Tom Carlin
Tom Carlin, son of William and Carol Carlin of Lebanon, is graduating Summa Cum Laude as the class Salutatorian. Tom is a member of the National Honor Society and the math team. He was also a member of Noble’s soccer and baseball teams. Tom served as a student member of the I-3 Network Grant team, and he researched ways to integrate and assess Tony Wagner's 21st Century Skills into Noble's current senior project.
Tom received a Merit Scholarship to Bryant University where he plans to major in actuarial mathematics.
Adam Neubert
Ranking third and a Summa Cum Laude graduate, Adam Neubert, is the son of Eric and Nancy Neubert of Lebanon.
Adam was the recipient of the Southern Maine Athletic Association Citizenship Award and the Noble Award for varsity soccer. He was a member of the varsity baseball team, the jazz band, the symphonic band and the pit band. He was also a National Honor Society member and he received an Honorable Mention Award for the essay he wrote for the U.S. Institute for Peace.
Outside of school, Adam is a volunteer member of the Lebanon Fire Department. Adam will be attending Maine Maritime Academy where he will receive a full tuition Naval ROTC Scholarship. He plans to major in Marine Engineering Technology.
After completing his undergraduate degree, he will receive his commission as an officer in the Navy.
CONGRATS! Top 3
Noble High grads
all from Lebanon
Allison Pierpont
The Valedictorian of the Noble High School Class of 2012 is Allison Pierpont, daughter of Steven and Traci Pierpont from Lebanon.
In addition to graduating Summa Cum Laude, Allison is the recipient of the Maine Principal’s Association Award and the Phi Beta Kappa Award. She is also the House III Honored Senior of the Year. She received an Emory College Grant and a Northeastern University Excellence Scholarship.
She was a member of the Regional Fine Arts program for writing and creative writing, Student Council President, President of the National Honor Society, a leadership team student representative, a member of Project SEARCH as well as a student intern for SEE Energy Conservation Program.
Allison is a mentor for Kids Connection and she was the catalyst for the creation of the Academy III mentoring program. Allison plans to attend either Emory College or Northeastern University in the fall.
Harrison Thorp photos
Frank Colello of Buxton, in the bucket, and Dan Ferrante of Standish, below, workers for Lewis Tree Service, trim roadside trees and clear debris Monday in a light drizzle on Dixon Road. The rain is expected to continue on and off through Wednesday.
Rainy days
and Mondays.
Spirits stay low, but so do
town streams and creeks
The bad news is a third straight day of rain was keeping the spirits down of Lebanites hoping for a warm, summerlike start to June.
The good news is the water in the town’s rivers and streams was down as well, staying within its banks and posing no threat, at least for now.
“Most of the brooks are staying within their banks,” said Road Commissioner Larry Torno Monday. “Right now it’s actually receding.”
The only slight runover was on Shapleigh Road on the flat about halfway between Dixon Road and Five Corners.
Other areas of town that are dry but prone to flooding are Union School Road, Heath Road and parts of the dirt stretch on Lower Guinea, Torno said.
Another spot of Shapleigh between Gully Oven and Merchants Row that has been prone to flooding in the past was clear, thanks to culvert work that was done, Torno added.
A flood watch is in effect until 8 p.m. tonight, according to the National Weather Service in Gray.
Periods of rain are forecast at least until Thursday, with decreasing probability every day until then. After a 70 percent chance forecast today, Tuesday has a 40 percent chance of showers and Wednesday a 30 percent chance.
On June 12, voters will have to decide:
Can they manage
without a manager?
When Lebanon voters soundly defeated funding of a town manager position last June, it may have been the $98,000 price tag that made them balk.
But backers of a town manager say it is a position whose time has come for the growing town of Lebanon and that whatever residents pay in salary can more than be made up for in efficiency of operation, accessibility and grant money secured for the town by an effective manager.
Many others in town, including the present Board of Selectmen and both candidates for selectmen are against the position, which is listed under Referendum 2 on the June 12 ballot. Selectman candidate Jason Cole has said, however, he might consider a town manager if the position were to eliminate one of the other town hall positions.
Selectmen Chairman Bob Frizzell said a town manager means bigger government and higher taxes.
