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Ground breaks, curtain rises on next act for Weston Playhouse

Ground breaks, curtain rises on next act for Weston Playhouse

By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Years of planning and designing came to a close Sunday as the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company officially broke ground for its new arts center on the corner of Route 100 and the Andover Weston Road. What will not come to an end however is fund raising for […]

Bock wins Democratic Primary in Windsor 3-1; victory in November seems assured

Bock wins Democratic Primary in Windsor 3-1; victory in November seems assured

By Shawn Cunningham and Cynthia Prairie ©2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Tom Bock sprinted to a victory over Melody Reed in the Democratic Primary for Vermont state representative from the Windsor 3-1 District, which includes Chester, Andover, Baltimore and North Springfield. Despite ballot counting glitches in Andover and Baltimore, by 9:30 p.m. it appeared that Bock […]

14 in Chester honored for 20-plus years of service

14 in Chester honored for 20-plus years of service

By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Before getting down to a regular agenda on Wednesday, Aug. 3, the Chester Select Board took a few minutes to recognize 14 people who have served the town of Chester for as many as 35 years. The Vermont Public Service Award is given every five years by […]

Hart to remain Londonderry road foreman, Doane steps down

Hart to remain Londonderry road foreman, Doane steps down

By Bruce Frauman © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a surprising turn of events, Duane Hart, who had resigned from his position as road foreman for the town of Londonderry, will be staying on and instead road crew member Nick Doane will be leaving. This turn was mentioned only in passing at the Aug. 1 […]

AOT-FEMA buyout impasse continues over Londonderry wall

AOT-FEMA buyout impasse continues over Londonderry wall

By Bruce Frauman © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Emergency Management Director Kevin Beattie told the Londonderry Select Board that his repeated requests for information from Eckman Engineering about the status of correspondence between Eckman and the Agency of Transportation on the “training wall” on the West River had not yielded results. But, he said at […]

Grafton 2nd homeowners given voice in wind poll

Grafton 2nd homeowners given voice in wind poll

By Cynthia Prairie ©2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC After a long discussion, punctuated by comments from first- and second-homeowners alike urging that the Grafton Select Board act, the board on Monday night approved going forward with a nonbinding poll to find out how all town residents and taxpayers view the proposed Iberdrola industrial wind project as […]

Weston board ponders Little School parking, well requests, tables other issues

Weston board ponders Little School parking, well requests, tables other issues

By Bruce Frauman © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC More issues were tabled than decided at the July 26 Weston Select Board meeting including choosing among bidders for a new furnace at the Town Office building, a supplier for heating oil and securing an expert opinion to how close to a wellhead pavement can be laid […]

A CLOSER LOOK: State House candidates answer our questions

A CLOSER LOOK: State House candidates answer our questions

© 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC With two Democratic candidates vying for a seat in the State House from Windsor 3-1 and no Republicans or Independents in sight, next Tuesday’s primary might just as well be the Nov. 8 General Election for Chester, Andover, Baltimore and North Springfield. As is our custom in contested races, we’ve […]

Unpermitted 'superload' trucks 'grounded' in Rockingham

Unpermitted ‘superload’ trucks ‘grounded’ in Rockingham

By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two tractor-trailers carrying oversized loads that tore down wires and broke utility poles in Chester last night will spend the weekend and at least part of next week at a reststop in Rockingham while Vermont authorities engineer a way for them to safely exit the state on […]

Two superload trucks knock out power, Internet, cable in separate Chester accidents

Two superload trucks knock out power, Internet, cable in separate Chester accidents

© 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two “superloads,” being driven from Ohio, brought down fiber-optic lines along Route 103 just north of the Stone Village, and electric, fiber-optic and cable lines on Route 103 South at Sylvan Road, in separate but almost simultaneous accidents late this afternoon. Superloads are even larger than the common wideloads seen […]

