by Eric W. Austin CHINA, ME — Let me introduce you to Joel Nelson, China resident and the new fire chief for China Village Fire Department. He strikes an imposing presence on first acquaintance, standing over six-feet tall and broad-shouldered. Soft-spoken and thoughtful, Nelson told me a bit of his life in China and his […]
by Eric W. Austin It was sometime in the mid-1980s when my father took me to a technology expo here in Maine. I think it was held in Lewiston, but it might have been some other place. (Before I got my driver’s license, I didn’t know where anything was.) This was at a time when […]
by Eric W. Austin omen veterans in general are so overlooked and underappreciated,” says China resident and U.S. Army veteran Nichole Jordan. “Women are truly the invisible aspect of after-service to our country.” While many excellent veterans organizations exist, like the American Legion and VFW, historically the focus of these organizations has been on male […]
by Eric W. Austin On Thursday, December 2, the China Lake Association hosted a two-hour Zoom webinar to present the public with their 10-year plan for the China Lake Watershed. The plan represented work over a two-year period by multiple organizations to survey the China Lake watershed and develop a plan for preserving and improving […]
by Eric W. Austin It’s been more than 200 years since an alewife has successfully made its way, under its own power, from the ocean and up the Sebasticook River to Outlet Stream before arriving at China Lake, but all that’s about to change. After nearly seven years of hard work, oceans of red tape, […]
by Eric W. Austin The South China Community Church has chosen Ian Maxwell, a local South China resident and recent graduate of Eastern University, to be their new director of music. Maxwell will be replacing Chris Faris, who previously held the position for the last 29 years. “The choir is very excited to be working […]
by Eric W. Austin The views of the author in the following column are not necessarily those of The Town Line newspaper, its staff and board of directors. On the ballot this November is a question that has the potential to revolutionize internet access for residents of China. The question is also long, at over […]
by Eric W. Austin Can strawberry jam save the world? Two local women think it can. Luanne Webber and Cindi Orlando, both from China, have started a venture called “Just our Jams” to help raise money for their local food pantry. The initiative aims to repurpose leftover fruit from the China Community Food Pantry to […]
Central Maine non-profit organizations: Their Mission, Their Goals by Eric W. Austin Nearly 30 years ago, Lee and Ann Austin founded the China Community Food Pantry with one goal in mind: to help reduce food insecurity in central Maine. The couple had owned and operated the Willow Beach Camps Resort on China Lake for more […]
by Eric W. Austin The China for a Lifetime Committee is busy planning for a WindowDressers workshop that will take place this November 3 – 7. The initiative is a volunteer-led, “barn-raising” effort to construct low-cost “window inserts” to reduce residential energy bills. The window inserts are constructed of pine wood frames, covered in thin […]