Proponents would disagree, even say quite to the contrary.
“We’ve lost a lot of grant money,” said Corinna Cole, who is no relation to Assistant Rescue Chief and selectman candidate Jason Cole. She has helped fuel the push for a town manager form of government. “If they brought in grant money it would more than cover their salary,” she added.
'We’ve lost a lot of grant money. If they (a town manager) brought in grant money it would more than cover their salary.'
- Corinna Cole
Voting under way
Voting today was reported as steady at Lebanon Elementary School as voters went to the polls to vote on 37 referendum questions as well as selectman, state representative, budget committee and school board positions.
Christine Torno, a moderator of Election Day activities at the school, said voting levels as of midmorning were comparative with last June.
Selectman candidates Jason Cole and Robie Marsters stood outside under hazy sun greeting voters as they went inside the school. State Rep District 144 candidate Dan Archambault, a Republican from Acton, was also on hand.
Inside, eight pollworkers guided voters through the process, from registering, to the booth to the ballot machine. Town reports were available upon leaving the polls, which will be open until 8 p.m.
Other groups on hand as voters left the polling area included the Dorcas Society, Fire Department and West Lebanon Commnity Ladies Circle and Lebanon Baseball..
Terence O'Neil carries one of his 11-month-old twins, Hugo, after voting on Tuesday at Lebanon Elementary School. Unseen is Hugo's, brother, Fergus.
Murderer in 1999
slayings kills self
Steven Brown Patricia Teeter
Good Samaritans Christopher Brouillard, left, and Donald Wood were beaten and stabbed to death. At left above, the slab where the mobile home rested. At left, a 1999 license plate in the driveway today.
The site of what may been Lebanon’s most horrific crime ever was eerily peaceful Friday, and now, perhaps, family members who lost loved ones in the brutal double slaying can regain some degree of peace, too, after it was learned murderer Steven Brown took his own life May 29 at a federal prison in Georgia.
Brown, the New York man who orchestrated the bloody double murder in Lebanon 12 years ago, reportedly hanged himself at a federal prison in Jesup, Ga. His death was confirmed to The Lebanon Voice today by prison spokesperson Erin Chalfant.
Brown pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in connection with the case and asked for the death penalty, but was denied.
In March 1999 Brown, along with his friend Patricia Teeter, traveled to Maine to the Lower Middle Road home where Brown’s estranged wife, Deborah Brown, was living with her boyfriend, Christopher Brouillard; and her brother, Donald Wood.
Teeter went to the house and told Wood she was having car trouble, and when he went out to the car to help, Brown bludgeoned and stabbed him to death.
She then went back to the house and told Brouillard that Wood needed help fixing the car, and when he came out, Brown killed him, too.
When Teeter went back to the house a third time to try to get Wood’s girlfriend to come out, Deborah Brown spotted her estranged husband and was abducted by the pair. A massive manhunt by law enforcement tracked them to a Greenbush, N.Y., motel where the pair was were arrested without incident less than two days later. Deborah Brown was OK.
Teeter, now 52, is serving a 20-year state sentence and a 29-year federal sentence concurrently at a prison in Connecticut.
Assistant Rescue Chief Jason Cole said today he was the first Rescue Squad responder to arrive at the scene, and while there was nothing he could do to help the victims, he recalls the night vividly.
A faded mailbox for the address in the woods not far from where the two men were slain.
“It was the most police officers I’ve seen in Lebanon,” he said today. “They told us to stand by. We staged at the corner of Little River and Lower Middle roads, about a quarter mile away.” Cole said between 50-75 law enforcement vehicles converged on the crime scene.
York County Sheriff Maurice R. Ouellette was among the first lawmen to arrive. “We made sure the scene was secure and waited for the State Police who took over the case,” Ouellette said.
On Friday the lot at 141 Lower Middle Road is empty save for a garage and a cement slab where the mobile home was. In the driveway lay a Maine license plate with a 1999 registration sticker. A mailbox for 141 Lower Middle Road had been discarded in the woods near where the two men were killed.
