Issue for January 25, 2024
Moments of Pride at RSU #18 schools
CHINA PRIMARY SCHOOL
No Power, No Problem: On Wednesday, December 20, China Primary School welcomed students from China Middle School to join them in their building even with a power outage! Each middle school class paired with an elementary school class for the day. Students helped each other out, played, had a hot meal, and had a warm place to spend the day!…
ATWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dress Like an Elf, Bring Food for the Shelf: At Atwood Primary School, in Oakland, adorned in creative elf attire, staff and students came together to generously contribute to Atwood’s Dress Like an Elf, Bring Food for the Shelf weekend food backpack program. This year, all donations made their way into the backpacks that the elementary school sends home on weekends, providing essential nourishment for families in need…
BELGRADE CENTRAL SCHOOL
Student Council: Belgrade Central School recently started a student council organized and led by Wendy Randall and Meredyth Browning. Students in third through fifth grade were invited to complete an application explaining why they wanted to be part of the group. The school was excited to receive more than 40 applications from students interested in being leaders in the building…
Town News
School board takes up several money items
VASSALBORO – Although discussion of the 2024-25 budget doesn’t start in earnest until February, Vassalboro school board members had several money items on their Jan. 22 agenda. Board members approved wage increases for five categories of substitute employees, to keep them slightly ahead of the state minimum wage that went up to $14.15 an hour on Jan. 1…
Transfer station committee looks for redesign
VASSALBORO – At their Jan. 18 meeting, members of Vassalboro’s transfer station task force finished proposing revisions to the town’s Solid Waste Ordinance, now renamed the Solid Waste and Recycling Ordinance, and planned next steps for the ordinance and for their other task, redesigning the transfer station…
Select board approves emergency services dispatching
CHINA – At a brief meeting on a snowy Jan. 16 evening, China select board members approved an emergency services dispatching agreement, made three committee appointments and briefly discussed pending ordinance changes…
Board carries over $300,000 in WVFD tanker truck funds
WINDSOR – Select board members, at their January 2, 2024, meeting, approved carrying over Windsor Volunteer Fire Department tanker truck funds in the amount of #300,000, which was approved at the last town meeting. Town manager Theresa Haskell said the tanker truck should be ready by the end of January…
Webber’s Pond
Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident (click thumbnail to enlarge)…
AARP Maine announces 2024 legislative priorities
CENTRAL ME – With the second regular session of the 131st legislative session now underway, AARP Maine announces its 2024 legislative agenda which includes expanding caregiver support resources in Maine, as well as a focus on fair and affordable utility rates…
Towns seek Spirit of America nominations
CENTRAL ME – Several area towns, including China and Vassalboro, are seeking nominations for 2024 Spirit of America awards. According to its website, the nonprofit Spirit of American Foundation was established in Augusta in 1990 to honor volunteerism. Initially, municipalities presented awards “to local individuals, organizations and projects for commendable community service”…
Scouts hold Klondike weekend at Camp Bomazeen
BELGRADE – Despite the 14 degree temperature, Camp Bomazeen, in Belgrade, played host on Saturday, January 20, to an outdoor competition between Brown Bears, Northern Pike, Falcons, Arctic Sharks, a Wolf Pack, Antarctic Polar Sturgeon, and Spicy Meatballs. Those were the names of some of the Patrols of Scouts assembled to vie for the top spot in the annual Klondike Derby… by Chuck Mahaleris
PHOTOS: Lacroix captures two gold medals
SKOWHEGAN – Huard’s Martial Arts student Lucia Lacroix, 13, of Skowhegan, captured two gold medals and one silver medal at the AKA Warrior Cup World Martial Arts Tournament, in Chicago, Illinois, on Friday and Saturday January 12 – 13…
Name that film!
Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to The Maine Film Center, in Waterville: “They’re here!” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is February 8, 2024…
York County CC announces fall honors
CENTRAL ME – York County Community College students are recognized each semester for their outstanding acadmic acheivements, in York. Stacy Bettencourt, of Jefferson,, part-time dean’s list; Michaela Bisson, of Winslow, dean’s list; Lucas Wallace, of Skowhegan, part-time dean’s list…
SNHU announces fall dean’s list
CENTRAL ME – Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), in Manchester, New Hampsire, congratulates the following students on being named to the Fall 2023 dean’slist. The fall terms run from September to December. Nicholas Stutler, of Sidney; Justin Drescher, and Kristina Wilbur, both of Augusta; Carrielee Harvey, of Waterville; Emily Hernandez, of Embden; and Javyn Greenlaw, of Oakland…
Bickmore named to dean’s list
WASHINGTON – Jacob Bickmore, of Washington, has been named to the Commonwealth University dean’s list for the Fall 2023 semester. Bickmore is a student at the Mansfield campus…
Olivia Bourque makes fall 2023 dean’s list
VASSALBORO – Eastern Connecticut State University, in Willimantic, Connecticut, recently released its dean’s list for the fall 2023 semester, in which more than 1,300 students were recognized for maintaining high GPAs. Among them is full-time student Olivia Bourque, of Vassalboro, a sophomore who majors in health sciences…
William Banks named to dean’s list
JEFFERSON – Springfield College, in Springfield, Massachusetts, has named William Banks from Jefferson, to the dean’s list for academic excellence for the 2023 fall semester. Banks has a primary major of physical education…
Local students named to president’s list at Plymouth State
CENTRAL ME – The following local students have been named to the Plymouth State University president’s list for the Fall 2023 semester, in Plymouth, New Hampshire: Kaiden Kelley, of South China; Dylan Flewelling, of Oakland; Sidney Hatch, of Oaklan; and Sondre Ashei, of Klepp Stasjon…
Plymouth State University announces fall dean’s list
CENTRAL ME – The following area student have been named to the dean’s list at Plymouth State University, in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Joscelyn Gagnon, of Benton, and Courtney Peabody, of Solon…
Local happenings
EVENTS: AARP Tax-Aide program available in central Maine
CENTRAL ME – The AARP Tax-Aide program provides free federal and state income tax preparation and electronic filing to low-and moderate-income individuals. Returns are prepared by IRS-certified volunteers. The program is funded by the AARP Foundation, a tax-exempt charitable organization, and the IRS…
EVENTS: UMaine Extension offers maple sugaring workshops
CENTRAL ME – UMaine Extension 4-H offers maple sugaring workshops in Piscataquis, Penobscot, Somerset, Aroostook, Waldo counties starting Feb. 7…
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Valentine’s dance planned
MADISON — United Bikers of Maine Somerset County will be hosting their annual Valentine’s Dance on Saturday, February 10, 2024, from 8 p,m, to midnight, at Madison American Legion Post #39, 20 S. Maple Street, Madison. Live music by Country Comfort: $10 per person or $20 per couple. Open to the public 21+ event. FMI: contact Sue Gordon at 207-431-4883… and many other local events!
Obituaries
SIDNEY – Stanley “Red” Cummings, 70, passed away at home, Sunday, January 7, 2024. He was born May 21, 1953. Red was the “go to guy” for his large family and neighbors… and remembering 11 others.
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: People for whom ponds are named (new)
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Previous articles have mentioned ponds and lakes in central Kennebec Valley towns with people’s names, like Pattee or Pattee’s Pond, in Winslow. Some of these water bodies are named for early settlers. Your writer intends for the next few weeks to match ponds and people, to the extent permitted by available resources… by Mary Grow
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Diary-keeping, Ballard & Bryant
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Kennebec Valley, your writer recently read Richard Beeman’s Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution (2009). Beeman described the 1787 convention in Philadelphia at which men from 12 of the 13 original states (Rhode Island refused to play) wrote what became the Constitution of the United States, succeeding the 1777 Articles of Confederation… by Mary Grow
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Streams of northern Winslow
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — As promised last year, this article finishes the story of mills and dams in 19th-century Winslow, or as much of the story as your writer has found, before moving south to Vassalboro’s Seven Mile Stream… by Mary Grow
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Winslow, Hollingsworth & Whitney
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — In addition to the historic mills on Outlet Stream and smaller flowages in Winslow, Kingsbury mentioned two larger mills on the east bank of the Kennebec in the 1890s. One he described as a new “large steam saw mill…on the historic grounds of Fort Point,” covering most of the “palisade enclosure of old Fort Halifax”… by Mary Grow
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, February 15, 2024
Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Hannaford Supermarket! Email your answer to townline@townline.org or through our Contact page. Include your name and address with your answer. Use “Common Ground” in the subject!
Previous winner: Diana Gardner, Windsor
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | Although I don’t usually write about domestic pets, here is something that came across my desk last week that I must share with my readers, especially where it deals with a very sensitive subject when it comes to the family canine…
CRITTER CHATTER
by Jayne Winters | I love chatting with Don Cote at the Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab Center – he has over 50 years of critter stories to share! Not all have happily-ever-after endings, but I think every one of the animals Don and his late wife Carleen cared for over the decades touched his heart. It’s comforting to me to know that those who didn’t survive were tended to by folks who did their best to keep them safe and comfortable in their final days or hours…
THE BEST VIEW
by Norma Best Boucher | My cat Olivia loves to bird watch. In her wild outside cat days, I suppose she hunted a few birds, but she was more content catching lizards and snakes that didn’t take off into the air in the middle of the chase. I found many heads of these dead reptiles at my back door…but never a bird…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | A 1998 history book, Big Trouble, by Anthony Lukas (1933-1998) is a massive 875 pages of compulsively fascinating reading centered on the 1905 assassination of Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg (1861-1905) who was originally elected via support from organized labor but then declared martial law when one mine was destroyed by more radical union elements…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
(HEALTH) | The National Institute on Aging reports that individuals who are 65 or older are more likely than younger people to have cardiovascular-related issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, or heart failure…