posted 10 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 18
By Harrison Thorp
The trendy designer drug bath salts, a synthetic derivative that spawns bizarre and dangerous behaviors in users, has become a concern of local law enforcement.
A forum at The York County Sheriff’s Office this week sought to familiarize First Responders on the drug and how to assess and treat suspected users.
Bath salts are now illegal in both Maine and New Hampshire, but it wasn’t long ago they were on the shelves at many area merchants, ostensibly to be used in the bath like Epsom salts or more familiar bath crystals.
But they were instead smoked or snorted or even injected, producing a high that combined symptoms of both methamphetamines and cocaine use as well as extremely bizarre behavior.
A recent PBS documentary told of people under its influence thinking they had superhuman strength and a higher tolerance for pain.
Milton Police Chief Mike McGowan said his department has seen half a dozen or so cases in the past three months of individuals in Milton thought to be under the influence of bath salts and agreed the behavior is unsettling.
“It varies, but it’s very odd behavior,” he said. “A person will overheat and they’ll take their clothes off.”
'It varies, but it’s very odd behavior.'
- Milton Police Chief Mike McGowan, regarding the behavior of users
of illegal bath salts, left
Not an epidemic, but
bath salts still a worry
Area lawmen leery
of drug's bizarre effects
The PBS documentary added that they will also frequently tear at their own body parts.
Several have also committed suicide while under its influence.
The effects of bath salts on the human body and the brain are “similar to amphetamines in that they cause stimulant effects by increasing the concentration of catecholamines such as dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine in synapses,” according to wikipeida.com.[
WedMD noted three of the synthetic stimulants banned by the federal government as mephedrone, MDPV, and methylone.
McGowan said the ages of people using the drug run the gamut, from 20s into the 50s, but that he hadn’t seen much usage among local teens.
Meanwhile, Maine State Police Lt. Louis Nyitray, commander of Troop A at the Alfred barracks, said they’ve only had a couple of incidents in the past six months, but agreed the behavior is odd.
“They are out of it,” he said. “Very argumentative.”
Both lawmen agreed the epidemic of bath salts use that hit the Bangor area has not hit York and Strafford counties, at least not yet.
Major bath salts arrests have also been made in Waterville and Rockland.
The number of calls to poison centers concerning "bath salts" nationwide rose from 304 in 2010 to 6,138 in 2011, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
Bath salts is considered a controlled drug by both states, which means possession is a felony and a possible prison sentence.
Wikipedia photo
Double-car fire ruled
arson by investigators
posted 8 a.m., Friday, Oct. 19
LEBANON - A double-car fire early Sunday morning on Prospect Hill Road has been ruled arson by the state Fire Marshal’s Office.
The two vehicles, a Honda and a Ford Explorer, which were parked about 40 feet apart, were both on fire when Milton Firefighters responded to a mutual aid call around 3:50 a.m., according to Lebanon Fire Chief Skip Wood.
When investigators combed through the wreckage, they found multiple origin points where fires had been deliberately set, Sgt. Joel Davis said on Thursday.
A third vehicle, a pickup truck, was also damaged from
exposure to the fire, Wood said, but it is not included in the official investigation.
Milton firefighters were able to respond first to the area of 248 Prospect Hill Road from their central station less than a mile from the scene.
When he got there Milton responders had already extinguished the vehicle fires, but a few hot spots on the ground remained, Wood said.
Davis on Thursday said the investigation into who set the blaze is continuing with multiple interviews being conducted in connection with the probe.
Both vehicles were destroyed in the blaze.
Former Lebanon man
on 'Perversion Files' list
posted 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 20
By Harrison Thorp
A former Lebanon man is among the thousands of Boy Scouts of America volunteers who were investigated for abuse by the organization, according to so-called “Perversion Files” documents released on Thursday by the Oregon Supreme Court.
The files cover the period from 1965 to 1985, with more than 15,000 pages detailing accusations against 1,247 scout leaders. They detail eight from Maine who were banned from the organiziation.
Hazen James “Jim” Currier was a district vice chairman and MC of Explorer Post #2240 in Rochester in the early 1980s when he was accused of a “ homosexual” relationship with a boy at a Rochester group home and making advances toward two other boys.
A letter from the social worker who launched an investigation into the allegations to the Boy Scouts reads, “When confronted about the incident by the staff Mr. Currier did not deny it and immediately submitted his resignation and left the home.”
Currier told the Portland Press Herald that during his seven months of employment at the boys home, Teen Haven, he hugged a boy and got up every night to take two others to the bathroom because they wet the bed and that these two incidents could’ve been easily misconstrued.
He told The Lebanon Voice today the allegations were made by a group of boys he’d either disciplined or had kicked out of the home for bad behavior. He said he had “caught a kid selling joints out of his room” and another “who stole some receipts with credit card information” and that the false accusations were little more than retaliation tactics.
He said when confronted with the abuse accusations he immediately resigned for the good of the group home and because “when you’re accused like that, well, my integrity was shot.”
He said ultimately he was found not guilty of the charges.
The “Perversion Files” were files maintained by the BSA to collate data on individuals who had been accused of sexual abuse or improper behavior with children, many of whom like Currier were ultimately banned from the BSA.
The files date back at least to the 1920s
Currier, who said he lived about a couple of years in Lebanon off River Road, said he never worked or served as a youth volunteer in town.
Today he lives in North Berwick, is active in his church and is a volunteer chaplain at the Rockingham Jail where he does a lot of work with veterans.
A former Marine who served in Vietnam, he expressed sadness that the issue had resurfaced due to the Oregon court’s decision.
“I’m retired, I have a nice life and a nice family,” he said. “I don’t want to rehash this.”
The former Marine, BSA troop leader and boys home employee says he was wrongfully accused and is saddened that after 30 years the incident has resurfaced.
The “Perversion Files” were files maintained by the BSA on individuals who had been accused of improper behavior, many of whom were ultimately banned from the BSA.
posted 7:30 a.m., Monday, Oct. 22
By Harrison Thorp
LEBANON - Area firefighters got a taste of several live fire training sessions – and some good chili - at a controlled house burning on Lower Cross Road on Sunday.
More than 50 firefighters and a dozen or so fire and rescue vehicles from seven neighboring towns converged at the mobile home site around mid-morning to prepare for the structured burns – called evolutions – then to burn the house to the ground.
After Lebanon Assistant Fire Chief Dan Roy gave the group last-minute instructions a series of six fires were set inside the mobile home.
In a well-choreographed routine, a fire attack line entered the home, followed by a backup line and a ventilation crew while a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) stayed outside in the event of an unforeseen crisis, like a firefighter down.
As Roy shouted instructions into a lapel-clipped microphone, firefighters from inside the burning structure, and out, reported their location and status.
During one of the last evolutions the fire got so intense that it was called off, a deafening firetruck horn signaled all inside crews to vacate the building and the entire structure was set on fire to complete the exercise.
As the flames licked through windows and doors, firefighters watched intently, chatted with comrades and ate some good chili and hot dogs provided by the Lebanon Fire Ladies Auxiliary, who just last week had made lunch for the Lebanon Fire Open House at Central Station.
“It’s all about the training and working with the other departments we have mutual aid with,” Roy said during the burn.
Firefighters from Milton, including Fire Chief Nick Marique; Somersworth, Acton, Shapleigh, Alfred, Sanford and Berwick all participated in the training burn.