A neighbor said the mobile home was lived in until a couple of years ago when it became deteriorated so badly it was removed. Another neighbor when told of Brown’s death didn’t want to talk, except to say, “I hope he roasts in hell.”
Cole takes it
A question allowing Laverne Lane as a town road was approved, 571-423.
In all, 1066 ballots were case, including 246 absentee ballots.
In uncontested races, Joanne Potter was elected to the School Board, and Judith Churchard, Roger Varney and Mark Stuart won seats on the Budget Committee.
About 25 percent of Lebanon’s 4,000 registered voters made it to the polls.
In the state representative Republican primary contest for District 144, town budget committee member Aaron Bragdon was ahead of Dan Archambault in Lebanon voting, but results for other District 144 towns were unavailable.
After a night of terror
some closure at last
Jason Cole, who lost a bitterly contested election last year to challenger Karen Gerrish, reclaimed his seat on Lebanon's Board of Selectmen last night, defeating political newcomer Robie Marsters.
Cole, who tallied 591 votes to Marster's 445, said he was uncertain on the outcome until the count was announced around 10:40.
"I am extremely excited and my heart was racing as the votes were counted. I was very nervous,” said Cole. “But I truly enjoyed spending the day with Robie. I thanked him for a clean campaign. He’s got some great ideas, and I hope he brings them to the selectmen because he has some good ideas.”
Cole was sworn in by town clerk Laura Bragg around 10:45 immediately following the tallying of votes.
“It’s such a great feeling being a selectman again,” Cole said. “Cause I truly love this town and the job of selectman. I’m sad we’re losing a good man like Ronnie Patch. We’re losing a very good selectman."
In ballot questions, Lebanon residents sounded a death knell for the town manager position, refusing to fund the position, 790-226, then revoking the town manager plan all together, 583-229.
A referendum that allowed selectmen to spend $70,000 on the historic town hall on Center Road passed narrowly, 541-507.
The ballot question authorizing selectmen to grant an easement or sell property for the CMP expansion plan passed, 762-279.
The Fire Department's request for a new firetruck was rejected, 583-458.
In what may have been the biggest surprise of the night, the Special Amusement Ordinance, which would have restricted, and effectively precluded adult-style entertainment in town bars and nightclubs, failed, 525-427.
Another ordinance which exempted many active military personnel from excise tax was approved, 750-246.
Town manager plan, firetruck
nixed; Laverne Lane OK'd
Courtesy photo
Jason Cole takes the oath of office Tuesday after winning a selectman's seat.
Honorable in battle,
gracious in defeat
Robie Marsters was gracious in defeat today, saying he wished Jason Cole the best of luck and thanking him for a clean campaign.
“No one swapped any mud,” Marsters said. “That’s the way it’s supposed to be. I made up my mind early on I was going to stay positive, and that’s what I did.”
Marsters, who was defeated by Jason Cole 591-445, said he especially wanted to thank all those who gave him their vote. “I want to thank all my supporters,” he said. “I hope I got my message across. I hope people understood where I was coming from.”
Marsters, who stood alongside and bantered much of the day with Cole outside the Lebanon Elementary School during voting, said he was none the worse for wear after the 17-hour Election Day odyssey, save for a little sunburn. “I feel roasted today,” he said. “I got a lot of sun.”
Robie Marsters.
...called for, maintained clean campaign.
Cyclist injured in Route 202 accident
A motorcyclist reportedly trying to avoid a deer laid his bike down on Route 202 near Stokewoods Restaurant last night.
The injuries were not considered life-threatening, and the patient was transported to Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.H., for treatment.
The accident was reported at 10:27.
The rider, who was traveling with a group of
family members and others, reportedly laid the bike down to avoid colliding with the deer or other bikers, according to Assistant Rescue Chief Jason Cole. The rider was wearing a helmet.
The motorcycle sustained heavy damage and was towed from the scene. The accident is under investigation by Maine State Police.
Harrison Thorp photos
Angela Maloney gets lunchtime hugs from, from left, Chloe Sprague, Oliva Morrill and Brooke Mclaughlin, while Bev Olean works with Caleb Rainaud Tuesday at the Hanson School.
