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Weston board begins to address state cannabis legislation, regional broadband service

Weston board begins to address state cannabis legislation, regional broadband service

By Bruce Frauman ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC State cannabis legislation and its affects on local jurisdictions, regional broadband service and the rising cost of recycling and solid waste disposal were all discussed at the Dec. 17 Weston Select Board. After several board members admitted confusion over a letter describing cannabis regulation legislation now in a […]

2 approaches: Green Mountain, Ludlow-Mt. Holly school boards tackle spending

2 approaches: Green Mountain, Ludlow-Mt. Holly school boards tackle spending LMH over the 'excess spending' threshold

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The two districts that make up the Two Rivers Supervisory Union are wrestling with controlling the spending in their FY 2021 budgets this year as one looks to increase its educational offerings and accommodate more students, while the other tries to manage the Act 46 downsizing that […]

GM school board, Cavendish library trustees seek solution over safety concerns

GM school board, Cavendish library trustees seek solution over safety concerns

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC There was plenty to talk about – apart from the budget/governance related rumpus – at the Dec. 12 meeting of the Green Mountain Unified School District board, including a tour and discussion of the Cavendish Library and its relationship with the adjoining elementary school. Before the 6 […]

Derry to undertake water/waste system study

Derry to undertake water/waste system study Local option tax, Williams Dam future also discussed

By Bruce Frauman ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Londonderry Select Board has agreed to move forward with a water and wastewater management study. At its Monday, Dec. 16 meeting, the board also agreed to authorize Town Administrator Shane O’Keefe to sign a contract for the study with a consultant recommended by the water/wastewater committee. O’Keefe […]

Chester property owner ticketed for unpermitted building fire

Chester property owner ticketed for unpermitted building fire

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC A property owner on Nudist Camp Road in Chester burned to the ground a cabin he bought in October on Monday afternoon sending fire trucks from a host of neighboring towns to the scene. Just before 5 p.m., the Chester Fire Department was alerted to a “fully […]

TRSU superintendent criticizes GM board budget decisions

TRSU superintendent criticizes GM board budget decisions Powden: 'The spirit of collaboration is no longer there'

By Shawn Cunningham ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Two Rivers Supervisory Union’s Meg Powden used her superintendent’s report at Thursday’s board meeting to chastise the Green Mountain Unified School District Board of Directors for what she said was its attitude toward a number of administration initiatives. “Indulge me,” said Powden, asking TRSU board members to look […]

TRSU pushes consolidations in transportation, food service, GM priority programs

TRSU pushes consolidations in transportation, food service, GM priority programs

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Last week, a new committee of the Two Rivers Supervisory Union began discussing a plan to merge the transportation operation of the Green Mountain Unified School District with that of the Ludlow-Mount Holly Unified Union School District under one full-time transportation director as early as next July. […]

Little School, Weston office to work on joint backup generator

Little School, Weston office to work on joint backup generator

By Bruce Frauman ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Little School and the Town of Weston are hoping to work together to purchase and install a power backup system that will keep both the school and the Town Office running during outages. The new director of the Little School came to the Weston Select Board on […]

Stone Village on display in Holiday Cookie Tour

Stone Village on display in Holiday Cookie Tour

© 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Ringing in the festive holiday season, from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, visitors will have the chance to tour eight decorated homes and the Stone Church in Chester’s historic Stone Village, enjoying homemade cookies and good company. Now in its third year, the Chester Holiday Cookie Tour invites […]

Christmas trees arrive for Chester Fire Dept. sale

Christmas trees arrive for Chester Fire Dept. sale

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Just before 8 a.m. on Black Friday, the scanner crackled to life with a loud piercing tone. “Chester Fire, Administrative tone. The truck with the trees has arrived. All available personnel to the field to unload.” And with that, a Chester holiday season tradition and a major […]

