The second half of 2012 saw communities in turmoil over staffing and budget issues and lots of changes in County school administrative positions.
July
• Bob White of Caribou was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Association’s National High School Hall of Fame for his 31-year career officiating soccer in the state of Maine. White and his family traveled to Nashville, Tenn., for the induction ceremony. White was one of 12 annual inductees, only two of which were officials.
• Caribou Rotarians Katherine Anderson and Bob Sprague were the recipients of the club’s prestigious Paul Harris Award.
• The Limestone Police Department received a new police cruiser, a 2013 six-cylinder Ford Taurus.
• Mental health and substance abuse treatment rehabilitation center Life by Design opened its fourth Aroostook County location in Caribou.
• Margaret Daigle, one-time town manager of Houlton, was appointed as Caribou’s interim town manager until a permanent replacement for Steve Buck could be found.
• Turmoil began in Limestone as the town’s Board of Selectpeople voted to remove Police Chief Stacey Mahan with no warning to him or the town.
• Governor Paul LePage helped facilitate a job workshop held at Northern Maine Community College. The governor met with local business and community leaders to discuss ways to create jobs in the areas of agriculture, forestry and recreation in northern Maine.
• Pink Aroostook received critical funding from the Jefferson Cary Foundation. The group had lost grant funding prior to the donation.
August
• School Union 122, consisting of New Sweden, Westmanland and Woodland, voted to keep Roland Caron on as their interim superintendent until a permanent replacement could be found for former superintendent John Hedman.
• Tanya Belanger left her position as principal of Teague Park School in Caribou to become Fort Fairfield Elementary School’s principal. Physical education teacher Steve Austin was selected by RSU 39’s School Board as the new Teague Park principal.
• Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone hosted the first annual STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Collaborative Educator’s Week.
• Aroostakoostik organizers donated $1,000 to New Sweden’s Thomas Park Committee to assist with repairing the park’s famed amphitheater.
• The Limestone Board of Selectpeople unanimously reversed their decision to remove Police Chief Stacy Mahan and reappointed him.
• The Ride Aroostook cycling event raised over $10,000 for Camp Adventure, which sends children with Type I diabetes to summer camp.
• Twenty-six mechanics were hired back to the Maine Military Authority after an extensive layoff.
• The Caribou Cares About Kids festival was a success despite rainfall.
• United States Senator Susan Collins, originally of Caribou, married Thomas Daffron during a small ceremony held at the Gray Memorial United Methodist Church in Caribou.
• Two of Limestone’s selectpeople offered their resignations and a petition was circulated throughout the town to recall the other three members.
• The Caribou Connector highway officially opened for traffic.
• A recognition ceremony was held at the Caribou Veterans Home to present deserving residents with medals, including the Purple Heart and the State of Maine Silver and Gold stars.
• Susan White, former principal of Caribou Middle School, and Leland Caron, former principal of Limestone Community School, swapped positions beginning the 2012-13 school year, making White principal in Limestone and Caron principal at CMS.
• The “Loring Unite” event was held at the former Loring Air Force Base, reuniting approximately 200 individuals with ties to the former Limestone base.
September
• Loring Job Corps graduated 112 students from its various programs.
• Resignations of two selectpeople and the Parks and Recreation director were accepted in Limestone; the petition to recall the remaining selectpeople, signed by 186 residents, was submitted.
• Councilor Bryan Thompson resigned from the Caribou City Council.
• Northern Maine Veterans’ Cemetery in Caribou began accepting veteran-themed artifacts to display in the newly installed artifacts and documents cabinets at the cemetery. The cabinets were built by Caribou resident Phil Bosse.
• The 11th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 was recognized during a ceremony at the Caribou Fire Department.
• The group People for Aroostook Canine Enforcement introduced the community to Spera, a purebred German shepherd puppy the group acquired. PACE’s hope for Spera is that she eventually becomes a police dog for the city of Caribou. Spera’s future as a police dog awaits city council approval.
