I’M JUST CURIOUS: Have you ever wondered…

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by Debbie Walker

Have you ever wondered how long different things might last? Well, I found a few listed in an HGTV magazine awhile back. I thought maybe it might hold some interest for you. It’s an odd assortment of subjects listed in an ABC index. Here we go:

Aloe Vera gel – 12 months once it’s been opened. It’s suggested to store it in the fridge.

Bulbs – 10-15 years These bulbs are of the plant variety, not electrical.

Cast Iron pans – Generations (finally something that lasts). Suggested to use warm water and a non-scratch scrub brush.

Deli-meat – Up to 5 days. (Told you it is an odd assortment). Best if kept in meat drawer.

Exterior Paint Job – Up to 10 years preparation, the quality of paint and color play into it.

Fertilizer (dry or liquid) – Forever. If it clumps or crystals break with a trowel.

Hot Water Heater (tank) – up to 12 years, (tankless) up to 15 years. Maintenance is big issue – should be flushed out when heat system gets checkup.

Ice Pops – Up to 18 months. Home made only about three weeks. Store in back of freezer.

Skipped J, K on to L

Laptop – three to five years. That one is funny! I know kids who can kill them off fast. Then you have me who has been using my adult granddaughter’s cast off for over six years!

Mattress – Up to 10 years. If it’s not a pillow top it ought to be rotated two times a year. We’re waking up achy, may be time for a new one. The achy can’t be because of US growing old.

Nut Butter – Up to 6 months. Store opened jars in fridge. Oil separation is normal, if it smells like oil paint, it’s bad.

Skipped O & P

Quinoa – three years. Keep it in cabinet away from heat source. It’s not a grain and any moisture may make it sprout.

Razor Blades – up to six weeks If you shave more than 2 times a week, anything over six weeks you’ll get razor burns and nicks.

Shower Curtain Liner – one year.

Skipped T,U & V

Wood Cutting Board – A lifetime, maybe even a passer-oner.

Skipped X,Y & Z

Okay, on to something else. Have you ever heard of Spoonerism? I hadn’t but I like it! It is an error in speech or a deliberate play on words where letters are switched between two words in a phrase. Examples follow:

Heard at a wedding: “It is kisstomary to cuss the bride.”

Heard a nervous college student on an official visit: “Is the bean dizzy?”

Heard from many a mother: “Now you go upstairs and shake a tower!”

Heard from aggravated fan: “I can’t believe they scored a Dutch town!”

I’m just curious how many times I have done the word swap! Thanks for reading! Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com. Don’t forget this winter when you can’t get out to get a paper, we are online!

REVIEW POTPOURRI – Singer: Laura Nyro; Director: Yannick Nezet-Seguin

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Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Laura Nyro

Laura Nyro

Smile, Columbia AL 33912 LP ,1975.

The late Laura Nyro was one very gifted singer, songwriter and pianist. A number of songs, Stoney End, Stoned Soul Picnic, Wedding Bell Blues, etc. have been covered by such artists as Barbra Streisand and the Fifth Dimension.

The 1975 Smile is a sterling example of the searing beauty and power of her on-going themes – life in the Bronx. Sexy Mama, Children of the Junks, Money, I am the Blues, Stormy Love, The Cat-song, Midnite Blues, and the title song mirror the drug addictions, needs to survive, and the moments of joy and love that preoccupy and sustain us. An album highly recommended.

Yannick Nezet-Seguin

Yannick Nezet-Seguin

The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra Collection
Deutsche Grammophon 4835345, 6 CDs, live concerts 2008-2018.

Presently the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and other orchestras, Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts the Rotterdam Philhar­monic in works by Beethoven, Shosta­kovich, Mahler, Tchaikov­sky, Bruckner etc. The performances are good, especially the Bruckner 8th Symphony, and would fit the needs of anyone wanting a set of choice basic repertoire.

