state Rep. Tom Charlton’s pubic forum on Friday, Feb. 6. I was dismayed when he attempted to equate protesters armed with phone cameras and whistles to the physical assaults, property damage, kidnapping and murder by ICE agents. The thousands of protesters across the country have shown remarkable restraint in the face of horrendous […]
Windsor Sheriff checks into VA Medical Center Palmer free after not guilty plea to sexual misconduct charges
This article first appeared in The Vermont Standard. By Mike Donoghue Embattled Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer checked himself into the Veterans Administration Medical Center in White River Junction last week, according to people following his legal and work issues. The move came as Palmer is under fire on several fronts recently, including in Vermont […]
To the editor: Charlton’s vote sorely disappointing
I’ve never had the opportunity to chat with state Rep. Tom Charlton, but my impressions from afar have been pretty positive. That said, I’m very disappointed in my state representative right now. Just as I was thinking that more people are seeing the true colors of the Trump administration and about how to bridge our […]
To the editor: An open letter to Sheriff Palmer
To Sheriff Ryan Palmer: We write to you in our capacity as the elected representatives and senators of Windsor County during a moment of significant challenge for both the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department and the broader community it serves. Let it be clear from the outset that we respect the principle of due process and […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Feb. 9
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday Feb. 9, 2026 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 January 26th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per […]
College News
Karissa Trzesiara of Ludlow has earned a place on the Dean’s List for fall 2025 at Vermont State University in Randolph Center. Dean’s List designation is reserved for students who maintain full-time status and a semester grade point average of 3.5 or higher. Caleb Roby of Springfield, a 2022 graduate of Springfield High School who […]
Two Rivers Supervisory Union board meeting agenda for Feb. 5
The Board of Directors of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union, made up of Adrienne Williams (Chair), Scott Kendall, David Martin, Lisa Sanders, Kelly Tarbell and Kaitlyn Benson. will hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5 at Cavendish Town Elementary School, 573 Main St., Proctorsville, and on Zoom. You can access by […]
To the editor: Charlton misses an opportunity to condemn government violence against citizens
On Jan. 29, Rep. Tom Charlton voted no to the Vermont’s state legislature’s expression of approval for Gov. Scott’s statement regarding ICE’s actions in Minnesota. His explanation was that the governor “missed an opportunity to call for de-escalation on all sides.” (The full text of the resolution can be read here.) This explanation is in […]