• Caribou attorney Richard Solman found the petition submitted in Limestone for the recall vote of the three remaining selectmen invalid due to the format of the petition not being in compliance with the Limestone Recall Ordinance.
• Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan received the Champion of Children award during the fall meeting of the Maine Chiefs of Police Association.
• New Sweden’s Board of Selectmen was confronted at their regular meeting by a group of angry citizens over recent major tax increases.
• Caribou city manager candidate Austin Bleess visited Caribou from Winnebago, Minn.
• Northern Maine Veterans’ Cemetery held a ceremony commemorating POW/MIA Recognition Day.
October
• Students of the Maine School of Science and Mathematics’ Key Club spent the night outside during a fund and awareness raiser for the plight of the homeless. The funds raised were donated to Catholic Charities.
• Fed up with negative campaign advertising, former teacher Alice Bolstridge organized candidate question and answer forums held in Caribou, Fort Kent and Houlton.
• Caribou’s Hilltop Elementary School held its annual Hoedown at the school with many fall activities for students and adults to participate in.
• The Northern Maine Veterans’ Cemetery held a ceremony to welcome home Vietnam and Vietnam Era veterans 50 years after the beginning of the Vietnam War. The ceremony was attended by U.S. Congressman Mike Michaud and the keynote speaker was Maj. Gen. Stephen Nichols, U.S. Army, retired.
• Cary Medical Center held its annual Breast Cancer Walk/Ride despite rain.
• Austin Bleess, former city administrator of Winnebago, Minn., was named Caribou’s new city manager and Joan Theriault was appointed as Caribou’s newest city councilor.
• A group of concerned citizens attended New Sweden’s School Board meeting with questions regarding the school’s budget and costs per student.
• A public letter from a group called The Concerned Citizens of Limestone was circulated via mass mailing. The letter supported the recent actions of Limestone’s Board of Selectpeople.
• The city of Caribou held a series of three public forums on the proposed budgets and capital spending reports for every municipal department.
• Caribou Chief of Police Michael Gahagan was awarded the Maine Commission for Community Service’s annual Champion of Service Award.
• The 39th annual Caribou Fall Arts & Crafts Fair was held at Caribou High School and deemed another success.
November
• Sara Martin was named as Limestone’s new Recreation Department director.
• Twenty-three students were inducted into Caribou High School’s National Honor Society.
• Woodland’s Colby Conroy was presented with an Eagle Scout Award.
• Bill Thomas of Woodland headed for New York as a Red Cross volunteer to take part in Superstorm Sandy relief efforts.
• National and local elections were held in which President O’Bama was elected for four more years and Maine voters passed a same-sex marriage law.
• The Limestone recall vote for three of the town’s selectpeople was set for Jan. 8, 2013.
• The Caribou Veterans’ Home received the bronze award for excellence from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living during a ceremony held in Tampa, Fla.
• Caribou City Council decided to replace the office of Community and Economic Development and the human resources position within the Finance Department with an assistant city manager and deputy tax collector.
• Maine School of Science and Mathematics Executive Director Luke Shorty was appointed to the National Consortium of Specialized Secondary Schools in Math, Sciences and Technologies.
• Cary Medical Center welcomed its 200th baby delivery for 2012.
December
• The Caribou Veterans Clinic celebrated its 25th anniversary being located at Cary Medical Center.
• Caribou businessman William Tasker was hired as the Caribou Area Chamber of Commerce’s new director, replacing Jenny Coon.
• Budget issues continued to dominate Caribou City Council meetings, with talk of positions possibly being eliminated and not being filled for the time being.
• Veterans ceremonies were held in Caribou to honor Pearl Harbor Day on the Fort Fairfield bridge and in recognition of Wreaths Across America Day at the Veterans Cemetery.
• Caribou’s Scott Willey stepped down from the RSU 39 School Board after 10 years of service.
