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State to allow 2-household holiday gatherings

State to allow 2-household holiday gatherings

©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Citing stabilized case counts of under 100 over the past several days — including 63 on Tuesday, Dec. 22  — that suggested an overall “vast improvement,” Gov. Phil Scott announced that several  health guidelines will be loosened from Wednesday, Dec. 23 through Saturday, Jan. 2. These include expanding the state’s gathering […]

Christmas memory: Dickens, Della and baccala salad in Vermont

Christmas memory: Dickens, Della and baccala salad in Vermont

By Rafael Alvarez ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Charles Dickens arrived for his second reading tour of America just before Thanksgiving 1867. The crush of reporters and fans in New England — with some trying to tear a handful of fur from his coat — was not unlike the Beatles landing in New York in 1964. […]

Slight hike in call for heating fuel help, but local programs expect more

Slight hike in call for heating fuel help, but local programs expect more

By Cherise Madigan ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The call for heating assistance has increased this year, but not as dramatically as expected given the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, those who distribute such aid say. As the end of 2020 approaches and programs funded by the federal CARES Act begin to expire, however, those […]

Vaccines arrive as infections, deaths climb

Vaccines arrive as infections, deaths climb

©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC With Vermont reaching what he called a “grim milestone” of over 100 deaths and with new case counts again jumping another 1,000-mark threshold this week, Gov. Phil Scott announced on Tuesday that he is extending Vermont’s state of emergency through Jan. 15, 2021. The first Pfizer vaccines arrived in the state […]

Stopped superload draws early Monday <br>morning attention in Chester

Stopped superload draws early Monday
morning attention in Chester

By Shawn Cunningham Photos by Linda Diak © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC A 147-footlong “superload” that spent an hour on Main Street just west of the Green in Chester Monday morning had residents and passersby scratching their heads. The 62,500-gallon stainless steel milk tank bound for Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy in Brattleboro  — from Winchester, Ontario, […]

Holiday Lights: Send us your photos!

Holiday Lights: Send us your photos!

© Telegraph Publishing LLC On a recent evening drive to view some of the decorations on The Telegraph’s Holiday Lights Map  we took a few photos that we thought we’d share with readers who haven’t had a chance to get out there yet. This is just the tip of the iceberg and several neighborhoods have […]

Weekly Covid Update: 16 more Vermonters die as new cases hit 778

Weekly Covid Update: 16 more Vermonters die as new cases hit 778 Dr. Levine: No surge from Thanksgiving yet seen

©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Department of Health reported 16 more deaths this week, up from 10 last week, along with a new Covid-19 case count that skyrocketed by a record-breaking 778, up from 758 reported last week. Deaths in Vermont from Covid now stand at 93 deaths, with a total of 5,541 cases. […]

Holiday Lights are twinkling!

Holiday Lights are twinkling! Find them with the Telegraph Holiday Lights Map

To get into the holiday spirit, our map maker, artist Dan O’Donnell, shot this video of the Green Mountain Flyer gussied up for the holiday. Turn up the volume so you can hear Santa! © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC More than 30 families and businesses answered the call to be placed on The Chester Telegraph […]

New owners for Erskine's, iconic Chester store

New owners for Erskine’s, iconic Chester store Bartonsville family keeps 'Erskine' name, products as it targets young clientele

By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC This afternoon, R.B. Erskine Grain & Supplies officially became Erskine’s Grain and Garden as the feed store in Chester Depot was sold to new owners. The similar name is not the only thing that will be familiar to long-time customers. As Bartonsville residents Janessa Purney and Burleigh […]

Weston board focuses on Town Meeting plans, possible 9% education tax hike

Weston board focuses on Town Meeting plans, possible 9% education tax hike

By Cherise Madigan 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Town Meeting was the focus of the Weston Select Board’s Dec. 8 meeting, echoing similar discussions this week in Chester and Londonderry as 2021 looms large. Typically, the town hosts its annual meeting at the Weston Playhouse — a plan that Board Chair Denis Benson suggests continuing with […]

