Editor’s Note: The following is the first of two articles highlighting some of the top news stories from 2015. This article highlights the events from January to June. The second half of the year will be featured in the Jan. 6 issue.
The first six months of 2015 were filled with many memorable news moments as both the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office and Maine State Police saw Houlton natives take over the top spots in their departments. Local school districts were also making news as they struggled to come up with budgets, and leadership as two superintendents resigned from their posts.
January
The RSU 29 district once again found itself in need of a new superintendent after Mike Hammer’s surprise resignation. The school board hired Hammer on Feb. 23, 2011 and he began his duties on June 21, 2011. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as superintendent in this district for the past three and a half years,” Hammer’s letter of resignation stated. “I want to thank the board for the support you have shown me and for allowing me to grow as a professional.”
Sheriff James Madore of Madawaska retired as Aroostook County’s Sheriff, ending a 13-year stint as the sheriff and bringing a 40-year career in the profession to an end. Darrell O. Crandall Jr. succeeded him. Crandall was no stranger to law enforcement in The County, serving in law enforcement for the past 30 years. His father, Darrell Crandall Sr. was elected Aroostook County’s sheriff in 1965 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1983. He died Feb. 28, 1996.
Terry Joseph McKenna was welcomed as Houlton’s new police chief. He succeeded Butch Asselin, who switched over to become Houlton’s town manager in the fall of 2014.
Ryland Jacoby Samuel Shaw arrived as Houlton Regional Hospital’s New Year’s baby. The infant was born Jan. 2 at 10:22 a.m. His parents are Jocelyn Haney and Jonathan Shaw of Houlton.
All five local school systems — RSU 29, SAD 70, RSU 50, SAD 14 and Greater Houlton Christian Academy — had experienced three “snow days” with plenty of winter yet to come. None of the school districts factor snow days into their school calendar, which meant every time school was cancelled because of the weather, an additional day was added onto the end of the year.
The Houlton Humane Society was struggling to care for seven wolf-dog hybrids following a seizure of about 67 animals by state animal welfare agents. The seizure was the culmination of a two-year investigation into alleged illegal breeding and selling of dogs, according to Liam Hughes, director of the state’s animal welfare program.
February
The stage of the Houlton Community Arts Center was transformed into a singer’s dream as the United Way of Aroostook hosted the ninth annual “Northern Star” singing competition. Open to singers age 12 and up, Houlton’s regional event featured a wide array of talent. Chloe Wheeler, 14, of Bridgewater and Taylor Reed, 15, of Houlton were both chosen by audience vote to advance to the regional finale. Two additional singers were selected by the judges to compete in a sing-off. Selected by the judges were David Dow of Houlton and Tazay Hill of Limestone.
Cold temperatures could not deter a large gathering of residents, both young and old alike, from enjoying the annual Moosestompers Weekend winter carnival at Houlton Community Park. Dogsled rides, cross country skiing, sliding and snowmobile rides were all part of the excitement.
The Houlton Town Council voted 4-1 to endorse an asset purchase agreement between Polaris Cable and Time Warner Cable. Polaris Cable, a local cable television company, sold its assets to the much larger Time Warner group.
For 25 years, Mildred Madigan was a pillar of support of the St. Mary’s food pantry. So it was only fitting that her name was affixed to a wall inside the food pantry, located in the basement of St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church. Officials announced they were changing the name of the food pantry to Mildred Madigan Ecumenical Emergency Food Pantry at St. Mary’s in her honor.
At an RSU 50 board meeting, directors heard from many concerned citizens about the fate of their district. Some residents feared the potential closing of schools in their communities in favor of a new centralized grade 7-12 school, while others worried about the tax burden to do all the lengthy items needing repair to keep all schools open.
The Aroostook County Jail was in a precarious position as money to keep the facility running, and its employees paid, was rapidly running out. Aroostook County Sheriff Darrell Crandall said the County needed an additional $782,000 to cover operating expenses. The jail’s operating funds were set to essentially run out in March and jail operators did not have any reserve funds they could utilize to cover that gap.
The town was about to have an entirely different fleet of ambulances to replace an aging collection of emergency vehicles as Houlton town councilors reversed an earlier decision and decided to approve a plan to lease four ambulances from Autotronics of Madawaska, at a cost of $8,589 per month for the next five years. The total cost of the leasing package is $515,340.
March
After 50 years in the health care profession, Barbara Bossie had achieved nearly every goal she set out to accomplish. The Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce lauded Bossie for her accomplishments when she received the organization’s highest honor — the Lifetime Achievement Award at the chamber’s annual dinner meeting.
Monticello students were to remain a part of the RSU 29 district for the foreseeable future. By a 3-1 margin at the polls, voters shot down a proposal that would have seen the town explore the concept of withdrawing from the school district. The referendum question was prompted by a citizen’s petition in January and sought to spend up to $30,000 to explore if withdrawing from the school district would be in the town’s best interests.