GM budget panel nixes CAES preschool, urges fund-raising for CTES playground

GM budget panel nixes CAES preschool, urges fund-raising for CTES playground Puts money into STEAM, literacy, early foreign language

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Green Mountain Unified School District Finance Committee rejected a number of administration initiatives on Monday night in favor of fully funding the priorities it established at a September retreat. The committee took up a two page document titled Administration Priorities, quickly calling it a “wish list.” […]

Chester board mulls cannabis sales, Historical Society loan, donation of old Jiffy Mart building

Chester board mulls cannabis sales, Historical Society loan, donation of old Jiffy Mart building

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing  LLC At the request of one member, the Chester Select Board last Wednesday took up a lengthy discussion of whether the town should ban the sales of cannabis (marijuana) if pending legalization legislation passes the Vermont House in the next session. Last January, the Vermont State Senate passed […]

Budget requests on GM finance agenda Monday include bank building, new CTES playground

Budget requests on GM finance agenda Monday include bank building, new CTES playground Panel seeks public input from Baltimore Andover, Cavendish, Chester

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC At its Nov. 12 meeting, the Green Mountain Unified School District Finance Committee expressed its desire for public participation in its decision-making and asked The Telegraph to publicize that. The Telegraph, in turn asked that all documents to be used in the meetings be made public in […]

GMUSD finance panel urges public participation

GMUSD finance panel urges public participation

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC If you live in the Green Mountain Unified School District, the Finance Committee of the Green Mountain District Board wants you. Noting that in past budget cycles, budget committees have recruited the public to become members and bring different perspectives to the table, committee chair Deb Brown […]

News analysis: Better process would yield better school budgets

News analysis: Better process would yield better school budgets

By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC Two Rivers Supervisory Union Business Manager Cheryl Hammond recently told the Green Mountain Unified School District Board that the district ended the 2018/2019 school year with a deficit of approximately $149,000 or about 1.2 percent of the overall budget. That’s not especially surprising considering the fact that among […]

Derry board mulls cannabis sales

Derry board mulls cannabis sales

By Bruce Frauman ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Londonderry Select Board has begun considering allowing a cannabis dispensary within town limits, should the state legislature pass S. 54, which would establish a commercial marketplace for the products in the Vermont. At the board meeting on Monday, Nov. 18, board member George Mora said it might […]

Lumber truck crash closes Rt. 11 in Chester

Lumber truck crash closes Rt. 11 in Chester Driver cited: was his 2nd accident in same area in five years

UPDATE – November 12, 9:52 p.m. – Vermont State Police have posted that Route 11 is now open to traffic. By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Around 1 p.m. this afternoon — Tuesday — a tractor trailer carrying lumber slid off the road into a ditch on Route 11 just west of Swett […]

Police press for more clues in Rt. 103 homicide

Police press for more clues in Rt. 103 homicide

By Shawn Cunningham and Cynthia Prairie © 2019 Telegraph Publishing, LLC One week after a Boston truck driver was found shot to death in his produce delivery truck on Route 103 in Rockingham, a large contingent of Vermont State Police were out at the scene hoping to jog drivers’ memories to help with the investigation. […]

Londonderry to join state's opioid lawsuit

Londonderry to join state’s opioid lawsuit

By Bruce Frauman ©2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Londonderry Select Board at its meeting Monday night chose to join a Vermont lawsuit that is part of the nationwide multi-district litigation against manufacturers and distributors that created or contributed to the nationwide opioid crisis. Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan said in a letter to all Vermont […]

Chester voters OK bond for emergency services building

Chester voters OK bond for emergency services building $4.777 million project to set to begin in May 2020

By Shawn Cunningham © 2019 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester voters overwhelmingly approved a $4.777 million bond issue to construct a 15,000-square-foot emergency services building on Pleasant Street and to renovate and upgrade the existing town garage. With 499 residents casting ballots on the lone issue, the bond passed 315 to 183 vote with one spoiled […]