Spectrum to raise residential video service rates

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Charter Communications (locally known as Spectrum), continues to enhance their services, offer more of the best entertainment choices and deliver the best value. “We are committed to offering our customers with products and services we are sure they will enjoy, said Shelley Winchenbach, director of government affairs, in a letter to municipal officers. “Containing costs and efficiently managing our operations are critical to providing customers with the best value possible. Like every business, Charter faces rising costs that require occasional price adjustments. ”

As a result, customers will be notified of the following price adjustments through a bill message on or after October 1, 2018. Effective on or after November 1, 2018, pricing will be adjusted for residential video service:

  • Broadcast TV Surcharge from $8.85 to $9.95;
  • Spectrum Receiver from $6.99 to $7.50;
  • Digital Adapters from $4.99 to $5.99;
  • Latino View from $7.99 to $8.99.

“We remain committed to providing an excellent experience for our customers, in your community and in each of the communities we serve,” continued Winchenbach. If you have any questions about this change, you may contact Winchenbach at 207-620-3319 or via email at shelley.winchenbach@charter.com.

Author Mark Allen Leslie to speak about new book at Winslow Library

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Winslow area families put their lives and fortunes on the line connecting to the Underground Railroad

Maine’s connection to the famous Underground Railroad that helped free runaway slaves in the mid-1800s does not begin and end with Harriet Beecher Stowe. Indeed, people from Kittery to Ft. Fairfield, including Waterville-Winslow, Augusta, China and Vassalboro, conspired to break the law — the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 — forming a network of “safe houses,” hiding slaves from slave hunters and scurrying them to Canada. If caught, these Underground Railroad “conductors” faced fines and jail.

At the Winslow Public Library at 6 p.m. on Oct. 18, author Mark Alan Leslie will weave the tale of the brave families who housed and fed slaves in hidden rooms, attics and elsewhere en route to the next secret “way station” on the “railroad.”

Former Morning Sentinel reporter Mark Allen Leslie

“Some called slavery ‘the absolute power of one person over another — the vilest human behavior and institution,’” said Leslie. “Others called it ‘essential to our economy and prosperity’ and even ‘a humane institution which provided food, shelter and family’ to the African race.”

“Slavery was the one issue that has been able to tear America apart, and that included Mainers,” he added.

And slavery remains in the news. The Treasury Department plans to add Harriet Tubman, a heroine of the Under­ground Railroad, to the $20 bill. Also, the Brunswick home of Harriet Beecher Stowe, a National Historic Landmark since 1962, was placed on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The former parlor room, where it is believed she wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is open to the public as “Harriet’s Writing Room.”

Publisher’s Weekly hailed Leslie’s novel, True North: Tice’s Story, about a slave’s escape over the Underground Railroad through Maine, naming it a Featured Book for 2016. The Midwest Book Review cited Leslie’s “genuine flair for compelling, entertaining, and deftly crafted storytelling.”

And AFA Journal called Leslie “a seasoned wordsmith” whose contemporary novels are “in the class with John Grisham.”

A longtime journalist whose career started as a reporter for the then-Waterville Sentinel, Leslie first burst on the literary scene in 2008 with his novel Midnight Rider for the Morning Star, based on the life of Francis Asbury, America’s first circuit-riding preacher.

Since then, in addition to True North he has written The Crossing about the Ku Klux Klan in Maine in the 1920s and three contemporary thrillers: Chasing the Music about the hunt for King David’s music of the Psalms, The Three Sixes about Islamic terror cells in America, and the just-released The Last Aliyah about the Jewish escape from America when the United Nations bans Jewish emigration to Israel.

A book signing will follow Leslie’s presentation.

ERIC’S TECH TALK – Deepfake: When you can’t believe your eyes

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A screenshot from the fake Obama video created by researchers at the University of Washington.

by Eric W. Austin

Fake news. Fake videos. Fake photos. The way things are heading, the 21st century is likely to be known as the Fake Century, and it’s only going to get worse from here.

About a year ago, I came across a short BBC News report. It talked about an initiative by researchers at the University of Washington to create a hyper-realistic video of President Obama saying things he never said. On Youtube, they posted a clip of the real Obama alongside the fake Obama the researchers had created. I couldn’t tell the difference.

Welcome to the deepfake future.

“Deepfake” is probably not a term you’ve heard a lot about up ‘til now, but expect that to change over the next few years. The term is derived from the technology driving it, deep learning, a branch of artificial intelligence emphasizing machine learning through the use of neural networks and other advanced techniques. When Facebook tags you in a photo uploaded by a friend, that’s an example of deep learning in action. It’s an effort to replicate human-like information processing in a computer.

