I’m Just Curious: Eighth grade test, Part II

/0 Comments/in /by
by Debbie Walker

Okay, I am about to fulfill your excitement about the rest of that 1895 8th Grade Final. How many of you figure you’d still be in a lower grade now?? I probably would have been in a much lower grade!!!!

1895 test continued:

Orthography (Time, one hour), [Do we even know what this is?]

  1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
  2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
  3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
  4. Give four substitutes for caret ‘u’.
  5. Give two rules for spelling words with final ‘e.’ Name two exceptions under each rule.
  6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
  7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
  8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.
  9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane , vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
  10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

  1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
  2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?
  3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
  4. Describe the mountains of North America .
  5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia , Odessa , Denver , Manitoba , Hecla , Yukon , St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco .
  6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.
  7. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
  8. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.
  9. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

I would love to hear about your test results! I hope you got a kick out of it. When I come across funny or odd stuff I have to pass it on.

If I have ever written anything you might want to check out again you are encouraged to go to our website and check out the archives.

I’m just curious how your test results came out, Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com. I’ll be waiting to hear. Thank you for reading.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Singer: Dick Haymes; Composer: Irving Berlin

/0 Comments/in /by
Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Dick Haymes Sings Irving Berlin

MCA, MCL 1773, LP, released 1983 and based on Decca 78 originals.

Irving Berlin

Irving Berlin (1888-1989), born Israel Baline, in Czarist Russia, came to America with his parents to escape the frequent bloody pogroms occurring there. He left home at the age of eight years, eking out a living as a newsboy. Other subsistent jobs would eventually lead to songwriting, begun with Marie from Sunny Italy, his first published song; the publisher misspelled his name as I. Berlin and Baline kept it for the rest of his very long life.

Within a few short years, the hits started with Alex­ander’s Rag­time Band, Play a Simple Melody, and Everybody’s Doin’ It.

Meanwhile, for more than 70 years, he created an avalanche of songs, of which at least 60 were megahits that still generate royalties for his estate. Dozens of singers covered them on record, especially Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Pat Boone, etc. George Gershwin considered him, “the greatest songwriter who ever lived;” Jerome Kern quipped, “Irving Berlin has no place in American music; he is American music.”

Dick Haymes

Tommy Dorsey

Many music lovers consider Dick Haymes (1918-1980) the finest singer among the sizable pool of talent to emerge during the ‘30s and ‘40s Big Band Era. The story has been verified that Haymes began writing songs as a means to earn a living, and submitted a few to bandleader Harry James. The trumpeter refused the songs but hired Haymes as a singer to replace then recently departed Frank Sinatra, who had meanwhile signed with Tommy Dorsey.

Haymes worked with Benny Goodman and then was introduced by Sinatra himself to Dorsey as a suggested replacement when Sinatra decided to pursue a solo career. Inevitably, Haymes too left Dorsey, became a success and signed with Decca records, scoring nine gold records. His popularity in films increased with 1945’s State Fair. And, even later when his career waned, all of his records would be treasured by collectors simply because he was a great singer and conveyed a sincerity and passion for singing right up to his last years before his death at 61 from lung cancer .

Benny Goodman

Finally, he was married six times, one of his wives being Rita Hayworth and this side of his life having considerable potential for a biographer.

The above reissue contains sixteen 78 sides devoted to Berlin, who was a special favorite of Haymes and includes The Girl That I Marry, Little Fish in a Big Pond, All Alone, Let’s Take an Old-Fashioned Walk, Say It With Music and my own personal favorite, You’re Just In Love, with Ethel Merman and the most exquisite, enchanting arrangement by Gordon Jenkins. A gem of an album!

IF WALLS COULD TALK: Though lost in construction, library still serves the people

/0 Comments/in /by
Katie Ouilette Wallsby Katie Ouilette

WALLS, here’s a good one for you! History? Well, I watched the crows flying in the trees and thought of the crow that used to perch on a street post in Waterville and, yes, literally would say, “hi” to folks passing by. I guess the policeman who found the bird that had been wounded taught it to say ‘“hi.” Well, that was a long time ago, but those who remember must have a smile at the thought.

Yes, that was a happening in Waterville about 70 years ago. Now, as Stephen Aucoin recently wrote to the editor of the Morning Sentinel, downtown Waterville is changed, but the Waterville Public Library, though lost in the high rising new buildings, still stands ready to serve the people and the award for community service given to it. Certainly, those who faithfully work there are proud to say “we did it.”

