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Thursday, June 20, 2019
Selectboard revives shooting ordinance debate Members revisit proposal to create shooting range registry By COLIN FLANDERS
PHOTO BY COLIN FLANDERS
Milton resident Randy Barrows, who said he has operated a shooting range on his property for decades, speaks on Monday night against a recommendation to require local backyard shooting ranges to meet National Rifle Association safety guidelines, arguing they would be cost prohibitive.
Maple Ridge to host Alzheimer’s awareness event By COLIN FLANDERS Maple Ridge Memory Care facility will be hosting an event this Friday to raise awareness for those impacted by Alzheimer’s. The Longest Day event is an effort to “take the darkness” out of the cognitive disease that impacts millions of people every year, said Jane Samuelsen, director of community relations at Maple Ridge. It’s held on June 21, the summer solstice and longest day of the year, and coincides with Alzheimer’s awareness month. “It just makes you really stop and think about what this experience is
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like for family members for the loved ones who are going through this part of their lives,” Samuelsen said. Prior to the event, The Reporter spoke with four people whose family members live at Maple Ridge, which specializes in memory care, a method for aiding those with dementia. The center contains 56 suites and has space for up to 60 residents. While all arrive to the facility with different stories, each family member interviewed for this story praised Maple Ridge’s focus on caring for patients, noting the impact it has had on both their lives and the lives of See LONGEST DAY, page 6
Shooting ranges were back on the menu Monday night as the selectboard dove into its firearms discharge ordinance revisions, revisiting a proposal that would require residents who shoot in their backyards to register their properties with the town. The board spent much of its twohour meeting this week vetting a form created by town staff that would require backyard shooters to submit a slew of information about their properties. But members took no action on the matter, instead deciding to wait until at least their next meeting, scheduled for July 15, at which time members will again confront a central question of how much information the municipality should be collecting of its citizens. A draft of the form showed property owners would need to submit their name, address, parcel ID number, date the range was established, types of firearms they planned to use, intended See RANGES, page 4
GRADUATION 2019
PHOTO BY AmANDA ROSE PHOTOgRAPHY
Essex High School seniors walk to their graduation ceremony on Saturday. See photos from the ceremony on pages 8 and 9.
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EssEx REpoRtER | THURSDAY, JUne 20, 2019
Essex Jct. | (802) 857-5994 www.julesvt.com
Vol. 18 No. 25