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Serving Bridgton and the surrounding towns of Western Maine since 1870. Vol. 148, No. 44
28 PAGES - 4 Sections
Bridgton, Maine
November 2, 2017
(USPS 065-020)
Weather . . . . . . . . . . . 5D
www.bridgton.com
SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS
BFD demands force end of ‘Angel’ drive By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer Since his arrival as the town’s new fire chief, Steve Fay has discovered that his department is a close-knit, hardworking and highlycommitted group. Numbers might be low, but the amount of heart and soul present here is unquestionably high. Yet, Fay knows there is a limit to what he can ask of his department members. “Because of their dedication, they miss out on a variety of family functions. They sacrifice a lot to serve this town,” the chief said. So, to lighten the load, the chief is taking one item off the department’s plate — discontinuance of the Christmas Angel program— and seeking a more community-wide effort to help those in need. “Buying and distributing toys on Christmas Day is something we don’t have
the resources to continue to do,” Chief Fay said. “We simply don’t have the resources.” Active members total 33, at the moment. More volunteers are sought (those interested in joining the BFD should contact Chief Fay). To illustrate his point of limited resources, the chief pointed to a recent fire in North Bridgton. The fire erupted midday, and with few Bridgton fire fighters available (due to other work commitments), Chief Fay called for mutual aid from neighboring towns. That aid included manpower from as far away as Standish. While Fay understands many families have relied upon and appreciated the Christmas Angel program over the years, he hopes those “gaps” are filled through a cooperative venture including the fire DEMANDS, Page 2A
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer RAYMOND — It is a well-documented fact that more people go to the polls during a presidential election than during the other years. Certainly, there are people who always fit in the time to vote on the second Tuesday in November. In most area towns, the majority of the ballot items are state referendums. Neither the Town of Raymond nor the Town of Naples has any local referendums on Tuesday’s ballot. In Raymond, there is one person, Louise Douglas, running for a five-year term on the Portland Water District (PWD) Board of Trustees. That board has representatives from both Raymond and Windham. So far, no write-in candidates have come forward, according to Raymond Town Clerk Sue Look. Until Thursday, voters can request absentee ballots TOOLS OF A SÉANCE — Melinda Thomas, the owner of Clipper Merchant Tea House without providing a statein Bridgton, set up the table for a Victorian séance held at the tea house on Monday sanctioned excuse for being night. (De Busk Photo) absent on the polling date, Look said. “The last day is Nov. 2” met for the first time on for people to pick up absenMonday evening. tee ballots and not have a Meanwhile, three paranorreason for doing so, she said. mal investigators from Luna “I’ve gotten a few. I’ve Paranormal Research, out of had 124 requested and 59 North Conway, had arrived returned,” Look said last to conduct the séance. Like week. some of the participants, the She said she could not Luna team dressed the part predict how many absentee and prepared to reveal spirits. ballots would be requested “We are trying to hold true during the week before Nov. to the tradition of the original 7. séances. They did this often “It really depends on offin the Victorian age. There year elections. It goes with was a lot of death, sometimes how heavy the advertising from unexplained illnesses, is,” Look said. and people felt the need to There are 4,057 registered contact spirits of loved ones,” voters in Raymond, accordsaid Kelly Rogers, the founding to the Town Clerk’s er of Luna Paranormal. office. The number of regis“Mary Todd Lincoln tered voters in the Town of did a lot of séances in the Naples is 3,149. Whitehouse. She lost two children,” Rogers said. Having the First Lady of the United States doing séances made it more acceptEstablished 1870 able to mainstream society P.O. Box 244, 118 Main St. during the Victorian age, she said. Bridgton, ME 04009 Rogers as well as some VICTORIAN SÉANCE — Paranormal investigators, 207-647-2851 of the participants had no Linda (on left) and Kelly Rogers (Rogers founded Luna Fax: 207-647-5001 expectations of which spirits Paranormal Research) share a quiet moment before bnews@roadrunner.com Monday night’s séance in Bridgton. (De Busk Photo) SEANCE, Page 3A
