Erskine wrestling phenom looking to the future

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Wynn Pooler, in white, in action as one of the representatives from Maine at the Maine-Nebraska Wrestling Exchange. (contributed photo)

Wynn Pooler finished his sophomore year at Erskine Academy, in South China, maintaining a 4.0 GPA, ranked second in his class. During the 2023 Maine wrestling season, he re­peated as KVAC, Southern Maine Re­gional, and State Champ­ion – at 113 pounds (up from 106 pounds as a freshman), becoming the first two-time state champion in Erskine Academy Wrestling history.

Nationally, Wynn was named a Scholar All-American by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). He was also named a First Team Academic All-American by the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA), the only student-athlete from Maine to achieve first team honors, while two swimmers from Ells­worth achieved second team recognition. This was the second consecutive year Wynn was named an NHSCA Academic All-American.

Due to his academic and athletic successes, Wynn received an opportunity to continue his high school education at The Hill School, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. This fall he will join fellow Maine wrestler Cole Albert, of Lincoln, at Hill, where he will have access to some of the finest resources, facilities, and coaches in the country; a notable difference from Maine high schools where wrestling is often overlooked or takes a back seat to other sports, even amongst athletic directors and the MPA.

From June 22 – July 3, Wynn, along with 18 other standout Maine wrestlers, represented Maine in the Maine-Nebraska Wrestling Exchange. They traveled to four different regions of Nebraska where they wrestled some of the best from that state. At each stop, they stayed with host families and experienced the local culture. On July 14 – 15 he had the opportunity to attend a camp in Veazie, where he had the chance to train with three Princeton University wrestlers, one of whom was three-time NCAA All-American, Quincy Monday. It was the third camp he’s attended since the school year ended as he prepares to make the transition to national prep wrestling.

Wynn aspires to graduate near the top of his class at Hill and become a High School All-American before moving on to wrestle in college.

An amazing story of survival

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The fawn in the back of the SUV being delivered to the Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab Center. (contributed photo)

by Jayne Winters

As I slowed down to turn into the driveway at the Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab Center, I couldn’t help but notice the SUV ahead of me did likewise. I could never have imagined the story the driver soon shared with me and Don about the three-week-old fawn she had in the dog kennel in the back of her vehicle.

While in the car with her husband, a doe had unexpectedly crossed the road in front of them and they couldn’t avoid hitting her. Naturally upset and concerned, her husband got out of the vehicle to make sure the doe wasn’t suffering. She had died upon impact, but he was shocked to find she had expelled her fawn, still in its placenta. He went back to the car for his wife and together they delivered the baby, rubbing it down with a blanket and massaging its mouth to get the airway functioning. Its first breaths were drawn while being held by its human “parents.” What a gift, especially under such sad circumstances.

(contributed photo)

Although they were initially advised by IF&W to let nature take its course, they simply couldn’t leave it, knowing it wouldn’t survive. They brought the fawn home and made calls to several rehabbers, none of whom had room for a newborn (I couldn’t help but think of the Christmas story, with “no room at the inn.”). However, having grown up and currently living on a farm, Savannah was familiar with raising young animals, so she took on the care and feeding of the little guy. Looking at his size and behavior in the kennel, it was obvious she had done a great job. He was alert, with bright eyes and a beautiful coat. She provided Don with details of what she had fed him, how often, his level of activity and habits. In addition, she left food so that his diet wouldn’t be changed while in rehab. An expectant mother herself, it was apparent that her nurturing extended beyond her own family.

While I’m sure it was bittersweet to leave the fawn at Duck Pond, Savannah was able to observe him quickly bond with two younger fawns in the stall. They literally looked up to him, he was that much taller! All three were eventually taken to another rehabber where they will stay together until their release back into the wild. A happy ending to what began as a sad story.

