All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
Part 4: Onward to Cameroon
By Henry Homeyer © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Gretchen and I made it to Agadez, a desert market town in Niger, 850 miles due south of Tamanrassett, and I immediately felt at home. Just out of college, I had taught fourth grade in Jersey City, N.J., at a inner-city public elementary school and, like children […]
Vandal spray paints anti-Israel sentiments on Cavendish business Police report incident to Atty Gen as 'possible hate crime'
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Someone vandalized a Cavendish business with graffiti expressing support for Palestinians and disdain for Israel early this morning, according to the Vermont State Police. A little before 2 a.m. on Wednesday, someone using purple spray paint wrote “Free Palestine” and an obscenity toward Israel on the front windows of DG […]
Chester begins Town Plan update; ‘all boards’ public meeting on June 9 to coordinate effort
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a couple of weeks, Chester will hold an “all boards” meeting, bringing together many of the boards, committees and commissions that work on issues facing the town. That Tuesday, June 9 public meeting will be held from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Town Hall and remotely […]
Kid Governor Program announces ‘Screen-Free Challenge’ through May 25
Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas is promoting a new initiative from Vermont’s first Kid Governor and her cabinet. Working together, the group of seven fifth graders, including Kid Gov. Roslyn Fortin of Highgate and her cabinet, has been seeking ways to elevate the full range of issues. Right now, they want to let […]
GMUSD meeting to discuss PCB remediation at High School with public
The Green Mountain Unified School District will hold a public meeting to present information on planned construction activities related the remediation of PCBs at the High School building and to provide an opportunity for public questions. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday June 2 at the High School, 716 Route 103 […]
Part 3: 600 miles of sand, heat, intrigue and illness
By Henry Homeyer © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC When Gretchen and I arrived at the oasis of Tamanrasset, the jumping off place for sub-Saharan Africa, we were told there was no fuel — no diesel or gasoline — so no vehicles would be leaving. For how long, I asked. “Maybe a few days, Allah willing,” […]
Chester Select Board and Sewer Commissioners agendas for May 20
The Chester Select Board and the Sewer Commissioners will meet one after the other on Wednesday, May 20, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The meetings will take place at Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and on Zoom, which you can access by clicking here. Below are the agendas. SELECT BOARD 1. Approval of Minutes of […]
Windsor man sentenced to 4+ years as felon with firearms
A 31-year-old Windsor County man has been sentenced to 53 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms. On Friday, May 8, Kyle Pickett, 31, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss in Burlington. According to court records, on Nov. 25, […]
Chester board hears that audits will show no deficits, reservoir dam recommendations
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC At last Wednesday’s meeting, the Chester Select Board got a bit of good news when Town Manager Julie Hance announced that there was no negative fund balance or deficit for 2024 or 2025. Back in January, Hance said that although the town received a clean audit for […]
GM budget passes by wide margin; Cavendish Elementary principal resigns
****Article updated at 5 p.m. Wednesday with quote from Superintendent Layne Millington.**** By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC On March 3 – Town Meeting Day – 1,013 residents of Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester went to the polls and by a margin of 37 votes defeated the budget proposal put forward by […]
Part 2: Our first days on the Sahara Desert
In Part 2 of this four-part series from gardening writer Henry Homeyer’s memoir-in-progress, he tells about traveling across the Sahara in 1972, using public transportation — cargo vehicles — and by hitchhiking. Homeyer, of New Hampshire, ended up living in Africa for 10 years, three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, two short […]
Forum on education transformation bill set for May 11 at Springfield H.S.
Community members are invited to attend an upcoming educational forum focused on Vermont’s current education transformation legislation, H 955. The event will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, May 11 at the Springfield High School Auditorium, 303 South St. in Springfield. The forum is designed to provide clear, up-to-date information on the […]
What to know about the GMUSD budget re-vote
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a little less than a week, residents of Andover, Baltimore, Cavendish and Chester will get a second chance to vote on the proposed budget of the Green Mountain Unified School District. The district runs two elementary schools and a single high/middle school. On March 3, voters […]
Repeals of Act 181 portions zip through Legislature '...a lot of things went sideways ... but this solves the problem, for now'
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Legislature sometimes gets the reputation for being ponderously slow but last week it showed it could move lightning fast when large numbers of people are up in arms about the effects of a law — and it’s an election year. As regular readers will know, […]
Sage Jewelry takes root in new Chester location
By Cynthia Prairie ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Michele Colby has finally found the storefront she has longed for. During the 16 intervening years, her children have grown and so has her business, Sage Jewelry and Gifts, now one of the two oldest retail businesses on the Chester Green. Just this past April, Colby finally moved […]
Andover Select Board agenda for May 11
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday May 11 at the Andover Town Office, 953 Weston-Andover Road 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of April 27th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, 10 minutes per topic): Members […]
Human remains found in Mt. Tabor forest
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Human remains were found by hikers in the Green Mountain National Forest in Mt. Tabor, north of Dorset in Western Vermont, 10 days ago, according to the Vermont State Police. The identity of the dead person and the circumstances surrounding the death are unknown at this time. According to a […]
Part 1: The 10-year desert journey begins
In this four-part series, gardening writer Henry Homeyer shares his “memoir in progress,” telling the story of traveling across the Sahara Desert in 1972. This led to a 10-year stay in Africa, including three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, two short contracts with the U.S. Agency for International Development and more than […]
Chester Select Board agenda for May 6
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6 at Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and remotely via Zoom. Below is its agenda. 1. Approval of Minutes of April 15, 2026 Select Board Meeting 2. Citizen’s Comments 3. Old Business 4. Green Mountain Power Upgrades; Tim Jones 5. […]
House Environment committee votes to move Act 181 repeal bill forward
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC By a roll call vote this morning (Thursday, April 30), the Vermont House Committee on the Environment unanimously approved a heavily revised version of Senate bill 325 and sent it on to the full House. The newly minted legislation, among other things, repeals Act 181’s Road Rule […]