According to Naples Town Clerk Judy Whynot, there has been some interest in absentee voting “Absentee ballots are being taken out. A rough estimate is 50. Some have been returned,” Whynot said. “Yeah, as of Thursday, they have to have a special circumstance. Starting Nov. 2, they have to have a special reason” to take out an absentee ballot, she said. In the Town of Casco, there are 3,059 registered voters, according to Casco Town Clerk Lucille Griffin. A total of 96 absentee ballots have been processed at the town hall as of Tuesday morning, she said. State ballot questions Here are the four statewide referendum questions: Question 1: Citizen Initiative, An Act To Allow Slot Machines or a Casino in York County. Do you want to allow a certain company to operate table games and/or slot machines in York County, subject to state and local approval, with part of the profits going to the specific programs described in the initiative? Question 2: Citizen Initiative, An Act To Enhance Access to Affordable Health Care. Do you want Maine to expand Medicaid to provide healthcare coverage for qualified adults under age 65 with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level, which in 2017 means $16,643 for a single person and $22,412 for a family of two? Question 3: Bond Issue, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue to Improve Highways, Bridges and Multimodal Facilities and Upgrade Municipal BALLOT, Page 8A
IMPASSABLE — Gusting wind and torrential rain last Sunday night into Monday morning downed trees throughout the Lake Region area, including here on Route 35 in Harrison, causing massive power outages. For some residents, power won’t likely return until Saturday, according to latest Central Maine Power projections. (Photo by Bud Finch)
Storm leaves many in dark, still
By Wayne E. Rivet Staff Writer As trick-or-treaters walked down Bacon Street Tuesday night, there was an eerie feeling when they peered toward Kennard Street. A few candles flickered inside some homes, but the street and surrounding yards were jet black. With good reason. Kennard Street was one of several pocket areas intown Bridgton where electrical service remained down following Sunday’s tropical storm. Gusting wind into the 70 mph range, along with torrential rain, toppled trees, which downed power lines across the Lake Region area.
Sip of tea and talk with the dead
By Dawn De Busk Staff Writer Susan was thrilled to be participating in a Victorian séance on the day before Halloween. It wasn’t the date as much as the era, the Victorian age, that thrilled the Fryeburg resident. Susan dressed the part, pulling together Victorian pieces, including a cherished, full-length, black silk cape given to her by a friend who found it in the trunk of a relative who died years ago. “I probably had a past life in that time period. I love it. I am attracted to” the Victorian age, Susan said. Television series like Downton Abby and the 1900s House, in which people live with only the amenities available during the Victorian age, have fueled her curiosity and attraction. So, it was no surprise that Susan decided to participate in a Victorian séance, which was held Monday night at the Clipper Merchant Tea House in Bridgton. The long-standing Bridgton building was once the town’s hospital. Susan was not attached to any outcome. She said she had no expectations. “I figured it would be fun. I believe in ghosts. I’ve seen ghosts. I’ve already had fun,” Susan said prior to the evening’s séance. On Monday, tea house owner Melinda Thomas set the stage in the séance room: placing a Ouija board on the table which was encircled by chairs. Beforehand, the guests sat in the restaurant and were served dinner and tea. Many of those people
Central Maine Power, along with utility help from other states, continues to reduce the number of outages, but it appears full power restoration won’t likely happen until Saturday. The outage and cleanup work closed local schools, and has kept Public Works departments quite busy. Stephen Merkle of Naples Public Works reported that Fire & Rescue personnel, along with Public Works, spent all of Monday responding to calls of downed trees and power lines. “On town roads that only involved trees and no wires, the two departments got the trees cut and removed out of the roadways. There are many
roads that are still closed due to the fact that there were power lines involved,” Merkle said. “These roads have been coned off and closed.” At 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, a CMP crew arrived to “make lines safe,” which will allow town workers to remove trees and debris, Merkle said Tuesday night. Roads worked on as of Tuesday were: Lake House, Gore, River, Rabbit Run, Trickey Pond, Stage, Margaret Street, Jackson Cove and State Park. “The process will be done in steps and will take a couple of days to get all town roads passable,” he added. “A huge thanks goes to Naples Fire and
Rescue for all they have done to ensure the public’s safety.” In Casco, Town Manager David Morton reported that most of the town remained without power as of 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. “Several roads have obstructions and are hampered with downed utility lines, many of which are intertwined with trees,” Morton said. “Clearing away debris is slow due to the need to have utility lines removed prior to removal of trees. The Casco Fire Department has been doing a fantastic job in response to calls for downed utility lines, which have obstructed roads. Many roads are still not passable for IN THE DARK, Page 8A
Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday
The Bridgton News