Many critters continue to be transferred to other rehabbers who are generously providing assistance to help keep critter care at Duck Pond manageable. They are greatly appreciated! Please check the following web sites to see if there is a rehabber near you: https://www.mainevetmed.org/wildlife-rehabilitation or https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/living-with-wildlife/orphaned-injured-wildlife/index.html

– Donald Cote operates Duck Pond Wildlife Care Center, on Rte. 3, in Vassalboro. It is a nonprofit state permitted rehab facility which is supported by his own resources and outside donations. Mailing address: 1787 North Belfast Ave., Vassalboro ME 04989 TEL: (207) 445-4326. Please note the previous e-mail address is no longer monitored.

No support in Albion for LS Power electric transmission developer

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Farmers with equipment and local residents showed up at the Besse Building, in Albion, to protest the installation of an electric transmission line through their town. (photo by Jonathan Strieff)

by Jonathan Strieff

On July 19, representatives from LS Power, an electric transmission developer from Missouri, hosted an open house in Albion to begin community outreach among landowners impacted by the proposed transmission line. The event was the fifth of six such meetings along the proposed route, starting in Mattawam­keag, and concluding in Windsor.

Prior to the event, nearly three dozen farmers from Albion, China, and Palermo and their supporters gathered outside for a “tractor drive-in” and press conference to vocalize opposition to the project.

The Aroostook Renewable Gateway is a new 345 kV transmission corridor approved by the state legislature to connect King Pine Wind near Webbertown Township to the existing power grid substation in Windsor.

The new transmission lines would deliver up to 1,200 MW of electricity from 170 new wind turbines in Aroostook County to the regional power grid. Sixty percent of the energy generated would be purchased by Central Maine Power and Versant, while the remaining 40 percent would go to Massachusetts.

Ahead of the open house series, LS Power sent more than 3,500 letters to landowners impacted by the proposed route with the goal of soliciting feedback.

(photo by Jonathan Strieff)

Representative Doug Mulvey explained on Wednesday each letter included a unique code corresponding to a map of the corridor. In addition to informational posters and promotional materials, LS Power representatives brought a bank of laptops to each open house event to allow landowners to identify to the company unseen constraints on individual parcels. While the application and permitting process is already underway, LS Power is seeking landowner input to modify the final route to be submitted to the Public Utilities Commission by the end of the year. Outside, local farmers parked their tractors along Main Street decorated with signs opposing the project. Chuck Noyes, owner of Noyes Family Farm in Albion, addressed the economic, environmental, and cultural concerns that the transmission line poses.

“This is one of very few areas still being intensively farmed. Our farms are the backbone of the regional economy and we don’t need to make it harder for us.” Noyes farms 370 acres that have been in his family for over 100 years. Troy Nelson, a beef producer, from Paler­mo, farms land over a distilled gas pipeline from Buckeye Petro­leum and worries about the risks posed by the power lines crossing the aging infrastructure. Matt Dow, from Sweetland Farm, in Al­bion, sought cla­ri­fication about how the development might impact his organic certification. Lincoln Sennett, owner of Swan’s Honey, spoke to the harms to his bees and other wildlife by electromagnetic fields created by the power lines. “Honey bees, migratory birds, and other animals depend on geological magnetism to be able to navigate,” Sennet said, and EMFs from high transmission main lines have been shown to disrupt this. “Bees and beekeepers don’t need one more stressor.”

The farmers are reaching out to town and state officials for any kind of help protecting their farmland and businesses from the impacts of the transmission line.

“We can’t fight with the money and lobbyists that LS Power has,” said Holly Noyes. “But we can show the will of the people, that the project does not have local support.”

If the PUC approves the final route proposal next year, LS Power anticipates completing right of way acquisitions by late 2025, beginning construction in early 2027, bringing the project in-service by mid-2028.

