All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
GMUSD board wrestles with bullying and governance
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Thursday’s Green Mountain Unified School District Board meeting took up the second half of the behemoth agenda that the board started the week before. Before beginning the meeting, board chair Lisa Sanders of Cavendish asked that only one person speak at a time, with no side […]
Andover Select Board agenda for June 8
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday June 8 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 11th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, 10 […]
Chester ‘All boards/committees’ meeting agenda for June 9
The Chester Select Board will hold an “All Boards” meeting as the town begins to work on the next iteration of its town plan. The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9 at Town Hall, 556 Elm St. and remotely via Zoom. Aside from the Select Board, the meeting […]
Grafton man sentenced to six years in jail on drug, firearm charges
©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Terry Russ, 43, of Grafton, was sentenced on Wednesday, May 27, in U.S. District Court in Rutland to 72 months’ in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and possessing a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking […]
GMUSD board hears of bullying, threats to inclusion at high school Board accepts resignations of two principals
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC While new GMUSD board chair Lisa Sanders played catch-up on a backlog of work by splitting the agenda and scheduling an additional meeting for May, the board got an earful from the public and continued its combative internal dynamic at its May 21 confab. The board will […]
Local author Ralph Pace publishes novel
Ralph Pace, a Rutland resident and formerly of Ludlow, has published a novel titled Chronicles of a Grumpy Old Man. The book is about a man in his 90s who suddenly rediscovers himself and love, but only after experiencing a number of personal challenges and renewal of memories that shaped him into who he was. […]
Cavendish, GM Middle school principals resign
By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a surprising coincidence, two principals within the Green Mountain school district of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union resigned on the very same day. That day — Tuesday, May 12 — was also the day that voters went to the polls to overwhelmingly approve a $19.3 million budget […]
Part 4: Onward to Cameroon
By Henry Homeyer © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Gretchen and I made it to Agadez, a desert market town in Niger, 850 miles due south of Tamanrassett, and I immediately felt at home. Just out of college, I had taught fourth grade in Jersey City, N.J., at a inner-city public elementary school and, like children […]
Vandal spray paints anti-Israel sentiments on Cavendish business Police report incident to Atty Gen as 'possible hate crime'
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Someone vandalized a Cavendish business with graffiti expressing support for Palestinians and disdain for Israel early this morning, according to the Vermont State Police. A little before 2 a.m. on Wednesday, someone using purple spray paint wrote “Free Palestine” and an obscenity toward Israel on the front windows of DG […]
Chester begins Town Plan update; ‘all boards’ public meeting on June 9 to coordinate effort
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a couple of weeks, Chester will hold an “all boards” meeting, bringing together many of the boards, committees and commissions that work on issues facing the town. That Tuesday, June 9 public meeting will be held from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Town Hall and remotely […]
Kid Governor Program announces ‘Screen-Free Challenge’ through May 25
Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas is promoting a new initiative from Vermont’s first Kid Governor and her cabinet. Working together, the group of seven fifth graders, including Kid Gov. Roslyn Fortin of Highgate and her cabinet, has been seeking ways to elevate the full range of issues. Right now, they want to let […]
GMUSD meeting to discuss PCB remediation at High School with public
The Green Mountain Unified School District will hold a public meeting to present information on planned construction activities related the remediation of PCBs at the High School building and to provide an opportunity for public questions. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday June 2 at the High School, 716 Route 103 […]
Part 3: 600 miles of sand, heat, intrigue and illness
By Henry Homeyer © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC When Gretchen and I arrived at the oasis of Tamanrasset, the jumping off place for sub-Saharan Africa, we were told there was no fuel — no diesel or gasoline — so no vehicles would be leaving. For how long, I asked. “Maybe a few days, Allah willing,” […]
Chester Select Board and Sewer Commissioners agendas for May 20
The Chester Select Board and the Sewer Commissioners will meet one after the other on Wednesday, May 20, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The meetings will take place at Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and on Zoom, which you can access by clicking here. Below are the agendas. SELECT BOARD 1. Approval of Minutes of […]
Windsor man sentenced to 4+ years as felon with firearms
A 31-year-old Windsor County man has been sentenced to 53 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. On Friday, May 8, Kyle Pickett, 31, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss in Burlington. According to court records, on Nov. 25, […]
Chester board hears that audits will show no deficits, reservoir dam recommendations
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC At last Wednesday’s meeting, the Chester Select Board got a bit of good news when Town Manager Julie Hance announced that there was no negative fund balance or deficit for 2024 or 2025. Back in January, Hance said that although the town received a clean audit for […]
GM budget passes by wide margin; Cavendish Elementary principal resigns
****Article updated at 5 p.m. Wednesday with quote from Superintendent Layne Millington.**** By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC On March 3 – Town Meeting Day – 1,013 residents of Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester went to the polls and by a margin of 37 votes defeated the budget proposal put forward by […]
Part 2: Our first days on the Sahara Desert
In Part 2 of this four-part series from gardening writer Henry Homeyer’s memoir-in-progress, he tells about traveling across the Sahara in 1972, using public transportation — cargo vehicles — and by hitchhiking. Homeyer, of New Hampshire, ended up living in Africa for 10 years, three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, two short […]
Forum on education transformation bill set for May 11 at Springfield H.S.
Community members are invited to attend an upcoming educational forum focused on Vermont’s current education transformation legislation, H 955. The event will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 11 at the Springfield High School Auditorium, 303 South St. in Springfield. The forum is designed to provide clear, up-to-date information on the […]
What to know about the GMUSD budget re-vote
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a little less than a week, residents of Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester will get a second chance to vote on the proposed budget of the Green Mountain Unified School District. The district runs two elementary schools and a single high/middle school. On March 3, voters […]