The hugs,
oh the hugs
For retiring teachers,
a bittersweet week
after a wonderful
career in Lebanon
When first-grade teacher Angela Maloney works lunch duty at the Hanson School these days she can’t look at next year’s first-graders. “They’d be mine next year,” she says turning away.
Maloney, who’s been working in Lebanon schools for 35 years; and Bev Olean, who’s been teaching in Lebanon for 29 years, will work their final day and get their final hugs next Wednesday. For them, school’s out forever.
“I know who would be in my class next year,” Maloney said this week as she got hugs from children finishing their meal. “I don’t look at them too much. I can’t.”
Maloney, who lives in Acton, says teaching youngsters to read has probably been the most fulfilling part of her job. “It’s just a wonderful time, and I love the kids,” she said. “And, of course, you get lots of hugs.”
She said she’ll also miss the camaraderie of classroom teachers and staff, and will try to stay busy in retirement helping her son run his farm.
For Olean, who has taught kindergarten, first grade and most recently Reading Recovery, this week has been bittersweet.
“It’s very sad,” said Olean, who lives in Lebanon. “I’m leaving a wonderful job, and the staff is amazing. I’ve loved every minute of it.”
AG raps selectmen
over meeting snafu
posted Thursday, June 14, 1:30 p.m.
Town selectmen were chastised, but neither formally censured nor punished, in connection with an incident May 1 in which they posted a meeting the same day as a scheduled vote, then voted before the notice said they would.
In her letter of explanation dated June 11, Assistant Attorney General Phyllis Gardiner said while the Freedom of Access violations did not appear "willful," she took exception to the late notice of the Tuesday meeting, writing, “Providing less than twelve hours of notice of a meeting does not, on its face, appear ‘ample (notice).’”
On the date in question, selectmen sent a notice around 9 a.m. that they would be voting on the June 12 Referendum Questions at 4:30 p.m.
When The Lebanon Voice and another citizen arrived at 4:30, selectmen said they had voted already, in advance of the published time they said they would.
Voting prior to the published posting drew criticism in the letter from Gardiner as well. “Voting on matters before the time that was posted in the public meeting notice clearly frustrates the purpose of the public notice requirement and the goals of the public meeting law.”
Bob Frizzell Ronal Patch Karen Gerrish
While the AG’s office did not feel these transgressions rose to a level that would warrant formal enforcement action under the Freedom of Access law, it did “encourage the town to be vigilant about providing ample notice of public meetings in the future, to avoid reoccurrence of this type of situation.”
The letter was directed to Selectmen Chairman Bob Frizzell, Karen Gerrish and former selectman Ronal Patch.
The Lebanon Voice, which had gone to the May 1 meeting with the intention of covering the vote for its online newspaper, contacted the Attorney General’s office as a complainant in the case, both as a protest against the lackadaisical attention to detail by selectmen regarding open meeting law, and as a fulcrum on which hopefully better communication can be instituted regarding these matters.
“It seems egregious that they would post a meeting on such short notice, then vote prior to the posted time,” said Harrison Thorp, editor and publisher of The Lebanon Voice.
Attempts to reach Frizzell for comment were unsuccessful.
Harrison Thorp photo
Stephanie Glidden and her dad, Shawn, stand in front of one of the meat cases at their new butcher shop, Quality Meats and Deli, in the Shoreyville Plaza on Route 202 in East Rochester, N.H.
'Meat' and greet
Father-daughter duo look to stake out a niche
Shawn Glidden likes to talk meat. His daughter, Stephanie, likes to talk.
Now they’re hoping that combination proves a successful business model with the opening of Quality Meats and Deli in the Shoreyville Plaza in East Rochester, N.H.
Shawn Glidden thought so much of his daughter’s public relations aplomb he hired her as manager. And so far the public is eating it up.
The Lebanon pair opened Quality Meats and Deli on May 23 with a butcher shop specializing in chicken, pork and choice cuts of beef, a small deli and fresh breads. Stephanie Glidden said they haven’t even had their Grand Opening yet, but they’ve been welcomed with open arms by the public.
“It’s been going really good,” she said of sales. “We get a lot of people from Lebanon stopping on their way home, and a lot of people from Rochester, too.”