WALLS, do you remember my giving the book that I wrote…Two Birds in a Box,” to the librarian at the time? Mr. Dee, the dad of the Denis family, grew up in Waterville and was a graduate of Colby College. Now, Colby College is the library’s neighbor! Yes, faithful readers, times do change!

Y’know, WALLS, Maine has wonderful colleges and even those have grown in number. Many of my grandkids have attended University of Maine. Yes, when I think of Colby’s first having been on College Avenue in Waterville and then moving to Mayflower Hill and now expanding to downtown Waterville and Maine’s, once, Abner Colburn contributing to Maine education and his name having been placed on so many college buildings in this grand state of Maine, WALLS, you must be proud that this was a Skowhegan man who was educated at Bloomfield School (which was still a school until SAD #54 came into view). Yes, little wonder that Attorney Robert Washburn, a member of Skowhegan Heritage Council, proposed that the council have a Governor Abner Coburn Day on his March 22 birthday. Faithful readers, Abner Colburn was a famous man who had an education until he was 14 years of age, He lived in Bloomfield (South side of the Kennebec River in what is now Skowhegan). He did much for education worldwide and had a mountain near Jackman named for him.

Yup, and here we are, back with libraries again, faithful readers. Gov. Abner Coburn gave funding that made the Skowhegan Public Library possible. Proudly, the Skowhegan Heritage Council with Attorney Robert Washburn as chairman, will celebrate our famous governor’s birthday at the Skowhegan Public Library at 3 p.m., on Thursday, March 22, 2018.

Legal Notices, Week of March 1, 2018

/0 Comments/in /by

STATE OF MAINE
SOMERSET, ss.
DISTRICT COURT
LOCATION: SKOWHEGAN
CIVIL ACTION
DOCKET NO:
SKODC-RE-18-4

SHAWN DIXON, Plaintiff,
v.
ABRAHAM SCHLOSBERG, Defendant.

ORDER PERMITTING
SERVICE BY PUBLICATION
M.R. CIV. P. 4(g)
(Title to Real Estate
Is Involved)
8 Newhall Street, Fairfield
Map 19, Lot 53
Book 4536, Page 142

A Complaint has been filed with the Court against Defendant ABRAHAM SCHLOSBERG, which requires personal service in accordance with Rule 4(d) of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure.

Upon motion, the Court hereby ORDERS:

That service cannot be made upon ABRAHAM SCHLOSBERG in any of the usual manners prescribed by Rule 4 despite the due diligence of the Plaintiff. Service shall therefore be made upon ABRAHAM SCHLOSBERG and all those who claim or may claim by, through, or under ABRAHAM SCHLOSBERG by publishing this Order once a week for three (3) successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the County of Somerset, the county in which the property at issue in the Complaint is located.

The first publication shall be made within twenty (20) days after this order is issued. Service by publication shall be complete on the twenty-first (21st) day after the first publication.

The publication shall read:

Plaintiff seeks a judgment in Skowhegan District Court against ABRAHAM SCHLOSBERG to quiet the title of certain property now owned by Shawn Dixon as a result of a municipal tax foreclosure, said property being located at 8 Newhall Street, Fairfield, Maine.

The property at issue in the Complaint consists of the property described in the deed recorded at Book 4536 Page 142 at the Somerset County Registry of Deeds.

A copy of the complaint to quiet title may be obtained from Plaintiff’s attorney at the address and number below.

If you wish to oppose this lawsuit, you or your attorney MUST PREPARE AND SERVE A WRITTEN ANSWER to the complaint WITHIN TWENTY (20) DAYS after service is completed by the foregoing method.

You or your attorney must serve your answer by delivering a copy of it in person or by mail to the Plaintiff’s attorney, Bryan B. Ward, of the firm of O’Donnell Lee, 112 Silver Street, Waterville, Maine. You or your attorney must also file the original of your answer with the Court by mailing it to the following address: Skowhegan District Court, 47 Court Street, Skowhegan, Maine, before or within a reasonable time after it is served.

IMPORTANT WARNING: IF YOU FAIL TO SERVE AN ANSWER WITHIN THE TIME STATED ABOVE OR IF, AFTER YOU ANSWER, YOU FAIL TO APPEAR AT ANY TIME THE COURT NOTIFIES YOU TO DO SO, A JUDGMENT BY DEFAULT MAY BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU IN YOUR ABSENCE FOR THE RELIEF DEMANDED IN THE COMPLAINT. IF YOU INTEND TO OPPOSE THIS LAWSUIT, DO NOT FAIL TO ANSWER WITHIN THE REQUIRED TIME.

