This week’s edition!
Archive for November 2014
Dollar General prepares to open area stores
Dollar General currently has five new stores under construction in southern Maine, including one each in Lewiston (1083 Sabattus Street), Auburn (807 Minot Avenue) and Turner (9 Buckfield Road). The company announced plans to expand its presence into the state in June of 2014 and currently anticipates opening its first store in the state by spring of 2015.
As the country’s largest small-box retailer, Dollar General will offer Maine residents convenient locations to purchase essential items at everyday low prices. They do this by providing a focused selection of national name brands and private brands of food, housewares, seasonal items, cleaning supplies, basic apparel and health and beauty products. The stores’ layouts are designed to make shopping simple for customers. Seasonal products are displayed in the center of the store, departments are easily recognizable with visible signage, and coolers are conveniently located at the front.
St. Philip’s fair marks 40th year
Carmen White and Dick Dubois, who has headed up the effort since the fair started 40 years ago, are among the many wreath makers for St. Phillip’s Church’s annual Christmas by the Lake (photo by Debbie Hite).
“Christmas by the Lake,” the annual Christmas fair presented by St. Philip’s Church of Auburn, will hold its 40th anniversary event this year on Saturday, November 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the parish center, located on Rt. 4 across from Lake Auburn.
The event will include all the regular features that have made the fair so popular over the years, including greens and wreaths, knits, quilted items, homemade candies and preserves, woodcrafts, jewelry, hidden treasures, holiday crafts, baked goods, and baked beans available to eat in or take out. Extra attention has been given this year to the lunch counter, available seating and theme baskets, with many in the $15 to $25 range. Any leftover items will be available for extended shopping on Sunday, November 23, from 10 a.m. to noon.
AHCH dedicates Stone Garden
Cutting the ribbon to dedicate the new Stone Garden at AHCH’s Hospice House in Auburn are (l. to r.) Dianne Boucher, Mary MacMahon , Julie Shackley, Lucie Boucher, Claudia Takacs and Karen Flynn.
Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice (AHCH) recently hosted a ribbon-cutting event to unveil its new Stone Garden, an artistic work representing the migration of the spirit for patients cared for at its Hospice House in Auburn and their families. The ceremony took place on a beautiful October Friday afternoon with 25 guest, staff and community members in attendance.
Your Input on School Redistricting is Requested!
By Linda Scott, Chair, Redistricting Committee
In January 2015, the Lewiston School Committee will make a decision that will determine the face of Lewiston elementary schools for a decade or more. You are invited to learn more about the issue and to voice your opinion in the process.
Martel Elementary School is ranked Number 8 on the Department of Education’s school construction priority list, and the Maine Board of Education approved the commencement of the Martel project last April. The project is expected to include the construction of a new elementary school and the closing of Martel. The Department also supports our considering the needs of Longley Elementary School, as that school is Number 20 on the list, but state funding will only be available for Longley if it is part of the same project as the Martel replacement.
CM Foundation honors retiring members
Retiring board members Ed Cormier and Dick Roy (2nd and 3rd from l.) were honored recently by the CM Foundation board of directors. They are pictured here with CMCC President Scott Knapp (l.) and board chair Dick Gleason (r.).
Two longtime members of the CM Education Foundation board of directors were honored recently for their distinguished service on the board. The directors voted unanimously to grant them member-emeritus status.
Richard Roy has served on the board for almost 20 years and is a former chair. He is executive vice president and chief banking officer at Mechanics Savings Bank. Ed Cormier has served on the board for over 15 years and is also a former chair. He is retired from Harriman Architects and Engineers, where he served as president from 1991 to 2008.
APD to play CMCC Mustangs in “Jam the Gym”
The men’s varsity basketball team from Central Maine Community College will face a somewhat unusual opponent when they play the Auburn Police Department All-Stars for local bragging rights in a “Jam the Gym” fundraising event on Tuesday, November 18 at 7 p.m. Proceeds from this all-in-fun event will benefit the Auburn Police Activities League (PAL).
This unusual CMCC foe will consist of APD officers of every rank and skill level. “We are pretty confident that we will give them some good competition,” said Chief Phil Crowell. “They may be younger and faster than we are, but don’t count us out – our guys have ‘game.’ Either way, it’s going to be a great event!”
Letter: Marijuana and Children
To the editor:
With the referendum concerning the “legalization” of marijuana in Lewiston nearing, I thought of the situation in Colorado. In that state, ‘pot’ has become legal, and widely available in smoking form and in ready-made food products.
Although Enterovirus D68 has shown up elsewhere, Colorado recently has experienced a large number of cases in children. We know that children are at great risk of illness when breathing secondhand smoke; there also are numerous reports of children having innocently ingested marijuana-laced treats in Colorado.
I’m not a doctor, but am pondering what I view as a very real possibility that children’s immune systems are being compromised, making them not only more susceptible to respiratory illnesses such as Enterovirus D68, but more likely to incur greater negative effects. Do we even want to take those risks in Lewiston-Auburn? Do we want to go against the research-based advice of the medical and law enforcement people, much less state statutes and federal laws? Just wondering.
Robert Hansen
Auburn