And while Stephanie knows how to engage customers, Shawn knows how to cut a cow. He’s been around the butcher industry his entire life,
from when his dad had a butcher shop on North Rochester Road in Lebanon to when he traveled for years to his dad’s market in Bethel to work in the meat department there.
Shawn Glidden handles a side of beef like a craftsman, pointing out the different cuts of meat and types of steaks each portion affords.
Stephanie Glidden watches and says the public can be assured if they come to Quality Meats and Deli they will be able to get custom cuts of beef at competitive prices.
“We don’t have the overhead of the bigger supermarkets,” Shawn Glidden said. “So we can be competitive with the bigger stores, and it’s all choice cuts.”
Stephanie Glidden said the hamburger, ground fresh every day, has been a huge hit. “We usually have to grind more every day it goes so fast,” she said. “People are loving our hamburger.
“It’s all about the service, we can give the public whatever it is they want.”
Crash snarls transfer station traffic
Harrison Thorp photo
A fender bender at the transfer station late this morning snarled traffic, but luckily resulted in no reported injuries. Bob Werner, who was driving the Ford pickup, left, Maine State Trooper Kyle Wells, and Ben Chamberlin, who was driving the Chrysler Sebring, discuss the crash. The Sebring sustained heavy front-end damage.
All
the buzz
David Prescott of Champion Street, Lebanon, must feel like a champion, himself, today, as his granddaughter, Kayla, just opened up her first business, Kayla's Cut & Style on Silver Street in Rochester, N.H. Here Kayla takes the comb and scissors to one of her first customers, her son, three-year-old Austyn. Kayla's been cutting hair for other salons for nine years, and decided it was time to try it on her own, she said. She's open seven days a week, and walk-ins are welcome. Looks like she took some scissors to her prices, too. Women can get a wash and cut for $15, guys are just $12.
Harrison Thorp photo
Lebanon Rescue photo
A vehicle engulfed in flames lit up the night near 144 Upper Barley Road on Friday. No one was injured in the fire.
Vandalism ruled out in
Upper Barley vehicle fire
posted 11 a.m., Tueday, June 19
The state Fire Marshal's office has today ruled out vandalism in a vehicle fire near 144 Upper Barley Road on Friday night.
The vehicle, which was totally destroyed in the blaze, was a small camper, according to Daniel Young, a senior fire investigator with the state Fire Marshal's office.
Maine State Police Trooper Kristy Lebritz, who investigated the incident Friday night, said today that the owner appeared to have left the vehicle, then returned and it was on fire.
The initial call came in around 10:17, and the vehicle was fully involved when crews arrived, according to Assistant Rescue Chief Jason Cole, who was first on scene.
“When I arrived on scene, the vehicle was fully involved and was quite a distance from the house, there was no exposure concern with the fire spreading," said Cole, who added neighbors found the vehicle on fire.
No one was injured in the incident.
Emergency crews were on scene until 11:52 p.m.
Elections help stall
town notary probe
posted 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, June 19
The Attorney General’s office investigation into misconduct by a Town Hall notary continues with no timetable for completion, but now that elections are over, a spokesman for the office said they’re hoping to have it “wrapped up as soon as possible.”
Megan Sanborn, a special assistant to the Secretary of State, said on Monday that besides the energy devoted to the recent elections, another notary “issue” being looked at by the office also has slowed the Lebanon investigation.
Sanborn said the AG's office could do one
of three things: revoke the notary’s commission, suspend the commission or administer no punishment at all.
She added that the notary commission would be revoked if the notary convicted a crime according to state statute or rule, or suspended in the case of misconduct.
The AG’s office decided to investigate the incident after it was revealed in March that one Town Hall employee had forged the signature of former Town Treasurer Cindy Arroyo and another had improperly notarized the signature as authentic in connection with a real estate document from 2006.
The heat is on
Cooling station ready; town braces for record temps
posted 5:45 p.m., Tuesday
The National Weather Service in Gray is warning residents of Lebanon and all southwestern, interior Maine of high heat and humidity on Wednesday, with the possibility of heat indexes as high as 103.
Temperatures are predicted to rise to the mid- and upper 90s through the afternoon, with no relief until the evening hours. Combined with high dew points, it could feel like 103 degrees or more.