Artificial intelligence is not just getting good at recognizing human faces; it’s becoming good at creating them, too. By feeding an A.I. thousands of images or video of someone, for example a public figure, the computer can then use that information to create a new image or video of the person that is nearly indistinguishable from the real thing.

No, Einstein never went bicycling near a nuclear test. This photo is fake.

Of course, this sort of fakery has been around for a long time in photography. Do an unfiltered Google image search for any attractive female celebrity, and you’re likely to find a few pictures with the celebrity’s head photoshopped onto the body of a porn actress in a compromising position. Search for images of UFOs or the Lock Ness Monster, and you’ll find dozens of fake photos, many of which successfully fooled the experts for years.

But what we’re talking about here is on a completely different level. Last year I wrote about a new advancement in artificial intelligence allowing a computer to mimic the voice of a real person. Feed the computer 60 seconds of someone speaking and that computer can re-create their voice saying absolutely anything you like.

Deepfake is the culmination of these two technologies, and when audio and video can be faked convincingly using a computer algorithm, what hope is there for truth in the wild world of the web?

If the past couple years have taught us anything, it’s that there are deep partisan divides in this country and each side has a different version of the truth. It’s not so much a battle of political parties as it is combat between contrasting narratives. It’s a war for belief.

Conspiracy theories have flourished in this environment, as each side of the debate is all too willing to believe the worst of the other side — whether it’s true or not. I have written several times about the methods Russia and others have used to influence the U.S. electorate, but it’s this willingness to believe the worst about our fellow Americans that is most often exploited by our adversaries.

Communist dictator Joseph Stalin was infamous for destroying records and altering images to remove people from history after they had fallen out of favor with him.

Likewise, when the Roman sect of Christianity gained ascendancy in the early 4th century CE, they set about destroying the gospels held sacred by other groups. This was done in order to paint the picture of a consistently unified church without divisions (“catholic” is Latin for “universal”).

In both these cases, narratives were shaped by eliminating any information that contradicted the approved version of events. However, with the advent of the Internet and a mostly literate population, that method of controlling the narrative just isn’t possible anymore. Instead, the technique has been adjusted to one which floods the public space with so much false and misleading information that even intelligent, well-meaning people have trouble telling the difference between fact and fiction.

If, as Thomas Jefferson once wrote, a well-informed electorate is a prerequisite to a successful democracy, these three elements – our willingness to believe the worst of our political opponents, the recent trend of controlling the narrative by flooding the public consciousness with misinformation to obscure the truth, and the advancements of technology allowing this fakery to flourish and spread – are combining to create a challenge to our republic like nothing we’ve experienced before.

What can you do about the coming deepfake flood? Let me give you some advice I take myself: Make sure you rely on a range of diverse and credible sources. Regularly read sources with a bias different from your own, and stay away from those on the extreme edges of the political divide. Consult websites like AllSides.com or MediaBiasFactCheck.com to see where your favorite news source falls on the political spectrum.

We have entered the era of post-truth politics, but that doesn’t mean we have to lose our way in the Internet’s labyrinth of lies. It means we need to develop a new set of skills to navigate the environment in which we now find ourselves.

The truth hasn’t gone away. It’s just lost in a where’s Waldo world of obfuscation. Search hard enough, and you’ll see it’s still there.

Eric W. Austin writes about technology and community issues. He can be reached by email at ericwaustin@gmail.com.

Winslow holds public safety open house

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Winslow Fire Department’s Open House builds community spirit.

by Jeani Marquis

On Saturday, September 29, the Winslow Fire Department hosted their second annual open house showcasing the equipment and the people behind the scenes who keep their community safer. The day included representation from Winslow Fire Department, Winslow Police Department, Maine Forest Rangers, Delta Ambulance, Winslow Firefighters Association, Winslow Public Library and Miss Teen Winslow International 2018.

Winslow Firefighter Nathaniel White demonstrates how quickly a firefighter can get into their protective gear. White said it is important to show children that professional firefighters are not to be feared. They see that a person is beneath all the equipment.

Spokesman Firefighter Scott Waldie explained, “Generally the public meets us in the worst possible circumstances. This event is a chance to see us in a good environment.”