Neighbors said the house had been unoccupied for some time and had bad mold problems.
Burning down the house
Harrison Thorp photos
Firefighters look away from the fire as flames lick out windows and doors during a live training burn put on by Lebanon Fire on Sunday.
Training makes sure firefighters
on same page when heat is on
An outside support crew stands by at Sunday's live burn training exercise on Lower Cross Road.
Local scoutmaster: That
couldn't happen now
posted 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 24
By Harrison Thorp
MILTON - A local scoutmaster says he was saddened and shocked last week by the release of the so-called “Perversion Files” that detailed decades-old allegations of abuse among Boy Scouts of American volunteers, but said safeguards and background checks put in place to prevent future abuse have done their job by “taking pedophiles out of the loop.”
“I was horrified, that’s not who we are,” said Dave Barca, Scoutmaster of Troop 155 in Milton, on Tuesday.
The Perversion Files, released by the Oregon Supreme Court, cover the period from 1965 to 1985, with more than 15,000 pages detailing accusations against 1,247 scout leaders. They detail several from Maine and New Hampshire who were banned from the organization. (Only one appears to have worked in the area. See story below.)
Barca, however, said what happened in the past will likely never happen again due to the strict training, background checks and policies put in place by BSA.
Youth Protection Training has become the cornerstone of the organization’s new vigilance against abuse. The training is extremely in-depth, Barca said, and teaches volunteers the warning signs of abuse that
children could be experiencing at home or elsewhere. It’s the same type of training any teacher or socials services worker would receive.
Beyond that other policies further protect children. For instance, there is absolutely no scenario in which one adult and one child are alone, he said. There must always be another adult present.
If they’re at the beach and a child needs sunscreen put on his back, another child would have to do it. An adult cannot ever touch a child.
If a Scout volunteer is teaching a Scout how to put up a tent, he must do it from the outside. He can’t be inside the tent.
And before a volunteer is approved they must also submit to an FBI background check and fingerprinting, Barca said.
“I was horrified, that’s not who we are.”
Dave Barca, Milton Scoutmaster,
on release of Perversion Files
Lebanon Assistant Fire Chief Dan Roy gives last-minute instructions before the burn exercise.
In Lebanon and Milton, we
got thrown under the bridge
posted 9 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 21
The state of Maine says that the harsh realities of a DOT funding shortfall put the replacement prospects of the New Bridge somewhere between slim and none.
Isn’t that like having a large family, losing your job and saying, “Well, we’re gonna have to give up one of the kids, can’t afford ‘em all. Johnny, you gotta go.”
The state of Maine owns the half of the bridge on the Lebanon side. Ownership, as they say, has its privileges, but it also has its responsibilities.
Maine has decided to shirk its responsibilities under the guise of fiscal reality.
But reality is what you make it. Now the state seeks “partnerships.” But Mr. Governor, instead of seeking “partnerships” why not take “ownership?”
The state of Maine “owns” half of the bridge, yet they won’t maintain it.
The state of Maine won’t even put a price tag on Lebanon’s “partnership” extortion funding amount. They say, “make an offer.”
OK, Godfather. We’ll give you Orrills Hill Road. We don’t think anyone owns it now.
At a meeting last month Milton and Maine officials fretted over safety concerns if bicyclists or pedestrians were hurt on the bridge. That’s why Milton took the proactive approach and took their half down last week. Kudos to that.
Maine is expected to follow suit either this fall or next spring, according to a Maine DOT spokesman.
But Maine and New Hampshire officials, consider this. The new Milton Fire and Rescue is going to be built on the site of the old Moose club across from the Milton Beach. If there’s an emergency, a fire, at Everetts Cove Marina or any houses near there, that would be about a one-minute ride. From the Lebanon Central Station on Depot Road, closer to eight minutes.
Where is the greater safety concern? Any emergency responder will tell you seven minutes can mean the difference between life and death.
I suppose Milton Fire could put the pumper on a flotilla of party barges, but logistically that may not be the best idea, either.
A “grandfather clause” usually refers to code enforcement when an older home or business isn’t required to be retrofitted in accordance with new regulations.
Now Maine says there’s a new way of doing business: Put up or shut it down. Referring to Orrills Hill Road again, the town attorney agrees that the town of Lebanon must continue to maintain the small portions they currently do, because they have done it for decades. Why does this logic not apply to Maine and its maintenance of the New Bridge?
The state of Maine is changing the funding formula after the state accepted responsibility of the bridge many years ago. Meanwhile, New Hampshire is a reluctant partner as well, estimating many years before funding is available.
Now is this responsible? Or reckless?
And consider one more thing. If Everetts Cove were the county nursing home, would we be having this discussion?
Stop the inertia. Call your state reps and senators. Call the
governors. Call your Congressmen.
Something needs to be done by next spring. Now is the time to start planning. Real planning, not lip service.
The New Bridge is not just a necessary and vital piece of our transportation infrastructure here in Lebanon and Milton. It’s a fabric of our community, an icon, a part of our culture.
There could be alternatives to a $1.4 million replacement. Why not try to replicate it with new pilings and similar undercarriage and decking? Don’t just let it die an ignoble death.
And if you actually believe folks who tell you we have to take down the bridge so kids won’t jump off it, well, you’ll believe the Civil War was over slavery and the Libya terrorist attack was over a You Tube video.
And just out of curiosity, why not pursue some federal dollars. Lack of money never stopped them from spending.
Better us than Solyndra.
New Hampshire and Maine should be taking the lead in the replacement project, not running from it.
Harrison Thorp photo
Rescue personnel prepare a 10-year-old Lebanon girl for transport to Frisbie Memorial Hospital after her bicycle collided with a pickup truck on River Road on Saturday.
Bicyclist, 10, injured
in collision with truck
posted 3:15 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 27
LEBANON - A 10-year-old Lebanon girl was injured today when the bicycle she was riding collided with a pickup truck on River Road around noon.
The F-150 pickup, driven by John Flanders, no address given, was traveling toward Route 202 in the area of 260 River Road when the girl crossed the road behind the truck and clipped its bumper, according to Maine State Trooper Kyle Wells.
The girl was able to walk immediately after the accident, but was placed in a backboard and transported for evaluation to Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester as a precaution, according to Assistant Rescue Chief Jason Cole.
The girl was not wearing a helmet, Cole said.
She appeared to have suffered only minor injuries, including cuts on her hand, Wells said.
Cindi Arroyo, a neighbor, placed the initial call to 911. She said it appeared the child was riding her bike on the left side of the road and crossed to the right to enter her driveway when the collision occurred.
A small crowd of concerned neighbors gathers as Rescue Personnel treat the girl.
Many residents
still in the dark
UPDATED 5:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 1
By Harrison Thorp
After concentrating much of their efforts along Center Road earlier in the day, Central Maine Power and Lewis Tree Service crews moved on to T.M. Wentworth road Wednesday afternoon as they raced fading daylight in an attempt to restore power to Lebanon residents still in the dark before dark.
As of midafternoon nearly 800 Lebanon households were still without power.
Meanwhile, Lebanon Elementary and Hanson schools were expecting to be open today after power was restored on Wednesday.
Utility crews continued today to try to clear roads of downed power lines and trees. On Tuesday, some 40 trees were reported down across town roads.
