All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
Explainer: Why is the homestead tax rate higher than the non-homestead rate this year?
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Readers have asked why the education property tax rate for residents in the Green Mountain Unified School District is higher than the rate for non-residents and businesses. It’s usually the other way around. The answer lies in the Byzantine calculations the state uses to fund education spending. […]
A place, a memory, an affection: Vermont folk artist Martha Stevenson paints Vermont towns And now all 252 hang at the State House in Montpelier
By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing The works of folk artist Martha Stevenson are iconic in Vermont. While best known for her acrylic paintings of Okemo and other ski mountains in the snow, Stevenson is also noted for her lush, romanticized landscapes depicting small town Vermont with all of their appealing quirks. Now Stevenson, formerly […]
Chester board continues to look at cost of town services, welcomes comments
By Shawn Cunningham ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester’s Select Board will continue looking at the cost of the services the town provides to residents and property owners at its regular meeting on Wednesday July 15. Town Manager Julie Hance has often said that the town’s budgets reflect the cost of the services the town provides […]
GMUSD special meeting agenda for July 16 (3rd of 3) Discussion of Act 170 - School transformation legislation
The Green Mountain Unified School District Board will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16 at Cavendish Town Elementary, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: I. Call To Order a. Roll Call – Confirming a Quorum II. Agenda Additions or Deletions a. Approval […]
Chester Select Board agenda for July 15
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday July 15 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Approval of Minutes of July 1, 2026 Select board Meeting 2. Citizen’s Comments 3. Old Business 4. Review of Services: Recreation, Planning/Zoning/Assessing 5. […]
Andover Select Board agenda for July 13
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday July 13, 2026 at Andover Town Hall, 953 Weston-Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of June 22nd meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, […]
GMUSD Board agenda for Special Meeting July 10 (2nd of 3)
The Green Mountain Unified School District Board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 9 at the Cavendish Town Elementary School, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: I. Call To Order a. Roll Call – Confirming a Quorum II. Agenda Additions or Deletions […]
Chester board sets tax rates, begins look at town services Hears new request to give up Class 4 road
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Wednesday, the Chester Select Board finalized the town’s property tax rates by adding the state mandated education tax to the municipal rates it approved on June 17. And it also began the process of looking at town services with an eye to finding savings that might […]
GMUSD board agenda for Special Meeting July 9 (1st of 3)
The Green Mountain Unified School District Board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 9 at the Cavendish Town Elementary School, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: I. Call To Order a. Roll Call – Confirming a Quorum II. Agenda Additions or Deletions […]
Chester puts surveys online to collect public opinion for economic development Eight brief surveys geared toward an array of interests and experience
The newly formed Chester Economic Development Commission is looking for ideas, suggestions and opinions from Chester residents, business owners and visitors to inform strategic planning decisions. To get that information, the commission has posted eight short surveys at chestervermont.net. The surveys have distinct scopes to generate the most specific and useful information possible. They are: […]
Van Alstyne wins Vermont Prize for Tenney film $5000 award to benefit work on second movie
By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester native Travis Van Alstyne is the 2026 winner of the Vermont Prize, an annual $5,000 award given to one Vermont-based artist working in the visual arts. The award recognizes his short animated film Love of the Land, an award-winning animated short film that was released in 2024. […]
Auditor tells Chester board the town tax is ‘artificially low’ 'You're lean and mean, but you've got no money'
By Shawn Cunningham ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC You’re lean and mean but you’ve got no money,” said auditor Ron Smith at the June 17 Chester Select Board meeting. “But we’re not in the hole,” replied Town Manager Julie Hance. Smith agreed, but reiterated that the town does not have enough money sufficient for cash flow […]
Chester Select Board agenda for July 1
The Chester Select Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, at Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and on Zoom, which you can access by clicking here. Below is its agenda 1. Approval of Minutes of June 17, 2026 Selectboard Meeting 2. Citizen’s Comments 3. Old Business 4. Request for Discontinuance; Ingraham […]
Proctorsville’s Bob Glidden retires after 33 years as fire chief Glidden has served as a firefighter for 56 years
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The year was 1970. Richard Nixon was in the second year of his first term, gasoline averaged 36¢ per gallon, the minimum wage was $1.60 and Bob Glidden was starting his career as a volunteer firefighter in Proctorsville. He was 12. Next week, he will retire from […]
Ludlow Rotary gets grant for Okemo Valley Technical Rescue
Ludlow Rotary Club recently received a Global Grant of $62,922 to fund Okemo Valley Technical Rescue. The grant will be used for training and equipment to outfit 15 emergency personnel for making rushing water and other technical rescues while keeping themselves safe. The safety of the local emergency personnel was a key factor in receiving […]
Policy governance wheels still spinning at GM board Act 170 merger talks begin by Oct. 15
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Study groups mandated by Act 170 will shortly be ramping up to produce proposed school merger agreements by the law’s September 2027 deadline. Those will be voted on at Town Meetings in March 2028. Meanwhile, the Green Mountain Unified School District Board spent a fair amount […]
Windsor Dems host forums for Democratic candidates for sheriff, Senate and governor
The Windsor County Democrats will be holding public candidate forums for the Democratic contenders for the 2026 Vermont governor race, Windsor District Senate races and for the Windsor County Sheriff race. The forum for Democratic candidates for Windsor County Sheriff will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24 from 6 to […]
Chester boards meet to kick off Town Plan revisions Planners want public input early and often
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC With work on a new Town Plan just getting under way, last week the Chester Select Board hosted a meeting of several of its appointed boards to share their thoughts on the plan and the process to rewrite the current version. In Vermont, any town that has […]
Green Mountain graduates 47 as thunderstorms avoid Chester Photo gallery of an evening to remember
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The possibility of rain passed by mid-afternoon Friday and the sun was shining through high clouds as 44 members of the Class of 2026 marched out to Pomp and Circumstance and took their seats set up on the lawn of the high school. A little over an […]
Chester Economic Development Commission agenda for June 24
The Chester Economic Development Commission will hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday June 24 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and remotely via Zoom. Below is the Commission’s agenda 1. Approve Minutes from Previous Meeting (May 27, 2026) 2. Citizen Comments 3. Discuss / Approve updates to business directory 4. Discuss / […]