Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
Chester board opts for remote Town Meeting; kicks cannabis vote down the road
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC For the second year in a row, the Chester Select Board has concluded that putting the question of allowing retail sales of cannabis before the voters needs more board discussion, although they may look at it on Wednesday, Jan. 19, the final day before they must finalize […]
Police look for suspect in Westminster armed robbery
© 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Vermont State Police are looking for a suspect in one and possibly two armed robberies that took place on Thursday in Westminster and Springfield. According to a VSP press release, a man entered the Allen Brothers Farm Store on Rt. 5 in Westminster at 6:54 p.m. showing a handgun and […]
Chester board OKs ‘statement’ encouraging individual Covid mitigation measures
By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC While a number of area towns including Cavendish, Ludlow and Windham have instituted mask mandates for public buildings, the Chester board issued a statement that while there is increasing transmission of Covid in Vermont and New Hampshire, “The Town of Chester is not supportive of implementing a mask […]
GMUSD board narrows focus on major infrastructure spending, bond issue
By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Mike Davey of Energy Efficient Investments was back before the Green Mountain Unified School District board on Monday, Dec. 21 with some new numbers for a proposed $20 million project to renovate and upgrade the district’s three schools. GMUSD operates two elementary and one high school with […]
Rt. 131 in Cavendish reopens as crash cleanup is completed
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Vermont Rt. 131 in Cavendish appears to be open to traffic again after being closed for nearly a day as emergency personnel worked to get a tractor trailer out of the Black River. Read yesterday’s Telegraph article here. But while the closure no longer appears on New […]
UPDATED: Truck crash into river closes Rt. 131 in Cavendish; recovery ongoing
By Shawn Cunningham ©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC UPDATE 5:45 p.m. – In what appears to be a change of plan, Proctorsville Fire has just told Hartford Dispatch that the tractor portion of the rig has been removed from the river and they are working on the trailer. We will continue to monitor scanner traffic through […]
Rt. 103 murder suspect to be released on bail Piri pleads not guilty, must surrender passports and guns
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC A Florida physician who owns a second home in Londonderry pled not guilty Monday to a charge of second degree murder in the 2019 shooting death of Roberto Fonseca-Rivera during a virtual arraignment and will be released on bond. He will be released on $250,000 bond after […]
Murder suspect returned to Vermont, to be arraigned Monday
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Jozsef Piri, the man who authorities have charged with the 2019 murder of Roberto Fonseca-Rivera, the 44-year-old Boston man who was driving a produce truck along Rt. 103 in Rockingham, has been extradited to Vermont and will be arraigned on Monday. According to the Vermont State Police, […]
Chester board’s mask discussions to continue through holidays
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the Cavendish Select Board approved a mask mandate for public places with little debate and even less public attendance last Monday, Chester’s board has held two meetings and appears stymied over how to recommend but not mandate that people wear masks in public buildings due to […]
Police arrest Londonderry 2nd-homeowner in 2019 Rockingham murder
UPDATE Dec 16 – 2:25 p.m. – Jozsef Piri is being held in the Collier County (Florida) Jail and his first appearance before a judge is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 17. By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC A Florida physician with a second home in Londonderry has been arrested in the […]
Cavendish adopts mask mandate for public buildings
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC By a unanimous vote on Monday evening the Cavendish Select Board adopted a model mask mandate written by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns that will require the wearing of masks in all public buildings. Board members and Town Manager Brendan McNamara acknowledged that the mandate […]
Residents safe, 3 dogs perish in Chester house fire
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Three residents of home at 35 Circle Drive in Chester escaped a fire last night but three of their five pets perished, said Chester Fire Chief Matt Wilson this morning. Wilson told The Telegraph that the call came in at 10:32 p.m. Tuesday for a structure fire […]
TRSU looks to align school schedules for both its districts 'Test to Stay' keeps students in school instead of quarantine
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC During her monthly report to the Two Rivers Supervisory Union board, Superintendent Lauren Fierman spoke of “aligning the schedules” of the SU’s five schools. Currently, Cavendish Town Elementary School has an early release every Tuesday, with the remainder of the day being used by the faculty for […]
Chester board hears from department heads on budget
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Next year’s budget was the main item on the Chester Select Board’s agenda for Wednesday, Dec. 1 with the heads of the public safety departments and Town Clerk Deb Aldrich coming to the board to discuss their spending plans. Fire Chief Matt Wilson told the board that […]
GMUSD finance committee gets first look at proposed FY23 budget
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Finance Committee of the Green Mountain Unified School District got a first look at the administration’s proposed 2022-23 budget as it met on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at Green Mountain High School. The almost $15 million spending plan for running the high school plus Chester-Andover and Cavendish […]
Fire Department Christmas trees go on sale in Chester
© 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC On the day after Thanksgiving, as snow began falling in earnest, the Chester Fire Department kicked off its annual sale of Christmas trees on Route 103 south, across from Marshall Road. The sale of 500 trees is one of the major fundraisers put on by the Yosemite Engine Company, which […]
Participants sought for workforce survey as Chester updated on Communities Challenge Chester board begins 2022 budget review; gets update on Lovers Lane Brook bridge
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Springfield Regional Development Corp. came before the Chester Select Board last week to update information on the Working Communities Challenge, a three-year, $300,000 grant program sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and several philanthropic organizations to remove barriers to work and increase the region’s […]
Stigers Rd. pond hydrant provides water supply for rural firefighting
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC One of the big challenges to rural firefighting is getting enough water to the scene quickly enough to make a difference. A call for mutual aid can bring a fleet of tankers from surrounding towns, but those trucks have to get water from somewhere and the farther […]
Area towns look — cautiously — to spend large ARPA allocations
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC There’s a lot of extra money in the bank accounts of town governments across the state with more coming next year. But most towns are taking cautious steps in deciding how to spend the funds. That’s because the money comes from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan […]
Chester board clears way for police union vote
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board chose not to challenge the makeup of a prospective union for the town’s Police Department after meeting in executive session last Wednesday night. An election can now take place to see if the six-member group of police employees — known as a “bargaining […]
