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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 148, No. 27
32 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
July 6, 2017
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 6D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
SURVEYING THE DAMAGE on Moose Pond in Denmark, as seen in this photo submitted by Nancy Campbell. Mountain Road remained closed to public traffic on Sunday as crews continued to clean up after a tornado hit Saturday night.
‘It seemed like an eternity’
Life more meaningful after tornado scare By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer Pete and Martha St. Jean were huddled with their dog in the tiny bathroom of their cottage while a tornado’s path pummeled their summertime paradise. Moments earlier, “as the rain picked up in intensity, we proceeded to close the windows and sliding door,” Pete said. As she glanced out the slider, Martha watched a large pine tree fall on the lake side — just a few feet from their A-frame cottage. Meanwhile, Pete saw only the dark shadow of it. The glass of the slider seemed like it might shatter so they hurriedly took refuge in the bathroom, he said. The tornado happened so quickly that the couple didn’t really have time to think about whether they would live or not. They heard the booming sound of another THANKFUL TO BE ALIVE — Pete and Martha St. Jean, of Hampton, N.H., stand in tree — an old oak as it came front of their summer cottage that was in the path of a tornado on Saturday. crashing down on their front (De Busk Photo) porch. One branch broke an
FAMILIAR SCENE — Big trees were toppled by Saturday’s storm, landing on boats, vehicles and homes. (Rivet Photo) upstairs window and dam- was over in less than a minute. It happened in about 30 aged the roof. Still, they hunkered down. seconds.” Martha added, “It seemed “Little did we know, the storm had passed,” Martha like an eternity.” “It was a long, thirty secsaid. Pete continued with the onds,” Pete agreed. Martha said she “was terretelling of Saturday’s horrific experience, “It was the rified by all that was happentwo of us and the dog in the ing.” bathroom. The whole thing TORNADO, Page 2A
Lakes Region Explorer expands to Saturday By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer NAPLES — A familiar sight along Route 302 from Windham to Bridgton and all the areas in between, the Lakes Region Explorer is now on the road on Saturday.
As of July 1, the regional bus service added Saturday to its weekday schedule, according to the Regional Transportation Program (RTP) Director Jack Deberadinis. “We are starting a Saturday
service,” Deberadinis said. Prior to July 1, the bus service was offered only Monday through Friday. The bus goes into Portland, where people can use their transfer ticket to ride any of the Portland lines. RTP
established the bus service in 2014. “We have placards in the bus that give the times of the Saturday service. We think that is an important part of the service and it will generate more riders,”
Foe to friend: WWII POWs worked on farms By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer HARRISON — As a teenager, Hank Lunn did not save his spare change for candy sticks or gum or soda pop. Instead, he sacrificed those little luxuries and saved up his money to buy war bonds. “We changed from playing war to being in war. We saved our money for war stamps —– no nickels for soda pop,” Lunn said. Hank Lunn was 13 years old when he and his family’s Sunday night dinner was interrupted with the radio broadcast that the Japanese military had bombed Pearl Harbor. Prior to Dec. 7, 1941, Lunn — like most Americans — had learned to have a dislike for the Japanese and also the Nazis, the Germans. “We were propagandized. We knew all about the Japs,” he said, apologizing to the audience if they were offended by that word. The images of the Japanese depicted them with slanty eyes, buck teeth and bowl-cut hair, he said. Additionally, the cartoons of the
Japanese military showed them holding up their weapons with “babies at the end of the bayonets.” Similar caricatures showed the German Nazis having speared babies with their bayonets, Lunn said. The neighboring farmer, who frequently came over to visit Lunn’s family, referred to the enemies as GD Stalin, GD Hitler, GD Axis. Those were conversations Lunn heard around the dinner table. He mimicked the adults’ sentiments, understood their hate of the enemy overseas. Hating Japan and Germany was an American attitude even before Pearl Harbor was attacked. “So, when it came time to support the war effort, we were hot to go,” he said. Lunn gave a presentation called “WWII Prisoners of War: From Foe to Friend” at the Harrison Village Library on June 28. More than 80 people showed up and were seated for the midweek afternoon discussion. As the war in Europe raged on, POTATO FARMER ATTIRE is worn Lunn and his best friend Mack did by Northern Maine resident Hank POTATO, Page 6A Lunn. (De Busk Photo)
Deberadinis said. “We had 8,800 boarding this year. We can expect 10,000 or more, especially with the Saturday service,” he said. “It is building and we will get to where we need to be.” For some people in the communities along the bus route, there was some con-
cern about the status of the bus. That was after Naples nixed the bus budget during the annual town meeting in early June. Some people wondered if the bus would no longer stop in Naples. Some folks would be surprised to hear that the Lakes Region Explorer is expandBUS, Page 6A
Withdrawal: A matter of control? By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer SEBAGO — When (or if) Sebago residents consider whether to withdraw from SAD 61 and start their own school system, Dr. Mark Eastman says the main question will be, do taxpayers want local control. The if is whether Maine’s Department of Education approves of the withdrawal agreement that now sits on the commissioner’s desk in Augusta. If the commissioner
approves the agreement, the next step will be a public hearing. The agreement was sent to Augusta on June 19. Dr. Eastman, who is serving as the Withdrawal Committee’s consultant, told about a dozen residents attending a recent committee meeting that it is unlikely it will take the full 60 days. “We are hoping for a clean return,” Eastman said. “The language is fairly standard. WITHDRAWAL, Page 7A
The Bridgton News Established 1870
P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. Bridgton, ME 04009 207-647-2851 Fax: 207-647-5001 bnews@roadrunner.com