Editor’s Note: The following is the second of two articles highlighting some of the top news stories from 2012. This article highlights July to December.
Compiled by Joseph Cyr Staff Writer
July
• For generations, the East Hodgdon Bible Church welcomed parishioners of all walks to its chapel on the White Settlement Road. The church was celebrating its 100th anniversary, complete with a church family reunion, according to Pastor Paul Juris, who had been the church’s pastor since 2007.
• Heavy rain fell in southern Aroostook and northern Penobscot counties resulting in a number of roads being damaged or completely washed out. Patten Town Manager Terri Conklin said that the damage totals were well over $300,000 and could approach $500,000.
• For the first time since 1949, Maine residents were allowed to possess and display fireworks over the Fourth of July. But just because most fireworks were legal, doesn’t mean local police and fire officials were not without concerns. Houlton’s fire and police chiefs addressed the issue at a town council meeting and both stated they expected to see a few minor issues this holiday weekend because many people are unaware of the laws surrounding the use of fireworks.
• A new stop sign was placed on the corner of Main and Military streets near the newly opened County Yankee grocery store. Previously, a yield sign was located at the intersection. Also, motorists traveling East on Main Street will now be required to make a left hand turn onto Military, as opposed to previously driving straight through.
• Houlton’s Riverfront Park was missing its sentinel. The bronze moose that stood nobly at the entrance of the Gateway Bridge Crossing for nearly three years retired its watch. Local artist Glenn Hines of Hammond placed the moose in the park in June 2009, but when a buyer for the sculpture came forward, it was relocated.
• Gary Cole, a native of Houlton, was proof positive that it was never too late in life to try something new. Cole was sharing his watercolor paintings in a sidewalk art show in Houlton at his brother’s business, Cole’s Shoe Store, located on Kendall Street. It was his first public showing of his work — a late-in-life new career, in conjunction with his 50th class reunion in Houlton.
• Littleton’s eldest living resident was honored with a small ceremony at her home. Mabel (McGuire) Walton, 92, was presented with the “town cane” by Courtney Toby, town manager, and members of the board of selectmen.
• Despite the town council’s best effort to keep spending down, taxes were on the rise in Houlton. Tax bills were sent out to residents featuring a mill rate of $19.95 per $1,000 of assessed value. According to Nedra Hanson, town treasurer, the rate is a one-mill increase over the previous year. For the average home valued at $90,000, taxpayers will see an increase of $90 on their bills.
August
• Katahdin Trust Company was in the midst of a $1.4 million, 4,800 square foot addition to its operations center. It marked the third time the bank needed to expand to meet its growing demand for space. Once complete, the center planned to boast 18,000 square feet of office space capable of housing up to 68 employees and feature an expanded conference room/training area able to host upwards of 191 staff members, as well as an employee lounge area.
• Madeline Bates Adams was the Boston Gold Post Cane recipient during Saturday’s festivities in Linneus. Adams, 93, accepted the honor from former Linneus Town Manager Fran Hutchinson during a short ceremony.
• The old saying “any landing you can walk a way from is a good one,” certainly applied to Houlton’s Milton Bayliss after his small aircraft crashed at Houlton International Airport. Bayliss, 77, was flying in his 2003 Xair Experimental Aircraft, more commonly referred to as an “ultra-light” when he attempted to land his plane shortly after 2 p.m. A stiff crosswind compounded by low engine RPMs as the plane was coming in for a landing, caused his aircraft to flip over.
• Starting its second year as a consolidated school district, RSU 50 finally has a new leader at the top to guide the district. Larry Malone replaced John Doe who has served as interim superintendent for the past year.
• The scoreboard that graces Houlton High School’s soccer field was dedicated to the late Dan Tracy during an emotional ceremony held in-between the boys and girls soccer games with Fort Kent. Tracy was a long time sports supporter and former athlete from Houlton who passed away after a three-year battle with cancer.
September
• The town of Houlton finally had a new manager in place, ending a six-month search. Eugene Conlogue, a Houlton native, was unanimously approved as Houlton’s next town manager by the town council. He most recently served as town manager for Millinocket, a position he held from July 1999 until tendering his resignation to take the post in Houlton.
• Stepping into the former Dyer Brook General Store was almost like taking a step back in time. The sales counter that once greeted countless shoppers is still there and scattered about the establishment are old political posters from the 1950s. Residents had a rare opportunity to check out the one-time hub of Dyer Brook as Brian McNelly, son of proprietor Laurel “Jiggs” McNelly, opened up the family building for a yard sale/open house of the facility.
• Houlton police located the gravestone of one of the town’s founding fathers — Joseph Houlton — after it was stolen.
• Riverfront Park had a new sculpture, thanks to a donation by Forest Hart. The sculpture of a Maine black bear replaced the previous tenant, a moose.
October
• A Hodgdon soldier died after suffering a severe injury while on patrol in Afghanistan. Sgt. First Class Aaron A. Henderson of A Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, was wounded by an improvised explosive device. He was transported to a hospital in Afghanistan where he succumbed to his wounds. His body was flown home in a private jet, where veterans gathered at Houlton International Airport to line the road for his arrival. A motorcade traveled through Houlton and Hodgdon and was attended by hundreds. A ceremony was held at Houlton High School, attended by many dignitaries, members of Henderson’s troop and family, as well as more than 1,200 supporters from the community.