Here in Lebanon, the Rescue Squad headquarters at 1524 Carl Broggi Hwy. will be set up as a cooling station, with air conditioning available for those who wish to take advantage of it. Volunteers will be available for residents who need a place to go to relax in air conditioning and have cold water, according to Rescue Chief Samantha Cole.
Residents can contact Cole at 608-5614 or Assistant Rescue Chief Jason Cole at 608-5615 for more information.
In case of any power outages, rescue members will be in the area to go door to door to check on residents. The Rescue Squad is also urging residents to keep all animals in a cool area as well.
People are urged to use extreme caution when doing strenuous activity in the middle of the day and to try to restrict such exertion to the early morning or evening hours.
The National Weather Service heat advisory is
Safety tips
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Stay in air-conditioned room if possible
- Stay out of the sun
- Check on neighbors and relatives, especially elderly
- Reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening
- Know signs and symptoms of heat stroke and heat exhaustion
- Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing
National Weather Service
in effect from noon through 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Temperatures and heat indexes are expected to subside somewhat on Thursday and reduce further on Friday when thunderstorms are expected.
No 'amusement' value
in rejected ordinance
Meanwhile, Jeffrey Austin, a supervisor of liquor licensing at the Maine State Liquor Commission, said that voiding Trains’ Special Amusement permit may be easier said than done, especially given the fact the town does not have one. “The town can deny or approve a special entertainment ordinance (to a business), but if they don’t have one, there’s nothing to approve or deny,” Austin said, characterizing it as a Catch-22. “If they (the state) don’t issue licenses to drive, how can they get mad at you for not having a driver’s license,” he added.
Whatever the outcome, most residents have expressed chagrin that more effort wasn’t put into educating voters about the Special Amusement Ordinance such as was done with the CMP expansion initiative.
A cartoon that ran in The Lebanon Voice and an editorial (see below) alluded to the expected voter confusion on Election Day last Tuesday.
A poll in The Lebanon Voice indicates 64 percent didn’t understand what they were voting on. The 1,200-word Special Amusement Ordinance was available during voting, but only about 10 asked for it, according to Town Clerk Laura Bragg.
With voting times hovering around 15 minutes per ballot, it’s clear that timeframe would’ve ballooned if voters had read the ordinance in the polling booth.
HT
The ramifications of Lebanon voters’ rejection of a Special Amusement Ordinance are still unclear, but what is clear is many residents had no clue upon what they were voting, a fact in which few find amusement.
It’s also clear many did not vote on the ordinance, likely because they felt too uninformed to make a rational decision. Most ballot questions received well over 1,000 votes, while Question 31, on the Special Amusement Ordinance, received only 952 votes: 427 in favor of the ordinance, 525 against.
While much of the ordinance’s language deals with exotic, nude or semi-nude dancing, and other adult-themed entertainment, the bottom line is any establishment that serves liquor in the state of Maine, and wants to have live bands and dancing, must obtain a Special Amusement Ordinance from the town it resides in.
The language regarding exotic dancing is in large part so the licensee knows their boundaries.
Lebanon residents voted to allow on-site alcohol consumption for the first time last year.
When the town granted a temporary Special Amusement Permit to Trains Tavern, which opened last fall and is the only on-site liquor establishment in town that offers live bands and dancing, selectmen drafted a Special Amusement Ordinance so decisions in the future could be made with an ordinance that was on the books.
Now, with the town’s rejection of what would have been a permanent ordinance, many feel it leaves the door wide open for adult-themed entertainment to take root.
However, Lebanon Town Counsel Alan Shepard said that’s not the case, that the town has regulatory safeguards in place that address the same scenarios alluded to in the Special Amusement Ordinance that was rejected by voters.
He also said that now, without a Special Amusement Ordinance in place, the town is looking into whether the temporary Special Amusement Ordinance issued to Trains Tavern can be revoked.
Trains Tavern was the site of a brutal beating in January, in which a Seacoast man was kicked in the head after being knocked to the ground and is now permanently disabled. Two Maine men arrested in the attack are awaiting trial this summer.
EDITORIAL
