Issue for February 3, 2022

Celebrating 33 years of local news

Annual China Lake Ice Fishing Derby to culminate weekend town-wide festivities

The China Four Seasons Club and the China Village Fire Department are partnering again for the 3rd Annual China Lake Ice Fishing Derby to be held on Sunday, February 20. This year’s derby will be part of a winter weekend festival – “China Ice Days” – featuring town-wide activities starting on Friday evening and continuing all day on Saturday… by Sandra Isaac

Norman Black is Maine’s only recipient of the STACVA

Norman Black of South China is Maine’s only 2021 winner of a national Small Town America Civic Volunteer Award. Select Board Chairman Ronald Breton presented Black with a certificate at the Jan. 31 select board meeting. Breton said Black, a China native, has been a member of the Weeks Mills volunteer fire department since he was a teenager and a member of China Rescue for 10 years…

Your Local News

Select board looks at half a dozen proposals for 2021-22 town budget

CHINA — The main business at the Jan. 31 China Select Board meeting was discussion of the first half-dozen accounts in the proposed 2022-23 town budget. The main decision made was on salary increases for town employees. In a series of split votes, with board Chairman Ronald Breton and members Blane Casey and Wayne Chadwick on one side and Jeanne Marquis and Janet Preston on the other…

TIF committee hears request from Thurston Park, broadband

CHINA — China Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee members reviewed two applications for 2022-23 TIF funding at their Jan. 27 meeting. Jeanette Smith, chairman of the Thurston Park Committee, explained why her group is asking for $34,600. Jamie Pitney, a member of the China Broadband Committee (CBC) as well as the TIF Committee, explained the CBC request for $40,000 from two different packets of TIF money…

Solar company may expand array onto another lot

CHINA — At their Jan. 25 meeting, China Planning Board members continued discussion of two of their Jan. 11 topics. Since Jan. 11, they learned, China’s town attorney, Amanda Meader, has agreed that if SunRaise Investments leases more land adjoining the planned solar farm on the south side of Route 3, the company may enlarge the solar array…

PFAS: The “forever chemicals” making more headlines

PALERMO — Many of you may have recently seen an article posted by the Town of Palermo about PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” and learned that the DEP would be investigating sites in our town. During the fall of 2021, you may also remember local headlines like this: “Toxic Water in Fairfield: Residents with drilled wells deal with sky high levels of PFAS.” PFAS are man-made chemicals known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances… by Pam McKenney

Public hearing regarding proposed contracting with Liberty Ambulance

PALERMO — The Palermo Select Board will be holding a public hearing on Friday, February 11, at 6 pm. The meeting will take place at the Palermo Community Library, located at 2789 Route 3, in Palermo. The main topic of discussion will be the proposed contracting with Liberty Ambulance Service as an emergency service provider for Palermo…

LETTERS: All electric, all in

from Frank Slason (Somerville) – As we keep adding wind and solar power to remove carbons at bay, we are overlooking one important fact, and that is, in my opinion, we are trying to play catch up at too late a time. It won’t matter how much we augment fossil fuels for electric generation because if [all] goes according to plan, in the next decades we will all be driving EV (electric vehicles), and this is just one of the inevitable loads we will be adding to the electric grid…

LETTERS: Interesting message

from Marion Woodbury (Winslow) – The article about the Fort Hill Cemetery, in Winslow, (The Town Line, January 20, 2022), was a very good story. About 40 or more years ago, when wandering through the cemetery, I came across a handsome stone with an interesting message. I hope it is still there…

LETTERS: Letter to Maine vets

from Don LeFante (Cape Neddick, ME) – Your service to our country has always been appreciated by patriotic Americans. We are thankful that our country has men and women like yourselves that were able and willing to defend our freedom. To say thank you again would simply not rise to what you put on the line, in service to our country. America has remained the greatest nation on earth, in large part because of men and women like yourselves…

Apple Pruning workshop set for March 12

ROCKPORT– Register by March 4th for Apple Pruning Techniques hands-on workshop at Midcoast Conservancy’s Trout Brook Preserve in Alna. Knox-Lincoln Soil & Water Conservation District is pleased to collaborate with Midcoast Conservancy to offer a program on pruning techniques needed to keep your apple trees productive…

