Author Archive for Shawn Cunningham
Huge changes possible in Chester’s proposed new bylaws First in a series: Initial read finds longer, more complex document, inconsistencies
By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC On Monday night, the Chester Planning Commission got back to work on its total rewrite of the town’s Unified Development Bylaws with the intention of bringing them to the required public hearings this summer before sending them to the Select Board to consider. But based questions about the […]
Cavendish (and more) turns out for Jim Hasson’s 95th
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The coronavirus pandemic has been tough on an active nonagenarian, keeping him in his rural home. But family, friends and neighbors conspired to give Jim Hasson of Cavendish a 95th birthday to remember with a parade on Sunday. As Hasson sat in a folding chair on Main […]
Chester recount: Numbers change, result remains Chase margin expands slightly; Blair says he'll run in 2022
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Today’s hand recount of ballots for the three-year term on the Chester Select Board that were cast last Tuesday confirmed the result and slightly widened the small margin of victory for incumbent member Heather Chase. Last Tuesday night, the tally stood at 251 votes for Chase and […]
Chester Select Board race recount set for Monday
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC With just six votes separating two candidates for a three year term on the Chester Select Board, a recount has been scheduled for Monday. Scott Blair, who received 245 votes on Tuesday, asked for a hand recount of the machine read ballots on Wednesday morning and Town […]
Chester candidate to request recount in close race; results from other area towns
This story has been updated to include results from Landgrove By Shawn Cunningham and Cherise Madigan © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester Select Board candidate Scott Blair says he will request a recount after falling six votes short of taking a 3-year term last night as incumbent Heather Chase appeared victorious with 251 votes to […]
Photo Gallery: Rockingham Vets moves to Chester
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The transformation from pizza house to modern animal hospital is complete, and this past weekend the folks at the Rockingham Veterinary Clinic on Lower Bartonsville Road made their move to Main Street in Chester. With movers still ferrying furniture, a hydraulic exam table for lifting heavy dogs, […]
GMUSD board plans retreat, principal search continues
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two Rivers Supervisory Union Superintendent Lauren Fierman brought her suggestion to hold a board retreat later this year to the Green Mountain Unified School District board at its monthly meeting last Thursday. She said that the SU and its two school districts — Green Mountain and Ludlow-Mt. […]
Chester Planning Commission ousts its chair
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC By a vote of four to zero on Monday night, the Chester Planning Commission removed Peter Hudkins from his position as its chairman. The action was based on a presentation Hudkins made before the Select Board at its meeting last Wednesday in which commission members said he […]
Area EMTs take vaccines on the road for homebound Vermonters
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Friday, 30 residents of Bennington County, age 75 or older, received their first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. On its face, that might not seem so remarkable since more than 30,000 Vermonters in that age band have either been vaccinated or made appointments to get […]
Chester board delays cannabis discussion; affirms support for community greenhouse
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing, LLC At just a little over 37 minutes in length, last Wednesday’s Chester Select Board meeting touched on many topics, but most of the work was “just housekeeping,” in the words of board chair Arne Jonynas. And there was an off-agenda discussion of future discussions of retail sales […]
TRSU board talks strategic planning, principal searches
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Two Rivers Supervisory Union board meeting last Thursday fell just short of one hour and would have been shorter but for a lengthy discussion over scheduling a board retreat to work on a Strategic Operating Plan. Superintendent Lauren Fierman told the board, “We need to know […]
Towns set new info sessions, Town Meetings, votes in response to Covid-19 pandemic
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing, LLC With Town Meeting Day just four weeks away and the rules for gathering during the Covid-19 pandemic still restrictive, select boards are looking at the options presented to them by the Vermont Legislature. With the passage of H. 48, the state gave municipalities – including school districts […]
Chester board approves $3.3 million budget
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board approved the town’s $3.343 million budget at its Wednesday, Jan. 20 meeting and decided to use the general fund surplus of $335,295 to pay upfront for the match for the grant to do the Depot Street sidewalk project rather than borrowing the $200,000 […]
Chester board OKs annual warning, drops cannabis discussion Town budget, paving bonds, dump truck and police cruiser among items to be voted
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board at a special meeting on Monday afternoon approved the town’s warning for the March 2 Town Meeting Australian ballot, but decided to postpone putting an article on cannabis sales in front of the voters until board members could discuss it further in a […]
Vaccine signups begin today for ages 75 & up
UPDATE: According to the Vermont Health Department, as of 11:30 a.m. on Monday, 13,290 people 75 and older have scheduled appointments. Out of the approximately 49,000 of those eligible, that’s a little over 27 percent. By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Registration for an appointment to receive the first dose of a coronavirus […]
GMUSD budget up less than 1% despite special ed hike
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The directors of the Green Mountain Unified School District approved a $14.2 million budget last Thursday. It represents an increase of less than 1 percent over last year’s spending plan, despite a recent 14 percent increase by the Two Rivers Supervisory Union, which charges its spending back […]
Vermont vaccine rollout shifts to age based eligibility
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC With the supply of the vaccine to combat Covid-19 in Vermont smaller and less reliable than anticipated, the administration of Gov. Phil Scott is changing its strategy for rolling it out. In what has been called Phase 1A, workers in health care, residents in long-term care facilities […]
TRSU board approves 14% budget increase
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last Thursday night, the board of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union unanimously approved a budget of $6.548 million, which taxpayers in the SU’s two districts will see as assessments in the district budgets for the 2021/22 school year. The spending plan included an overall increase of $807,764 […]
Chester board opts out of in-person Town Meeting All questions to be voted by Australian ballot; online informational meeting to be held
By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board last Wednesday opted to hold an informational meeting on Monday, March 1 followed by a vote on all issues before the voters by Australian ballot on Tuesday, March 2 — Vermont’s Town Meeting Day. At the beginning of the discussion, board chair Arne […]
FBI warns of threats to state Capitol buildings through Biden inauguration
© 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC During a press conference held by Commissioner of Public Safety Michael Schirling Monday afternoon regarding security during protests in the days leading up to the inauguration of President-lect Joe Biden, the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a bulletin warning that armed protests are being planned for all 50 state capitol […]