The atmosphere was indeed positive with young children interacting with safety professionals and families enjoying the bake goods purchased from the Firefighters Association bake sale to fund scholarships. Booths were set up to promote local services and organizations to the public including the Winslow Public Library, Winslow’s Miss Teen International and the advocacy group for foster children Project Sparrow.

This community outreach event was an opportunity for the public, especially young children, to learn about fire prevention and how to escape from a fire. Children and their parents were shown a demonstration of how fast a firefighter can get into their protective gear. When asked why they give this demonstration, Firefighter Nathaniel White said, “It’s important to show kids that professional firefighters are not to be feared. They see I am a person beneath all this gear.”

Another teaching opportunity happens in the Winslow Fire Department Smoke Trailer, which travels to local schools on a regular basis for fire prevention presentations. The interior of the trailer is set up as an average house with a kitchen and living space. Visitors to the trailer are challenged to identify fire hazards which could be found in any home, even theirs. The trailer can also be filled with smoke to simulate the lack of visibility and demonstrate how to safely escape the situation. Firefighters with infrared glasses coach the children safely through the smoke-filled trailer.

The intent of the event was to heighten the public awareness of the public safety services in the Winslow area. That mission was accomplished. To get involved the rest of the year, the Winslow Fire Department offers the Raider Brigade for youth aged 14 through 17. Local adults are encouraged to inquire about employment opportunities in the public safety services.

The Winslow Fire Department smoke trailer where demonstrations are held on how to evacuate a burning building.

Obituaries, Week of October 4, 2018

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GLENN R. FAUCETT

BENTON – Glenn R. Faucett, 92, died Sunday, September 9, 2018. He was born on September 4, 1926, in Pueblo, Colorado, the son of Ben H.
and Grace E. (Rodda) Faucett.

Glenn attended local schools and was a 1945 graduate of Las Animas High School. He served in the Army from June 16, 1945 to November 20, 1946. Glenn attended Colorado College from 1947-1950 and the University of Denver from 1950-1952, graduating with an MBA. He worked at Alexander Film Company, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and New Hampshire and Vermont. He worked for WCAX-TV, in Burlington, Vermont, in advertising sales. He later moved to Portland as an account executive for WMTW-TV Auburn for 34 years until he retired in 1992.

Glenn was actively involved with church activities such as singing in the choir, teaching Sunday school and serving on the Jail Ministry team for over 20 years. He participated in softball and was well known for his various styles of pitching.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn, whom he married on June 20, 1959; his children, Gregory and his wife, Lori, Cynthia Tucci and husband James; grandchildren, Lindsay (Tucci) Lucas, James A. Tucci III, Joshua Tucci, Jasmine (Faucett) Davis, Hezekiah Faucett, Logen Faucett; eight great-grandchildren; his brother, Frank and wife Barbara; and Vera, his sister-in-law.

Memories and condolences may be shared online at www.directcremationofmaine.com. Arrangements were under the care of Direct Cremation of Maine.

Memorial donations may be made to: East Benton Christian Church, c/o Sandy Thompson, Treasurer, 1194 Unity Road, Benton ME 04901.

JOSEPHINE THIBEAU KING

OAKLAND – Josephine Thibeau King passed away on Sunday, September 9, 2018, at Lakewood Continuing Care in Waterville. Jo was born on December 11, 1921, in Cherryfield and was raised by her grandparents, Charles and Delphine Thibeau and aunt and uncle, Delphie and Hampy Michaud.

Jo was a 1939 graduate of Cherryfield Academy and from what was to become Husson College in Bangor.

After graduation she accepted a position in the office at Diamond International in Oakland. She soon met her future husband, Bud, to whom she was married on December 29, 1943, in Leesburg, Florida. After living with Bud in Florida and Oklahoma, she returned to Maine when he was sent to serve in the Pacific on Saipan. She eventually returned to Diamond International, from which she retired.

Josephine was active in several community organizations over the years, but none more than All Souls Unitarian-Universalist Church in Oakland.

Jo is survived by her husband of 74 years, Edward “Bud” King, of Oakland; her daughter Dru Aslam and husband Padiath “Sunny” Aslam, of Belgrade; grandson, Jai Aslam, of Raleigh, North Carolina, step-grandchildren, Sharif Aslam, of Chesterville, Sunny Aslam Jr., wife Jess and children, Ayesha and Haya, of Syracuse, New York, Ali Aslam, wife Rebecca and son, Rama, of Ayer, Massachusetts; brother, Arthur Pinkham, of Machiasport; and many nieces and nephews.