Road in Lebanon and Milton most affected from Sandy included Lower Cross, Shapleigh and New Road in Lebanon and Route 75 between Hare Road and the Spaulding interchange in Milton.
Some of the most serious property damage occurred on Micah Terrace where a tree fell on a house, causing significant damage, according to a contractor removing the tree from the roof Tuesday morning.
The owners of the house at 269 Micah Terrace are in Florida, but neighbor John Delude heard the tree fall.
“I was in my study and I heard it, it was a big crack,” said Delude, who added his section of town lost power around 10:30 p.m. Much of Lebanon lost it earlier on Monday.
Blaine Cote, the assistant director of York County Emergency Management, said even though winds will weaken, so will root systems from all the rain. He warned residents to be mindful more trees could topple.
In addition, all Lebanon Halloween trick-or-treating has been postponed until Saturday due to the dangerous conditions expected, especially possibly downed tree limbs and power lines. Also, the annual
Harrison Thorp photos
Tree-cutting trucks, foreground stand by as CMP trucks, backgrouind, right, prepare to leave T.M. Wentworth road on Wednesday after replacing a fallen utility pole. Two area residents, right, walking said they still had no power Wednesday afternoon.
open house at the Lebanon Rescue Station scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday has been postponed until Saturday from 4-8 p.m.
Meanwhile, in Milton, trick-or-treating was scheduled for Wedneday from 5-8 p.m., said Rec Director Karen Brown. Milton, which had celebrated Begger’s Night until last year, opted to change the date to Halloween to be in step with Wakefield and Farmington.
A New Hampshire uttlity crew works on a downed power line on Tuesday on Route 75 in Milton.
The first settlers came to Lebanon around 1746, which makes the town very old. Throughout Lebanon's history there are many stories told and written about haunts and strange happenings. Here are a few of those tales.
On a dead-end road in the southern part of town stands an old family farm. Family members have told about headlights shining through the windows at night but no vehicles entered the yard. Sometimes the pipe organ all of a sudden started playing and no one was around. Closet doors were shut tight but then found wide open again. Some family members stated that they would never enter that house again.
Up the road a piece stands the old town farm. This farm was very large with the main house having 15 rooms. My grandparents were the caretakers from 1926 until 1944 when the doors closed forever. The town farm was for the poor and the elderly. Many people lived and died through the years on this farm.
On the second floor of the house were eight bedrooms. The children slept there. Above them was a huge attic. My mother and aunt said that late at night they would hear footsteps going up the stairs to the attic. Each time a brave soul would check the attic and nobody would be there. My aunt said that she was so scared she would hide under her blankets.
Now we head north to another old farm where people seem to move in and out quite frequently. I was told that a newly married couple moved in to take care of the farm back in the 1940s. While the couple was living there a friend shot himself and died in the front yard.
After that happened life in the house was never the same. Every night the couple starting hearing footsteps.
The footsteps crossed the large kitchen floor towards their bedroom. There was never anyone else in the house. They were so scared that they kept a gun close by. After a couple of months of being frightened they moved out. Other people have come forward and have repeated the same story of the mystery footsteps.
I have not used names or locations in some of the stories. I want to protect their privacy from any ghost chasers.
HISTORY FOR HALLOWEEN
TALES FROM
LEBANON'S PAST
By Marilyn Ricker Bolduc
Another haunting tale comes from the Railroad Book published by the Lebanon Historical Society. A railroad historian named H. Bentley Crouch wrote that the railroad has been gone for so many years that there are those who doubt its existence. So it has become to be known as the 'Phantom Division." Now a highway, Route 202, has replaced the old train tracks. Some people have claimed that on a dark, foggy night motorists have witnessed a flicker of light, which would gradually grow brighter and then suddenly vanish. Is this an optical illusion of the mist playing tricks or is it another freight running over the ghost rails of the "Phantom Division."
The next strange tales come from "The History of Lebanon" by Samuel W. Jones.
On July 28, 1784, a man in Lebanon said that he heard a chorus of angels. No one knew if he had supernatural powers or not. But it is certain that from that time to August 3rd he was dumb, never speaking a word during the five intervening days.
His experience in all probability was real because the Rev. Hasey, the first minister in Lebanon, recorded this story in his diaries.
Now I will talk about the "Dark Day" that I mentioned in my first column. On May 19, 1780, the people of Lebanon said that it was so dark they could not see to perform their labor. The sun rose clear that morning but by 9 in the forenoon the sun could not be seen. Darkness increased rapidly and by about 2 the cattle went to the bam and the fowl went to the roost. Darkness continued throughout the day but the next morning the sun rose as usual. No satisfactory cause was ever found for this phenomenon for many years.
In the 1980s I came across an article that said the dark day on May 19, 1780, was caused by a huge fire in Canada. Two hundred years ago there was no communication like we have today so that's why the dark day remained a mystery for so many years.
Now you have read a few strange stories from Lebanon's past. Do you believe or are these tales just a stretch of the imagination? Happy Halloween!!!
Marilyn Ricker Bolduc, a Lebanon native, has had her articles published in several magazines. She lives in Sanford..
At old town farm,
the attic had guests
Just another workday commute
posted 9 a.m., Monday, Oct. 22
By Harrison Thorp
If you’re ever heading down Route 202 and see a chestnut and white horse ridden by a young girl with flowing red hair galloping full throttle across the highway between Depot and Little River roads, well, that would be Willow and Morgan.
No need to worry too much, motorists. It’s always on a green light when it’s safe to cross.
Morgan MacGown, 14, has been riding Willow, a 6-year-old paint draft cross, to her work at Belgian Meadow Farm on Merchants Row for some time, and she says Willow, once somewhat skittery around cars and trucks, actually now embraces the highways and byways of Lebanon.
“It’s all about trust,” MacGown said during a short stop on Center Road on Sunday. “Route 202 doesn’t bother her at all, she actually loves it.”
MacGown, a freshman at Noble High School, lives on Half Mile Road near the historic mill on Little River
Harrison Thorp photo
Morgan MacGown and her horse, Willow, take a break on their journey across Lebanon. It's a journey they take most every day.
'She has a lot of trust in me, and I trust her'
Road, and come rain, shine or even snow, she’ll ride Willow the seven and a half miles each way every day she gets a chance.
She said it takes an hour and a half each way to make the trip, but she says it’s those long rides that have enabled her to foster a mutual bond between her and her horse.
“She has a lot of trust in me, and I trust her,” MacGown said. “Today we passed a (Halloween) ghost, it was like a sheet hanging on a tree, she was nervous, but I calmed her. She trusts me, we’re bonding really well on these long trips.”
On Center Road on Sunday cars whizzed by with Willow remaining calm and collected, a testament to that mutual trust.
MacGown said Willow will be doing double duty once the snow flies, not only carrying her to work, but then working at Belgian Meadow Farm doing sleigh rides.
And if you happen to see the pair in your travels, don’t be afraid to take a picture. MacGown said people do it all the time.
And Willow’s not afraid of a camera either.
Conservation group
nets 130-acre easement
posted 6 a.m., Friday, Oct. 26
Moose Mountains Regional Greenways has announced that 130 acres in Milton are newly protected by a conservation easement, thanks to the efforts of MMRG, its partners, and the Milton landowners.
