All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
State action on Chieftain appeal looks stalled
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the board of the Green Mountain Unified School District board has stopped paying for an attorney to defend its Chieftain name, appeals to the Vermont Agency of Education, which could permanently settle the issue of whether the name violates school policy, appear to have stalled. The […]
Chester Police probe ‘Zoom-bombing’ at GM school board special meeting
By Cynthia Prairie ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester Police are investigating last Tuesday night’s Zoom-bombing of a school board special meeting that shut down the meeting for about eight minutes. The incident included pornographic video and vile racial epithets and lasted 48 seconds before it could be shut down. Some Zoom attendees were watching the […]
GM board votes to stop attorney’s defense of ‘Chieftain’ for now
By Shawn Cunningham ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Board of Directors of the Green Mountain Unified School District voted 6 to 3 last night to stop paying an attorney and have him halt work representing the board to defend the Chieftain mascot in an appeal before the state Agency of Education. Instead, the board will […]
FEMA outlines how to appeal a denial of flood aid
More than two months after the July 7-21, 2023, severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides, some affected residents in Windham and Windsor counties as well as Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland and Washington counties, may still be looking for answers. FEMA’s Individual and Households Program provides eligible survivors with financial assistance and direct services. […]
Chester Select Board to explore offering benefits to full-time Whiting Library staff
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC While last Wednesday’s Chester Select Board agenda was short, it yielded a lot of discussion and some progress on a couple of long-standing issues. Whiting Library Board chair Matt Gorsky came before the board to ask for “some reasonable accommodation” to get benefits for the library’s two […]
Carrara arraigned on child sex charges, held without bail
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Appearing via video conference from Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, Jason Carrara of Chester was arraigned Monday, Sept. 25 by Judge John R. Treadwell in the Windham County Superior Court in Brattleboro. Representing Carrara, attorney Brian Marsicovetere entered a plea of not guilty to a charge […]
$5M in state funds available to homeowners to fix failed wells, septic systems
Gov. Phil Scott and the Agency of Natural Resources has announced $5 million of funding to support low- and moderate-income Vermont homeowners in repairing or replacing their failed or inadequate on-site water or wastewater systems. This is the third round of funding for the program. Eligible homeowners may apply for this round of ARPA On-Site funding […]
Local ‘Priority Projects’ sought for federal, state funding
Springfield Regional Development Corp. once again is partnering with the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission and area towns to develop the list of priority projects for state and federal fund eligibility. The Priority Project process is going on in each region in the state and the final product is provided to the Agency of Commerce and […]
AOE seeking applicants, public input for Secretary of Education post
The Vermont State Board of Education is seeking applications for the position of Secretary of Education, with a application deadline of Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. Part of the board’s hiring process will include a public hearing on Oct. 2. The secretary is responsible for providing leadership to over 150 employees at the Agency of Education, […]
Despite long agenda, GM board meets for 7 minutes; legal fees go unaddressed
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Thursday night’s Green Mountain Unified School District Board meeting ended almost as soon as it began. The board adjourned slightly more than seven minutes into the meeting over how to handle an agenda item regarding the appeal of its May 18 decision that the name Chieftain does […]
Chester man arrested on child sex charge
By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC Police arrested a Chester man today, Sunday, Sept. 24, on a charge of aggravated sexual assault on a child. According to the Chester Police, 40-year-old Jason Carrara surrendered at the Public Safety Building on Pleasant Street and was processed before being taken to Southern State Correctional Facility to […]
Poetry walk to be held at Brookside Trail Sept. 30
It’s a beautiful time of the year to gather with others to enjoy nature and poetry alike! Reflect on the parting summer months, look forward to colder fall weather and celebrate all that comes with the changing of the seasons during a poetry-in-nature walk along Chester’s Brookside Hiking Trail beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday, […]
Drunk driver pleads to reduced charges in 2022 crash that injured Chester business owner
By Shawn Cunningham ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The drunk driver who ran head-on into a Chester business owner in a snowstorm on Route 103 near Gassetts in March 2022 plead guilty to a reduced charge in Windsor County Superior Court last Monday. Travis Stella of Wilton, Conn., was charged with driving under the influence and […]
A bird’s eye view of the Chester Fall Festival
©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Thanks to drone pilot Tuck Wunderle, The Telegraph took an early Sunday morning flight over the 2023 Chester Fall Festival on the Green in beautiful Chester. The festival was held Saturday, Sept. 16 and Sunday, Sept. 17. Weather concerns might have held some people back on Saturday, but Sunday saw […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Sept. 25
The Select Board for the town of Andover will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 25 at the Andover Town Office, 953 Andover Road. Below is its agenda. 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of September 11th meeting. 4. Public Comment (Time allowance: Five minutes per visitor, […]
Chester Select Board agenda for Sept. 20
The Chester Select Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and via Zoom. To access the meeting via Zoom click here. Below is its agenda. 1. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda 2. Approve Minutes from the Sept. 6, 2023 Selectboard Meeting 3. Citizen Comments/Answers from […]
DRB holds first hearing on permits for Julian quarries Site visits set for Sept. 25
By Shawn Cunningham © 2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Development Review Board hearings are quasi-judicial proceedings that can be quiet, formal affairs that consist of taking testimony and checking boxes. But they can also be confrontational and charged with emotion when people disagree over development plans. The latter was what Chester DRB chair Bob Greenfield was […]
Chieftain defense costs top $10,000 thus far Hearings with three appellants have yet to be scheduled
By Shawn Cunningham ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Green Mountain Unified School District thus far has spent $10,000 defending its decision to continue using the word Chieftain as a mascot name, and a hearing before the Agency of Education has yet to be held. Once the hearing gets under way, those costs are expected to […]
GM School Board chair Brown reverses course; to allow comment on Zoom — with stipulations
By Cynthia Prairie ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Just hours after The Chester Telegraph published an article stating that the Green Mountain Unified School District Board would no longer allow comments from the public and board members who were attending a meeting remotely, the school board chair reversed course to allow remote comments after all. The […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Sept. 11
The Select Board for the town of Andover will meet at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 11 at the Andover Town Office, 953 Andover Road. Below is its agenda. 1. Call Meeting to Order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes of August 28th meeting. 4. Executive Session for the purpose of meeting with […]
