2006 Year in Review: June

JUNE

June 1, 2006

Man pleads guilty to molesting 2-year-old

PARIS — Steven Morton, 20, of Rumford and Pecchem, VT, pled guilty in Superior Court to raping a toddler while babysitting at the child’s Rumford home in September, 2005.  

Stoneham vet, 84, finally gets his medals

PARIS — Edmund Baker went to the Maine Veterans’ Home  in Paris thinking that he was there to help pay tribute to a fellow vet, but found himself to be the guest of honor when Sen. Susan Collins surprised him with medals he had earned in WW II, but never received.

Buckfield Commerce on Alert

BUCKFIELD — Hard on the heels of a recent 75 percent “emergency” rate increase came word of a second imminent rate hike from Buckfield’s quasi-municipal water company, needed to pay for a recent $1 million upgrade project.  Many business claimed the new water bills, some estimated to run as high as $1,400 annually, would put them out of business.  By year’s end, deals were reached that blunted the impact some, but the Maine Public Utilities Commissions still approved a rate case that makes Buckfield’s water bills among the highest in the nation.    

June 8, 2006

Paris Eagle Scout named tops in the state

PARIS — Earl Rogers, who earned scouting's top honor at age 15, in 2003, was named Eagle Scout of the Year for 2006 by the American Legion.  He was honored at the Legion’s annual convention at the Bangor Civic Center and received $1,000 in scholarships.

Oxford woman heads to jail for stealing from PTA

OXFORD COUNTY — Tiffany Parsons, 34, pled guilty to stealing more than $22,000 from the Oxford Elementary Parent-Teacher Association during the 2004-2005 school year while serving as the group’s treasurer.

Ledgewood Motel sold to Bob Bahre

NORWAY — The well-known developer and owner of New Hampshire International Speedway, who maintains a home in Paris, purchased the venerable motel on Route 26 from Gay Cooper and her daughter, Kristen Hamilton.  The two had tried to keep the business running after the 2001 death of Gay’s husband, Don, but eventually became overwhelmed.  The motel was on the market for less than a week when Bahre snatched it up.  Later in the year, much of the motel was moved to the Oxford County Fairgrounds, to be renovated into viewing stands and betting parlors for the racetrack.  Shortly after that, the fairground donated some of its land to Bahre to help with the development of a Lowe’s home improvement store.

June 15, 2006

$2 million glitch found in Poland books

POLAND — Months of acrimony and debate got started when an audit uncovered a $2,051,776 error in the town’s tax increment financing (TIF) deal with the Poland Spring bottling company.

McFalls considers axing town meeting

MECHANIC FALLS — Continuing what has become a local trend, town fathers in Mechanic Falls wrestled with the idea of scrapping the traditional town meeting format in favor of referendum voting. 

Otisfield applauds selectmen’s new plan for Sam’s Landing

OTISFIELD — Before a large and enthusiastic crowd, selectmen turned back the prospect of a large boat launch at the popular recreational spot on Saturday Pond by limiting use to make it a picnic and swimming area closed to anyone but town residents and taxpayers, and inaccessible to any boat that could not be carried in by hand.

June 22, 2006

Woodstock woman’s Lyme disease ‘secret’ spreading

REGION — Tracy Poland, of Woodstock, shared the story of her 16 year battle with the fatigue inducing disease, in hopes that readers unknowingly afflicted with the ailment might learn how to identify symptoms of the disease and get the help they might need.

Pair makes Norway storage trailer home

NORWAY — Timothy Smith, 39, and Barbara Holt, 41, were found living in a French Road camper trailer by its owner, and apprehended after a short foot chase by police.  It was believed that the squatters had taken up residence about two weeks earlier.  Norway police recovered a stolen bicycle in the trailer and found four outstanding warrants for the pair.

Tim Horton’s in hot water?

NORWAY — An attempt to bring a Tim Horton’s restaurant to the site of the recently closed Wendy’s on Fair Street, Norway, got off to a rocky start when neighbors complained that the 24-hour violation would violate a deal worked out when the Wendy’s was built.  The local residents lost their fight, and by December Tim Horton’s was open for round-the-clock business.

June 29, 2006

Keiser Industries snags $4 million project

OXFORD HILLS — Keiser Industries, a modular home builder based in Oxford, confirmed that it has snagged a deal to build affordable housing on Martha’s Vinyard, in Massachusetts.  To build the 21 units required, Keiser called in help from Oxford Homes.

Outsiders rocking town votes?

OTISFIELD — Following town meeting, Otisfield residents began to complain about a Sudbury, MA, man who haggled with selectmen and cast votes at the annual gathering.  Although a local landowner, the man was not registered to vote in Otisfield.

Man steals, wrecks boss’ SUV, again

OXFORD — After Keith Anson, 35, took a vehicle from its parking spot at Oxford Auto Salvage without authorization and crashed it, business-owner Bill Penfold paid the man’s bail and offered to let him keep his job to work off the damages.  Less than two weeks later, Anson repeated his theft and, again, crashed the SUV.  Penfold did not bail the man out a second time.