Chester board continues budget work, appoints Zoning Administrator

Chester board continues budget work, appoints Zoning Administrator Resident proposes civilian oversight of police

By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its Dec. 2 meeting, the Chester Select Board continued working on the budget,  department by department, and even converted into its alter ego – The Chester Water Commission – to look at the numbers for 2021. As has happened in previous meetings, most of the budget […]

TRSU board OKs half-time buildings coordinator

TRSU board OKs half-time buildings coordinator

By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC During last Thursday’s meeting of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union, Green Mountain School Board chair Joe Fromberger revisited topics he has been adamant about in the past: who pays for what and who controls what. Fromberger twice expressed his opinion that each of the two districts with […]

Pandemic casts shadow on Derry board decisions

Pandemic casts shadow on Derry board decisions Town Meeting plans discussed; board cautious on spending

By Cherise Forbes ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC At the Dec. 7 meeting of the Londonderry Select Board, Kelly Pajala, who is Town Clerk and a state representative for Windham-Bennington-Windsor, told the board that legislators are working to get a bill to Gov. Phil Scott by mid-January to expand options for how and when towns may […]

Local hemp producers, sellers eye budding 'Vermont brand' recreational cannabis market

Local hemp producers, sellers eye budding ‘Vermont brand’ recreational cannabis market

By Cherise Madigan ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Although Vermont’s recreational cannabis market will not open until 2022, the budding CBD industry may be poised to pave the way for new and expanding businesses in the region. While questions remain as to the size of Vermont’s future cannabis industry and the scope of its economic impact, […]

Covid Weekly Update: Vermont cases soaring as deaths double from last week

Covid Weekly Update: Vermont cases soaring as deaths double from last week

©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Department of Health recorded 10 new deaths this week, double the fatalities reported last week, and a new Covid-19 case count that soared by 758, up from 546 reported last week, for 77 total deaths and 4,763 total cases. Seven deaths of the new deaths were Vermonters over the […]

X-country ski centers hopeful for coming season

X-country ski centers hopeful for coming season Viking, Wild Wings, Grafton expect more locals, fewer from away

By Cherise Madigan ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Despite restrictions on travel and recreation, local cross country ski centers are anticipating a strong season ahead — one that could possibly even surpass past winters. Following an uptick in outdoor recreation this summer, businesses like Londonderry’s Viking Nordic Center, Wild Wings Ski & Yoga in Peru, and […]

<strong>40,000 Meals & Counting</strong>

40,000 Meals & Counting $315,000 grant gives Chester Helping Hands-Springfield Family Center partnership the boost to feed more

By Cherise Madigan ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC During the bone chilling months of last March, when the Covid-19 pandemic was beginning it race across the country, Chester residents Chris Meyer and Jason Tostrup asked themselves a question: Will our neighbors be going hungry? As Vermont residents became confined to their homes, and unemployment spiked, the […]

Deadline Extended: Put your home or business on our Holiday Lights map!

Deadline Extended: Put your home or business on our Holiday Lights map!

© 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Want to share your holiday spirit with others – at a safe distance – and brighten the season? If you are planning to put up up a display of holiday lights at your home or your business, send us an email at contest@chestertelegraph.org with your name and address and we’ll […]

Weekly Covid Update: Vermont up 1,000 cases in 11 days

Weekly Covid Update: Vermont up 1,000 cases in 11 days State monitoring vulnerable nursing home population

©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont Department of Health recorded five new deaths this week and a Covid-19 new case count that crossed the 4,000 threshold, leaping from 3,000 to 4,000 cases in just 11 days. New case numbers this week added 546, down from the 716 cases reported last week, for a total of […]

Community Nurse Project presents to Weston board in preparation for Town Meeting

Community Nurse Project presents to Weston board in preparation for Town Meeting

By Cherise Madigan ©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Public health discussions dominated the Weston Select Board’s pre-Thanksgiving meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 24, with the town’s Emergency Management director, Michael Smilovich, encouraging unity in the face of an uptick in Covid-19 cases and resulting regulations. “With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s imperative that we heed the […]