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Chester board re-appoints Hudkins, sets up local cannabis commission

Chester board re-appoints Hudkins, sets up local cannabis commission

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Judging by the people attending last Wednesday’s Chester Select Board meeting, the main event appeared to be the three-year Planning Commission appointment that had just one candidate, incumbent Peter Hudkins. With commission members Hugh Quinn, Barre Pinske and chair Cathy Hasbrouck in the audience, the board had […]

Chester bookstore owner hospitalized after <br>head-on collision

Chester bookstore owner hospitalized after
head-on collision

By Cynthia Prairie ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Ludlow resident and Chester bookstore owner Vicki Thornton was seriously injured late Saturday afternoon when her northbound car was hit head-on on Route 103 by a southbound car that smacked into guardrail, bounced off and veered into her lane.  Thornton was heading home after closing up shop early […]

Chester Select Board agenda for March 16 - New time

Chester Select Board agenda for March 16 – New time

The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday March 16 at Town Hall, 556 Elm St. and via Zoom. To join the meeting go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81988842129 Please note the board has changed its starting time. Below is the board’s agenda: 1. Approve Minutes from the March 2, 2022 Selectboard […]

Chester board reorganizes, looks at buying solar field

Chester board reorganizes, looks at buying solar field

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Town Manager Julie Hance called the Chester Select Board to order on the day after the Town Meeting Day election to begin its annual reorganization. The board quickly and unanimously elected Arne Jonynas to the chair, but then there was the unusual sight of a contested vote […]

Andover elects historic board; Chester voters return Whalen to Select Board after hiatus

Andover elects historic board; Chester voters return Whalen to Select Board after hiatus

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Andover residents, faced with three select board vacancies, created what is likely an historic board with a majority of women as members. With one member resigning his unexpired three-year seat and two members deciding not to run for re-election, Andover residents were voting to put three new […]

Chester votes 'yes' on retail cannabis;  Andover voters say 'no' to street ATVs

Chester votes ‘yes’ on retail cannabis; Andover voters say ‘no’ to street ATVs Manchester voters reject regional field house proposal

By Shawn Cunningham and Cynthia Prairie © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Retail cannabis was approved Tuesday by the voters of Chester 318 to 267, an outcome that seemed to surprise both those who were for it and those who were against it. The article  — Shall the Town of Chester authorize cannabis retailers in town […]

Retail cannabis sales vote: What you should know

Retail cannabis sales vote: What you should know

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Town Meeting Day this year, Chester voters will go to the polls to vote on allowing the sale of recreational cannabis within the town. For those who are still on the fence, here are some resources to help with making a decision. First, cannabis was made […]

Chester Select Board talks around cannabis vote

Chester Select Board talks around cannabis vote

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC With less than two weeks to go before the town’s voters will decide whether retail sales of cannabis will be allowed in Chester, the Select Board continued to talk – and occasionally debate – about the topic including issues that are outside the scope of the vote. […]

Meet the candidates: Four vie for two one-year seats on Chester Select Board

Meet the candidates: Four vie for two one-year seats on Chester Select Board

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Telegraph sent a series of questions to the four candidates who are vying for two one-year terms on the Chester Select Board. Those two seats are currently held by Leigh Dakin and Jeff Holden, who are seeking re-election. These questions are currently on issues top of mind for many […]

Chester Planning Commission agenda for Feb. 21, 2022

Chester Planning Commission agenda for Feb. 21, 2022

The Chester Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting at Town Hall, 556 Elm St. and via Zoom, at 6:30 p.m. on Monday Feb. 21, 2022. To join the meeting go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81029256359 1. Review minutes from the February 7, 2022 meeting. 2. Citizen comments. 3. Review proposed Village Green Zoning District bylaw amendment text […]

Variations on a Town Meeting Day

Variations on a Town Meeting Day Area towns choose formats, new dates for annual votes

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Once again this year the Vermont legislature has taken its cue from the continuing Covid pandemic and is giving municipalities options in how they can manage Town Meeting Day. And area select boards have chosen several variations — from fully remote meetings and Australian ballots for all […]

Chester resident gets cannabis sales on the ballot

Chester resident gets cannabis sales on the ballot

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester voters will be making one more choice when they go to the polls (or fill out absentee ballots) for this Town Meeting day, as a petition to put an opt-in vote on retail sales of recreational cannabis garnered the required signatures to put it before the […]

Chester board nixes putting cannabis vote on ballot; petition could force issue

Chester board nixes putting cannabis vote on ballot; petition could force issue

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board at its Wednesday, Jan. 19, meeting, discussed and took public input on placing an “opt-in” article for retail sales of cannabis on the Town Meeting day ballot and for the second time in two years, decided against it. But a petition that’s being […]

Area towns shuffled, separated under proposed redistricting plan

Area towns shuffled, separated under proposed redistricting plan

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Vermont House yesterday passed H. 589 to bypass the work done by a tri-partisan board set up to create a legislative redistricting plan. The move substitutes the bill as the design for the “initial district plan.” The text of the legislation says that lawmakers will be […]

Chester Dems hold annual Share Heat fundraiser

Chester Dems hold annual Share Heat fundraiser

The Chester Town Democratic Committee is holding its annual Share Heat Fundraiser to provide financial support for those in our community in need of assistance in paying for the cost of home heating fuel. As fuel prices have risen significantly, the need for heating fuel assistance to provide warmth and comfort continues to grow. The […]

Chester Select Board agenda for Jan. 19

Chester Select Board agenda for Jan. 19

The Chester Select Board will hold its regular meeting at Town Hall, 556 Elm Street and via Zoom at 6 p.m. Wednesday Jan. 19, 2022 followed by the board reconvening as the Board of Water and Wastewater Commissioners. To join the meeting go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81988842129 Below are the agendas Chester Select Board 1. Approve Minutes […]

Chester board opts for remote Town Meeting; kicks cannabis vote down the road

Chester board opts for remote Town Meeting; kicks cannabis vote down the road

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC For the second year in a row, the Chester Select Board has concluded that putting the question of allowing retail sales of cannabis before the voters needs more board discussion, although they may look at it on Wednesday, Jan. 19, the final day before they must finalize […]

Landscape firm loses thousands of dollars in equipment in holiday theft

Landscape firm loses thousands of dollars in equipment in holiday theft

By Cynthia Prairie ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC It was Friday, Dec. 24, and the crew from Terrigenous Landscape Architecture  of Chester was looking forward to a holiday week off. They had been working in the back of a stone house in Baltimore, “putting in a stone wall and drainage to save one of these old […]

Chester board OKs 'statement' encouraging individual Covid mitigation measures

Chester board OKs ‘statement’ encouraging individual Covid mitigation measures

By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC While a number of area towns including Cavendish, Ludlow and Windham have instituted mask mandates for public buildings, the Chester board issued a statement that while there is increasing transmission of Covid in Vermont and New Hampshire, “The Town of Chester is not supportive of implementing a mask […]

Chester board's mask discussions to continue through holidays

Chester board’s mask discussions to continue through holidays

By Shawn Cunningham © 2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the Cavendish Select Board approved a mask mandate for public places with little debate and even less public attendance last Monday, Chester’s board has held two meetings and appears stymied over how to recommend but not mandate that people wear masks in public buildings due to […]