The land was protected through the federal Wetlands Reserve Program, a program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which provided funds to purchase the easement and to do future wetlands restoration work on the property.
The easement, completed this summer and owned by the conservation service, guarantees that the land will never be developed. MMRG will not be
disclosing the exact location of the property at the owners’ request.
The project helps protect water quality within the Salmon Falls watershed, a region whose waters are deemed by the U.S. Forest Service to be at very high risk for degradation due to conversion from forest land to other uses.
The 130 acres are in natural forest and vegetative cover, which provide natural water filtration and flood control and help cleanse the waters draining into the Salmon Falls River. It is critical to preserve the clean water of the Salmon Falls because it is used as a drinking water source by numerous homes and municipalities in both New Hampshire and Maine.
Mincu resigns as
town administrator
Tony Mincu
resigned on Friday
posted 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 27
By Harrison Thorp
Tony Mincu, the town administrator of Milton since 2010, unexpectedly resigned on Friday.
Selectman Tom Gray said Mincu’s abrupt departure was “a real surprise.” Gray said Mincu’s letter of resignation said he was leaving to “better his career,” but had no knowledge whether Mincu had already secured employment elsewhere.
Mincu’s three-year contract would have ended in 2014.
Gray would not comment on any specific financial terms regarding Mincu’s separation from town employment, though he did say the town was not for liable for salaried compensation for the remainder of the contract since Mincu had resigned.
The board of selectmen will now fill in to cover what had been Mincu’s duties until a new administrator is found. That search will begin immediately, Gray said.
Mincu could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
posted the witching hour, Oct. 28
By Harrison Thorp
The Trabolds live in what was the old Town Farm on Upper Guinea Road. They believe their home is haunted. Truth be told, with all the history and suffering that must have surrounded these walls, the real story would be if this place weren’t haunted.
Up until 1944 the Old Town Farm on Upper Guinea Road was a hub of Lebanon. The farm was where the poor and elderly of Lebanon would go to live.
Hobos off the train that ran where Route 202 now traverses the town would jump off and walk or hitch a ride down to the town farm to work in the fields, get a day’s pay and maybe a bottle of hooch, then sleep it off in the now-dilapidated hobo shack just steps from the main house.
Across the street from the farm was a gas station. Within the farm were a couple of jail cells where prisoners would be housed awaiting transport to the Alfred jail.
Walking down the hall where these cells are located worries Mark Trabold, who has lived in the house about 12 years. He said he invariably gets an uneasy feeling when he’s alone in the hall.
But the spirits are all over the house, on the second floor, in the attic.
Mark Trabold’s sister, Keely, said she has heard ghosts tapping on her door at night so often, it doesn’t even faze her.
“I hear tapping on my door all the time,” she said. “I know it’s not one of my siblings. It's spirits. I just tell them to go away and they do.”
Both Mark and Keely have seen an apparition of a middle-age woman in the house. Mark saw her in a second-floor bedroom no one ever wanted to sleep in; Keely saw her on the attic stairs.
“All the family bedrooms are on the second floor,” Mark explains. “But no one wanted to use that bedroom; I’m not a fan of that room. Once about eight years ago, I got up to use the bathroom, looked in the room and swear I saw a middle-age woman standing in the middle of the room.”
But that’s not all. Late at night, when everyone is in bed, he’s heard glass jars, one after another, being picked up and laid back down on a table.
And one time Keely heard bootsteps in the attic when there was no one else in the house except her dad who was working downstairs.
Their mom, Denise, said she hasn’t seen any apparitions or ghosts, but “I always have felt a presence, like something was here. And when I would leave and come back I would feel like things were different than when I’d left.”
Mark Trabold and his sister, Keely, know their home is haunted, but they've learned to live with it.
Ghosts find fertile ground
at the old Town Farm
Harrison Thorp photos
The stairs that lead to the attic in the Trabold house. Keely Trabold swears she saw a middle-age woman on the stairs one time, and heard a man's bootsteps in the attic another.
Mark Trabod shows exactly where the middle-age woman was standing in an unused bedroom on the second floor of their home on Upper Guinea Road.
Nonemergency 911 calls were rare during storm
posted 5:30 a.m., Friday, Nov. 2
By Harrison Thorp
Unlike the earthquake last month, area residents never flooded emergency responders with unnecessary calls, allowing them to attend to critical, potentially life-threatening situations without delay this week.
It was a fact that wasn’t lost on Lebanon Assistant Rescue Chief Jason Cole, who noted on Thursday that nonemergency calls were rare during the worst of superstorm Sandy.
This allowed Lebanon Rescue to focus on the many residents during the storm that needed assistance, such as dozens of townspeople who require oxygen for health conditions and had lost power creating a dangerous situation.
Rescue personnel were able to monitor the situation and handed out oxygen supplies to those running
low as well as help with alternative power sources to run the equipment.
Other people needed water when power shut down well and outflow pumps.
Cellphone transmissions weren’t as stressed as from the earthquake either, while the public continued to use social media such as Facebook to find out about loved ones and neighbors, alike.
People visited sites like Lebanon Rescue, Lebanon Fire and The Lebanon Voice as well. The Lebanon Voice noted that its statistical data indicated a drop in online hits but a spike on its mobile apps used on tablets and smartphones throughout the week.
On Tuesday when The Lebanon Voice was shut down, it was able to put the paper out at McDonald’s in Rochester, where scores of hungry and powerless people found food, shelter and Wi-Fi, not to mention working bathrooms.
posted 6:30 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 4
By Harrison Thorp
It wasn’t the earthquake. It wasn’t even superstorm Sandy.
But somehow, someone quietly, anonymously and without fanfare had the pluck and wherewithal to smooth out the ruts and ravines at the northern end of Orrills Hill Road.
The dangerous section of road was the scene of a serious ATV accident earlier this summer and has been a constant source of friction between The Lebanon Voice and selectmen, in particular Selectmen Chairman Bob Frizzell, who asserted that the road would not be fixed by the town and that Orrills Hill Road residents didn’t’ want it fixed, because “they like their privacy.”
Meanwhile, safety officials like Assistant Rescue Chief Jason Cole, who is also a selectman, and Lebanon Fire Chief Skip Wood had voiced concerns about the road and its ability to handle Fire and Rescue vehicles.
Both were heartened on hearing the road now was at least passable in an emergency.
“I’m happy to hear that,” said Cole.
The section of road abutting Jean Williams’ house had been the scene of many minor accidents in the past that occurred when vehicles would drive over the ruts and damage mufflers and radiators.
It had long been a concern of safety officials who feared emergency response times would be compromised, especially from Milton responders who would have to drive down Schoolhouse Lane, Dixon Road and Shapleigh Road before heading back north on
Orrills Hill from Five Corners, instead of taking a straight shot up Orrills Hill from Prospect Hill.
Lebanon Road Commissioner Larry Torno had estimated it would’ve cost the town about $10,000 to fix the approximately 100-foot stretch of road.
The Good Samaritan of road repair wishes, for now, to remain anonymous, said one resident.
Frizzell was not available for comment.
It may not be like butter, but it's better: The ruts and boulders that used to make this section of Orrills Hill Road impassable, inset, have been removed.
Word on the street:
Orrills Hill Road fixed
The unimproved section of Orrills Hill Road has been improved thanks to an anonymous benefactor. Above, the road before it was fixed.