Grafton group seeks to sway Chester board against wind project

Grafton group seeks to sway Chester board against wind project

By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC The July 20 Chester Select Board was a presentation-rich environment, with information on an impending townwide reappraisal and an offer to donate the north shore of the Rainbow Rock swimming hole to the town. The longest, however, was a PowerPoint presentation by opponents of the wind project […]

Derry Select Board floats proposed salt shed to DRB

Derry Select Board floats proposed salt shed to DRB

By Bruce Frauman © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Three members of the Londonderry Select Board sat before the town’s Development Review Board on Wednesday, July 20 to present their proposal to build a salt and sand shed on the Prouty Land adjacent to Route 100, about half way between the two town centers. There are […]

Candidates for lt. gov., governor talk industrial wind power, citizen input at Grafton forum

Candidates for lt. gov., governor talk industrial wind power, citizen input at Grafton forum

By Cynthia Prairie ©2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC The small crowd gathered before even one candidate entered Grafton’s White Church on Monday night got the biggest treat of the day, when young Ripley Schemm practiced a solo soprano performance with one of the world’s most famous arias. Accompanied by his father on piano, Ripley, who is […]

End of an era as State Police prepare to leave Rockingham

End of an era as State Police prepare to leave Rockingham

By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC After almost 45 years in service, the Rockingham Barracks is being retired this week and the troopers who work there are moving into new quarters in Westminster along with colleagues from the Brattleboro Barracks. To mark the occasion, members of the Vermont State Police came together Tuesday […]

Prouty will continue as chair, Crossman will leave town office

Prouty will continue as chair, Crossman will leave town office

By Bruce Frauman © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC In another surprise personnel change, the Londonderry Select Board voted on Monday night to accept, with regret, the resignation of Assistant Town Clerk Dodie Crossman. Town Clerk Kelly Pajala told The Telegraph, on Tuesday that Crossman’s resignation would be effective at the end of August and that […]

Pilette, new chair to Grafton Select Board, moves wind info-gathering forward

Pilette, new chair to Grafton Select Board, moves wind info-gathering forward

By Cynthia Prairie ©2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Monday’s Grafton Select Board meeting was a long one made up of fits and starts as Town Attorney Robin Stern attempted to instill order in what has habitually been easily-derailed proceedings. She was largely successful, thanks to newly elected Select Board chair Ron Pilette, who despite his own […]

Chester celebrates 250 with displays, activities and food

Chester celebrates 250 with displays, activities and food

Photographers Claudio Veliz, Karen Zuppinger and Shawn Cunningham spent Saturday and Sunday at the various events being held around Chester to mark the 250th anniversary of the town’s New York charter, the last one of three that the town was issued. Activities ranged from the Pinnacle to the Fairgrounds and from the Green to the […]

Londonderry roads chief surprises board with intention to quit

Londonderry roads chief surprises board with intention to quit

By Bruce Frauman © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Londonderry Road Foreman Duane Hart surprised the town’s Select Board at its Thursday, July 7 meeting by announcing that he would be stepping down from that position later this summer. “It’s my intention to end my relationship with the town of Londonderry in September,” said Hart. “Londonderry […]

Chester tax rates decline; water tank, pipeline contracts awarded

Chester tax rates decline; water tank, pipeline contracts awarded

By Shawn Cunningham © 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a busy meeting on Wednesday night, the Chester Select Board set this year’s tax rate, heard a report from the town’s outside auditor, approved hiring several  contractors for master planning and for work on the water system, made three Development Review Board appointments, got updates on […]

Turner wins Grafton Select Board seat; opponent Dougall hospitalized before polls open

Turner wins Grafton Select Board seat; opponent Dougall hospitalized before polls open

By Cynthia Prairie ©2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC Grafton voters went to the polls today and elected John Turner to a Select Board seat left vacant by the resignation of Gus Plummer. But the voting developed an unexpectedly sad tone just before the polls closed this evening as word got out that candidate Don Dougall had […]