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  • To the editor: Why I am running for the GMUSD and Chester Select boards

    To the editor: Why I am running for the GMUSD and Chester Select boards

    Friends and neighbors, I’m running to continue on the Green Mountain Unified School District Board and for a three-year term as Chester Select Board member because Chester is my home. My wife and I are both alumni of Green Mountain Union High School. We own a home and a business here, and now we’re raising […]

  • To the editor: Education reform must start where costs are growing

    To the editor: Education reform must start where costs are growing

    As Vermont debates education reform under Act 73, communities face tough questions about school size, consolidation and sustainability. These are conversations that demand honesty, transparency and a clear understanding of what drives costs. In the Two Rivers Supervisory Union, recent budget data across multiple fiscal years tells a consistent story: School-level budgets have remained relatively […]

  • To the editor: When the Pledge of Allegiance alienates Americans

    To the editor: When the Pledge of Allegiance alienates Americans

    At meetings of the Cavendish Select Board in January and February, we commented on its decision to say the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of its meetings. As a U.S. citizen, Vietnam era veteran and taxpayer, I have no problem with most of the Pledge, although reciting it can be a very cheap form […]

  • To the editor: Charlton focused on what is good for Vermont

    To the editor: Charlton focused on what is good for Vermont

    I’ve read four letters to the editor in The Chester Telegraph about Rep. Tom Charlton’s constituents conversation Friday, Feb. 6, which I attended. I will add that I am not a constituent but like to learn what is going on in Montpelier. Rep. Charlton spoke for close to two hours. The first 30 minutes focused […]

  • To the editor: Jonynas brings years of valuable service to Chester Select Board

    To the editor: Jonynas brings years of valuable service to Chester Select Board

    We are writing to express our strong support for Arne Jonynas as he seeks re-election to the Chester Select Board. During his time in office, Arne has demonstrated integrity, steady leadership, sound judgment and a deep commitment to the residents of Chester. Serving on a select board requires careful attention to budgets, infrastructure, public safety […]

  • Op-ed: The education governance debate is about more than maps

    Op-ed: The education governance debate is about more than maps

    By Jack Hoffman Vermont’s current education debate seems stuck on what to do first: Overhaul the governance structure and then reform the funding system, or do something about spending and then re-draw school district maps? Governance should be the priority, but it’s not about the maps. The first question is whether Montpelier is going to […]

  • To the editor: Benelli would serve Chester students, families on GM school board

    To the editor: Benelli would serve Chester students, families on GM school board

    Patricia Benelli, my former law partner, would be a thoughtful member of the Green Mountain Union School District board of directors. She is experienced in education as a former teacher and involved in many activities throughout the Chester community, including Justice of the Peace, Trustee of the Whiting Library and member of the Chester Board […]

  • Op-ed: How I became a conservative

    Op-ed: How I became a conservative

    By Madeline Bodin ©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC I was standing in the cold and the rain on the lawn of the Vermont State House. I was clutching a sign that said, “Protect the US Constitution” in red, white and blue letters. I had colored in some of the letters to look like a flag. As […]

  • To the editor: Are requests for donations at Town Meeting too much?

    To the editor: Are requests for donations at Town Meeting too much?

    Town Meeting is Monday evening, March 2 at Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St. It begins at 6 p.m. We have lived in Chester in the same house for 57 years. Living in Chester has been wonderful.  We had good jobs, a few in Chester and our children received an excellent education. The services in the […]

  • To the editor: De-escalation begins with those who hold the power

    To the editor: De-escalation begins with those who hold the power

    How we frame responsibility and fault in a crisis is critical to democracy. It shapes who we hold accountable and what changes we demand. When we talk about de-escalation, the first responsibility lies with those who are using state force with lethal consequences — not with civilians exercising multiple constitutional freedoms, including the First Amendment […]

  • Poor Cousins kicks off music season for Upstairs at Town Hall

    Poor Cousins kicks off music season for Upstairs at Town Hall

    Upstairs at Town Hall kicks off its 2026 season with the Poor Cousins, the Southern Vermont-based husband and wife duo Naomi Morse (fiddle and voice) and Emmet McGowen (guitar, bodhran, voice), who specialize in Irish music. They will perform  at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 14 at Chester Town Hall auditorium, 556 Elm St. The […]

  • To the editor: Vermont Senate, government take actions to protect its residents

    To the editor: Vermont Senate, government take actions to protect its residents

    Saturday, Feb. 7 marked a full year of Woodstock area residents, non-residents and visitors, meeting daily, noon to 1 p.m., at Tribou Park in Woodstock to peacefully protest the assaults on our country’s democracy by our current federal administration. Undaunted by foul weather, this tenacious group, with their creative signs and determined spirits, stand up […]

  • Valentine's Day Art Workshop at Derry Library Feb. 14

    Valentine’s Day Art Workshop at Derry Library Feb. 14

    South Londonderry Free Library, 15 Old School Road, is celebrating Valentine’s Day with a special workshop for all ages at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14. Join art teacher Casey Junker Bailey for “Drawn Together,” featuring a book that illustrates how art can overcome barriers to communication and bring people together. Come and create art […]

  • 'Gypsy Luv' concert Feb. 14 in Ludlow

    ‘Gypsy Luv’ concert Feb. 14 in Ludlow

    Two of Vermont’s favorite bands will join forces again at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14 — Valentine’s Day evening — for a “Gypsy Luv” concert at Heald Auditorium, upstairs in Ludlow Town Hall, 37 S. Depot St. Gypsy Reel and Rick Redington & Tuff Luv always enjoy the opportunity to keep spreading the Luv. […]

  • To the editor: Rep. Charlton should stand with constituents

    To the editor: Rep. Charlton should stand with constituents

    Rep. Tom Charlton on Friday evening held a meeting with his constituents at Chester Town Hall. His first order of business was to explain his vote against a resolution critical of ICE actions in U.S. cities. Despite his soft-spoken demeanor, Rep. Charlton’s words quickly became unsettling. He repeatedly attempted to conjure a false equivalence between […]

  • To the editor: Are Charlton's loyalties with Constitution or Trump administration?

    To the editor: Are Charlton’s loyalties with Constitution or Trump administration?

    I attended state Rep. Tom Charlton’s pubic forum on Friday, Feb. 6. I was dismayed when he attempted to equate protesters armed with phone cameras and whistles to the physical assaults, property damage, kidnapping and murder by ICE agents. The thousands of protesters across the country have shown remarkable restraint in the face of horrendous […]

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