Sugarloaf to launch Cat-skiing to Burnt Mountain

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Sugarloaf’s Bracket Basin glade skiing will get lift service by two snow cats this season. Photo by Jamie Walter courtesy of Sugarloaf Mountain.

Dan CassidyINside the OUTside

by Dan Cassidy

There’s a new “Cat” coming to ski country, and it’s coming to Sugarloaf’s Burnt Mountain. It’s the first cat-skiing service in Maine and one of very few east of the Rockies.

The announcement was made recently by Noelle Tuttle, Communications Manager at Sugarloaf. The resort has purchased a new 12 passenger snow cat that will work along with an existing 12-passenger cat to transport skiers and riders to the top of the Androscoggin Glade from the Log Yard located at the bottom terminal of the King Pine chairlift.

Glade cutting crews have been busy this summer working to develop a designated cat road and clear a new glade on Burnt Mountain that will add 100 acres of newly-developed terrain to explore.

According to the announcement, Burnt Mountain and the Androscoggin Glade have been accessible to skiers and riders willing to hike or skin.

“Since its opening, our side country terrain has become a fan favorite among Sugarloafers,” said Crusher Wilkinson, Sugarloaf Vice President of Mountain Operations. “The new Burnt Mountain Cat Skiing will not only enhance the skiing and riding experience, but also make the terrain more accessible to our guests.”

Burnt Mountain cat rides will be offered on weekends and vacation weeks only, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The two passenger cats will rotate shuttling skiers and riders every 20 minutes, and guests will be able reserve their seat online in advance.

Riding and skiing at Burnt Mountain is recommending for experts, according to the press release. Anyone unfamiliar with the Burnt Mountain terrain is encouraged to visit Ski Patrol at the top of the Androscoggin Glade for more information.

The 2020 Ten-Year map outlines the resort’s ten-year vision for development. Since the vision was first unveiled in 2010, the resort has seen numerous upgrades and improvements, said Noelle Tuttle, in a press release. The resort has added more than 600 acres of new terrain, a new quad chairlift, massive upgrades to its snowmaking system and lift infrastructure, as well as various village enhancements and upgraded facilities throughout the resort.

It’s time to get into shape, as the snow Gods will be with us soon. And while you’re working out, it’s also time to get your ski/snowboard gear tuned up and ready to hit the slopes.

GARDEN WORKS: Winding Down – Making it count at the season’s end

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Emily CatesGARDEN WORKS

by Emily Cates

The end is near – of the gardening season! The vines have shriveled, the leaves have fallen, and the grass is turning brown. Though the scene outside may have begun to look rather apocalyptic, for many gardeners there are still many activities that can be done before the snow flies and the ground freezes. Let’s take a look at a few of them, including garden clean-up, preparation for next year, and selective and strategic plantings. Since it’s actually an ideal time of year without bugs and blazing heat and humidity, let’s get to it and enjoy the outdoors.

First things first! Rule Number One at the season’s end is to clean up all debris from spent plants. That way, pests and diseases won’t have a hiding place to overwinter and an encore performance. I prefer to be as thorough as possible, sending the remains to a burn pile. Some folks like to turn poultry out to the garden at this time to help with the clean-up and to leave their own “deposits.”

With plants and weeds cleared away, I like to dig up the garden with a spading fork, paying extra attention to grubbing out unwanted roots and rhizomes. While we’re at it, why not add some organic matter? It might be a good time to clean out the coop, hutch, shed, or stable and incorporate the manure and bedding into the garden. Other amendments, such as Azomite and other supplements for the soil, can be mixed in as directed. A nice, thick mulch will keep these valuable materials from getting washed out, and will facilitate easy garden care in the springtime.

At this point, we could put the garden to bed; or, if we’d like to plant garlic – hold off on mulching until garlic is planted. Also, it’s a great time of year to plant trees! As long as there is adequate moisture in the soil from planting time until the freeze, a tree, shrub, or vine should do just fine and won’t normally need to be watered extra in the spring. Go ahead and move, transplant, plant – whatever – and make sure it get’s plenty of water.