IF YOU BELIEVE THE PLAINTIFF IS NOT ENTITLED TO ALL OR PART OF THE CLAIM SET FORTH IN THE COMPLAINT OR IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A CLAIM OF YOUR OWN AGAINST THE PLAINTIFF, YOU SHOULD TALK TO A LAWYER. IF YOU FEEL YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY A FEE TO A LAWYER, YOU MAY ASK THE COURT FOR INFORMATION AS TO PLACES WHERE YOU MAY SEEK LEGAL ASSISTANCE.

Dated: 13 February 201
Hon. Andrew Benson
Judge, District Court
Plaintiff’s Attorney:
Bryan B. Ward
O’Donnell and Lee
112 Silver Street
Waterville, Maine 04901
Telephone: (207) 872-0112
(3/15)

SOLON & BEYOND: Solon school opens preschool registration

/0 Comments/in /by
Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Good morning, dear friends. Don’t worry, be happy!

It is time to begin the preschool application process for the fall of 2018 at Solon Elementary School. If your child will be four years old by October 15, 2018, you can apply for enrollment into the RSU #74 2018-19 preschool program. The program is open to all four-year olds regardless of family income.

Applications can be picked up at any of the elementary schools, you can have one mailed to your home by calling the school at 643-2491, or you can download one from the district website.

You will need to provide income verification and a copy of your child’s birth certificate, MaineCare card, and immunization record.

If you have any questions about the preschool program, please contact the school at 643-2491.

Grades 3-5 students at Solon Elementary are preparing for State Assessment Tests.

Grades 3-5 students are getting ready to take the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA), which will start the week of March 19. Students in all three grades will take tests in reading, writing/language, and math. Later the fifth graders will take a test in science.

This test will be taken on the computer. The test will be administered over multiple days so that students do not get too tired. Teachers are using practice items and teaching test-taking strategies with the students to help prepare them. Please encourage your child to do his/her best on this important test, which helps us to assess each child’s achievement level as well as the progress of our school.

Again this year Solon Elementary School scheduled some fun activities to brighten the winter season. The Solon Kids Care Club sponsored a Secret Cupid activity in which each of us decorated a heart with some kind words for another person in the school. The hearts have been displayed on the bulletin board in the lobby.

Received this e-mail from my good friend, Nancy Whittemore, and she wrote: I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of the folks in the community of Solon, and surrounding communities for all of the many kind deeds and encouraging words to me during my difficult journey with Terry’s illness and death. It meant so much to me.

And now an e-mail from the Happyknits Crew with some news that perhaps many of you didn’t know about. “We’re starting to notice that the days are lengthening and the temperatures are shifting as we move in fits and starts towards spring. Happyknits is making a bit of a shift too. Julie Cooke, who first opened this yarn shop on her own and gave us all a little place for yarn paradise, has decided to change directions and move on to other interests. We’d like to express our gratitude to her for being our partner and good friend for the last several years, and we wish her the best in her new adventure!

Sarah, Mary Lou and Karla are looking forward to continuing to serve you all. They are grateful to all of you for helping to make Happyknits such a happy place and we hope to see you soon!

Percy’s memoir this week is entitled, The Magic of Love:

Love is like magic.
And it always will be,
For love still remains
Life’s sweet mystery!
Love works in ways
That are wondrous and strange
And there’s nothing in life
That love cannot change!
Love can transform
The most commonplace
Into beauty and splendor
And sweetness and grace!
Love is unselfish,
Understanding and kind,
For it sees with its heart
And not with its mind!
Love is the answer
That everyone seeks –
Love is the language
That every heart speaks –
Love can’t be bought,
It is priceless and free,
Love like pure magic
Is a sweet mystery!

(words by Helen Steiner Rice)

Letters to the Editor: Is the Legislature Serious?

/0 Comments/in /by

Is the Legislature serious?

To the editor:

Is the the Legislature seriously considering imposing property tax on nonprofits, educational institutions, and hospitals? How about churches? What part of “tax-exempt” don’t they understand?

All of the above organizations and institutions provide services to the people of the community, which are beyond the scope of governmental responsibility, but which are still necessary. Nonprofits also allow people and businesses with taxable assets to invest in our communities without penalty, or without the risk of the stock market. Besides, the federal government has delineated which organizations and institutions are tax-exempt, and it’s not up to the state to change that.

Thank you.

