All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
UPDATED – Chester Select Board Agenda and Hearing for June 1, 2022
The Chester Select Board will hold a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the town’s Unified Development Bylaws to create a new Village Green District. That hearing will be followed by a select board meeting. The hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday June 1, 2022 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and […]
Fired by GMUSD board, Merrill awaits trial in jail
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC After a 58-minute executive session last night, the Green Mountain Unified School District board voted to dismiss Norman Merrill II, who has taught middle school at Green Mountain High for many years. Merrill is in jail in northern Vermont awaiting trial on a three-count federal indictment involving […]
Nied quits as Whiting Library trustee, resigns from other Chester town offices
By Shawn Cunningham and Cynthia Prairie © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Robert Nied, the embattled chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Whiting Library in Chester, has resigned from that board as well as from every other position he holds within the town. In an email sent today, Wednesday, May 25, to the Chester […]
Whiting board emails, texts tell a fuller story of drag queen event Board chair: 'This program must never go forward'
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the chairman of the Whiting Library Board of Trustees told The Telegraph that the board’s trouble with a reading program featuring drag queens was a misunderstanding, and then called it “off base” to characterize the board’s action as “shutting it down,” a review of the board’s […]
Merrill pleads not guilty, ordered to remain in custody
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Appearing in prison-issued clothing and a surgical mask from a visiting room at Northwest Correctional Facility in St. Albans, Norman Merrill, 45, of Chester, this afternoon entered a plea of not guilty before federal Judge Kevin Doyle, who was in Burlington via video conference. Doyle then went […]
Weston Library hosts Drag Queen Story Hour to much enjoyment
By Cynthia Prairie ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Weston’s Wilder Memorial Library had no qualms about holding a Drag Queen Story Hour on Saturday, attracting around 50 kids and adults, including several Wilder board members. The drag queens — Katniss Everqueer and Emoji Nightmare — arrived around 1:30, batting wickedly long eyelashes, their makeup contoured […]
GM middle school teacher arrested on federal charges of creating child pornography
By Cynthia Prairie and Shawn Cunningham ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Norm Merrill, a longtime 8th grade teacher and Middle School coordinator at Green Mountain High School, was taken into custody today, Thursday, May 19, by Chester Police on federal charges of “producing child sexual abuse material.” The U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont announced […]
Special meeting of Whiting Library Trustees agenda for May 19
The Trustees of the Whiting Library will hold a special meeting at 1 p.m. on Thursday May 19 The meeting will be conducted via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: Call to orderAdditions to agendaExecutive session to continue discussion of personnel issuesStatus of response to public records requestDiscussion of press release in response to press […]
BENCH PRESS! A Chester man donates seating, local firm donates labor for a charming setting
On Friday, May 13, two new benches were installed in front of the Chester Academy Building on Main Street. The benches were purchased and donated by Chester resident Julian Sottovia in memory of his parents, and provide a relaxing place to enjoy what made Chester so special to the late couple. “My parents loved Chester,” […]
Library director resigns amid questions of board censorship
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC The director of Chester’s Whiting Library tendered her resignation on Thursday, May 12, on the eve of the Whiting’s board of trustees second executive session to discuss a scheduled library event that at least one member found “too controversial” and wanted cancelled. But board chair Robert Nied […]
Springfield Medical rebrands as North Star Health
Springfield Medical Care Systems, an independent federally qualified health center — FQHC — serving southern Vermont and southwestern New Hampshire, today unveiled a new name and brand identity: North Star Health. Announcing the name change, Bob Flint, chair of North Star Health’s Board of Directors, emphasized “our ownership, Board of Directors and organization have not […]
Chester Planning Commission agenda for May 16, 2022
The Chester Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday May 16, 2022 in the Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and via Zoom. To join the meeting go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81029256359 1. Changes to the Agenda 2. Review & Approve minutes from May 2nd, 2022 meeting 3. Citizen Comments 4. Bylaw Modernization […]
Chester board appoints cannabis commission, talks police assessment
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its May 4 meeting, the Chester Select Board formally created a local cannabis control commission, then appointed five of the seven residents who applied to serve on it. That included some who urged voters to reject the opt-in measure for retail sales of cannabis that was […]
From sidewalks to stop lights, Chester residents weigh in on priorities for ARPA funding
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC With $900,000 on the table to fund most anything that could be labelled “government services,” around 20 residents came together – in person and on Zoom – on Monday evening to lend their ideas on how the money should be spent. There are only a few restrictions […]
Springfield man hit by gunfire; police seek information
© 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC UPDATE: Tuesday May 10 – Police have identified the victim in yesterday’s shooting as Todd Amell, 50, who lives on Valley Street in Springfield. He was shot in one of his legs, taken by ambulance to the hospital, treated and released. Investigators are saying that the shooting was not random […]
Andover Select Board agenda for May 9
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday May 9, 2022 at the Andover Town Office, 753 Weston-Andover Road and via Zoom. To join go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8690215007 Passcode: 146374 Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Call Select Board meeting to order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes: […]
‘Oldest man in Chester’ to celebrate 104th on the Green
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC When Bernard Mowrey was born, Woodrow Wilson was president of the United States, the end of World War I was still six months away and the flu pandemic, which would kill tens of millions worldwide, was just getting under way. Next week he’ll celebrate his 104th birthday […]
Derry Town Meeting scuttles dam article
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC On a sunny but cool and blustery Saturday morning a little over a hundred residents of Londonderry gathered in the parking lot of Town Hall on Middletown Road to hold their Town Meeting, which had been postponed from early March due to Covid worries. Ironically, they were […]
Green Up Day events throughout the region Andover, Athens, Cavendish, Chester, Grafton, Londonderry Weston & Winhall
By Stacia Spaulding ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Although Green Up Day officially takes place on the first Saturday in May, many area residents have gotten a jumpstart on cleaning up the roadsides in their towns. If you would like to help, there are still plenty of opportunities to take part on Saturday, May 7. This […]
A personal note: Our Ruthie Douglas dies
We lost our beloved Ruthie Douglas today. She was not only a writer for The Chester Telegraph, she was our friend. She leaves behind many loving family members and friends and uncounted loyal Chester Chatter readers who for 40-plus years looked forward to reading her latest column that recalled life in bygone days and her […]