Speaking of trees, it’s a good idea to label them and wrap their trunks to the snowline with a tree guard. (I prefer tin foil! So inexpensive, useful, and recycle-able!)

It’s the end of the gardening season for sure, but for the wise and savvy gardener, it’s just the beginning of activities and refreshing times outdoors!

Fairfield PAL Junior Division champions

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Fairfield PAL football league Sonny’s Pizza team captured the 2017 Junior Division championship with a 12-0 win over VFW on October 22. Front row, from left to right, Lane Chapman, Jeffrey Clark, Hunter Curtis, Damion York, Evan Greene, Jonathan Higgins, Joseph Greene and Landas Mansfield. Middle row, Trey Leclair, Noah Garza, Aiden Noble, Evan Sargent, Gauge Getchell, Ethan Sargent, Leighton Bradford, Benjamin Murphy, Rylan Smith, Brayden Mullen Xayvier Garcia, Dawson Moore, Tristyn Picchiotti and Garrett Leclerc. Back row, Coaches Jamie Foster, Mark Murphy, Mark Bradford, Justin Moore and Brady Leclerc.

Photo by Missy Brown, Central Maine Photography staff

TECH TALK: Bug hunting in the late 20th century

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(image credit: XDanielx – public domain via Wikimedia Commons)

ERIC’S TECH TALK

by Eric W. Austin
Computer Technical Advisor

The year is 1998. As the century teeters on the edge of a new millennium, no one can stop talking about Monica Lewinsky’s dress. September 11, 2001, is still a long ways off, and the buzz in the tech bubble is all about the Y2K bug.

I was living in California at the time, and one of my first projects, in a burgeoning technical career, was working on this turn of the century technical issue. Impacting the financial sector especially hard, which depends upon highly accurate transactional data, the Y2K bug forced many companies to put together whole departments whose only responsibility was to deal with it.

I joined a team of about 80 people as a data analyst, working directly with the team leader to aggregate data on the progress of the project for the vice president of the department.

Time Magazine cover from January 1999

Born out of a combination of the memory constraints of early computers in the 1960s and a lack of foresight, the Y2K bug was sending companies into a panic by 1998.

In the last decade, we’ve become spoiled by the easy availability of data storage. Today, we have flash drives that store gigabytes of data and can fit in our pocket, but in the early days of computing data-storage was expensive, requiring huge server rooms with 24-hour temperature control. Programmers developed a number of tricks to compensate. Shaving off even a couple of bytes from a data record could mean the difference between a productive program and a crashing catastrophe. One of the ways they did this was by storing dates using only six digits – 11/09/17. Dropping the first two digits of the year from hundreds of millions of records meant significant savings in expensive data-storage.

This convention was widespread throughout the industry. It was hard-coded into programs, assumed in calculations, and stored in databases. Everything had to be changed. The goal of our team was to identify every instance where a two-digit year was used, in any application, query or table, and change it to use a four-digit year instead. This was more complicated than it sounds, as many programs and tables had interdependencies with other programs and tables, and all these relationships had to be identified first, before changes could be made. Countrywide Financial, the company that hired me, was founded in 1969 and had about 7,000 employees in 1998. We had 30 years of legacy code that had to be examined line by line, tested and then put back into production without breaking any other functionality. It was an excruciating process.

It was such a colossal project there weren’t enough skilled American workers to complete the task in time, so companies reached outside the U.S. for talent. About 90 percent of our team was from India, sponsored on a special H-1B visa program expanded by President Bill Clinton in October of ’98, specifically to aid companies in finding enough skilled labor to combat the Y2K bug.

For a kid raised in rural New England, this was quite the culture shock, but I found it fascinating. The Indians spoke excellent English, although for most of them Hindi was their first language, and they were happy to answer my many questions about Indian culture.

I immediately became good friends with my cube-mate, an affable young Indian man and one of the team leaders. On my first day, he told me excitedly about being recently married to a woman selected by his parents while he had been working here in America. He laughed at my shock after explaining he had spoken with his bride only once – by telephone – before the wedding.

