Thanks in part to stimulus fund dollars the Richmond bridge has re-opened.
St. Mike’s Playhouse presents ‘Talley’s Folly’ beginning this month.
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July 4, 2009
Man fires pistol near Route 22A
Celebrate the USA! Fireworks and Fun on the Fourth around the region
On June 24, at 12:20 p.m., Vermont State Police troopers were dispatched to the area of Route 22A and Mountain Road Extension in Addison for a road-rage incident. Addison County 911 dispatcher advised troopers that a firearm had been Edwin C. brandished and subGerlack sequently discharged by an operator of a vehicle. No injuries were reported. The complainant was willing to give a statement to state police. The suspect, Edwin C. Gerlack, age 49, of Essex was taken into custody without incident. Gerlack admitted to discharging the pistol in self defense but told troopers that he did not point or shoot it at Kristin Juliano of Burlington; Gerlack claimed he just discharged the weapon as a warning to her. No other details are available. Gerlack was found to be under the influence of alcohol and had a BAC of .250 percent. The firearm was a .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol.
Teen charged in CVU bomb threat From Eagle Staff & News Reports Hinesburg Police said Justin Rich of St. George, age 17, a student at Champlain Valley Union High School, was charged with making a bomb threat to the school June 3. After a coordinated investigation, Rich was identified and interviewed by police. Police said he admitted making the threat through a statement to Hinesburg P.D. Deputy Chief Fred Silber. As a result of the bomb threat, the school was evacuated and closed June 3—at considerable public expense considering the various law enforcement, fire, and emergency agencies mobilized at the time. Key agencies involved included the Vermont State Police, Shelburne Police Department, the Hinesburg Fire Department . The Hinesburg Highway Department also aided the investigation. Charges against Rich are pending. He is currently in the custody of his parents.
Following is a list of Fourth of July events in The Eagle’s circulation area. All events take place Saturday, July 4, unless otherwise noted. Towns not listed do not hold July 4 events. Brandon: •July 3: Independence Day Celebration With Live Music and Street Dance. First annual street dance will be in back of Central Park with Fourth of July music by D.J. Derrick Cram. There will be food vendors starting at 5 p.m. Location: Central Park, U.S. Route 7 and Vermont Route 73 and Route 73 E. Time: 6-10 p.m. Information: 247-3275. •July 4: Brandon Independence Day Celebration with Parade and Fireworks. The celebration includes music, activities, parade, and fireworks at dusk. Held in downtown Brandon with fireworks at Park Village. Activities start at 10 a.m. Parade starts at 1 p.m. Fireworks at dusk. For details call 247-6401 or visit www.brandon.org. Bristol: •July 3: 6 p.m.-dusk, fireworks held at the Bristol Recreation Field near MAUHS. Event includes games, vendors, music, crafts., and an auto raffle. •July 4: 7:30 a.m., Bristol Road Race, for details call 453-3856; 8 a.m. Bristol July 4 Parade line up, starts at 10:30 a.m. downtown, for details call 453-2278. This year ’s parade theme is “400 years of Champlain”; Outhouse Race starts at 9 a.m., for details call 453-3751. After the parade: town green activities include live music, food, and crafts, for details or to reserve a display table call 453-4877. The public is invited to American Legion Post 19’s Open House event, July 35, for details call 453-2951.
See JULY 4, page 3
A bridge too far—gone? A new agreement but no clear plans From Eagle Staff & News Reports The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) announced last week the finalization of a bi-state agreement between New York and Vermont for the progression of a project to rehabilitate or replace the Lake Champlain Bridge—with either a new bridge or a ferry boat—spanning Lake Champlain between Crown Point, N.Y. and Chimney Point, Vt. No work is planned until 2013, four years after the Champlain Quadricentennial. Tourists to both states this summer will cross a rusting bridge in need of serious repair. Exposed masonry rebar is visible in places on
See BRIDGE, page 8
The Champlain Bridge’s crumbling masonry piers and exposed rusting rebar as seen from Chimney Point. The bridge was constructed during the 1920s when Vermonter Calvin Coolidge was in the White House. Eagle photo
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