The Auburn-Lewiston Rotary Breakfast Club has selected Chantel St. Laurent as the recipient of its 2019 Rotary Youth Fellowship Award. The award goes to a candidate between the ages of 18 and 35 who is committed to their community, education, and is on track to become an asset for both the area and their family and friends.

Enjoy a slice of pie with a side of history when the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center in Livermore presents its ninth annual Pie Social fundraiser on Saturday, September 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. 

Against a backdrop of rolling fields and woodlands, the delicious aroma of homemade pies of every type, made and donated by Norlands’ volunteers, will fill the air for this event. Some pies will also be baked by Norlands’ staff using the woodstove in the historic farmer’s cottage. 

All pie may be served plain or with real whipped cream or homemade ice cream, while supplies last. Whole pies will be for sale for $13 and individual slices will be served up for a donation. All proceeds will support the Norlands’ museum and farm programs, so have that second piece or purchase a whole pie to take home. 

Jeff Brickman will be the featured guest speaker of the Lewiston-Auburn Rotary Lunch Club on Thursday, September 5, from noon to 1 p.m. at The Village Inn of Auburn.  

Brickman, CEO of Central Maine Healthcare, has spent 39 years as a healthcare and hospital executive, responsible for major expansions and turnarounds at five health systems across the country. He came to CMH and Lewiston almost three years ago, in September, 2016. Since that time, Brickman and his team have experienced multiple successes in stabilizing the health system and are now looking forward to advancing CMH in its mission to provide top-quality, accessible, lower-cost care to Mainers. 

By Rep. Kathleen Dillingham

Since our last address, Governor Mills has called the Legislature back for a Special Session on Monday, August 26. 

The stated purpose is to consider bond proposals and two other pieces of legislation, one concerning the Franklin County Commissioners and another dealing with the Ocean School in Searsport.  

This one-day Special Session will cost Maine taxpayers approximately $42,000 more because it is above and beyond what was budgeted. 

We shouldn’t have to be called into Special Session at all. The Mills administration and Democrats know that our roads and bridges are in tough shape. We should have already passed a transportation bond and finished our work on bonding in June.

First, some history on how we got here.

This fall, Lewiston Adult Education will offer a unique new class that will provide advice and encouragement for those seeking to go back to college. “College Success Skills” will be co-taught by LAE’s College Transition Program coordinator Amy Hatch, along with Central Maine Community College graduate Kassie Schmidt, who completed the College Transition Program at Lewiston Adult Education before attending CMCC. 

Kevin Frisbie, a Maine-based Investment Adviser Representative affiliated with Foundations Investment Advisors, has been named the exclusive financial commentator for the Howie Carr Show. Frisbie is the founder and president of Frisbie Benefits, which is based in Lewiston and has offices and affiliates in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Florida. 

Community Credit Union was a proud sponsor of the recent fifth annual Summer Block Party at Mac’s Grill to benefit Make-A-Wish Maine. The credit union partnered with Mad Monkey Media to sponsor a Dunk Tank, where local luminaries were dunked to raise money for the cause. These included Auburn and Lewiston Police and Fire Department personnel, local politicians, Jennifer Hogan and Jenna Beaulieu of Community Credit Union, Corey Garrison of 99.9 The Wolf, and Leif Erickson of 107.5 FRANK FM.

The Washburn-Norlands Living History Center in Livermore has embarked upon a project to fully restore the steeple and bell tower that adorns the center’s oldest building, its 1828 Meeting House.

The restoration will include strengthening the framing with new posts, building and installing a new bell wheel, and repairing or replacing the upper and lower railings, decorative lattice work, clapboards, and other deteriorating woodwork. Also, flashing will be repaired where it meets the roofline and the entire steeple will be scraped, sanded, primed, caulked, and painted. 

When finished, the steeple will once again be structurally sound and weather-tight, harkening back to 1828, when Israel Washburn Sr. and his neighbor, Otis Pray, raised money to build the church. The work is expected to be completed in October.

By Sen. Nate Libby

All kids deserve to have a safe space where they can play outside with their friends. But for many kids with disabilities, taking advantage of their local playground just isn’t an option unless they want to watch from the sidelines. 

A report from 2017 shows that more than 6,000 kids across Maine have a health impairment and more than 3,000 kids have multiple disabilities. More than 16 percent of Lewiston’s students have special needs. 

I am the proud father of two boys, Charlie and Jude. My wife, Andrea, and I welcomed Charlie into our little family earlier this year. My oldest son, Jude, is 10 years old and has cerebral palsy. CP is a type of disability that affects a person’s ability to move and maintain their balance. According to the CDC, cerebral palsy is the most common motor disability in kids. In the U.S., 1 in 323 children has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. 

In addition to balloon rides and launches, the 27th annual Great Falls Balloon Festival brings a wide variety of entertainment to the banks of the Androscoggin River this weekend. Most acts will perform on the festival mainstage at Simard-Payne Park (formerly Railroad Park) in Lewiston or on the Riverwalk stage in Auburn. For the complete entertainment schedule, see www.greatfallsballoonfestival.org.