Connie Bellet
Palermo

COMMUNITY COMMENTARY: Slippery facts on Sheepscot Pond re-introduction of species

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Alewives by John Burrows (source: mainerivers.org)

by Buck O’Herin
Montville resident

Feelings are running high in some communities about the potential re-introduction of sea-run fish species into Sheepscot Pond and the potential for these species to impact the fresh water fishery through disease and predation. The front page article in The Town Line newspaper on January 25 quoted several reasons why a couple of community groups oppose the re-introduction of these species. Many of the points listed were misleading and did not give appropriate context, and some were outright false.

It is crucial to remember that both alewives and sea lampreys are native to Maine and our rivers, lakes, and ponds. They both spend time at sea and migrate back to lakes and rivers to spawn. Sheepscot Pond represents 40 percent of the historic alewife habitat above Head Tide in the Sheepscot River. Many Maine lakes have healthy runs of alewives and other sea-run species and also maintain healthy populations of freshwater game fish. Alamoosook Lake, in Orland, has had an alewife migration for years, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a hatchery there. The lake has a healthy fresh water fishery that includes salmon, brook trout, brown trout, bass, and eel.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service tested alewives from the St. Croix River from 2014 to 2016 for seven different diseases. None were found to be carrying any diseases. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has been offered assistance to ensure there is proper filtration and disinfection of water at the Palermo facility. Even though most other IF&W hatcheries have this equipment, the Department has so far chosen not to accept the help.

Adult sea lamprey cannot survive in freshwater and die after spawning. As young adults, they are primarily trying to get to sea, not feed when they do attach to fresh water fish. It is very common to install small notches in a dam to make sure young adult lampreys can get to sea with a trickle of water, even if water is not flowing over the dam. Sea lamprey are probably already in Sheepscot Pond. They can get through the open fish ladder at the Coopers Mills Dam, into Long Pond, and over the Sheepscot Pond dam as long as water is flowing.

The proposal in front of the legislature would open the Sheepscot Pond fish ladder year-round, that IF&W currently blocks for two months of the year. Water already flows over the dam, especially in the spring. U.S. Geological Survey records show the Sheepscot River flows at an average of 734 cubic feet per second in April. The fish ladder at Sheepscot Pond is designed to use about 6 cubic feet per second. Allowing the fish ladder to be open increases flow to the river by only 0.82 percent. The lake level would not be significantly affected.

We should be thoughtful about how we make this decision and depend on the science. There is abundant evidence that restoring fish passage to the entire Sheepscot River is beneficial for all native fish species and the Sheepscot Pond ecosystem.

ERIC’S TECH TALK: My bipolar relationship with the Internet

/0 Comments/in /by

by Eric W. Austin

I love technology. I hate technology. I just can’t decide.

When I was a boy, I dreamt of moving up to the mountains and living in the hollowed-out trunk of a redwood tree, making rabbit snares from deer tendon and barbed wire. Then Dad brought home our first computer. Now, I panic when the lights flicker and fret over whether I have enough gas for the generator.

Recently, I ‘liked’ a post on Facebook from a Californian cousin. He had shared an article from The Washington Post about a product that has been introduced into more than 600 American schools meant to reduce cell phone use by students. The idea is pretty simple. Each student receives an opaque, nylon case just big enough to hold a cell phone. On the open end of the pouch is a magnetic clasp. When touched to a special ‘magnetizer,’ the clasp is magnetized and becomes impossible to open. The students remain in possession of their phones at all times, but cannot see or access them while they are locked away in the nylon pouch. At the end of the school day, the students touch the cases to the special magnetizer again, which this time de-magnetizes the clasps, once again giving students access to their phones.

The program has been an unsurprising success. Grades have gone up, behavior problems have dropped, and people have started talking to one another again. What a great idea, I thought. They should implement this in every school!

Then another school shooting happened in Parkland, Florida. In its aftermath, the first thing many of those kids did was text their parents to let them know they were okay. And I thought, What if all those kids had had their phones locked away?

Whether it’s technology or just life that refuses to be free of rough edges, I don’t know. Technology has certainly invaded our society and isn’t going away anytime soon. I’m sure the first guy to invent a fork thought it was a great idea right up to the moment when his neighbor took it and stabbed him in the eye. How long before a shooter enters a school with a signal-locating device and goes on a hunting trip?

When I graduated from high school in 1993, school shootings were unheard of and the Internet was as yet in it’s infancy. My first year of college I still wrote letters home to my parents. Only the computer lab had a connection to something we might recognize as the Internet. However, things were moving fast and the following year Netscape, the first popular browser, was released. Then in 1995, an online bookstore launched called Amazon.com, and I was hooked.

