All Entries in the "Latest News" Category
Boards struggle with holding annual meetings during pandemic Legislation may give municipalities more options
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Town Meeting day is more than two months away, but municipalities — including school districts — throughout Vermont are working out how that annual ritual of direct democracy will be handled during a global pandemic in which personal contact can be hazardous. When Gov. Phil Scott announced […]
Scott seeks applicants for vacancy on Public Utility Commission
Gov. Phil Scott is seeking applicants for appointment to the Public Utility Commission to fill a forthcoming vacancy. A full job description for this role can be found here, and the full-time position pays $51 per hour. The PUC was created to ensure high-quality public utility services in Vermont are provided at minimum reasonable costs. The […]
Applicants sought for state Cannabis Control Board
Gov. Phil Scott is seeking applicants for appointment to the new three-member Cannabis Control Board. All members will be appointed by the governor after being vetted by the Cannabis Control Board Nominating Committee. Those interested in appointment should complete the application, which can be found by clicking here, by Thursday, Dec. 31. A full job description […]
Chester board mulls dismantling 131-year-old Jeffrey Barn Lack of insurance, upkeep at core of Select Board decision
By Shawn Cunningham © 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Chester Select Board is looking for a contractor to dismantle the 131-year-old Jeffrey Barn on Rt. 103 North after learning that the town’s insurer will no longer cover it. Town Manager Julie Hance told the board at its Wednesday, Dec. 16 meeting that the Vermont League […]
Derry board ponders delay in Town Meeting; addresses property taxes and budgeting
By Cherise Madigan 2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC Londonderry’s 2021 Town Meeting may move to Pingree Park — and from March to May — if the state grants towns the ability to delay meetings due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And state legislators are working to make the one-time exception a reality, Town Clerk Kelly Pajala, who also […]
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 […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Monday, Dec. 28
The Select Board for the town of Andover will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28 via Zoom. To join: https://zoom.us Personal Meeting ID 869 021 5007 Passcode 146374; or call : 1 929 436 2866. Below is its agenda. 1. Call Select Board meeting to order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes: […]
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
©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 […]
Londonderry Select Board agenda for Dec. 21
The Londonderry Select Board will meet at 6 p.m. on Monday Dec. 21 by Zoom. To access the meeting via computers, click https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81250603331. To access via telephone, call (929) 205-6099 (Meeting ID: 812 5060 3331). Below is its agenda. 1. Call Meeting to Order 2. Additions or Deletions to the Agenda 3. Minutes Approval – Meeting(s) […]
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, […]
Chester Select Board agenda for Dec. 16
The Chester Select Board will meet at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at Town Hall, 556 Elm St., and via Zoom. To participate via Zoom: https://zoom.us/join Meeting ID: 819 8884 2129 or https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81988842129 In person attendance is limited to 25 people, so please consider if your physical attendance is needed or if you can participate […]
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. […]
SMCS, Springfield Hospital emerging from Chapter 11
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Vermont has confirmed the Chapter 11 reorganization plans of Springfield Medical Care Systems and Springfield Hospital, according to a press release late this afternoon from SMCS. Confirmation of their Chapter 11 plans is the final step necessary for the two companies to exit Chapter 11 and the culmination […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
Andover Select Board agenda for Dec. 14
The Select Board for the town of Andover will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 14 at Andover Town Hall, 953 Andover Road. Below is its agenda. 1. Call Select Board meeting to order. 2. Act on Agenda. 3. Act on Minutes: Act on the minutes from the Nov. 23 meeting. 4. Public Comment […]
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
©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 […]
