July
John Bishop, Head of School, resigned from his position at Greater Houlton Christian Academy. Bishop and his family were relocating to the Portland area, where he accepted the position as Head of School for Greater Portland Christian School.
The Maine Potato Board selected the John and Tom Qualey family of Sherman, as the 2015 Farm Family of the Year. The Qualey brothers, along with John’s son Josh, farm 1,000 acres in southern Aroostook, 350 acres of potatoes and the remainder in rotation crops: oats, barley and small grains. The Qualeys are fifth generation Irish immigrants. Their late parents, Arthur and Rita, purchased the “home farm” in 1963, operating a dairy, where they raised their two sons and seven daughters.
Bernadette Farrar, an instructor at the RSU 29/SAD 70 Adult Education Program, was the recipient of the 2015 Outstanding Adult Education Teacher Award at the Maine Adult Education Association (MAEA) conference.
Deputies with the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office were better equipped to handle emergencies thanks to funding from the Department of Homeland Security. Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) were now present in every deputy’s vehicle in the event that a deputy may be called upon to provide emergency care until an ambulance arrives.
The town of Houlton appeared to be in better shape financially than it anticipated following the annual audit. The town of Houlton’s undesignated fund balance improved from $484,000 to $924,000 in a year, representing a $440,000 increase.
A single-engine airplane made an emergency landing on Interstate 95 near the Canadian border, according to Maine State Police. The pilot, Craig Maynard of Dedham, was forced to make the emergency landing when his engine stalled.
A Houlton native was chosen as the next superintendent for SAD 45 in Washburn as Elizabeth Ervin replaced Ed Buckley. Brian M. Carpenter, a Ludlow native, was also named the new SAD 1 superintendent in Presque Isle. He replaced Gehrig Johnson.
An Aroostook County man with a long criminal history was arrested in connection with a northern Maine rampage in which two people were killed, three others wounded and another beaten. Maine State Police took Anthony Lord, 35, of Crystal and Houlton into custody at the Houlton residence of his uncle, ending a daylong manhunt.
By a unanimous vote of residents, the town of Cary Plantation decided to move forward with its plans to deorganize. About 50 Cary Plantation residents met with state officials for a special town meeting to hear what steps are involved in dissolving a town; what the benefits and negatives are; and what changes residents could expect to see once the town fell under the jurisdiction of Aroostook County’s government.
Some 126 years after the town of Bancroft was formed, July 8 marked the day it ceased to be a town and joined the vast tract of Unorganized Territory in northern Maine. But there was no fanfare to mark the occasion.
For the third time in the past month-and-a-half, a meeting of the Houlton Town Council had to be postponed due to a lack of enough members who were able to attend.
August
The Salvation Army in Houlton was back to full strength with the addition of Lieutenants Dominic and Elizabeth Nicoll. The Nicolls spent the last two years at the Salvation Army College For Officer Training in Suffern, N.Y.
Kevin Tingley, Houlton’s code enforcement officer, added animal control officer to his job title.
Voters in the 12 communities that represent RSU 50 narrowly approved a $9,478,679 school budget for 2015-16 during a special referendum election
Those who love spuds were in great company as the town celebrated the 56th annual Potato Feast Days with a bundle of events over a two-day period.
The Maine State Police’s Troop F barracks was back to full strength following the appointment of Jeffrey Clark to the rank of sergeant.
Faced with a number of costly improvements to district buildings, SAD 70 officials were considering alternative ways to fund the projects so that the impact to taxpayers would be kept to a minimum.
September
A pilot found dead after his twin-engine plane crashed in Houlton under foggy conditions was identified as 30-year-old Bakary Doucoure of Le Blanc, France. Doucoure was the sole occupant of the Piper PA34, which had taken off the previous evening from an airport in Goose Bay, Labrador, and was bound for Merritt Island, Fla. The plane crashed about a mile south of the airport after clipping some trees, ending up in a man-made pond.
The town’s public works department was the primary beneficiary of a $250,000 loan authorized by the town council. The loan was secured to obtain several pieces of new equipment, including trucks and a snowblower.
Although autumn had yet to arrive, a number of maple trees in the Shiretown were losing their leaves, leaving many to ponder what is the cause. The trees were found to be infected with Tar Leaf Spot, a fungal disease that affects maple trees causing leaves to turn brown and fall off prematurely.