It was the dawn of the technological revolution, and for me, a time of discovery. The ability to find information on anything, talk to people from half a world away, and engage in discussions on topics considered taboo in the circles I’d grown up in, was integral to my emergence into young adulthood. I remember thinking at the time: This will change the world! This will banish old superstitions and produce an educated population like never before!

Oh, how naive I was.

The Internet, like any tool, has a variable impact depending on how we wield it. On the one hand, it offers knowledge at your fingertips. On the other, it is cluttered with misinformation. And while we can choose to use it to expose ourselves to challenging views and evidence-based information, the Internet is also designed to cater to our biases.

Take Facebook or Twitter, for example. They are basically set up as digital versions of a high school clique, with posts judged by the number of ‘likes’ they receive, rather than the validity of their content. Shouting is encouraged, and gossip trends faster than facts.

Social media gives us additional tools to customize our feed by snoozing or unfollowing anyone that might annoy us. Over time, our choices feed into an advanced algorithm whose job it is to ensure our experience is as pleasant as possible. God forbid we might encounter something that challenges our established beliefs!

And the entire internet is like this, allowing us to filter the information we receive: follow certain people on Twitter and block others; customize your search results so you don’t have to see objectional content; tweak your spam filter so you won’t need to look at anymore emails about erectile dysfunction.

Am I proposing we eliminate these filter options? Hell, no! But in small and subtle ways the internet encourages us to customize our flow of information so that the world we see is not the ‘real’ one, but instead a version that is tailored specifically to us. The overall effect is to emphasize our specific individuality at the expense of our collective commonality.

In some ways, technology has united us like never before. In others, it constantly divides us.

Most of the news websites that have cropped up since the Internet’s inception present a strictly liberal or conservative viewpoint. What you see on cable news is 90 percent opinion and 10 percent news – a complete flip-flop from decades past. It seems the era of news neutrality is over.

Smaller, local newspapers still tend to be bipartisan affairs, mostly out of the necessity to cater to a mixed, localized audience. But when you can build your niche from people from all over the world, the narrowest viewpoints still find a sizable audience.

This ability of the Internet to validate even the most fringe views often blows political differences out of all proportion. And by empowering us to customize the information we see to such a granular level, it allows us to create ever narrower filter-bubbles in which to live. Jesse Singal, writing in an Op-Ed for the New York Times, put it nicely: “What social media is doing is slicing the salami thinner and thinner, as it were, making it harder even for people who are otherwise in general ideological agreement to agree on facts about news events.”

The Internet’s ‘ability to divide’ is seeping into our society and symptoms are popping up everywhere. Our politics have never been so partisan – and it’s not just the politics. The narratives spun by each side are like alternate realities. Flipping between CNN and Fox News will leave you with the frightening feeling you’ve just glimpsed a parallel world.

The sad part is that we are doing this to ourselves; technology is just the tool we’re using to dig the chasm that divides us. The scary part is that technology tends to accelerate cultural change, both the good and the bad; and at the pace we’re moving, the near future is not looking good. We’re facing total gridlock at best, a cultural civil war at worst.

The problem with the old world was that it was too easy to live in a localized bubble and care little for what was happening a world away. The problem with this new world is that it’s too easy to live in a filter-bubble of our own creation and forget to talk to the people sitting right next to us.

Eric Austin lives in China and writes about technology and community issues. He can be reached by email at ericwaustin@gmail.com.

Obituaries, Week of March 1, 2018

/0 Comments/in /by

PHILIP M. WENTZEL

VASSALBORO––Philip Martin Wentzel, 89, of Vassalboro, formerly of China and Augusta, passed away on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, at Eastern Maine Medical Center, in Bangor. He was born on February 22, 1928, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the second child of Ethel Louise (Lake) Wentzel and Roy Alva Wentzel.

The family returned to the U. S. in 1930 and moved to Augusta in 1931.

Philip attended Augusta’s Nash and Lincoln schools and graduated from Cony High School as “Third Honor Part in the class of 1946. He served honorably in the Army of the United Stated from 1946 to 1948, with a tour of duty in Allied-occupied Japan as a photographer and surveyor. He then attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in Worcester, Massachusetts, earning a B.S. in civil engineering in the class of 1952.

On September 13, 1952, Philip married the former Mary Ellen French, the youngest of six children of Thomas Cowan and Eunice Myrtle French, who owned and operated French’s Market Gardens, of South China. Philip and Mary were married for over 65 years until his death.

Philip was employed for 44 years in the Bridge Construction and Bridge Design Division of the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), formerly the Maine State Highway Commission, as a registered professional engineer, and worked on many bridge projects across the state.