About a month into my contract, my new friend invited me to share dinner with him and his family. I was excited for my first experience of true Indian home-cooking.

By and large, Californians aren’t the most sociable neighbors. Maybe it’s all that time stuck in traffic, but it’s not uncommon to live in an apartment for years and never learn the name of the person across the hall. Not so in Srini’s complex!

Srini lived with a number of other Indian men and their families, also employed by Countrywide, in a small apartment complex in Simi Valley, about 20 minutes down the Ronald Reagan Freeway from where I lived in Chatsworth, on the northwest side of Los Angeles County.

I arrived in my best pressed shirt, and found that dinner was a multi-family affair. At least a dozen other people, from other Indian families living in nearby apartments – men, women, and children – gathered in my friend’s tiny living room.

The men lounged on the couches and chairs, crowded around the small television, while the women toiled in the kitchen, gossiping in Hindi and filling the tiny apartment with the smells of curry and freshly baking bread.

At dinner, I was surprised to find that only men were allowed to sit around the table. Although they had just spent the past two hours preparing the meal, the women sat demurely in chairs placed against the walls of the kitchen. When I offered to make room for them, Srini politely told me they would eat later.

I looked in vain for a fork or a spoon, but there were no utensils. Instead, everyone ate with their fingers. Food was scooped up with a thick, flatbread called Chapati. Everything was delicious.

Full of curry, flatbread, and perhaps a bit too much Indian beer, Srini and his wife walked me back to my car after dinner. Unfortunately, when Srini’s wife gave me a slight bow of farewell, a tad too eager to demonstrate my cultural savoir-faire, I mistook her bow for a French la bise instead. Bumped foreheads and much furious blushing resulted. Later, I had to apologize to Srini for attempting to kiss his wife. He thought it was hilarious.

Countrywide survived the Y2K bug, although the company helped bring down the economy a decade later. Srini moved on to other projects within the company, as did I. The apocalypticists would have to wait until 2012 to predict the end of the world again, but the problems – and opportunities – created by technology have only grown in the last 17 years: driverless cars, Big Data, and renegade A.I. – to deal with these problems, and to exploit the opportunities they open up for us, it will take a concerted effort from the brightest minds on the planet.

Thankfully, they’re already working on it.

Here at Tech Talk we take a look at the most interesting – and beguiling – issues in technology today. Eric can be reached at ericwaustin@gmail.com, and don’t forget to check out previous issues of the paper online at townline.org.

Obituaries, Week of November 9, 2017

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OLIVE L. DOSTIE

FAIRFIELD – Olive L. Dostie, 70, passed away Monday, October 16, 2017, at her home in Fairfield. She was born November 27, 1946, in Fairfield, the daughter of Wallace S. and Victoria M. (Nutt) Moshier.

She was employed as a cook and bartender by the Elks Club, in Waterville, and at Truckers International Restaurant, in Fairfield, for over 20 years as a cook.

Olive is survived by her husband, Vincent Dostie, of Fairfield; daughter, Victoria Shaw, of Skowhegan; step-sons, Larry Dostie and wife Kim, of Seabrook, New Hampshire, Vince Dostie and wife Anna, of Rome, Georgia, Harvey Dostie and wife Tracey, of Standish, James Dostie and wife Maureen, of Durham, David Dostie and wife Leah, of Oakland; two sisters, Almedia Dudley, of Benton, Ethel Kron, of Connecticut; 16 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren.

She was predeceased by son, Scott Shaw; brother, John Moshier; and two sisters, Louise Poulin and Hazel Spencer.

Arrangements under the direction and care of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan, ME 04976.

RONALD G. MORIN

BENTON – Ronald G. Morin, 79, died peacefully at home following a long battle of cancer. He was born March 14, 1938, in Waterville, the son of Malcolm and Anita (Durette) Morin.