An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.lawrybrothers.com.

Arrangements by Wheeler Funeral Home & Cremation Care, 26 Church Street, Oakland.

Please consider a donation in Jo’s name to Lakewood Continuing Care, 220 Kennedy Memorial Drive, Waterville ME 04901.

DAVID T. POTTER

CHINA – David T. Potter, 66, of Chadwick Way, died unexpectedly on Monday, September 10, 2018, at his home. He was born in Waterville on May 16, 1952, the son of David Potter and Evelyn (Haskell) Potter.

David was a graduate of Erskine Academy and received an associate degree from the University of Maine at Augusta. He served honorably in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. David was employed as a tax examiner by the state of Maine for many years.

He was a black belt in Karate and a member of the United Martial Arts Academy. In the 30+ years he practiced martial arts, he made close friends, many of whom became like an extended family. He shared his love of Karate through teaching many students, and traveled the country both teaching and learning the martial arts.

He was predeceased by his father.

Surviving is his mother, Evelyn Potter, of China; son, Shawn Potter, of Augusta; sister, Lorraine Rhoades, of China; niece, Kelly Rhoades, of China; nephew, Kevin Rhoades and wife Jerry, of China; and a cousin, Sandra Campbell and husband Albert, of Farmington.

Arrangements were by Plummer Funeral Home, 983 Ridge Road, Rte. 32, Windsor.

Condolences, photos and memories may be shared at www.plummerfh.com.

WILLIAM S. LEVAY

VASSALBORO – William S. Levay, 71, formerly of New Milford, Connecticut, died Saturday, September 15, 2018. Bill was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, the son of Stephen and Kathleen (Krause) Levay.

He graduated from Brien McMahon High School. He entered the United States Air Force and was a helicopter and airplane mechanic and was later stationed in Germany. He was a master electrician, owned and operated Levay Electric in New Milford, Connecticut for over 40 years. He enjoyed spending time in Maine and officially moved here this year where he was building his home.

He is survived by his son, Brian Levay, of Saco; twins, Katie Levay, of Milford, Connecticut, and Billy Levay and wife, Taylor, of Freeport; grandchild, Peter W. Levay; a brother, Stephen Levay and wife, Teri, of Boca Raton, Florida; nephew, Stephen Levay, of Boca Raton, Florida; and niece, Tricia Milici, of Dallas, Texas.

A graveside service will be held at Pierce Cemetery, in Solon, with military honors, on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 10 a.m., followed by a celebration at the Legion Hall in Madison. A celebration of his life will be held at the VFW in New Milford, Connecticut, on Saturday, October 27, 2018, at 11 a.m.

Arrangements are by Daigle Funeral Home, 819 High st., Bath.

Condolences may be made online at www.DaigleFuneralHome.com.

WILFRED E. CARON

WINSLOW – Wilfred Caron, 95, of Winslow passed away on Tuesday, September 18, 2018. Wilfred was born on October 1, 1922, in West Enfield.

As a young man he proudly served in the CCC (Civil Conservation Corp). On his was to Detroit, Michigan to work in the auto industry, he stopped in to visit his sister Nora, in Winslow, to say goodbye. While there, Wilfred spied a lovely young woman, named Lorette Caron, riding her bicycle, fell instantly in love, and married on November 23, 1942. They built a home in Winslow and started a family. Wilfred worked in Winslow at Scott Paper Company, formerly Hollingsworth and Whitney. Wilfred worked three jobs to keep his ever-growing family fed, clothed and happy.