Throughout his long live, Philip cultivated numerous interests, including, but by no means limited to, photography, home gardening, cartography, sharing the history of Maine narrow-gauge railroads with his children, maintaining ties with his relatives in the Wentzel and Kaulback families of Maine and Nova Scotia.

Also, baseball and basketball, swimming, skiing, hiking, mountain climbing and attending the annual MOFGA Common Ground County Fair since its inception in 1977.

A man of strong Christian faith and high principles, Philip honored his responsibilities to his family, his work, his friends, and his country. He will be remembered by many for his easy laugh and sense of humor.

Philip was predeceased by both of his parents; as well as a sister, Eleanor Mae Clark of Belgrade, and brothers-in-law Richard Houston and Morgan Harris.

Survivors include his wife Mary; their three sons, Robert F. Wentzel and wife Valerie Hunter, of Portland, Oregon, Thomas M. Wentzel and wife Cynthia Meler, of Tucson, Arizona, and John P. Wentzel, of Vassalboro; former daughter-in-law Nancy (Favor) (Wentzel) Phinney, of Santa Barbara, California; three grandsons, Robert and Nancy’s Lt. Col. (USAF) Jonathan F. and wife Claire Wentzel, Major (USAF) James B. and wife Kimberly Wentzel, and Robert and Valerie’s Joshua H. Wentzel; and four great-grandchildren; his sister, Lola Jeanne (Houston) Harris, of Berkeley, California; brother-in-law, Arthur Clark, of Belgrade; and by six nieces and nephews and their families.

To express condolences and participate in Philip’s online tribute, please visit www.DirectCremationofMaine.com.

Donations may be made in Philip’s memory to National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, c/o Bill Caswell, 535 2nd New Hampshire Turnpike, Hillsboro, New Hampshire 03244.

ARTHUR CARPENTER

FAIRFIELD––Arthur “Biz” Carpenter passed away at Southern Maine Medical Center, in Biddeford, on Tuesday, February 6, 2018. Biz was born in Waterville on July 25, 1931, the son of Arthur Carpenter and Violet.

He graduated from Waterville High School in 1948. After high school he enlisted in the Army. He served for four years. Shortly after that Biz met Marie “Maggie” Adams.

Besides family, Biz had a couple of hobbies that brought immense joy to him. One of those hobbies was going to the Waterville Elks Club. He was a lifetime member. He spent many hours there and was a very “active member.” Biz enjoyed helping with the BBQ chicken dinners, did quite a bit of painting, and assisted with countless other activities. He made too many friends to mention here.

The other joy for this gentle, loving man was fishing. Oh my, how Biz counted the days leading up to the annual trek to East Gran Lake, in Danforth. He, along with a dozen or so family and friends, has trolled those waters since 1976. The enthusiasm Biz had for these fishing trips was exhilarating, and never wavered through the 40-plus years. The core of this enthusiasm came because he was going to be with those nearest and dearest to him. It didn’t matter that the fish would-often-be uncooperative. What mattered was making memories that could, and would, be shared time and time again. Imagine a “once-in-a-lifetime” moment happening on an annual basis!

Besides being predeceased by Marie and his parents; Biz was also predeceased by brothers Raymond, Don, and Neil; grandchild, Jeremy; and great-grandchild, Job.

Surviving family members are his two daughters Chrissy Jurdak, Robin Whiten and partner, Peter; a son Brian Carpenter and wife Karen; brothers Freddie and Danny; sister Marlene, as well as sister Diana and husband Ron; grandchildren Jessica and husband Eric, Jennifer, Heather and husband Shawn, Renee, Corey, Michael, and Marissa; great-grandchildren, Al, Halley, Elijah, Zeb, Dejah, Ethan, Evan, JD, , Aviana, Kianna and Peyton; step-grandchildren Miranda, Erica, and Eli; and numerous nephews and nieces.

Memorial donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation Inc., 30 East 33rd St., New York , NY 10016.

KENNETH A. SMITH

WHITEFIELD––Kenneth A. Smith, 5- month-old son of Derek W. Smith and Katie M. Merrill, died unexpectedly Wednesday, February 14, 2018, at his home. He was born in Augusta on September 19, 2017.

Kenneth was the happiest boy. He always wore a smile and loved everyone he met.