Following graduation from Waterville High School, he joined the United States Air Force, where he served in Vietnam and later retired as a Master Sergeant after 20 years. He then served for 19 years with the Air Force in Civil Service, retiring again as a G.M.13. He had a dry sense of humor and was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.

Ronald is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; three daughters, Tracy Zorichak and husband Richard, of California, Anita Fomin and husband Dimitry, of Arkansas, and Tina Pryor, of Virginia; son, David, of Florida; 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to MaineGeneral Hospice Volunteers of Kennebec Valley, PO Box 828, Waterville, ME 04901-0828.

Arrangements were under the direction and care of Dan & Scott’s Cremation & Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan, ME 04976.

LEROY G. ADAMS

WINSLOW – Leroy G. Adams, 87, of Winslow, passed away Tuesday October 24, 2017, at his home. Leroy and his twin sister, Evelyn, were born to Gardner Leroy and Anna Lenard Adams February 15, 1930, in Hartland.

He started his lifelong baking career at Harris Bakery, in Waterville, at 15. For 35 years he worked at and eventually owned McDonald’s Bakery, in Gardiner.

In 1949 he met Lorraine Giroux. They married in 1951, had five children and enjoyed over 66 years of their lives together.

Leroy was a serious gardener, in fact “Gardner” was his middle name. He had lots of interests including camping and fishing but was happiest whenever surrounded by his family. Forever an optimist, one of his famous quotes was “if I was doing any better I’d be worried.”

He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, in Hallowell, for over 50 years and later a member of the Corpus Christi Parish, in Waterville, and a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Leroy is survived by his wife Lorraine; his sons David and his wife Leisa, of Avon, John and his wife Aimee, of Norridgewock, daughters Barbara and husband Alfred, of Litchfield, Susan and her companion Vaughan, of Northport; 15 grandchildren; and a growing number of great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his daughter Catherine.

An on-line guestbook may be signed and condolences expressed at www.gallantfh.com.

Memorial donations may be made to the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care, 361 Belgrade Rd., Augusta, ME 04330.

DIANA M. YORK

WINSLOW – Diana Marie York, 80, of Winslow, passed away on Monday October 23, 2017, following a long illness. She was born in Winslow on July 8, 1937, the fifth of six children of Amanda (Bernatchez) and Joseph Manzo.

She attended Winslow schools and worked at the Sister’s Hospital, in Waterville, in both her junior and senior years of high school, before graduating from Lawrence High School, in Fairfield, class of 1956. After graduating she attended cosmetology school in Augusta and became a licensed beautician, working in a salon in Unity.

On June 29, 1957, she married Robert York, in Pensacola, Florida, where he was in the US Navy, School of Photography. Reassignments in the Washington DC area, Boston area and Newport, Rhode Island, completed their enlistment before moving back to Maine.

Through the years Diana enjoyed crocheting, she was an accomplished seamstress and knitted over 500 afghans. She enjoyed making different crafts, playing cards and doing word find puzzles. Given Diana’s French and Italian heritage she was an outstanding cook and was especially known for baking pies and bread and most of all for her spaghetti sauce.

Diana loved going to yard sales and taking her family on outings to swim and fish on China Lake. She will be remembered for many wonderful things and especially for her beautiful big blue eyes, her smile, her generosity and her readiness to help others. She was an active member of the Getchell Street Baptist Church, in Waterville.

Diana is survived by her husband of over 60 years, Robert York, of Winslow; her four children: son Joseph York and his wife Narky, of Virginia, son Daniel York and his wife Rosario, of Michigan, daughter Luanna York and her significant other David Nevedomsky, of Winslow, and son Robert York, Jr. and his wife Michelle, of Winslow. She also leaves behind her beloved grandchildren, Joshua, Jesse, James, Jacob, Amanda, Chelsey, Sebastian, Sabrina; her delightful great-grandchildren, Tyrese Scott York, Jacob Scott York Jr., Antwan Scott York, Daissey, Jayden and Tomas; as well as a large extended family.

