All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
Locals protest U.S. action in Venezuela
By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Hours after President Trump announced the military raid on Venezuela and the seizure of that country’s president, Nicholas Maduro, on a U.S. federal indictment, protesters gathered in cities and towns across this country – including Chester. On a sunny but frigid afternoon with a brisk wind, a […]
Chester Select Board agenda for Jan. 7
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday Jan. 7, 2026 at Town Hall, 556 Elm St. and online via Zoom. Below is the board’s agenda. 1. Zoning Bylaw Amendment re: Signs; Public Hearing 2. Approval of Minutes from the Select Board Meeting dated Dec. 17, 2025 3. Citizen’s […]
Afternoon fire destroys garage on Cummings Rd. No one injured in two-alarm blaze
UPDATE: At 4:41 a.m. on Monday, firefighters from Chester, Proctorsville and Weathersfield were called back to the scene for the reported re-ignition of the remains of the building. By Shawn Cunningham © 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Seven area fire companies with 35 firefighters responded to Cummings Road in Chester Sunday afternoon to quell a fire […]
VSP identifies Ludlow officer, resident in New Year’s Day shooting
© 2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC Late this afternoon, Friday, Jan. 2, Vermont State Police identified the man who was shot in Ludlow on New Year’s Day as well as the Ludlow Police officer who shot him. According to the Vermont State Police, Jaime Gomez, 18, who lives in a room at the Fox Run Inn […]
Ludlow officer shoots, injures man in New Year’s Day incident
©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC A member of the Ludlow Police Department shot and injured a man early on New Year’s Day, according to a Vermont State Police press release. According to the press release, the man who was shot was taken to the hospital although the extent of his injuries and the name of the […]
Chester mulls a local option tax; neighboring towns already have them and like them
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board is nearing its deadline to decide whether to put before the voters in March a 1 percent local tax that would be in addition to the current state sales taxes charged on rooms and meals and served alcohol. We thought it would be […]
Southern Vermont nonprofit acquires 341 acres Bull Creek Headwaters conserved for public access, wildlife habitat, healthy forest, flood reduction and clean water
The southern Vermont community-based nonprofit Bull Creek Common Lands has placed 341 acres of remote land in Athens and Townshend under the permanent protection of a conservation easement with the Vermont Land Trust. The conserved land is the headwaters of Bull Creek, which contains many wetlands and different forest types that are home to beavers, […]
Connecticut River Joint Commissions receives $40K grant from state of Vermont
Connecticut River Joint Commissions was recently awarded a $40,000 grant through the state of Vermont’s Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation. This grant funds CRJC’s work program from November 2025 until October 2026 and enables the continuation of its grassroots, locally focused work to preserve and protect the visual and ecological integrity and […]
Chester board hears objections to local option tax, appoints development panel members
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board last Wednesday looked at 2026 budgets for Public Works as well as the Water and Sewer departments and appointed four volunteers for a new economic development commission. But the continuing discussion of a 1 percent local option tax on rooms (hotel, inn and […]
Cavendish board holds hearing on subdivision regs
By Lorien Strange © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Cavendish’s Select Board kicked off its Monday Dec. 8 meeting with a public hearing for the proposed subdivision regulations. It’s a touchy subject for the town. The prospect of a quarry on a small, subdivided lot on Tierney Road stood at the center of a years-long controversy […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Dec. 22
The Andover Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday December 22 at the Andover Town Office, 953 Weston Andover Road. Below is the board’s agenda 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of December 8th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per […]
Agendas for Dec. 17 Chester Select Board and Water/Sewer Commission meetings
The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting following their meeting as the Town’s Water and Sewer Commission meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025 at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and via Zoom. Below are their agendas. Water and Sewer Commissioners Meeting 1. Citizen’s Comments 2. 2026 Budget Discussion – Water Department […]
Fill your senses with the sights, sounds and smells of Germany’s Christmas markets
By Henry Homeyer ©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC An impulsive decision in late November by my wife Cindy and I to explore German Christmas markets found us in Berlin visiting with an old friend. We also spent a few days traveling by rental car to Dresden, Leipzig and Naumberg, a walled medieval town that also has […]
Chester Festival, long held on the Green, to move to Legion field
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Approximately three dozen people gathered at Chester’s American Legion on Tuesday evening for a long awaited information session about moving the 2026 Chester Festival on the Green off the Green and surrounding town properties and onto a field next to the American Legion, off Route 103 South. […]
Santa lights up the Chester Green
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Carolers, bundled up against the chill, gathered around a blazing firepit on the Chester Green last Saturday afternoon singing songs of Christmas while across Main Street, Laurie and Samantha Vertefeuille were putting the finishing touches on Santa’s house. Cookies, candy canes and hot chocolate were ready. All […]
Chester Board hears local option tax concerns, picks new moderator Frank Kelley to replace longtime Moderator Bill Dakin at 2026 Town Meeting
By Shawn Cunningham © 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC For several meetings, the Chester Select Board has discussed putting on the Town Meeting Day ballot a 1 percent local option sales tax on rooms and meals, which would include short-term rentals and alcohol served at restaurants. The tax, which would be paid for by each establishment’s […]
State offering low-interest loans to loggers to purchase low-impact equipment
The Vermont Economic Development Authority and Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation are announcing a new initiative that will save Vermont loggers money by allowing them to obtain a loan with an interest rate of 2.5% to 3% when they buy qualifying low-impact logging equipment, which is better for the watershed, the forest and […]
League of Women Voters lecture series on voting rights continues Dec. 10
The League of Women Voters of Vermont, in partnership with Kellogg-Hubbard Library, presents the second in its 2025-2026 lecture series on Voting Rights and Access to the Ballot at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Professor Alec Ewald, who teaches constitutional law and U.S. politics at the Department of Political Science at UVM, will present […]
VSO spreads holiday cheer with Brass Quintet and Counterpoint Chorus Tour
The Vermont Symphony Orchestra invites audiences across the state to celebrate the holiday season with its beloved annual Brass Quintet and Counterpoint Chorus holiday concert tour, visiting Warren, Newport, Grafton and Manchester Dec. 11 through 14. Conducted by Nathaniel G. Lew, this cherished VSO tradition brings together festive brass and choral music in a joyful […]
Chester Dems to hold monthly meeting Dec. 11
The Chester Town Democratic Committee will hold its December monthly meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 11 in the lower conference room at the Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St. All Democrats and those who share their values are invited to attend. If you have questions contact the committee at: chesterdemocratsvt@gmail.com.