HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
Issue for May 11, 2023
Webber and Threemile ponds restoration work update
Project partners who worked on and completed the China Lake Alewife Restoration Initiative are turning their attention to Webber Pond, Threemile Pond and Seaward Mills Stream. The seven-year China Lake project involved fully removing three dams and installing fishways at three other dams. In 2022, more than 800,000 adult alewives were counted moving into the lake, producing vast numbers of juveniles that were able to safely migrate out of the lake… by Landis Hudson, Maine Rivers
Town News
Select board holds public hearing on warrant articles before small audience
CHINA – The China select board’s May 8 public hearing on warrant articles for the June 13 town business meeting attracted a small audience – five residents – with an hour’s worth of questions and comments…
Select board agrees to apply to KVCOG Resilience Partnership
CHINA – China select board members unanimously agreed to apply to join the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments Community Resilience Partnership, approving the first step at their May 8 meeting…
Select board discusses composting, animal control
WINDSOR – The Windsor Select Board discussed a variety of topics during its March 28 meeting, including a proposed composting project, the introduction of the town’s animal control officer, and improvements to the local cemetery…
Select board addresses public works, transfer station concerns
WINDSOR – At the April 11 meeting of the Windsor Select Board, attendees discussed various town topics, including the Public Works department, the Transfer Station, the Cemetery Sexton, and the Town Manager’s items…
Planners, town manager work on questionnaire to be mailed to town residents
VASSALBORO – When Vassalboro select board members and Town Manager Aaron Miller work on the questionnaire they intend to mail with the 2023-24 tax bills, planning board members would like to have three questions from them included…
Legislative Report as of Thursday, May 11, 2023
CENTRAL ME – List of legislative bills sponsored by local senators and representatives…
Mid-Maine Chamber names new marketing director
WATERVILLE – Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, located in Waterville, welcomes Bridget Campbell as its new marketing and membership director. Bridget will be replacing Brandi Meisner, who was VP of Operations, and has left to work for her family businesses, Maine Cedar Hot Tubs and Skowhegan Wooden Rule Co., following two years in her position…
Will A.I. break the future? (TLDR: yes, yes it will)
by Eric W. Austin | Can machines think? How do we even define thinking, and how can we recognize it in anyone other than ourselves? These questions are becoming increasingly important as recent advancements in artificial intelligence blur the line between human cognition and digital simulation. The progress made in language processing through the use of neural networks, which simulate the functioning of a human brain, has yielded results that have surprised many, including myself. In this article, I will share my experience playing with two of these new tools over the past several weeks…
Up and down the Kennebec Valley: May holidays
MAINE HISTORY — The month of May hosts two well-observed national holidays in the 21st-century United States: the second Sunday is Mother’s Day, and the last Monday is Memorial Day. There will be no story about Mother’s Day; it’s too new. Nor will your writer trouble you with details about the many other May holidays listed on line… by Mary Grow
School News
Area students named to the University of Vermont dean’s list
CENTRAL ME — The University of Vermont, in Berlington, Vermont, has announced the following local students have been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2022 semester. Jillian Brown, from Augusta, is majoring in human development and family studies. Autumn Boody, from Washington, is majoring in communication sciences and disorders. Abbigail Doiron, from Augusta, is majoring in health sciences…
Windsor students are top 10 seniors at Maine Arts Academy
WINDSOR — Maine Arts Academy recognizes all 41 graduates of the class of 2023, according to a news release from Diane Manter at the academy. Among the class’s top ten seniors are Alexis Scott, who was second, and Alyssa Gagne, who was third, both of Windsor. Graduation will be Thursday, June 1, at the Augusta Civic Center…
Carrabec High School top 10 seniors
NORTH ANSON — A list and brief profiles of the top ten seniors at Carrabec High School in North Anson…
Local happenings
EVENTS: Spectacular laser show to benefit Winslow Food Cupboard
WINSLOW – Winslow Community Cupboard food pantry—which serves thousands of food-insecure children, seniors, and other adults from Winslow, Waterville, Skowhegan, Fairfield, and 20 other surrounding towns—will benefit from a spectacular Drive-in Laser Show & Concert coming to the Clinton Fairgrounds from Thursday, May 18, through Sunday, May 21, with gates opening at 5 p.m. each evening…
Webber’s Pond
Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by an anonymous central Maine resident (click thumbnail to enlarge)…
Name that film!
Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville: “I feel the need — the need for speed!” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is June 7, 2023…
Listing of local town meetings
CENTRAL ME — Listing of 2023 local town meetings in central Maine. To have your town listed, please email us at townline@townline.org…
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Return to the Prom 2
MADISON — American Legion Post #39, 20 S. Maple Street, Madison, invites you to another Return to the Prom on May 20, 2023, 7 – 10 p.m. Come out and join the fun! Donations accepted at the door to benefit the “New Building” Fund. FMI: Call 696-5848, after 3 p.m., on Mondays through Saturdays…. and many other local events!
2022-’23 Real Estate Tax Due Dates
Real estate tax due dates for the towns of Albion, China, Fairfield, Oakland, Palermo, Sidney, Vassalboro, Waterville, Windsor and Winslow…
Obituaries
CHINA – Ronnie Retamar, 57, of China, passed away on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, following a prolonged battle with Scleroderma. He was born on February 8, 1966, to Puerto Rican parents in St. Vincent Hospital in the major industrial city of Bridgeport, Connecticut… and remembering 10 others.
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, May 11, 2023
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: Alden Cook, Augusta
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | My wife has been trying to attract cardinals to our feeders at home for quite some time. Last Sunday she got her wish when a pair of cardinals came in search of food. First, the female showed herself by clinging to a feeding station. A couple of minutes later, the male appeared. I had told my wife when she first saw the female that, for sure, the male was not far away. When you see one cardinal, the mate is always nearby…
THE BEST VIEW
by Norma Best Boucher | At first, I was embarrassed when I couldn’t remember this teacher’s name, but then I realized that teachers’ names are not written on their students’ foreheads, but what they do for their students is indelibly written on their minds…
I’M JUST CURIOUS
by Debbie Walker | I have to admit that most of this column has come from a local paper here in Florida. It’s the Senior Voice of Citrus County. The most recent one was full of May days and celebrations. We’ll start out with Mother’s Day. (Miss you Mom)…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | The 28th president, Thomas Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), had been a professor of history and president of Princeton University before being lured into New Jersey Democratic party politics, and he soon found out that he enjoyed politics a lot . In the three-way race of 1912, Taft and Roosevelt split the vote among Republicans, thus assuring Wilson the White House…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
(NAPSI)—As the days get longer and the temperatures warm up, spring is the perfect time to take stock of your household and your health. This season is a time of renewal and rejuvenation, offering the opportunity to make some simple moves to improve your overall well-being. To make the most out of a spring refresh, we’ve rounded up some of our top cleaning and health and wellness tips…