NORWICH – It seems that Norwich’s beloved “hot dog lady” is here to stay.

Buzz that city officials plan to restructure the city’s peddling and soliciting ordinance was snuffed out at a meeting of the Norwich Joint Committees on Tuesday. For days, assumptions have spread via online mediums including Facebook that the city was taking steps which would ultimately remove Patricia Leahy (aka “Hot Dog Lady”) from her corner on North Broad and West Park Place in Norwich.

Leahy has been selling hot dogs on the corner for more than three decades and to many residents, she’s become somewhat of a downtown icon. The city allows a limited number of vendors downtown, so long as they – like Leahy – pay the $200 per year peddling permit fee.