All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
Chester board punts making school board rep recommendation; hears protests about protests
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Wednesday, the Chester Select Board was met with a fairly full house and two large servings of controversy starting with the public comment period. One issue concerns the use of the Green for political demonstrations while the other involved objections to a candidate who is seeking […]
Land use board to hold public session May 22 on Act 250 and critical natural resource areas
The Vermont Land Use Review Board is hosting a public engagement session to gather input on planned expansions of the Act 250 permit program aimed at ensuring better protection of critical natural resource areas. The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 22 and welcomes both in-person and remote participation. […]
Weston’s Wilder Memorial Library breaks ground on expansion
Wilder Memorial Library in Weston held a ground-breaking ceremony on Tuesday, May 6 to celebrate the beginning of its long-awaited building project to enhance and expand the library’s facilities and programs. The project will include repairing and restoring the 200-year-old main building and adding a 1,300-square foot addition, which will have fully accessible indoor and […]
Andover Select Board agenda for May 12
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday May 12 at the Andover Town Office, 953 Weston Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda. 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of March 24th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per […]
May Day protest attracts 250+, some counter protesters
On Thursday afternoon, May 1, the Chester Green was — as it had been a month ago — lined with anti-Trump demonstrators carrying signs, waving at drivers and listening to speakers who, for this May Day celebration, emphasized the importance of workers and unions in building the American middle class. May Day is an international […]
Chester Select Board agenda for May 7
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday May 7, 2025 at Town Hall and via Zoom. To join the meeting go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81988842129 Below is the board’s agenda. 1. Approval of Minutes from the Selectboard Meeting dated April 16, 2025 2. Citizen’s Comments 3. Old Business 4. Review/Recommendation […]
Friends, co-workers, residents celebrate retirement with Aldrich
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC More than 120 friends, co-workers, relatives and Chester residents turned out at the American Legion on Saturday night to celebrate Town Clerk Debbie Aldrich’s retirement after 42 years. Aldrich began working as an assistant town clerk in April 1983 and became town clerk when Sandy Walker […]
Probationary firefighter charged in Cavendish barn fire
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC A probationary firefighter has been charged with first-degree arson after an investigation of a barn fire in Cavendish last week. The Vermont State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit said in a press release today that Zerrick Ausikaitis, 20, of Cavendish, “intentionally lit” a fire that damaged […]
Heather Chase elected chair of Chester Town Democratic Committee
At its Thursday, April 24 meeting, the Chester Town Democratic Committee unanimously elected Heather Chase as its new chair. Chase has served as a Chester Select Board member, chair of the Chester Board of Civil Authority, Justice of the Peace and a Vermont state legislator. Upon being seated as the committee’s chair, Chase thanked Nick […]
Town Green Up Day activities Information for Andover, Cavendish and Chester
By Stacia Spaulding ©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Although Green Up Day officially takes place on the first Saturday in May, many area residents have gotten a jump-start on cleaning up the roadsides in their towns. If you would like to help, there are still plenty of opportunities available on Saturday, May 3. Many more schools […]
A primer: How Vermont law enforcement agencies must handle immigration issues
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Toward the end of last week’s Chester Select Board meeting, as members were discussing items for future agendas, Arne Jonynas asked what the relationship is between the Chester Police Department and federal immigration authorities in light of recent arrests of both documented and undocumented immigrants in Vermont. […]
Neighbors plead with Chester board to enforce on quarry violations
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC In an otherwise light meeting – mostly followups and housekeeping – the Chester Select Board last Wednesday heard from neighbors complaining that the Julian quarries in Gassetts were continuing to violate a signed agreement with the town. The quarries were cited by the town for violations in […]
Andover Democrats form committee
The Andover Town Democratic Committee held an organizational caucus on Tuesday, April 15 to re-organize the committee, which had not met formally for several years. It also elected committee officers and delegates to the Windsor County Democratic Committee. Nine Andover residents attended the meeting at Chester Town Hall. Windsor County Democratic Chair Mark Yuengling also […]
Ludlow resident, a fugitive from Brazil, arrested on federal firearms charges
By Mike Donoghue Vermont News First BURLINGTON An international fugitive, who is wanted on a child rape charge in Brazil and has lived in the United States unlawfully for more than four years, has been arrested in Windsor County on federal firearms charges after a series of gun incidents, officials said this week. Gabriel Lopes […]
Well attended forum explores future of education in Vermont
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Monday night’s forum on statewide education reform, sponsored by the Chester Democratic Committee, attracted about 40 people of many political stripes. And it was remarkable for the extent to which members of the invited panel — also of different political persuasions — agreed on the problems and […]
Agendas for Chester Select Board and Sewer Commission on April 16
The Chester Select Board will meet in its capacity as the Board of Sewer Commissioners at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. Immediately following that meeting, it will then hold a “Special” Select Board. The meeting is designated as special because of its later than usual start time. The meetings will be held at […]
Andover Select Board agenda for April 14
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday April 14 at the Town Office, 953 Weston-Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of March 24 meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, 10 […]
Fire danger is high today in southeastern Vermont
© 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Vermont’s Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation’s fire danger forecast for today is showing high fire danger in a strip of towns along the New Hampshire border stretching from Norwich in northern Windsor County to Vernon at the Massachusetts line. The towns in our area that are in the yellow […]
Firings at federal heating program could impact more than 23,000 Vermont households
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Next winter could be a lot harder for hundreds of households in Windsor and Windham counties — and more than 23,000 statewide — if the federal program that provides seasonal and emergency heating assistance for low income households is not restored by the Trump administration. Last Tuesday, […]
Hands Off rally in Chester draws large, peaceful crowd
By Shawn Cunningham and Cynthia Prairie © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC A crowd of around 500 showed up on the Chester Green on chilly, gray Saturday to send a message to the Trump administration and that message was “Hands Off.” Protesters brought mostly hand-made signs that expressed the taxpayer-funded services and rights they wanted left […]