She was predeceased by her parents; and her five siblings, Alfred Manzo, Henry Manzo, Johnny Manzo, Angelina (Manzo) Libby and Marjorie (Manzo) Folsom.

Please visit www.veilleuxfuneralhome.com to share condolences, memories and tributes with her family.

Please consider making a donation in Diana’s memory to a charity of your choice

DAVID P. GALLANT

SOUTH CHINA – David P. “Punky” Gallant, 77, of South China, died unexpectedly in West Gardiner on Saturday, October 21, 2017. He was born on November 4, 1939, the son of the late John and Yvonne (Arseneault) Gallant.

David graduated from Cony High School, in Augusta, in 1958. He served honorably in the Army from 1959-62. He was a lifetime member of the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks #964, of Augusta; Calumet Club; and Fraternal Order of Eagles of Augusta.

David played goalie for Maxim and NAPA hockey teams for many years, softball for various Augusta teams, coached little league, and mostly he loved his horseshoe games and played for more than 30 years. He was very involved in the leagues at the Kennebec Valley Horseshoe Association and belonged to Capital Area Recreation Association for many years. He was an avid fisherman, hunter and camper in his early years and he so enjoyed playing cribbage.

Prior to his retirement, he was employed by Statler Tissue Co. for 35 years.

David was predeceased by his brother, John Robert Gallant, and the mother of his children, Arlene (Poulin) Gallant.

He is survived by his wife Jean Carney-Gallant, of South China; his children David P. Gallant, Jr. and fiancée Pam Pomerleau, Daniel J. Gallant and fiancée Lauren Pease, Michael Gallant and wife Jennifer, Michelle Gallant Colwell and husband Dean; his stepchildren Mary Hunt and husband Dale McKay, Patricia Desmarais and husband Chris, Michael Hunt and wife Terri, Barbara Chadbourne and Jon Jellison, Susan Gilbert and husband Norman; two sisters Gloria Gallant Erwin and husband Bob and Jean Gallant Pickett, one brother Charles Gallant; 14 grandchildren, Tabitha McCollett-Gallant, Cody Gallant, Madison Jackson, Owen, Julia and Natalie Colwell, Calvin Beneck, Rebecca and Andrew Shaw, Michaela Hunt Ames, Jessica and Zachary Chadbourne, Kelli Susee and Brittany White; and six great-grandchildren.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Plummer Funeral Home, 16 Pleasant St., Augusta, ME. Condolences, photos and memories may be shared at www.plummerfh.com.

THERESA M. LEMIEUX

FAIRFIELD CENTER – Theresa Mary Lemieux, 89, wife of Joseph Lemieux, died Saturday, October 21, 2017, at Mount St. Joseph Nursing Home, in Waterville She was born in Benton on November 15, 1927, the daughter of Wilfred and Yvonne (Ouellette) Pouliot.

Theresa was a teacher in the Northwest territories of Canada for 25 years, starting in a one-room schoolhouse. She later taught for five years at Lawrence High School, in Fairfield. She then went on to work for the Lawrence Library, in Fairfield, and continued as a volunteer there after her retirement.

Theresa enjoyed painting, camping, canoeing, hiking, cooking and sewing and was a loving and devoted wife.

She was predeceased by her parents; and her two sisters, Lucille Roy and Jeanne Patrie.

Theresa is survived by her husband Joseph L. Lemieux, of Fairfield Center, her brother Henry Pouliot, of Fairfield Center, and a large extended family.

An on-line guestbook may be signed and condolences expressed at www.gallantfh.com.

OTHERS DEPARTED

DONNA A. LECLAIR, 60, of Shawmut, passed away on Thursday, September 21, 2017, at home. Locally, she is survived by her husband Jim, of Shawmut; son Byron Bergeron and partner Cathy, of Clinton; daughter Danielle Sanborn, of Canaan; grandsons Tresten Bergeron and friend Tiffany, of Fairfield; and sister Sandy Leclair, of Benton; and sister-in-law Linda Leclair, of Winslow, and brother-in-law Kenneth Leclair and wife Jodi, of Fairfield.

