All Entries in the "Featured" Category
Issues over proposed bylaws returned to Planning Commission; Missing Link Bridge to be rebuilt
By Shawn Cunningham For the second meeting in a row, on Wednesday Sept. 4, the Chester Select Board went immediately into executive session. The closed door session was to talk with candidates for the positions of Lister and Planning Commission member. The board entered executive session at 7:07 and returned at 7:29 p.m.after which they […]
Playhouse plans for year-round performances with Walker Farm expansion
By Cynthia Prairie The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company is planning to expand its theatrical offerings to year-round with a new cultural center at the 4.9 acre Walker Farm, just north of its Weston Green main stage. The company, which attracts audiences from throughout the northeast, currently stages shows from late spring to early fall, offering […]
Study author recommends adding officers to Chester Police force
By Shawn Cunningham In a presentation to the Chester Select Board on Wednesday, Aug. 21, Doug Hoyt, a former police chief of Montpelier, suggested that the Chester Police Department staff should grow by two officers, to six total. Hoyt conducted a study of the police department under the auspices of the Vermont League of Cities […]
Black River expands into meat processing with new 50,000-square-foot plant
By Karen Zuppinger SPRINGFIELD Springfield based Black River Produce recently opened a meat processing plant to meet a growing demand. The 50,000-square-foot facility is located in the old Ben & Jerry’s building in North Springfield Industrial Park, a few miles down the road from the company’s headquarters. The compound processes all natural beef, lamb and […]
Chester’s Cheyenne Prescott places 2nd in 10th Keene Idol
By Karen Zuppinger KEENE, N.H. Seventeen year old Chester resident Cheyenne Prescott is this year’s 2nd place winner of the 10th annual Keene Idol singing competition. Bested only by industry vet and former “The Voice” contestant, Michelle Brooks-Thompson, Prescott’s vocals and stage presence stood out on a night when all seven finalists brought their A […]
Telescopes star at 78th Stellafane Convention
Claudio Veliz of the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group, based in Chester, attended this year’s annual Stellafane Convention in Springfield, the 78th meeting of Amateur Telescope Makers. The event attracts amateur telescope and lens makers from all over the world. This year’s convention was held from Thursday, Aug. 8 through Sunday, Aug. 11. Organizers said that […]
Toddler playset finally goes up at the Pinnacle
Click any photo to launch the gallery.
Tapping Into Local Talent: Southern VT youths light up Weston stage
By David Lampe-Wilson The theater is often referred to as “the fabulous invalid.” But it hangs on through an ongoing infusion of new audiences and new artists. What keeps theater alive and kicking – at least in Weston, VT – is its closeness to the community, says Steve Stettler, a producing director with Weston Playhouse. […]
DRB begins to address Dollar General proposal again
The Chester Development Review Board has gone through all the documents from the previous hearings on the proposed 9,100-square-foot Dollar General Store, according to zoning administrator Michael Normyle. At its Monday, Aug. 12 meeting, the five-member board will announce that it will begin considering what steps to take next. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. […]
LIFE IN WATERCOLORS: Winston painting sale evokes memories of the Chester Art Guild
By Cynthia Prairie Galen Pinkham is a large man with a ready smile, a welcoming laugh and a wealth of stories. He navigates this Grafton home with the ease of someone who grew up among the books, the record albums, the furniture and, especially, the many paintings that hang from just about every wall. Many […]
Bryan Ballinger is trying to raise a STINK!
By Shawn Cunningham With an Aug. 8 deadline approaching on his Kickstarter funding campaign, former Chester resident Bryan “Breadwig” Ballinger is optimistic that he will raise the $20,000 needed to publish his “scratch and sniff” children’s book, Animal Gas. At press time, his appeal to help produce the allegory on how we perceive our ourselves […]
Green Mountain grad takes flight with internship at Air & Space Museum
ON THE COVER: Laura and a member of the Blue Crew assist a visitor at the National Air and Space Museum. // Photos courtesy National Air & Space Museum By Andy Jackins Laura Hofmann, the 2011 salutatorian at Green Mountain Union High and current Middlebury College junior, is spending 10 weeks in the nation’s capital […]
After decision hiccup, town agrees to seek grant, loan for exterior repairs to Whiting Library
By Cynthia Prairie The Chester Select Board last Wednesday, July 17, walked back on earlier suggestions that the Whiting Library Board of Trustees come up with more than the original $10,000 it had pledged toward major repairs of the library building. It instead agreed to apply for a federal grant and loan and put in […]
Select Board sets tax rate, talks asphalt sidewalks
By Karen Zuppinger At a busy July 3rd meeting, the Chester Select Board set this year’s tax rates, approved a $10,000 contract to create a new town government website, held a required public comment meeting on the replacement of repair and of sidewalks and approved applying for a loan to design upgrades to the drinking […]
Recent storms raising e. coli levels in area rivers
The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance began its annual water quality testing on Wednesday, June 19th, with Wednesday, July 3 as its second river sampling day. Throughout the summer season, volunteers from SeVWA take water samples from specific spots in the Williams, Saxtons, West and Rock rivers and the North Branch and Whetstone brooks, testing for […]
Mary Bittner: making strides to fight leukemia
By Karen Zuppinger Mary Bittner is looking for a fight. Running along the Green Mountain Turnpike, the Chester resident is in training, preparing to battle a grueling half marathon in the fall on the hilly streets of San Francisco. But her fight isn’t with the streets of San Francisco. It’s with leukemia, a blood cancer […]
Pinnacle playset OK’d despite Suursoo’s fiscal objections
By Karen Zuppinger Expecting a pro forma go-ahead for an already-approved toddler playground project at the Pinnacle Recreation Area, Matt McCarthy and Julie Hance found themselves in a protracted tug of war with Select Board member Derek Suursoo at the June 19 Chester Select Board meeting. The project, when first presented to the board, was […]
A fresh start, a new name for the WAAWWE market
By Cynthia Prairie It’s 10 days to relaunch and the four women around the picnic table are excited. Not only does it seem that the summer has finally taken hold in Southern Vermont, but their surroundings are in disarray, a happy dishevelment of reconstruction, rebuilding, renewal. Across the parking lot, the bright and […]
Under perfect skies, 41 graduate from GMUHS
ON THE COVER: Ann-Marie Toussaint gets a kiss from her nephew during graduation ceremonies. The 41 members of the Green Mountain Union High School Class of 2013 graduated under perfect skies on Friday evening, June 21 on the grounds of the school. In attendance were family and friends of the graduates as well as members […]
Brianna Luman: getting a kick out of martial arts
By Greg Hart Sports editor Twelve year old Chester resident Brianna Luman is headed to Ireland in August for the World Martial Arts Games. The Green Mountain Middle schooler has been training hard and fundraising for the competition in Dublin where she will compete with athletes from more than 60 countries. Martial arts requires discipline […]