Obama wins,
but not here
posted 10 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 7
By Harrison Thorp
Maine and New Hampshire voters may have delivered electoral votes to Barack Obama’s re-election victory, but in Lebanon voters soundly rejected his message, while in Milton, Governor Mitt Romney won narrowly as well.
Lebanon continued against the statewide grain with the Same Sex Marriage vote, soundly defeating the proposal, 1,639-1,274. Mainers overall passed the same-sex marriage initiative, 53 percent to 47 percent.
In Lebanon 1,522 residents cast votes for Romney, 1,286 for the president’s re-election. In Milton, the former Massachusetts governor’s margin was much narrower, winning by just 20 votes, 1,124-1,104.
In the only Senate race in the two towns, Independent Angus King won a convincing victory statewide for the Senate seat vacated by Republican Olympia Snowe. In Lebanon he garnered 1,318 votes, more than 300 more than his closest competitor, Republican Charlie Summers. Democrat Cynthia Dill finished with just 419 votes.
In the race for the 2nd District senate seat, incumbent Republican Ron Collins claimed victory today over Rick Burns of Berwick, an Independent.
With eight of 10 precincts reporting late last night, Collins, of Wells, had a comfortable lead, with 40 percent of the vote, compared to 20 percent for Burns. Democrat Thomas Wright, who told The Lebanon Voice on Sunday he had no interest in the seat due to job considerations, had nonetheless received 32 percent of the vote.
“I want to thank the voters of Lebanon for their support and their faith in me,” Collins said today. “The turnout was overwhelming, and I’m very appreciative of the voters turning out.”
Collins said he spent Election Day visiting all 10 towns he represents, returned home around 5 p.m. and watched the returns on TV as well as keeping track of races on Internet sites.
In the House 145 District, which represents West Lebanon, incumbent Beth O’Connor, R-Berwick, was defeated by newcomer Joshua Plante, a Democrat, 52%-48%. Plante also carried Lebanon as well, 607-548.
In House 144 District, which represents East Lebanon, Democrat Bill Noon of Springvale defeated Republican Dan Archambault of Acton by 15 votes, Noon told The Lebanon Voice this morning. Noon said he expects Archambault to request a recount.
- Romney wins Lebanon comfortably, Milton narrowly
- Same-sex marriage initiative passes statewide, but rejected in Lebanon.
- Noon holds 15-vote lead over Archambault
- Plante defeats incumbent O'Connor
Lebanon residents favored Noon, 842-806. Noon, who said he did a lot of campaigning in Lebanon, said he was ecstatic that he'd carried the town which often votes Republican.
Archambault could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, in New Hampshire Republican Ovide LaMontagne lost his bid for the governor’s office to Democrat Maggie Hassen. In Milton voters supported Hassen as well 1182-995.
In the race for a Congressional seat, Democrat Carol Shea-Porter defeated incumbent Republican Frank Guinta, with Milton supporting Shea-Porter, 1,092-984.
In all, 2,953 voters turned out in Lebanon, while a little more than 2,200 voted in Milton.
Beth O'Connor
...loses bid to return to House
'I want to thank the voters of Lebanon for their support and their faith in me.'
- Ron Collins
on returning to 2nd District Senate seat
Democrat Bill Noon, left, appears headed for a narrow win over Republican Dan Archambault.
No victory dance yet in 144 race
posted 6:20 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 8
When Ted Noon was asked on Wednesday if he was going to claim victory in the House District 144 Race against Republican Dan Archambault he said, “No, I’m going to work.”
Noon, a Democrat, won a hotly contest House District 144 race by a razor-thin 15 votes, 2,391-2,376, over his Acton opponent.
House District 144 represents Acton, Sanford and Lebanon east of Center Road.
Recounts are not automatic in Maine, no matter how slim the margin of victory, and must be
requested within five days of the election, according to Secretary of State spokesperson Megan Sanborn.
Archambault was unavailable for comment on Wednesday on if he would request a recount or concede the election.
Noon’s win means Lebanon, which had had two Republicans representing the town in the Maine House, will now have two Democrats.
Democrat Joshua Plante of Berwick defeated Republican Beth O’Connor of Berwick for the House 145 District, which represents West Lebanon.
Campground
theft case
hearing set
for December
posted 10 am, Thursday, Nov 1
The Somersworth woman indicted in the theft of funds from a Lebanon campground over two summers was charged after surveillance cameras caught her in the act, according to a Maine State Trooper who investigated the case.
Jennifer Rollins, 37, of Maple Street in Somersworth, who worked for Flat Rock Bridge Family Resort, was charged with theft by unauthorized taking during the months of August 2011 as well as this past summer, according to court documents.
Maine State Trooper Kyle Wells said video feeds showed Rollins taking the money and that she confessed to investigators.
The indictment was handed down last month.
Rollins has another hearing at York County Superior Court in Alfred scheduled for December.
Theft by unauthorized taking is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Road agent
of change
comes
forward
posted 11 a.m., Friday, Nov. 9 The Good Samaritan who fixed the dangerous section of Orrills Hill Road was Ernie Croteau, a longtime road resident who said he did it in the interest of safety.
Croteau said on Tuesday it only took a few loads of gravel and a couple of days to smooth the 150 feet of road that had proved dangerous.
Nearby resident Don Lovely, the Lebanon Legion Post Commander, leant some equipment to help in the effort.
Croteau said the entire cost was about $400.
Over the summer an ATVer was seriously injured when he tried to avoid careening into one of the dangerous ruts and braked so hard he flipped over the handlebars.
The ruts and boulders also made the road impassable for conventional safety vehicles and could have slowed emergency response times, especially mutual response times for Milton Fire and Rescue dispatched to the northern side of Orrills Hill.
Sanford
woman hurt
in Rt. 202
collision
posted 9 a.m., Monday, Nov. 12
A driver suffering from a medical condition may have caused a head-on collision on Route 202 Sunday afternoon.
The driver, a female from Sanford headed eastbound toward Sanford, crossed the center line into the path of a 2008 Ford truck.” Lebanon Assistant Rescue Chief Jason Cole said in a press release on Sunday.
The woman, who was driving a BMW sedan, was taken to Goodall Memorial Hospital in Sanford. A 33-year-old male passenger, also from Sanford, refused treatment.
The driver of the Ford truck, a 37-year-old male from Barrington, and his 16-year-old passenger, also from Barrington, were not injured in the accident.
The occupants of both vehicles were wearing seat belts.
The accident occurred around 4:30 p.m. about a ¼ mile from the Sanford line, according to Cole.
Deputy Kevin Ledoux of the York County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the accident.
Lebanon Fire and Lebanon Rescue as well as Sanford Fire responded to the accident, which saw both damage receive significant damage.
O'Connor says she's beaten but unbowed after 'dirty' campaign
posted 6:30 a.m., Friday, Nov. 9
By HarrisonThorp
Defeated House District 145 Rep. Beth O’Connor said on Thursday she was saddened by her narrow loss to newcomer Democrat Joshua Plante, but that outrageous negative campaigning and excessive spending by the state’s Democratic Party likely led to her loss.
O’Connor represents West Lebanon as well as Berwick.
She said her campaign was far outspent by Democrats who may have spent well over $40,000 for her House seat, and that negative, malicious and untrue mailings may have had an effect in her re-election bid.
