by Eric W. Austin As China’s new town manager, Becky Hapgood is taking over the position at one of the most challenging times in the town’s history. With big projects on the horizon, like the Causeway Phase 2 construction planned for later this summer, and the COVID-19 pandemic making all aspects of life more complicated, […]
by Eric W. Austin “Above all, I hope the people of China have an optimistic outlook about the future,” said Dennis Heath, who is resigning from his position as manager for the town of China this week. “With Becky [Hapgood] stepping up as town manager they have nothing to fear.” Heath was hired as China’s […]
To the editor: My mother, Ann Austin, runs the China Community Food Pantry. She is an eternal optimist, and lives by the expression, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” During the food pantry this Saturday, which occupies much of the upstairs floor of our home in China, I heard my mother come down the […]
by Eric W. Austin They say weather was one of the biggest factors in determining the success of World War II’s D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. After a cantankerous month of May, meteorologists were pessimistic about fair weather for the invasion planned at the beginning of June. Without a break in the weather, planes […]
by Eric W. Austin Marie Michaud doesn’t have any experience addressing local food shortages, but that hasn’t stopped her. “I just feel something in my heart and I do it,” she says to explain the current project encouraging local gardeners to plant a few extra rows to support China Community Food Pantry. Well known in […]
by Eric W. Austin Pervasive in my discussions with local food pantries is a sense of profound gratefulness. “We have been receiving monetary and food donations from many residents,” says Vassalboro Food Station director Cindy Ferland. “The community support has been tremendous.” Food pantries in China, Winslow, Albion and Palermo expressed similar sentiments. “There are […]
by Eric W. Austin “More than a billion birds have disappeared in recent years,” says South China resident Clinton Hayward, a local conservation activist who has established five chapters of Ducks Unlimited across Maine and has spent 70 years birdwatching and following the research on bird populations in North America. Hayward’s latest project is to […]
by Eric W. Austin On March 19, the China for a Lifetime Committee (CFALC) met to discuss the best ways to provide assistance to members of the community that are especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes high risk individuals like the elderly or those with underlying respiratory conditions which makes possible infection especially […]
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 […]