Week of January 9, 2020

Celebrating 31 years of local news

Fairfield Police Department holds another successful toy drive

13th annual Cops for Kids program delivers toys to children at Christmas

This is the 13th year that the officers of the Fairfield Police Department have put on their Santa hats and gotten into their “sleighs” to spread Christmas cheer to the boys and girls of Fairfield. The officers prepare for this program all year long, making sure they check their lists once, twice and again once more…

JMG’s Giving Tree receives gift

JMG’s annual Giving Tree at China Schools received a generous gift from the Dunkin’ on Western Ave in Augusta. Kelsey Morin, a China Middle School parent and manager at Dunkin organized the efforts. Kelsey added, “Each year my team and I give up all our tips for a week and ask customers to donate change to help us get Christmas presents for people in need…”

Your Local News

Selectmen adopt two new policies; transfer tags, meeting decorum

CHINA — China selectmen adopted two new policies at their Jan. 6 meeting. The one-page RFID policy for the transfer station will be effective Feb. 1. The five-page Select Board Policy, prepared by board Chairman Ronald Breton and, he said, edited by Town Manager Dennis Heath, governs conduct of selectmen’s meetings, including how members of the public are to address the board…

McKenney tapped as 75th anniversary season Bomazeen camp director

BELGRADE — Camp Bomazeen, home of Scout camping in central Maine for the past 75 years, will be led by Julie McKenney this summer following an announcement by Pine Tree Council in December…

KVCOG hires new environmental planner and inaugural membership coodinator

CENTRAL ME — The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG) is excited to announce that Gabe Gauvin and Kathryn (Kate) Raymond have joined the team!…

KHS receives $5,000 trust grant

AUGUSTA — The Kennebec Historical Society has received a $5,000 grant from the Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust to catalog the society’s growing collection, buy archival supplies and replace an aging computer…

Navigating the onslaught of disinformation

by Jeanne Marquis — We are now bombarded with more disinformation than ever before. Intentional misinformation can impact our day-to-day decisions we make about parenting, nutrition, finances and healthcare – anything in our lives in which we need to make informed decisions…

There’s plenty to watch on TV without having to pay for cable

(NAPSI)—When it comes to home entertainment, one of the latest innovations in TV viewing is really one of the oldest: the antenna—and budget-conscious consumers are thrilled…

PAGES IN TIME – South China’s Summer Colony: The Bolt Hole

by Dorothy Templeton — The Leaning Elm cottage boasts one delightful addition called “the Bolt Hole.” Barbara Jones Haskins describes its construction: “My daughter Lee and her family spent several years in Colombia, South America. When they returned and came back to the cottage, Lee’s five children and her husband, plus my husband and I, all stayed in a cottage with partitions like tissue paper…”

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Open letter to our readers

The Town Line is a nonprofit community paper and we’re a dying breed. The world will be a worse place without us. In these days of mass media and internet mega-companies, we need your help to continue our mission to bring the residents of central Maine together through “communication, education and public dialogue.” Won’t you join us and become a member today?…

Kennebec Historical Society to hear from Jeffrey Ryan on the hermit Jim Whyte

AUGUSTA — KHS speaker, Maine based author, and photographer Jeffrey Ryan has a contagious passion for exploring the outdoors, particularly on foot. The presentation will be followed by some light refreshments and take place on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, at 6:30 p.m., at the Maine State Library…

Unity College new degree programs to focus on animal health, climate change

CENTRAL ME — This fall, Unity College Distance Education launched two new undergraduate degree programs, which were created and designed to meet the growing interest of students and demand in the job market. The new programs, Animal Health and Behavior and Environmental Science and Climate Change…

Vigue promoted to master sergeant

WINSLOW — Michael A. Vigue has been promoted to the rank of master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force National Guard. Vigue is currently serving as Cyber Systems Operations Non-Commissioned Officer-in-Charge with 265th Combat Communications Squadron, South Portland,. He has served in the military for 15 years…

Creates! accepted into Maine Master Naturalist Program

WATERVILLE — An exciting new chapter will begin in the new year for Serena Sanborn, education and outreach coordinator at Waterville Creates!, as she has been accepted into the Maine Master Naturalist Program! The Maine Master Naturalist Program is a nonprofit volunteer-based enterprise that trains people to become…

School & Sports News

Erskine Academy Parent/Teacher conferences set for Jan. 15

Erskine Academy has scheduled Parent/Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, January 15, from 3 to 7:30 p.m. (snow date will be Thursday, January 16). No appointments are necessary as teachers will be available to speak with parents in their respective classrooms…

Central ME Youth Hockey Association Mini Mites Black team

Team photo by Mark Huard, of Central Maine Photography…

2019 State champion

Kaleb Brown, a brown belt, of Palermo, earned State Championship titles for both Kata (forms) and Kumite (fighting) on December 7, 2019…

Give Us Your Best Shot!

The best recent photos from our readers…

Webber’s Pond

Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident…

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

WISCASSET: Sheepscot Valley Chorus will begin to prepare for an April performance of Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia (Earth Mass). All are welcome to join the first rehearsal on Tuesday, January 14, at 7 p.m., at the Congregational Church. New singers are encouraged to join. FMI call director Linda Blanchard at 380-2768, or simply go to the rehearsal… (…and many other local events!)

Obituaries

WINSLOW – Philip Paul Simonds, 66, passed away Tuesday, December 24, 2019, at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, in Boston, from medical complications following successful double lung transplant. Phil met his challenges with a strong spirit and a sense of humor. He passed peacefully in the arms of his high school sweetheart and wife of 46 years, Barbara… and remembering 8 others.

Town Line Original Columnists

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee | On our way home to Waterville from Augusta last Sunday, my wife and I observed a raccoon walking along the roadside in Winslow. My first thought: “A raccoon out during the day is not normal, and could mean it is rabid”…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | For people starting to listen to classical music, I would more readily recommend the Respighi Pines and Fountains of Rome over most Beethoven and Brahms Symphonies . These two pieces have the most colorful sounds, the loveliest strands of melody, and a very vivid sense of location…

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS

by Dan Beaulieu | Owners of businesses both large and small tell me that the biggest challenge they are facing today is finding, hiring and keeping good people. Unemployment in our state as well as all over the country is at record lows. It seems that everyone who wants a job has one already…

I’M JUST CURIOUS

by Debbie Walker | Just for fun seemed like a nice change for a New Year, I hope you agree. This is going to be multiple choice commercial jingle trivia test…

Marilyn Rogers-Bull & PercySOLON & BEYOND

by Marilyn Rogers-Bull | This morning I sit here at my contrary computer with crossed fingers and a prayer that it will cooperate with me today! This is Monday, January 6, 2020, and after reading our daily Morning Sentinel paper of January 4, with the headline on the front page saying: “Sentinel to debut digital-only Mondays; Cost-saving measure to preserve newsroom jobs starting March 2″…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI)—People with low vision have blind spots that can make it difficult or impossible to drive, read or see faces. These impairments cannot be corrected by surgery or glasses. What’s more, too many are blind to the realization that much can be done to improve their quality of life…