“It was the first really dirty campaign I had ever been in,” she said.
O’Connor said she had been honored to represent the people in Lebanon, and had worked hard for them. She said she still had several pieces of legislation pending in Augusta and would continue to do support work to get those bills though.
She also said she’d continue to be active in a state taxpayer group, and work a few more hours a week in her catering business to help get her kids through college.
Plante, a recent University of New Hampshire graduate, defeated O’Connor, 607-548 (52%-48%).
Her loss, combined with Republican Dan Archambault’s narrow defeat to Democrat Bill Noon may bespeak a shifting tide in Lebanon, which previously had been a GOP bastion among local representation.
The lone Republican to survive the upheaval was Ron Collins, who retained his Dist. I Senate spot by defeating Independent Rick Burns and Democrat Tom Wright.
Plante could not be reached for comment.
Holiday
treated
'a little to casual'
Don Williams
doesn't think
Veterans Day gets
respect it deserves
posted 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 10
By Harrison Thorp
LEBANON - Don Williams was fortunate enough to never see the front lines of battle in World War II, but he saw close enough the ravages of war to know it is hell nonetheless.
He speaks with quiet reverence for the comrades he lost during B-24 Liberators training missions out of Biggs Field in El Paso, Texas, where he was stationed as a clerk in the orderly room.
He remembers vividly the journey on a troop ship bound from Hawaii to the Johnson Atoll days after the war had ended following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“We were on the ship and we saw a raft in the middle of the ocean, but there was no one on it,” he says in a hushed voice.
His military service after the war took him to Saipan, he said, spurring reflection on the hundreds of Japanese soldiers as well as women and children who jumped off the Bonzai Cliffs rather than surrender as the end of the war neared, because they were told by their emperor it would be more honorable to commit suicide than be captured by Allied Forces.
For the 95-year-old Williams, who lives with his daughter on Long Swamp Road, the war was much simpler than the sum of its human tragedy. “You simply did what you were told,” he said this week.
For Williams, that was typing reports and keeping records. A clerk before the war and handy around a typewriter, Williams spent World War II at Lowry Field in Colorado, Biggs Field in El Paso and Guam before his term of duty was over in 1946.
Born in 1916 in Schenectady, N.Y., Williams was drafted into the Army Air Corp in July 1942, but flunked a bomb site maintenance course.
“The sergeant asked me what I did before I was drafted, and I told him I was a clerk and he asked me if I could type,” Williams said. “So I became a clerk.”
He got orders to go to California, but he never saw them, because he was in the hospital with the flu.
So he ended up staying at Lowry Field near Denver “till they caught up with me,” he says with a mischievous smile.
From there he went to Salt Lake City for reassignment and then to Biggs Field from 1943-45 where he worked in the orderly room and then the personnel department, which could be fairly hectic, he said.
“One of my jobs was to type up the promotions,” he said eyes twinkling. “Well, the master sergeant and tech sergeant come in and they said we need recommendations for these men for their promotions now. Well, we had about 12 different reasons and we’d just pick one and put it on the form,” he chuckled “We just made ‘em up.”
Williams then moved to a Salina, Kan., air base to work personnel for B29 Superfortress crews where he was promoted to corporal.
From there he was dispatched to a West Coast Navy yard and put on a ship bound for Okinawa in early August 1945 where he would work at an air base from which warplanes would pound the Japanese mainland.
Just as they were under way they heard of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6.
“Most of us didn’t even know what an atom was,” he remembers.
By the time the war had ended on Sept. 2 they were docked in Hawaii.
“When the war ended they had a celebration,” he said somewhat ruefully. “The marched us over to the next dock, and we got to watch a hula dance. Then they walked us back to our dock and back to our ship.
“No shore leave.”
From there his ship steamed on to Johnson Atoll and the Ulithi Islands in a convoy because many Japanese subs were still on the hunt. Then one day, he said, he got up and his ship was all by itself in the open ocean and headed for Guam, where he served as a clerk until he shipped home in 1946.
He said while on Guam, a year after the war was over, groups of Japanese soldiers were still surrendering, unable to survive any longer life in the jungle where they’d been holed up since the war ended.
Williams has a lot of respect for veterans who saw combat in World War II as well as Afghanistan today, and he thinks the holiday is treated 'a little too casual.'
“All those veterans over in Afghanistan. They’re in harm’s way. Think about what they go through,” he said. “Combat was dangerous back then, and it’s just as dangerous in Afghanistan today.
“They all do what I did. They do whatever they’re told.”
(If you see Don around town, wish him a Happy Birthday. He’ll be 96 on Dec. 19.)
'All those veterans over in Afghanistan. They’re in harm’s way. Think about what they go through. Combat was dangerous back then, and it’s just as dangerous in Afghanistan today.'
- Don Williams of Lebanon,
World War II veteran
Don Williams, Tuesday after voting
Back row from left: Assistant Coach Caitlin Wilson, Shelby Skofield, Alisha Flanagan, Heidi Cloutier, Abby Flanagan, Kristina Cerniauskas, Ella Gourlay, Head Coach Kristin Wilson, Assistant Coach Tayla Bourque. Front row from left, Kelsey Taatjes, Brittany Locke, Mariah Burke, Annessa Cummer, Michelle Guindon.
Nute volleyballers net
a memorable season
posted 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 6
By Harrison Thorp
They may have come up just short in Friday night’s championship game against Winnisquam, but Nute High School’s volleyball team will long be remembered for its grit and determination.
Senior Abby Flanagan led the Rams in the team’s bid for a title, having a career-best night in kills (11) and blocks (7).
“She had a great night,” said third-year coach Kristin Wilson, who played for Nute, herself, from 2003-06.
The Rams lost the first two sets by three and two points, respectively, but it was the second set loss that really spelled the end of Nute’s bid, Wilson said on Monday.
“We lost our confidence and weren’t able to start off the third set as strong,” she said. “That’s when I thought we were in trouble.”
The Rams lost the final set, 25-16.
Wilson said the team played hard but was somewhat nervous playing their first-ever game in the larger Plymouth State College venue.
“It was the first time any of them had been to
Plymouth to play in finals or semifinals, and the furthest any of them had ever been (in the playoffs)," Wilson said. "They were both excited and nervous."
Nute Middle High School fans were very supportive of their team. More than 30 students traveled with the fan bus to Plymouth, plus there were a lot of Milton fans “you don’t usually see at the game,” Wilson said on Monday. “That was very nice.”
The support continued after the game as the team was treated to a homecoming celebration at Nute High complete with pizza and cake.
Three of the Rams this year made all-state, including Michelle Guindon, first team; and Alisha Flanagan and Heidi Cloutier, second team.
Their overall season ends with a 16-4 mark.
Nute defeated Trinity, Hillsboro-Deering and Campbell en route to the title shot.
Looking to the future it is indeed, bright, because all but one of the players will be back for next year, Wilson said.
Team enjoyed a spike in enthusiasm
'What I need to do is learn about the community, how we can work together.'
- Chuck Mills,
principal, MES
Collaboration is key,
says new MES principal
posted 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 8
By Harrison Thorp
For Chuck Mills, having children learn their ABCs is important, but having them love learning their ABCs could be even more important.
Mills, 52, has been on the job for a month at Milton Elementary School, installed as the interim principal replacing Polly Golden, who left for a job in the Manchester Schools District shortly after the school year began.