Nearly eight years after talks of erecting wind turbines on the hills of Oakfield was first broached, a $369 million wind project was completed by Sun Edison, formerly known as First Wind. A total of 48 turbines were erected as part of the project, making it the largest in the state, to date.
The Houlton Town Council was considering the elimination of police dispatching services as a way to trim its budget. The proposal drew the ire of those employed by the police department and the plan was ultimately scrapped.
The second annual Memorial Ride and Walk — Remembering Mike and Heidi was a success by all standards. A large group of 245 individuals registered for the walk/ride.
A friendship bench was erected at Houlton Southside School thanks to the efforts of Bill and Maryanne Marcinak. The bench was donated in memory of her mother Betty Childers, a longtime educator.
Town councilors opted to put off costly repairs at the Gentle Memorial Building until the spring of 2016. A cement block wall was in need of repairs, but officials opted to wait until May, 2016 when the building is not being utilized as much.
October
Mike Hurley, owner of the Temple Theatre in Houlton, announced that he was going to “give” the business away to one lucky writer as part of an essay contest. Individuals and groups could submit an essay as to why they should win the theatre, along with a $100 entry fee. Hurley stated if enough entries were submitted, the theatre would be awarded to a new owner in January.
Ghastly ghouls, zombies, psycho clowns and more are waiting to terrify the locals at the annual Linneus Haunted Hayride, which served as a fundraiser for the Linneus Recreation Department. Over the years, the hayride has helped raise more than $8,500 for youth programs.
More than 200 walkers braved the elements Saturday morning to participate in the 10th annual Bridge to Hope Cancer Walk. The walk marked the first time in the 10-year history of the event that snow fell during the fundraiser. A total of $7,200 was raised.
Even though privately raised funds would pay for the cost of restrooms in Riverfront Park, town councilors shot down a request for permission to build them because the town would have to foot the bill for ongoing maintenance.
The RSU 50 board was facing tough decisions for the future of the district as they weighed whether it should move forward with a consolidation plan that would see Katahdin Middle-High School and Southern Aroostook Community School fold into one, newly named high school unit.
The town said farewell to another longtime employee as Claudine Blanchette retired after 38 years with the Houlton Police Department.
November
A sinkhole about two feet in diameter and more than 30 feet deep was discovered behind the Houlton Sherwin Williams.
Fourteen months after the decision was made to close the Wellington School, the town’s Board of Selectmen were given permission to sell the building at a special town meeting.
Jason Tarr was unanimously chosen as the new athletic director/assistant principal for RSU 50.
A total of 833 Houlton residents cast ballots in the November election. Sue Waite-York and Rosa McNally were elected to the Houlton Town Council, while Bruce Clark, Lori Holmes, Tammy Goetsch and Karter Kenney were elected to the RSU 29 board.
The Houlton Community Arts Center was filled over the weekend to showcase the many talented high school singers and actors in this year’s production of “Godspell.”
The town of Ludlow was once again mulling a decision to withdraw from the SAD 70 school district, after a citizens’ petition was presented to the board of selectmen.
December
The Aroostook County Sheriff’s deputies were sporting body-worn cameras to aid in their arrest of criminals.
In an effort to cut down on repeat visits by inmates of the Aroostook County Jail, a number of programs have been put into place over the years to assist individuals both inside the walls of the jail and also once they leave. For those efforts, Jail Administrator Craig Clossey was lauded by the Aroostook Mental Health Center.
With Christmas fast approaching, organizers of the Toys for Tots campaign were hoping the donation boxes located around the area are quickly filled with gifts.
The number of domestic violence calls and arrests were up in some parts of Aroostook County over the past year, according to local police chiefs and the county sheriff.
The town of Cary was moving forward with its plans to pull out of the SAD 70 school district and start the process to become a deorganized territory. A total of 64 residents braved the elements to cast ballots in a special election, with overwhelming support for the plan. Because Cary has no town office, voting was held at the SAD 70 Superintendent’s Building in neighboring Hodgdon.
Bill Beardsley, acting commissioner of education in Maine was a guest at Houlton Elementary School recently. He was there at the invitation of Principal Candace Crane to learn more about the successful K- 3 literacy program in place in RSU 29.
The Houlton Police Department was looking for an individual or individuals responsible for a string of home “Grinch-like” burglaries that were taking place in the Shiretown.
Editor’s note: The review for January to June appeared in last week’s edition.