A proposal to move seventh- and eighth-grade students from Mill Pond Elementary to Hodgdon High School, possibly as early as next school year, was met with reservation by community members during a special meeting. About 125 individuals attended the special meeting held at Hodgdon High School, to voice either their support or opposition to the proposal. Declining enrollment at the high school, a number of costly maintenance issues for the district’s buildings, and trying to come up with a workable budget for the next school year were cited as reasons to consider the move.
April
In the fall of 2014, an inspection of the Island Falls bell tower showed that time and Mother Nature had more than weathered the entire edifice, which was in need of repair. A fund was started and donations were being sought for the work that needed to be done.
The University of Maine and the Maine Potato Board (MPB) released a new potato variety — Caribou russet. The Caribou russet was tested under the research identification number AF3362-1, and resulted from a cross between Silverton russet and Reeves kingpin.
Tribal Representative Henry J. Bear of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians proposed legislation that would authorize the Department of Public Safety and Gambling Control Board to issue a casino license for the Houlton tribe. Approval for a casino is contingent on a referendum vote in Aroostook County. The bill must first go through the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. Ultimately the request did not gain approval from the Maine Legislature.
Computers in the town’s police department were infected with a virus that essentially shut down access to all documents and programs for a short period of time.
The Houlton Town Council was mulling costly repairs needed at the Gentle Memorial Building. The 63-year-old recreation center was in dire need of multiple repairs, caused by water leaks and a general lack of proper maintenance upkeep issues over the years.
A tree felled by a beaver was cited as the cause of a power outage that impacted about 2,900 Aroostook County customers of Emera Maine.
Area children were going to have new a recreational area at the Just For Kids playground after the Houlton Town Council approved the purchase of new equipment. The Houlton Parks and Recreation had been looking to replace its aged equipment for a number of years and has been actively fundraising for the past seven years.
May
Ellen Schneider was unanimously selected as the new RSU 29 superintendent. She replaced Mike Hammer, who announced his resignation in January after three and a half years with the district. A native of Presque Isle, Schneider has been in education for the past 28 years. She most recently served as the Wells-Ogunquit superintendent for the past two years.
The Maine State Police Troop F barracks in Houlton lost its top officer following the promotion of John Cote. A 26-year veteran of the force, Cote was promoted to the rank of Major of Operations Division and has relocated to the Augusta branch of the Maine State Police. A Houlton native and current resident of Mars Hill, Cote previously served as lieutenant at Troop F, the highest rank one can achieve at a regional branch, since July 23, 2013.
U.S. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) was in Aroostook County, making stops at local businesses and health centers as a way to keep in touch with the needs of those in northern Maine.
The makeover of downtown Houlton began as the first of 25 Linden and Japanese Lilac trees were planted in front of the Elks Lodge on Main Street. The trees were purchased through a Canopy Grant.
At the Red Cross Annual Real Heroes Breakfast, Heather Miller of Houlton received an Extra Mile Award for her tireless efforts to help abused and abandoned animals and as an advocate for the Houlton Humane Society.
The University of Maine’s Tracy Rockwell was named the new director of the Houlton Higher Education Center. Rockwell served as the interim director of the HHEC since August 2014, following the resignation of Chuck Ames, who previously served the University for more than 30 years.
June
Turnout was sparse and comments were few as residents in the communities that make up SAD 70 gathered for the annual district budget meeting. About 40 people spent little more than an hour approving a $6,502,765 budget for 2015-16 with little discussion. No attempts were made by the public to reduce the spending plan. Overall, the budget is a decrease of $224 from last year.
McGill’s Community Band was gearing up for a summer of concerts under the direction of bandleader Kevin Mania. This year marked a special milestone as the group celebrates 30 years of music.
The SAD 70 board was looking for a new member to take the gavel as longtime chairman Estela Lane announced she was resigning from the panel. Lane had been on the SAD 70 board for 19 years, including the past 10 years as its chairman.
Residents in Cary Plantation were considering withdrawing from SAD 70 and deorganizing as a town. About 202 residents make up the community that encompasses 13.5 square miles in southern Aroostook County. A special town meeting was held at Hodgdon High School, in which 50 residents gathered to hear information and voice any concerns. There are 114 registered voters in the community.
Superintendent Larry Malone resigned from RSU 50 to take an assistant superintendent position with Massabesic High School in Waterboro. In his stead, Mike Hammer, former RSU 29 superintendent, was named as the interim superintendent for the district.
Brian Harris, a native of Houlton, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant at a special ceremony at the Troop F barracks. Harris replaced John Cote as the Troop F commander. Cote served as the local commander from July 2013 until his promotion to Major of Operations Division in Augusta in May.
