Backyard chickens
‘Golden Dazy’
Vermont health officials explain the risks
Bruce Hill talks about a lifetime on the lake
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July 6, 2023
Weekly news coverage for Charlotte and Hinesburg
Hinesburg, Richmond police forge agreement LILLY KELLER STAFF WRITER
Progress in an agreement to share police services between Hinesburg and Richmond resumed following a brief hold. The inter-municipal agreement originally settled upon in April permitted Richmond to make a request for a Hinesburg officer to respond to calls from Richmond at a rate of $50 per hour or to patrol the town at a rate of $70 per hour but only when the Hinesburg department has the staffing bandwidth to do so. However, the agreement made to assist the Richmond police department was postponed due to intervention by the local police
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A fine Fourth
union. The union’s concerns were addressed through negotiation with the town of Richmond, resulting in an adjustment to the wage scale for Richmond police and establishing guidelines for calling in a Hinesburg officer, giving Richmond police priority for overtime work. Following a meeting with Vermont State Police June 21, the Hinesburg Selectboard said it was negotiating the contract’s length and ironing out dispatching. “Right now, this contract is of undetermined length, and I think we’ll probably have further discussions depending on Richmond,” Hinesburg town managSee POLICE on page 13
New owners take over The Old Brick Store Couple will continue centuries-old tradition at the historic location LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
From the busy streets of New York City, Jolene Kao and her family came to Vermont for a quieter life surrounded by open spaces, and turns out, that also meant becoming the new owners of The Old Brick Store in Charlotte. Although owning a place like The Old Brick Store wasn’t originally in the plans, Kao has strong roots in the restaurant industry. Originally born in Dallas to Taiwanese immigrants, she spent most of her upbringing in her family’s generationally owned
restaurant, Rural China. “We would run around the restaurant and I would make cherry pancakes in the kitchen,” she said. “When I was older, I started bussing and hosting and working the register, placing orders, running payroll and helping my mom do that prepping in the kitchen. But the best was when I was in college, and I would come back to visit and work the line.” In 2006 she moved to New York to pursue a career in photography but eventually burned out when she realized the pace of the See STORE on page 12
PHOTOS BY LEE KROHN
The Hinesburg Fire Department honors the memory of Capt. Eric Spivack, who died suddenly in March, during Tuesday’s July 4 parade. At top, the Hinesburg Nursery School float. See more photos on page 11.