Waterville scouts find new partner

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Scouts pictured are Nicholas Tibbetts, Mason Pelletier, Micah Waldie, Xander Dunton, Elijab Benn, Isaac Benn, Joshua Knight, Tucker Waldie, Malahki Kornsey and Sam Bernier. All are of Waterville except the Benns who live in Westbrook. (photo courtesy of Chuck Mahaleris)

by Chuck Mahaleris

After 89 years of partnership with the Pleasant Street United Methodist Church, Waterville Boy Scout Troop began 2023 with a new Chartered Organization.

“Fortunately, we didn’t have to hunt too long as we found the Waterville Masonic Lodge #33 as our new Chartered Organization,” Scout leader Bruce Rueger said. A chartered organization is a community-based group whose objectives, mission and methodologies are compatible with those of the BSA.

It agrees to use the Scouting program to further its mission to serve young people. The partnership is intended to be deeper than, say, a sponsorship arrangement between a youth baseball team and a local business. In signing an annual charter agreement with the local council, the organization agrees (among other things) to follow BSA rules, regulations and policies; maintain and support a unit committee made up of at least three persons for each unit; and ensure appropriate facilities for regular unit meetings. “They celebrated our new relationship by presenting the troop with a new troop flag recognizing our 90 years as a member of the Boy Scouts of America.” The Scouts received their new flag on March 21, 2023.

PHOTOS: Sheepscot boat parade enjoys good turnout

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Sheepscot Lake Association hosted their fifth annual boat parade on July 3. Despite the weather, this year’s parade was a big success, with 21 boats and a jet ski participating, and several camp residents along the lake cheering on from the shoreline. Tim Paul, former board member for many years, served as grand marshal (waving from boat). (contributed photo)

(contributed photo)

Scouts leadership group completes training

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Adam Wright, of Lewiston, Doug Woodbury, of Rockport, and Jon Martin, of Augusta, demonstrate round lashings. They learned the skill so they can then instruct their Scouts on the skill. (photo courtesy of Chuck Mahaleris)

by Chuck Mahaleris

Leaders from Cub Packs and Scout Troops around the area recently completed a variety of training programs. “It is encouraging to see so many scout leaders coming out to learn new skills,” said Walter Fails, of Farmington, who is the Chairman of Training for Scout Troops in Kennebec Valley District. “Every scout deserves a trained leader because trained leaders deliver better and safer Scouting programs.”

At Camp Boma­zeen, in Belgrade, 20 scouting leaders from across Pine Tree Council completed the Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) Training for Cub Scout leaders and the Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (IOLS) Training for leaders in Scout Troops. The training courses were held over the weekend of May 5-7. Both programs provide an opportunity for leaders to learn how to offer Scouting’s outdoor programs safely. “We all had a great time sharing experiences and knowledge,” said Scott St. Amand, of Gardiner, who heads up Cub Scout Leader Training for Kennebec Valley District and was one of the trainers for the weekend. “It was great to see the camaraderie, and willingness to jump in and help each other learn new skills.”

Of those completing the leaders program, it included area IOLS Training: Christopher Bishop, of Whitefield, who is a leader in Troop #609 B(Boys), in Windsor, Jon Martin, of Troop #603 B, in Augusta, Stephen Polley, is a leader, in Vassalboro Troop #410, Shawn Hayden, of Skowhegan Troop #485 B.

Those locally completing requirements for the BALOO Training: Frederick Pullen, of Pack #445, in Winslow, and Christopher Santiago, of Pack #410, in Vassalboro. Santiago also recently completed more than 500 hours of online training to complete the District Committee functions. Chris Fox, of Mechnic Falls, is the Abnaki District Training Chairman and helped with the training at Camp Bomazeen.

Shelley Connolly, of Pittsfield, completed Short Term Camp Administrator training with Western Los Angeles County Council on April 29. Shelley is going to be running the Summer Camporee, at Camden Hills State Park, July 30-August 1, and she will be helping set up the schedule, program, etc., for the Scouts BSA Weekend at Bomazeen.

