Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
Chester votes to make clerk, treasurer appointed posts; approves $3.7 million town budget
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC More than 85 residents turned out — in person and via Zoom — for Chester’s annual Town Meeting on Monday night. Town Moderator Bill Dakin kept the evening moving with most of the questions passing without debate or discussion. Those on Zoom were not allowed to vote […]
Prosecutor concerned over ‘lingering’ Rt. 103 murder case Two to three week spring 2024 trial is anticipated
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC More than three years after the murder of Boston trucker Roberto Fonseca-Rivera, Windham County Deputy State’s Attorney Steven Brown told Judge Katherine Hayes that he was concerned that the case against Jozsef Piri is not moving at the pace the prosecution thinks it should and that it […]
NOTICE: Andover postpones Town Meeting to Tuesday, March 7
Due to the snow forecast and out of concern for everyone’s safety, the Andover Select Board called an emergency meeting today and voted unanimously to postpone Andover’s annual Town Meeting until 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 7 at the Andover Town Hall. Feel free to contact the Andover Town Office clerk@vermontel.net with any questions.
Select Board candidates outline views in Chester forum
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC On a snowy, slushy Tuesday night, 35 Chester residents turned out at Town Hall to hear four of the five candidates running for two one-year seats on the town’s Select Board say why they want to be elected. SAPA-TV streamed the event which was available to residents […]
Chester board OKs Canal St. site for town gardens Group will work under Rec Dept. for community grow plots
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC After two years of back and forth discussions, the Chester Select Board voted last Wednesday to allow the Chester Community Greenhouse and Gardens group to use a portion of town land at the end of Canal Street for public garden plots. Rather than signing a lease or […]
GM board hears of racial bias incidents; reinstates Chieftain name 8th grader, family tell of school inaction; board considers rebranding 'Chieftains'
By Shawn Cunningham ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC In an emotionally charged meeting Thursday night, the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District heard from an 8th grade student and her grandmother who said that stress from racism that the girl has experienced since coming to the school last year has gotten to the point […]
Fuel to the Fire: Recent reports on gas stoves fail rural Vermont Propane and natural gas are not the same, but have been lumped together in news coverage
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC If you’ve read a major newspaper or watched the news on television or listened on the radio, you’ve likely heard that your gas stove is emitting toxic chemicals and other substances that can injure your health — even when the stove is not being used. But […]
Five seeking two seats on Chester Select Board Elimination of elected treasurer, clerk to be voted on March 6
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC While there’s often a challenger for two of the one-year seats on the Chester Select Board, this year brings an unusually large group of candidates. With incumbents Ben Whalen and Leigh Dakin deciding not to run for re-election, seven residents took out petitions to run and five […]
Appraisal of Route 103 solar farm kicks off Chester negotiations for purchase
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a meeting that took just 30 minutes to complete, the Chester Select Board learned that an appraisal of the Route 103 solar farm has been completed and that the town is now in a position to begin negotiations to buy it from its owner, Greenbacker Renewable […]
New Chester Police Chief outlines approach, goals
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC As Chester’s new police chief, Tom Williams says he wants to bring the department closer to the community and he’s started with his office. Williams, who as a lieutenant in the department, could have continued working out of that office, but decided to move into the office […]
Chester board finalizes budget; cannabis retailer on the horizon; citizen police panel discussed Town meeting vote could end election of clerk, treasurer
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC While issues like a report from the town’s Cannabis Control Commission, thoughts on a police citizen advisory board and the approval of the warning for Town Meeting were on the Chester Select Board’s Jan. 18 agenda, one line on the proposed 2023 budget took up a significant […]
Derry board considers stricter short-term rental ordinance
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its Monday Jan. 23 meeting, the Londonderry Select Board took up a draft ordinance to regulate short-term rentals. The draft that was posted on the town’s website as part of the board packet was basically the ordinance adopted by the Chester Select Board back in December. […]
GMUSD board agrees to ‘retire’ Chieftain name 'Indian head' image was dropped two years ago
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a move that was a surprise to at least one board member, the Green Mountain Unified School District board voted tonight, Thursday, Jan. 19, to discontinue the use of the Chieftain name. The district had voted to stop using the image of a Native American in […]
Chester Board dips into ‘Public Funds’ to pay for cemetery work Community garden license, STR regs, solar farm purchase inch forward
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC With a quorum of just three members attending — including Leigh Dakin on Zoom — the Chester Select Board worked through a fairly light agenda on Jan. 4, from looking to bequeathed funds for money to offset a deficit in last year’s budget to sending a proposed […]
Jackknifed tractor trailer closes slushy Grafton Road
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The driver of a northbound tractor trailer lost control of his truck in slushy conditions on Route 35 in Chester on Friday, Jan. 6 and jackknifed winding up pointing in the opposite direction in a ditch. The mishap closed the Grafton Road from around 11:30 a.m. until […]
Two select boards push back on their planning commissions Short-term rentals, energy chapter at issue as ARPA fund uses discussed
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing, LLC At their last regular meetings of 2022 the Select Boards of Andover and Cavendish took issue with the work of their towns’ Planning Commission and, in one instance, broached the idea of removing members to get its way. On Dec. 27 in Andover, the board took up […]
Rt. 121 closure in Saxtons River postponed til next week
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Due to last week’s snowstorm, the scheduled closure of Rt. 121 in Saxtons River has been postponed to Jan. 3. The closure is part of the repair of bridges on I-91 and involves the placement of a crane on the roadway below the bridges. It is expected […]
Inclusion declaration divides Chester board Measure passes on 3-2 vote after testy discussions
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Despite statements that all five members of the Chester Select Board supported a “declaration of inclusion” adopted by other Vermont towns and proposed by members of the Chester community, the measure only passed by a bare majority of three votes to two last Wednesday night. The discussion […]
Judge defers decision on Merrill plea agreement
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester resident and former middle school teacher Norman Merrill, charged with three felony counts related to creating and possessing child pornography, changed his not guilty plea on the count carrying the least penalty Tuesday morning, to guilty under an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. However, U.S. […]
GMUSD Board agenda for Dec. 15
The Green Mountain Unified School District Board will hold its regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday Dec. 15, 2022 at the Green Mountain High School library and via Zoom. To join the meeting remotely go to https://trsu.zoom.us/j/85863233984 Below is the board’s agenda. I. CALL TO ORDER (2 min): A. Roll call II. Approval of […]