Mills acknowledged that losing a principal just as the academic year begins can be “a real stresser on a community,” and he sees it as his first job to learn about Milton, its children and their parents and give them a voice in what goes on at the school.
To that end the former middle school and high school teacher and nonprofit director will hold a “Meet and Greet” on Saturday to allow parents and townspeople to get to know him and what he hopes to accomplish at MES.
“What I need to do is learn about the community, how we can work together,” Mills said on Tuesday as children were being dismissed. He said he wants to give students, teachers and the community more voice in how the school is run, especially in the area of communication and outreach.
“When I came in I realized there is a concern in terms of outreach and communication, so I know there are some concerns and I have my radar up for what those concerns might be,” he said.
Mills was born in New Jersey and did his undergraduate work at the then Plymouth State College and Colorado State University. He earned his teacher’s certification in Colorado and taught two years of middle school before returning to New Hampshire, where his wife’s family is from and where as a youth he spent summers at Camp Kaybeun in Alton.
He then taught at several New Hampshire schools, including middle school in Bristol, followed by several years teaching high school at Newfound and Hopkinton, in all spending 10 years in the classroom.
During his teaching years in the Granite State he began working at the camp he’d gone to as a child, ultimately becoming director of the camp in 1995 and later director of the Porter Foundation, which runs the camp.
Two years later he gave up his teaching position to work at the camp full time, but realized he missed the classroom soon after and began doing adjunct
work at the University of New Hampshire, where he earned his master’s in education; and several other schools over the next several years.
In 2010 he began to pursue his administrative certificate, which culminated with a full-year internship working in a prekindergarten-4 school, working side by side with the building principal.
He sees his job at MES as an opportunity for him to meld his knowledge of teaching and administration, honed by his years as camp and nonprofit director.
So what does he think about his new school? “It’s a busy place,” he grins as exuberant schoolchildren can be heard getting on buses outside his window. “It’s a great school and a nice community.”
And Mills want the community to get to know some of the exciting things going on at MES. To that end, the school has a weekly newsletter produced by volunteer Lisa Alexander that parents can receive either by email or in paper form at the school every Friday.
That’s also why he’s having the Meet and Greet on Saturday from 2-4 p.m. at the school.
MES comprises some 275 students, 15 classroom teachers, 20 teachers in all, as well as another 15 paraprofessionals.
That’s a lot of folks to keep tabs on, but Mills relishes his role as a collaborator with all who cross his path.
“I don’t’ think it’s a place that feels the need for a whole lot of change, so maybe it’s just improving it one way or another, and I bring a fresh perspective on that, not only because of my background, but because I’m new to the community.
“I’m a questioner. I like to look at things and question, ‘Why are we doing this?’ I’m interested in what’s in the best interest for kids. And if it’s working well for kids and teachers, we don’t need to touch it. But if it needs to be tweaked, let’s tweak it. I’m a collaborative problem solver. I like to work with the whole community and the whole team.
“Sometimes I may need to make a decision that may or may not be collaborative, but for the most part, it will be collaborative.”
Mills sees the elementary school not only as a place for young minds to be taught things, but also taught a love of learning.
“We have an obligation to create lifelong learners, give kids a joy of learning, and they need a school with a culture that’s balanced,” he said.
He added that not only are schools places of book learning, but that “this is a powerful place for them to learn an awful lot about social skills and how to live in society.”
Chuck Mills wants to improve communication and outreach with the community, starting with a Meet and Greet this Saturday.
O'Connor will be missed
whether you know it or not
posted 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 15
Beth O’Connor never talked in platitudes. She neither waxed poetic on party dogma nor foundered in campaign doggerel.
More perhaps than any other candidate I talked to during the election campaign, or saw on TV pointing fingers at the other guy, O’Connor talked in concrete terms on meat and potatoes issues and never spoke an ill word abut her opponent.
She knew the issues that faced folks in District 145, which includes West Lebanon.
She wanted to bring cheaper natural gas to Maine from Canadian pipelines.
She wanted more trade schools, so kids that were coming out of high school could land a good-paying job after they graduated.
And she was working to help Native American tribes in Maine who were out for justice after years of oppression and unfair policies.
When it came to social issues she let her conscience be her guide, not party polling data. She told The Lebanon Voice she didn’t back the gay marriage initiative.
Who’s to know what did her in. By her own accounts it was a dirty campaign beset by negative ads and mailers, a campaign in which she said the Democratic Party of Maine far outspent her. Done in, she said, by tactics she refused to employ.
Lebanon owes O’Connor a debt of gratitude for her staunch support for the New Bridge Road bridge that connects Milton and Lebanon. She was passionately
concerned about the plight and potential closing of Everetts Cove Marina as well as the closure of the Five Corners convenience store.
The day Milton took its half of the bridge out last month, which may been the death knell for the Everetts, O’Connor took time out from her waitressing job and catering business to be there on the Lebanon side to talk to constituents who were collectively grieving over the span’s demise.
Beth O’Connor cares about people, and represented Lebanon well.
The Lebanon Voice never endorsed O’Connor.
Incorporated as a Maine nonprofit, it doesn’t endorse any candidate.
So I didn’t endorse Beth O’Connor.
I just know Beth O’Connor.
Beth
O'Connor.
ousted from House District
145 seat
Updated 11 a.m., Friday, Nov. 16
By Harrison Thorp
After a recount which took until late in the day on Thursday to finish, Democrat Bill Noon of Springvale was declared the winner in the House District 144 race, defeating Republican Dan Archambault of Acton by 23 votes. (Final vote total unavailable.)
The recount was conducted in Augusta under the scrutiny of the Secretary of State's office.
The recount was spurred after initial voting showed Noon having won by a scant 15 votes.
House District 144 represents Acton, Sanford and Lebanon east of Center Road.
After voting was completed with 100 percent of the vote in on Election Day, Noon appeared the winner, by 15 votes, 2,391-2,376.
A subsequent count put Noon ahead by 19, while the Bangor Daily News website shows Archambault with a 68-vote margin of victory. Secretary of State spokesperson Megan Sanborn said the Bangor Daily News figures didn’t include overseas ballots.
Archambault said today he learned of the final count late on Thursday and congratulated Noon on his victory, the first time in many years East Lebanon has been represented by a Democrat.
Archambault also wished Noon luck in August and said he hopes Noon has success in pushing legislation that will be good for Lebanon as well as Acton and Sanford.
Noon beats Archambault
by 23 in Dist. 144 recount
A representative of each candidate was in attendance during the recount.
With Noon's win, Lebanon has reversed its current trend, going from having two Republicans represent it in the House to two Democrats.
Democrat Joshua Plante of Berwick defeated Republican Beth O’Connor of Berwick for the House 145 District, which represents West Lebanon as well as Berwick.
Meanwhile, Archambault said he’s uncertain whether he’ll run again.
“That’s something I’ve been asking myself for a week,” Archambault said. “It’s up in the air.”
Noon could not be reached for immediate comment.
Reads
good
and
plenty
posted 11:30 a.m., Sunday, Nov. 18
MIAMI – Writers with dreams of becoming bestselling authors came from across the country to show their wares on Saturday at the Miami International Book Fair.
Freak the News author and The Lebanon Voice editor Harrison Thorp was among them.
