PHOTO: Taking the hand off
Isaac Chase, 6, takes a hand off from coach Matt Perry during the recent Waterville Youth Football clinic. (photo by Missy Brown, Central Maine Photography)
Northern Light Women’s Health welcomes Dr. Doucette
Stephanye Doucette
Northern Light Women’s Health welcomes Stephanye Doucette, DO. Dr. Doucette joins their practice located at 180 Kennedy Memorial Drive, in Waterville.
She is a Lewiston native and earned her medical degree from the University of New England of Osteopathic Medicine, in Biddeford. She completed her residency in OB/GYN at St. Luke’s University Health Network, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
“It’s exciting for me to be back home in Maine and become part of the wonderful OB/GYN team at Inland. I look forward to helping women achieve their best health,” said Dr. Doucette.
Dr. Doucette offers the following services: OB/GYN care for women of all ages, contraception and family planning, and Laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery. Call to make an appointment today at 872-5529.
Local restaurant provides support for law enforcement
Photo by Mark Huard, Central Maine Photography
Multiple law enforcement agencies and emergency personal were on scene on Tuesday, August 25, in Waterville, after a shots fired incident was reported around 4:15 p.m
Several roads were closed as special tactics teams and negotiators tried to reach and make an arrest on an unidentified person whom police say was discharging a weapon.
Jay Coelho and Desiree Sirois, owners of GRUB, in Waterville, kept the business open until 4 a.m. to help provide law enforcement and first responders with coffee, water, food and restrooms during the emergency.
Waterville Police Chief Joe Massey said, “Grub staying open and feeding first responders was a very nice gesture which allowed us to focus on the task at hand while staying fed and hydrated. ”
Lt. Dave Tripp (Special Services Commander at Maine State Police) sent a card to Grubs saying, “Your support to our teams during the incident is greatly appreciated.”
Grub is a considered a small business in Waterville Maine, and their acts of kindness are big and noteworthy. They have often been known for their down to earth atmosphere, attempting to be creative to meet the needs of their consumers. It’s acts like these that separate them from the pack.
Youth football in Waterville
Coach Matt Vaughan and team member Dylan Devlin practicing during a recent Waterville Youth Football Clinc. (photo by Missy Brown, Central Maine Photography staff)
Waterville Youth Football Player Isaac Chase, practicing with Coach Matt Perry during a recent clinic. The season begins next month. (photo by Missy Brown, Central Maine Photography staff)
Northern Light named to best maternity care list
photo: Newsweek: www.newsweek.com/best-maternity-care-hospitals-2020
Northern Light Inland Hospital has been named to Newsweek’s 2020 list of Best Maternity Care Hospitals. The distinction recognizes facilities that have excelled in providing care to mothers, newborns and their families, as verified by the 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Survey. Best Maternity Care Hospitals is part of Newsweek’s Best Health Care series, powered by data from The Leapfrog Group. Inland Hospital is one of only five in Maine and fewer than 250 hospitals nationwide to receive the prestigious accolade
“We are very proud to be named to such an impressive list,” said Terri Vieira, president of Inland Hospital. “Inland’s Birthing Center is known for its excellent, safe care and for its skilled and caring providers and staff. We are a healthcare family that loves to take care of other families.”
Hospitals named as a Best Maternity Care Hospital have fully met The Leapfrog Group’s standards for maternity care on evidence-based, nationally standardized metrics. This includes lower rates of early elective delivery, primary C-section rates, and episiotomy, as well as compliance with process measures including newborn bilirubin screening prior to discharge and blood clot prevention techniques for mothers delivering via C-section.
“We take the safety of our moms and babies very seriously,” noted William Bradfield, MD, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Inland Hospital. “We are very excited about this award because it recognizes that safety is our top priority. We hope it gives expecting families confidence in us to see that we are doing everything possible to keep them safe and healthy.”
Courtney Cook, RN, birthing director explains that, “We also provide valuable services to make sure moms and babies are healthy beyond the birth experience, such as our In Touch program that connects moms to a nurse 24/7 so they can ask questions or raise concerns after they get home. In addition, our lactation program, breastfeeding support group, and our postpartum support group (called Tree of Hope) all help keep moms healthy and empowered as their bodies change after their labor of love.”
“Best Maternity Care Hospitals showcases an elite group of hospitals from across the country,” said Nancy Cooper, Global Editor in Chief of Newsweek. “These facilities stand out for the care they provide to women and families, and for giving babies a strong start to life. Particularly in these uncertain times, we are honored to share this list of top-ranked facilities with Newsweek’s readership.”
The full list of recipients is available at newsweek.com/best-maternity-care-hospitals-2020.
For more information about the Birthing Center at Inland Hospital, please call 861-3100 or visit northernlighthealth.org/Inland-Hospital.
B2B Showcase canceled for 2020
Board member Emily Cates and Editor Roland Hallee sit at The Town Line’s booth at the Business-to-Business Showcase in 2019. (photo by Eric Austin)
Due to the closing of the Colby campus through the end of the year and the large gathering restrictions currently in place, it became necessary for the Mid-Maine Chamber to postpone the Business-to-Business Showcase to 2021.
According to Cindy Stevens, program director at the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, the showcase will be rescheduled, most likely to the usual late March date, assuming gathering restrictions are lifted by that time. In the event that Colby’s fieldhouse is not available an alternate venue is under consideration.
While no exact date has been announced at this time, all booth reservations will be honored, and all pre-paid deposits or payments applied to that event.
Once a date has been determined, the chamber will re-communicate to all participants with additional details.
Stevens concluded, “while we regret having to cancel this event for 2020, it is out of an abundance of concern for the health and well-being of everyone.”
