All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
Meet the six candidates for three Senate Windsor District seats
@2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Six candidates are running for three spots in the Vermont Senate representing the Windsor District, which is made up of 23 towns in Windsor County (except for Rochester) plus Pittsfield in Rutland County and Thetford in Orange. Three are Republicans and three are Democrats, two of whom are incumbents. Election Day […]
Hoser & Charlton address four pressing issues Candidates for Windsor-Windham House district
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two Chester residents are facing off to represent the Windsor-Windham District, consisting of Athens, Chester, Grafton and Windham, in the Vermont House. Incumbent Tom Charlton, a Republican, is being challenged by Democrat Will Hoser. Ground Rules: Now, each election year, The Chester Telegraph asks our local candidates specific questions about […]
Act 170 merger study group holds first meeting
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC BELLOWS FALLS For the schools of the Group 7 merger study committee, the work mandated by the Act 170 public school transformation law began Oct. 13 at Bellows Falls High School. Representatives of the Green Mountain, Springfield, Rockingham, Bellows Falls High, Westminster and Athens/Grafton school districts were […]
No Kings/Vote Early rally brings 180+ to Chester Green
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Nearly 200 people gathered from throughout the area last Saturday afternoon for a get-out-the-vote rally on the Chester Green, just three weeks before Nov. 3 voting and amid early voting. While the fall day was brisk and breezy, bright sunshine cheered those protesting the Trump administration in […]
With razing of Mill Tavern set, a look back at the many lives of an iconic Londonderry building
By the Londonderry Arts and Historical Society ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC In the coming weeks, a familiar chapter in North Londonderry’s built landscape will draw to a close, when the massive timber-framed building at 2242 N. Main St. — known for the past half-century as The Mill Tavern — is razed. To passersby, the quiet […]
Charlton, Hoser square off in Chester forum
By Nicholas Boke and Cynthia Prairie © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Around 75 people attended last Tuesday’s forum for Vermont House candidates for the Windsor-Windham District, pitting incumbent Tom Charlton, a Republican, against Democratic challenger Will Hoser. Both are Chester residents seeking to represent the towns of Athens, Chester, Grafton and Windham in the Vermont […]
Balint among dozens in Congress targeted with suspicious letters
©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC U.S. Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont was notified by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service of a suspicious letter intended for her office that is being handled by authorities. On Friday afternoon, Maryland Rep. Sarah Elfreth’s district office in Howard County “was evacuated after a suspicious letter and substance were delivered by […]
Chester Select Board agenda for Oct. 21
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 21, 2026 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and remotely via Zoom. 1. Approval of Minutes of October 7, 2026 Select board Meeting 2. Citizen’s Comments 3. Old Business 4. Snowmobile Club Use of Roads Approval 5. Memo of Understanding; […]
Chester board hears reaction to draft ‘Town Green Use Ordinance’ Sidewalk news and recap of busy festival weekends
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC It was looking like the Chester Select Board meeting last Wednesday would be contentious because a draft document for regulating the use of the Chester Green had been circulating in town. For more than a year, the Chester Green has been the venue for a number of […]
Right for Vermont holds session on Prop 3 in Chester on Oct. 20
The Right for Vermont Foundation will hold a free public information session in Chester to help voters understand Proposal 3, the constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot. The event will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at the Fullerton Inn, 40 the Common. The session will be open to the public […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Oct. 12
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday Oct. 13 at Town Hall, 953 Weston-Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of September 28th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, 10 minutes […]
Town Manager Hance baffled by missing portion of Chester Green draft ordinance
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Tuesday morning, Chester Town Manager Julie Hance told Select Board members in an email that she does not know why a portion of a draft ordinance on the use of the town Green that she had sent them last week was cut off mid-page. She then forwarded […]
Chester Select Board agenda for Oct. 7
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 7 at Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Approval of Minutes of Sept. 16, 2026 Selectboard Meeting 2. Citizens Comments 3. Old Business 4. Update on Recent Festivals: Chester Festival Committee […]
Agenda for first meeting for Group 7 school merger study committee Group includes GMUSD, Springfield, Rockingham, Bellows Falls, Athens/Grafton and Westminster schools and RVTC
The first meeting of the Group 7 school merger study committee will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday Oct. 13 at Bellows Falls Union High School, 406 High School Road, Westminster, Vt. and remotely via Zoom. Below is the committee’s agenda. 1. Facilitator Call to Order 2. Welcome and Introductions 3. Overview of Committee […]
LMH exits Green Mountain merger group; First Group 7 meeting Oct. 13 Zoom failed, notes from LMHUUSD meeting 'recycled'
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Friday, the Vermont Learning Collaborative released the finalized groupings for merger study committees with only one district requesting to be moved. That district is Ludlow-Mount Holly, which has been allowed to switch from Group 7 (with Green Mountain, Springfield and Rockingham among others) to Group 3, […]
Candidates forums filling October calendar
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC We are now five weeks away from the midterm elections and, in the next few days, Vermonters will begin receiving their ballots in the mail from the Secretary of State’s Office. Across our area, organizations are sponsoring forums where members of the public can hear directly from candidates for the […]
Act 170 school merger groupings announced, meetings in weeks What is good faith?
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Thursday, Sept. 17, while discussing the Act 170 voluntary school merger process, TRSU Superintendent Layne Millington asked members of the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District what other group of school districts they would be interested in merging with outside of their Group 7 […]
GMUSD Board hears need for deep cuts to avoid penalties
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC After many months of wrangling over various aspects of policy governance — a method of assigning roles of the board and the administration — the Green Mountain Unified School District voted to consign it to the ash heap and move to another model. But that sense of […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Sept. 28
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday Sept. 28 at Andover Town Hall, 953 Weston-Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda. 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of September 14th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, 10 […]
Chester Hardware bankruptcy sale in the works Business could have new owners by year's end
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC If all goes to plan, according to bankruptcy trustee Raymond Obuchowski, the Chester Hardware store that declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy and closed in July could be under new ownership by early December. On Friday, Obuchowski and trustee Paul Levine filed notice of a motion asking the U.S. […]