All Entries in the "Latest News" Category

SMCS, Springfield Hospital emerging from Chapter 11
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Vermont has confirmed the Chapter 11 reorganization plans of Springfield Medical Care Systems and Springfield Hospital, according to a press release late this afternoon from SMCS. Confirmation of their Chapter 11 plans is the final step necessary for the two companies to exit Chapter 11 and the culmination […]

Weston board focuses on Town Meeting plans, possible 9% education tax hike
By Cherise Madigan 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Town Meeting was the focus of the Weston Select Board’s Dec. 8 meeting, echoing similar discussions this week in Chester and Londonderry as 2021 looms large. Typically, the town hosts its annual meeting at the Weston Playhouse — a plan that Board Chair Denis Benson suggests continuing with […]

Chester board continues budget work, appoints Zoning Administrator Resident proposes civilian oversight of police
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its Dec. 2 meeting, the Chester Select Board continued working on the budget, department by department, and even converted into its alter ego – The Chester Water Commission – to look at the numbers for 2021. As has happened in previous meetings, most of the budget […]

Pandemic casts shadow on Derry board decisions Town Meeting plans discussed; board cautious on spending
By Cherise Forbes ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC At the Dec. 7 meeting of the Londonderry Select Board, Kelly Pajala, who is Town Clerk and a state representative for Windham-Bennington-Windsor, told the board that legislators are working to get a bill to Gov. Phil Scott by mid-January to expand options for how and when towns may […]

Andover Select Board agenda for Dec. 14
The Select Board for the town of Andover will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 14 at Andover Town Hall, 953 Andover Road. Below is its agenda. 1. Call Select Board meeting to order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes: Act on the minutes from the Nov. 23 meeting. 4. Public Comment […]

Local hemp producers, sellers eye budding ‘Vermont brand’ recreational cannabis market
By Cherise Madigan ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Although Vermont’s recreational cannabis market will not open until 2022, the budding CBD industry may be poised to pave the way for new and expanding businesses in the region. While questions remain as to the size of Vermont’s future cannabis industry and the scope of its economic impact, […]

Covid Weekly Update: Vermont cases soaring as deaths double from last week
©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Department of Health recorded 10 new deaths this week, double the fatalities reported last week, and a new Covid-19 case count that soared by 758, up from 546 reported last week, for 77 total deaths and 4,763 total cases. Seven deaths of the new deaths were Vermonters over the […]

X-country ski centers hopeful for coming season Viking, Wild Wings, Grafton expect more locals, fewer from away
By Cherise Madigan ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Despite restrictions on travel and recreation, local cross country ski centers are anticipating a strong season ahead — one that could possibly even surpass past winters. Following an uptick in outdoor recreation this summer, businesses like Londonderry’s Viking Nordic Center, Wild Wings Ski & Yoga in Peru, and […]

Chester Select Board, Water Commissioners agendas for Dec. 2
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday Dec. 2, 2020. It will also hold a meeting as the Water and Wastewater Commissioners following its regular meeting. Both meetings will be held at Town Hall and via Zoom. Note that in person attendance is limited to 10 people including […]

40,000 Meals & Counting $315,000 grant gives Chester Helping Hands-Springfield Family Center partnership the boost to feed more
By Cherise Madigan ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC During the bone chilling months of last March, when the Covid-19 pandemic was beginning it race across the country, Chester residents Chris Meyer and Jason Tostrup asked themselves a question: Will our neighbors be going hungry? As Vermont residents became confined to their homes, and unemployment spiked, the […]

Weekly Covid Update: Vermont up 1,000 cases in 11 days State monitoring vulnerable nursing home population
©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Department of Health recorded five new deaths this week and a Covid-19 new case count that crossed the 4,000 threshold, leaping from 3,000 to 4,000 cases in just 11 days. New case numbers this week added 546, down from the 716 cases reported last week, for a total of […]

Community Nurse Project presents to Weston board in preparation for Town Meeting
By Cherise Madigan ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Public health discussions dominated the Weston Select Board’s pre-Thanksgiving meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 24, with the town’s Emergency Management director, Michael Smilovich, encouraging unity in the face of an uptick in Covid-19 cases and resulting regulations. “With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s imperative that we heed the […]

Vermont joins 47 other states in Covid red zone
By April Simpson Senior Reporter Center for Public Integrity This article was originally published by the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit newsroom based in Washington, D.C. Vermont joined the 47 other states and the District of Columbia considered to be in the “red zone” for new coronavirus cases this week, according to the latest […]

Chester board continues speed limit discussion
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Speed limits once again took center stage at the Chester Select Board’s Nov. 18 meeting with a discussion of the data collected on River and High streets and Andover Road and requests by residents of those areas seeking reductions in the speed allowed. To see the speed […]

Construction crews work on 2 Chester firehouses
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC At either end of Elm Street in Chester, construction crews have been working on fire houses: one from the past and one for the future. On Route 103, just north of Elm Street, Wright Construction was installing a beam above the doors on the south end of […]

Yosemite Co. gives CAES classroom sound gear
By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC The Yosemite Engine Company, the independent, non-profit fundraising arm of the Chester Fire Department, on Friday presented 12 classroom sound system units to Chester-Andover Elementary School. “The Yosemite Engine Company and Chester Helping Hands had a discussion about things the school might need that were not in the […]

Weekly Covid Update: Cases continue to rise as Gov. Scott clarifies restrictions
©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Department of Health recorded three more deaths from Covid-19 this week and a new case count that soared by 716, up from the 417 cases reported last week, for a total of 3,459 Covid-19 cases. Thursday brought a grim milestone with the highest number of new infections in […]

Vermont records new Covid high, another death
©2020 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Vermont reached two more grim milestones on Thursday with the highest number of new infections in a day and another Covid-19 death. The Department of Health’s daily report showed 148 new Covid-19 positives – the highest number of the pandemic so far. As it has in recent days, Washington County had […]

State audit offers Derry road speed suggestions
By Cherise Madigan ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC A recently completed Road Safety Audit from the Vermont Agency of Transportation has provided new data and recommendations regarding traffic speeds along Route 11 and into the North Village of Londonderry. According to Select Board Chair George Mora, traffic speeds and safety present an “ongoing problem” with residents […]

Covid frustrations spill over at Derry board ahead of holidays; Town hires assessor
By Cherise Madigan © 2020 Telegraph Publishing, LLC The Londonderry Select Board is not immune to the frustration that many are feeling around the Covid-19 pandemic and state mandated restrictions, especially as the holidays approach. Following Emergency Management Director Kevin Beattie’s update on the pandemic, Select Board member Vincent Annunziata voiced resistance to Gov. Phil […]