PHOTO: Giving a helping hand

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On Sunday afternoon, July 9, ten members of Dirigo Lodge #104 Masons, of Weeks Mills, gathered at the home of the widow of their former lodge secretary to split and stack winter’s wood into the woodshed. (contributed photo)

Pirates visit the China Village library to celebrate summer reading

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Pirates interact with local children at the ACB Library, in China Village. (contributed photos)

by Carla Gade

It was a quiet Monday morning, June 26 it was, when a pair of pirates descended on the China Village Library. Children and their parents and grandparents gathered to see if rumor was true, or was it mere hearsay? Would pirates really come to the village? By way of China Lake? Rumor had it that their ship was hidden in a cove somewhere, but to what end? In haste they ap­peared like an apparition before the group of young Bookaneers. Of those present, some donned pirate attire suitable for the occasion. Even the Librarians were costumed. One took her stance with books and a writing quill, armed with knowledge, you see.

(contributed photos)

Alas, it became known that Captain Scruffhook O’Tinkle and Miss Ruby Kidd had come bearing peaceful tidings. In fact, they had come to entertain! Captain O’Tinkle, Tink for short, regaled the crowd with true-ish stories of fabled pirates, Sam Bellamy, Black Beard, young John King, and the notorious female pirate, Zheng Yi Sao. Ruby Kidd delighted them all with stories from the book of Piratology. She also proved to be a master teller of riddles which the youngsters were quick as a whip to answer. The young Bookaneers each received a unique pirate name, learned of pirate ways (true and myth), handled a genuine compass and a leather treasure map. The generous pirates shared plentiful pirate booty from their treasure chest with all!

The pirates, O’Tinkle, aka Shana Tinkle, and Ruby Kidd, aka Annabelle Lisa, are pirate reenactors who came courtesy of Back and Forth Tours, of Belfast. Dressed in full pirate regalia, they enthralled the library visitors to help launch the library’s Family Summer Reading Adventure upon the frigate S.S. A.C. Brown. Children and youth ages 4 – 17 and/or family members interested in embarking on the reading adventure can join any time through the end of July.

The program runs through August 19 and prizes will be awarded at a pirate rendezvous at the end of August. This year, in addition to ice cream from The Landing, the Masonic Dirigo Lodge will provide “Bikes for Books” to several participants as a reward for their reading efforts. A treasure map of reading suggestions, activities, and a log to track the reader’s adventures. All family members are encouraged to participate. The idea is to make reading fun and to keep reading throughout the summer. Children of all age groups receive a pirate coin, prizes, and a raffle ticket for the bike drawing. The adult raffle prize is a coupon for bookstore. Participants should have a library card and new patrons are welcome to join.

During the summer, an inhouse treasure hunt will be an ongoing activity for all visitors who would like to participate. The China Village Library (ACBM Library) is located at 37 Main Street in China Village, ME. Facebook @chinalibrary, website: chinalibrary.org, email: chinalibraryacb@gmail.com.

How will new mooring ordinance impact recreation on Palermo waters?

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Margaret and Gary Mazoki, of Palermo, enjoy their pontoon boat during the annual July 4 boat parade on Sheepscot Lake. (contributed photo by Janet West)

Submitted by Pam McKenney,
Sheepscot Lake Association Board

In March 2023, Palermo residents voted to approve a mooring ordinance for lakes and ponds in Palermo. The ordinance and its impact on Palermo waters, including Sheepscot Lake, will be the focus of the Sheepscot Lake Association’s upcoming Annual Meeting on Thursday, July 20, 6 p.m,. at the Fish and Game Clubhouse, on Rte 3.

The guest speaker this year will be Shawn R. Hebert, Harbor Master/ Chief of the Marine Safety Division, Naples. For a combined 32 years of service, he has been involved in Public Safety and Emergency as well as the training and certifying Harbor Masters statewide. At our annual meeting, Shawn will help us to further understand the role of a Harbor Master on Maine lakes and ponds and to examine the impact of the new mooring ordinance approved by Palermo residents in March.

