Mon, May 20, 2013

News

  • Neighbor quickly spots missing child

    OTISFIELD — A four-and-a-half year old girl who went missing with the family dog was found by a neighbor on Monday.

    The Oxford County Sheriff's Department, Otisfield Fire Department, and Maine Game Warden's office were called out at 2:30 p.m. with reports of a missing child, but a neighbor spotted the child before officials arrived on scene.

  • Fryeburg road project to benefit Oxford County

    OXFORD — When it comes to capturing the benefits of state highway funds, Oxford County is making out better than it might seem, say local legislators.

    A recently-released capital work plan from the Maine Department of Transportation (DOT) identified $764.6 milion worth of work that will be spread around the state in 2012 and 2013.

    While the county is listed as directly receiving only $10.3 million, or 1.3 percent, of that money, the county is actually making out significantly better, says Rep. David R. Hastings (R-Oxford).

  • Sumner considers wind farm moratorium

    SUMNER — The Board of Selectmen in Sumner was asked to consider a moratorium on the installation of wind farms.

    Planning Board members John Allen and Lawrence O'Rourke informed the board that they had held informal discussions with a national renewable energy company, Blue Sky Energy, regarding plans to install five 400-foot wind turbines on mountaintops in West Sumner.

  • CMP opposes smart meter opt-out

    AREA — Central Maine Power (CMP) believes its smart meters are safe and effective, and that allowing customers to opt-out is unnecessary.

    An operation that would replace all electrical meters in the state with "smart meters" that can be read remotely has been met with opposition from a small percentage of CMP customers, who filed their health and safety concerns with that Public Utilities Commission (PUC), which regulates CMP.

  • Paris board sends budget back

    PARIS — The proposed $3.4 million expense portion of the Paris budget was rejected by the Board of Selectmen on Monday, after two of four board members in attendance indicated that they would not vote for it in its current form.

    Selectman Ted Kurtz wanted the budget reduced by about $50,000, while Selectwoman Jean Smart wanted to add $15,000 to a particular line item.

    Selectman Ken West said that he thought the budget was good as presented.

  • Pismo Beach may see new ballfield

    OXFORD — The board of selectmen endorsed an expansion of the Pismo Beach Recreational Facility to accommodate a new ball field.

    "We absolutely need another field," said Pam Lovely, of the recreation committee, which requested the expansion. "We have one field that all the teams play on in this town and that's it. The rest of them ... practice behind the school at those two fields, we practice at the Legion. But that one field is all we have."

  • Rising metal prices mean more burglaries

    AREA — Rising unemployment and high metal prices have contributed to an especially bad climate for one type of burglary.

    Deputy Sheriff Michael Parshall of the Oxford County Sheriff's Department says he has seen a rash of burglaries in the Bethel area, where he was stationed.

    Parshall says officers have arrested one Bethel resident, Michael Thurston, who confessed to stripping copper piping from two different houses while the owners were gone for the winter, and they suspect that he was also responsible for 8-10 other burglaries.

  • Norway contracts with Responsible Pet Care for strays

    NORWAY — Norway's stray dogs will be kept locally this summer after all.

    Selectmen voted unanimously to contract with Responsible Pet Care at a meeting on May 5. Stray dogs recovered in town will be sent to Kanine Kare in South Paris and kept for up to six days.

    The contract will require Norway to pay $30 per dog, per day until July 1, when a year-long contract kicks in. At that point, Norway will be charged roughly $5,000, $1 per capita, for the year 2011-12.

  • ATVs banned from town trails

    OTISFIELD — Selectmen decided to officially ban ATVs from a series of town-owned trails in Otisfield.

    This is the first time the town has been asked to address ATV use in Heniger Park, a 100 acre plot at the northwest end of Pleasant Lake.

    The board responded to concerns from a nature enthusiast over ATV usage on the trails by agreeing to post signs at the trailheads to let ATV users know they were off limits.

  • Station Road to close down for culvert work

    HEBRON — The Hebron Board of Selectmen opted to finish work on a section of Station Road as quickly as possible, even though it involves shutting down the road during the day.

    The board accepted a bid from AJ Levesque Excavation out of Poland at a meeting on Monday. On the road, 13 culverts between Back Street and Route 119 will be replaced, at a cost to the town of $8,500. Work will begin on May 16 and continue for six work days, ending May 23.

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