Windsor’s Abby Haskell part of title-winning team, named to college dean’s list

Abby Haskell

Abby Haskell, of Windsor, a liberal studies major at the University of Maine at Augusta student, recently was named to the dean’s list, and received the Student Athlete Spotlight for Outdoor Track and Field. This was the first year for the UMA’s Outdoor Track and Field Team and the UMA Women won the USCAA National Invitational.

What is her favorite subject at the college? “I really like all of my education classes because they allow and encourage me to get in the classroom early and shadow teachers. This shows me what teaching is all about and it showed me that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

Regarding her interest in outdoor track, she said, “I have bounced around a lot with track in high school actually. I did outdoor track my freshman and sophomore year and I did indoor track my sophomore and junior year. I bounced around so much because I also enjoyed playing basketball and lacrosse!

Balancing academic studies and athletics can be demanding. “I took all my classes online so I was able to get myself in a routine of days where I would sit down and finish my assignments. This routine allowed me to be able to attend some practices (when I wasn’t working!) and to attend the meets on the weekends! With all her accomplishments on the track and field scene, she is looking for improvement. “I’m looking forward to improving my personal records and to see how well the team can do together next year! Some teammates on our relay team had never done it before and I’m excited to see how we will improve our time next season.”

She compares her animal spirit to that of a turtle. “Because slow and steady always wins the race.”

Abby chose UMA because it was a lot closer to home and more affordable than where she was going before! “I also really wanted to continue playing sports and I knew that UMA was the perfect school for me to do that. I love the decision I made, I love UMA.”

Abby’s 2019 outdoor track highlights include:  Triple Jump (first) nationally in the USCAA;  Long Jump (third) nationally in the USCAA; 100m (fourth) nationally in the USCAA; first 4x100m Relay Team at the USCAA National Invitational Championship; and first 4x400m Relay Team at the USCAA National Invitational Championship.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: Getting the word out; Who are you and what do you do?

Growing your businessby Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

No matter how great your small business is, if nobody knows about it, you will fail. I have talked to many business owners who tell me that they do not need to advertise or market their companies right now because they have all the business they need. I always remind them that they have all the business they need today, but will they in the future? Remember the great recession of 2008: how much business did you have after that?

Growing a business is just that…it is growing. A business that is not always growing is dying. That is just a simple rule of business. And the last thing you want to have to do is start playing catch up when you are out of business to work on. No, the best way to keep your business thriving is to always be telling people about it. The more people who know about your business the better it will be and the more your business will grow.

Here are six very easy and economical ways to market your company:

  • The website: Sorry, you need a website. This is the world we live in today. By using one of the many services, such as www.godaddy.com, you can actually build your own website in a matter of hours. Make sure the site is clear, concise and carries your company message. It needs to not only have all the pertinent information about your company (name, and contact information, services you perform and rates if applicable) but make sure you personalize it as well. Tell your story, add testimonials and referrals. Show photos of you and your team. In short, make the site user friendly enough that people are going to want to hire you.
  • Create a paper flyer. Once again, if you have a computer this is easy to do. Basic software packages like Microsoft Word provide attractive templates you can use to create your flyers. Once again, make sure the flyer is colorful and attractive and has all the pertinent information about your company. If you don’t have a computer at home, then go to the library. The Waterville Public Library, for example, not only has computers and printers, they will also be happy to help you use them.
  •  Make sure you distribute these flyers. Either mail them, or hand them out. When you finish a project in a neighborhood, before you leave, distribute flyers to the other houses in that neighborhood. It doesn’t take much effort and it will pay off in the end.
  • Make sure your apparel and your vehicle all display your company name and contact information. And also have lawn signs available to plant in front of the customer’s home if you are a service company working at that home. Ask for permission, of course. In most neighborhoods, people will notice when work is being done on a house and will often approach the service company to come and check out a potential project at their house as well. It happens all the time.
  • Place ads in newspapers such as this one. The ads are very economical and are seen every week by thousands of people. It’s the best advertising money you can spend.
  • And finally get those referrals. They are worth their weight in gold. Nothing works better than one of your customers being so pleased with you and your company that they tell everyone they know about you. When a customer tells you that you have done a great job, is the perfect time to ask her for a referral, or better yet, a testimonial you can use in all of your marketing materials.

These are a few of the easy and most economical ways you can market your business. Have some fun with it. There is nothing better than working on growing your business.

Dan Beaulieu has owned his own business consulting firm since 1995, during that time he has helped hundreds of companies all over the world with their sales growth challenges and issues. Originally from Maine he returned a few years ago and is ready and willing to help his fellow Mainers start and grow their business. He can be reached at 207-649-0879 or at danbbeaulieu@aol.com.

