All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
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. […]
Auditor tells Chester board the town tax is ‘artificially low’ 'You're lean and mean, but you've got no money'
By Shawn Cunningham ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC You’re lean and mean but you’ve got no money,” said auditor Ron Smith at the June 17 Chester Select Board meeting. “But we’re not in the hole,” replied Town Manager Julie Hance. Smith agreed, but reiterated that the town does not have enough money sufficient for cash flow […]
Chester Select Board agenda for July 1
The Chester Select Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1, at Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and on Zoom, which you can access by clicking here. Below is its agenda 1. Approval of Minutes of June 17, 2026 Selectboard Meeting 2. Citizen’s Comments 3. Old Business 4. Request for Discontinuance; Ingraham […]
Proctorsville’s Bob Glidden retires after 33 years as fire chief Glidden has served as a firefighter for 56 years
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The year was 1970. Richard Nixon was in the second year of his first term, gasoline averaged 36¢ per gallon, the minimum wage was $1.60 and Bob Glidden was starting his career as a volunteer firefighter in Proctorsville. He was 12. Next week, he will retire from […]
Ludlow Rotary gets grant for Okemo Valley Technical Rescue
Ludlow Rotary Club recently received a Global Grant of $62,922 to fund Okemo Valley Technical Rescue. The grant will be used for training and equipment to outfit 15 emergency personnel for making rushing water and other technical rescues while keeping themselves safe. The safety of the local emergency personnel was a key factor in receiving […]
Policy governance wheels still spinning at GM board Act 170 merger talks begin by Oct. 15
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Study groups mandated by Act 170 will shortly be ramping up to produce proposed school merger agreements by the law’s September 2027 deadline. Those will be voted on at Town Meetings in March 2028. Meanwhile, the Green Mountain Unified School District Board spent a fair amount […]
Windsor Dems host forums for Democratic candidates for sheriff, Senate and governor
The Windsor County Democrats will be holding public candidate forums for the Democratic contenders for the 2026 Vermont governor race, Windsor District Senate races and for the Windsor County Sheriff race. The forum for Democratic candidates for Windsor County Sheriff will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24 from 6 to […]
Chester boards meet to kick off Town Plan revisions Planners want public input early and often
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC With work on a new Town Plan just getting under way, last week the Chester Select Board hosted a meeting of several of its appointed boards to share their thoughts on the plan and the process to rewrite the current version. In Vermont, any town that has […]
Green Mountain graduates 47 as thunderstorms avoid Chester Photo gallery of an evening to remember
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC The possibility of rain passed by mid-afternoon Friday and the sun was shining through high clouds as 44 members of the Class of 2026 marched out to Pomp and Circumstance and took their seats set up on the lawn of the high school. A little over an […]
Chester Economic Development Commission agenda for June 24
The Chester Economic Development Commission will hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday June 24 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and remotely via Zoom. Below is the Commission’s agenda 1. Approve Minutes from Previous Meeting (May 27, 2026) 2. Citizen Comments 3. Discuss / Approve updates to business directory 4. Discuss / […]
Chester Dems to meet June 25 to nominate JPs
The Chester Town Democratic Committee will meet from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 25 in the conference room of the Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St. The meeting will include nominating for six candidates for justices of the peace from the Chester Town Democratic Committee. This caucus meeting is open to all. For more […]
Andover Select Board agenda for June 22
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday June 22 at the Town Hall 953 Weston-Andover Road. Below is the boards agenda: 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of June 8 meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, 10 […]
REVISED: Chester Select Board/Water Commissioners meeting agenda for June 17
The Chester Select Board will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 17 prior to the Water Commissioners meeting at 6:30 p.m., which will then be followed by a special Select Board meeting. The meetings will be held at Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and on Zoom by clicking here. Below are […]
Cavendish sets sewer rates, addresses Greven Field work and tax grievance process
By Lorien Strange ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC This month’s Cavendish Select Board meeting was short and sweet — in sharp contrast to last month, when a discussion about a possible ordinance to increase ATVs’ access to town roads had the Select Board’s meeting room packed to the door. Most of the attendees seemed to support […]
News Analysis: Transforming Vermont’s education system, again As House bill 955 enters the final stretch, here's what's coming at us
UPDATE: H955 was signed into law by Gov. Scott on June 18. It is now called Act 170. By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC As this article is being written, H. 955 is still just a bill. Before it can begin “transforming Vermont’s education system,” it must be checked and double checked for typos […]
GM outlines $3 million PCB remediation this summer
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC It was June 2023 when the Green Mountain Unified School District board heard that its high school was contaminated with Polychlorinated Biphenyls or PCBs. “Unfortunately, this will dominate our conversation for the foreseeable future, ” Facilities Director Todd Parah said at that time. Fast forward to a […]
GM school bus runs into ditch, jostling students on route to Cavendish
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC A Green Mountain School District bus driver, heading north from Chester, pulled over to settle down some rambunctious students just after 3 this Friday afternoon but ended up in the ditch on Route 103 in the Proctorsville Gulf, jostling the passengers as he came to a stop. […]
GMUSD board wrestles with bullying and governance
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Thursday’s Green Mountain Unified School District Board meeting took up the second half of the behemoth agenda that the board started the week before. Before beginning the meeting, board chair Lisa Sanders of Cavendish asked that only one person speak at a time, with no side […]