Issue for October 30, 2025
Local scouts attend international camporee
The date was September 26 when several cars and trucks rolled into Moosehorn Wildlife Refuge, in Baring. The vehicles were filled with 150 youth and leaders of Scouting America ready to take on the challenges that lay ahead in the 63rd annual Moosehorn/Cobscook International Camporee. The theme of the camporee was Zombie Apocalypse… by Chuck Mahaleris
Town News
Three local referendum questions on ballot
VASSALBORO – Vassalboro voters have local questions to answer at the polls on Nov. 4, in addition to the state referendum questions…
White Ridge Road to keep its name, pending appeal
VASSALBORO – At a second Vassalboro Board of Appeals hearing on his request to change the name of his road, resident Silas Cain lost on a 2-1 vote. The dead-end road off Oak Grove Road is currently named White Ridge Road. Barring further action, it will keep the name…
Cemetery committee begins 2026-27 budget requests
VASSALBORO – The three Vassalboro Cemetery Committee members at the Oct. 20 meeting started considering their 2026-27 budget request, without making any decisions…
China candidates for Nov. 4: response to questions
CHINA – For Regional School Unit #18 board: newly appointed board member Heather Neal, unopposed for re-election….
An open letter to our readers
At The Town Line, we aren’t just reporting news—we’re telling the stories that shape our community. Written by locals, for locals, our paper reflects the heart and soul of central Maine. We exist because of you, our readers and local businesses, and we believe that when our community thrives, so does The Town Line. But times are tough for local newspapers. In fact, since 2005, one-quarter of U.S. newspapers have shut down, and experts predict that a third will be gone by 2025. Local papers like The Town Line—dedicated to covering the unique issues in our rural towns—are feeling this strain the hardest…
HealthReach announces new board member
ALBION – Connie Coggins, President & CEO of HealthReach Community Health Centers, announces that Dr. Paul Forman has joined the organization’s Governing Board of Directors…
Palermo residents should expect surveys in mail
PALERMO – The Conservation Committee will soon be mailing out a survey to Palermo residents to gather input on commercial solar arrays and commercial wind farms. Copies of the survey will also be available at the town office…
Janelle Bernier named to the Berea College dean’s list
ATHENS – Janelle Bernier, a resident of Athens, has been named to the Spring 2025 dean’s list at Berea College, in Berea, Kentucky…
Local happenings
EVENTS: All Saints Sunday in Vassalboro
VASSALBORO — A special service will be held at Vassalboro United Methodist Church on All Saints Sunday, November 2, at 10 a.m., when those in attendance will be given opportunities to remember those loved ones they have loved and lost…
EVENTS: Golden Agers plan trip
CHINA — The China Area Golden Agers are arranging a trip to the Gardens Aglow on Friday, December 12, 2025. You do not have to be a member of Golden Agers to join on this exciting, colorful experience to a venue right here in the great state of Maine…
CALENDAR OF EVENTS: “Dismantling of Democracy” slated for South China Library
So.CHINA – Please join us for an event on Sunday, November 9, at 1p.m., in the meeting room of the South China Public Library. This event is presented by the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, in Augusta, and is entitled “The Dismantling of Democracy”… and many other local events!
Obituaries
WINSLOW – Ronald Austin Colwell, 77, of Lake Placid, Florida, and Winslow, passed away on Sunday, October 12, 2025. Ron was born on December 5, 1947, in Augusta, the son of Ruth Emma (Austin) and John Roy Colwell…
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: “I’m king of the world!” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is November 6, 2025.
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Revolutionary War Veterans Windsor, Palermo, China (new)
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — This article is the last – for now – about the Revolutionary War’s effects on central Kennebec Valley towns. It again covers towns not on the river. As previously mentioned, one effect was a post-war population increase throughout the valley, including veterans, most with families. Some of these men and their descendants became prominent in their new towns, shaping growth and development… by Mary Grow
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Area Revolutionary War veterans
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — This sub-series started out to explore the effects of the American Revolution on Kennebec Valley towns, and turned into short biographies of some of the veterans who moved to the area after the war. In other words, one effect was an increase in population… by Mary Grow
The first Methodist foreign missionary was a son of Central Maine
CENTRAL ME HISTORY — In October, 1793 the Methodist itinerant minister, Jesse Lee from Virginia first preached in Hallowell and a Methodist Society was formed. Capt. Charles Cox and his wife Martha, of Hallowell, were the first two converts to Methodism in that town. In 1799 Martha gave birth to twins, Melville and Gershom and when a revival was held there in 1800 the couple had their sons baptized. Both of the boys grew up to become Methodist ministers… by Dale Potter-Clark
Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Albion Revolutionary veterans
ALBION HISTORY — Other towns included in this series that are in the Kennebec Valley, but lack direct access to the Kennebec River, are Albion, China, Palermo and Windsor. These towns’ earliest known settlers came later than the first settlers along the Kennebec… by Mary Grow
Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!
DEADLINE: Wednesday, November 13, 2025
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: Dave Carew, Waterville
Town Line Original Columnists
SCORES & OUTDOORS
by Roland D. Hallee | There is nothing more soothing than to hear a coyote cry out in the darkness when at a remote location in Maine. Coyotes have made a return to Maine. This happened sometimes in the 1960s and they have settled in very well. Archeological research has shown that coyotes lived in the East 30,000 years ago. What caused the coyote to leave the East is not known…
MAINE-LY GARDENING
by Jude Hsiang | We are in the week of Jack O’ Lanterns, and folks are dressing and decorating with orange, black, purple, and acid green. In two months our color scheme may be reds, whites, and greens. If we plan now, we can have some exciting flowers to brighten the house for the holidays and beyond…
AARP NEWS YOU CAN USE
by Joyce Bucciantini | The winter holidays will soon be upon us, filled with Thanksgiving turkey, December parties, and holiday gift-giving. And yet, as we savor our pumpkin pie and plan our Black Friday shopping lists, scammers are also looking forward to increased opportunities to cheat us out of our hard-earned money and spoil our holiday cheer…
FARM GIRL AT HEART
by Virginia Jones | Farming is one of those lifestyles that is part of the heartbeat of our nation. Farming has been around for thousands of years. It is a way of life that takes grit and hard work. As this nation has grown in both number, knowledge and experiences, farming and homesteading has been passed down through the generations…
REVIEW POTPOURRI
by Peter Cates | The late Sir Andrew Davis (1944-2024) first came to my attention just over 50 years ago with a really good record of the Shostakovich 10th Symphony played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. What most impressed me was the manner in which he allowed that hyper-intense masterpiece to breathe naturally, unlike the New York Philharmonic recording under Dimitri Mitropoulos which was a blowtorch in its thrilling from beginning to end eloquence…
QUINN MINUTE
by Rix Quinn | What’s the most important position on a football team? I vote for the center. Some pay more attention to the quarterback or running backs, but without the center they’d just be standing around…
FOR YOUR HEALTH
HEALTH | Good news: According to a recent report from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), discoveries across basic, translational, and clinical research as well as population sciences are driving advances in cancer medicine and early detection, leading to a steady decline in the overall U.S. cancer death rate, and allowing more people to live longer and fuller lives after a cancer diagnosis…