RICHARD A. COOLE, 84, of Cornville, passed away on Saturday, September 30, 2017, at the hospice center at the Maine Veterans Hospital, in Augusta. Locally, he is survived by a sister, Charlene Vadestine, of Fairfield.

ROBERT C. KUHN, 82, of Waterville, passed away on Sunday, October 1, 2017, at Lakewood Continuing Care, in Waterville. Locally he is survived by a daughter Jan LaCroix, of Winslow; granddaughters Jessica Rogers and her daughter Aria, of Waterville; grandsons Robert LaCroix, of Winslow, and Joseph LaCroix and wife Eliana and their daughter Spencer, of Winslow.

JAMES H. PARSONS SR., 70, of Augusta, passed away on Monday, October 2, 2017, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, in Augusta. Locally, he is survived by a son, James H. Parsons Jr. and wife Leslie, of Albion, and a step-daughter Rebecca Young and husband Christopher, of China.

WILLIAM F. SMALL, 73, of Augusta, passed away on Monday, October 2, 2017, at Maine Medical Center, in Portland. Locally, he is survived by a daughter, Susan M. Von Oesen and husband Jamie, of Unity, and grandchildren Shawn M. Rose and Shane W. Von Oesen, all of Unity.

THELMA RANCOURT, 95, of Waterville, passed away on Tuesday, October 3, 2017, at Lakewood Continuing Care, in Waterville. Locally, she is survived by a daughter Rachel, of Waterville; and daughter-in-law Charlene (Rancourt) Breton and husband Ron, of Winslow.

TENNIE A. MIRACLE-GLEASON, 80, of Manchester, passed away on Tuesday, October 3, 2017, at her farm house. Locally, she is survived by a daughter Kathleen Cassidy, of Winslow.

FLORENCE G. BARTER, 91, of Skowhegan, passed away on Wednesday, October 4, 2017, at Cedar Ridge Nursing Home, in Skowhegan. Locally, she is survived by a granddaughter, Amy Ireland and husband Scott, of Vassalboro.

HARVEY J. VIOLETTE, 96, of Oakland, passed away on Wednesday, October 4, 2017. Locally, he is survived by his children, Donald Violette and wife Janie, of Waterville, Sandy Violette and husband Dave, and Patsy Veneziano and fiancé Jack Pickett, all of Winslow.

HAL D. STRATTON SR., 36, of Belgrade, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, October 6, 2017, while working in the woods with his father. Locally, he is survived by his father, Hal Stratton and wife Gayle, of Belgrade; his mother Amanda Stratton and partner David Goudreau, of Albion; fiancée Cathleana Trecartin, of Belgrade; two daughters, Harley Stratton and Angel Stratton, two sons Joseph Stratton ad Hal Stratton Jr., sister Danielle Stratton and fiancé Christopher Varney, of Belgrade, and step-brother Curt Morse, of Winslow.

MARY E. MARTELL, 57, of Smithfield, passed away on Wednesday, October 11, 2017, following a brief illness. Locally, she is survived by daughters Nicole Dyer and Katherine Martell, both of Oakland. brother Kenneth Bragdon, of Vassalboro; sisters, Ann Bathgate and husband Steven, of Albion; Deanna Works and husband Dwayne, of Oakland, Norma Allen and partner Ronnie Dudley, of Vassalboro; sisters-in-law Jeanne Willette and Joi Martell, both of Winslow, Lori Eldredge, of Vassalboro, Diana Spear, of Waterville, Angel Cole, of Oakland, and Jessica Landry, of Rome; brothers-in-law Brad Martell, of Fairfield; grandchildren Nicholas Hall, of Waterville, and Mason Ross, of Oakland.

ROGER M. BOIVIN, 61, of Leeds, passed away on Thursday, October 12, 2017, at the Hospice House, in Auburn. Locally, he is survived by a brother, Rayno Boivin, of Unity.

