Bunting’s in
Headed to court
School district picks CVU principal as interim super
Trial set for alleged killer of Hinesburg woman
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May 9, 2024
HABIB SABET STAFF WRITER
A state prosecutor has dismissed charges against a Hinesburg man who killed a cyclist with his car, ending a years-long case stemming from the October 2022 accident. In a notice of dismissal filed to the Chittenden Superior Criminal Court on March 8, Kelly Olney, a deputy state’s attorney for Chittenden County, wrote that she was dropping the state’s charge against Richard K. Lewis “without prejudice,” meaning the charges could theoretically be refiled in the future. Lewis, 70, of Hinesburg, had been accused of operating his vehicle in a grossly negligent manner and causing the death of
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Charges dropped against driver who struck cyclist
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cyclist Gerard Malavenda of Williston. In a written statement to The Other Paper, Sarah George, Vermont’s top prosecutor in Chittenden County, said that her office decided to drop the charge against Lewis after new evidence emerged during the trial that undermined the state’s case. Specifically, George said that the testimony of one unexpected witness appeared to have “devastated our ability to prove the case,” though she did not further elaborate on the nature of that testimony. “I want to be clear that there is no question at all that Mr. Lewis struck Gerard and caused his death,” she said. “That, however, See LEWIS on page 11
New rule regulates wakeboats on lakes across the Vermont LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
For those looking to hang loose this boating season, a new state rule adopted in February, dubbed the first of its kind in the nation, regulates wakesports and wakeboats on certain lakes across the state. Under the new rule, wake sports are now confined to a “wakesport zone” of 50 contingous acres defined by a 500-foot shore buffer from all sides, a depth of more than 20 feet, and at least 200-feet wide. The rule allows wake sports to occur on 30 lakes throughout the state, like Lake Iroquois in Hinesburg, Lake Caspian in Greensboro
and the Waterbury Reservoir. A wake boat is designed to create large, powerful wakes, making it ideal for wakesurfing and boarding. The wakes created by the motorized boats serve as a prime launching point for riders where waves wouldn’t usually occur. Because ballast tank systems used in the boats help with water displacement, additional state rules implement a decontamination requirement for wake boats travelling between lakes as studies have also shown that these tanks can spread invasive species PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
See WAKE BOATS on page 11
A barred owl perches from a tree on Mt. Philo.
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