Kenneth is survived by his parents, Derek W. Smith and Katie M. Merrill, of Whitefield; a brother, Granger Smith, of Whitefield; grandparents, Kenneth and Tressa Smith, of Exeter, Lori Monroe and husband Frank, of Whitefield and Jeff and Laurie McKenney, of Harmony; great-grandparents, Sandra and Buddy Smith, Donna and Duane Olson and Linda Rossignol Theriault and Clint Theriault; aunts and uncles, Shae Merrill and Bradley Northrup, Austin and Kirsten Merrill, Jacob and Kelsey Smith, Jessica Smith, Jerrod Smith and Josh Smith.

Arrangements are under the direction of Plummer Funeral Home, 16 Pleasant St., Augusta.

Condolences, photos and memories may be shared at www.plummerfh.com.

Donations in Kenneth’s memory may be made to https://www.gofundme.com/baby-kenneths-funeral-expenses.

WILLIAM E. HAPWORTH SR.

FAIRFIELD––William E. Hapworth Sr., known to many as “Hap” “Ernie” “Happy” and “Ernest,” 84, passed away on Saturday, February 17, 2018, at Maine General Medical Center, in Augusta. He was born in Waterville on October 8, 1933, the son of the late Howard C. and Fanny L. (Hustus) Hapworth.

Following his schooling, Ernest served with the US Navy during the Korean War. He was a very hard working man who really enjoyed working and providing for his family. He was working fulltime for Flood Brothers Dairy Farm just two months before his death. In his younger years, he was a self-employed dairy farmer, operating Happy Acres Dairy. He also owned and operated a trucking company, Happy Acres Dairy & Sons Trucking. His employment also included working for W. S. Pillsbury and Hammond Tractor.

Hap was also very dedicated to several organizations including the Masons, Shriners, and, in his younger years, was a member of the Fairfield Center Volunteer
fire Department. One of his greatest passions was flying his own planes. He owned and flew many over the years. He would often fly to remote destinations up north to go ice fishing.

Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his sister, Kathleen Powers; and his daughter-in-law, Delia Hapworth.

Hap will be missed by his wife Jackie (Ronco) Hapworth; his children Patti White and husband Tom, of Fairfield, Cindy ‘White, of Winslow, William E. Hapworth Jr., of Fairfield, and Howard C. Hapworth II and wife Tara Grignon, of Fairfield; his sister, Alison Roberts and her husband Dana, of Winthrop; grandson Jason White and wife Tammy, of Fairfield; great-granddaughter Izabella White, of Fairfield; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.lawrybrothers.com.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in William’s memory to the charity of your choice.

ALBERIC PELLETIER

NORTH VASSALBORO – Alberic Pelletier, 85, passed away Sunday, February 18, 2018, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, in Augusta, of natural causes following a relatively short illness. Alberic was born on January 22, 1933, in Eagle Lake, son of Albenie and Rose Pelletier (Poissonnier).

As a child he moved to sidney with his family where he attended school. In 1951 he joined the U. S. Marine Corp and served a tour in the Korean Conflict. After his discharge from the Marines, he returned to central Maine where he married the former Caribel Porter on July 31, 1954. The young couple moved to Winslow.

Over the years Alberic owned and ran Al’s Sunoco gas stations and garages on Bay Street, in Winslow, Main Street, in Fairfield, and College Ave, in Waterville. His wreckers had “Here Come Al” signage ons the front that could only be read in a mirror. Alberic was an avid fisherman and a hunter, as he had an incredible shot. He went hunting in many states and various provinces in Canada. Al was a dedicated gardener and was an accomplished builder, as he built several homes in the central Maine area.

At his retirement, Al and Caribel moved to Casa Grand, Arizona, where they resided and made many friends until their return to Maine in 2008.

Alberic was predeceased by his parents Albenie and Rose Pelletier; his brothers Alvie, Alfred, Richard; sisters Estelle and Shirley Glazier; mother-in-law Gladys Porter and father-in-law Oliver Porter.

He is survived by his wife Caribel of 63 years; daughter Judith Rogde and significant other Richard, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and her son Jarrett and daughter Allison; son Peter and daughter-in-law Sally, on Intervale, New Hampshire, and his sons Brian, Lance and Scott; his son Randall and daughter-in-law Erlile, of Vassalboro, and his daughters Jasmine and Jayde; his daughter Jennifer Pelletier and significant other Scott, of Winslow, and her daughter Tasha; seven great-grandchildren.

An online guestboook may be signed and condolences expressed at www.gallantfh.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that donations be made to Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter, 383 US Route One Suite 2C, Scarborough ME 04074.