Parochial vicar named to Corpus Christi Parish
Fr. André-Joseph LaCasse
Bishop Robert Deeley has announced a new priest assignment for Corpus Christi Parish, in Waterville and Winslow.
Effective September 1, 2020, Fr. André-Joseph LaCasse, O.P., has been appointed a parochial vicar at Corpus Christi Parish (Notre Dame Church, Waterville; St. John the Baptist Church, Winslow; St. Helena Church, Belgrade Lakes).
A native of Lewiston, Fr. LaCasse is a member of the Dominican Order, formerly known as the Order of Preachers (O.P.). For over 800 years, the mission of the order has been “to proclaim the Gospel to every corner of the world” so that every soul may come to know and love Jesus Christ.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Maine at Orono. In 1986, he entered the novitiate of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, attending the Dominican House of Studies and receiving his S.T.B./M.Div. degree in 1992, when he was ordained to the priesthood. Since his ordination, Fr. LaCasse has served as a parochial vicar at St. Dominic Church, in Youngstown, Ohio; pastor of St. Patrick Church, in Columbus, Ohio; and, for the last ten years, pastor of St. Gertrude Church, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fr. LaCasse also holds a master’s degree in spirituality from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas (Angelicum), in Rome, Italy.
Waterville Rocks! returns for fifth year with the Rustic Overtones
Rustic Overtones are a seven piece rock band from Portland, Maine with a discography that spans 20 years. The bands unique version of indie rock is strongly influenced by soul music, garage punk, jazz and psychedelic music of the ‘60s and ‘70s. (contributed photo)
Waterville Creates!, one of Maine’s leading arts and cultural organizations with a mission to promote Waterville as a vibrant destination in central Maine, has announced the fifth consecutive year of Waterville Rocks! will happen thanks to a virtual Livestream Facebook concert with Rustic Overtones on Friday, August 28, at 7 p.m. This free concert will be streamed LIVE from the Waterville Opera House and available on Facebook.
The series of free and family-friendly outdoor concerts has in the past featured regional acts, including Enter the Haggis, The Mallett Brothers Band, and The Ghost of Paul Revere, in downtown Waterville’s historic Castonguay Square. Waterville Rocks! is hosted by the Waterville Opera House and sponsored by local businesses, organizations and patrons of the arts. The series is designed to provide free cultural programming for the community and offer a new way to animate downtown Waterville. The 2020 virtual Waterville Rocks! sponsors are Kennebec Savings Bank, Colby College, and MaineGeneral Health.
“It was obvious due to COVID that an in-person series of concerts just would not be possible given the limitations on gathering sizes and lack of touring groups performing during the pandemic,” says Tamsen Brooke Warner, executive director of the Waterville Opera House, the organizer and host of Waterville Rocks! “COVID has forced our organization and those like ours around the world to rethink how we serve our communities and remain fiscally solvent during a time when we cannot gather in person or sell tickets. This Livestream Event is our first serious foray into the world of streaming performances and we are looking forward to getting back in the business of entertaining, if only virtually for the time being.”
Waterville Rocks! is presented by the Waterville Opera House and Waterville Creates! and made possible by the generosity of Kennebec Savings Bank, Colby College, and MaineGeneral Health.
For more information visit: https://www.operahouse.org/shows/2020/4/24/rustic-overtones-in-concert.
Construction updates for downtown Waterville
Downtown Waterville
The North Street Bridge over Maine Central Railroad will be closed from Monday, August 17th through August 31, 2020.
BMB Construction has a contract with Maine DOT to rehabilitate the bridge on North Street over Maine Central Railroad. The bridge will be closed down on August 17 through August 31, 2020. Please feel free to contact Shawn McDougall with any questions, at smcdougall6@hotmail.com, or call 207-852-2585.
Downtown construction completed as of last week:
• The 8-inch main line was completed from Front Street to Main Street.
• The trench line was paved to a full depth of five inches.
• Pavement has been cut in preparation for excavation that was set to begin Monday on Hathaway Street.
• Main Street service trenches and sidewalks for 99, 103, 117 and 173 Main have received two inches of temporary pavement.
• There are two excavations on Main Street currently with compacted gravel awaiting completed foundation cores.
Taste of Waterville canceled due to large gathering restrictions
Plans for return in 2021
Restrictions on sizes for large gatherings into the fall have resulted in the cancellation of Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s 28th Annual Taste of Waterville scheduled to be held on Sunday, October 11, at the Head of Falls, downtown Waterville.
This year’s event had been moved due to construction on Main Street and the anticipation of increased limits for gatherings. According to the Department of Economic and Community Development, increases beyond the 100-person limit for outdoor gatherings are not expected for the remainder of the year.
President & CEO of the Mid-Maine Chamber, Kimberly Lindlof said, “It is with profound sadness that we announce the cancellation of this long-held tradition. However, as with other area events and exhibitions forced to adjust schedules, the health and safety of our attendees is of utmost concern. We will take this time to make next year’s event bigger and better – so watch for information regarding Taste of Waterville 2021 at Head of Falls.”
Committee Chairman Shawn Michaud added, “I love this event, and share Kim’s disappointment. However, the Chamber Taste of Waterville Committee will continue plans for next year’s event, with ample time to develop a format featuring cultural foods and demonstrations focused on the ethnic diversity of the area. The program will continue to be an adult-focused day-long event with a variety of food options, ethnic entertainment, and informative walks, along with live entertainment, beer/wine gardens and brew samples. Entertainment and activities will be announced in early summer 2021.”
For more information as it is determined, visit www.tasteofwaterville.com.