by Mary Grow China’s Tax Increment Finance (TIF) Committee members met virtually Dec. 1 and Dec. 8 to begin discussion of a proposed Amendment 2 to China’s TIF document. Progress was so slow that they scheduled another meeting for Dec. 15. The Dec. 1 meeting was a budget workshop to consider reallocating funds among TIF […]
by Mary Grow Of the 26 chief justices of the Maine Supreme Court, Augusta has provided six – perhaps not surprising for the state capital. Portland is second, with five chief justices including Leigh Saufly, who was appointed Dec. 6, 2001, and retired April 14, 2020. Andrew Mead is currently acting Chief Justice. None of […]
by Mary Grow NOTE: Due to Covid-19 restrictions, attendance at China selectmen’s meetings is limited to board members and the town manager; everyone else participates or views remotely. Unfortunately, the audio at the Dec. 7 meeting was so poor that much of the conversation was inaudible. The following story is therefore incomplete. Board member Irene […]
by Mary Grow Several of the small towns in the central Kennebec Valley have had local newspapers, and one – China – still does as of 2020. This writer has found no record of a newspaper published in Sidney, Winslow, Benton, Palermo or Windsor. Vassalboro’s first local paper was The Clarion, which Dean Marriner calls […]
by Mary Grow After a 20-minute Nov. 24 public hearing during which one person testified remotely, China Planning Board members postponed a decision on Giovanni DelVecchio’s application to set up a trailer-based medical marijuana dispensary on Route 3. DelVecchio, doing business as Weed on Wheels (WOW) Maine, has applied to use a travel trailer parked […]
by Mary Grow After several discussions earlier this fall, China selectmen decided at their Nov. 23 meeting they cannot grant a resident’s request to establish a public water supply for people whose well water is undrinkable. Until last summer, a spring on private property on Route 3 was open for public use. It is no […]
by Mary Grow In previous pieces there have been references to local newspapers, especially the Augusta-based Kennebec Journal. Both it and its sister publication in Waterville, the “Morning Sentinel”, have had long lives; but they are not and never have been the only newspapers in the central Kennebec Valley. Here is a partial list of […]
by Mary Grow China Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee members spent most of their Nov. 17 virtual meeting talking about broadband funding with Jamie Pitney, speaking for the China Broadband Committee. The Broadband Committee’s goals is to expand and improve internet access throughout China, including making service faster and more reliable for residents who already […]
by Mary Grow Not surprisingly, the Covid-19 pandemic dominated discussion at the Vassalboro School Board’s Nov. 17 meeting, leading to reluctant decisions and much praise for everyone involved in keeping the town school safe. The most unenthusiastic decision was to postpone winter sports – basketball and cheerleading – as Assistant Principal Greg Hughes recommended. In […]
by Mary Grow As background for this piece on a small selection of women of importance from the central Kennebec Valley, some historical notes might establish a useful timeline. 1) The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution says: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged […]