by Eric W. Austin David Ross – China resident, local game warden, and Maine’s nominee for Conservation Officer of the Year – is worried. Fewer Mainer’s are enjoying the great outdoors, especially the younger generation. “The youth – they’re not out there. It’s my age and up,” says Ross, who is in his mid-30s. “Whether […]
by Eric W. Austin Walking into the Swap Shop at the China Transfer Station, you may find that you don’t recognize the place anymore. Gone are the disorganized piles of clothes, toys, tools and odds and ends with no apparent plan or place to stand. Instead, the small space has been arranged with a finesse […]
by Eric W. Austin China’s town manager, Dennis Heath, is excited about a new emergency contact system the town is rolling out next year. Called Hyper-Reach and developed by Ashergroup, based in Rochester, New York, the application is an opt-in emergency broadcast system that can notify residents of important announcements, weather advisories and emergency alerts. […]
This is the first of a three-part series written by Eric W. Austin. (The following does not necessarily constitute the opinions of The Town Line staff or its board of directors.) by Eric W. Austin ometimes the noise from Washington is so loud, it drowns out what’s going on right here in Maine. A few […]
by Eric W. Austin Nearly 30 people attended the Vassalboro American Legion Post #126’s open house and honor ceremony at St. Bridget’s Center on Veterans Day, November 11. The goal of the open house was to provide veterans and their families with a central place to find information on veterans’ issues. One of the primary […]
by Eric W. Austin “The war was so unpopular, you couldn’t go anywhere in public in uniform,” says Vietnam veteran Clinton Hayward. “You would be berated, assaulted, threatened. It was frightening.” We’re sitting in the living room of his home in South China, looking out over Three Mile Pond. He pauses a moment, leans forward […]
by Eric W. Austin Rena and Joshua Dodge were great friends with their neighbor, Richard Breton, until he decided to build a lighthouse on the hilltop behind their residence on Priest Hill Road in Vassalboro. On Tuesday, September 24, nearly 30 people crowded into the central meeting room at the Vassalboro town office for a […]
by Eric W. Austin Some of you may have noticed a strange man or woman snooping around the neighborhood with a briefcase. Do not be alarmed. This is not a new type of high-class burglar brazenly scoping out your house for a midnight break-in. Adrian Cronkhite, a partnership specialist with the United States Census Bureau, […]
by Eric W. Austin For more than five years, a group of dedicated people have been working to re-open Maine waterways to the state’s native migratory fish population. The obstacles have been fierce, but the rewards promise to be well worth the effort. Clearer water in our lakes and ponds, an enhanced food web and […]
Members hear about lake restoration from director of Maine Lakes Society by Eric W. Austin “We’re part of the problem,” Matthew Scott, the keynote speaker at this year’s China Lake Association annual meeting, told an audience of about 40 people on Saturday, July 20. “We’re also part of the solution.” His talk was entitled, “All […]