Before the region dons silly hats and party blowers to welcome in 2013, we thought we’d celebrate and remember the highs and lows of 2012.
January
• Licensed masseuse Megan Scott opened a practice in Caribou.
• Professional Home Nursing was named to the 2011 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States.
• Officials with the Cary Medical Center Auxiliary made a $100,000 donation to the hospital to assist with the purchase of a new, state-of-the-art digital mammography instrument. The donation was made available through money raised through the annual Breast Cancer Awareness “Walk for Care.”
• Bob Dorsey of Fort Fairfield was named the new president and CEO of the Aroostook Partnership for Progress.
• Leane Page was named the new program director within the Economic and Workforce development Division of NMDC. Page’s duties as program director include coordinating staff weekly on large projects, like those aimed toward helping bolster the county’s workforce through increased education and training, as well as working closely with NMDC regional planning officials on joint ventures.
February
• Creative Minds Daycare and Nursery School opened in Caribou, founded by Theresa Dube.
• Caribou Auto Repair Service (CARS) opened in Caribou; the business is co-owned by Rick and Justin Bell.
• Cary Medical Center received $276,000 for cardiovascular health outreach through the AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation’s program Connections for Cardiovascular HealthSM. The funds were used to help support Cary’s Healthy Hearts-Healthy Community program, and it was the second consecutive year that the Caribou hospital had received a grant from AstraZeneca.
• Students of the Loring Job Corps Center were out and about at various businesses and institutions in central Aroostook County for their annual Ground Day job shadowing program; the annual event helps students get a real world look at the occupations they’re studying.
March
• Regen Gallagher, DO was named CMO of Cary Medical Center. She is responsible for a number of medical staff leadership duties including peer review, state licensure and The Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organization surveys.
• Students of the Caribou High School Technology Center participating in the Marketing Club (or DECA, Distributive Education Clubs of America) participated in the annual state competition held in Portland; with over 100 students in attendance from around the state, Caribou’s club competed in a variety of categories testing their level of knowledge and understanding of different business and marketing functionalities.
• It was the best turnout ever for the annual Youth Day on Madawaska Lake, organized by Northstar Variety owners Dave and Sara Anderson. About 250 people had a great day of ice fishing.
• Maine’s 2011 Young Farmer of the Year Brandon Berce, of St. Agatha, had an opportunity to speak with Sen. Susan Collins during a meeting of the National Potato Council in Washington, D.C. “As a native of Aroostook County, I fully understand the importance of Maine’s potato industry to both our local and state economy,” the senator said. “I am incredibly proud to have been the potato’s champion in Washington.”
April
• Malissa Dubie was named as the new manager of TD Bank in Caribou.
• Senator Olympia Snowe flew in to Limestone for a quick afternoon trip specifically to visit with students of the Home Builders Institute at the Loring Job Corps carpentry and electrical vocations. “It made us feel important because she visited us instead of any other trade,” said student Carlos Burgos. “It made us feel like we’re doing something right.”
• Mr. Paperback bookstore closed in Caribou.
• Members of the Caribou Busines and Professional Women’s Organization held their annual Employee Appreciation Luncheon.
May
• Cary Medical Center received three national awards from AVATAR International, a research and consulting company based in Orlando; Cary received the Exceeding Patient Standards Award, the Overall Best Performer Award and the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) Best Performer Award fo Nursing Communications.
• $400,000 was awarded to Northern Maine Development Commission to assess brownfields in northern Maine communities.
• The Caribou Farmers’ Market opened for another season, located at 159 Bennett Drive.
• Caribou’s City Wide Yard Sale was held again with over 9,000 maps printed; the director of the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce was comfortable calling the annual event a success.
• Gary’s Sales and Service of Caribou was recognized at KIOTI Tractor’s annual dealer meeting for achieving over $1 million in retail sales of KIOTI tractors, Ultimate Transport Vehicles and implements during the prior fiscal year.
June
• John Gulliver, former WAGM-TV newscaster and news director, was named director of investor and community relations for the Aroostook Partnership for Progress.
• Infection preventionist at Cary Medical Center Ann King, R.N. CCEMPT, recently earned the highest certification in the field of infection prevention/control and epidemiology by obtaining the Certified Infection Control (CIC) designation.
• Cary Medical Center was recognized by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for its work on the development of a Community Safe Medical Sharps Program. The DEP also presented hospital officials with a grant for $10,000 to purchase additional disposal kiosks for the towns of Fort Kent, Madawaska, Fort Fairfield and Houlton.
• Dana Delano was hired as the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership project manager under the umbrella of NMDC’s Economic and Workforce development Division.
Please see next week’s issue of the Aroostook Republican for a Year in Review from July through December.
