Author Archive for Cynthia Prairie
Cynthia Prairie has been a newspaper editor more than 40 years. Cynthia has worked at such publications as the Raleigh Times, the Baltimore News American, the Buffalo Courier Express, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Patuxent Publishing chain of community newspapers in Maryland, and has won numerous state awards for her reporting. As an editor, she has overseen her staffs to win many awards for indepth coverage. She and her family moved to Chester, Vermont in 2004.
Bittersweet Family Day as CAES bids farewell to Plunkard
Becky Plunkard has been with Chester-Andover Elementary School for 19 years — it’s been so long that she had to look back in her records to check, she said. Secretary, paraprofessional, special education teacher, substitute teacher, mentor, Respect Club adviser, special events and after school activities coordinator. “I have kids that I remember when they […]
Rotary seeks families to host Thai student
The Rotary Club of Chester will be sponsoring a young woman from Thailand as the Rotary International Inbound Exchange Student for the school year 2012/2013, and is looking for host families for her. Host families will enjoy the benefits of having a teenage daughter to share their household with, together with an opportunity to learn […]
Select Board awaits legal opinion before filling DRB slots
By Cynthia Prairie The Chester Select Board may have intended to appoint two members and one alternate to the Development Review Board at its Wednesday, May 2, regular meeting, but a filing by attorneys for the Zaremba Group, which wants to build a Dollar General on Main Street, thwarted the plan. Zaremba, through attorney David […]
Fire leaves family of five searching for a new home
By Cynthia Prairie It was dinner time at the Picz home, a chilly April Saturday good for grilling out but eating in. At the grill, Greg Picz was the first to see the smoke crawling from the basement stairs. He yelled for his wife Angie and their three children to get out of the house – […]
15 from GMUHS inducted National Honor Society
One junior and 14 sophomores from Green Mountain Union High were inducted into the Flamstead Chapter of the National Honor Society Wednesday night at the school. The induction ceremony, lead by counselors Ally Oswald and Pamela O’Neil and chapter President Mark Harwood, was preceded by a dinner for inductees and their families prepared […]
Select Board appointment error throws Dollar General OK into question
By Cynthia Prairie Confusion on the part of the Select Board over when appointments to the Development Review Board are made could throw into question the DRB’s recent decision to allow a Dollar General store to be built, as well as other actions it may have taken since the beginning of March. (You can read […]
DRB approves Dollar General proposal
By Cynthia Prairie The Chester Development Review Board has approved the proposal for a 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store on a 1.4-acre empty parcel southeast of Main Street Pizza, former home to Zachary’s Pizza House. The decision was 3 to 2, and voted on Monday night, April 16. The DRB did place 35 conditions upon the […]
15 from GMUHS named to National Honor Society
Fifteen students from Green Mountain Union High School have been named to the National Honor Society, Flamstead Chapter, announced Ally Oswald, NHS adviser and GMUHS guidance counselor. The 91-year-old National Honor Society, with chapters in all 50 states, honors students who have “demonstrated excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service and Character,” according to […]
Easter Bunny arrives in Chester
The Easter Bunny hopped into Chester Saturday morning under blue skies and to the welcoming smiles of 75 kids and their parents, as the Chester Rotary once again hosted its Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Chester-Andover Elementary School. Chocolate eggs were spread like grass seed across lawn, garden and the Castle playground by Rotary members, […]
Jersey Girls to be featured at Beard Foundation Dinner in NYC
By Cynthia Prairie Chester’s own Jersey Girls Dairy will receive the honor of being featured by the James Beard Foundation at one of its rare Chef-Farmer Dinners, to be prepared by Chef Jason Tostrup of the Weathersfield Inn. The dinner, which will be held on June 4 at the foundation headquarters — the late James […]
Restoration brightens, gives accessibility to Stone Church
By Cynthia Prairie When congregants returned in January to the historic First Universalist Parish in the Stone Village after a four-month restoration project, they were met with jewel red carpeting and sunny yellow walls that draw eyes to the stunning stained glass windows. But the major aspects of the $270,000 project involved adding safety features […]
Whiting Library to institute late fees beginning April 2
For the first time in its 120-year history, the Whiting Library will begin charging patrons a late fee on any item not returned by the due date. The policy change takes place Monday, April 2. Each late item – whether a book, DVD, audiobook or CD – will be assessed 20 cents for each day […]
Vermont ranks 6th in nation for women
By Cynthia Prairie Vermont is the sixth best state in the nation for women to live in, according to a new poll by iVillage.com, an online community for women. Vermont’s neighbor to the west, New York, came in 7th, and its neighbor to the east, New Hampshire was listed as 10th. The No. 1 spot […]
DRB member speaks against Dollar General
By Cynthia Prairie Navigating a bumpy sea of issues – from the placement of catch basins to water connections for a sprinkler system to expected noise levels – the Chester Development Review Board held what it promised would be its final meeting last night, Monday, March 12, on a proposed conditional use permit to allow […]
Incumbents Bock, Jonynas returned to selectboard; school budgets pass
Photo on the Homepage: Christine Balch, Muriel Briggs and Sindy Pisha hand out ballots at Chester Town Hall on Election Day, Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Photo by Cynthia Prairie By Cynthia Prairie With 638 Chester residents voting by the time polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Tom Bock and Arne Jonynas were returned to office […]
Town, school district funding, resolutions approved at Town Meeting
By Cynthia Prairie With about 160 voters in attendance, an early 6 p.m. start, several failed article amendments and some lively discussions, Chester’s Town Meeting went off relatively smoothly Monday night. Voters first passed the Chester Town School District budget of $227,657 for early childhood and special education for those not in kindergarten, then tackled […]
Weather-related Schedule Changes to Chester Winter Carnival
The 2012 Chester Winter Carnival promises even more family fun with a bevy of indoor and outdoor activities, including an opening night dinner dance, and a scavenger hunt. But due to the dry weather, several events have been canceled, while the bulk of activities can still take place, Julie Pollard, who has been instrumental to […]
To the Editor: Meet with Rep. Leigh Dakin
Meet with Leigh Dakin, your State Representative for the Towns of Andover, Baltimore, Chester and a portion of North Springfield. This is an opportunity to ask questions about matters before the Vermont State Legislature in Montpelier or to discuss an issue of concern to you. Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 – 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. […]
State puts halt to construction at Jack’s Diner
By Cynthia Prairie Construction has been silenced at Jack’s Diner since Wednesday, Jan. 25, when an assistant state Fire Marshal issued a stop-work order on the expansion efforts. Landon Wheeler, the assistant state Fire Marshal, said on Monday, Jan. 30, that he issued the order after owner Jacques Dodier failed to comply with requests for […]