Fishy photo: Swimming hole catch

Andre Phair, of Winslow, caught this smallmouth bass recently at the swimming hole in North Vassalboro.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: War on ticks rages on; or was it all because of biological warfare?

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

A popular subject of discussion this summer has been the proliferation of the tick population in our area over the last several years. Myself, I have had three ticks on me so far this summer, and I take all the precautions I think I could. One of them, I have no idea how it attached itself to me. A second one was found after working in my garden, while the third was noticed shortly after I had been picking black raspberries in my backyard. My wife and I have also seen deer ticks wandering around in camp, even between the sheets in our bed. Go figure!

Recently, Republican Rep. Chris Smith, of New Jersey, offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, requiring the Pentagon inspector general to conduct a review about whether the military may have experimented with making ticks into biological weapons.

The amendment recently passed in the House by a voice vote. The order would require the inspector general to examine whether the Department of Defense experimented with ticks and other insects regarding its use as a biological weapon between the years of 1950 and 1975. It must now go to the Senate for a vote.

Smith’s amendment would ask what were the parameters of the program, who ordered it, was there ever any accidental release anywhere or at anytime of any diseased ticks, were any ticks released by design, did the program contribute to the disease burden, and could any of this information help current-day researchers find a way to mitigate these diseases?

So far this year, 217 cases of Lyme disease have been reported in Maine.

The theory is that bioweapons specialists packed ticks with pathogens that could cause severe disabilities, disease and death among potential enemies to our country. Smith said his reasoning for introducing the amendment was based on a number of books and articles suggesting that significant research had been done at U.S. government facilities, including Fort Detrick, Maryland, and Plum Island, New York, to turn ticks and other insects into bioweapons.

These books, however, have been questioned by some experts who dismiss long-held conspiracy theories that the federal government helped in the spread of tick-borne diseases. Smith also claims that federal agencies, even the Center for Disease Control, may have had a hand in the cover up concerning the findings about the spread of Lyme disease.

Also, Willy Burgdorfer, who passed away in 2014, a leading authority in his field, once revealed that he and other bioweapons specialists put pathogens in ticks to “cause severe disabilities, disease and even death to potential enemies.” He said he worked for three years in the 1950s at a military lab in Colorado that looked into research techniques allowing for the rapid identification of pathogens for defensive purposes.

The CDC currently spends about $11 million on Lyme disease research.

But, there is a controversy involving this theory. Yale researchers have found that DNA studies from a couple of years ago showed that Lyme disease has been present in North America for at least 60,000 years. That was before man occupied this continent.

Lyme disease has also been traced to amber from 15 million years ago in what is now the Dominican Republic. It has also been found in a frozen body in the Alps.

In other research conducted at Yale University, they theorize Lyme disease has spread in recent years due to deforestation that has led to the build up of suburbs in New England and the midwest, creating ideal conditions for the deer ticks. Our warming climate is also contributing to these conditions.

So, the question now is who is right? Was there a conscience effort to develop bioweapons with Lyme disease in the 1950s and ‘60s, or has Lyme disease been around for millions of years? Americans have the right to know.

If it is true that ticks were being primed for biological warfare, Rep. Smith wants the public to be informed.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

Ty Cobb is regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. What number did he wear for the Detroit Tigers?

Answer can be found here.

Roland’s Trivia Question for Thursday, July 25, 2019

Ty Cobb is regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. What number did he wear for the Detroit Tigers?

Answer:

He wore no number. Players did not wear numbers in those days.

Become a member! An open letter to our readers

The Town Line Board of Directors, from left to right, Joann Austin, president; Dan L’Heureux; Neil Farrington; Eric Austin; and Emily Cates, treasurer. (Absent from photo: Gladys Hewett, secretary.)

Dear Reader of The Town Line,

Some exciting things are happening at the paper this year, and we wanted to let you know everything that’s going on.

Did you know The Town Line now offers free classified ads for local nonprofits looking for volunteers? Or that we’ve begun sponsoring a local journalism workshop twice a year through the Augusta Adult Education program?

It’s all part of The Town Line’s mission to be a positive force in our community and bring together the rural towns of central Maine by promoting better communication and public dialogue.

Unfortunately, the last two decades have not been good for the nation’s newspapers. Nearly 1,800 local newspapers have closed their doors since 2004, according to a study by the University of North Carolina. The hardest hit are community papers like The Town Line that concentrate exclusively on local issues.

The reason so many newspapers across the country have gone out of business in recent years is simple – it’s all about the advertising. In the past, the revenue from advertising has gone to pay the writers and reporters investigating local stories – and to the cost of printing and distributing the paper each week. That’s how The Town Line has remained a free paper for all of its 30-year history.