HERBERT J. MULLEN, 76, of Boothbay, passed away on Saturday, October 14, 2017, at his home. Locally, he is survived by brothers Edwin Mullen and wife Angela, of Oakland; sister Lisa Levine and Matt, of Oakland; sisters-in-law Roberta Jones and husband Ed, of Fairfield, and Kathy Stevens and husband John, of Albion.

FORMER RESIDENTS

SYBIL C. SAUCIER, 89, of Gibsonton, Florida, passed away on Saturday, September 30, 2017, at St. Joseph’s Hospital, in Riverview, Florida, following a brief illness. Sybil was born in Waterville on November 27, 1927, to the late Ralph and Hope Fitch. She was a Waterville High School graduate. She and her husband, Fred Saucier, were the former owners of Green Valley Campground, in Vassalboro.

Kervin welcomed to Castleton University

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Castleton University, in Castleton, Vermont, is excited to welcome Heather Kervin of Winslow, ME to the Castleton community. Kervin is one of more than nearly 600 new students who have registered for the fall 2017 semester!

Knight enrolled at St. Lawrence University

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St. Lawrence University, in Canton, New York, has welcomed Saige Knight, of Oakland, as a member of the class of 2021. Knight attended Messalonskee High School.

Palermo & Montville: Voters weigh-in on state referendum questions

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The unofficial results of the November 7 state referendum questions for both the Town of Palermo and the Town of Montville, as reported by town clerk Sandi Devaney.

Statewide Referendum Election Results

Town of Palermo

Question #1:

Yes – 56
No – 299

Question #2:

Yes – 163
No – 190

Question #3:

Yes – 255
No – 128

Question #4:

Yes – 203
No – 142

Town of Montville

Question #1:

Yes – 26
No – 221

Question #2:

Yes – 160
No – 89

Question #3:

Yes – 166
No – 73

Question #4:

Yes – 147
No – 86

BBBS seek volunteers in mid-Maine

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine (BBBSMM) is looking for volunteers in Kennebec Valley to serve as coordinators at its School-Based mentoring programs. Coordinators are adults from the community who can dedicate 1½ hours one day each week from October through May (except school vacation weeks) to be at the match meetings of high school “Bigs” and elementary school “Littles.” The meetings take place after the school day.

Every school mentoring location has 1-2 coordinators who attend each week to oversee and supervise the weekly match meetings to ensure match quality and child safety.  School-based coordinators are interviewed, screened and trained and receive ongoing support and training from BBBS staff throughout the year. Continuing education credits are also provided.

Successful coordinators are responsible, dedicated, enjoy working with and coaching youth of all ages and backgrounds, have great listening skills, are willing to learn, love to play, have patience, flexibility and a sense of humor. Coordinators arrive early to greet the matches, help set up and clean up meeting supplies and snacks, facilitate group match activities if appropriate and coach “Bigs” as they navigate their relationships with their “Littles.” Coordinators have regular weekly contact with BBBSMM staff to discuss match meeting and site logistics, attendance, successes, issues and concerns.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mid-Maine has immediate need for School-Based Coordinators at the following local sites for the 2017-18 school year:

Hussey Elementary (Augusta): Mondays, 3 – 4 p.m.
Gardiner Area Boys and Girls Club (Gardiner): Thursdays, 4 – 5 p.m.
Alfond Youth Center (Waterville): Mondays, Wednesday, or Thursdays 2:45 – 4:15 p.m.

​ To learn more about becoming a volunteer School-Based Coordinator in the Kennebec Valley region, please contact Lindsey May, School-Based Manager, at (207) 592-4606 or email lindsey@bbbsmidmaine.org.

Vassalboro: Melrose wins three-way race for vacant seat

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro voters have chosen John Melrose to fill out the remainder of the late Philip Haines’ term on the Board of Selectmen.

In a three-way race, Melrose received 517 votes, Larisa Batchelder received 320 and Lewis Devoe received 169, according to Town Clerk Cathy Coyne.

Melrose, 66, chairs the Vassalboro Budget Committee and has extensive experience working with municipal issues on the regional and state level.