Wilfred is survived by his best friend and significant other, Joyce Poulin, who filled Wilfred’s life with companionship and joy. Wilfred is also survived by his children, daughter Darlene Tansy and husband Ed, daughter Joyce Nasr and husband Nassim, daughter Angela Reed and husband Dave, Keith and wife Carla, Teresa Dudley, Tammy Benedict and husband Jim. Grandchildren, Shane Gagne, Tara Bradstreet and husband Daniel, Jeremy Caron and wife Christine, Kimberly Caron and fiancé Matt Koch, Erica Plappert and husband Bill, Darcie Keller and husband Aaron, Rita Karter and husband John, Kristopher Reed, Joey Reed, Ashley Pett and husband Will, Casey Justard and husband Alex, Derek Caron, Jamie Routhier and wife Amy, Jessica Routhier, Chelsea Lopez and husband Cameron, and Tyler Benedict and wife Morgan. Wilfred also had great-grandchildren, Parker Gagne, Kyle Gagne, Justin Martin,Nathan Martin, Arianna Bradstreet, Will Plappert, Camden Plappert, Brynley
Keller, Elias Karter, Evan Karter, Bailey Justard, Kannon Justard and Cooper Routhier.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Alphonse and Eugenie (Dumais) Caron; as well as his wife Lorette and their daughter Theresa; his siblings, Henry Caron, Natalie Taylor Parker, Lawrence Caron, Evelyn Roy, Nora Paradis, Aurore Sigler, Louise Gurney Howard, James Caron, Hilda Dunton, Theresa Caron, Hubert Caron and Gerald Caron.

Wilfred was an avid gardener, carpenter, and handy man. He loved to sing, yodel, dance, ice and roller skate in his youth. He enjoyed playing cards and dominos with family and friends. He had a strong Catholic faith and lived accordingly.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church, 26 Monument St., Winslow, on Saturday, September 29, at 11 a.m. Burial will immediately follow the Mass at Saint Francis Cemetery, in Waterville, with reception at the Mount Merici School, on 18 Mount Merici Ave. in Waterville.

An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.familyfirstfh.com Arrangements by Lawry Brothers Funeral & Cremation Care, 107 Main St., Fairfield.

Donations in his name can be made to Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Donations may be made by phone to Saint Jude’s by calling 1-800-822-6344, Monday through Friday 7 am to 9 pm (central time) or by mail, make checks payable to Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105.

LINDA J. NORRIS

WINSLOW – Linda Jean Norris, of Winslow, passed away on Friday, September 21, 2018, at Maine Medical Center, Portland. She was born on August 24, 1967, in New London, Connecticut, the daughter of Lee E. Dupee and Sylvia Farmer.

Linda attended Washington Academy, in East Machias.

Linda was a breath of fresh air. She had a green thumb and loved growing things. She was artistic and loved painting. Linda was very quick witted and had a great sense of humor, she loved sitting around a campfire with family and friends. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her and will never be forgotten.

Linda is survived by her husband Brent; her two sons Cory and Eric Bezanson; her daughter Denali Norris; four grandchildren, Charles, Walter, Gerard and Trenton; her sisters Nancy, Cynthia and Diana; and her brother Dana.

An online guestbook may be signed, memories and condolences expressed at www.gallantfh.com.

Arrangements by Gallant Funeral Home, 10 Elm St., Waterville.

JAMES E. WHEELOCK

OAKLAN – James Errold Wheelock, 77, passed away at Oak Grove Center, in Waterville, on Tuesday, September 25, 2018. He was born February 3, 1941, to Walter Bion Wheelock and Mary Ellen Bucknam Wheelock and lived in Oakland most of his life.

James attended Oakland schools and graduated from Williams High School in 1959.

Soon after graduation, James began his career as a milkman. He worked for Sturtevant’s Dairy, in Fairfield Center, until it was sold to Smiley’s Dairy. He was with Smiley’s until it was sold to Oakhurst Dairy, where he remained until his retirement in 2004. While at Smiley’s, James enjoyed playing on their bowling team. He also was a Red Sox fan and enjoyed country music, especially Roy Clark.

In January 1960, he met his future wife, Donna Sawyer. They were first married in 1961 and remarried in 1994. Together, they had two daughters, Julie and Diana. James was very proud of “his girls” as well as his “two guys” Kevin and Kasey.

James was predeceased by all his grandparents; his mom and dad, Bion and Ellen Wheelock; his brother, Walter (Perk) Wheelock and Perk’s wife, Nancy Leavitt Wheelock; his in-laws, Leo and Pearl Sawyer; and brothers-in-law, Norman Audet and Gerald Pelham.