OTHERS DEPARTED

GABRIELLE L. MANSON, 102, of Waterville, formerly of Fairfield, Oakland and Unity, passed away on Saturday, February 3, 2018, at Oak Grove Center, in Waterville. Locally, she is survived by son Parrish Manson and wife, Jessey, of Waterville, and daughter Pamela Manson, of Winslow.

LORETTE H. RANCOURT, 86, of Augusta, passed away on Thursday, February 8, 2018, at the Clover Living Center, in Auburn, following a long illness. Locally, she is survived by a daughter, Susan Ainslie and husband Boye, of Vassalboro.

EVA MAY NICHOLS, 71, of Skowhegan, passed away on Saturday, February 10, 2018, at her home. Locally she is survived by daughters Shay Perryman and husband Kenny, of Oakland, and Ida Noonan and fiencé Jeremy Clement, of Vassalboro.

HELEN M. LIBBY, 54, of New Harbor, passed away on Saturday, February 10, 2018, in Harpswell. Locally, she is survived by children Kara Ray and partner Mark Savage, of Washington, and Samual Ray and wife Jordan, of Liberty; brother Matthew Libby, of Unity.

EDMOND L. CARET, 71, of Ashford, Connecticut, passed away on Sunday, February 11, 2018. He was born in Augusta on July 7,, 1941, the son of Benedict and Malvina Caret. Locally, he is survived by brothers Tghomas Caret, of South China, and George Caret, of Augusta.

WALTER H. MASCHINO, 90, of Gardiner, passed away on Monday, February 12, 2018, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, in Augusta, following a short illness. Locally, he is survived by grandchildren Lisa and bob Caron and their children, Micaela, Samantha, Isaiah, Alexander and Beau, of Augusta, Tarsha and Josh Sack and their children Cody, Parker and Joshua, of South China.

KEENAN R. JONES, 53, of Waldoboro, passed away on Monday, February 12, 2018, at his home. Locally, he is survived by a sister, Allison Andrade and husband Mitch, of Washington.

LORRAINE P. HAYDEN, 70, of Starks, passed away on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, at Sandy River Center, in Farmington. Locally, she is survived by daughters Katherine Casey, of Waterville, and Patricia Hayden and fiancé Errol Ireland, of Clinton; and grandchildren Cassandra Gaskey and husband Steve, Alex Casey, and Miriah Casey, all of Waterville, Zachary Casey, of Madison, Tifani Warren, of Skowehgan, and Natasha Warren, of East Benton.

GERMAINE MATHIEU, 95, of Waterville, passed away on Friday, February 16, 2018, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, following a brief illness. Locally, she is survived by her children, David Mathieu, and Helen Nadeau and husband John, all of Waterville; grandson Daniel Nadeau and wife Kahli, of Waterville; brother Leonel Huard and wife Angela, of Winslow; sister-in-law Violette Huard, of Winslow.

AUDREY LAWSON, 76, of Gardiner, passed away on Wednesday, February 21, 2018. Locally, she is survived by a son, Brent M. Lawson Sr. and wife Bonnie, of China.

VASSALBORO: Meeting on dissolving AOS #92 planned for March 6

/0 Comments/in , /by

source: http://www.vassalboro.net/

by Mary Grow

Two major Vassalboro boards meet simultaneously Tuesday evening, March 6.

The Vassalboro School Board has scheduled a public informational meeting on plans to dissolve AOS (Alternative Educational Structure) #92 for 7 p.m. at Vassalboro Community School. The meeting will be preceded by a two-hour supper meeting to discuss 2018-19 budget requests; the budget discussion is also open to the public. A week later, on March 13, Vassalboro, Waterville and Winslow voters will vote on dissolving the AOS. Vassalboro polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the town office.

The Vassalboro Planning Board meets at 7 p.m. March 6 in the town office. Its agenda lists four applications:

  • From Leo Barnett to add an indoor growing facility on his Old Meadow Road property, off Riverside Drive;
  • From Joseph Presti III to dissolve the Country Way subdivision on Ilona Drive, off Crowell Hill Road;
  • From Jeffery and Erica Bennett to build two residences in the shoreland zone on Sheafer Lane, both more than 100 feet from Webber Pond; and
  • From Kevin Luczko for an automobile repair and sales business plus a beauty shop at 270 Main Street, on the south edge of East Vassalboro.

The Vassalboro Budget Committee was scheduled to meet March 6, but latest information from the town office is that the meeting has been canceled so budget committee members can attend the school board’s informational session.

The budget committee will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in the town office meeting room, after that evening’s selectmen’s meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. The selectmen’s agenda includes a discussion with planning board members of proposed changes in Vassalboro’s building permit ordinance.