All Entries in the "Featured" Category
Chester board talks changes in finances, tax collection, budget voting
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC With auditor Ron Smith attending the Wednesday, Sept. 2 meeting, the Chester Select Board again considered some big changes in the way the town handles its finances and tax collection and how the budget is approved. The board looked at a “fund balance policy,” and the idea […]
Facilitators chosen for Act 170 school merger talks to begin in October
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Learning Collaborative announced on Friday the names of the seven Act 170 facilitators who will guide school districts in evaluating the possibility of voluntary school mergers between now and Sept. 1, 2027. Any proposed mergers will be voted on by the communities involved in the […]
The Ultimate Guide to the 2026 Chester Festival
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Welcome to the 52nd Chester Festival, a weekend filled with friendly faces, fine crafts, wonderful arts, great food and superb music and entertainment for the whole family. This year’s festival will be bigger than ever with more than 100 vendors. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. […]
Teen lifeguard recognized for lifesaving at Pinnacle swimming pool Select Board continues look at town services
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The average Select Board meeting is a series of requests to be heard, problems to work out and questions to answer. But once in a while there’s a lighter, more celebratory moment like the one in Chester last Wednesday. That’s when recreation Director Matt McCarthy presented 16-year-old […]
Creating impact within the warmth of a quilt Chester's Diak turns her artistic eye to the animal world
This article first appeared in the Vermont Arts Council’s Featured section on Aug. 12, 2026. It is reprinted with permission. By Lorien Strange © 2026 Vermont Arts Council It’s a lovely cool summer day as I walk along Main Street in Chester to Linda Diak’s house. Couples are out popping between an antiques […]
Millington is finalist for Washington Central superintendent’s job TRSU super looks to leave after two years on job, despite new contract
UPDATED WITH STATEMENT FROM LAYNE MILLINGTON By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two Rivers school Superintendent Layne Millington is a finalist to take over the Washington Central Unified Union School District in the East Montpelier area as it seeks to replace former Superintendent Steve Dellinger-Pate, who resigned unexpectedly in June. If hired, Millington […]
Braucht family leads effort for new playground at Cavendish Town Office
By Lorien Strange ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Between the removal of Greven Field’s beloved baseball backstop and debates about the town’s recreation director position, fun and games have been a serious matter in this year’s Cavendish Select Board meetings. But things took a lighter tone on Monday night. Earlier this year, Cavendish 6th grader Olivia […]
Chester board hears wastewater treatment upgrade plan $7million project would increase capacity for building in village area
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC For as long as The Telegraph has been covering Chester town government, an upgrade to the town’s sewage treatment plant has been a problem on a distant horizon. Last Wednesday, Dufresne Group engineer Naomi Johnson told the Select Board — in its alter ego as the Water […]
Communities come together in concern after ICE arrests in Londonderry
By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC About 130 people jammed into the meeting space and anterooms of Neighborhood Connections on Saturday morning, Aug. 8 – while 20 others stood outside – to learn more about the arrests Friday in Londonderry by ICE of five immigrant workers and to hear of strategies that individuals and […]
Chester considers July to June budgeting, tax year Current Jan-Dec fiscal year presents a series of problems
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its July 15 meeting, the Chester Select Board continued to look at the costs of the services the town provides, including recreation and planning/zoning/assessment. But it was the recommendations of the town’s auditors –including transitioning to a fiscal year from the current calendar year budget — […]
Chester Hardware files for bankruptcy
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the note on the front door said the business at 21 Main St. would be closed from July 3 through 13, on July 7, the owner of Chester Hardware & Mercantile was filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Under Chapter 7, the assets of a debtor are […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
News Analysis: Transforming Vermont’s education system, again As House bill 955 enters the final stretch, here's what's coming at us
UPDATE: H955 was signed into law by Gov. Scott on June 18. It is now called Act 170. By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC As this article is being written, H. 955 is still just a bill. Before it can begin “transforming Vermont’s education system,” it must be checked and double checked for typos […]