The book fair has been an annual weeklong November event in southern Florida for almost 30 years, and shows no signs of slowing down.
This week more than 600 authors and publishers were represented, along with a slew of other activities to choose from, including children’s events and cultural exhibits.
The food was as diverse as the ethnicity of the authors, with arepas (a kind of corn tortilla grilled cheese), ka-bobs of all kinds along with other foreign culinary fare featured.
An Hispanic folk singer sang ballads nonstop from 9 a.m. to the fair’s closing around 6 p.m.
The book fair comprises about 350 invited authors, including notables like Sen. Bob Graham and TV news personality and author Bill O’Reilly as well as some 250 independent authors and publishers who inhabit “Writer’s Row” where anyone can plunk down $300 and reserve a space to market their creation to tens of thousands of potential customers.
Many eventgoers come to savor the rarified atmosphere of so many authors laboring in a field fast shrinking as Internet and electronic literary portals wane.
Others come to enjoy the culture and cuisine. Others pay the $8 entry fee just because this weekend in Miami, along with the Boat Show and a Nascar race at Homestead, the Miami International Book Fair is the place to be.
Many in the crowd that stopped at the Freak the News booth were journalism students from Miami Dade College, whose campus is home to the annual book fair. They wanted to know where the field of journalism is headed and what’s in store for them.
Some booksellers hawked their books aggressively.
“It’s a funny book, it’s a fun book. You’ll laugh out loud,” a nearby author could be heard chirping to everyone that passed. By the end of the day you’ve memorized their spiel, too.
Eventgoers often bantered with authors. A favorite question is, “How long did it take you to write the book?”
One Hispanic gentleman grabbed a Freak the News copy and said, “I like book. You give me book.”
When the $12 price was brought up, he walked away nonplussed.
You never know who you’re going to talk to next.
At the Freak the News booth, a sea of people pass by and stop and tell you their life story and what they think about newspapers and why. They sometimes buy a book and they sometimes don’t, but they always have something interesting to say.
Courtesy photo
The Miami International Book Fair, located in downtown Miami, draws thousands.
Harrison Thorp photo
You never know who you're going to run into at the Miami International Book Fair.
Harrison Thorp photo
A passer-by has a few words for the author next to the Freak the News booth. The title on the book the man is pointing to is How to Live Large on Social Security.
Sara Thorp photo
Freak the News author Harrison sets up his booth before the rush begins on Saturday at the Miami International Book Fair in downtown Miami.
Freak the News catches the attention of some eventgoers passing by. The title often evokes such demeanor. Or it could've been the book next to it: Confessions of a Sex Slave.
Writing, reading
(and selling) take center stage at Miami book fair
They were proud to serve us; we're proud to salute them
A large and appreciative crowd was on hand as VFW Post Commander Pete Hayward began the Veterans Day ceremonies on Sunday in downtown Milton..
posted 10 a.m., Monday, Nov. 12
By Harrison Thorp
The sun broke through stubborn overcast just in time to shine on Milton’s celebration of the country’s veterans on Sunday as more than 120 onlookers paid tribute and gave thanks to American’s servicemen in a brief but poignant ceremony in Milton’s downtown park around 1 p.m.
Led by Milton VFW Commander Pete Hayward, the ceremony began with a prayer followed by a rousing, heartfelt rendition of the National Anthem by Jody Gourlay.
Hayward expressed the true sentiment of the day moments after the ceremony, saying many of America’s servicemen who perhaps just served two or three years and maybe weren’t deployed into a warzone sometimes don’t get the respect and appreciation they deserve and don’t feel like veterans.
He emphasized that their commitment and sacrifice is just as important to our country’s freedom as anyone who serves.
“This day is to honor all veterans. Where you go, what you do is almost luck of the draw,” Hayward said.
The large crowd voiced its appreciation for their service, giving all the military personnel in attendance several rousing ovations.
Also on hand were members of Milton Legion Post 61, the Union VFW Post 7663 as well as Milton BSA Troop 155, the Cub Scouts and the Milton Women’s Club, which served coffee and doughnuts.
In Milton, veterans get
their day in the sun
Ceremony celebrates their service to country
Harrison Thorp photos
A group of veterans from different eras congregate prior to Sunday's ceremony at the park in downtown Milton.
Milton VFW Post 8393 Commander Pete Hayward addresses a large crowd at Milton's Veterans Day celebration on Sunday.
Vehicle
registration
scofflaws
targeted
If you live in Lebanon and illegally register your car in New Hampshire, Vermont or Massachusetts, you might want to elect to properly register your car at the Town Hall before November.
Selectmen are in the process now of hiring a constable whose specialty is tracking down and prosecution of owners of cars that are illegally registered.
The recovery of funds likely if full enforcement and compliance is attained could mean as much as $120,000 for town coffers.
Excise tax fees paid in conjunction with the annual registration of vehicles stay with the town and help keep property taxes down.
The program to recover this lost revenue is set to begin in November, according to Selectman Jason Cole, who has been a longtime advocate for aggressive enforcement against such scofflaws.
Some 300 vehicles could be illegally registered, Cole said.
7 a.m., Friday, Nov.15
Brenda Boyle, a flower designer from Studley's Flower Garden, Inc., in Rochester, N.H., was the guest speaker at the Southern Maine Garden Club recent meeting. She is a certified New Hampshire floral designer.
Boyle created four different arrangements – two separate wreaths - a Thanksgiving and a Christmas wreath each filled with various greens from her garden - boxwood, white pine, hemlock and arborvitae to name a few that she just picked from her back yard before she came that night. Using the various greens adds texture and scent. She suggested changing out the ribbons and adding pine cones and Christmas ornaments.
Next she made a Christmas terrarium that held a tiny real mixed green Christmas tree that she created using Oasis and mixed greens along with miniature ornaments. The snow was made from Snow Real™ a decorative product that gives you instant snow – just mix a tablespoon with a quart of water and – voila – instant snow.
She added a tiny deer to the terrarium and received lots of ooohhhs and aaahhhs from the audience.
She also made a holiday arrangement of red roses, baby’s breath, greens, ribbon and gold Christmas bulbs. After her demonstrations her finished designs were raffled off and four lucky club members were able to jumpstart their holiday decorating.
SMGC meets throughout the year at the Springvale Library on the third Wednesday of every month beginning at 6:45 pm (unless otherwise noted). The public is invited to attend to sample our meetings to see if you would like to join us.
However, the December meeting will be a holiday party at a club member’s home. We will not have any meetings in January or February. The next meeting will be on March 20th, and it will be on making a terrarium by club member Donna Claveau.
For further information about future meetings, please contact in Maine – Sheryl Rothstein at 207-490-7147 or in New Hampshire – Donna Claveau at 603-332-4860.
.
courtesy photo/SMGC
Brenda Boyle shows off her handiwork at a recent SMGC meeting.
Lebanon man
indicted in
Dover burglary
A Lebanon man has been indicted in a Dover, N.H., burglary.
Gerald Veilleux, 31, of 419 Jim Grant Road, is charged in connection with a break-in in early March at 1 Abbey Sawyer Hgwy. The alleged burglary was committed with the aid of an accomplice, Ryan Feeney, no address given.
The burglary charge carries a sentence of from three and a half to seven years in prison.
Holiday
greenery
lends allure