The new ordinance will manage the placement of moorings and houseboats on waters within the town. The purpose is to provide for safe navigation, to protect the rights of shorefront property owners, and to preserve the health of inland water ecosystems. This was necessary since the State of Maine does not regulate the placement of moorings nor the anchoring of houseboats on Maine lakes, great ponds, and streams within the Water Safety Zone. This zone is defined as the first 200 feet from the high-water mark of any shore or ⅓ distance to the opposite shore, whichever is less.

Before Palermo voters accepted the ordinance, the placement of moorings and anchoring of houseboats inside the Water Safety Zone was left up to the discretion of individuals. Municipalities have little to gain and much to lose if moorings and houseboats are abandoned or seep sewage or sink. Therefore, a committee of stakeholders, including SLA board members, examined ordinances from other Maine towns and developed standards for mooring and anchoring suited to Palermo. These standards ensure that mooring installation, use, and maintenance as well as overnight anchoring does not:

  • impair the public’s health, safety and welfare;
  • result in degraded water quality, loss of aquatic habitat, or interference with navigation;
  • infringe on the rights of shore land property owners.

Beyond human use and enjoyment, Maine waters sustain ecosystems vital to the health and identity of our state. Find out more at the Sheepscot Lake annual meeting and see the Town of Palermo website for a copy of the adopted ordinance which takes effect in 2024. Also, please consider supporting the Sheepscot Lake Association with your membership and attendance at the annual meeting. The meeting starts with a dessert potluck at 6 p.m.

A Summer Read: Fascinating new novel about Nazi hiding in post-war South America

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Published by Wicked Son Books, SOLIMEOS is available in paperback and eBook at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, and all major bookstores.

A fascinating new novel about Nazis hiding in post-war South America is a great summer read.

(NAPSI)—A daring new novel called SOLIMEOS, by Rhoda Lerman, a critically-acclaimed author who passed away in 2015, imagines what life might have been like for Nazi officers and their families in South American exile after the Holocaust.

Wicked Son Books co-publisher Adam Bellow, who The New Yorker called “the hottest editor in New York,” is universally credited with knowing a good book when he reads one. When he learned that the deceased “authors’ author” Rhoda Lerman (whose work has been favorably compared to that of his father, Saul Bellow) had left an unpublished manuscript, he made it his mission to assure her literary legacy with the publication of what he believed was an “exceptional” novel.

In the waning days of World War II, fourteen-year-old Axel, his family, and their servants are cold and hungry in Pappendorf Castle. Baron Dietrich von Pappendorf, Axel’s father, is away, having spent much of the war traveling the world in search of an ancient, pre-Babel language that his occult-obsessed, Nazi masters believed would solidify Aryans as the master race. But when the baron returns to the family castle, it’s not in triumph. Axel and his family must flee Germany and embrace a life of luxurious exile in the Brazilian jungle. The von Pappendorfs take up residence in a gilded home originally built for Hitler that was carved from the hallucinogenic wilds of Amazonia.

Protected from Nazi hunters, the baron prepares for the Fourth Reich while Axel is guided by a shaman into the wisdom of the jungle. It is there the young man discovers ancient truths linking an Israelite king to a river known as Solimeos. Axel is also passionately in love with his father’s mistress: beautiful, Polish-Jewish Luba. He becomes torn between his love for his father, his desire for Luba, and the growing realization that he and his family can never atone for the past.

Utterly original, highly entertaining, and sometimes shocking, Rhoda Lerman’s SOLIMEOS – a provocative parable about the sins of the father visited upon the son – is a powerful and elegantly written story of family, fanaticism, and fate.

Highly recommended for book clubs and reading groups who enjoy historical fiction, SOLIMEOS—available in paperback and as an eBook—begs to be discussed.

The New York Times famously wrote: “Rhoda Lerman is a find. Go out and find her.”