Katrina Smith announces run for Maine House

SKOWHEGAN – Katrina Smith, a Republican from Palermo, has announced her run for State Representative for District 62; China, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor and Hibberts Gore…

Carrabec High School honor roll

NORTH ANSON– List of honor roll students from Carrabec High School…

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wars – Part 5 (new)

PALERMO/SIDNEY/VASSALBORO HISTORY — Palermo, Sidney and Vassalboro, like the central Kennebec cities and towns in the previous two articles in this series, had Revolutionary War veterans among their early settlers. In Milton Dowe’s Palermo history, he identified Isaac Worthen (March 4, 1762 – March 1, 1841; later the name became Worthing), one of two brothers who moved to Palermo (then Great Pond Settlement) from New Hampshire, as a “hero of the Revolution”… by Mary Grow [1987 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wars – Part 4

ALBION/CHINA/CLINTON/FAIRFIELD HISTORY — Ruby Crosby Wiggin wrote that town and state records and cemetery headstones identify more than a dozen Albion residents who were Revolutionary War veterans. Two, Francis Lovejoy and John Leonard, were among early settlers. Rev. Francis Lovejoy, grandfather of Elijah Parish Lovejoy, was in Albion by 1790. Wiggin found that he served initially in “Colonel Baldwin’s regiment” and later re-enlisted to fill the quota from his then home town, Amherst, Massachusetts… by Mary Grow [1896 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wars – Part 3

WATERVILLE & AUGUSTA HISTORY — After the Revolutionary War, the demobilization of the army increased the population of the Kennebec Valley. This article and the following will describe some of the Revolutionary veterans who became part of local history, chosen more or less randomly. A visit to old cemeteries in area towns would undoubtedly add more names… by Mary Grow [1917 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Wars – Part 2

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — As readers know, major wars have major effects, beginning before the battles, continuing for the duration and lasting years afterwards. Early historians tended to focus on economics and politics: whether development was slowed or speeded or both, who replaced whom in leadership. Later came interest in social effects, especially significant in the aftermath of the Civil War… by Mary Grow [1675 words]

Give Us Your Best Shot!

The best recent photos from our readers!…

Webber’s Pond

Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident (click thumbnail to enlarge)…

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Nerd Fest slated for Vassalboro

VASSALBORO — Sunday February 6, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Come to the Olde Mill, in Vassalboro, for a Nerd Super Bowl like no other. Everyone loves a day of games, crafts, toys, comics, fortune telling, dungeons & dragons, art, books, sword play, dolls, fairies, zombies, wands, dice towers, castles, woodworks, robots, mugs, battle royale, play dress up with Batman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, and so many others… and many other events!

Obituaries

ALBION – Charles Frederick “Fred” Matthew Rowlette, 80, of Albion, passed away on Sun­day morning, January 23, 2022, at Maine­General Comfort Care, in Augusta, following a season of ill health. He was born June 17, 1941, in Drumkeeran Co, Leitrim, Ireland, the oldest son of Gerald Rowlette and Elizabeth (Buchanan) Rowlette… and remembering 14 others.

Town Line Original Columnists

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee | This year, the time really snuck up on me. Looking at the calendar as January faded away, I realized that February 2 was right around the corner. “I’m late this year,” I thought. It was time to go visit Woodrow Charles, the weather prognosticating groundhog buddy of mine who lives out in Center Vassalboro…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | Poet Leo Connellan (1928-2001) was born in Portland, grew up in Rockland, lived in Greenwich Village, New York City, during the late ‘50s as part of the generation of beat poets and, upon moving to Connecticut during his later years as a college professor, became recognized as a poet laureate…

I’M JUST CURIOUS

by Debbie Walker | Winter. What a wonderful season, as long as I am in Florida. When I got up this morning it was 27 degrees. I don’t like it, but I can tolerate it for just a few days. Sitting in my Florida home, furnace is giving me the heat I need. I decided to share some of my vast knowledge (ha! ha!) of winter that I have collected just to share with you…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI)—For many, the past year has been a reminder that they can take important steps in taking charge of their own health and well-being. Now that it’s time for new resolutions, making a positive change for some can mean quitting tobacco…