With the advent of the internet in the late 90s, however, that paradigm began shifting. On the internet, advertising is no longer controlled by publications, but by social networking websites and search engines. As the internet has grown and gained more influence in our daily lives, the advertising power of the internet has grown as well. Over the years, the revenue from advertising that used to support local newspapers has shifted to global search engines and huge social networking websites instead. This change in who benefits from advertising has been a death blow to many local papers.

When a local newspaper dies, the biggest victims are small, rural communities like ours. The global nature of the internet means that more effort is going into the production of content based on national issues with a wider audience, and important local concerns are falling off the radar. Without a local newspaper, important community issues often go unreported.

For all of its history, The Town Line newspaper has been a local community paper. We report on people and events that are of special interest to the residents of central Maine. Our mission is “to create a vibrant rural community connecting our towns, organizations and individuals through communication, education, and public dialogue.” Our mission statement is literally to make our community a better place!

According to a 2018 study published in the Oxford Journal of Communication, communities without a local source of news become more partisan, divided and politically fractured. You’ve seen it happen on the national level. It’s a growing problem around the country. Part of the reason for that is the loss of local newspapers like ours.

The Town Line also differs from other media companies because we are a nonprofit organization. Most of our writers are volunteers. Our editor and staff work for peanuts. And we don’t push any political agenda. We serve as a voice for our diverse community but take no editorial side in any issue. And we concentrate solely on local stories of interest to the rural towns of central Maine.

However, we can no longer survive only on advertising revenue like we used to. We need the support of the community like never before. That’s why we’re writing to you today.

What can you do to help? There’s actually a number of things you can do. For starters, you should become a member of The Town Line. For as little as $25 a year, you’ll become a member of The Town Line and receive our mailings and updates, and be the first to hear about any new and exciting news involving The Town Line.

You can also talk to your local businesses about advertising in The Town Line newspaper or on our website. Explain the importance of supporting local newspapers instead of giant corporations like Facebook and Google. Let them know that you read The Town Line and their advertising dollars would be well spent with us.

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? (Click here to become a member.)

Sincerely,

The Town Line Board of Directors
Joann Austin, president; Emily Cates, treasurer; Gladys Hewett, secretary; Eric Austin; Neil Farrington, and Dan L’Heureux

p.s. For any donation of $25 or more, please stop by our office at 575 Lakeview Dr., So. China, to pick up a free gift (while supplies last).

Donate securely online here or mail check to:

The Town Line newspaper
PO Box 89

South China, ME 04358

Kathleen McCowan was named to the Spring 2019 dean’s list at Muhlenberg College

Kathleen McCowan, of Winslow, was named to the dean’s list at Muhlenberg College, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, for the Spring 2019 semester.

 

 

 

 

Samantha Munro graduates cum laude from Becker College

Samantha Munro, of Waterville, graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in Veterinary Science, Pre-Veterinary Concentration from Becker College, in Worcester, Massachusetts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mac Smith talks about his book, “Mainers on the Titanic”

(Photo courtesy of Palermo Community Library)

The Palermo Community Library, in conjunction with the Palermo Historical Society, will host Maine author, Mac Smith, as he discusses his book, Mainers on the Titanic. The presentation will be on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, at 6:30 p.m., at the Palermo Community Library and is free to the public.

Mainers on the Titanic traces the stories of passengers on that fateful ship who had ties to Maine. Many of them were wealthy summer visitors to Bar Harbor, but there were other residents of the state aboard as well. Their tales are retold, along with what was occurring in the state at the time.

Meticulously researched, this book reveals the agonizing day-to-day wait of Mainers for news of what really happened on the Titanic, and tells the stories of Maine passengers from their boarding to the sinking and rescue; and, for those who survived, of their coming ashore in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It’s a fascinating addition to the Titanic story.

Smith is a Navy veteran of the first Gulf War and former news reporter for The Bar Harbor Times. He lives in Stockton Springs, in the village of Sandy Point, where he is restoring the family homestead.

Copies of Mac Smith’s books will be available for purchase at the event. The library is located at 2789 Route 3. For more information call 993-6088 or email palermo@palermo.lib.me.us or visit www.palermo.lib.me.us.

Community Center exposes “Dark Money”

Dark Money, a political thriller, examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials.

The film takes viewers to Montana, a front line in the fight to preserve fair elections nationwide – to follow an intrepid local journalist working to expose the real-life impacts of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Through this gripping story, Dark Money uncovers the shocking and vital truth of how American elections are bought and sold.

This film will be shown following a potluck dinner on Friday, August 26, at the Palermo Community Center, Turner Ridge Road, at Veterans Way, across from the ball field. You’ll see the electric sign. Please bring a dish to share at 6 p.m. The downstairs screening room is nice and cool! It’s free and all are welcome! Call Connie at 993-2294 for info and directions.