Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
Chester GOP holds event for State House candidate Tom Charlton
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Around 40 people turned out in front of the Fullerton Inn in Chester on a cool, blustery Sunday afternoon to hear Vermont House candidate Tom Charlton speak on a wide range of topics including infrastructure, education and the state’s “clean heat standard.” But the event’s main message […]
Chester native’s animated short tells of Romaine Tenney’s ‘Love of the Land’ Film to be presented by Van Alstyne at Springfield Cinema
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Sixty years ago, just before 3 a.m. on Sept. 12, 1964, Weathersfield volunteer firefighters were called out to the Tenney farm, where a multi-building blaze glowed brightly in the late night summer sky. Romaine Tenney, a 64-year-old farmer whose lifelong home was to be taken by the […]
State education commission members may not ‘fully represent Vermont,’ chair says Calls for 'good faith' efforts to bring other voices to the table
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the second meeting of the full Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont covered agenda items in detail, one thread ran through the three-hour meeting: public representation, engagement and credibility. Even before the meeting’s agenda and previous meeting’s minutes were approved, commission chair Meagan […]
Pair attempt armed robbery at Rockingham cannabis shop Monday bank heists in Brattleboro, Bellows Falls may be connected
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC A robbery was attempted at a cannabis shop in Rockingham Monday afternoon, Vermont State Police said, adding that the incident may be connected to bank robberies in Brattleboro and Bellows Falls earlier in the day. Police are looking for a man and a woman who they say […]
Truck takes down wires on Rt. 11 leaving hundreds without power
UPDATE: Route 11 is open to one lane as of 6:30 p.m. Please drive slowly By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Lights flickered and internet service sputtered throughout Chester and Andover around 1:30 p.m. today as a truck carrying an oversized load snagged wires on Route 11 near Motel in the Meadow in […]
GMUSD board mulls finances, new bond effort, restructuring
By Shawn Cunningham ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Late summer board meetings are often sparsely populated, with both members and the public on vacation, and light on topics to tackle. But while the former was true of the Thursday, Aug. 15 Green Mountain Unified School District board meeting, the latter was not. With just five members […]
No surprises in primary races for state Senate, House
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Yesterday’s primary election results, while predictable in many cases, set the ballot for state and local races in the Tuesday Nov. 5 election, which will include a much-contested presidential contest. In the race for three Senate seats representing Windsor County, Democrats tapped incumbents Rebecca White of Harford […]
Chester board OKs court action against Julian quarries, neighbors want more
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC At last Wednesday’s meeting, the Chester Select Board authorized Zoning Administrator Preston Bristow to start enforcement actions in court against two of Julian Materials’ violations of the stipulation the company negotiated with the town this past spring. And, at the same meeting, neighbors of the Julian quarries […]
Biting dog to be put down after board hears complaint
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC An aggressive dog that neighbors in the Andover Road and Potash Brook Road area have complained about will be put down after the Chester Select Board found it to be “vicious” following a hearing last Friday evening. At a meeting in April, Karen Orchitt told the board […]
Ed Commission creates group to fix school financing Hears public criticism of members' 'hidden agenda'
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC At the third meeting out of 30 budgeted by the Vermont legislature, about half of the members of the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont assembled as the “steering group” on Monday and got down to making some decisions on how their work will […]
The Future of Public Education in Vt. – a big lift on short time
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Toward the end of this year’s session, the Vermont legislature passed a bill – H-887, also known as the “yield bill” which made adjustments to rein in tax increase for this year by finding other sources of income. It also established a commission to recommend fixes problems […]
Chester planners hear objections to proposed rural zoning changes
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC An a recent press release announcing a public hearing for a proposed zoning amendment, Chester Planning Commission chair Hugh Quinn wrote that the commission “encourages and welcomes all community feedback.” On Monday night, they indeed received some from several residents who attended in person or via Zoom. […]
‘Nobody is looking to close Cavendish’ – A tale of two meetings
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing Last week, two meetings looked at the same topic, but the tone of each could not have been more different. At issue is a proposal to move the 6th grades out of the elementary schools and create a grades 6 to 8 middle school. Currently, the middle school […]
Chester board considers water meter upgrade, adopts animal ordinance
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Meeting as the town’s Water Commissioners last Wednesday, the Chester Select Board heard a presentation on new metering technology that Superintendent Jeff Holden says will upgrade a system that is outdated and near the end of its useful life. The commission is considering a $95,000 upgrade for […]
Ludlow Fire Chief Kolenda ‘retires,’ gets a ‘ride home’ parade
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Ludlow Fire Chief Peter Kolenda started his career in firefighting in 1970 as a junior firefighter in Proctorsville. He was just 11 years old. This past Sunday, he “retired” as chief, but said he’d stay on as a Ludlow firefighter just so he could “be the old […]
STR owner criticizes ordinance prior to Chester board’s adoption of it
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Coming into last Wednesday’s Chester Select Board meeting it was expected that the board would be voting to adopt the updated Short-Term Rental Ordinance it has been working on since September of last year. During that time – from October to April – there was a six-month […]
State police identify remains found in Cavendish as man missing since 2010
The skull found in the woods of Cavendish by a hunter in 2020 has been identified using DNA testing as man missing since June of 2010. According to the Vermont State Police, the remains were identified as those of Bryan Gomez of Cavendish, who was 48 years old when he disappeared. A neighbor reported him […]
After civil public hearing, Derry board rejects proposed zoning regs, returning them to planners
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC With more than 120 people in the Town Hall on Monday night and the memory of the heated exchanges when community members pushed back on proposed updates to Londonderry’s zoning regulations, many expected a fairly contentious hearing on the issue. But with Moderator Doug Friant running the […]
Rain forecast clears, allowing GMUHS Class of 2024 graduates outdoors
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC It was raining at 7 a.m. on Friday. That evening’s graduation ceremony was already set up in the gym at Green Mountain Union High School rather than outdoors in front of the school, where it is traditionally held. That was a disappointment for those graduating and their […]
Chester board hones proposed regulations on ‘nuisance animals’
By Shawn Cunningham © 2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC The lion’s share of the Chester Select Board’s June 5 meeting was taken up with the question of how to make an “nuisance animal” ordinance that isn’t a bit of a nuisance itself. The impetus for this was the problem that a herd of goats roaming at […]