• The town of Hodgdon was getting a “new” tanker truck for its fire department. Voters authorized the town to take $23,000 from the town’s surplus account to purchase a 1999 Volvo tanker truck during a special town meeting at the Mill Pond School. About 16 residents attended the special town meeting. Town Manager Jim Griffin said the vehicle will be used to replace one of the town’s existing tanker trucks, but which vehicle was uncertain. The town presently has two tankers, a 1974 vehicle and 1980 truck, in its fleet.
• The Oakfield Toys for Tots program was hoping that fake blood, makeup and horror scenes would help scare up a few extra dollars this Halloween season so that local children will have a more joyous Christmas thanks to a Haunted Hayride.
• State agriculture officials traveled to Washington, D.C. last week to work with Maine’s congressional delegation and other officials about the demise of the 2008 Farm Bill, which expired Sept. 30, and its disastrous impact on Maine’s dairy farmers. According to Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF) officials, the high cost of feed and fuel, coupled with the Midwest drought and a federal milk pricing system based on a speculative market system, caused production costs to skyrocket for Maine dairy producers.
• The Houlton Police Department looked to one of its own to fill a vacant patrol sergeant position on the force. Charles Wampler III was named the newest patrol sergeant during a ceremony at the station. Wampler replaced Fred Parker as one of two patrol sergeants on the force, along with Eric Crouse.
November
• An attempt to withdraw from SAD 70 did not generate enough support from Ludlow voters at the polls, failing by a vote of 150 “no” and 79 “yes.” Nearly 72 percent of registered voters in Ludlow participated in this year’s election.
• It was a presidential election year at the polls. Aroostook County voters mirrored their national counterparts, voting to return incumbent President Barack Obama to the Oval Office by a 53-45 percent margin of victory. In Maine, President Obama collected 56 percent of 706,300 votes while nationwide he attracted 3.38 million more votes than Republican Mitt Romney or 51 percent. President Obama received 62,283,914 votes to Romney’s 58,905,252 while in the Electoral College, the vote was 332-206 in favor of the incumbent. American voters also supported a slim 53-45 margin for Democrats in the U.S. Senate while Republicans held onto their majority in the House of Representatives, 233 to 195.
• Interest in deciding the fate of the state and nation appeared to be high in the Shiretown as a whopping 68 percent of registered voters in Houlton participated in this year’s election. A total of 2,575 voters cast ballots this year, according to Cathy O’Leary, town clerk. There are 3,809 registered voters in the town. And while that turnout was impressive, O’Leary said there have been years where the percentage has been even higher for presidential elections.
• Two new faces were selected to the Houlton Town Council. Daniel Peabody was the top vote-getter, nabbing 1,493 votes. Also elected to the town council was Philip Cloney with 886 votes. Incumbent Mike Jenkins failed in his re-election bid, finishing with 840 votes, followed by Phil Bernaiche, 670 votes; and Carl Lord Jr., 477.
• Almon “Tiny” Hemore, Chapter 10 DAV Service Officer, presented the town of Houlton with a plaque commemorating Major General Henry Merriam of the United States Army. Merriam raised and led a Houlton company of infantry into historic battles of the War Between the States. He is the only Houlton man to win the highest United States military decoration, leading the 73rd USCT [Colored Troops] to capture Fort Blakeley, Ala. The last battle of the Civil War.
• Houlton Rotary Club officials declared this year’s Rotary Auction a huge success. The 57th annual auction brought in a gross of more than $57,000, which is a 14 percent increase over last year.
December
• Houlton’s Board of Budget Review met for the second time and spent two hours going over the spending plan for 2013. As presented, the proposed 2013 budget, including estimated amounts for the county tax and RSU 29 school board, is $9,474,134. That figure is up $248,374 (2.7 percent) from the current spending package. If approved, as is, the proposal would likely result in tax increase of 1.25 mills. However, if the RSU 29 budget comes in more than anticipated, the overall tax increase could be even higher.
• Master Sgt. Darrell A. Hanning of Houlton was awarded the prestigious Legion of Merit award by Col. Hamilton D. Richards, commander of the 120th Regional Support Group Bangor, who presented Hanning with the Legion of Merit award during a brief ceremony at the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians headquarters in Houlton. Hanning retired from the Army National Guard in November.
• The members and friends of First Baptist Church in Houlton were celebrating the 150th anniversary of the forming of their home church and the signing of the charter. So much has happened since that time — many marvelous pastors, fine lay leaders, a strong mission emphasis and generations of children growing up and going out into the world with a firm faith foundation from their church family.
• After two years as an Alternative Organizational Structure, SAD 70 is making plans to withdraw from its partnership with SAD 14 (Danforth and Weston). At a Dec. 11 meeting, the SAD 70 board voted unanimously to start the process of withdrawing from AOS 48.
• A major winter storm dumped about a foot of heavy, wet snow on southern Aroostook County, causing widespread power outages. Some individuals were without power for two days as repair crews struggled to keep up with downed power lines.
• Progress continued to be made on the latest wind farm in Aroostook County. That word from Matt Kearns, First Wind vice president of business development, who was the keynote speaker at the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation’s annual meeting held in Houlton. Oakfield Wind is a proposed 50-turbine, 150-megawatt wind farm development by First Wind.
