All Entries in the "Commentary" Category
To the editor: Why approve Certificate of Public Good for Vermont Yankee?
A settlement agreement announced on Dec. 23, 2013 by Gov. Peter Shumlin, Attorney General William Sorrell, the State of Vermont, and Entergy recommends that the Vermont Public Service Board approve the Certificate of Public Good for Vermont Yankee to continue to operate until the end of 2014. The plant’s continued operation through the year […]
To the editor: The real heroin problem
The reason we have a heroin problem in this state and this country is because the U.S. military is guarding the poppy fields in Afghanistan and has helped to increase the production of opium since U.S. occupation. If Gov. Peter Shumlin really wants to solve the heroin/addiction problem, he should be addressing this issue instead […]
To the editor: Thanks to community for supporting GMUHS budget
I am writing this open letter to the community to thank you for your support of our school budget. Your continued support of our fine community school is commendable. It makes me proud to be entrusted with so important a task as educating the children of our great democracy. On the importance of an education […]
My Andover Town Meeting
By Sandy Stiassni I remember Andover Town Meeting well, from my long-ago childhood. Now 58 years old, I last attended Town Meeting in March 1961. My grandparents Ernst and Margaret Stiassni owned Hill Top Farm in Andover. Located on a rugged land assembly of rolling hills, pastures and valleys, it had been discovered by […]
To the editor: Please help preserve Chester
The charming village of Chester, VT, is fighting an invasive attack from a powerful corporation. A proposed Dollar General store at the gateway to our village historic district will destroy the character of the town. Please join the fight by making a tax deductible donation earmarked for Chester, to Vermont Preservation Trust at its website: […]
To the editor: Londonderry Parks Board thanks all for Valentine’s Pingree Park fund-raiser
The Londonderry Parks Board would like to thank the community for its support of the Valentine’s Day Dance at Magic Mountain. An excellent crowd came to hear a great band and win some fantastic prizes. The dance was a smashing success and helped raise an additional $1,030 for the Pingree Park Revitalization Project. The […]
To the editor: Vote yes for Whiting Library at Chester Town Meeting
The Whiting Library Board of Trustees encourages all Chester voters to attend Town Meeting on Monday, March 3 to support your public library and vote yes on Article 5. Article 5 seeks $119,820, less any grant funds received, for the purpose of restoring the Whiting Library building. Any funds borrowed will be financed for a […]
To the editor: Absurd arguments against Affordable Care Act
I am so disturbed at the recent flurry of pundit and political comments insisting that the recent Congressional Budget Office report insinuates that the Affordable Healthcare Act will cause the loss of millions of jobs or that the ACA is an incentive for people not to work. This is an absurd stretch of prediction and […]
To the editor: Cold winter takes its toll on families needing heating fuel
This is a tough winter for many Vermonters. It has been five years since we had a winter this cold and while we all recall colder winters, this one is 10 percent colder than last year (based on heating degree days at the end of January) and 22 percent colder than the prior winter. The […]
To the editor: Vermont legislative update from Rep. Dakin
After the first week of the 2014 session of the Vermont General Assembly, I am heartened by the budget presentation from Gov. Peter Shumlin. I support the theme of the proposed budget, which provides increased funding for education, mental health services, drug intervention and transportation, without a tax increase. As I start my fourth year […]
To the editor: Thanks to the emergency personnel who helped during fire
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of the firefighters, police and EMS personnel who assisted at the fire at our antique shop last Tuesday morning. We were so impressed with their professionalism, hard work and caring attitude. It was quite overwhelming to see such a large response of men and women […]
To the editor: Join us for lunch to plan regular community meals
Several area towns have begun regularly scheduled Community Meals. In talking with people I know, I feel there is enough interest to begin this in Chester and Andover also. It will take a little planning, like where, how often, who will prepare the food, etc. Rather than have a meeting about meals, I decided to […]
To the editor: Rotary’s annual visit to Kurn Hattin was a blessing for all
Wow! What an afternoon it was on Thursday, Dec. 19 at Kurn Hattin Home for Children in Westminster, when the Chester Rotary made its annual visit. In the 10 years I have been participating, I have never seen the number of Rotarians, Interact members, friends of Rotary, even our District Governor David Hoopes and […]
To the editor: Thanks to all for making the Annual Senior Christmas Dinner a success
I would like to thank everyone who helped with the annual Chester Senior Christmas Dinner on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Chester-Andover Elementary School. Thanks to you, this free event was again a great success. It is truly a labor of love and shows in the smiles and laughter of all the workers and […]
To the editor: Two injured Proctorsville firefighters need community support
On Saturday Nov. 2, two members of the Proctorsville Volunteer Fire Department were injured, though not in the line of service. According to the fire department, “PFD received a tone for a man that was hit by a tree during logging operations. Ludlow Ambulance Service and PFD responded to find it was our 1st Lt. […]
Why Vermont needs a federal farm bill
By Ted Brady and Bob Paquin This fall, Congress has an important opportunity to create jobs and grow the economy by passing a long-term, comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill. The Vermont congressional delegation — Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch — are working hard to pass the Farm Bill […]
Festivals, foliage and a fond farewell from former Message editor Gary Band
From the editor: Former Message editor Gary Band asked The Chester Telegraph to run this column, knowing that he might not get the opportunity to say farewell to the many people who have touched his life since he first came into the area almost two years ago. We believe everyone deserves a voice, and we […]
To the editor: Thanks to all for a great Fall Festival in Chester
Everyone in the community helped make the 39th Fall Festival a great success! Sunny, warm weather with lots of blue sky allowed the crowd to enjoy the fine crafts displayed on the Green, to watch craftspeople demonstrating their skills, including an opportunity to try out Susan Leader’s potting wheel, and to sample a variety of […]
To the editor: New England congressional delegation opposes changes to clean air funding
All 20 of New England’s representatives in the U.S. House sent a letter to Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, expressing their concern that proposed funding changes to clean air programs would have a negative impact on the region. In June, the EPA announced changes to the way the agency plans to distribute […]
