All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
Sheriff candidate Lake put on administrative leave by Bellows Falls Police
By Michael Donoghue Vermont News First Embattled Windsor County Sheriff candidate Joshua Lake has been placed on paid administrative leave by the Bellows Falls Police Department while an independent investigation is undertaken about his exaggeration about possible crimes, officials said. Bellows Falls Police Chief David Bemis told Vermont News First the move was made after […]
ICE arrests five Manchester residents in Derry
By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Five Manchester residents were detained by ICE around 8:30 this morning as they were driving east along Route 11 in Londonderry apparently toward a job, according to Migrant Justice, a Burlington-based advocacy group. Little is known about the situation other than a convoy of six unmarked SUVs, also […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Aug. 10
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday Aug. 10 at the 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 July 27th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, […]
Prosecutors say Lake admitted he ‘exaggerated’ claim against wife Windsor Sheriff's candidate also had denied he said she brandished gun, harmed child
By Michael Donoghue Vermont News First and Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC A Windsor County Sheriff’s candidate from Chester is denying that he ever made claims in a private conversation to a Walpole, N.H., police officer in December 2025 that his wife pointed a gun at him and that she also abused their child […]
Chester Sewer Commission, Select Board agendas for Aug. 5
Chester Select Board will meet in its capacity as Sewer Commission at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday Aug. 5, 2026 followed by a special meeting as the select board. The meetings will take place at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and remotely via Zoom. Below are the board’s agendas: Sewer Commissioners Agenda 1. Citizen’s Comments 2. […]
State school merger lead facilitator finalists announced One educator and a consulting firm will have final interviews next week
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Learning Collaborative announced late Tuesday afternoon that it has selected two finalists for the job of lead facilitator for the school merger study group work mandated by Act 170. The law, which bills itself as “transforming Vermont’s education system,” calls for seven regional facilitators who […]
Local Indivisible chapter protests latest ICE killings in Texas, Maine
By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing On a warm and sunny Friday afternoon, a small crowd of about 45 people from Woodstock and Plymouth, Andover, Cavendish, Grafton, Ludlow, Rockingham and Chester gathered along the Chester Green to protest what they see as just the latest dark actions by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. On […]
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 continues to look at cost of town services, welcomes comments
By Shawn Cunningham ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester’s Select Board will continue looking at the cost of the services the town provides to residents and property owners at its regular meeting on Wednesday July 15. Town Manager Julie Hance has often said that the town’s budgets reflect the cost of the services the town provides […]
GMUSD special meeting agenda for July 16 (3rd of 3) Discussion of Act 170 - School transformation legislation
The Green Mountain Unified School District Board will hold a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16 at Cavendish Town Elementary, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: I. Call To Order a. Roll Call – Confirming a Quorum II. Agenda Additions or Deletions a. Approval […]
Chester Select Board agenda for July 15
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday July 15 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Approval of Minutes of July 1, 2026 Select board Meeting 2. Citizen’s Comments 3. Old Business 4. Review of Services: Recreation, Planning/Zoning/Assessing 5. […]
Andover Select Board agenda for July 13
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday July 13, 2026 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 June 22nd meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, […]
GMUSD Board agenda for Special Meeting July 10 (2nd of 3)
The Green Mountain Unified School District Board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 9 at the Cavendish Town Elementary School, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: I. Call To Order a. Roll Call – Confirming a Quorum II. Agenda Additions or Deletions […]
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 […]
GMUSD board agenda for Special Meeting July 9 (1st of 3)
The Green Mountain Unified School District Board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 9 at the Cavendish Town Elementary School, 573 Main St. in Proctorsville and remotely via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda: I. Call To Order a. Roll Call – Confirming a Quorum II. Agenda Additions or Deletions […]
Chester puts surveys online to collect public opinion for economic development Eight brief surveys geared toward an array of interests and experience
The newly formed Chester Economic Development Commission is looking for ideas, suggestions and opinions from Chester residents, business owners and visitors to inform strategic planning decisions. To get that information, the commission has posted eight short surveys at chestervermont.net , The surveys have distinct scopes to generate the most specific and useful information possible. They are: […]
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. […]