All Entries in the "Commentary" Category
Op-eds: Closing arguments
Wind power not green vs. financial benefits to communities
Wind power not green vs. financial benefits to communities
From the editor: In just about a week, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, we will go to the polls to vote on a contentious and at times disturbing presidential race whose partisans have helped split the country. At the same time, voters in the towns of Windham and Grafton will vote on a proposed industrial wind […]
Op-ed: On rigged elections and voter fraud in Vermont
By Jim Condos Vermont Secretary of State Recent unsupported allegations and sensationalized reporting are sowing seeds of doubt about our democratic process. This undermines voter confidence and calls into question whether all voices will be heard on Nov. 8. As Vermont’s Secretary of State and chief elections officer, former state Senator, former city councilor and […]
To the editor: Windham wind negotiators speak out
We three, Kathy Scott, Michael Simonds and Walter Woodruff, participated in the negotiations with Iberdrola, the developer for the possible Stiles Brook Wind Project, and we support the resulting economic partnership proposed for Windham. We chose to be involved to ensure that all views on the possible wind farm were considered and the best benefits […]
To the editor: MTL seeks to be part of global warming solution
Like the Windham Foundation, our family through Meadowsend Timberlands Ltd. is committed to the vitality of rural communities. Working lands are a key component of vibrant rural communities. But with plummeting timber values and the effects of climate change altering the forest itself, we can no longer manage the forest on timber sales alone. After […]
To the editor: Iberdrola offer pales compared to what will be lost
My husband and I, frequent visitors to the area over the past 10 years, are dismayed at the project being proposed by Iberdrola Renewables. As a health-care practitioner and master gardener and environmental steward respectively, we are amazed that the proposal has gotten this far. Here’s why. What makes this project necessary if the state […]
To the editor: Thanks to all who made Weston Town Green celebration a success
Weston’s Town Green came alive on Sept. 4 with more than 200 people at its annual community picnic and concert, celebrating 130 years of the Town Green. The “Ladies of the Green,” Trustees and maintainers of the park wish to thank the many people whose volunteer work made it such a success: The Blue Flames Steel […]
To the editor: Iberdrola offer seems like bribe, divides even more
Last Tuesday night, a foreign corporation promised me a minimum of $23,240, as long as voters approve their turbine project in November. This was done publicly and in writing at an open meeting held at our local elementary school. I was not the only one offered this opportunity. Every registered voter in Windham can get […]
Chester-Andover food services highlight fresh and local
The first month went very well this year. The children at Chester-Andover Elementary are excited to be back in school. Food service staff have returned, and are ready to go. Returning this school year is our cook Mary Spaulding. Our new hire this year is Alan Farrar. Alan will be our kitchen assistant working with […]
To the editor: BRGNS thanks all who helped make Rummage Sale a success
The staff and clients at Black River Good Neighbor Services thank all of the volunteers, donors and customers who made our annual Fall Rummage Sale a success. We put a tremendous effort into offering quality merchandise at fair prices and we spend many, many hours into setting up the barns and lawn at Fletcher Farm […]
To the editor: Who are the people behind the wind company?
The tiny towns of Grafton and Windham are faced with the possibility of a 28-turbine wind project being built on our ridgelines. This, the largest industrial wind development in Vermont, would forever change these quiet rural towns and the lives of their residents. The magnitude of this development is high up on the Richter scale. […]
To the editor: Windham Selectwoman responds to resident’s pro-wind letter
These comments are in response to Mary McCoy’s op-ed, which appeared in The Chester Telegraph on Aug. 29. As a selectwoman in Windham, I responded to them at the Sept. 6 Windham Select Board Meeting, with the full intent that any of our residents who were unable to attend would still be able to view/hear […]
Proficiency Based Education: The coming evolution in education
Michael Eppolito, Curriculum Coordinator for Two Rivers Supervisory Union, has written a three-part series for The Chester Telegraph on Proficiency Based Education, an educational concept that will be implemented in Vermont schools by 2020. Parents, teachers and even students will want to understand how this concept will affect their children’s future and their own. PART […]
To the editor: GM Food Services providing healthy meals
The Green Mountain Union High School’s Food and Nutritional Services is well into the new school year and everything is going great. It is always good to see the kids back. All of our staff from last year have returned including Josh Adams our sous chef, Karla Hunsdon our sandwich prep and server and kitchen […]
To the editor: Thanks to all who helped make Fall Festival a success
Fall Festival had another successful year thanks to the cooperation and support of so many people in our community. Visitors enjoyed coming to our beautiful Chester Village to celebrate the arts in our area and enjoy our local musicians. The vendors were excellent, the food was delicious, and the music kept the Festival upbeat. […]
To the editor: Factoids aside, Meadowsend Timberlands a good steward of land
The conversation continues about the potential of an industrial wind project on Meadowsend Timberland’s Stiles Brook Forest, a privately owned, 5,000-acre tract of land in Windham and Grafton. As part of the Meadowsend Timberlands team for over 11 years, I have participated in meetings, workshops, presentations and read the many commentaries on the subject over […]
To the editor: Many in Windham, Grafton open to wind project
I have called South Windham my home for 60 years, have no intention to leave it, and want what’s best for it. Contrary to popular belief, there are many in Windham and Grafton like me who are open to developing wind power on the plateau between our two towns. Here are 10 of my reasons […]
An explainer: Proficiency Based Education fuels growth of transferable skills
Editor’s Note: This is Part 3 of TRSU Curriculum Coordinator Michael Eppolito’s series explaining a seismic shift in public education, classroom work and grading that will be implemented throughout Vermont schools for those graduating in June 2020. You can read Part 1, explaining Proficiency Based Education, here. Part 2, on whether Proficiency Based Education will […]
Op-ed: MTL holds right to manage its property with Stiles Brook wind project
By Jeremy Turner Managing forester Meadowsend Timberlands There has been a lot of debate around the future of a property that is owned by the company I have worked for over the past 20 years, Meadowsend Timberlands. MTL owns the 5,000-acre tract of land, a small portion of which the Stiles Brook Wind Project would […]
To the editor: Jack Coleman was committed to lifelong learning
To the impressive account of John R. Colman’s legacy, one additional aspect of his rich life should be added: his commitment to lifelong learning programs. (Jack Coleman, force behind Chester’s Players Guild, Overture to Christmas, dies at 95, Chester Telegraph, Sept. 9). Jack taught in the I.L.E.A.D. program at Dartmouth College for some years to […]