Surviving are James’ wife, Donna; his daughter, Julie Wheelock Smith and her partner, Joe Ferro, and Julie’s two sons, Kevin and Kasey Smith; his daughter, Diana Wheelock and husband, Casey Cramton, and Casey’s two daughters, Sarah and Ellie Cramton; two sisters-in-law, Anita Pelham and Anne Audet; several nieces, nephews and cousins.

An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.familyfirstfh.com.

Arrangements were by Lawry Brothers-Wheeler Funeral Home, 26 Church St., Oakland.

OTHERS DEPARTED

KATHERINE T. GOWER, 75, of Augusta, passed away on Wednesday, September 26, 2018, at Glenridge Comfort Care, in Augusta. Locally, she is survived by a daughter Donna Gower, of Windsor; and brothers Donald, of Augusta, and Roger, of Chelsea.

Letters to the Editor: Please don’t allow CMP corridor

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To the editor:

I would like to thank the people who have written letters to the editor, that do not want to have a CMP Corridor through Maine.

I am one of a few, from the Dead River, Flagstaff area, who can remember about getting driven from our land and homes by CMP 69 years ago. Their project that time was to build a dam and flood the area, which they did. It had been talked about for years, but finally in the ‘40s officials from CMP came to the homes of people in Dead River and Flagstaff to buy their land and homes, and told they would have to move. No one was happy that this was happening.

But CMP won that time and flooded the area. I have pictures of the tops of the houses of those who had refused to sell, sticking out of the new lake. I have many sad memories of the whole process. Many men were called there to cut all the trees, and fires got started, we were surrounded by raging fires on more than one occasion, it was not pleasant!

According to the map in today’s paper, that shows where this corridor will go through Maine, it will pass near where one of my sons and two of my brothers have camps on Flagstaff Lake. I cannot describe the peace and quiet that is in that vicinity that exceeds all understanding…. Perhaps it is because it is near to where I grew up in Flagstaff, but I call it “Up in God’s Country!”

And so my small voice for the wilderness begs you, please, don’t let this CMP Corridor become a reality in our beautiful, special State of Maine!

Marilyn Rogers-Bull
Solon

Letters to the Editor: Transfer station explanation

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To the editor:

In [last week’s] edition of The Town Line there appeared a letter to the editor from Geoff Hargadon, of South China. Mr. Hargadon is aggravated by what he perceived to be a decision by the Town of China to “nearly simultaneously” re-pave Alder Park Road and cut the Transfer Station hours. I would like to offer some clarification for Mr. Hargadon and readers of the Town Line.

First, Alder Park Road is not a town road. It was paved by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) according to their own schedule. The MaineDOT does not coordinate with the Town of China on these projects, except that MaineDOT sends us a notice of their intentions a bit in advance of the start of the work. Then, the hours for the transfer station include a long day on Thursday until 5 p.m,. and it is also open from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Saturday each week, in recognition that we need to offer the expanded hours for those who are only able to use the transfer station after normal work hours. We realized that this would require some adjustment on the part of users of the transfer station, but the decision was made as a compromise between providing expanded service to the community and enabling our employees to enjoy a more traditional work schedule.

I hope this information clarifies for Mr. Hargadon and The Town Line readers about the paving of Alder Park Road and the operation of the transfer station. As with anyone, I welcome the opportunity for Mr. Hargadon to visit me at the town office with any concerns he may have.

Dennis L. Heath
China Town Manager

Budget committee accepts proposal to assume advisory role in investment decisions

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China Baptist Church

by Mary Grow

The five (out of seven) China Budget Committee members at a special Sept. 26 meeting unanimously accepted Town Manager Dennis Heath’s proposal that the committee assume an advisory role in town investment decisions.

Part of the draft financial policy Heath has developed says that town funds will be invested as recommended by the budget committee and approved by the board of selectmen.

Budget committee members added, at Heath’s suggestion, a requirement that he make regular financial reports to them, to make their new responsibility easier. They agreed on quarterly reports, and further agreed emailed reports would not necessarily require a meeting to discuss them.

In the past, the committee’s only role has been to meet before any town vote involving appropriation of town funds and make recommendations on the proposed expenditures. Heath pointed out that under the Budget Committee Ordinance, the committee may also “make such other recommendations on fiscal matters as it may from time to time deem advisable.”

The new budget committee role is part of a more comprehensive fiscal rearrangement that Heath will present to selectmen at a future meeting.