2006 Year in Review: May

MAY

May 4, 2006

Graveyard desecrated

PARIS — More than 50 tombstones were found toppled and broken in South Paris’ Riverside Cemetery, on Maple Street near Market Square.  Although a recent discovery, some of the damage was thought to date back to the previous fall, given the weathering seen on some marble statutes, including a life-sized angel that had its arm broken off.  Due to the size of some of the memorials, Paris police attributed much of the destruction to “adult-sized” vandals.  A group of volunteers soon rallied to clean up the cemetery.

Neighbors helping neighbors

OXFORD HILLS — The Advertiser shared stories of local citizens who rallied to help their neighbors in need, including Cindy Henson, of Oxford, who needed to travel to Omaha for intestine replacement surgery, and Norway florist Stina Josephson, laid low in the prime of life by a sudden brain aneurism.  Also, Sylvia Andrews thanked the anonymous diner at Market Square Restaurant who picked up the tab for a recent birthday meal for her mentally challenged brother.

Ex-Bethel Rotary treasurer accused of embezzling

BETHEL — William Alford, 41, of Bethel, was arrested and accused of writing more than $10,000 worth of checks to himself from Bethel Rotary accounts, while he was treasurer of that group.    

May 11, 2006

Paris slaps Growth Council

PARIS — In a dramatic vote of “no confidence” the Paris budget committee slashed funding for the Growth Council of Oxford Hills by $9,500.  Municipal leaders from Norway and Oxford soon lined up to similarly criticize the regional economic development group, citing poor communication with the towns.  In response, business leaders from Maine Machine Products, Paricon and other are companies rallied to say they might have gone out of business during the last few years without Growth Council support.  All municipal funding was restored at town meetings, but by August Growth Council CEO Brett Doney had tendered his resignation and moved to Montana.

Wyman fired

NORWAY — Norway’s Community Development Director Deb Wyman, accused in March of embezzling more than $150,000, was formally let go from her job by Town Manager David Holt following the expiration of a 30-day appeal period after being sent a notice of termination.

Rare white robin visits Paris Hill

PARIS — Rita Ross was among several women who defied the odds this week when they spotted a rare white robin flitting around the Paris Hill area.  Judy Walker of the Maine Audubon Society, said only one in 7,000 robins is born with the albino-like condition.

May 18, 2006

Oxford Aviation expands, but not here

OXFORD — In May, word broke that the airplane refurbishing company, Oxford Aviation, would develop a 93,000-square-foot facility and add 200 jobs.  However, because the company was unable to get county commissioner to expand the Oxford County Airport runway, those jobs went to the Sanford Regional Airport.

Waterford Homes hires new CEO

WATERFORD — Robert Martin of Saco took over from Ed Keiser as head of Waterford Homes, the newest of several manufactured home companies Keiser has founded in the area over the years.  Martin touted plans to focus on high end homes and predicted doubling Waterford Homes 20-person workforce within six months.  However, by year’s end the company was out of business and on the auction block.

Former Oxford town manager suspended from practicing law

OXFORD — Michael Huston, a former Oxford town manager, was suspended from practicing law for six months, with all but 10 days suspended by Maine’s Overseers of the Bar.  The decision followed actions taken in and out of selectmen’s meetings will town manager in 2004, implied that he was still a practicing attorney, when he was not.  It was the second time since 1998 that Huston had been suspended from the bar.

May 25, 2006

Two 14-year olds missing

WATERFORD/HARRISON — Two teens made headline news when they went missing this week.  The pair disappeared from a sleepover at that Waterford home of one of the girls five days before this story ran.  The day their pictures appeared in the Advertiser, the runaways were spotted in Norway and returned to their worried families.

Skate park finally ready

PARIS — After five years of planning and fund raising, a volunteer group announced that the 7,800-square-foot Oxford Hills Skate Park, a project spearheaded by of area youth, was finished and ready for its grand opening.  The news was only tempered by the fact that Bently Hamilton, often cited as one of the founders of the project most responsible for bringing it to fruition, could not be present.  He had been hired days before by an “action sports camp” in California.

Norway man charged with sex assault on 9-year-old boy

NORWAY — Richard Hamilton, 53, of Norway was arrested and  charged with committing gross sexual assault, four times, on a nine-year-old boy.  A ‘large quantity” of sexually-explicit material was taken by police from Hamilton's apartment and shipped to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to be checked by a computer crimes task force.